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What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

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Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#131

Post by kayoone »

draven wrote: post #126
carter770 wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's more than unfair. Arnie sparked a massive fitness craze that benefited many people. If you get disappointed, that is ultimately your fault. Arnie (as well as every other bodybuilder since the mid 60's) were on varying degrees of steroids. This is well known. They have to deny it, but ask anyone in the sport. Arnie's body is an ideal, a loooong term goal that is probably never going to be achieved naturally. Bu…

Other great examples are the bodybuilders of the 50s like Steve Reeves, when aesthetic standards were a bit different (broad shoulders / thin waist, eg. look for the 'vacuum pose'.)

In my opinion the physiques of the pro Bodybuilder in the 50 to 70ies really looked awesome. Personally still way too much for something i would want but still looking impressive. While todays pro Bodybuilders are just abominations caused by massive steroid consumption.

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#132

Post by tootie »

When I worked in a "war room" one of the guys got us on a pushup routine. 2-3 times a day everyone stops what they're doing and does pushups. Start with as many as you can do (even if it's 5) and just do it a few times a day and you'll build up strength really quick. The guy who started it was about 40 and pretty heavy. We had two mid-30s moms in our room who got in on it and worked up to 20 pushups (from their feet, not knees) in a few weeks. Sadly, the band broke up after a while and moved to different areas, but it was pretty awesome while it lasted.

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#133

Post by mathattack »

awjr wrote: post #91
mathattack wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"FYI before starting this I weighed about 310lb and have got myself down to 275lb within a year without focusing too much on what I eat." Keep it up!! Every incremental pound gets harder as your body gets smaller, but it's still worth it!

Slight issue with clothes budget. I keep shrinking 44 down to 38 :) Still I only fill the car up with fuel once every 6 weeks now.

That's a good problem to have. I think waist size is a better measurement than bodyweight. If you get stronger, gain weight, and lose a few inches off the waist, you're doing fine. If you lose weight, but get larger in the middle and weaker, it's bad.

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#134

Post by a-priori »

RyanMcGreal wrote: post #117
noarchy wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have to concur with the exercise-as-commute routine. I also cycle to/from work. My ride home, where I keep a brisk pace with some sprints mixed in, is actually my real workout. It is quite satisfying to arrive home having already worked out, effectively. Not to mention, it is faster than taking the bus in my case. A few catches: it does help strengthen your core, to an extent, but you aren't working your arms and u…

Where in Canada are you? I live in Southern Ontario and there are usually only a couple of days a year when the weather is too lousy to cycle.

I grew up in Southern Ontario and when I was in high school I biked year round. I agree it's pretty rare that it's impossible to bike in the winter, and a good mountain bike should get you through pretty much any weather. The tires are the important part of the equipment.

But it can be downright unpleasant. Dressing right is the hardest part. If you don't do it right, your core will overheat at the same time you get frostbite on your hands. I had to wear ridiculous getups sometimes like touque, tube, heavy gloves, winter boots... and a t-shirt.

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#135

Post by graeme »

stiff wrote: post #93

What is missing in the discussion of this and the previous article is some reflection on physiology and why could prolonged sitting possibly be bad for you in the first place. One must know that that there are many processes in the human body that can only be executed efficiently when we move, like for example transfer of lymph or movement of digested food through the intestines (involuntary smooth muscle contraction…

I agree. I exercise, chiefly barbell lifts. They do help quite a bit, a bunch of chronic pain went away.

But how I work matters too. I feel better if I take breaks and move around, or if I alternate between standing and sitting. And my hip flexors are worse if I sit all the time.

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#136

Post by peterwwillis »

My humble advice: Don't be an armchair health & fitness expert. Read up on it for intellectual stimulation, but don't expect to learn any magical secrets to being in shape or healthy. All the magical secrets have been known for a long time, and they're really, really boring.

