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The barrier to exercise isn’t money in most cases. It is that exercise is misery. Exercise sucks. I am overweight. I much prefer Ozempic (and pay a substantial

The barrier to exercise isn’t money in most cases. It is that exercise is misery. Exercise sucks. I am overweight. I much prefer Ozempic (and pay a substantial premium for it) vs lifestyle change. So do millions of other Americans who are shelling out for it. You would basically need to economically torture fat people to the point that exercise is less horrible than your incentives. I’m paying 8K a year to avoid exercise.

danielbln 2y ago
It's a shame that exercise is linked to misery for so many people, because it doesn't have to be miserable. Hell, it's so so much easier to stick with it if it isn't miserable. I always tell new runners to slow down, like ridiculously slow, laughably slow. If it feels like the lung is burning and you want to vomit, oh that is wayyyyy too fast. Keep it slow and steady and maybe only ever so slightly uncomfortable, then allow your body to adapt and ride that feeling until you're all of the sudden exercising much harder but without feeling like you do. I posit that exercise does not have to feel terrible to work, and that it can be turned into something that feels maybe a little bit uncomfortable during, but really nice after.
Ma8ee 2y ago
Exercise doesn't have to suck. For it not to suck, it has to be on the right level for you (if you think you'll about to puke or die, it's not on the right level), and it has to stimulating in one way or another. If you can't find anything of all the possibilities, from Karate to soccer to windsurfing, stimulating in itself, maybe just reward yourself watching your favourite series on Netflix from a stationary bike.
keiferski 2y ago
I think you probably just need to find a form of exercise that you enjoy. For me, I really don't like going to the gym, but I do enjoy biking. That aside, exercise is just one aspect of prevention. In most places that have lower obesity rates, people probably exercise less than they do in America, which is ironic. My broader point is more that the system is set up in such a way that it's easier for you to get overweight and then pay $8K a year to buy a treatment drug, than to just help you avoid getting overweight in the first place. Probably because the cost to do that is much less than $8K, so the stakeholders are much less incentivized to do it.
matco11 2y ago
Lots of people love exercise. It can even be a lot of fun to play a game of basketball, soccer, or to dance… We are all different, and one just has to find a type of exercise that one likes. Also, being low in fat is great, but it’s not the same as also having a developed muscle structure, strong bones, and performant cardiovascular system.
RandomLensman 2y ago
Then the benefits of exercise are broadly inaccessible to you - which is a fair choice. That said, maybe it is useful not to think about excerise as exercise?
tromp 2y ago
Not all exercise sucks. When the weather is good and I ride my recumbent through the beautiful Dutch landscape, I'm getting both exercise and joy.
082349872349872 2y ago
[There are three types of fun (I, II, III) described in https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/fun-scale https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/fun-scale ] That's odd, I'd think even for people who barely exercise there'd be plenty of Type I fun, available much more cheaply than USD 8K/yr. Distance is what matters; people who actually like jogging get their distance in much more quickly than the rest of us, but long slow distances can also be covered much more pleasantly. (Type II fun is probably indistinguishable from type III fun at the start, but should you ever get more involved in sport you'll discover that there are many, many things that are type II but not type III) > We condition the masses to hate the country, but simultaneously we condition them to love all country sports. At the same time, we see to it that all country sports shall entail the use of elaborate apparatus. So that they consume manufactured articles as well as transport. —DHC for Central London
hatefulmoron 2y ago
The truth however is that to choose the pill is to choose uncertainty. There is no certainty that the drug you choose for your symptoms will work, less certainty that it will work for years into the future, and no certainty that it won't cause you further issues that will be remedied by a different pill, and on it goes. Some things can't be fixed by exercise, so take the pills. Some things can, it's probably best to take the exercise. If it doesn't work, the pills are still waiting for you. I guess what I'm saying is: exercise is misery, but not preventing damage is delayed misery of uncertain magnitude.
fifticon 2y ago
As countless others have replied, those of us that enjoy exercise feel like something is off here :-). I may be wrong, but my impression is that it is like driving a car with flat tires. Yes, that feels wrong, but once you inflate those tires, driving the car no longer feels wrong. At times when I have been out of shape, it has felt taxing to start up. But as soon as my shape starts to tighten up, it no longer feels like misery at all, instead it feels like the privilege getting to drive around in a cool machine - your very own body. It may be this is fundamentally different between types of people. For example, I have heard many women claim that running never felt good to them, even when they were in shape (this might there be related to how hips may be differently shaped for running).
globular-toast 2y ago
