A common myth is that we need to exercise to lose weight. This is based on the flawed mantra or belief that by burning off excess calories with exercise we will go into a calorie deficit helping us to lose weight.

Exercise is good for us but

it isn’t the secret to weight loss

Our bodies are complicated things, full of chemical reactions that are controlled by hormones in response to our environment, what we eat and what we do. If we are overweight then something has gone awry with our hormones and in most cases the root cause is likely to be the food we are consuming causing us to store too much fat rather than a lack of exercise.

Most of the energy we need from food is used to keep our core bodily functions going, approx. 90%, and our brain uses a huge amount of this. So whether we do or don’t exercise makes very little difference to how much energy we need to take in on a daily basis.

If we are overweight we need to change our hormones by changing what we eat so we reduce fat storage and are able to release the fat stores we already have as energy. You really can’t outrun a bad diet, as the saying goes.

Our instinct is to avoid exertion

We all know we need to be physically active for our health but we don’t always do it. Our modern environments are conspiring against us, making everything super easy and accessible from our phones on the sofa and we also have a natural aversion to expending ‘unnecessary’ energy. We have deep-seated instincts to avoid exertion and it is not biologically normal to ‘exercise’.

Have a read of a brilliant book Exercised by Daniel Lieberman if you want to understand more about this.

The most newsworthy part of the book for me was the finding that physical activity helps slow ageing. Many of the body’s mechanisms that slow ageing and extend life are turned on by physically activity, especially as we get older. We evolved to continue to be physically active as we age and being active helps us age well. The longer we stay active the greater the benefit, although it is almost never too late to benefit from moving more. We need movement to be part of our daily lives as something we enjoy.

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing”
George Bernard Shaw

Tips for overcoming our natural disinclination to exercise

Put exercise clothes out the night before so you are reminded and ready to go
Schedule exercise or movement breaks in your diary
Use an app of fitness tracker to remind you
Schedule activity with a friend
Do something in a group
Sign a commitment contract that involves money
Sign up and pay for an event that requires you to train
Post your activity online
Ask someone to support you by checking up on your progress

Exercise has an image problem

I have recently discovered Darryl Edwards who founded Primal Play www.primalplay.com which is an excellent website, where you can download a free copy of his ebook.

Much of the exercise world is dominated by very macho, no pain no gain, type of thinking reinforcing that exercise needs to be tough to be beneficial and we need kit, tech, special clothes, classes etc. for it to be effective. With many of the people promoting these also fixated on the calories in calories out approach that is not helpful and ways for them to make money... A bit like the food industry promoting ultra-processed, poor quality food that is not good for us!

Darryl is championing putting movement based on play at the heart of our daily lives, encouraging us to move more in whatever way feels great, makes us smile and brings us joy. Tapping into what we did as children and embracing our inner child as an adult. Remember how you felt when your friends came knocking on the door asking you out to play as a kid? I would always say yes and head out, not saying I felt tired or too busy or I ached.

75% of UK children spend less time exercising outside than prison inmates, which is such a sad statistic. This suggests we are creating a generation of children that won’t have my memories of friends knocking on their door and then hanging about outside for hours on a bike, with a football or a piece of chalk for hopscotch.

I highly recommend Darryl’s TED Talk which is here: why working out isn’t working out

Do the A to E to avoid A&E

Darryl also has a great ‘A to E’ for getting more movement and play into our daily lives - even small doses of daily movement can reduce our risk of premature death by up to 50%, so consider what you can add into your day.

A. Avoid convenience – walk or cycle rather than drive, take the stairs

B. Break up sedentary time – use a standing desk, do exercise snacks during the day

C. Create movement opportunities – have a walking meeting, take your lunch outside for a picnic and a quick walk

D. Develop a playful approach – play for 5 minutes with a tennis racket and ball, kick a football around

E. Execute by taking action – sign up for a new active evening activity, block time for movement into your diary during the day

Have a think about what you can do in your daily life to recreate that childhood feeling and bring in some play. For me it is getting outside for a walk every day and dancing along to some favourite songs in the kitchen…

Exercise isn't the key to weight loss