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>But eventually the researchers homed in on 10 pairs of male identical twins, one of whom regularly exercised, while the other did not, usually because of work

>But eventually the researchers homed in on 10 pairs of male identical twins, one of whom regularly exercised, while the other did not, usually because of work or family pressures, the researchers determined. That "work and family pressure" sounds like stress and a pretty important confounding variable.

reedlaw 12y ago
It's also a choice, or even an excuse. Nearly everyone has work and family pressures. Some find relief in exercise.
- maratd 12y ago
  > It's also a choice, or even an excuse. Alright, get off your high horse. Just because you "excercise" doesn't make you better. There are plenty who don't need to because they work with their hands and plenty more because they have active hobbies. And while it's a popular notion that constant activity makes you healthier, it's just common sense that the body is a machine and the more you stress a machine, the likelier it is to break. See athletes for common ailments.
  - samcal 12y ago
    > There are plenty who don't need to because they work with their hands and plenty more because they have active hobbies. And I bet those aren't the people about whom the parent was talking. It's not as if the benefits of exercise are unknown or controversial. Everyone knows that they are better off being active. Therefore, people who do not spend time being active are at the very least making a choice, if they legitimately have a more effective way of benefitting themselves, at most making excuses, if they do not have such a way.
  - omegaham 12y ago
    > See athletes for common ailments. This is a good point, and it's a good idea to pick a form of exercise that has less impact, (at an extreme end, I'm sure that the skiiers who do mogul racing are in great shape, but their knees probably don't work so well after a few years) but keep in mind that the body repairs itself. As long as you aren't repeatedly destroying your joints, you're going to get a lot of benefits from exercise. In many cases, athletes are less likely to get injured than the sedentary population because of increased strength and flexibility.
  - lurknomore 12y ago
    > it's just common sense that the body is a machine and the more you stress a machine, the likelier it is to break. The body is a biological organism, not a machine. Biological organisms that suffer disuse experience atrophy, wasting, and decay. Chronic controlled dosages of physical stress produce salutary effects in the human organism. Muscles grow and strengthen, bones increase in density, range of motion is preserved and increased, cardiovascular capacity increases, and even cognitive function is enhanced by exercise. You could not have summoned a worse analogy for the human body if it had been your intent.
  - runamok 12y ago
    > it's just common sense that the body is a machine and the more you stress a machine, the likelier it is to break Except a biological system gets stronger if you stress it in a progressive manner. While athletes constantly pushing themselves certainly do get injured, doing nothing seems to cause far more harm long term. Everything from heart health to bone density is usually better in an athlete. Almost everyone in my family is obese with a host of maladies. I've been running 23 years and am incredibly healthy despite the occasional hamstring pull or achilles tendonitis.
seekingtruth 12y ago
Except everyone has work and family pressures. The ones who didn't exercise were asked why not and regurgitated some empathy-raising excuse.

reedlaw 12y ago

It's also a choice, or even an excuse. Nearly everyone has work and family pressures. Some find relief in exercise.

maratd 12y ago
> It's also a choice, or even an excuse. Alright, get off your high horse. Just because you "excercise" doesn't make you better. There are plenty who don't need to because they work with their hands and plenty more because they have active hobbies. And while it's a popular notion that constant activity makes you healthier, it's just common sense that the body is a machine and the more you stress a machine, the likelier it is to break. See athletes for common ailments.
- samcal 12y ago
  > There are plenty who don't need to because they work with their hands and plenty more because they have active hobbies. And I bet those aren't the people about whom the parent was talking. It's not as if the benefits of exercise are unknown or controversial. Everyone knows that they are better off being active. Therefore, people who do not spend time being active are at the very least making a choice, if they legitimately have a more effective way of benefitting themselves, at most making excuses, if they do not have such a way.
- omegaham 12y ago
  > See athletes for common ailments. This is a good point, and it's a good idea to pick a form of exercise that has less impact, (at an extreme end, I'm sure that the skiiers who do mogul racing are in great shape, but their knees probably don't work so well after a few years) but keep in mind that the body repairs itself. As long as you aren't repeatedly destroying your joints, you're going to get a lot of benefits from exercise. In many cases, athletes are less likely to get injured than the sedentary population because of increased strength and flexibility.
- lurknomore 12y ago
  > it's just common sense that the body is a machine and the more you stress a machine, the likelier it is to break. The body is a biological organism, not a machine. Biological organisms that suffer disuse experience atrophy, wasting, and decay. Chronic controlled dosages of physical stress produce salutary effects in the human organism. Muscles grow and strengthen, bones increase in density, range of motion is preserved and increased, cardiovascular capacity increases, and even cognitive function is enhanced by exercise. You could not have summoned a worse analogy for the human body if it had been your intent.
- runamok 12y ago
  > it's just common sense that the body is a machine and the more you stress a machine, the likelier it is to break Except a biological system gets stronger if you stress it in a progressive manner. While athletes constantly pushing themselves certainly do get injured, doing nothing seems to cause far more harm long term. Everything from heart health to bone density is usually better in an athlete. Almost everyone in my family is obese with a host of maladies. I've been running 23 years and am incredibly healthy despite the occasional hamstring pull or achilles tendonitis.

seekingtruth 12y ago

Except everyone has work and family pressures. The ones who didn't exercise were asked why not and regurgitated some empathy-raising excuse.