That's good because exercise wouldn't solve your problem anyway. You'd just be a fat guy who exercises. Exercise isn't a misery when you aren't fat. To lose weight you eat less. Unfortunately we've decided treating food addiction with pills and removing organs is the way to go rather than targeting the addictive stuff itself. Kinda like treating heroin addiction by removing arms.
- mnw21cam 2y ago
  Yeah, there are studies that show that eating less is much more effective than exercising more for losing weight. There are other studies that show quite often the most effective way to eat less is to fast every now and again. And that's because if you're trying to diet by eating a small meal, your stomach/brain is going to be yelling at you all the time that you're hungry and you should eat some more, but if you fast, after 16 hours or so that urgency goes away and you stop feeling as hungry. Fasting sounds a lot more scary than it actually is. The record fast length is 382 days [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_Barbieri%27s_fast https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_Barbieri%27s_fast
branko_d 2y ago
I’ll hazard a guess: you never liked exercise, even as a kid? If that’s the case, I’ll hazard another guess: you lived in an environment where you couldn’t just go out and play whenever you wanted? I might be completely wrong in my guesses, and I apologize if I am. But I strongly believe that all kids are naturally predisposed for physical activity, and it’s the duty of the society to let them do that in an easy and safe way.
- VBprogrammer 2y ago
  Interesting thesis - however I was one of those kids. I had plenty of access to exercise we lived in a quiet housing estate where we could easily play hockey or football in the streets. The only exercise I enjoyed was cycling and that wasn't really the done thing in late high-school. Weirdly enough, I now go to the gym 3 times a week. I don't love it like some people do but I've made it enough of a habit that I do it anyway. The main motivation for me was wanting to be active enough to keep up with my kids and a string of minor ailments (mostly not relating to lack of exercise) which gave me a bit of a shove to do something.
- CalRobert 2y ago
  Hard to let your kids play outside when there's 2500kg Dodge Rams going 80kph in the streets.
- pandaman 2y ago
  As somebody who had been outside all the time during childhood and hated exercise starting with the PE in school, I don't think your guess is well founded in reality. None of my childhood friends had been keen on exercise either and PE was not the most popular class in my school... For me there is a huge difference of doing something that requires physical exertion in order to complete and doing pointless physical exertion for exertion's sake. I can skate on a board or skates, or ride a bike for hours because it's about skill and technique for me, I feel frustrated after running for a minute. Similarly I can free-dive whole day but swimming laps feels like a massive chore. I believe some people can enjoy exercise but, judging by how many fit people are there - they are in small minority.
gwd 2y ago
> Exercise sucks. Lots of people, including myself, love exercising. If nothing else, endorphins are a great natural "high". And I can tell that the rest of my system just works better when I'm working out regularly: I have fewer hunger attacks, I sleep better, I feel better. And, I just really like the feeling of picking up really heavy things (that being my current exercise of choice). From what I can tell, the "exercise sucks" barriers most people face are 1) not everybody likes everything, and 2) it takes at least 2 months of training to get to the point where you can get the taste for the endorphins without being overly sore afterwards. Now maybe you've spent 2 months trying all kinds of different activities (swimming, walking, hiking, weight lifting, cycling, wrestling, football) and none of them have worked, in which case fair enough. But if you haven't, I'd recommend trying it. I can see why if you're overweight that running wouldn't be very fun. If you haven't tried weight lifting, definitely give that a go. If you're overweight, you've got a head start lifting heavy things (you), so it shouldn't be as hard to get into. People who've never lifted weights have this idea that it's mind-numbingly boring; but the mental focus you need to lift heavy things is actually a bit more like meditation. And being able to confidently lift really heavy things is an amazing feeling, not to mention having pumped-up muscles.
- red-iron-pine 2y ago
  > Lots of people, including myself, love exercising. great, good for you and those people. but clearly most people don't. plus you cannot out-exercise a poor diet. doesn't matter how hard you go in the gym or on a hike if you slam donuts and pepsi all day.
  - gwd 2y ago
    > great, good for you and those people. but clearly most people don't. If throwawaysleep had said, "Some people seem to like exercise, but I've tried all kinds of things and never found anything that wasn't a misery", I probably wouldn't have replied. But rather, they said, "Exercise is a misery" -- no exceptions or qualifications. They have acknowledged the importance of exercise, and seemed to indicate that they would be willing to do it for their own health if it were just boring or mildly annoying; but they believe exercise is always unpleasant. They seem to believe that everyone who does exercise regularly does so by just powering through the misery; but that this is realistically not an option for them. So there's something they don't know, something they need to know -- exercise doesn't always suck. Lots of people exercise without having to "power through" any misery, because they've found routines they actually enjoy. And so, maybe there's a routine that they will enjoy as well. You're not going to look for something unless you know that it might exist. > plus you cannot out-exercise a poor diet. doesn't matter how hard you go in the gym or on a hike if you slam donuts and pepsi all day. I'm not sure where the donuts and pepsi are coming from. I don't know what happens if you take Ozempic while only eating donuts and pepsi; it's possible you could stay thin, but you definitely won't be healthy. But since you raised it: Slim != healthy, and healthy eating !