The point of exercising

Like it or not, we live in a weight obsessed world. It’s a world wide epidemic now, especially among women (for some reason, a man with weight problem is more acceptable in any society than a woman with weight problem).  And obviously, there comes in diet and exercise as the solution to anyone’s weight problem (let’s assume that we all have common sense and hence, we don’t fall for stupid, unhealthy weight loss products).

Recently, for some reason (I think it has something to do with approaching summer), most of my friends have been talking about reducing weight by exercising. And no, I don’t have a problem with that. The point of this post is the way almost all of them discuss exercise as a short term task. They talk about the time when, after they have reached their desired weight or loose certain amount of body fat or whatever their goal is, they don’t have to exercise anymore. That’s what gets me.

See, I was raised with the notion that exercise, like brushing your teeth, is a part of the daily routine. Yes, that was the parallel I was given: Just like how brushing your teeth regularly keeps them healthy and help you avoid aches and pains and other tooth problems in long term, exercising daily keeps your body healthy and help you avoid aches and pains and other problems in long term, especially in the old age.

And please, this is not about how long you are going to live (that’s what most of my friends argue in their defense: they don’t want to live till the old age). It’s about how healthy you would be towards the end of your life. I am sure none of them want to be bedridden and be dependent on others for their basic necessities. I know there are no guarantees, even with the exercise and healthy diet, but by living healthy you decrease your probability of going that bed-ridden way.

And that, my dear friends, is the point of exercising. At least, that’s what it should be. Keeping yourself healthy. Exercising and stretching your muscles, so that they keep moving. Think of it like oiling your bicycle (or any other machine that you use). If you keep it well oiled, you don’t have to spend as much energy while riding it. It will run smoothly. Your body is also a machine. And worse, you can’t replace it, unlike your bicycle. So keep it well oiled.

And then, there are other advantages of exercising: keeping weight in control is one of them. It’s good for relieving stress. It certainly builds up self-confidence and self-esteem. And yada yada yada…

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