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Five minutes of exercise a day could lower blood pressure

sydney.edu.au

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Re: Five minutes of exercise a day could lower blood pressure

#101
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

system > goals

Yeah I would say in general habits are the most powerful force in health. Finding an activity you enjoy is 1000x easier to stick with than anything that feels like a grind. Same thing for food. Trying to switch to a healthier but difficult diet wholesale fails essentially always. But what's relatively easy is finding a healthier alternative to one single thing you eat regularly, that you like just as well. This takes…

I'd love a replacement for Salami and Bacon. I don't think there is a healthy alternative that comes close.

Re: Five minutes of exercise a day could lower blood pressure

#102
post #39
post #26

FYI, the absolute fastest way to lower blood pressure is to lose weight if you are obese. Rule of thumb is that your systolic blood pressure will drop by 1 mmHg per 1 lb of weight loss, eventually slowing down to 1 mmHg per 2 lbs of weight loss as you get back down to more normal blood pressure range / weight range. Source: went from 160/110 to 120/90 in several months by dropping 60 lbs.

I've had similar results with blood pressure, although a smaller weight loss (about 30 lbs) and smaller decrease. Another 10-20 pounds to go. For what it's worth, I'm on a intermittent fast. I only eat between 5pm to 10pm, with no real restrictions on what I eat. I was surprised how quickly weight fell away, and how easy a diet it was to stick to. 'Eat after work' was a simple behavior to adapt to. People are very in…

Isn't that an extreme version of IF?

I think the usual window is 8 hours, so people should first try eating between lunch and dinner, say 12PM-8PM.

A lot of people eat breakfast out of habit, and I found that once I got older, I just stopped needing it. It made me bloated and sluggish. You just don't need that many calories per day when you stop growing or not working in construction.

Re: Five minutes of exercise a day could lower blood pressure

#103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While it's true that doing any amount more exercise is beneficial to the average person, they may not necessarily know/feel it. As we so often see super fit people in the media, it's easy to think we need to do hours of exercise daily for any benefit. Easy to then think "what's the point? I'll never be super fit" and do nothing. Recinforcing the narrative (including publication of studies) that no, even a small amoun…

I do wonder how many people do not take care of the basics and instead go for anti-depressants and Ozempic. I get it if you tried everything, but how many do? When I stop compulsively eating and drinking, when I look for every opportunity to do something as an exercise, I snap out of my [self-diagnosed] depression and malaise in a few days, and feel great. The doctors rarely tell you to eat your salads. "Here is a pi…

? Doctors tell people to diet and exercise all the time.

The problem is that the doctor has very little to offer other than to tell people to do that, and the vast majority of people will nod and continue doing whatever they were doing.

Re: Five minutes of exercise a day could lower blood pressure

#104
post #91
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nitpick: In Tabata's research, "high intensity" meant 170% of VO2max - definitely not easier to do consistently, even if you can voluntarily sustain 170% VO2max. Popular "HIIT" methodology is only loosely inspired by it, and the mechanisms for their merits would be largely unrelated to that of the original Tabata protocol's benefits (which was about demonstrating a way for elite athletes to push anaerobic capacity at…

Walking up a flight of stairs briskly is way above VO2 max for the vast majority of people, yet doesn't feel "extreme"

> for the vast majority of people

..In the states. Ask people from Amsterdam or Berlin about running out of breath from stairs.

I even remember seeing a study that claimed that people who lived in higher floors with no elevator had in average better cardiovascular health, an easy peasy way to nudge people into the right direction.

Re: Five minutes of exercise a day could lower blood pressure

#105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I personally do not. I was about to be put in blood pressure medication. Then I started a gym, with a trainer. I noticed that, after the exercise, blood pressure would immediately drop and stay low for a few hours. Over time, the amount of time it spent lower than average increased, and it got lower and lower. It crossed 24h. Now? I can go to the gym Mon/Wed/Fri and it will remain low at all times. I did stop f…

That’s amazing. How did you regularly monitor your blood pressure?

Presumably with a blood pressure monitor?

Re: Five minutes of exercise a day could lower blood pressure

#106

Tabata et al.[1] found in the mid-1990s that just 2-4 minutes of "high-intensity intermittent training may improve both anaerobic and aerobic energy supplying systems significantly." This was popularized as "Tabata training" 20+ years ago. I generally believe that brief bouts of exercise can be very beneficial, especially because they're easier to do consistently over the long-term vs. more time-consuming routines. F…

I remember reading something about Tabata/HIIT being something you don't want to do every day, due to the high intensity and strain on your CNS. Is this not the thinking anymore?

Re: Five minutes of exercise a day could lower blood pressure

#107
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While it's true that doing any amount more exercise is beneficial to the average person, they may not necessarily know/feel it. As we so often see super fit people in the media, it's easy to think we need to do hours of exercise daily for any benefit. Easy to then think "what's the point? I'll never be super fit" and do nothing. Recinforcing the narrative (including publication of studies) that no, even a small amoun…

Shannon Sharpe works out at my gym. Huge guy. Former NFL tight-end. Still very fit. I notice he only does 1 hour at the gym and then he leaves. Granted, this is very low quality anecdata. But seeing how brief his workout is opened my eyes to the benefit of consistency over volume.

Dorian Yates (former mister Olympia) claimed he trained 4 times a week for 45 minutes while preparing for the contest. But very intense training.

Re: Five minutes of exercise a day could lower blood pressure

#108
post #76
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The greatest misconception about exercise is this "if you're tired your best course of action would be to abstain from the thing that will make you more tired" train of thought. Exercise doesn't always work like this. Yes you'll have bad days, but you'll find yourself more energised most of the time and mentally more at peace. Thinking it will make you more tired can often be just a preconception. It's like that clas…

> Exercise doesn't always work like this. Yes you'll have bad days, but you'll find yourself more energised most of the time and mentally more at peace. Is there anything that will convince you this isn't true for all (perhaps not even most) people? The right type of exercise matters. I've often gone on bouts of cardio on a treadmill for months at a time (multiple times a week - at least 30 minutes each session). It…

Exactly. It always seems weird to me that "going to the gym" is virtually synonymous with getting some exercise when the gym is the most boring place to do exercise.

Re: Five minutes of exercise a day could lower blood pressure

#109
post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Exercise doesn't always work like this. Yes you'll have bad days, but you'll find yourself more energised most of the time and mentally more at peace. Is there anything that will convince you this isn't true for all (perhaps not even most) people? The right type of exercise matters. I've often gone on bouts of cardio on a treadmill for months at a time (multiple times a week - at least 30 minutes each session). It…

BeatSaber maybe? Something addictive is better even if it is less effective. I also do FitXR, which is more effective, but requires more of a grinding mindset so I often mix it with BeatSaber, which doesn’t grind. I would experiment at least, there are things. A good instructor in an aerobics class can also help, although I find that too hit or miss to be sustainable.

Thrill of the fight is such a great game for excercise. You want to knock down your opponent so you can get really into it.

Re: Five minutes of exercise a day could lower blood pressure

#110
post #74
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need to consider quality of life too. Maybe you only gain one minute, but you'll age much better with a habit of exercise and stretching.

your point gets made over and over and over, I get it, health nuts have a list of things that they think are healthy. My point, that there's a cost to all this that might not get repaid, is a fresh take that you never see unless you've read one of my other comments making the point.

I really don't think "walk briskly for five minutes a day" is a health nut thing. That sounds more like the advice your doctor gives you when she knows you won't do anything a health nut says.
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