John Cloud the author of the Feature “Health” Article in this week’s (August 17th) issue of Time Magazine “Why Exercise Won’ Make You Thin” is totally written out of context. Cloud attempts to explain that exercise not only doesn’t help you lose weight it actually causes you to gain.
Now let’s dive into why this article is misleading and actually could do more harm to people who read Time Magazine and actually believe everything they read. Cloud claims that he exercises all the time (like we care), he’s 163 pounds and still has a gut that hangs over his belt when he sits. What we never find out in this article is Cloud’s actual height. If he’s 5 feet 2 inches tall then 163 pounds is fat, if he’s 6 feet he ‘s most likely thin. Due to his description of his bulging belly we’ll assume he’s on the shorter side. Which leads me to believe that this information, like so many other sources have no clue about fitness and the benefits it provides to weight control and overall well-being (though he does acknowledge “people who regularly exercise are at significantly lower risk for all manner of diseases”).
But let’s debate the main issue of this article, exercise and weight loss. Cloud wonders why Americans work out so much and still one third of all Americans are still obese, while another third count as overweight by the Federal Government’s definition (why we would consider our government as the source to determine who is overweight is beyond me). He cites that 45 million plus Americans now belong to health clubs up from 23 million in 1993. We spend $19 billion a year on gym memberships.
All figures that are true for the most part but the point Cloud misses and many Americans do as well is the fact that we have no idea how to workout. Have you ever really paid attention to what other people do at a gym – you would think the most popular piece of equipment were the mirrors. Cloud does concede this fact from a Minnesota Heart Survey – that found, more of us say we exercise regularly. The fact is we don’t work out correctly. There are lies, damn lies, fishing stories, golf scores & gym workouts. We are not honest with ourselves. We are lazy. We stand around at the gym and look for anything to do, but actually be physical. Our jaws move more than our legs and arms at gyms – it’s a place to socialize.
Cloud tries to make the argument that we eat more after we work out therefore we are actually consuming more than we are burning, which could very well be the case but it’s not because exercise does not burn calories. He and others claim that you don’t have to conduct strenuous exercise in order to lose weight, simple things like walking at a slow pace may be more beneficial. Great, let’s give Americans another excuse to take it easy. Again this points to the fact that Americans don’t understand how to workout. This microwave society wants everything fast with quick results without the effort. Why do you think gym memberships soar after the Christmas and New Year Holidays – everyone is looking for quick fix to lose the pounds – that’s how Americans approach fitness and weight loss.
What makes me so uneasy about this article is that now parents will take this to heart and be less concerned about their kid’s exercise habits. The main fact is this – if you exercise and are active consistently over extended periods of your life (childhood-teens-college-adulthood) you’ll most likely develop a metabolism that burns calories much more efficiently and keeps weight off. Is that not the goal for most parents to achieve with children? Unfortunately our generation grew up uninformed about exercise, we were lazy, we were interested in quick results or we lost interest. So it’s not surprising we have developed poor metabolisms and poor fitness habits that add up to limited weight loss when we try, and when we do it’s for the most part half-heartedly
What we should be focused on as adults for both ourselves and for our children is making fitness something that is fun to do, that allows us to grow a passion to want to do it. Rather than giving up on exercise and downgrading it’s benefits we should take that energy to create innovative ways to make it part of our lifestyle through contemporary methods.
Thank you very much for your help, this site has been a great respite from the books,
So good to digest such a insightful blog that does not resort to lame antics to get the point across. Thank you for an entertaining read.
Wonderful to read!
Excellent job.
Great post!