The Truth About Exercise: Ditch the Myths

Trying to avoid your medical practitioner? Don’t bother with apples, it’s 30 minutes a day that keeps the doctor away! 

That’s right friends — today, we’re talking about the golden rule of holistic exercise. While half an hour of movement per day might not keep the doctor away forever, it will help keep your bod in fighting shape for the long run.

As the inundation of fitness-related digital clutter on the web will tell you, exercise is a major component of holistic health and wellness. Before you can get the benefits of regular movement, though, you’ll need to go a few rounds with the overabundance of exercise information available…

But don’t throw in the towel! You’ve got the holistic health heavy-hitter, Dr. Neal, in the ring with you, serving sucker punches to the exercise myths and cutting through the chaos.

So, grab your water bottle and get ready to square off.

In This Article:

• How exercise impacts the body
• What you definitely DON’T need to exercise
• The three things you DO need for a holistic exercise regimen

Why Does Exercise Matter in a Holistic Approach to Health?

When we talk about fitness, most of us are picturing sculpted physiques and perfectly Instagrammable moments, but exercise isn’t just about fitting into your favorite pair of jeans.

It’s actually a critical building block for the foundation of your health that can affect multiple body systems and your overall quality of life. (That’s why it’s one of the 5 ultra-important lifestyle domains that make up the bottom tier of the Wellness Pyramid.)

It should come as no surprise, then, that exercise has been linked to, like, a bazillion different health benefits:

• Improved sleep
• Reduction in chronic inflammation
• Longer lifespans and delayed onset of disease
• Strengthened emotional resilience and stress management
• Positive effects on gut microbiota and digestion
• Lowered risk of heart attack
• Management of mental health conditions
• Improved immune system regulation

See how the widespread effects of regular, moderate exercise go way beyond physical appearance? That’s because nothing in the body happens inside a vacuum — all systems interact with and impact one another.

So exercise isn’t crucial because the marketing machines of the wellness world have told you this Pilates routine or that Peloton payment plan will make your dreams come true.

Exercise, or movement, is crucial because your entire body needs it to truly thrive.

But while you’re moving and grooving, don’t forget that the lines of communication and interaction in your body aren’t one-way streets. That means that, unfortunately, you can’t out-exercise a nutritionally bankrupt diet or sleepless lifestyle.

So don’t pull any punches. Keep the other 4 areas of the bottom tier in mind — diet, sleep, stress management, and lifestyle changes — to make your battle for ultimate health truly holistic.

No, You Don’t Need Expensive Equipment

We know. It’s hard to believe that, in our world of flashy advertisements, high-tech equipment, and pricey gym memberships, you don’t actually need all the bells and whistles to effectively exercise. 

Exercise is a natural and intuitive process that can be accomplished with the most incredible piece of equipment you already possess: your own body. 

Don’t get us wrong though, that doesn’t mean you can’t go to spin class with your friends or join a rock-climbing club. It just means you don’t have to wait until you find the perfect trainer, CrossFit program, or workout buddy to start getting regular movement.

In fact, as long as you’ve got one of these flesh sacks, you can start today. Right now, even!

The Key Ingredients for a Sustainable Exercise Plan

There are only two other things you need for an effective exercise plan besides your body. The essential components of a holistic fitness regimen are:

• 30 minutes
• No barriers
• And your body

Why is 30 Minutes of Exercise Per Day Recommended?

Want tea fresh from the vanguard of health research? More isn’t always better when it comes to exercise.

In fact, high-exercise training has been linked to immune dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative stress, muscle damage, and increased risk of illness. 30 minutes of moderate movement, on the other hand, comes highly recommended for physical wellness and mental health from the latest science.

So don’t come out swinging with a daily, 2-hour weight-lifting plan. Instead, find what makes your heart skip a beat (in a good way), and dedicate half an hour per day to the art of moving your body. 

That could look like:

• A 30-minute yoga flow
• Body-only strength training
• Brisk walks or gentle jogs
• Weight-bearing exercises
• A solo dance party in your kitchen

Why Remove Alllllll the Barriers to Exercise Entry?

There’s a reason we chose those 5 examples above — you don’t need a thing for them. (Except for your body and maybe a YouTube video for your yoga flow, but that’s beside the point.)

Barriers to entry are, basically, anything that holds us back from getting up and getting moving. Removing them means we’re making exercise as easy as pie — an effortless effort that we’ll grow to appreciate and look forward to, instead of dreading and avoiding.

Here are a few common barriers to exercise and our recommendations for tackling them:

1. “I really don’t wanna drive to the gym.” Cool, fine. Don’t go to the gym.
2. “I can’t afford the right workout gear and gadgets.” No prob, you don’t need them.
3. “I have physical limitations.” That’s okay, moving what you can is more than enough.

Why Choose Body-Based Exercises?

It should be pretty clear by now, but we’ll spell it out one last time: Your body is all you need to exercise effectively.

You have muscles that can be engaged, joints that can be mobilized, and a cardiovascular system that can be challenged — all without the need for external equipment. Plus, focusing on body-based movement makes it, like, a thousand times easier to hit our daily target of 30 minutes in the simplest way possible.

Think: Push-ups, squats, lunges, planks, walks, dancing, yoga, all the fun stuff you can do from home that we already mentioned above.

Flourish in Feeling Healthy and Fit

Remember, your fitness journey is unique to you. Embrace the full symphony of wellness, listen to your body’s needs, and make 30 minutes of movement a non-negotiable part of your daily routine.

You’ve got this!

And if you need a spotter, give us a shout via our free Counterside Consults. (We’ll answer all your holistic exercise questions, and you can tell Dr. Neal how great he looks in these gifs, too!)