Why weight gain is an issue for so many

[Ukase]

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood antagonist. 

I wanted to share an experience. Well, experience is too strong a term, I think. Let me share some knowledge. 

I like to lift weights. From a math perspective, lifting weights always seemed to me more efficient than cardio. But - sometimes, when the central nervous system is worn out, you have to rest. Not that I would ever be so in tune with my body that I would recognize it's my central nervous system needs rest. All I knew was that I just didn't want to lift. 

So, I went for a walk. I wanted my walk to be productive, so I began to search for a podcast to listen to, something informative. 

I found Katy Says - a podcast by Katy Bowman and Dani Hemmat. In that podcast, they discuss how essentially, with all of our technological advances, our bodies haven't really figured this stuff out. 

Our foods are essentially gathered and hunted for us; most of us don't plant the produce, nor kill the chickens or cows that are on our plates. 

We sit all the time -and have issues because of it. We sit all the time now, in response to the fact that 40-50 years ago - as a society, most of us back then stood all the time. And had issues because of it. 

And - if we move all the time - we have issues because of it - joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc. 

I encourage all of you to take some time to listen to the Katy Says podcast, she can certainly share the info more clearly than I can. 

But - be warned. If she is right - life is like a chess game. You move one way - some other part of your body is being ignored. We simply can't challenge every part, every day. But, I think with a more clear idea of our own body's bio-mechanics, we can certainly take a step on that path  - to where we realize that fat isn't necessarily evil. It serves a purpose. 

Being out of shape certainly doesn't do anything for you, but it's symptomatic of who you are and what you do on a regular basis. 

Your knee hurts? Why ? Think about it. What kind of shoes are you wearing? What surfaces do you walk on? What's your gait like? Why is your gait like that? 

Can you do a squat? Can you go from a squat to being on one bended knee without losing your balance a little bit? (think of the wedding proposal position) 

Is your bed really doing you a favor? Could you sleep on a different surface and still get recuperative rest? 

Is central heat and air outsourcing our bodies' temperature control system? 

To sum up, the theory is that the reason we're heavy and myopic is because we don't spend enough time outside living. My guess is, she's right. 

Next year, I plan to grow my produce. I won't farm animals - I don't have the space and I'd feel less guilty about killing some spaghetti squash than I would some chickens. But, I think it's a step in the right direction. If I grow some of my own food - I'll have more time outside, more work being done by myself, rather than the farmers who sell to the grocers. 

Less time working out - more time living. 

[FitBeforeFifty]

@divedragon, I'm also a software engineer that works 60+ hours per week.  I don't have to travel but I do have to deal with family obligations that you probably don't have to deal with while on the road. We all have our challenges.

It's certainly much simpler to just be sedentary but activity level is a choice not a destiny. I think one of the misconceptions regarding exercise is that some people have time and some don't. The truth is, I don't have time for exercise but I make time for exercise. In fact, the more hours I work the more I know I need to break for exercise because it's a major stress release.

[USAF-Larry]

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@FitBeforeFifty wrote:

I think one of the misconceptions regarding exercise is that some people have time and some don't. The truth is, I don't have time for exercise but I make time for exercise. In fact, the more hours I work the more I know I need to break for exercise because it's a major stress release.

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This sums it up beautifully!  Way back when, when I was on active duty in the military, I always made time to exercise - I never had time due to my duty schedule, my travel, my family obligations, etc., etc., etc..  I made time for exercise because my well being depended on it, my career depended on it, my family depended on it, and in the over 20 years of service I never failed a fitness test. After I left the service, I continued to make time to exercise, mostly because I enjoyed it and enjoyed the benefits of it. And, having made time for exercise all those years has paid dividends as I moved into my 8th decade. I continue to make time to exercise.