Is Exercise Enough ?

When we start looking into losing weight, building endurance, getting healthier, building muscle, improving performance, recovering from injures & aches/pains, we often get told that we need to start…EXERCISING.

Some people start exercising in different types of ways. They join group classes, local gyms, start going for walks more often, yoga, new sports, hiking, dancing, or even seek out specialized health professionals like qualified trainers and coaches. Some people probably do all of the above that I just mentioned, myself included!

However, is being physically active and exercising enough to achieve optimal health and healing of our bodies? Short answer…NO.

Throughout my 12+years of training clients, I’ve seen it all. I’ve trained clients with different body types, I’ve had clients with various lifestyles, fitness levels, health issues, injuries, etc. Some were able to find the results they wanted rather quickly, some took a while, which is perfectly fine! And some not so much. Some even yo-yo’d with their results back and forth.

So why is that some people tend to find the results they want better than others, while others seem to be getting almost nowhere. They’re exercising almost everyday, working out for 1-2 hours each day. So why can’t they get their “X” result?

The answer really isn’t that complicated. Here’s what I have personally seen with clients, friends, and myself!

People that tend to get better physical and health results focus on MORE than just exercise. There are other factors that come into play when it comes to improving our physical health. Exercise is just ONE small piece of the puzzle. People that get better results don’t just depend on exercise to magically give them results, they focus on a LIFESTYLE change.

Exercising/training is the EASY part. Anyone can do it. Getting your body to move 30min-1hr a day is easy. When I have people come up to me complaining how they’re not finding the results they want or feel like they plateaued, I begin to ask more personal questions about their lifestyles.

Here are a 5 simple things people tend to overlook when looking to lose weight, get healthier, recover from injuries/aches & pains.

1. Hydration (drinking enough water)

2. Sleep (getting enough sleep/sleep quality)

3. Nutrition (How healthy are you actually eating?)

4. Stress Management (Stress tolerance)

5. More movement

1. Hydration: DRINK WATER ALL DAY. We should all be roughly drinking half of our body-weight in ounces every single day. But of course it may very per individual based on how active they are. The more active you are, the more you’ll need. Adequate hydration aids with fat loss and improves the health quality of our tissues! Avoid juices, sodas, or drinks with sugar!

2. Sleep: QUALITY sleep is important! Aim for 7-8hrs. It’s like hitting the REFRESH button on our bodies. Here’s what happens when we don’t get quality sleep.

a) Disruption of circadian rhythm – leading to poor white blood cell health, which weakens our physical stress response/immunity.

b) Higher levels of anxiety: lack of sleep amplifies the brains anticipatory reactions. Raising overall anxiety levels

c) Impaired cognition – excessive sleepiness impairs memory and ability to think and process information

d) Higher risk of hypertension – sleeping only 5-6hrs a night increases risk of having high blood pressure

e) Higher risk of diabetes – lack of sleep triggers our stress response, leading to the release of stress hormones cortisol and norepinephrine, which are associated with insulin resistance.

And other things like hormonal imbalances, unhealthy cravings, increased risk of injury, etc.

3. Nutrition: This one is HUGE. Are you putting quality food in your body? Are you eating at a calorie deficit to promote weight loss? The quality of our food DIRECTLY correlates with the health our organs and soft tissue. As I’ve heard world renowned trainer Paul Chek say, “You can’t heal a torn ACL with a poor diet”. That goes for any other types of bodily issues & injuries. Eat your VEGGIES. Literally taste the rainbow!

4. Stress management: It’s not that our stress levels are too high, our stress tolerance is too low. Stress is ALL around us in many different levels and forms. What we have to start asking ourselves is, What are we ACTIVELY doing to increase our tolerance to it? A lot of the times it comes down to being better prepared for things and planning ahead of time.

5. Movement: 30min-1hour of exercise a day cannot undo 8hours of sitting at work or being limited to movement. Is your lifestyle oriented around movement? Is the only time you think about consciously moving your body when you’re in the gym? What do you do after your workouts? Sit back on the couch at home? How often do you sit on the floor? Spending more time on the floor is amazing for our bodies. Do you spend time moving outdoors? (running, hiking, walking). Move as often as you can with intention and intelligence.

As a health coach and trainer I personally don’t have everything dialed down perfectly. In fact I have kind of gone up and down with my health goals and results. Sometimes we have to step back and look at the bigger picture and make sure we’re not neglecting the little things that make a difference. Small hinges swing big doors!

While exercise is important for our health, we can’t neglect the other things such as sleep, hydration, nutrition, stress management, and movement.