I’m sure you have heard the old “take the stairs” adage. How about, “walk to work”, or “don’t take the car, ride your bike”. To me this advice is well intended, but rarely realistic and not an answer to your problem. It’s part of the idea that you should squeeze in physical activity whenever possible in your regular daily routine. The problem here is the implication that hardship and discipline, even in little bits should be sprinkled into your life to help solve your fat loss problems.
Running a mile on a treadmill will burn approximately 100 calories. 3 little Oreo cookies contain of 210 calories. So, you would need to run on treadmill for over 2 miles just to burn off those 3 little cookies. Worse, if you are hungry from the run, depending on what you eat afterward you may actually end up adding more calories than you burned off.
These realities show clearly just how negligible the effects of taking the stairs or walking to work really are (especially without first correcting your diet). Yet, they weigh on your mind every time you step into an elevator or get out of your car. Guilt – you’ve been bad, you are lazy. Nonsense! Sorry, but I am not climbing the damn stairs! I have a hot coffee in my hand, I’m carrying a briefcase and I’m wearing a fresh pressed suit, why the hell would I climb 5 flights of stairs? Furthermore, I always run into my friends on the elevator. I love seeing who will be on the elevator every morning, joking around and saying hello. I will not climb stairs for the same simple reasons will not take my 10 speed bike to work. I just got up and I have a meeting. I am going to get in my comfortable car, turn on my favorite jazz station, stop at Starbucks for a coffee and collect my thoughts for the day.
Don’t get me wrong, I always take a walk at lunch. I never drive anywhere for lunch. The difference is that at lunch I long for some fresh air, to move my body a little, get outdoors and say hello to some people other than those that I work with. It’s simple, effortless joy, not work or denial that gets me to move my body.
A great part of this answer is to simply move with your natural harmony and flow, not against it. Almost every ill-conceived thought on exercise involving work, denial and discipline breaks this rule. Even worse, these negative thoughts thwart your natural longing to exercise by falsely causing your mind to associate moving your body with hardship. Punishment as a method for getting anyone to repeat a task breaks all rules of behavioral psychology. This is one of the underlying reasons for our repeated failure to exercise regularly. Please do not fall into this trap. Find the things you naturally enjoy doing that move your body and you have found the answer. You must apply this philosophy to everything you do.
Sean is an NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) Certified Personal Trainer (CPT). He is also an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). Sean has the unique distinction of achieving a Westside Barbell certification from elite athletic strength trainer and Westside founder, Louie Simmons.
Sean is a 3-time Ontario Provincial Boxing Championships competitor and has held over a dozen national and world raw, masters power-lifting records. Sean’s main areas of interest include advanced strength training and anthropology & diet. Specifically, his area of practical study has been successfully following an evolutionary diet in contemporary society.