The short answer is no. You don’t have to exercise to lose weight on keto. I think there’s a misconception brought about by the media. We see magazines and social media personalities telling us about how to get into shape and we feel we need to aspire to be like them, but that’s not the case. 

There are a number of factors at play, but in general you burn 100 calories for every mile you run. While the calories in calories out model isn’t perfect, it can give us some guide to use to determine the effectiveness of exercise for weight loss. At a rate of 100 calories per mile you’d need to run 35 miles for a pound of weight loss. If you wanted to lose 50 pounds you’d need to run more than 1,700 miles. It’s not really efficient when 100 calories is also the number of calories in 1 oz of cheese. 

So if exercise isn’t a great way of losing weight what’s the point? There are lots of other health benefits from exercise. Increased mobility, strength and quality of life just to name a few. Rather than attempting to look like a fitness model it’s important to set your own goal.

The first step is to determine what your goal looks like. Are you wanting to be more active with your children or grandchildren? Are you wanting to participate in activities you used to enjoy? Those goals are much more realistic and achievable. The second part of this is finding activities that you enjoy. When thinking about exercise our mind typically goes to running, weight lifting and yoga classes. But there’s a whole wide world of activity out there. There’s nothing wrong with weight lifting and yoga, but it isn’t for everyone. Find activities that you enjoy doing. Make the activities social. Walk with a friend, play tennis with your spouse or kids. Go for a hike. These activities are all beneficial both physically and mentally. 

One last tip. Start slow. Don’t push yourself so much that you are sore and worn out. Do just enough so that you are excited and ready to go out again the next day and do it all over.

While weight loss won’t be the magic pill that gets you to your goal it will help you along your journey and there are lots of other benefits.

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