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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

#191

Post by pc86 »

epalmer wrote: post #3
oblio wrote: post #2

"Mens sana in corpore sano", says 10000th study :) The real question: is there anyone out there that really debates that exercising constantly = better, longer life?

I'm 63 and a bit overweight. But I have lost 50 lbs in the last 2 years. Wife and I try to exercise for 50 to 70 minutes a day Monday-Friday. We are up at 4:30 am and at the gym at 5:10. We feel better doing this for ourselves. Some weekends we go to the gym and usually, when we do we stay longer. I'm a believer.

My wife and I are on basically the same schedule. No kids which I'm sure makes it much easier but the alarm is 4:30, gym by 5:15, asleep between 9 and 10, usually closer to 9. We both do a lot of weights and HIIT so try to stick to 3 days on, 1 day off. It's also helpful to have that rotating schedule in case something comes up.

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

#192

Post by Woofles »

dv35z wrote: post #104
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…

I have mentioned this in previous threads, but here goes: See if there are squash courts in your area. If so, take lessons (commit to 5-10 lessons), and ask the instructor to introduce you to other novice players. The game is exhilerating, easy to learn, low-inpact, high cardio, and has a huge supportive world wide community. In one year, I went from doing no gym / physical activity, to playing squash 3x a week (or m…

I have similar experiences with hockey. It's obviously not as cheap as squash, but most of the pickup in my area is 6:30am or so. The rink is also walkable from my office, so sometimes I bring my skates to work and skate during lunch just to get myself moving. The best part is, it's never too late to start! I took lessons starting at 22, but I was easily the youngest person in the class. Lots of people in their 40s learning to ice skate for the first time.

This is coming from a person who you couldn't pay to exercise two years ago. Recreational sports don't feel like exercise, they feels like playing a game. Also with something like ice skating all your improvements are very noticeable and it feels really good to master a new skill or pull off a deke or score a goal in a game.

Obviously also not for everyone, but these kind of stories are true for every sport. Find something you like, it's never too late to try something new.

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

#193

Post by Pamar »

ams6110 wrote: post #127
r_singh wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Precisely, one should quit all excuses! My father was prescribed to storvas (for cholesterol) over a decade ago... luckily he is an avid reader and soon found out what road the permanent meds lead to. He quit the meds and started working out consistently (never mind spondylitis which he combatted with bed rest) for 10 years (and still continuing). Today, he's over 50 and is killing it in every aspect in life. His min…

I just hate it. Not that I haven't tried. I've tried running, weights, walking. It's boring, and makes me feel tired and irritable. I just want to go to bed after exercise. Not my thing.

Have you ever tried a Martial Art? It does not need to make you a "fighter", but (at least for me) actually learning and improving at has never been boring (28 years of Aikido and counting).

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

#194

Post by pc86 »

CalRobert wrote: post #84
z3t4 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 tr…

> When I started actually tracking my intake

This is the key point. Eating healthy is absolutely a good idea and helps you perform better but most people eat a lot more than they think they do.

When I started exercising I lost 50 pounds over a year and a half or so without a single change to my (absolute garbage) diet.

Saying you can work out 5x week and eat anything is idiotic, but the key to weight loss is to track your calories, not to eat healthier. You should eat healthier for other reasons.

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

#195

Post by stupidhn »

epalmer wrote: post #13
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)?

Low carb. Protein, some veggies and lots of fat. Mostly good fat like olive oil. 1 tablespoon of MCT oil a day. Nuts. A little chocolate a couple times a week. Was pre-diabetic and no longer am. My blood chemistry has never been better. Total cholesterol is around 120 and triglycerides are around 70. I do take a statin. I have two doctors that support my diet. One a internist and one a cardiologist. I get up and sit…

>Low carb. Protein, some veggies and lots of fat. Mostly good fat like olive oil. 1 tablespoon of MCT oil a day. Nuts.

This is an odd one to me. I'm usually skeptical about claims like those made by the low-carb people...

...but I've tried it, and have excellent results. Anecdata is abundant. I know the science is ambiguous, but I'm a believer.

Grats on the new you.

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

#196

Post by criddell »

zeteo wrote: post #156

Looking at the funnel plot in fig. 3 in the linked meta-analysis [1], the high precision studies (standard error "randomisation; allocation concealment; blinding of therapists (intervention supervisors); blinding of participants; blinding of outcome assessors; handling of incomplete data (use of intention-to-treat analysis); selective reporting and any other risk of bias." [1] Also, the result was only statistically…

Thank you for posting this. I almost went to the gym!

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

#197

Post by criddell »

zeroami wrote: post #175
theprop wrote: post #86

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.

Shameless plug: I work at fitness startup, MoveWith ( https://www.movewith.com ). We are focused on creating audio fitness classes by some of the best instructors. I know that sometimes I don't know what I should do so for me it has been really helpful to have an instructor in my ear guiding my workout, I am biased here of course ;). I have created a free gift trial for the Hacker News community (no credit card requi…

I took a look around the web site to see what MoveWith is and one thing jumped out at me right away - the photos are almost all of women (e.g. https://www.movewith.com/collections/getsweaty). It doesn't bother me, but it's also clearly intentional and I'm wondering what the reason is.

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

#198

Post by arkh »

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 a rower at home. Put a screen near it and enjoy some shows your gf does not want to watch while exercising.

Start with short sessions and lengthen them a little each week.

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

#199

Post by ekianjo »

soundwave106 wrote: post #177
ams6110 wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google search != scientific evidence.

Scholar Google search == scientific evidence (usually :) ). First link from a query of "exercise dementia": "Exercise Is Associated with Reduced Risk for Incident Dementia among Persons 65 Years of Age and Older" ( http://annals.org/aim/article/719427/exercise-associated-red... ) Second link: "The effects of exercise training on elderly persons with cognitive impairment and dementia: A meta-analysis" ( http://www.sci…

> Exercise Is Associated with Reduced Risk for Incident Dementia among Persons 65 Years of Age and Older

Correlation is not causation. How many times do we have to repeat that? It could be that folks who are more physically active tend to have healthier habits as well due to their personality/behavior.

Let me quote what the study you linked said:

> However, the existing evidence does not prove that regular exercise is associated with a lower dementia risk.

Even your links say so.

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

#200

Post by stupidhn »

cpursley wrote: post #145
fsloth wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A message from another couch potato trying to improve oneself :) You don't need to go to the Gym. What you need to do, is to take ownership of your body and your health regimen. You don't need any complex mechanical stuff to do that. Bodyweight exercises are more than enough for regular folks and you can do them at home. Research. See what works for you. These guys have a terrific supportive attitude and great do-at-…

> Gym is marketing bullshit I totally disagree. While you can absolutely get fit without a gym, it's difficult to serious build muscle mass without lifting weights.

>it's difficult to serious build muscle mass without lifting weights.

Who said anything about building serious mass? There are many, say, professional fighters who do very little weight training and they look exceptional (literally).

You want to get in shape, you don't need a gym. Do hard work for 30 minutes a day. Work that makes you sweaty and tired. Run, sprint, pushups, burpees, anything. You will get in shape. If you don't believe it, try it for a couple months.

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