Can You Be Healthy Without Exercising?

During every annual physical, I ask my patients about their current lifestyle habits — nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress levels — and where they could show improvement over the coming year. Interestingly, it seems very few people choose exercise.

Instead, I hear things like:

“I walk a good bit at work.”

“I don’t like going to a gym, but I do yard work.”

“I get enough walking my dog every day.” 

“I play golf (but I ride the golf cart)!”

While these are examples of movement (which is also good!), I would not classify them as exercise. Exercise is a stress to the body, an intentional act of pushing us out of our comfort zone, with the goal of improving the body in some way. It requires planning, structure, effort, and recovery to be beneficial for us.

So here’s the real question: Can you be healthy without exercising?

What the Research Says About Exercise and Health

A study published in 2024 sought to answer this. It looked at healthy men aged 28 to 55 years old (normal BMI, no heart disease or diabetes) and divided them into two groups:

1. Active Group: Those who exercised more than 150 minutes per week for at least 6 months
2. Sedentary Group: Those who do not “perform exercise regularly or elevate heart rate outside of daily tasks”.

I really liked how they set up the study. The 150 minutes per week of exercise is a common recommendation by most health organizations and easily attainable by most people, if you are willing to make time for exercise, that is.  Secondly, they only looked at a healthy population, which removes a lot of confounding variables.

Feel free to read the study, but it gets technical very fast. I’m going to give you a high-level review, as I think this matters more than asking you to dust off your cellular biology textbook from high school.

The Hidden Risks of a Sedentary Lifestyle

Poor glucose metabolism

Sedentary men converted 30–36% less glucose into usable energy, which meant more fatigue, more fat storage, and a higher risk of insulin resistance.

Reduced fat burning

Their bodies struggled to convert fat into energy between meals. This led to earlier hunger, poor blood sugar control, and difficulty losing weight.

Increased inflammation

Mitochondria — the “power plants” of cells — became inefficient. Instead of producing clean energy, they generated inflammatory particles, much like an engine running on dirty fuel. Chronic inflammation increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and accelerated aging.

Greater reliance on lactate

With impaired glucose and fat metabolism, sedentary bodies relied more on lactate, a quick but inefficient energy source. This caused faster fatigue during simple activities and made it harder to start exercising later.

Why Exercise Is Non-Negotiable for Health

The conclusion of the study was clear: you cannot be healthy and sedentary.

Exercise is the single best intervention for keeping our mitochondria healthy and efficient energy producers. Without it, your body:

• Burns energy less effectively.
• Produces more inflammation.
• Ages faster and increases disease risk.
  

Mitochondrial efficiency does not just mean more energy; it is also a major factor in your risk of heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and accelerated aging. 

How to Start Exercising (and Stick With It)

If you’ve been sedentary, the good news is that your mitochondria can “re-learn” how to burn fuel efficiently. But it takes consistency. Here’s how to get started:

1. Create time in your schedule to exercise, preferably a 30-minute to 1-hour chunk 1-3 times per week. If you don’t make time for exercise, you’ll never “have time” to do it.
2. Choose exercises that you can start NOW. I find that the biggest exercise habit destroyer is a program that requires additional effort (purchasing equipment, buying a gym membership, driving to a location, having to learn a new routine, etc). What can you do right now to get started?
3. Start gradually and slowly work up to the “goal” of at least 150 minutes per week (30 minutes 5x per week) with an additional two days of strength training.
4. Be consistent. Small, steady effort matters more than intensity when you’re starting out.

Final Takeaway: Exercise Is Essential

Exercise is not optional if health is the goal. It is the signal your mitochondria need to stay strong, efficient, and resilient. Each workout you choose today builds energy, lowers inflammation, and slows the pace of aging tomorrow.