The Corollary of Wellness

At a recent training workshop for people who intend to instruct movement classes for older adults, the course conductor told us that it took her years, as a 30+ year Qualified Exercise Professional to get off her high horse and begin to tell her clients that exercise is not a weight loss program.  She admitted it took her a long time to be able to share this truth.

I pondered.  I admitted.  In my day, I had used exercise for weight control.  Indeed, I had.

Eventually, I shared my admission on a facebook post to my friends.

It generated some interest, and a few people even stopped me in town to discuss it.

• A friend who I play cards with had read my post.  They were baffled. "When I was young, I ate lots and I ran, and I was as skinny as a rail.  Now, I am gaining weight and I think I need to be more active."

I kind of stumbled.  This made sense.  It was hard to argue the point, but I still believed my newly learned position about the relationship between weight loss and exercise.

• Another friend, from my youth, was also between the lines. They posted, "I changed my diet a bit - I now eat breakfast, but started Aquafit and walking and have lost 30 pounds in 2 years - I weigh what I did when I was 19!"

Again, it didn't fit with what I was taught at the workshop.

I pondered and wondered if I had used the wrong language to explain this firm position of Qualified Exercise Professionals in Canada, and then, yes.  I could see it.  It was like congruence erupted in my understanding and indeed it was almost like a mathematical eureka moment.  I realize it is not mathematical, but it has a nice sound logic.  No?

So for the first comment, I can reply - well, when we ran and exercised like a horse, we ate like a horse.  As we age, we don't put out as much, so we need to eat like a bird.

And for the second comment, I can reply - well, perhaps you engage in more conscious eating habits, and are doing more activity.

Night Eating

If the problem is over eating - for example, night eating, as in the middle of the night, or covert bags of chips,  - you may never be able to get these habits out of your behavior path without the help of a dietitian.  As youngsters, we burned off these bad behaviors, along with the banana splits and later, the six packs.  But if or when your vibrant youthful exercise behaviors begin to diminish, it is only natural that weight gain will occur if healthy eating is not adopted.  As we age, burning calories to lose weight becomes an endless task.  It is a very slow process and not effective.

The key.

Think of the abundant benefits of exercise, beyond the idea of losing an inch or a kilogram. Better heart and lungs.  Better skin.  Better breath.  Better mind.  Fun.  Socialization.  Competition. Relaxation. Better flexibility. Longevity. Better circulation. Blood sugar regulation.  And all of these benefits have nothing to do with weight loss.  Unhealthy eaters too, can achieve ALL of these benefits.  Separate the ideas.  Just exercise for joy and don't worry about those extra pounds while you do.