By John Horton, M.D.

Time Magazine ran a cover story last week that has raised a few eyebrows in the Health and Wellness community. John Cloud's “The Myth About Exercise: How exercise really won’t make you lose weight. It’s what you eat that counts.” has caused a bit of commotion over at The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and author and fitness instructor Joan Pagano has issued a rebuttal. And so has fellow WP blogger Nummyz in his blog today.

I'd like to add my two cents, from an Inner Game prospective.

I am not surprised when we receive questions about exercise and weight loss because we are all aware of how much research has been done connecting these with good health. Physical activity and a healthy diet are important components of a happy, healthy life.

From the inner game perspective, the critical factors are simple; exercise should be enjoyable and spontaneous. Watch children — they love to move and do things outdoors for fun. What about you and me?

Doctor Hanzelik and I have patients that push so hard that they are tired and injured from exercise, and others whose daily trips to the gym are painful attempts an idealized but unattainable body image. Training for a sport, or being obsessed with obtaining a body beautiful is not the same as enjoying the healthy exercise of your choice and at your pace. Some days I enjoy strenuous exercise, other days I want something more moderate. If I am tired; a gentle walk or stretching or a brief swim feels best.

The inner game model of learning is all about your unique process of discovering what works best for you. Experts differ and being afraid of not doing it right really blocks your learning. You can discover your own ground of certainty about what works for you by trusting your own learning. The book offers solid coaching tools to learn this approach.