When we think of exercising, we think of getting up early, getting on a treadmill and staying on as long as it takes to burn off that donut we ate earlier....right? We think of sweating, misery on some piece of equiptment that promises to rid us of our muffin top forever. Of course, besides cardio, there is weight training, yoga etc. Either way, the activity you perform is putting your body into a stressful state. Your body is basically going to "war" everytime you work out. This raises your stress hormone which can make you fat....
Obviously regular activity is good for you. In fact, it is required to live longer. In the book, The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner, it discusses the tricks of people who are living past 100. Blue Zones are areas in the world where there are a concentrated number of individuals living past the age of 100. The book does very fasicnating interviews with those cennetarians and discovers the factors in their lives that has contributed to their longer years. One of the tips is to have physical exercise everyday. Some of these cennetarians are walking over 5 miles a day in their normal activites. Notice the difference.....it is a part of their day versus an interruption in their day.
I believe there is a healthy balance. I encourage you to find ways everyday to be more active and take enjoyment from it. I also encourage you to buy this book and read it! The diet information is very interesting! I am sure I will write about it at a later time! Below is the website along with a survey to determine how old you really are....
http://www.bluezones.com/
