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Not exercising worse than smoking, diabetes and heart disease study finds

cnn.com

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Re: Not exercising worse than smoking, diabetes and heart disease study finds

#131

Post by graeme »

mr_toad wrote: post #87
shin_lao wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you need to define perfectly fit. Can you do 10 pullups?

99% of the population can’t do 1 pull-up, let alone 10. Most of the people I go to the gym with would struggle with more than a few. Hell, even marines and rangers have lower fitness standards (3 and 6 dead hang chin ups respectively).

That's a gtoss misrepresentation of the marines' standards. The tables are here: https://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/MCBUL%206100...

3 is for men over 51. And that's the bare minimum, not get kicked out of the marines threshold.

To reach top rank scoring is more like 15-17 for most ages. Mid rank is about 11 or up.

Maybe 99% of the population can't do a pullup, but I feel that's an overestimate. In any case, that says more about our overall societal weakness than anything else.

What are your gym friends doing if they couldn't do more than a few? Are they strength training or just doing cardio? Serious question, I'm curious. With a few months training ar age 26 I was able to do 5 reps of my bodyweight + about 40 pounds IIRC. And now, even when I periodically stop strength training, I am rarely below 8-10 when I start again.

Chin-ups are hard, but they're not that hard if you train them or do any activity that works those muscles.

Re: Not exercising worse than smoking, diabetes and heart disease study finds

#132

Post by [deleted] »

WalterSear wrote: post #62
howlgram wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

reminder that getting a professional trainer and a nutritionist is a luxury, you can easily learn how to diet and exercise off the internet the way that people learn programming

How many articles on programming techniques have you seen that were written by non-programmers, by people who are just writing about coding in order to try to sell you hardware, or by kept spouses, programming to justifying their existence, and to have a 'job' to tell people about at cocktail parties? Fitness and nutrition information is drowning online in a sea of woo.

[deleted]

Re: Not exercising worse than smoking, diabetes and heart disease study finds

#133

Post by graeme »

Boxxed wrote: post #5
vladharbuz wrote: post #3

The article's title is somewhat misleading. The study emphasises the level of fitness rather than the regularity of exercise. [0] > Question: What is the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and long-term mortality? > Findings: In this cohort study of 122 007 consecutive patients undergoing exercise treadmill testing, cardiorespiratory fitness was inversely associated with all-cause mortality without an obse…

That's a little pedantic, even for HN, don't you think? "Oh, it's not the exercise that's important, it's the stuff that happens BECAUSE you exercise."

As someone who exercises, I didn't think the comment was pedantic at all. I thought yours was actually.

A lot of people define exercise as either some sort of rigorous structured activity, or something that makes you sweat, or something that makes you huff and puff.

A lot of resistance training my do none of those things, but still result in a high level of fitness, including cardiovascular. So, it was helpful to see what exactly the study was referring to.

Conversely, a lot of people "exercise" regularly, but aren't particularly fit when measured against objective metrics.

Re: Not exercising worse than smoking, diabetes and heart disease study finds

#134

Post by emiliobumachar »

woolvalley wrote: post #112
emiliobumachar wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do nearly exactly that on my phone playing Predynastic Egypt, but on the elliptical instead of on a bike. Sometimes my legs start to hurt after 90 minutes, but I want to play just... one... more... turn.

I find my gameplay performance is a lot worse when I'm moving on a cardio bike.

Try a turn-based strategy game where timing and precision are almost irrelevant.

Re: Not exercising worse than smoking, diabetes and heart disease study finds

#135

Post by graeme »

fizx wrote: post #91
armada651 wrote: post #88

> It's crazy how people will deprioritze their health. It should always be a person's #1 priority to live as long as possible. My #1 priority is to achieve my goals and have fun. If that means I die earlier so be it. I do exercise in ways I find fun, but I will not go to a gym and lift weights just because it increases my chances of living long enough to enjoy my pension. The real challenge in life is not to live the…

Do you also not brush your teeth? Strength training can be as simple as doing one of squats, pushups, or pullups every day. Work towards 2-3 sets of 10-20 reps. Add weight (or reduce assistance) as necessary. You've just made a huge difference in how your body feels, and it takes as much time each day as brushing and flossing your teeth.

I agree with you, but someone couldn't do the squats portion at home without a squat rack, right? Or substituting something like pistols.

