Are Suffering And Sweating Really Necessary?

Most people believe that you have to suffer and sweat in order to "check off" the exercise box. The truth is, any movement is better than no movement at all. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

One of the most common pitfalls my clients make is this concept of all or nothing. I teach that perfection is NOT our goal and that consistent, tiny steps compound over time. Any step in the right direction will serve you better than no steps at all.

Research shows us that anything less than 10,000 steps a day means you're sedentary and that being sedentary is as bad as a pack a day smoking habit. This sounds harsh and feels almost impossible if you have an office or desk job. I grew up in a town without great public transportation, so people drive most everywhere they go. If I’m not intentional, it’s common for me to average 3,500 – 5,000 steps each day.

If I had an all or nothing mentality, or I was focused on perfection, I probably would have given up. Instead, I started tracking my steps and quickly discovered ways to increase my steps. When I cook, I get more steps. When I park farther away from the door, I get more steps.

I also started waking up early to spend time with God. Part of my morning routine involves me walking while listening to a sermon, podcast, or worship music. I get more steps this way and get to spend quality time with God. So it's a win-win. (This was written before we moved onto the sailboat.  Now I walk EVERYWHERE I go.)

The biggest takeaways I want you to remember are:

(1) A tracked number grows. If you track your steps, you’ll be more aware of what you’re doing. If you remember that any step towards your goal is a win, you’ll be more inclined to find ways to increase your steps.

(2) Perfection should NOT be your goal. If 10,000 steps a day feels impossible, set your goal lower. I have an app on my iPhone called Pedometer ++. I have my goal set at 7,500 steps and when I reach that, it shoots electronic confetti in the air. It makes me feel like I’ve really accomplished something. Set your goal at a slightly higher step count than you’re currently getting and when you feel confident you can reach it, increase it.

Now let’s talk about sweating and suffering. One of the reasons that our culture is focused on this is because people believe something that's just not true. They believe that sweating and suffering are necessary in order to burn calories, and that the only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume.

I disagree.

When I work with clients, calories don’t even enter our discussion. You don’t have a calorie problem per se. You have a quality problem. You have a chemical overload problem. You probably consume ingredients on a regular basis that I don’t consider to be food. Most of my clients also absorb endocrine disrupting ingredients every day and it's also highly likely that you have multiple nutrient deficiencies.

That’s why I teach my clients to re-define food. To approach health and weight loss from a different perspective. We focus on adding in healthy foods which naturally causes them to decrease ingredients that aren’t serving them well.

I do feel compelled to mention that "sweating and suffering” can be really good for you. It's just not the most important thing. Increasing steps, adding in healthy whole foods, and decreasing less desirable ingredients are the most important places to start.

Then, if you still have symptoms you want to tackle, if you still have things about your health and your body that you want to improve, then we can talk about "sweating and suffering”.  To be honest, by the time you get to that point in your health journey, you’ll welcome the exercise and probably won’t feel like it’s “suffering” at all because you’ll realize that your efforts are making your body stronger and healthier.

You might just like it.

If you want to learn more about how to improve your health, check out this video that explains the three key concepts you need to know today in order to start making healthier choices. Or, you can check out the free preview of the 90-Day Jumpstart here.

The 90-Day Jumpstart is the most comprehensive program of its kind. Inside that program you'll learn more about movement and how it can improve your health. You'll learn that your bones are alive and why that's so important.  You’ll also learn about the truths and myths about calcium and what role Vitamin D plays in your overall health.

Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can serve you in any way.