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Exercise 'keeps the mind sharp' in over-50s, study finds

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Exercise 'keeps the mind sharp' in over-50s, study finds

#81

Post by ainiriand »

dvcrn wrote: post #79

My problem with exercise is simply time. There are a million things I want to do and with a 10-7 work shift, I just can't do much. Staying 30 minutes longer happens easily so it's 7:30. Commuting to the gym would take another 20-30. 1h in the gym and it's 9 (or later). Commuting an hour home and it's 10. Go to supermarket, maybe cook something up and it could easily be 11 already. This leaves 1-2h max to do anything…

From 30-40 years, exercise is a priority. After that age is THE priority. It is up to you what you want to put your time into but I strongly encourage simplifying exercise by removing commute from it. I never really understood going 'somewhere' to do exercise. Do a small run of half an hour around your office, in a nearby park for example.

Re: Exercise 'keeps the mind sharp' in over-50s, study finds

#82

Post by omegaham »

ck425 wrote: post #70

Does anyone else worry about staying fit as an office worker? As much as I enjoy my career, I might give serious consideration to moving into something more physical in future. While you can easily fit in a decent amount of exercise outside of work if you only work 40 hours, it strikes me as much more efficient to make your work exercise in and off itself. I spent one summer working as a software engineer intern with…

My workplace provides a nice gym. I lift during my lunch break.

Re: Exercise 'keeps the mind sharp' in over-50s, study finds

#83

Post by Quatih »

dvcrn wrote: post #79

My problem with exercise is simply time. There are a million things I want to do and with a 10-7 work shift, I just can't do much. Staying 30 minutes longer happens easily so it's 7:30. Commuting to the gym would take another 20-30. 1h in the gym and it's 9 (or later). Commuting an hour home and it's 10. Go to supermarket, maybe cook something up and it could easily be 11 already. This leaves 1-2h max to do anything…

Get into body weight fitness which you can easiliy do in your own home, or maybe cycling to work.

Re: Exercise 'keeps the mind sharp' in over-50s, study finds

#84

Post by CalRobert »

z3t4 wrote: post #12
bosie wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well done you. 50 lbs is huge. Since you are up so early and only have 40mins from waking up to gym, mind sharing your diet too (what you eat when)?

if you exercise 5+ days/week you dont have to worry about diet. its often the other way around that many people strugle with eating enough to gain weight/muscles.

This is pretty much completely untrue. Anecdata, but I thought if I exercised like crazy I could eat terribly and be fine. I was wrong, and remained massively obese. When I started actually tracking my intake and eating healthier I lost massive amounts of weight, without any change in the exercise routine.

It's been 10 years and I still have to watch my calories like a hawk if I want to stay below obese (I've quit trying for not being overweight, though that would be nice). I swim 1250 meters a day. Previously I've cycled 24 miles a day, or run 30-45 minutes a day, depending on what worked best with my work/home situation.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/sep/19/exercis...

Re: Exercise 'keeps the mind sharp' in over-50s, study finds

#85

Post by sjogress »

dvcrn wrote: post #79

My problem with exercise is simply time. There are a million things I want to do and with a 10-7 work shift, I just can't do much. Staying 30 minutes longer happens easily so it's 7:30. Commuting to the gym would take another 20-30. 1h in the gym and it's 9 (or later). Commuting an hour home and it's 10. Go to supermarket, maybe cook something up and it could easily be 11 already. This leaves 1-2h max to do anything…

What about exercising at home?

If you follow a bodyweight fitness routine, for instance /r/bodyweightfitness' recommended routine[1], you'll only need a few pieces of equipment to get a good workout regimen going.

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommend...

Re: Exercise 'keeps the mind sharp' in over-50s, study finds

#86

Post by theprop »

Do not say you're too busy to exercise. Your productivity is much higher when you exercise. Do not say you're too old to exercise. The older you are, the more crucial it is. Get in the habit. Start with even just 2 intense minutes a day. Once you're in the habit, you'll work out longer.

