7 ms·

I particularly found the following section in the article very compelling. "Many people will be surprised at how little you need to do to achieve these results

by whack 10y ago

I particularly found the following section in the article very compelling. "Many people will be surprised at how little you need to do to achieve these results. Years ago, in an effort to get in shape, I tried the P90X routine. It proved too hard for me. Later, when I tried Insanity, it beat me so badly that people at work kept asking me if I was ill. Two years ago, I tried P90X3. It was a bit more manageable, but I still couldn’t keep it up. I’m not alone in thinking that physical activity to improve health should be hard. When I hear friends talk about exercising, they discuss running marathons, participating in cross-fit classes or sacrificing themselves on the altar of Soul Cycle. That misses the point, unfortunately. All of these are way, way more than you need to do to get the benefits I’ve already described. The recommendations for exercise are 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity physical activity for adults, or about 30 minutes each weekday. Moderate intensity is probably much less than you think. Walking briskly, at 3 to 4 miles per hour or so, qualifies. So does bicycling slower than 10 miles an hour. Anything that gets your heart rate somewhere between 110 and 140 beats per minute is enough. Even vacuuming, mowing the lawn or actively walking your dog might qualify." A lot of people abstain from exercise because they think it's "hard" and "scary," when really, 30 minutes of brisk walking to and from the grocery story would do just fine.

ellyagg 10y ago
I actually found that part disappointing. I had sent this to my parents before I read to the end and now wish I could take it back. More and more research is pointing to strength being a leading predictor of mortality. My father has loss of mobility and strength from disuse of his limbs through their entire ranges of motion. Walking and jogging at the rates indicated do almost nothing for this. He walks 4 miles twice a week with my mom, but can barely stand up from the couch. Human walking is very efficient and requires hardly any strength and that through a fractional range of motion. Walking and jogging is better than not exercising at all, but on the walking and jogging regimen my father has steadily deteriorated in function as he approaches his 70s. His shoulders and knees have stiffened while his muscles are constantly sore from lack of conditioning. The other problem is the "brisk" qualifier. Walking "briskly" actually takes significant motivation, and involves either subjectivity or more monitoring than people like to do while their walking. People are rationalization engines, and if you give them a way to skirt the essence by being lazy, they will. In my experience, the objectivity of resistance training is more effective.
- maxxxxx 10y ago
  He should add some basic range of motion exercises. I doubt lifting will help him. Also, walk one mile every day instead of 4 twice a week.
  - gadders 10y ago
    Strength training is the best exercise you can do to preserve function into old age. As an example: ABSTRACT Muscle plays a central role in whole-body protein metabolism by serving as the principal reservoir for amino acids to maintain protein synthesis in vital tissues and organs in the absence of amino acid absorption from the gut and by providing hepatic gluconeogenic precursors. Furthermore, altered muscle metabolism plays a key role in the genesis, and therefore the prevention, of many common pathologic conditions and chronic diseases. Nonetheless, the maintenance of adequate muscle mass, strength, and metabolic function has rarely, if ever, been targeted as a relevant endpoint of recommendations for dietary intake. It is therefore imperative that factors directly related to muscle mass, strength, and metabolic function be included in future studies designed to demonstrate optimal lifestyle behaviors throughout the life span, including physical activity and diet http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/84/3/475.full.pdf http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/84/3/475.full.pdf
    - maxxxxx 10y ago
      The question is not what's best. Best is to mix strength, endurance, stretching and probably nutrition. People shouldn't pick one and neglect the others.
- steve_w 10y ago
  These two articles from the NHS might help: 1) Guidelines for physical exercise for the older generation. 150 minutes of moderate exercise plus strength training on 2 days. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/physical-activity-guidelines-for-older-adults.aspx http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/physical-activity-g... 2) Strength and motion exercises for older people. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/strength-exercises-for-older-people.aspx http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/strength-exercises-...
