Ranking the Factors contributing to Health

I recently experienced an episode of poor health, resulting from, as it turned out a variety of factors, including stress, lack of sleep, and poor diet. Undergoing treatment from my acupuncturist one day, I inquired, "So what if you take sleep, food, exercise, herbal supplements, acupuncture - which of these is most important?" My acupuncturist's response was simple and yet it really registered with me on some level. Here is what he said:

"If you rank these in order of how strongly they impact your body, I would say it would go in this order, starting with the most important:

1. Breathing
2. Sleep
3. Exercise
4. Nutrition
5. Dietary Supplements
6. Acupuncture "

So OK, we all know that breathing is critical - after all try not breathing for 10 or more minutes and still be alive - so no surprise there. And we most of us know that sleep is critical, though many of us frequently cheat on this factor. What really struck me however, was the fact that Exercise comes above nutrition. I doubt the average individual, in his or her battle for greater health or a slimmer waistline, places more value on exercise than on diet. After all, is diet not the very first thing that comes to mind for so many of us, when we think we have gained a few pounds and are ready to get back in shape. "Sure, exercise is important too" we think, "But let me start by switching to a diet of tomato and cucumbers and lettuce only and then... someday, when I am inspired by some fleeting muse of athleticism, I will also add in exercise"

I may be exaggerating here, but in my experience interacting with friends, family and co-workers, the vast majority battle weight loss armed solely or predominantly with a diet, with exercise being a faint wish or an afterthought Undoubtedly the billion dollar diet industry is happy to have it be just so.

Now think about this concept for just a moment. With inactivity, we must not only rigorously monitor caloric intake, but also become more sensitive to the type and quality of food we are consuming. This is because without regular exercise, all the systems and organs of the body do not get oxygenated quite so thoroughly as when our heart and blood are pumping fast, and in essence become progressively less fit, more sensitive. Also the byproducts of digestion and other metabolic wastes do not get removed from our bodies as quickly and thoroughly without a good occasional workout. In a nutshell, without a reasonable level of regular physical activity, a body like an unused car becomes progressively less efficient, which is what we call aging. With exercise, we not only lose weight naturally (as long as we are not eating way too many calories for our body type) but are also able to process the food we eat better (improved digestion, no constipation, no heartburn, etc...) because all our organs work more efficiently.

So to summarize, if you had two choices -
1) Move little, eat little, continue to battle the bulge, have a weak and inefficient body
OR
2)Run, jump, bike, dance, eat what you want, feel healthy and vigorous -
which would you take?????

Seems a stupid question, doesn't it. So then why do so many people pick # 1. I must assume it is either because they do not understand how exercise impacts the body or because new habits are hard to acquire. Well that is a different topic for a different post.