Re: Exercise 'keeps the mind sharp' in over-50s, study finds

#87

Post by CalRobert »

pizza234 wrote: post #32
eyan wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The real question is how do you get people of their ass and start exercising? You don't. You wait for them until they decide and act on their decision.

That is not an effective strategy. Decisions are backed by the environment (in a broad sense), so it's important to understand (for the sake of effectiveness) which changes can be done to the environment, to stimulate taking such decision[s].

Well, you can change your own environment. This is personal, but what has worked has been one of:

* Have a gym close to work (i.e. 5 minute walk or less) and a corporate culture that lets you take 45-60 minute lunch breaks. Bonus - I find this makes my afternoons much more productive.

* Live 6+ cycle-able miles from work and ideally have a shower at work

* Be a student with a gym near your classes and an hour or two to kill between them

When one of these things is true I always manage to get a decent routine going. Without that I have always failed. Moving away from southern California to a place where I walk and cycle everywhere has helped.

Re: Exercise 'keeps the mind sharp' in over-50s, study finds

#88

Post by tomp »

dvcrn wrote: post #79

My problem with exercise is simply time. There are a million things I want to do and with a 10-7 work shift, I just can't do much. Staying 30 minutes longer happens easily so it's 7:30. Commuting to the gym would take another 20-30. 1h in the gym and it's 9 (or later). Commuting an hour home and it's 10. Go to supermarket, maybe cook something up and it could easily be 11 already. This leaves 1-2h max to do anything…

> My problem with exercise is simply time

No, your problem with exercise is prioritising.

You could spend less time at the gym. You could (probably) go running around your work or your home. You could work out or do yoga at home. You could even work out or stretch in the office during breaks!

Re: Exercise 'keeps the mind sharp' in over-50s, study finds

#89

Post by xarope »

dvcrn wrote: post #79

My problem with exercise is simply time. There are a million things I want to do and with a 10-7 work shift, I just can't do much. Staying 30 minutes longer happens easily so it's 7:30. Commuting to the gym would take another 20-30. 1h in the gym and it's 9 (or later). Commuting an hour home and it's 10. Go to supermarket, maybe cook something up and it could easily be 11 already. This leaves 1-2h max to do anything…

If you believe it's important enough, you'll find a way to make time. When I started my first job (90's, 3-letter IT company), I was doing 1.5 to 2 shifts + weekend work, so 80-90 hour weeks. I made do with 20-30 minutes of callisthenics in my (tragically small) living room. 7x a week, that adds up to 3-4 hours a week, not insignificant.

Also, find friends who want to be active, not just to go the pub and drink and watch sports (instead of taking part). Get your GF interested in (doing) sports too, and it's a win-win situation.

Please don't take this to be insulting, just trying to explain that once you find a compelling factor, you'll be able to make it work. And once you make it a lifestyle, you will find it uncomfortable to NOT be active.

You'd also be surprised at some of the people from varied walks of life you'll meet; rock climbing in the 90s was festooned with mathematicians and engineers as a progression from mental to physical chess; today it's the domain of the teens, but I'm fine with that as a natural evolution of the consumerism and commodization of most sports. And triathlons, adventure races and ultras have a lot of high-wealth folks participating nowadays, in the current culture of shifting from collecting assets to collecting experiences.

Re: Exercise 'keeps the mind sharp' in over-50s, study finds

#90

Post by fahadkhan »

Quatih wrote: post #83
dvcrn wrote: post #79

My problem with exercise is simply time. There are a million things I want to do and with a 10-7 work shift, I just can't do much. Staying 30 minutes longer happens easily so it's 7:30. Commuting to the gym would take another 20-30. 1h in the gym and it's 9 (or later). Commuting an hour home and it's 10. Go to supermarket, maybe cook something up and it could easily be 11 already. This leaves 1-2h max to do anything…

Get into body weight fitness which you can easiliy do in your own home, or maybe cycling to work.

with kids, cycling to work is the only way I can get enough exercise into my day.
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