Why Getting Fit Is Easier Than You Think

I think it’s safe to say that most people would like to be in good shape. There are many reasons for this including lowering the odds of cardiovascular and other life-threatening diseases, extending life expectancy, fitting into old clothes and, of course, looking good.

However, nearly 160 million Americans are overweight including children. If being fit is clearly a positive goal with plenty of benefits, then why are so many people overweight?

Clearly every person is unique and has different reasons for why they may not be fit, but there are also bound to be some reasons that are preventable. One of the biggest reasons, I believe, is that there is an absurd amount of misinformation fitness industry that prevents people from reaching their fitness goals.

For starters, there is a big lie around what foods you can and cannot eat when trying to be healthier. Trends lead people to believe specific diets or diet techniques are the only way to lose weight consistently. Things like the keto diet, intermittent fasting, and weight watchers are all designed to help you lose weight, but they really aren’t necessary. There are certain uses for these diets and many people may enjoy them, but at the end of the day, the only real factor when determining weight loss or gain is the difference in calories consumed to calories burned.

Yup, that’s literally it.

As long as you eat less than you are burning you will lose weight! In addition to this, it also doesn’t really matter what you eat either! A professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University ate only Twinkies and other unhealthy snacks for two months and lost 27lbs because he was at a caloric deficit! This goes against all common sense but it’s the truth (see, misinformation!). Now obviously this diet isn’t a healthy or long-term diet plan, but the point is that you can be extremely flexible with what you eat as long as you manage your calories; no more chicken and rice every day, woohoo!

Diet is the single most important aspect when talking about health and fitness, but exercise is also a big deal. Many folks think in order to get fit you need to join a gym and lift heavy weights or become a marathon runner, but you can get quality exercise just by walking or playing a sport. In fact, walking not only burns calories, it also strengthens the heart; lowers blood sugar; and boosts the immune system. This is information that helped me get into shape and it started my weight loss journey a few years back; since walking is so easy, I started doing it each day until I felt comfortable enough to jog and eventually run. Walking is all you need to do to get fit and toned. Once you have a good baseline from walking, you can certainly add weightlifting and other forms of cardio into your routine but make it something you enjoy. Remember, as long as your heart rate is elevated, you are exercising!

Onto the final, and most prevalent area where misinformation runs rampant, the supplement industry. I call this section the “supplement companies hate him” section because if everyone knew what I know, the supplement industry would lose a lot of money. Basically, there are thousands of fitness supplements that aim to aid your workouts and help you eat right. There are some great supplements like protein powder for those who need more protein, pre-workout for energy, and fish oil to help with heart and brain health. These types of supplements with obvious uses and some research are completely fair game and should be utilized.

The problem is all of the other, unresearched, and overpriced supplements. Things like thermogenics for weight loss, detox drinks and testosterone boosters sounds great but really don’t do a whole lot. Take thermogenics for instance, they claim to burn fat by increasing heart rate and metabolism but really they just end up giving you more energy and only burn a few extra calories throughout the day; they simply aren’t doing what they claim. This is the crux of the problem, so many products claim to do X but end up doing close to nothing while taking your hard-earned money. Like I said before, to get healthier just watch some of your calories and start to walk, why waste money for a placebo?

This was a quick look at why getting fit is easier than it may seem, so don’t let the excess information overwhelm you. Just stay consistent and always remember to keep an eye on your exercise and diet!