121–130 of 156 posts
This thread is a good argument that many people don't choose effective health without coercion.
It's probably a good idea for public health for the government to sponsor to the point of "effectively free" adult sports such as running/soccer/swimming, along with requiring such each semester for state-sponsored schools.
It's probably past time for me to put on my running gear and take regular evening jogs, myself. :-)
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.
you forgot sex :)
:-)
I'm a fan of bringing back physical education. It seems that more of my younger colleagues (~23-30 y.o.) are trying to be physically active/fit. But exercise is a habit. If you don't build it up when you're young, it can be hard to develop it later. And then there's the physical challenges of returning to a physically active life after years or decades of inactivity. Certain injuries are more likely (like back, knee,…
That's not my observation. People over 40 I see practising regularly a sport activity are mostly newcomers who found there something they could find in their usual work and family life. Whereas those who practised as teens and young adults have often given up, because it is not compatible with their 'new' life; or because it is a symbol of their young days and they are done with it, they moved on; or because they cannot keep the same level of performance they had and they rather stop than underperform; or just because their sport activity broke them so that they are unable to practise it or any other form of sport any more, or they don't want to hear about it any more.
> And then there's the physical challenges of returning to a physically active life after years or decades of inactivity. Certain injuries are more likely (like back, knee, tendon injuries) which can be debilitating, leading to months of recovery and more sedentary behavior.
I have never seen an activity generating as many injuries as sport does (and especially school sport in my personal limited observations: more injuries in school sport session than in club training, and more injuries in club training than in actual matches. I find the latter surprising, but not the former.)
Harvard "needs to reopen a discussion about…a physical-education requirement." It's been said that "love is a better master than duty," and requiring college students to take a physical education course sounds like a duty. If you want people to exercise without coercion for the rest of their lives, I think you have to tap into intrinsic motivation, i.e., the unique things that get you excited. Depending on your perso…
Harvard "needs to reopen a discussion about…a physical-education requirement." It's been said that "love is a better master than duty," and requiring college students to take a physical education course sounds like a duty. If you want people to exercise without coercion for the rest of their lives, I think you have to tap into intrinsic motivation, i.e., the unique things that get you excited. Depending on your perso…
Strange to see no one has mentioned this – just down the river, MIT has mandatory PE classes. They're not all "running around a track" though: sailing, pistols, archery, yoga, weightlifting, sailing, all sorts of really cool activities. > Forcing college students to exercise will backfire, leading many of them to stop as soon as the course is over. How is this backfiring, if those students would never have exercised…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
As they should, if you're looking for fitness you can get a personal trainer and then some for that kind of money. And focus on self-improvement instead of checking some box to graduate. We're talking about adults here, after all.
No, we're talking about students, and institutions intended to prepare them for the world after graduation. Fitness is a critical element of mental and physical well-being. Consequently, it's entirely reasonable to place physical education within the scope of a university.
I disagree. It may contribute, but it's not critical. I haven't intentionally exercised in decades and my well-being is fine.
Harvard "needs to reopen a discussion about…a physical-education requirement." It's been said that "love is a better master than duty," and requiring college students to take a physical education course sounds like a duty. If you want people to exercise without coercion for the rest of their lives, I think you have to tap into intrinsic motivation, i.e., the unique things that get you excited. Depending on your perso…
I've never heard of a university having mandatory PE. Sounds ridiculous to me. University students are adults, they can decide for themselves if they want to exercise.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Refuse to wear safety gear while riding a motorcycle or never wear a seatbelt while in a car. Not wearing a seatbelt somehow doesn't compare to a juicy burger, fries and Coke.
Try it you might like it. I find I'm a more aware, more relaxed, slower driver. I find myself less determined to pass all the clueless bumpkins.
Harvard "needs to reopen a discussion about…a physical-education requirement." It's been said that "love is a better master than duty," and requiring college students to take a physical education course sounds like a duty. If you want people to exercise without coercion for the rest of their lives, I think you have to tap into intrinsic motivation, i.e., the unique things that get you excited. Depending on your perso…
Well, at least Harvard has the swimming competence requirement to graduate, installed as a condition of the Widener Library family bequest (since their son Harry Widener died on the Titanic). At least they did in 1976. ;-) I wonder if they still do?
Harvard "needs to reopen a discussion about…a physical-education requirement." It's been said that "love is a better master than duty," and requiring college students to take a physical education course sounds like a duty. If you want people to exercise without coercion for the rest of their lives, I think you have to tap into intrinsic motivation, i.e., the unique things that get you excited. Depending on your perso…
>…that might be novelty, socializing, recognition, or competition Your comment made me realize why I never liked sports. I don't really care for any of those things.