=> slim. It's possible to gain weight eating healthy most days and only eating really unhealthy once a month. And it's possible to have healthy muscles / cardiovascular system and still be overweight, or to have poor cardio and be slim. I'm pretty sure it's healthier to be overweight and cycle 20 minutes every day than to be slim and a couch potato. If throwawaysleep is slamming donuts and pepsi all day, they should stop that for their health and well-being. But although it might slow the rate at which they gain weight, it probably won't make them slim. Similarly, if they're overweight, while a normal, sustainable exercise routine will probably slow the rate at which they gain weight, or help them lose a bit, it probably will never make them slim. But they will be a lot healthier nonetheless.
coldtea 2y ago
>The barrier to exercise isn’t money in most cases. It is that exercise is misery Only if you haven't been doing it. When you follow through and get the hang of it, it can be ecstasy. >I’m paying 8K a year to avoid exercise. And paying a lot more in cognitive and health decline long term, both in monetary terms (treatment) and in non-measurable quality of life terms. Ozempic is just weight loss (and the potential side-effects of longer term use with it, we'll find out in the future). Weight loss is table stakes for optimal performance.
thefz 2y ago
> Exercise sucks. I am overweight. I much prefer Ozempic There is zero need for exercise if one wants to lose weight.
Moldoteck 2y ago
"Exercise sucks. I am overweight." - to beat the weight problem exercise will do little. It's mostly what you eat. Exercise is for muscles, shape, health, blood pressure and many other great stuff and sometimes for weight loss, but generally exercise is not a good way to lose weight, in fact it can boost the hunger feeling and you could eat more calories without noticing. Ozempic is good for weight loss (with some risks but it's a great tool) and if combined with shaping good food habits - eventually you can drop the ozempic and keep the weight, and when weight is good, exercise is much easier (but still sucks for many). Some do prefer to bike as a form of exercise that's both healthy and greatly improves leg muscles which can help if joints were destroyed when the person was overweight. But ozempic will not help with health problems related to lack of exercise and sedentary life, it'll help just for weight(and sometimes addiction) loss. Use the right tools for right puroses to reach your goals
fire_lake 2y ago
There are fun ways to exercise. You should give more things a try! Ozempic may help with weight loss but there are other health reasons to exercise.
badpun 2y ago
Have you tried walking? Just by walking one or two hours every day, you should burn enough calories to steadily lose weight. The health benefits of just walking are numerous: staving off musculosceletal degeneration (it will get to you quite quickly if you don't exercise at all - just look at astronauts), better sleep, improved mood and mental clarity. If you can walk in nature or at least peaceful and green urban environment, your mental health will benefit as well. There's a reason so many great thinkers in history were proponents of long walks in nature.
- bregma 2y ago
  A couple of hours every day? I spend 8 hours a day sleeping and 8 hours a day at work. Anther 4 hours in meal prep and consumption, personal hygiene, commuting, and mandatory household chores. That leaves 4 hours a day in elective time. Now you suggest I dedicate 50% of that time in non-productive exercise where I'm stuck with my own thoughts and no other mental stimulation while being physically uncomfortable? Or once a month I could go to the doctor and get a shot. I can see the appeal of Ozempic. Now mind, I'm not overweight, but I do have diabetes and mild hypertension controlled through diet and, until my old dog "went to sleep" recently, regular exercise. I don't like the diet and often resented the twice daily long walks in all kinds of weather but still prefer that over chronic medication, especially one delivered through a means the gods did not give you an orifice for. My choice, but I respect other people's choices.
Unbefleckt 2y ago
Whenever I think about the exercise I'm doing being unpleasant, I remember how unpleasant existing was as an unfit out of shape person day to day.
CalRobert 2y ago
I used to be 280 pounds (127kg). My BMI was 38 and I was in horrible shape. People told me I needed to go to the gym, take up running, etc. - and that advice, while well-meaning, was mostly bad. For me, what I needed was to swim and bike more. I loved those things. Running hurt and was miserable. Weight lifting was horrible. Team sports were a misery. But I could happily bike (on a recumbent in particular) for ages, at my own pace. When I sold my car, started riding a bike everywhere, and started a volumetric diet (don't eat tiny meals, eat big ones of low-calorie-density foods) I dropped to about 200 pounds. And I stayed there for a long time (over a decade) until I moved somewhere I could do this even better - the Netherlands - and I've lost another 20 pounds. And I just ride my bike around. I don't go to a gym (I do get a swim in a couple times a month though). Riding my bike in suburban California was, indeed, torture, but only because it's a horribly-designed place. In nice places it's a delight.

