I find all of the studies of “how little exercise” is needed sad. Instead we should be focusing on how to restructure modern lifestyle to allow everybody to achieve the minimum of cardiovascular and strength exercises.
Aren't you just asking the same question?
I certainly prefer sitting then doing exercise, I just also don't like the consequences of doing none.
Restructuring society in healthy ways (shorter work weeks, bike lanes, green cities, etc.) will allow us to achieve whatever that minimum would have been (had we measured!) and more!
At least I think that's the distinction.
The only time I prefer to sit is after I have done a good deal of exercise. I don't mean that as a jab of any sort, just a differing perspective from someone who gets much more than a minimum of required exercise.
Whereas minimizing the amount of free time people spend on their health, allowing people more time to labor or consume, is profitable.
1. Ban overworking. Make it a federal offense. Actually jail CEOs if their employees work >50 hours a week
2. These exercise tracking apps should pay people for the exercise they do. The money will come from health insurance. They pay $1 per mile you run or hike, they save $10 on your future hospitalization.
3. City sponsored exercise events and sports competitions open to everyone, not just athletes. Give tax deductions to those who participate and demonstrate attendance.
The solution is right here, above. Whether the politicians choose to listen, is not something I can influence. But I have given the solution.
We need to restructure cities away from being driving focused.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2020.04.001
As for heart rate, going above threshold is never comfortable. But it's a good pain and you can get used to tolerating it for occasional high-intensity interval workouts. Over time this will decrease your resting heart rate and reduce the risk of a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE).
Recent research highlights a number of things, but what sticks out is that it's important to maintaining muscle mass because we lose a bunch as we get older, and loss of muscle is a leading morbidity factor.
Want to be able to get on the floor and play with your grandkids? That's going to require a certain amount of mobility work.
Want to be able to hike up Mount Whitney? You'll need regular cardio.
I also hate the phrasing that exercise is something to "get away with". Most people who exercise regularly enjoy it. Moving your body is fun, especially once you get fit enough to do it without pain or immediate exhaustion.
There's a huge selection effect here.
I wasn't claiming to have run a damned study. Just making an observation. The thing is, people who don't enjoy exercising but start exercising anyway tend to find they enjoy it after a while. Saying people enjoy exercise is like saying "ice cream tastes good". There's a bit of activation energy required, but it's not a huge stretch to notice that something that is good for our bodies gives us pleasure.
And because the most people don't exercise, it's easy to conclude, that the most people don't enjoy it. One can even conclude reverse, that only people who enjoy exercising, are doing it.
People have all kinds of self-defeating behavior, and those behaviors seem to be on the rise since smartphones became popular. It's likely that people enjoy it and won't do it anyway.
And what best helps you in that is enjoying what you do, as well as doing it with a friend.
Many that complain about neck or back problems are almost always suffering from stress/burnout, RSI, and or a sedentary lifestyle. Take it slow at first to avoid injuring yourself, and head home if you feel out of breath each journey. And remember to stay hydrated with normal clean water.
Getting outside regularly will help most folks live better longer lives. Have a wonderful day. =3
For example, I play a lot of ultimate in the summer. I play with a lunchtime pickup group, so there is a forcing function to play. I like to bike, and helping coach my daughter's high school mountain bike team ensures I get a lot more miles than I would otherwise. In the winter, I have friends that I ski with. I also enjoy exercising on my own, but some activities are better as a group.
When I worked in an office, I played a lot of ultimate (lunchtime pickup), but also would do walks with colleagues. Great way to combine debugging, learning, and exercise.
It's not all about cardio. Your muscles are such a significant part of your metabolism and far too many people avoid strength training. A ton of problems that arise while aging are ultimately hormonal. Even your skin improves. Cardiovascular health begins here. People are literally running before they can walk.
That's the realistic answer for most people under 65 trying to make it to at least 80 with a decent quality of life.
If someone works from home and doesn't have kids and hates going outside, this is it. If you can at least get into the habit of lifting weights, you're doing better than most.
I'm going to be the one that says it: people avoid cardio because they instantly feel like crap. Why? They lack the strength. Your legs are considered a "second heart" for a reason. When you get your strength up, you feel amazing. That run will no longer feel like a chore.
I am single and have no children or care giving obligations yet. I bet that when I (hopefully) have small children one day, it will be much harder for me to fit in 3-4 hours a week of running, especially when sleeping enough to feel rested. It would be nice to know what I can do to keep up my health during that phase of life.
For me that's 20 minutes a day on a rowing machine plus some body weight strength exercises.
Which is about a YouTube video long and as a result I basically only watch YouTube content when I'm doing it (hey I'd like to watch this -> I should go start rowing) is a surprisingly good motivator.
For example if you are doing arm exercises Monday, don't do arm exercises again Tuesday, work another muscle groups like your legs.
I had to learn this the hard way when I was starting out..
It is pretty obvious the grandparent comment was just attempting to give a generalized advice, without claiming that it would comprehensively apply to every single niche condition out there (and it would be rather silly to expect it to).
Exercise is even more important if you have a disability, because your muscles will atrophy from disuse and cause even greater disability.
E.g. if you stop moving your leg because you have a bad knee, you will now have a bad knee and a weak leg. If you go to PT and do exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knee, it can take load off the joint and improve function.
It truly is a bizarre spin on whataboutism.
> How about you instead of trying to “get away with” as little exercise as possible you found a way to move your body that you genuinely enjoy? One should not optimise away sleep, nutrition and exercise.
Answer: because exercise can be physically very painful, impossible, or sometimes dangerous for people with certain medical conditions. Knowing how much is enough can be useful to know without being shamed for “optimizing” away exercises.
Hope that helps. Pointing out that people with different situations exist to a generalizing comment should not cause such offense, imho.
People will eventually realize it causes cancer. Weight training literally generates inflation.
perhaps you meant inflammation
resistance training doesn't cause cancer though
Inflation? I don't think this comment could have better intentionally illustrated how ill-informed it is if you tried.
having a well-rounded diet and getting an hour of walking in daily is like 90% of the way there for good health.
(actually, proper sleep is the #1 most important thing)
Also, the article kind of agrees with what you're saying, even if you don't realize it. Any exercise, even if it's not organized like a weight lifting regimen might be, might be enough to keep you healthy. I think leaning into that could make exercise more genuinely enjoyable for many more people, instead of just an exercise in optimization.
It was a fun way to bond and share in exercise therapy.
datadrivenangel•1h ago