You should do whatever makes you happy [within reason]. You should probably not drink 10 sodas and 5 bags of chips a day. But if you feel like having one, fuck it, life is short. If you feel like standing at your desk, go to town! Don't expect it to fix your problems. Just enjoy yourself.

If you feel like lifting weights, do that too, but if you don't feel like it, ..... you get the picture. Be active, be healthy-ish, but in terms that you can enjoy in life. Some people like dancing. Some people like running. Some people like kicking the shit out of a heavy bag. That's the only real secret to health & fitness: learning to enjoy it and be happy.

(Personally, the only thing that made me adopt an active lifestyle was group exercise. Now that i'm more used to the routines I work out by myself or do sports. But if you find yourself having trouble getting started, try signing up for a group class with people who seem nice and a good instructor)

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#137

Post by phaus »

The author seems to miss the facts that spurred the trend for standing desks in the first place. Whether you exercise or not, sitting down all day dramatically increases your chances of dying from heart disease.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sitting/AN02082

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#138

Post by hyperbovine »

Amadou wrote: post #85
ZoFreX wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First sentence of the first link: "Hitting the gym every day might do little to decrease your risk of death if you spend the rest of your time sitting down, a new study suggests ." (I've emphasised the weasel words) In the realm of health you can find a study to say anything . I've seen ones that say standing all day is an improvement over sitting, others that say it's the same, and even some that say standing is wor…

Second sentence of the first link: "The results show the time people spend on their derrieres is associated with an increased risk of mortality, regardless of their physical activity level." No weasel words. Yes you can find a study to say anything, that does not mean all studies are inherently untrustworthy. There are lots of studies showing that long-term sitting is unhealthy. This idea that it is a major risk fact…

"is associated with" is the ultimate weasel phrase. I see this constantly in press accounts of medical research: no distinction whatsoever between correlation and causality. "Red wine decreases your risk of heart disease", etc. In cases where causation has been definitively established (i.e. smoking -> lung cancer), it took a lot more work than an underpowered association study to do so.

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#139

Post by laichzeit0 »

draven wrote: post #126
carter770 wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's more than unfair. Arnie sparked a massive fitness craze that benefited many people. If you get disappointed, that is ultimately your fault. Arnie (as well as every other bodybuilder since the mid 60's) were on varying degrees of steroids. This is well known. They have to deny it, but ask anyone in the sport. Arnie's body is an ideal, a loooong term goal that is probably never going to be achieved naturally. Bu…

Other great examples are the bodybuilders of the 50s like Steve Reeves, when aesthetic standards were a bit different (broad shoulders / thin waist, eg. look for the 'vacuum pose'.)

Frank Zane is also a really weird bodybuilder from the 70s. He won Mr Olympia 3 times I think. He's very "philosophical" about his workouts, brining in some kind of Zen philosophy to it. I like his physique the most of all bodybuilders, perfect V taper and king of the vacuum pose.

He seems very despondent about modern bodybuilding and the obsession of getting as BIG as possible without regard to the aesthetics (HGH/roid gut). He said they should make the vacuum pose a mandatory pose in all pro bodybuilding competitions to weed out this kind of crap.

Re: What happens when you sit at a desk for 13 years and also exercise

#140

Post by enraged_camel »

peterwwillis wrote: post #136

My humble advice: Don't be an armchair health & fitness expert. Read up on it for intellectual stimulation, but don't expect to learn any magical secrets to being in shape or healthy. All the magical secrets have been known for a long time, and they're really, really boring. You should do whatever makes you happy [within reason]. You should probably not drink 10 sodas and 5 bags of chips a day. But if you feel like h…

>>But if you feel like having one, fuck it, life is short.

Yes, life is short. Therefore you should avoid things that will make it even shorter.

I always hear stuff like "whatever man, you only live once." It seems so irrational to use that to justify bad habits. If you only live once, should you not try to increase the length and quality of that life by trying to be in the best health possible?

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