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Born to Rest

harvardmagazine.com

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Re: Born to Rest

#51

Post by thesmallestcat »

Jtsummers wrote: post #46
thesmallestcat wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Capable? No, people with the sort of metabolism I'm talking about need that (high carb/protein) on top of the healthy diet you described. Removing that dining option to keep fatsos from gorging themselves doesn't seem fair. High calorie food lets me get adequate energy from a reasonably-sized dish. A brief skinny manifesto: I hate how the world caters to the obese. Thermostat kept at low temperature in all seasons be…

> A brief skinny manifesto: I hate how the world caters to the obese. Thermostat turned way down in the winter/up in the summer because of fat insulation. Replace high calorie options with high fiber so their overworked/stretched system feels "full." All diet/nutrition advice biased towards losing weight. The list goes on... and things geared towards losing weight/being comfortable as an obese person naturally are us…

More specific than oppression. As obesity and its effects are seen as acutely unhealthy, quality of life for underweight people is sacrificed for the health benefit of the obese. Clearly there is not some cabal of fat dudes stroking their bellies plotting ways to stick it to the skinny man.

Re: Born to Rest

#52

Post by Jtsummers »

striking wrote: post #48
Jtsummers wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, they can be responsible for their own actions. Doesn't mean the schools have to provide them the option to be actively harmful to their health. They're adults (as mentioned in another comment). If they want to buy a few cases of Coca Cola and drink that instead of water every day for 4 years, that's their prerogative. No school should stop them from making such a terrible, stupid mistake, but no school should p…

There's a little bit of cognitive dissonance going on here. If they're responsible for their actions, and they're adults, why are you taking an option away from them in fears that they're "making a mistake"? This is universally seen as hand-holding.

The option isn't taken away. They can go to the grocery store if they want. That's still an option. There's no cognitive dissonance. As an institution, a university is not required to provide every option to its students. It, similarly, shouldn't bar students from making choices they want to make.

EDIT: And if they make choices that turn them into unsuitable students (poor grades, arrests, whatever), the institution is free to suspend them as appropriate.

Re: Born to Rest

#53

Post by sevensor »

Jtsummers wrote: post #36
striking wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't college where people are supposed to be responsible for their own actions? Or have we extended the hand-holding that far out?

Sure, they can be responsible for their own actions. Doesn't mean the schools have to provide them the option to be actively harmful to their health. They're adults (as mentioned in another comment). If they want to buy a few cases of Coca Cola and drink that instead of water every day for 4 years, that's their prerogative. No school should stop them from making such a terrible, stupid mistake, but no school should p…

Yup, likewise I knew a guy who flunked out his sophomore year because he spent all of his time playing Quake 2 on the dorm's LAN. The university offered plenty of classes he could have been spending his time on, and he chose differently. Only so much you can do to save a man from himself.

Re: Born to Rest

#54

Post by apalmer »

justinator wrote: post #23

Is there actually any evidence that ancient hunter gatherer groups didn't do what we now call "exercise" on a voluntary basis? Some ideas come to mind: dancing, walkabouts, spirit quests, right of passage rituals, ?ancient forms of martial arts? I am compelled to believe that early man did things merely to do them, including exercise.

Why on earth would he do this? Why would you be compelled to believe this?

Re: Born to Rest

#55

Post by zck »

CalRobert wrote: post #38
Jtsummers wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speaking specifically of college, I'm unfamiliar with current K-12 requirements in the US. Physical education is no longer required at most universities. Not even one or two semesters. It is offered . But so is going outside for a jog, or dropping to the floor and doing push-ups and sit-ups. The issue is one of motivation. If students (really, people) aren't feeling motivated to be active then they won't. Attaching a…

Considering that gym class was hell on Earth for some of us fat people and we greatly looked forward to the liberation of college, I think the idea of mandatory PE is horrible. PE is usually taught in a manner that's great if you're already fit, and atrocious if you're fat. It's hard on the joints and exemplifies how much weaker/slower/less valuable to society you are compared to the fit kids. I know this because I W…

> PE is usually taught in a manner that's great if you're already fit, and atrocious if you're fat.

