Stop exercising because you think you have to...

Am I talking myself out of a job?

Stop exercising because you think you have to for weight loss, for athletic performance, for “health.”

Because it rarely works out the way you think it will.

Because you really don’t have to do those things, especially if you don’t want to.

Because it perpetuates this idea that “fat is bad” and that all bodies should look, move, and feel a certain way. That’s especially dangerous for Fat, Queer, Disabled, and Black and Brown bodies.

Exercise is supposed to be a tool to help us build physical capacity to do other things.

Sure, sub-sects of exercise enthusiasts have turned exercising into sports like powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, CrossFit, and running.

And that’s fine for the people who enjoy doing those things.

But you don’t have to do those things.

You don’t have to like exercise.

Hell, you don’t even have to exercise (not that you need my permission for that, or anything). It’s your body.

And there’s not even any guarantee that exercise will improve or lengthen your life.

I mean, yeah, there’s studies that say stuff like X amount of cardiovascular exercise per week reduces your risk of Y disease, or that doing resistance training 2 times per week reduces your fall risk after age whatever, but there’s other factors at play.

Stuff like:

Do you smoke?
Floss?
Wear a seatbelt?
How much money do you make?
Are you a Person of Color?
Transgender?

All of those things have HUGE potential health impacts.

So there’s a lot more going on than what your 5K time is, or if you do back squats vs front squats.

We tend to lose the forest for the trees in exercise, spending a lot more time arguing about knee position in a squat than if people actually have access to the resources that could potentially mitigate health risk factors.

I’m glad there are people out there on the cutting edge of fitness and biomechanics, exploring the limits of human capacity.

But that makes so little difference to so many people who don’t have the time, energy, or resources to know the difference between a kettlebell and a dumbbell - something which too many fitness pros would mock someone for instead of helping them.

In fact, I think it’s possible that the mere existence of the health and wellness industry does more harm than good.

So yeah, stop exercising, especially if you don’t like it.

There’s a but, though: if you can, try spending some time moving that wonderful meat sack that carries your consciousness through this life.

If you want to exercise, find physical things you like doing, and do them.

There is no best kind of exercise.

Do the things that feel good to you: dance, walk, run, fight, climb, tumble, roll; and use exercise if and when it helps you in those pursuits.

Note: medical exercise is a different story entirely: exercise to rehabilitate an acute injury or certain types of exercise to maintain everyday function are tools to assist in the task of staying alive.

Note: there is nothing wrong with liking exercise. If you feel like this is an attack on your interest in lifting, running, etc - it’s not. I’m glad you like those things. I do, too (sometimes). But there’s a lot of people who put themselves through shit because they think they have to. That sucks.