danielbln 2y ago

It's a shame that exercise is linked to misery for so many people, because it doesn't have to be miserable. Hell, it's so so much easier to stick with it if it isn't miserable. I always tell new runners to slow down, like ridiculously slow, laughably slow. If it feels like the lung is burning and you want to vomit, oh that is wayyyyy too fast. Keep it slow and steady and maybe only ever so slightly uncomfortable, then allow your body to adapt and ride that feeling until you're all of the sudden exercising much harder but without feeling like you do. I posit that exercise does not have to feel terrible to work, and that it can be turned into something that feels maybe a little bit uncomfortable during, but really nice after.

Ma8ee 2y ago

Exercise doesn't have to suck. For it not to suck, it has to be on the right level for you (if you think you'll about to puke or die, it's not on the right level), and it has to stimulating in one way or another. If you can't find anything of all the possibilities, from Karate to soccer to windsurfing, stimulating in itself, maybe just reward yourself watching your favourite series on Netflix from a stationary bike.

keiferski 2y ago

I think you probably just need to find a form of exercise that you enjoy. For me, I really don't like going to the gym, but I do enjoy biking. That aside, exercise is just one aspect of prevention. In most places that have lower obesity rates, people probably exercise less than they do in America, which is ironic. My broader point is more that the system is set up in such a way that it's easier for you to get overweight and then pay $8K a year to buy a treatment drug, than to just help you avoid getting overweight in the first place. Probably because the cost to do that is much less than $8K, so the stakeholders are much less incentivized to do it.

matco11 2y ago

Lots of people love exercise. It can even be a lot of fun to play a game of basketball, soccer, or to dance… We are all different, and one just has to find a type of exercise that one likes. Also, being low in fat is great, but it’s not the same as also having a developed muscle structure, strong bones, and performant cardiovascular system.

