I’ve worked in exercise for so long, sometimes it’s hard for me to come up with specific reasons for why moving is so important; it’s as if I’ve believed it for so long, I can’t recall where it started.

A quick internet search will give you the top 10, 15 and 20 reasons for working out, and there are many more than that. The broad view is that it makes everything in our lives easier. Under the microscope, we get so much good, entire college degrees are founded on the benefits. So, maybe the more important question we should ask ourselves, is why are we NOT exercising?

We all know we “should” and we “need” to. But why don’t we? Well, there’s a lot written about that too. I’ve even attempted to understand how to treat this lack of resolve here and here. Even if you’re one of the few people who don’t recognize feeling better after moving, you actually do (maybe the issue is awareness and removing distractions instead of whether we feel better or not).

Exercise uses and gives us energy. It wakes us up and makes us tired. It keeps us from eating and increases our appetite for good food. It takes time every day but lengthens our lives. It raises our heart rates and blood pressure acutely but lowers them both over time. It uses glucose and fat for energy while creating a more efficient metabolism at rest. We may need special equipment or nothing at all. It requires no expertise or you could earn a PhD in its study. God created our bodies to need movement and to enjoy moving in order to enjoy stillness. If we can’t enjoy the actual moving, can we at least appreciate the effective result?

Muscle mass, which is one of the side effects of fitness, is one of the most metabolically active organs in our bodies. This means is uses energy more than other parts and it has lots of active cells within it; it’s one of our engines. Other examples of metabolic activity are the brain, liver, heart, kidney and lungs. One of the best and distinct characteristics of muscle is that it can pull sugar out of our blood without insulin, which creates an easy pathway for us to use food, even stored food that’s been through the liver, for energy. But this occurs during and after moving. If we sit for long periods, our muscles have no need for energy, so away to our hips and bellies it goes!

If we want our lives to thrive, movement must be a part of it, unequivocally. Most of my life has been using exercise as a means to improve performance or weight loss. While those are noble pursuits, performance is short-lived, and exercise will only enhance a well crafted nutrition plan for weight loss. It will increase the energy use we need daily, but it is not the most effective tool if weight loss is your goal. A discouraging paper illustrated this fact using data from 2001-2011 that showed a dramatic increase in physical activity in America. Corresponding to that increase in exercise was an increase in the obesity rates, nationwide. Clearly, exercise is not the solution to weight control or loss that we want it be.

That’s not to say that it’s not useful, as you have read. It will greatly improve your body’s ability to use the healthy foods that you eat for energy, but if you’re thinking you can exercise your way to weight loss, you won’t. It will help you maintain and gain muscle mass, burn some calories, decrease disease risk (if obesity is also decreased), improve lymphatic flow, increase cardiovascular strength, improve digestion, lower stress levels, improve sleep, create and improve relationships, extend life span, and many more side effects. However, if you’re eating frequently throughout the day and not sleeping well and expecting exercise to be the panacea, you will be disappointed.

These three ingredients (sleep, infrequent meals and exercise) to a better life work synergistically. They also multiply the other’s affect: A good nights sleep will lead to a better workout that will improve your food choices and frequency. It’s a perfect prescription for healthy living, not just a healthy weight, but a life you’ll enjoy living.