“Exercise Guilt” Is Real — But It Shouldn’t Be

A new term, “exercise guilt,” has cropped up in the past few years to capture the disappointment we feel when our fitness goals go unmet. When we fall short, we get dispirited and are less likely to exercise at all, putting us at risk for a host of destructive physical and psychic effects.

We can exercise too little

Despite health clubs accounting for $37 billion annual revenue in the U.S. alone, exercise and physical activity have decreased

• Of the approximately five hours of free time Americans have a day, most of us choose to spend it not moving
• Research has demonstrated that, in the past two years, we are moving less

In 2018, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published the Physical Activity Guidelines for adults which stated that “to attain the most health benefits, adults need at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intense aerobic activity weekly [and] muscle-strengthening activity… at least two days each week.”

However, can that total be met by doing more intense activity for a shorter amount of time or should it be prolonged?

• What’s the difference between moderate and intense aerobic activity? Does it vary across people? Is a short, slow, stroll worthless?

Exercise is planned and structured training, whereas movement is the natural by-product of expending energy during the course of everyday life.

The transition into the post-pandemic world is a perfect time for young professionals to rethink their health habits and shed the “exercise guilt”

• Too little or too much movement have equally harmful effects
• Sedentary: This inactive lifestyle is categorized by too little movement due to excessive physical lethargy
• Sensible: This space is the best place, and it’s not that hard to get here. We can get to “sensible” without expensive gym memberships and unrealistic work-out programs
• Superfluous: Too much exercise can lead to depression, injury, and compromised immunity
• Always remember, perfect is the enemy of progress, and progress is what we’re striving for

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