I have walking buddies who love The Biggest Loser. A study by the University of Alberta found that the depiction of extreme exercise sessions on The Biggest Loser left people of all body sizes with a negative attitude toward exercise. Who wouldn't be left with a negative attitude watching people grimacing, crying, throwing up? What's fun about that kind of exercise?
I love walking because it is usually a pleasurable experience once I actually get out the door. I see new things, I get my blood moving. I clear my head, listen to music or podcasts, or chat with my walking buddies. I have a blast with Zumba dancing for higher intensity exercise. I enjoy doing an upper body routine with dumbbells -- short and sweet. I don't do exercise that is unpleasant. If I thought you had to have pain and suffering to burn off calories, I wouldn't do it.
"No Pain, No Gain" was a particularly bad slogan from past decades. Yes, you need to challenge yourself to get to new fitness levels. But you can do that with steady increases in intensity, not with extreme workouts that might leave you injured. Do too much and you set yourself up for weekend warrior injuries. Then you are back to square one, having to recover from your sports injury.
I've been on a journey back from putting on excess pounds and developing knee arthritis pain. I've steadily lost the weight, regained my walking speed, and am pain-free. I did it without extreme workouts. I used brisk walks on my breaks throughout the day, long distance training on the weekends, Zumba and other fun exercise. I also used a reasonable 1200-calorie diet five days per week. It's a sustainable lifestyle. Find the exercise you enjoy doing and do that. Don't fall into the Biggest Loser trap.
Source: University of Alberta "The Biggest Loser" a Big Turnoff, Bryan Alary, October 25, 2012.
Source: http://walking.about.com/b/2012/10/30/is-the-biggest-loser-a-turnoff-to-exercise.htm
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