Why Add Exercise to Your LC Regimen?
 

Are there any benefits? What are they? How would you encourage others to add in exercise?

My vote is "Other" because it's really all of the above for me.

I think the number one benefit that I get from the exercise I do is the effect it has on my mood and sense of well being. I consider my exercise regimen the foundation of my LC WOL.

I believe that the best way for me to encourage others to add exercise into their lives is by being a good example. Anyone can derive the benefits I have, since I started exercising regularly five years ago at the age of 47.

Marlaine

My vote is "other" for the same reasons as Marlaine. Ok, maybe I don't always "want to do this, because it feels good" before I do my workouts. I do feel good after all my workouts (ok-99.9%-you know how TOM can be :rolleyes: )

I have two equally important personal goals:

1) become phsically fit and strong AND stay that way!

2) take care of my emotionally well-being so I can be emotionally strong enough for others.

The one thing I have learned about myself is that I can NOT accomplish goal 2 without working on and maintaining goal 1.
Something else I believe is true about myself, is that I need the aerobic for my mental well-being and the weight training for my physical well-being.

To my nonexercising lowcarb buddies: You may not "feel" like exercising, or may seem that there is no time for it. But, I promise you that if you make exercise a priority in your life, you will:

-feel better about yourself
-your clothes will start fitting better (even when the scale shows no loss)
-you will get some sort of praise from your Doc.
-you will have more energy
-you will sleep better
-you will fight illnesses better and win more often
-you can have more "good" carbs
-you may possibly increase your sex drive
-your self-image/esteem will improve
-you will be less likely to "cheat"
The list could go on and on, please, if you don't exercise-START! :wiggle:
If you're not sure where to start, check out the exercise section in this forum. Read journals and ask questions of those who do exercise. Make it a priority-YOU ARE WORTH IT!!!!!

I voted Other as well.

For me, before LCing, I never felt the energy to exercise. Since LCing, my energy levels are up, and exercising helps utilize this energy.

I feel emotionally better, phyically stronger, and all over happier.

Exercising gives me a great sense of accomplishment.

I even enspire my non LCing friends into at least thinking about exercising.

Added benefits for working out: toned and tight body( which I never had) :D , so I can fit my clothes (thinner clothes) better!!!

Marlaine -- it seems like the poll should have included an "all of the above." I picked "other" for the same reason. Well, maybe it doesn't always feel good -- at least not while I'm doing it. But when I'm getting regular exercise, I feel good the rest of the time.

I have never been able to stick with an exercise routine for more than a few months, but I'm starting one (slowly) now and I hope this time will be different. My kids are getting older, and with their schedules changing, I should be able to work exercise in between their needs and the demands of my job.

Actually, the kids are one of my motivating factors -- I want to have more energy for them (emotional and physical) and even though they're already very athletic, I'd like be a positive role model for taking care of oneself.

-- Rhu

health. People who are 100 pounds overweight are healthier by every measure than their inactive thin counterparts, if they simply exercise 30 minutes five times per week.

also, I think many of us tend to be overly into our heads--all intellect and too little spirit and body. Exercise puts you into your body...do it outdoors, and it becomes a spiritual experience, as well!

And I think for some of us....it's a place we've been avoiding. It's pretty exciting to discover the sheer JOY of being in the body.

Marlaine

I picked other for just about all the reasons that have already been listed as well as to attempt to increase my metabolism some. Before I started exercising, my knees were hurting to the point where stairs were a big challenge. Now I bound up and down them with no pain. I firmly believe exercise is a very big part of why I have lost as much as I have so far. I feel deprived if I miss out on exercising. I feel like the dog sometimes, I have to go and run around to expend my energy :p I'm looking forward to doing things like hiking, and biking and rollerblading, all which would have been impossible a few months ago. :wave:

To burn off energy
 

I found that in the morning if I take a quick walk around the block at my work, my mind is more focused and I'm not so.. hyper. I'm ADD so I guess my mind works differently than others. It feels good just to stretch the legs out and to do something physical.
I hope I'm making sense. :rolleyes:

I picked other too. I exercise because

1 It's better for my long term health, the more I read the more convinved I become

2 I have PCOS and am insulin resistant and don't want to become diabetic so I exercise because studies have shown exercising improves insulin sensitivity

3 I am very bad at dieting, so at least if I exercise I am doing something

4 It MAY help me with my other illnesses

5 I might lose weight with my exercise



Scarlet

I had to pick "to tone and shape my body." That is what I am trying to focus on now that I am so close to goal. All the other reasons are great side-effects of the exercise.

Take care, and happy exercising everyone!!

KC :wave:

Other!

To include my body in the process of becoming whole and balanced. Low-carbing for me has triggered a mental, emotional and spiritual process. Where has my body been through all of it? Sitting there like a lump under my head! :daze:

It was time to let my body in on the good news.

Karen

All of the above
 

I have to force myself to go to the gym, but once I'm there-I feel great, a sense of accomplishment, I get energy and I clear my head!
PLUS...I love admiring my new bicepts! :p
Judi

other for me as well.

two other times in my life i have lost about 20 pounds. On both occasions i was taking karate classes. not only were the work outs brutal, but i was constantly practicing.
now that i'm 42, i am not interested in that kind of commitment, but i know deep inside that working out is crucial to my overall well being and the only way to lose weight and keep it off.

i am also less self-centered and plan to enjoy being a mom to my 13-year-old etc. there are only so many years left with her under my roof. so yes, i will sacrifice a trip to the gym so she can go to band practice. but that does not mean i will not work out. i have a master plan all mapped out and i log my sets and minutes.

you'll see me doing arm cirlces in the kitchen and dancing with the broom ...

all i know is exercise is a surefire way to speed things up.

vendala

Hooked on working out
 

Other: I didn't add exercise to my LC plan, I've been a regular exerciser for more than eight years, and I've continued to exercise since I started LCing.

A half hour of exercise makes me feel more rested than a half hour of sleep, more entertained than a half hour of TV, more satisfied than a half hour of eating, and more relaxed then a half hour of ... well, relaxing!

Exercise truly is the fountain of youth.

Virginia from Oregon