Hey, what about exercise?

Exercise, you say?

Good question.

I hesitate to touch this topic. I believe concretely that exercising is a health boon, but I don't exercise much and never have.

I shall be brutally honest: in the beginning of my weight loss journey I was so heavy that exerting too much made my heart race badly. As the pounds dropped I was more able to exercise, but I've never been much of a fitness buff. Briskly walking 2 miles three or four times a week is the most I would ever do.

I believe that I lost a little bit faster in the weeks when I fast-walked or road my recumbent bike, but in the many many weeks that I did not exercise much (or at all) I still lost at a good rate. While I don't believe exercise contributed much to my weight loss, I do believe it increased my health and helped buoy my mood.

If you suffer from excessive stress or depression (both of which can cause body chemistry that thwarts weight loss) exercise can theoretically ease those problems and help you avoid slow-downs or stalls that would otherwise result. Unfortunately, I've not personally experienced extraordinary benefits from exercise, so I'm not the greatest spokesperson for its merits. I believe it's healthful and that we would all be healthier if we pursued it...

but I didn't, much.

Nonetheless, if you want healthy bones and a fast metabolism, you would do best not to follow in my lazybones footsteps.