Saturday, September 18, 2010

I Want Feedback- You Mean Exercise is Not Magic?

Okay, so as most know, I am thin with a descent amount of muscle. Why on earth would I even think to change a thing as far as nutrition and workouts? Well, I recently read the book, French Women Don't Get Fat. It wasn't monumental or life altering really, just common sense.....except for her thoughts on work outs. I was shocked to read that she felt gyms were a waste and so were sports and that we need to just be active daily and exert ourselves cooking, cleaning, walking or doing whatever it is we do. I already do those things and exert myself on top of a difficult workout 5-6 mornings a week on top of a walk 5-6 evenings a week. My walks are usually 1-2 miles. I never considered that I worked out too much. I started researching online and came up with all these websites.......

cardio is for dummies!


http://wellnesshour.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3:cardio-is-for-dummies-how-too-much-exercise-can-make-you-fat-&catid=7:blogs&Itemid=85

Too much exercise can make you fat

http://www.lifeorganizers.com/Organize-Your-Wellness-/The-Organized-Good-Life/Too-much-exercise-can-make-you-fat.html

High-Intensity Cardio = High Cortisol = Stress

http://www.totalfitness.net/2007%20Mar%20Fitness%20Newsletter.htm

Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin (Time Magazine, make sure to read all 4 pages)

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857-1,00.html

Cardio Bad for Fat Loss and Your Health?

http://www.traintosweatt.com/blog/2010/02/17/cardio-bad-for-fat-loss-and-your-health/

There are plenty more out there, but these just name a few I read. I have to admit at this time I think I had an AHA moment. I have battled chronic issues with low immune function(I get sick with fevers and weird stuff like A LOT......sometimes up to once a month) which has lead to testing for everything including LUPUS over the years(thankfully all were negative). I began having chronically low potassium and magnesium since 2003 when funny enough is the first year I began to really work on fitness. In 2006 I was diagnosed with SVT and began having terrible issues with PVCs in my heart. I have always done very prolonged cardio sessions assuming I was helping my health. No one has EVER told me nor have I ever read that workouts on top of a very active lifestyle such as my own could actually do harm. To boot, I eat more than my husband who by the way does NOT work out. I cannot believe I may have been overdoing it and hurting my body and probably not really doing much weight wise because I eat so much due to high hunger from so much activity. I have also battled insomnia on and off to which I assumed the cure would be.......MORE cardio haha! Same with anxiety. I ended up on buspirone 2 years ago trying to combat anxiety issues and the psych's recommendation......you guessed it, work out more! Strange little epiphany I am having. What are your thoughts? My life is very active. We LOVE to walk all over and hike as a family and do so 3-4 days a week, the other couple days I walk with kids while Nate's at work. I believe whole heartedly in strength training with light weights(heavy weights cause me too many PVCs in my heart) and I plan to continue a moderate 2X a week weight training regime, but starting 3 days ago I quit cardio beyond our walks or hikes. Its kind of an experiment to see what happens. Interestingly, my hunger issues have slowed down which is so nice. I hate walking through somewhere and hunger will be so intense I feel faint if I don't eat immediately. I also seem to have so much more energy during the day to care for the house and my mood is improved which is odd. I would think I would have slumped off into depression quitting cold turkey from so many intense workouts. I have more patience for the kids and the pregnancy and feel great. Guess we will see how it continues. All right, your turn, weigh in! haha no pun intended :)

6 comments:

Kat M said...

I say keep up the trial and see how you feel after a month. I haven't read many book on fitness...but I don't think it would hurt to try for a month or so.

Tuff Family said...

I, too, have always exercised...It was not until my 5th child that I realized I was exercising way too much that caused breastfeeding issues( body couldn't take it anymore), I stopped exercising and just ate very well...I now have 7 children, I ride bikes with them, go for a walk with my husband and and I am busy around the house all day(gardening, cleaning, homeschooling, etc.)....exercising an hour a day is not important to me anymore, just being healthy for my family...Since I stopped exercising so much I am 5 lbs thinner then I was when I ran an hour a day, can't even believe I was doing that...just my two cents..by the way, congrats on #7 baby...
God Bless, Heidi

Farmer Mama said...

Heidi, I am the same as you as far as activity.....its impossible to be sedentary being a homeschooling mama to a big fam! That is so interesting that you are lighter now too haha! I gotta wonder if the long workouts causing so much hunger may be keeping a few extra pounds on me as well. We definately eat super healthy. I LOVE cooking and using as many fresh ingrediants each week as possible. We also did a huge garden this year down the hill, but when we moved it was too late to do one here:) NEXT year though teehee. Instead I had to rob my moms garden all summer and its been a blast making and freezing homemade spaghetti sauce, zuchinni soups, and a whole assortment of other yummy stuff. We love our veggies!

MamaLou said...

I have to agree, before kids I worked out minimum 2 hours a day....now I farm, garden and chase 3 boys and am thinner than ever. I eat what my body needs and rarely sit down. Am I as toned? Maybe not, but I feel great!

Jennifer said...

I too have noticed the same thing. I can bust my butt going to the gym and working out a lot..But when I take a break, and just concentrate on nursing the baby he is a year old now. The weight just seems to fall off. Especially if I stay away from the gym for a while. I've got 3 boys who keep me busy enough. I do still try to do some light cardio though. So maybe all the working out, you aren't taking in enough calories and its making you retain your weight..

Show Us The World said...

I have found the same thing too...if I stay active and move through life with a zest and eat real foods, I feel great. Much better than when I was active and worked out for an hour a day.