Exercise is Bad for You!

You read that right, I am going to discuss why exercise is bad for you.  

Yoga
Lately I have seen a lot of press surrounding the damage yoga causes.  A few years back everything I heard was just the opposite, yoga is a miracle cure.  Tight legs, yoga.  Sore back, yoga.  Dandruff, yoga.  Okay, maybe not the last one, but you get the point.  Fast forward to now, according to Glenn Black, an experienced yogi, most people should quit yoga all together.  Why is it that something so many people have embraced is now seen as bad for you?  The short answer is that people see yoga as simple and try to twist themselves into a pretzel on demand, this inevitably leads to injury (1). 

When searching for articles I came along this gem.    According to Yinka Vidal (2), if you are a Christian, yoga is bad for you.  Jesus did not ask Christians to get in touch with their inner self.  By doing this you are idolizing yourself, which is contrary to the will of god. 

Spinning
I've never been to a spinning class, but I have heard from those that have what a great workout it is.  As I understand it, spinning is a pretty stout cardio workout.  This would lead you to think that you are blasting fat and rotating your legs to a skinnier you.  Right?  Wrong.  It would seem that spinning leads to fat, cottage cheese legs.  The general idea is that high velocity of spinning fatigues particular muscles and the body adapts by storing intra-muscular and subcutaneous fat in the thighs and hips to provide a more readily available energy source.  This effect could be combated by including higher resistance that would elicit positive body changes (3). 

Running
Ah, the grandaddy of them all - running.  It is possible that there is a more controversial activity, but my participation in this one has made me keenly aware of the controversy surrounding it.  I will start with my personal experience.  While in high school I went to see a podiatrists about my flat feet.  I do not remember much of the conversation, what I do remember is this. I was told "if you don't stop running you will not be able to walk later in life (it may not have been so doom and gloom, but this is what I remember)".  So, what is the main issue with running?  It is bad for your joints.  The constant pounding is going to break you down until you can no longer move. 

Weight Bearing Activities
This would be any activity that you preform on your feet that works your bones and muscles against gravity.  As with running it has been thought that these types of activities (in excess) lead to increase instances of arthritis and joint issues in middle and old age.

Conclusion
There you have it, my well informed write-up on why exercise is bad for you.  If you were not already a coutch potato I hope this is the incentive you need to make the switch.  

1) http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1668470,00.html
2) http://www.closerwalk.net/yoga.htm
3) http://www.functionalfitmag.com/blog/2012/01/31/top-10-ways-skinny-fat/