It’s probably old news to you by now, but Time Magazine recently ran an article that ruffled the feathers of most of my fitness industry brethren.
Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin.
Of course, with a title like that, it’s understandable why fitness folks would be up in arms. It’s akin to saying, “Why Bankers Steal Your Money” or some similar pejorative. That there was a huge backlash from the fitness community is unsurprising. What I find unexpected, however, is the willful ignorance of those so-called fitness “professionals.” From ad homenim to straw man arguments to overwhelming stupidity, the reaction to Mr. Cloud’s article is flat out embarrassing. And yet, I’ve read some rebuttals that are sensible and well-presented (wrong, but sensible and well-written nonetheless).
I even had one of my colleagues say, “Thanks, TIME Magazine, for making the job of the fitness professional even more difficult.” Give me a break.
Look, the honest truth is Cloud is a terrible journalist who makes amateurish mistakes (turning fat into muscle?) and weak arguments, but that doesn’t make his central theme – that exercise does next to nothing for fat loss if you don’t modify your eating – wrong.
By avoiding discussion of this central theme, most fitness professionals are making themselves look shady and evasive. After all, if exercise isn’t all it’s cracked up to be for weight loss, then why tell clients to jump on a treadmill for 30 minutes “to burn fat”? If exercising for fat loss doesn’t work, and your livelihood is dependent on prescribing exercise for just that purpose, what does that make you look like?
Here is the brutal reality: Exercise for fat loss without dietary modification is an exercise in futility. Working out feverishly, only to end up losing no weight is so cliche, it’s part of our cultural consciousness.
Americans are fatter than ever, despite exercising more than ever. WHY? If you make your living telling people to hop on a treadmill every day or teaching jumps in a Spinning class, I think you have an obligation to answer.
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I can understand you frustration. While I am not a fitness professional I deal with misconceptions about my field all the time. Many people believe that by simply switching to vegetarian diet they will lose their excess weight no problem. But the truth is that a good exercise regime is absolutely key in losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle (I should know, having lost over 90lbs as a vegetarian who exercises daily). I believe that your profession is incredibly important and I hope that everyone else realizes that too.
This reminds me of a family guy quote where they talk about people drinking diet coke thinking they can eat anything.
It isn’t one or the other, it is diet and exercise that do the trick!
I would certainly agree that fitness or exercise alone will not get anyone thin. However, it still is an important piece of the puzzle that people still recognize. Now if only the public will get the food intake side of things down, we may see a reversal of the obese trend here in the United States.
I think there will always be a demand for fitness professionals due to the increasing trend of healthy living highlighted by weight issues. The fact that an article about weight loss has been featured in Time magazine is can actually be seen as good news because it make people more aware of losing weight and finding effective ways to do so i.e. With the help of a fitness professional.
‘You can’t exercise away a bad diet”- I lost over 50 lbs with my leg in a cast. Exercise is a wonderful thing but it is NOT the way to lose weight if chosen over a food choices. I did low carb since im diabetic and the ADA’s diet produces fat diabetics dependent on meds. Exercise for the soul not the poundage. You do oNOT need to be beaten like the biggest loser tv show to lose a lot of weight- a program i feel only keeps people from trying to lose weight.
Thank you! The fitness industry needs to pull their heads out of their asses.
I am so incredibly angry at the entire industry the more I delve into the research. And they are hurting more people then they help. We would be better off if the entire fitness industry evaporated and we went back to the mid-60s.
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