Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and offers many benefits including:
- improved cardiovascular health
- increased energy and improved mood
- lower blood pressure
- improved insulin sensitivity and reduced risk of developing Type 2 diabetes
- improved quality of life and function
You should exercise to improve overall health but NOT as a primary means to lose weight. While it does burn calories, unless you are a serious athlete, you can think of weight loss as 80% diet and 20% exercise.
Depending on exercise to compensate for a poor diet can lead to an unhealthy relationship with exercise and is typically an unsuccessful long-term strategy. So pick something you enjoy doing, start out slow, and make exercising a habit.