Well . . . I have another confession for you today. Are you ready for it?
I haven’t exercised in a long time. I’m talking well over a year. And, I have no intentions of exercising again. Ever.
Before I continue and further explain this madness, let’s look at a couple of definitions.
Exercise – bodily exertion for the sake of developing and maintaining physical fitness
exercise>. A task, problem, or other effort performed to develop or maintain fitness or increase skill
Play – recreational activity; especially : the spontaneous activity of children. To occupy oneself in amusement, sport, or other recreation
Now, which one of those two definitions sounds more enjoyable and positive to you? From reading those two definitions, which would you rather do: exercise, or play?
I know I can’t speak for everyone, but I would much rather play than exercise any day of the week.
So, the question remains: can you really lose weight without exercising? Well, by this point I’m sure you’ve figured out that I strongly believe it’s possible to lose weight without exercising.
I don’t use the word “exercise”. I just don’t like it. “Exercise” sounds so boring and like another daily chore that must be done. That word sounds dreadful, not fun and exciting.
Think about it: when you were a kid and played outside – running around, climbing trees, riding bikes, etc – did you ever once think that you were “exercising”? Hell no. You were playing, having fun, but you were also doing something that was “good for you”.
It seems as if adults just don’t know how to have fun anymore. They stopped playing a long time ago, and now they exercise, if anything at all.
Moving onward – so how exactly can you lose weight and improve your health without exercising?
I’ve talked about this before, but it all comes down to getting involved in activities that you enjoy. It can be something you used to do when you were younger, or something new you have never tried before.
As an example – one of my favorite things to do right now is explore local state parks on the weekend. We go hiking, bouldering, and just play around. Other than that, I’ve been playing racquetball a few times a week as well. It’s a win-win-win situation. I’m having fun, I’m building stronger relationships with the other people involved, and I’m improving my health all at the same time.
Think about it – do people really enjoy spending 60 minutes on an elliptical machine? Is that really fun? Isn’t it possible to accomplish the same task (move around, burn some calories, improve your health, etc) with something much more enjoyable, like hiking through the woods or playing a game of touch football?
Here’s another example – take a dancer, for instance. They’re doing something they truly enjoy and they are in excellent shape. They dance and have fun, and they look awesome. They don’t “exercise.”
I recommend, and use, the same approach when it comes to resistance training. I don’t “exercise” and I’m not in the gym to burn calories, and you shouldn’t be either. I’m there on a much more positive mission – to get stronger. Focusing on getting stronger instead of losing body fat is not only much more motivating, but it’s more rewarding. You get all the great fat loss benefits, but you take a different (more enjoyable) path to achieve that goal.
So how can you lose weight and improve your health without exercising?
Simple. Find something you enjoy. I don’t care if it’s dancing, martial arts, playing basketball, hiking, roller blading, Zamba dancing or any other acitivity. Just do something – play.
And when it comes to resistance training, focus on getting stronger. Forget about burning calories and all that crap. Focus on something positive and motivating.
So there you have it. My preferred formula for success – training for strength and playing.