maxxxxx 10y ago
That's the problem with all the life optimizing stuff. If they just did some basic stuff people would get 90% of the benefit easily. Instead they go to impossible extremes, fail, and do nothing. I used to teach yoga classes. People would give up "I am not good at this" because they couldn't do some crazy poses after two years. They couldn't see that they felt good and were healthier which is the whole point. Same with meditation.
- sandworm101 10y ago
  People drop yoga once they realize that the supermodel at the front of the room doesn't look that way because of yoga. After yoga they hit the stairmaster for an hour. Then skip meals. And they are on estrogen supplements, which can increase flexibility in women. Being great at difficult yoga moves is the result, not the process.
  - dpark 10y ago
    > And they are on estrogen supplements Is this a thing? I've never heard of a woman supplementing estrogen as a general fitness "shortcut" the way some men (and women) supplement with steroids.
    - sandworm101 10y ago
      Yes. It's a big thing in Hollywood. Taken at the right stage in life, estrogen sups can have dramatic effects. The flexibility thing is tied to the fact that young/fertile women have to push a kid out of them. Some studies of young soccer players have drawn direct links between estrogen levels and knee injuries due to more flex in key tendons. An outcome of those is that more conventionally attractive women were more likely to suffer such injuries. (Higher estrogen is linked to attractiveness, proven through some interesting studies that monitored the estrogen levels of strippers.) Also, insulin and other drugs that regulate blood sugars. More than a few celebs are diabetic and use this to regulate body fat, famously Halle Barry. Antibiotics are also popular. They kill bacteria in the skin (acne) but also play havoc with your gut, which is great if you are trying to not eat.
InclinedPlane 10y ago
I really dislike the habit of the culture in the US trying to make exercise a competition, so you get high intensity "brag-worthy" workouts like P90X or cross-fit or what-have-you. The best exercise regime is one you can maintain, which can be as simple as just taking a walk for a bit every few days or some low intensity yoga at home. And those sorts of things have major long-term health benefits, they're vastly better than trying to go hard and injuring yourself or failing to maintain exercise as a regular habit.
grillvogel 10y ago
yep. I just skip my 2nd bus transfer and walk to the office after getting dropped off downtown by the first bus (little under 2 miles each way). only takes a little longer than waiting for and riding the bus, but i get free exercise out of my work commute 2x a day.
- sandworm101 10y ago
  Unless you are in a polluted city. Only a couple months ago the BBC was reporting that the air in london was so bad as to negate the health benefits of walking, even biking into work. You might loose a little weight, but you aren't going to be living any longer having inhaled all those fumes.
  - upofadown 10y ago
    Here is a BBC article that talks about a study that quantifies the issue: * http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36208003 http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36208003 Even in very polluted cities you would have to do much more cycling/walking than anyone would normally do to negate the effects of exercise (7 and 16 hours respectively)
    - sandworm101 10y ago
      ah, I knew they had said something about it. I guess much would also depend on your exact route.
  - grillvogel 10y ago
    interesting, i've always wondered about this. especially with all the bans on public smoking/vaping/etc but its totally fine to have 5000 gridlocked cars idling in the city.
raverbashing 10y ago
It seems there's a whole industry dedicated to making exercise seem hard and pointless From trainers that overexert students, things like P90X that do work IF you manage to survive and a large amount of people pushing the "go hard or go home" mentality
- Retric 10y ago
  Gym's have a huge incentive to get people to sign up and then not go. As such, go big or go home fit's their goals. Most of the people you see their are over the hump, young and in shape. The people that give up feel it as a personal failure and keep paying on the assumption that someday they will go back. They also train people to make canceling seem like failure. Further, if you keep up a demanding schedule you will see rapid improvements until injury. Which further pushes the health halo effect.

