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I don’t think there’s any such thing as laziness, at least where exercise and transitioning raw fooders are concerned. The disinclination to exercise is not a character flaw, it is purely a physiological consequence.

In our culture working out has come to be seen as a duty – one of those “shoulds” like eating Brussels sprouts or broccoli. It has to fit in after work, family and other commitments too, so it tends to become rather structured, leaving no flexibility for listening to what our bodies want on any given day. That means we often have to force ourselves to work out even when we don’t feel like it. When we miss a workout, rather than congratulating ourselves for honoring our bodies’ wishes, we label ourselves as ‘lazy’, which just further reinforces the negative associations we have with exercise.

When a human body is healthy and unburdened, it craves movement. When our bodies don’t want movement, it simply means resources are being directed elsewhere. My advice to new raw fooders is to leave work out schedules to the cooked world. Trust that your body will tell you when it wants movement. If it never wants movement, or if you have trouble just keeping up with daily activities without feeling tired, this can be a signal that you’re doing something wrong. I’d look at possibilities like overeating, eating too early in the a.m. or too late at night, eating too many non-foods (garlic, onion, vinegar, fermented foods, etc.), overeating fats, etc. Of course, this would only apply to those who’ve been raw for awhile and have given their bodies time to adapt to the new diet, which can be anywhere from a few months to two years or more depending on factors like age, diathesis/genetics and overall physical condition before going raw. If you're new to being raw, periodic weakness or lethargy is part of the healing and adjustment process. After the initial period of adjustment a person could expect to see steady increases in energy and the desire to exercise. Exercise is like sleep, in that it tends to regulate itself when a person gets healthy.

All that aside, exercise is important because it assists the body’s waste removal system. The lymph system is like the bloodstream but it has no pump. It is dependent on muscular contraction. Therefore, during transition, a person who is absolutely sedentary might want to add mild exercise, like walking. By the same token, a person with a very rigorous workout regimen may have to scale back as the body adjusts to the new diet. No matter how ‘fit’ a person is, energy will not always be available for exercise during transition.

I didn’t follow this advice when I first went raw because I was teaching fitness classes at the time. There were many times when I didn’t feel like working out but I had to anyway. Finally I gave that up and now I let my body dictate not only when I exercise, but how. I’ve found that my body wants to move differently everyday. It seems that when I leave these decisions to my body, it cross-trains naturally. Another thing I’ve discovered is that the lighter I eat, the more energy I have and the greater my inclination to exercise.

(from Raw School forum)

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