NEW YORK.- Jamie Selzler feared exercise for as long as she could remember. Between his 20s and 30s, as his weight increased, he forced himself to go to the gym. But as he pedaled and lifted weights, he couldn’t escape the mental image of Jillian Michaels, trainer on The Biggest Loser, yelling at him to try harder, to lose more. He often rewarded himself for persevering by capping his workouts with a feast, usually fast food. Over time, well into 40, He had gained so much weight that it was difficult for him to walk to the mailbox at home..
In 2023, Selzler feared he would become completely immobile and began taking the slimming drug Wegovy. After several months, as she lost weight and activity became easier, she was surprised to find that she looked forward to her daily walks around her neighborhood in Fargo, North Dakota. When he lifted weights at home, he enjoyed feeling his muscles contract. For the first time, he stopped seeing exercise as a way to burn calories and began to feel proud of what his body was capable of..
He now walks or hikes daily in local parks and strength trains four times a week. “I fell in love with physical activity in a way I didn’t expect,” says Selzler, 47. He recently became certified as a personal trainer.
For many Americans, weight-loss medications generally known as GLP-1 are transforming the way they think and feel about exercise and, in some cases, redefining a relationship long marked by shame.
In interviews, more than a dozen people who take medications such as Ozempic to treat obesity or diabetes said they were discovering that, freed from the pressure of exercising to burn calories or kilos, they were able to connect more with what they really enjoyed about movement. AND Instead of seeing exercise as a punishment for overeating—or eating as a reward for exercising—they now experienced it as a path to well-being.r.
“When people try to lose weight without these medications, they often get caught up in the details of how much to eat or how much to move,” says Summer Kessel, a registered dietitian specializing in obesity management, who also takes Zepbound. Most people don’t have the mental space while dieting to say, ‘Why do I hate exercise?’‘. Medications can free people to make different decisions about exercise.”
For decades, the fitness industry has been linked to weight lossadds Renee Rogers, an exercise physiologist and obesity researcher at the University of Kansas Medical Center, even though exercise alone is not usually an effective weight loss strategy. “With the rise of these medications, exercise professionals have the opportunity to help people redefine the role of movement in their lives,” he says.
Many people taking these medications report feeling newly motivated to strength train, as some evidence suggests a link between these drugs and loss of muscle mass. Rogers states that It is not yet clear whether this loss is caused directly by the medication. or if it is simply a side effect of losing a significant amount of weight. He is carrying out an investigation to try to find out more.
Dana Greene59, had always seen exercise as a chore, but when she started taking Mounjaro, she suddenly felt excited about using the weight machines at her gym.
She had spent several years caring for her mother, who had become completely sedentary. When Greene’s granddaughter was born, her mother was too weak to hold her. “I had a hard time seeing this” he said, adding that he thought, “This is not going to happen to me.”
Two years after starting the medication, a large oak tree fell on his property. In the span of two weekends, he had completely cut down and removed the tree. “My dad, my brother, they all said: ‘I can’t believe it’. I did it all by myself,” she said.
For some people, these medications also help make exercise more physically comfortableboth by facilitating weight loss and potentially reducing inflammation.
When Lee Anglea57, started taking Mounjaro in 2024, he felt constant pain in his ankles, knees, hips and lower back. He often used a cane. “I was terrified of exercising. If I tried to walk, it hurt for days”.
Today he remembers that, shortly after taking the first dose, the pain decreased and he gradually increased the number of daily steps. She also started doing resistance training and chair yoga. He felt better and better and loved how movement quieted his mind..
“I really thought that people who said that exercise can make you happier and that exercise is fun weren’t telling the truth. I couldn’t understand how that could even be possible. Now, it’s an absolute joy”, dice.
Last year, when she crossed the finish line of her first 5K race, she was emotional. “I cried like a baby. I just couldn’t believe it,” she remembers.
Some people who take these medications also find that their new desire to exercise helps them see food as a vital source of energy rather than as an obstacle to your health.
“For many years, before taking GLP-1, I saw food as the reward for moving.” said Selzler. “I now see food as fuel for my movement.”
Not everyone who takes a weight loss medication has had such a positive experience with exercise. Online forums are filled with conversations about difficulty overcoming fatigue or gastrointestinal side effects from medications.which can make movement difficult.
For some, this may be due to not eating or hydrating enough, as The medications work in part by reducing appetite and may also reduce thirst.
And with all the emphasis on preserving muscle mass, some people prioritize protein over a balanced diet with plenty of fluids, which can improve endurance and strength, experts said.
To Becky Hinman38, a recreational competitive tennis player, Zepbound was “kind of double edged sword“While losing weight relieved her knee pain and made her faster on the court, she fatigued more quickly and had a hard time completing a singles match. Over time, she reduced the dosage and improved her nutrition and hydration, and found that the side effects decreased.
The fitness industry is slowly adapting to a world where promises of dramatic weight loss no longer attract people. Some fitness professionals see weight loss drugs as a threatwhile others have responded by promoting exercise programs designed specifically for people who take them.
Rogers, who has been working with the American Council on Exercise (ACE) to educate exercise professionals about these medications, distrust these programssince it is not clear what evidence they are based on.
Instead, Rogers sees drugs as an opportunity to help more people find pleasure and meaning in exercise.and to discover what works best for them.
“We can’t ignore that people who don’t identify with exercise or who have had negative experiences may need a little more support to achieve it,” he said.
Selzler now can’t imagine a life without taking long walks through North Dakota parks or seeing his bench press improve at the gym. “It’s like I got out of jail, and I’m not going back”, dice.
By Danielle Friedman
