Plan Z Diet: Why NOT to Renew Your Gym Membership This Year

Exercise really doesn't help you lose weight. Eating lean proteins and fresh fruits and veggies on the Plan Z Diet will.

By: Zola
Chief Dieter
Plan Z Diet

1. Exercise really doesn’t help you lose weight unless you do a LOT of it.
You almost have to be a professional loser. One study showed that women over 40 years old who do moderate exercise 60 minutes a day, 5 days a week, will maintain their weight but they won’t lose weight.

2. Exercise makes you hungry.
An hour of cycling on an exercise bike for a 190 lb person will burn off 689 calories. Get off that bike and hit the nut bowl and you’re doomed. One cup of cocktail peanuts will set you back 828 calories. People have a tendency to munch when they finish exercising. Even one of those little teeny chocolate covered peanut butter power bars will have over 200 calories and after a tough workout most people don’t grab that as their reward treat. And don’t get me started on quenching your post exercise thirst with a beer!

3. You can get just as much benefit from doing short sprints in your driveway.
The PACE Program written by Dr. Sears suggests that short sprints that work your heart are much better for you than running at a moderate speed all over the neighborhood.

4. Your dog needs the exercise just as much as you.
Over 50% of American pets are overweight. Fido could use the exercise. Walk him and you’ll both get some fresh air.

5. Your body breaks down over time.
High impact exercise taxes your joints until they begin to break down. You run on concrete for 20 years, and you’re bound to start having troubles. Surgery is in your future.

6. The average orthopedic surgeon’s salary is $519,000.
Can you say profit?

7. If you live in North America you don’t get enough Vitamin D.
Get your Vitamin D naturally by getting out in the sun. Walk outside on your lunch hour or go ice skating. Have some fun.

All of these ideas are free. They don’t require a gym membership.
There are plenty of good reasons to exercise:

Yoga will help keep you flexible as you age and tighten your core.
Weightlifting will help you build and maintain muscle mass. You need that as you age.
Your heart needs to stay strong so you need to do something that involves challenging your heart rate a bit. That can be done by walking the stairs in your house. Up and down. Up and down. Don’t have stairs? How about a brisk walk around the company parking lot or on a bad day, hit the mall and walk.

All of these ideas are free too, and they are all low impact exercise ideas that we encourage on the Plan Z Diet. It’s a perfectly fine idea to set a New Year’s Resolution to exercise more. You just don’t need to go to the health club to do it. Save that membership money. Put it in a savings or retirement account of some kind. We are all living longer – thanks to modern medicine – and it’s not cheap to get old.

Exercise for muscle mass and bone density, flexibility and mental acuity. Not for weight loss.

P.S. speaking of New Year's Resolutions I have a fun and fizzy recipe for my Plan Z Diet Cranberry Champagne Cocktail