Why Exercise Might Not Be The Key To Your Losing Weight

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Western culture tells us that when it comes to weight loss, we need to focus more on how much we’re moving instead of how much we’re eating. Exercise, or a lack thereof, is the main issue, and if we were to just up our activity level, we could better balance out the amount of food we consume and lose weight easier. But that’s just not true (because if it were, there would be no need for this discussion).

Eating and exercise do not exist in vacuums. They work in tandem, and both are critical to the healthy weight loss — and weight maintenance — game.

Physical fitness provides us with strength, endurance and flexibility, all of which are necessary for living long lives with healthy hearts, muscles, bones and minds. And yes, movement also burns calories, helping with weight management as well. But what we choose to eat (and how much of it) often matters more.

Just think about it: we consistently sweat up a storm thinking that 30 minutes of jogging will earn us that extra margarita or quesadilla at happy hour, but the amount of exercise required to burn the number of calories we usually want to consume in these scenarios isn’t realistic. Plus, if we are just burning it off to put it back in the tank an hour later, what good is that doing for a weight loss goal? Not to mention, that equation doesn’t factor in the importance of nutrition at all.

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It’s much easier, smarter and more effective to control aspects of your diet alongside exercise to see real results. Fill up on the good stuff and cut out the majority of the junk rather than justifying a pizza binge with the fact that you exercised earlier in the day. Give your body the high-test fuel it needs to work at its peak rather than the low-grade stuff that just gives it the ability to keep chugging along.

It’s only when you create this positive feedback loop that you begin experiencing the results you want. The better you eat, the better you feel. The better you feel, the more inspired you feel to exercise. The more inspired you feel to exercise, the more effective your workouts become. The more effective your workouts become, the stronger your body builds. And the stronger your body builds, the better it uses the fuel you give it. This is the cycle we should be striving for.

No one gets to eat whatever they want whenever they want in whatever quantity, at least not forever. Biology catches up with all of us eventually — some faster than others and some in harsher ways than others, but we all end up on a similar playing field. So you might as well channel your energy into the process that will serve you well for years to come rather than searching for a way to get away with an excuse here and a shortcut there. And honestly, that advice holds for every life situation — not just with what your number reads on that scale.

But if you’re at all focused on adjusting your weight in some capacity, walk away from this knowing that you don’t get to pick which one — diet or exercise — to prioritize if you expect to be successful. You have to be mindful of both and balance them in a way that supports your body. And that’s all there is to it.