RandomLensman 2y ago

Then the benefits of exercise are broadly inaccessible to you - which is a fair choice. That said, maybe it is useful not to think about excerise as exercise?

tromp 2y ago

Not all exercise sucks. When the weather is good and I ride my recumbent through the beautiful Dutch landscape, I'm getting both exercise and joy.

082349872349872 2y ago

[There are three types of fun (I, II, III) described in https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/fun-scale https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/fun-scale ] That's odd, I'd think even for people who barely exercise there'd be plenty of Type I fun, available much more cheaply than USD 8K/yr. Distance is what matters; people who actually like jogging get their distance in much more quickly than the rest of us, but long slow distances can also be covered much more pleasantly. (Type II fun is probably indistinguishable from type III fun at the start, but should you ever get more involved in sport you'll discover that there are many, many things that are type II but not type III) > We condition the masses to hate the country, but simultaneously we condition them to love all country sports. At the same time, we see to it that all country sports shall entail the use of elaborate apparatus. So that they consume manufactured articles as well as transport. —DHC for Central London

hatefulmoron 2y ago

The truth however is that to choose the pill is to choose uncertainty. There is no certainty that the drug you choose for your symptoms will work, less certainty that it will work for years into the future, and no certainty that it won't cause you further issues that will be remedied by a different pill, and on it goes. Some things can't be fixed by exercise, so take the pills. Some things can, it's probably best to take the exercise. If it doesn't work, the pills are still waiting for you. I guess what I'm saying is: exercise is misery, but not preventing damage is delayed misery of uncertain magnitude.

fifticon 2y ago

As countless others have replied, those of us that enjoy exercise feel like something is off here :-). I may be wrong, but my impression is that it is like driving a car with flat tires. Yes, that feels wrong, but once you inflate those tires, driving the car no longer feels wrong. At times when I have been out of shape, it has felt taxing to start up. But as soon as my shape starts to tighten up, it no longer feels like misery at all, instead it feels like the privilege getting to drive around in a cool machine - your very own body. It may be this is fundamentally different between types of people. For example, I have heard many women claim that running never felt good to them, even when they were in shape (this might there be related to how hips may be differently shaped for running).

globular-toast 2y ago

That's good because exercise wouldn't solve your problem anyway. You'd just be a fat guy who exercises. Exercise isn't a misery when you aren't fat. To lose weight you eat less. Unfortunately we've decided treating food addiction with pills and removing organs is the way to go rather than targeting the addictive stuff itself. Kinda like treating heroin addiction by removing arms.

mnw21cam 2y ago
Yeah, there are studies that show that eating less is much more effective than exercising more for losing weight. There are other studies that show quite often the most effective way to eat less is to fast every now and again. And that's because if you're trying to diet by eating a small meal, your stomach/brain is going to be yelling at you all the time that you're hungry and you should eat some more, but if you fast, after 16 hours or so that urgency goes away and you stop feeling as hungry. Fasting sounds a lot more scary than it actually is. The record fast length is 382 days [0]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_Barbieri%27s_fast https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_Barbieri%27s_fast

branko_d 2y ago

I’ll hazard a guess: you never liked exercise, even as a kid? If that’s the case, I’ll hazard another guess: you lived in an environment where you couldn’t just go out and play whenever you wanted? I might be completely wrong in my guesses, and I apologize if I am. But I strongly believe that all kids are naturally predisposed for physical activity, and it’s the duty of the society to let them do that in an easy and safe way.

