walking

a lot of people like to believe that if you take walks or take the stairs instead of the elevator or park further away so you walk through the parking lot, they're getting their exercise. the thing is, if you don't get your heart rate up to a certain point and even sustain that, you will not reap all the benefits of exercise. in general, walking does not accomplish this. yes, it's better than sitting on the couch and does burn some calories, but by no means is it as beneficial to your heart and other systems of the body as more vigorous exercise. i like what jillian micheals says, that's sending a false message of lethargy and not doing anyone any favors. we are all capable of working out, and working out hard. not that everyone needs to work out hard every day, but to compare walking to real exercise just isn't a fair comparison. if you have watched the biggest loser, you can see that literally anyone is capable of working out hard and reaping the benfits of working out like getting off all their meds!
vigorous exercise can and will....
decrease depression, decrease anxiety, elevate the happy hormone, decrease stress, improve your sleep, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, give you more energy, allow you to live longer, decrease your risk for premature death, prevent or lessen osteoporosis, decrease risk for a heart attack, decrease likehood of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers like breast and colon (by 60% or more!). have a better sex life, increased mental focus, better digestion, better circulation, increased metabolism, and better immune system.
these are just some of the many ways exercise will improve your life! not to mention increased self-esteem and just plain feeling better. and i can't tell you how much exercise can increase your confidence by making you feel strong and powerful and capable of pretty much anything! and of course, we didn't even talk about losing weight and increasing muscle mass and toning up- my approach is that if you focus on health, the rest will fall into place. so i feel like weight is secondary to all the amazing benefits of working out.