SHOULD YOU SUPERSIZE YOUR EXERCISE?

Every new study has new facts and myths. Yes, exercise is good for us. We all agree. Just how much and where and what is the conundrum. Back in the good old days (before our fingers did all the 'walking') no one even thought about exercise as a task. Just getting through daily life provided more than enough movement and strenuous effort. The point is our bones and muscles disintegrate if we don't use them. A lot.

The pundits don't do pushups. They disagree about dips and squats. Should we kettleball or boil a kettle? What about burpees? It's all too confusing – exercise every day? Or, high-intensity-training (HIT) once a week? I think I'll 'hit' the sofa, because sorting it all out makes ME weak.

I think exercise is important to make me feel better, to distract me from my worries, to build strength, to utilize all my muscles, to stay healthy. And to BREATHE! Breathe and relieve! Bonus: If I work hard, I might even sleep better.

But … weight loss? Hmmmm … Maybe if I was young and maybe if all my hormones hadn't made a mutinous escape – maybe if I had a magic wand, or maybe if a calorie didn't count, but the facts crush the myths here. Yep … time to swallow your medicine ball.

The truth is 'eat less, move more'. As we get older, eat less, less, and less again, but move more and more and more. Until the scales of justice topple onto our top-heavy head …

There just comes a point where it's not the exercise that halts the supersize, it's the salad plate in place of the dinner plate. It's the egg white in place of the three egg omelet (with cheese, please …). It's passing on the Rocky Road ice cream and opting for a syrup-free snow cone. Yes, folks, ice is all you get if you want to freeze off those unwanted waistlines. UGH!

Goodbye treats, so long sweets, three meals means three hooks on your trousers, and don't think for a minute that an extra hour in the gym will compensate for for that extra slice of pizza.

Once again, reality is a cruel teacher. Bust your Bosu balls if you must, but trust me, you've got to pinch your pleasure to lose an inch of measure.

I've got to run now, and swim, and play some racquetball, and ride my bike, and maybe if I still have time, I'll stop by the freezer and grab a cube.

Breathe.

Just Another Lori Story ...