Why Exercise When You Can Take a Pill?

Rumor has it there’s a pill on the horizon that makes your body think you just exercised, causing you to lose weight.

I like that our bodies are largely a reflection of our dedication and commitment to our own health. If I pig out for a week (or, more likely, spend a week straight drinking at Seattle tech events), I have to jump up and down to get my jeans to zip, which at least keeps me partially in check. (I recognize this and am careful never to own pants larger than a size four.) Last week I biked home five blocks from yoga class and could barely make it, which was a kick in the head that I am no longer the fit chick who spent 90 (productive) minutes a day at the gym.

Now it is a question of my personal integrity and dedication to my health: will I return to my fit chick habits, or will I allow myself to deterioriate?

It makes biological sense that size is tied to our perception of beauty - we want a healthy mate to make healthy babies, and a larger person is probably not healthy. Since I cannot have and do not want any babies, I like to think it’s not just about “health” as an abstract term. When I’m consistently eating right and hitting the pavement for a run, sure, I’m thin. But I also need less caffeine. My mind is clearer. I get (even) more done. My libido quadruples. I sleep hours less a night. My neck doesn’t hurt. I’m happier, and calmer.

Will a pill give me all that? No. (Well, perhaps a hefty cocktail of pills could - ha.) And I wouldn’t want it too. It may, technically, be “efficient,” but at far too high a cost, personally and societally. If I want benefits, I want to earn them.

(Final note: I really do understand that some people have medical conditions that affect their size. But it’s a very small percentage of people, and, to be frank, nature is also giving a warning sign here that your system’s not working quite right.)