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> Exercise is a known and very effective treatment for obesity. Many cultures in the East accept it and group exercises in public are common. The second senten

by throwaway2037 2y ago

> Exercise is a known and very effective treatment for obesity. Many cultures in the East accept it and group exercises in public are common. The second sentence. What does this mean? Are you talking about elderly Chinese people doing Tai Chi? It is neither building muscle (resistance training) nor improving cardiovascular health. Sure, it might help with mental health, like yoga, but not for muscles/heart/lungs. And the rest of "the East"? Have you seen India? There are an incredible number of obese people in that country. I would guess that Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese have lower obesity rates because of portion control and caloric density in their traditional diets. However, in the urban populations of Korea and Japan, obesity is rapidly increasing as processed food increases in their diets.

caseyy 2y ago
I was not taking about specifically Tai Chi. But I remember from public health classes in medschool that it is known for increasing flexibility and mobility, as well as improving balance and reducing falls in elderly. I also remember something about backwards walking/sageru exercises in Japan, but it is difficult for me to find much online about it. I was talking about the broader culture that values Tai Chi. Tai Chi is one of “morning exercises” in China. Others include just walking. But my point was about a culture that incorporates morning exercises as a norm. Japan has “radio taiso”, which is a similar phenomenon. I think the West had a similar culture in the 80s and 90s. I was actually growing up in the Central Europe then, and it was normal in elementary and middle school to start the day with a 30-minute exercise lead by school staff. I don’t know how to label this culture but “culture where it is the norm to exercise daily”. Yes, as you say, obesity also has many, many other causes. And many other cures. It’s definitely not so one-dimensional. But exercise is very effective, and a culture that promotes exercise daily for everyone, at all paces, would benefit us a lot in the West. I think people tremendously underestimate what 30 minutes of daily body weight exercises like push-ups, squats, and sit-ups, plus a little bit of walking can do for the said weight. There are many, many technology workers that now just work from home and barely walk at all. Not the majority, but many. There are many more office workers that just commute to work with their cars and never walk more than that demands. In that context, 30 minutes of morning exercise is quite a lot.

caseyy 2y ago

I was not taking about specifically Tai Chi. But I remember from public health classes in medschool that it is known for increasing flexibility and mobility, as well as improving balance and reducing falls in elderly. I also remember something about backwards walking/sageru exercises in Japan, but it is difficult for me to find much online about it. I was talking about the broader culture that values Tai Chi. Tai Chi is one of “morning exercises” in China. Others include just walking. But my point was about a culture that incorporates morning exercises as a norm. Japan has “radio taiso”, which is a similar phenomenon. I think the West had a similar culture in the 80s and 90s. I was actually growing up in the Central Europe then, and it was normal in elementary and middle school to start the day with a 30-minute exercise lead by school staff. I don’t know how to label this culture but “culture where it is the norm to exercise daily”. Yes, as you say, obesity also has many, many other causes. And many other cures. It’s definitely not so one-dimensional. But exercise is very effective, and a culture that promotes exercise daily for everyone, at all paces, would benefit us a lot in the West. I think people tremendously underestimate what 30 minutes of daily body weight exercises like push-ups, squats, and sit-ups, plus a little bit of walking can do for the said weight. There are many, many technology workers that now just work from home and barely walk at all. Not the majority, but many. There are many more office workers that just commute to work with their cars and never walk more than that demands. In that context, 30 minutes of morning exercise is quite a lot.