I definitely think all homes should have a pullup bar. They can be had cheaply, and easily attached to doorframes. A good way to add quickly pulling motions for $30.

Re: Not exercising worse than smoking, diabetes and heart disease study finds

#136

Post by dhnsmakala »

I think these headlines promoting exercise for long term benefits might do more harm than good, people have a hard time doing things for super delayed gratification.

I exercise because the immediate effects are evident on my mood and wakefulness. It just feels good to exercise. The first couple of weeks/months consistently going to the gym maybe took some more discipline, because everything feels weird at first. The elliptical. These machine contraptions. It's unfamiliar. But once you're used to it, it's smooth sailing. You don't have to be so strict about it...just do it until you're comfortable and then go when you feel like it.

Another note, keep in mind it is MUCH easier to maintain fitness than to build it. When it comes to weight training, I was serious about it for a couple of years following a plan I found online. Since then, I lift weights a few times a month and have mostly maintained the strength/appearance from the time of consistency.

Re: Not exercising worse than smoking, diabetes and heart disease study finds

#137

Post by jsonne »

Waterluvian wrote: post #97
Gatsky wrote: post #92

If there is one universal truth of human biology, it is that exercise is good. It is good if you do a bit or a lot, if you are young, old, male, female, trans, pregnant, trying to get pregnant, single, married, divorced, depressed, a smoker, have cancer, have heart disease, have dementia, an astronaut, a pure mathematician, a plumber, tall, short, liberal, conservative etc etc. There isn't anyone that doesn't benefit…

I worry about my health and often I have a really good try and making a habit. But crap is it hard. It's not the money or the time. There's something else about willpower and boredom. I wish I could get on an exercise bike, stare at a brainwashing device, and "wake up" an hour later having remembered none of it.

I had the same problem until I got into MMA. I'm not a stereotypical MMA "bro" but the social aspects and the varied but intense workouts are perfect for me to be engaged and not lose interest. Plus learning to fight is a skill even if I hope to never have to use it in a serious situation.

Re: Not exercising worse than smoking, diabetes and heart disease study finds

#138

Post by Waterluvian »

louprado wrote: post #125
Waterluvian wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I worry about my health and often I have a really good try and making a habit. But crap is it hard. It's not the money or the time. There's something else about willpower and boredom. I wish I could get on an exercise bike, stare at a brainwashing device, and "wake up" an hour later having remembered none of it.

Then forget exercise for now, just take a contemplative walk around the block. Perhaps do it right before breakfast and/or after dinner. It's easy and takes less than 10 minutes. Don't think of it as exercise and do it in any clothes and with any shoes. No excuses, anyone can walk around 1 block and everyone needs 10 private minutes to collect their thoughts. Before you know it you'll find yourself walking around sev…

Thanks. I love how practical your advice is. Going to do this tomorrow. Maybe it'll even help align my sleep schedule. My wife is up at 6 and I always sleep in to 8.

Re: Not exercising worse than smoking, diabetes and heart disease study finds

#139

Post by Waterluvian »

fitzroy wrote: post #123
koboll wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah finding something you enjoy is key. I hate running. I hate cycling. I hate cardio-class-type motions. But damn do I love me some Dance Dance Revolution. And let me tell you, once you get good at it and start doing the hardest songs on the hardest setting, it will kick the living shit out of you. The first time I passed Max 300 on heavy I thought I was dying. But it was so worth it.

I’ve honestly thought about getting a VR setup just to play Beat Saber.

Beat Saber looks just so snappy and catchy.

Re: Not exercising worse than smoking, diabetes and heart disease study finds

#140

Post by nubbins »

shin_lao wrote: post #66
ddebernardy wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not pedantic at all. I'm ~40 and don't exercise at all, yet I'm still perfectly fit. I presume it's due to doing groceries by foot several times per week, having a standup desk, and carrying the kid around. Perhaps genes help too. But the point I'd like to get across is: going to the gym isn't the sine qua non of making you fit. You can get enough "exercise" by simply living without a car, standing, and walking.

I think you need to define perfectly fit. Can you do 10 pullups?

Pullups are more of a gymnastic activity that just requires your nervous system is trained to recruit the right muscles very intensely at the right time. I can do maybe 12-15 and am borderline overweight, just because I do them habitually.
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