VBprogrammer 2y ago
Interesting thesis - however I was one of those kids. I had plenty of access to exercise we lived in a quiet housing estate where we could easily play hockey or football in the streets. The only exercise I enjoyed was cycling and that wasn't really the done thing in late high-school. Weirdly enough, I now go to the gym 3 times a week. I don't love it like some people do but I've made it enough of a habit that I do it anyway. The main motivation for me was wanting to be active enough to keep up with my kids and a string of minor ailments (mostly not relating to lack of exercise) which gave me a bit of a shove to do something.
CalRobert 2y ago
Hard to let your kids play outside when there's 2500kg Dodge Rams going 80kph in the streets.
pandaman 2y ago
As somebody who had been outside all the time during childhood and hated exercise starting with the PE in school, I don't think your guess is well founded in reality. None of my childhood friends had been keen on exercise either and PE was not the most popular class in my school... For me there is a huge difference of doing something that requires physical exertion in order to complete and doing pointless physical exertion for exertion's sake. I can skate on a board or skates, or ride a bike for hours because it's about skill and technique for me, I feel frustrated after running for a minute. Similarly I can free-dive whole day but swimming laps feels like a massive chore. I believe some people can enjoy exercise but, judging by how many fit people are there - they are in small minority.

gwd 2y ago

> Exercise sucks. Lots of people, including myself, love exercising. If nothing else, endorphins are a great natural "high". And I can tell that the rest of my system just works better when I'm working out regularly: I have fewer hunger attacks, I sleep better, I feel better. And, I just really like the feeling of picking up really heavy things (that being my current exercise of choice). From what I can tell, the "exercise sucks" barriers most people face are 1) not everybody likes everything, and 2) it takes at least 2 months of training to get to the point where you can get the taste for the endorphins without being overly sore afterwards. Now maybe you've spent 2 months trying all kinds of different activities (swimming, walking, hiking, weight lifting, cycling, wrestling, football) and none of them have worked, in which case fair enough. But if you haven't, I'd recommend trying it. I can see why if you're overweight that running wouldn't be very fun. If you haven't tried weight lifting, definitely give that a go. If you're overweight, you've got a head start lifting heavy things (you), so it shouldn't be as hard to get into. People who've never lifted weights have this idea that it's mind-numbingly boring; but the mental focus you need to lift heavy things is actually a bit more like meditation. And being able to confidently lift really heavy things is an amazing feeling, not to mention having pumped-up muscles.

red-iron-pine 2y ago
> Lots of people, including myself, love exercising. great, good for you and those people. but clearly most people don't. plus you cannot out-exercise a poor diet. doesn't matter how hard you go in the gym or on a hike if you slam donuts and pepsi all day.
- gwd 2y ago
  > great, good for you and those people. but clearly most people don't. If throwawaysleep had said, "Some people seem to like exercise, but I've tried all kinds of things and never found anything that wasn't a misery", I probably wouldn't have replied. But rather, they said, "Exercise is a misery" -- no exceptions or qualifications. They have acknowledged the importance of exercise, and seemed to indicate that they would be willing to do it for their own health if it were just boring or mildly annoying; but they believe exercise is always unpleasant. They seem to believe that everyone who does exercise regularly does so by just powering through the misery; but that this is realistically not an option for them. So there's something they don't know, something they need to know -- exercise doesn't always suck. Lots of people exercise without having to "power through" any misery, because they've found routines they actually enjoy. And so, maybe there's a routine that they will enjoy as well. You're not going to look for something unless you know that it might exist. > plus you cannot out-exercise a poor diet. doesn't matter how hard you go in the gym or on a hike if you slam donuts and pepsi all day. I'm not sure where the donuts and pepsi are coming from. I don't know what happens if you take Ozempic while only eating donuts and pepsi; it's possible you could stay thin, but you definitely won't be healthy. But since you raised it: Slim != healthy, and healthy eating !=> slim. It's possible to gain weight eating healthy most days and only eating really unhealthy once a month. And it's possible to have healthy muscles / cardiovascular system and still be overweight, or to have poor cardio and be slim. I'm pretty sure it's healthier to be overweight and cycle 20 minutes every day than to be slim and a couch potato. If throwawaysleep is slamming donuts and pepsi all day, they should stop that for their health and well-being. But although it might slow the rate at which they gain weight, it probably won't make them slim. Similarly, if they're overweight, while a normal, sustainable exercise routine will probably slow the rate at which they gain weight, or help them lose a bit, it probably will never make them slim. But they will be a lot healthier nonetheless.