by whack 10y ago

ellyagg 10y ago

I actually found that part disappointing. I had sent this to my parents before I read to the end and now wish I could take it back. More and more research is pointing to strength being a leading predictor of mortality. My father has loss of mobility and strength from disuse of his limbs through their entire ranges of motion. Walking and jogging at the rates indicated do almost nothing for this. He walks 4 miles twice a week with my mom, but can barely stand up from the couch. Human walking is very efficient and requires hardly any strength and that through a fractional range of motion. Walking and jogging is better than not exercising at all, but on the walking and jogging regimen my father has steadily deteriorated in function as he approaches his 70s. His shoulders and knees have stiffened while his muscles are constantly sore from lack of conditioning. The other problem is the "brisk" qualifier. Walking "briskly" actually takes significant motivation, and involves either subjectivity or more monitoring than people like to do while their walking. People are rationalization engines, and if you give them a way to skirt the essence by being lazy, they will. In my experience, the objectivity of resistance training is more effective.

maxxxxx 10y ago
He should add some basic range of motion exercises. I doubt lifting will help him. Also, walk one mile every day instead of 4 twice a week.
- gadders 10y ago
  Strength training is the best exercise you can do to preserve function into old age. As an example: ABSTRACT Muscle plays a central role in whole-body protein metabolism by serving as the principal reservoir for amino acids to maintain protein synthesis in vital tissues and organs in the absence of amino acid absorption from the gut and by providing hepatic gluconeogenic precursors. Furthermore, altered muscle metabolism plays a key role in the genesis, and therefore the prevention, of many common pathologic conditions and chronic diseases. Nonetheless, the maintenance of adequate muscle mass, strength, and metabolic function has rarely, if ever, been targeted as a relevant endpoint of recommendations for dietary intake. It is therefore imperative that factors directly related to muscle mass, strength, and metabolic function be included in future studies designed to demonstrate optimal lifestyle behaviors throughout the life span, including physical activity and diet http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/84/3/475.full.pdf http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/84/3/475.full.pdf
  - maxxxxx 10y ago
    The question is not what's best. Best is to mix strength, endurance, stretching and probably nutrition. People shouldn't pick one and neglect the others.
steve_w 10y ago
These two articles from the NHS might help: 1) Guidelines for physical exercise for the older generation. 150 minutes of moderate exercise plus strength training on 2 days. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/physical-activity-guidelines-for-older-adults.aspx http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/physical-activity-g... 2) Strength and motion exercises for older people. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/strength-exercises-for-older-people.aspx http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/strength-exercises-...

maxxxxx 10y ago

That's the problem with all the life optimizing stuff. If they just did some basic stuff people would get 90% of the benefit easily. Instead they go to impossible extremes, fail, and do nothing. I used to teach yoga classes. People would give up "I am not good at this" because they couldn't do some crazy poses after two years. They couldn't see that they felt good and were healthier which is the whole point. Same with meditation.

sandworm101 10y ago
People drop yoga once they realize that the supermodel at the front of the room doesn't look that way because of yoga. After yoga they hit the stairmaster for an hour. Then skip meals. And they are on estrogen supplements, which can increase flexibility in women. Being great at difficult yoga moves is the result, not the process.
- dpark 10y ago
  > And they are on estrogen supplements Is this a thing? I've never heard of a woman supplementing estrogen as a general fitness "shortcut" the way some men (and women) supplement with steroids.
  - sandworm101 10y ago
    Yes. It's a big thing in Hollywood. Taken at the right stage in life, estrogen sups can have dramatic effects. The flexibility thing is tied to the fact that young/fertile women have to push a kid out of them. Some studies of young soccer players have drawn direct links between estrogen levels and knee injuries due to more flex in key tendons. An outcome of those is that more conventionally attractive women were more likely to suffer such injuries. (Higher estrogen is linked to attractiveness, proven through some interesting studies that monitored the estrogen levels of strippers.) Also, insulin and other drugs that regulate blood sugars. More than a few celebs are diabetic and use this to regulate body fat, famously Halle Barry. Antibiotics are also popular. They kill bacteria in the skin (acne) but also play havoc with your gut, which is great if you are trying to not eat.

InclinedPlane 10y ago

I really dislike the habit of the culture in the US trying to make exercise a competition, so you get high intensity "brag-worthy" workouts like P90X or cross-fit or what-have-you. The best exercise regime is one you can maintain, which can be as simple as just taking a walk for a bit every few days or some low intensity yoga at home. And those sorts of things have major long-term health benefits, they're vastly better than trying to go hard and injuring yourself or failing to maintain exercise as a regular habit.

grillvogel 10y ago

yep. I just skip my 2nd bus transfer and walk to the office after getting dropped off downtown by the first bus (little under 2 miles each way). only takes a little longer than waiting for and riding the bus, but i get free exercise out of my work commute 2x a day.

sandworm101 10y ago
Unless you are in a polluted city. Only a couple months ago the BBC was reporting that the air in london was so bad as to negate the health benefits of walking, even biking into work. You might loose a little weight, but you aren't going to be living any longer having inhaled all those fumes.
- upofadown 10y ago
  Here is a BBC article that talks about a study that quantifies the issue: * http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36208003 http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36208003 Even in very polluted cities you would have to do much more cycling/walking than anyone would normally do to negate the effects of exercise (7 and 16 hours respectively)
  - sandworm101 10y ago
    ah, I knew they had said something about it. I guess much would also depend on your exact route.
- grillvogel 10y ago
  interesting, i've always wondered about this. especially with all the bans on public smoking/vaping/etc but its totally fine to have 5000 gridlocked cars idling in the city.

raverbashing 10y ago

It seems there's a whole industry dedicated to making exercise seem hard and pointless From trainers that overexert students, things like P90X that do work IF you manage to survive and a large amount of people pushing the "go hard or go home" mentality

Retric 10y ago
Gym's have a huge incentive to get people to sign up and then not go. As such, go big or go home fit's their goals. Most of the people you see their are over the hump, young and in shape. The people that give up feel it as a personal failure and keep paying on the assumption that someday they will go back. They also train people to make canceling seem like failure. Further, if you keep up a demanding schedule you will see rapid improvements until injury. Which further pushes the health halo effect.