Every time anyone ever talks about fitness the two terms seeming eternally married are “Diet and Exercise”. Like Yin and Yang of the fitness universe, the two are often stressed as equally important and inseparable. However before you bow your head and chant the dogma of blog fitizens, let’s take a walk around the whole picture.
The Fundamental Misconception
It IS true, that diet and exercise are the two things needed to obtain vibrant health. However, what is often times overlooked in the age of Six pack Sams and Bobby Biceps is to who these fitness personalities are talking to. Everyone has level of fitness that they are at throughout their lives, some people climb to be top level players, and most others just want to be normal weight. The six pack guys all want to sell diet and exercise because usually getting a six pack also comes from developing a strong core. Ideally yes, going to the gym in addition to changing your diet will reap you benefits. Doing so is a lot of extra sacrifice and determination on top of trying to eat well on top of it.
Is it Possible to Pick Just One?
Controversial opinion? I would say yes if the one is diet. It is a whole other blog post to talk all the benefits and why’s of doing squats and bench press, but a lot of people either don’t want to go to the gym or they have something else that keeps them reluctant. Fear, confusion, anxiety, lack of time, all understandable reasons. Which is why my focus over the years has been on diet more than anything because diet is something we do every single day. The caveat with diet is it is arguably the more difficult one to do because “diet” has become complicated, addictive, and for some people a religion or identity. Lifting weights certainly has several textbooks on form or disciplines for different sports, but the bottom line is fairly easy to grasp.
Learn correct form
Do enough sets, reps, and rest in between.
Understand your program
Stick to the program
Give body enough protein after workout.
Even with these simplifications it is easy to see how people who are overweight or obese can feel overwhelmed when this gets paired up with the homework and willpower push of diet on top of it.
My Take on What to Do.
I personally do both, but when I was an obese fat kid and overweight teenager, I did not lift any weights to lose weight. All I did was walk, either on the treadmill or with my dad. Then as I got older, I started alternating between jogging for as long as I could (usually only like 10 or 12 seconds) and then going back to a walk. I would bring my headphones, and try to turn the energy of the music into cardio workouts. It’s not romantic, if anything I’m like Jared and his Subway schtick back in the 2000’s but without getting endorsement or free sandwiches. Just move every day, and work to displace unhealthy foods and drinks with better choices that I talk about here on my website. So while resistance training is an ideal, if you’re just starting out work your way up to it depending on where you are and what your health permits. I have written about how you can’t outrun a bad diet, so if there’s one thing to start with it’s learning about food first. Persistent workouts will not bail out a daily bad diet.
Dream Big, and then Baby Steps
When you’re getting started from a momentum of zero, doing both diet and exercise can be difficult. Maybe you have a job like a truck driver, or injuries, or gym anxiety. Focusing first on building momentum could be the key to get your health rolling in the right direction which is why I took to walking every day when I was younger. I would never dream of being able to do what I can do today with fasting but that’s over the span of almost 10 years. The old Confucius quote of “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” is very applicable to weight loss and diet. It’s a lot to take in, and even though the journey is supposed to only last a thousand miles it extends to the rest of your life. But however daunting that may sound now, an unhealthy life ends well before one thousand miles. And by choosing to overcome your bad habits today, your life will extend to many more miles of enjoyable and fulfilling life experience.
Honor your gift,
-Ed