coldtea 2y ago

>The barrier to exercise isn’t money in most cases. It is that exercise is misery Only if you haven't been doing it. When you follow through and get the hang of it, it can be ecstasy. >I’m paying 8K a year to avoid exercise. And paying a lot more in cognitive and health decline long term, both in monetary terms (treatment) and in non-measurable quality of life terms. Ozempic is just weight loss (and the potential side-effects of longer term use with it, we'll find out in the future). Weight loss is table stakes for optimal performance.

thefz 2y ago

> Exercise sucks. I am overweight. I much prefer Ozempic There is zero need for exercise if one wants to lose weight.

Moldoteck 2y ago

"Exercise sucks. I am overweight." - to beat the weight problem exercise will do little. It's mostly what you eat. Exercise is for muscles, shape, health, blood pressure and many other great stuff and sometimes for weight loss, but generally exercise is not a good way to lose weight, in fact it can boost the hunger feeling and you could eat more calories without noticing. Ozempic is good for weight loss (with some risks but it's a great tool) and if combined with shaping good food habits - eventually you can drop the ozempic and keep the weight, and when weight is good, exercise is much easier (but still sucks for many). Some do prefer to bike as a form of exercise that's both healthy and greatly improves leg muscles which can help if joints were destroyed when the person was overweight. But ozempic will not help with health problems related to lack of exercise and sedentary life, it'll help just for weight(and sometimes addiction) loss. Use the right tools for right puroses to reach your goals

fire_lake 2y ago

There are fun ways to exercise. You should give more things a try! Ozempic may help with weight loss but there are other health reasons to exercise.

badpun 2y ago

Have you tried walking? Just by walking one or two hours every day, you should burn enough calories to steadily lose weight. The health benefits of just walking are numerous: staving off musculosceletal degeneration (it will get to you quite quickly if you don't exercise at all - just look at astronauts), better sleep, improved mood and mental clarity. If you can walk in nature or at least peaceful and green urban environment, your mental health will benefit as well. There's a reason so many great thinkers in history were proponents of long walks in nature.

bregma 2y ago
A couple of hours every day? I spend 8 hours a day sleeping and 8 hours a day at work. Anther 4 hours in meal prep and consumption, personal hygiene, commuting, and mandatory household chores. That leaves 4 hours a day in elective time. Now you suggest I dedicate 50% of that time in non-productive exercise where I'm stuck with my own thoughts and no other mental stimulation while being physically uncomfortable? Or once a month I could go to the doctor and get a shot. I can see the appeal of Ozempic. Now mind, I'm not overweight, but I do have diabetes and mild hypertension controlled through diet and, until my old dog "went to sleep" recently, regular exercise. I don't like the diet and often resented the twice daily long walks in all kinds of weather but still prefer that over chronic medication, especially one delivered through a means the gods did not give you an orifice for. My choice, but I respect other people's choices.

Unbefleckt 2y ago

Whenever I think about the exercise I'm doing being unpleasant, I remember how unpleasant existing was as an unfit out of shape person day to day.

CalRobert 2y ago

I used to be 280 pounds (127kg). My BMI was 38 and I was in horrible shape. People told me I needed to go to the gym, take up running, etc. - and that advice, while well-meaning, was mostly bad. For me, what I needed was to swim and bike more. I loved those things. Running hurt and was miserable. Weight lifting was horrible. Team sports were a misery. But I could happily bike (on a recumbent in particular) for ages, at my own pace. When I sold my car, started riding a bike everywhere, and started a volumetric diet (don't eat tiny meals, eat big ones of low-calorie-density foods) I dropped to about 200 pounds. And I stayed there for a long time (over a decade) until I moved somewhere I could do this even better - the Netherlands - and I've lost another 20 pounds. And I just ride my bike around. I don't go to a gym (I do get a swim in a couple times a month though). Riding my bike in suburban California was, indeed, torture, but only because it's a horribly-designed place. In nice places it's a delight.