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Real question: I remember a long time ago reading a theory that the amount of time you spend on physical fitness is roughly equal to the amount of longevity gai

by throwaway2037 2y ago

Real question: I remember a long time ago reading a theory that the amount of time you spend on physical fitness is roughly equal to the amount of longevity gained. Said another way: If you spend one hour running for exercise, you might gain about one hour of extra longevity. It seems nearly impossible to study this theory at scale, but I am curious if there has been any other research. To be clear, I'm not using this post to "dog whistle" that people should not exercise for fitness.

mindwok 2y ago
Even if that were the case, exercise can still be enjoyable for its own sake - and the high of having done it means the hours after are more enjoyable, too.
- froddd 2y ago
  Alongside the quality of life and mental health improvements, too — some clear positives.
  - throwaway2037 2y ago
    Great point: The mental health improvements cannot be understated. Even if the physical impact is net-neutral, the mental health impact is surely positive.
- shlant 2y ago
  as someone who has always been a healthy (or even under) weight, but still struggled with keeping up an active lifestyle, this is the key - find some form of exercise that is actually enjoyable for you. I have gone through multiple bouts of being able to do weightlifting for example for 6 months or so at a time. However, I always end up stopping (for longer than I could do it for) because it just isn't enjoyable. The monotony of doing the same lifts over and over again (even if the weight was increasing) just wasn't engaging enough to keep it as a part of my lifestyle. I discovered rock climbing a year and a half ago and have been going every 2 or 3 days since (other than 2 weeks off one time due to injury). It's such an interesting sport that combines strength, agility, problem solving and collaboration. It's actually engaging which means I never have to be disciplined to continue doing it on days I don't feel up to it. The exercise isn't the point and yet my body is in better shape then it's ever been. I think more people need to find that something.

mindwok 2y ago

Even if that were the case, exercise can still be enjoyable for its own sake - and the high of having done it means the hours after are more enjoyable, too.

froddd 2y ago
Alongside the quality of life and mental health improvements, too — some clear positives.
- throwaway2037 2y ago
  Great point: The mental health improvements cannot be understated. Even if the physical impact is net-neutral, the mental health impact is surely positive.
shlant 2y ago
as someone who has always been a healthy (or even under) weight, but still struggled with keeping up an active lifestyle, this is the key - find some form of exercise that is actually enjoyable for you. I have gone through multiple bouts of being able to do weightlifting for example for 6 months or so at a time. However, I always end up stopping (for longer than I could do it for) because it just isn't enjoyable. The monotony of doing the same lifts over and over again (even if the weight was increasing) just wasn't engaging enough to keep it as a part of my lifestyle. I discovered rock climbing a year and a half ago and have been going every 2 or 3 days since (other than 2 weeks off one time due to injury). It's such an interesting sport that combines strength, agility, problem solving and collaboration. It's actually engaging which means I never have to be disciplined to continue doing it on days I don't feel up to it. The exercise isn't the point and yet my body is in better shape then it's ever been. I think more people need to find that something.