I remember going through the Presidential Fitness Challenge, and saying "how am I supposed to just stretch further? It hurts!" If, instead, gym class (at least, by the time one gets to high school) was more about finding ways each person liked to exercise, it would be a much greater force for health. I recently decided I just don't like to run, and I'm not really going to try to force myself to anymore.

Re: Born to Rest

#56

Post by Jtsummers »

komali2 wrote: post #49
Jtsummers wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would they starve? Are skinny students only capable of eating unhealthy, carb-loaded, crap? Most healthy skinny people I know eat fruits, vegetables, and moderate amounts of meat, dairy and carbs, or they run 20 miles a day.

20 miles a day? Surely you aren't serious? Someone check my math but at a 7 minute mile, that's a 2 hour run every day, plus warmup, stretch, change, cleanup time. That feels absurd for anybody with a job, family, etc. Maybe every other day would make more sense.

A couple specific individuals I've known. Both ran 15-20 miles a day. They'd just go for runs most evenings or mornings and run and run. At least every weekday for one, the other I know ran daily. One was a Catholic seminarian (ran in the mornings, no family, obviously). The other was a middle-aged, family man, working as an engineer. He'd run most of his life. Both were African, one Nigerian (the seminarian), I don't recall where the other was from.

Re: Born to Rest

#57

Post by thirstytho »

striking wrote: post #48
Jtsummers wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, they can be responsible for their own actions. Doesn't mean the schools have to provide them the option to be actively harmful to their health. They're adults (as mentioned in another comment). If they want to buy a few cases of Coca Cola and drink that instead of water every day for 4 years, that's their prerogative. No school should stop them from making such a terrible, stupid mistake, but no school should p…

There's a little bit of cognitive dissonance going on here. If they're responsible for their actions, and they're adults, why are you taking an option away from them in fears that they're "making a mistake"? This is universally seen as hand-holding.

So should the meal plan serve alcohol, too, to avoid reacting to 'fears that they're "making a mistake"'?

Re: Born to Rest

#58

Post by sotojuan »

Jtsummers wrote: post #56
komali2 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

20 miles a day? Surely you aren't serious? Someone check my math but at a 7 minute mile, that's a 2 hour run every day, plus warmup, stretch, change, cleanup time. That feels absurd for anybody with a job, family, etc. Maybe every other day would make more sense.

A couple specific individuals I've known. Both ran 15-20 miles a day. They'd just go for runs most evenings or mornings and run and run. At least every weekday for one, the other I know ran daily. One was a Catholic seminarian (ran in the mornings, no family, obviously). The other was a middle-aged, family man, working as an engineer. He'd run most of his life. Both were African, one Nigerian (the seminarian), I don'…

I guess the confusing part was that you said "most". Unless you only know a few skinny people.

Re: Born to Rest

#59

Post by Jtsummers »

komali2 wrote: post #47
sotojuan wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can see a bunch of college students angry and complaining that their college feels like high school and that their money/time is wasted in such classes.

I hear the same arguments about engineering students forced to take political science, or liberal arts students forced to take x number of laboratory credits. Arguably, health is more important that a journalist's ability to use calculus.

Though considering the HN consensus on science reporting, journalists knowing calculus and statistics would be a good thing.

Re: Born to Rest

#60

Post by sotojuan »

6DM wrote: post #41
jacalata wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bringing it back? Is it no longer offered?

Even in 2006, when I was still in high school, most of the time in gym class the teacher would just roll out a ball. There was no other physical fitness type of classes. I think at best once a year we were measured. There was no requirement of anything, just a hey let's see what everyone can do and record it, kind of thing. It should be noted that in larger schools it is most likely different. This is just my persona…

My high school PE class was walking around the track.

Yes, walking. We just had to walk in circles (ovals?) until it was time to go.

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