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Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

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Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#51

Post by [deleted] »

phatskat wrote: post #43
pc86 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe. I'm more describing making this important enough to you that you start looking for places to slot it into your day. Yes, a routine will likely form out of that but I think it's secondary to getting you to want to do the thing, which is harder (at least for me).

> I'm more describing making this important enough to you that you start looking for places to slot it into your day I get where you’re coming from, and I think you’re missing the point. Executive dysfunction (for me at least) means I can “want to do the thing” a LOT, heck I can even have the motivation, but getting my brain and body to actually do the damn thing can feel insurmountable. There are certainly ways to w…

[deleted]

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#52

Post by phatskat »

beepbooptheory wrote: post #36
kortex wrote: post #19

> Maximal effects were found for tasks related to executive functions, (i.e., aspects of higher cognition principally associated with the functions of prefrontal cortex). Oh good, exactly what I'm looking for. If only the executive dysfunction didn't mess with my ability to form any kind of stable exercise routine.

I don't have executive function disorder, but I have found the best thing for me is just, simply, running. You can reduce the friction getting from A to B a lot if from the beginning you resolve to be minimalist about it. Just buy shoes (don't think too much about it, go to running store and get fitted) and shorts, and... thats it. Don't try to get any other products, and don't even worry too much about how you do it…

> I know what you mean

I’m not sure that you do, because

> The only thing ever stopping you from going out the door and running is putting on shoes and shorts, its easy to form a habit!

feels very invalidating, as someone who struggles with an executive dysfunction disorder.

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#53

Post by bryanlarsen »

m3nu wrote: post #40

Been looking into this recently and one really needs 3 types of exercise: - strength/resistance training: to build and keep muscles; one benefit of which is better stability at age and metabolic regulation. - high intensity cardio/HIIT/zone 5/95+% max heart rate: to build VO2max, was also shown to reduce arterial plaque. - normal cardio/zone 2/50-80% max HR: mitochondrial efficiency, fat burning?, endurance, memory (…

You also missed very low intensity exercise. Studies talking about the harms of sitting for long periods have been prominent in the news recently. Effects appear even in those who exercise regularly.

Some recommend 3 hours of walking or equivalent a day. 10,000 steps is an similar recommendation.

Hard for a desk job like most of us have. OTOH, as long as you're getting other exercise just standing instead of / as well as sitting might be enough if you're otherwise active.

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#54

Post by kirbypineapple »

I struggle with getting exertion headaches whenever my heart rate goes over 170 bpm for more than a minute or two. It's incredibly frustrating to have to hold back and moderate my physical activity, knowing that if I don't I'll have a rather debilitating headache for the rest of the day and potentially into the next day.

I do get a lot of exercise, but I keep it in the lower zones to avoid this complication and I still feel like I get such a great mood boost and improvements to my cognitive abilities wrt to work.

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#55

Post by robrenaud »

kortex wrote: post #19

> Maximal effects were found for tasks related to executive functions, (i.e., aspects of higher cognition principally associated with the functions of prefrontal cortex). Oh good, exactly what I'm looking for. If only the executive dysfunction didn't mess with my ability to form any kind of stable exercise routine.

Consider biking short distances if possible. Perhaps start with an ebike if your fitness level demands it. Since I've gotten fairly fit, I will outpace cars in city centers during busy times since I am not as influenced by traffic. Exercise becomes a time savings.

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#56

Post by [deleted] »

phatskat wrote: post #43
pc86 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe. I'm more describing making this important enough to you that you start looking for places to slot it into your day. Yes, a routine will likely form out of that but I think it's secondary to getting you to want to do the thing, which is harder (at least for me).

> I'm more describing making this important enough to you that you start looking for places to slot it into your day I get where you’re coming from, and I think you’re missing the point. Executive dysfunction (for me at least) means I can “want to do the thing” a LOT, heck I can even have the motivation, but getting my brain and body to actually do the damn thing can feel insurmountable. There are certainly ways to w…

[deleted]

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#57

Post by dymk »

Der_Einzige wrote: post #35
oldpersonintx wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

your response is proof once again, HN will go through any amount of mental gymnastics to avoid common sense on diet and exercise

I'm pretty sure that HN skews far fatter than average, which is insane to think about since the average tech bro is far LESS fat than the average person. I imagine the average HN user to look like Richard Stallman.

This doesn't jive with my internal stereotype - but maybe that's because I live in the PNW. "Everybody" here boulders and hikes on the weekends.

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#58

Post by doakes »

xenospn wrote: post #9
decafninja wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm the opposite - exercise makes me feel terrible both physically (exhausting) and mentally (boredom), both during and after. I've never experienced "runner's high" or the similar feeling some people describe from lifting weights. If it wasn't for the health and aesthetic benefits, I'd choose to never to exercise again.

Find something that you enjoy. I hate running but I love boxing.

I'm the same. Running just to run is agony. If I'm playing a sport, then I hardly notice it. Jiu jitsu is my workout of choice.

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#59

Post by bartonfink »

oldpersonintx wrote: post #5
sigmoid10 wrote: post #2

...in the elderly. And across all tasks it's only half a standard deviation, meaning the result is far from significant. There are lots of good studies on positive effects of exercise in all sorts of ages and populations, but this is not one of them. Edit: Jesus, this thread is proof than HN techies think they know math but actually have no clue about statistics. They are easy prey for this kind of journalism.

your response is proof once again, HN will go through any amount of mental gymnastics to avoid common sense on diet and exercise

HN suffers from a peculiar obsession with theory and optimization. There's no secret to aerobic exercise: go get your heart rate mildly elevated for a while. Do whatever activity you can stand making part of your regular life, and stick with it. Do it long enough and you'll lose weight to boot. This is a simple truth. Things get complicated at the fringes, or if you want to actually train vs just get fit, but most of HN is not a fringe case unable to benefit from basic exercise. They just pretend to be to ignore that simple truth.

Re: Aerobic exercise is good for the brain; easy wins for behaviour change

#60

Post by agbrrw »

phatskat wrote: post #43
pc86 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe. I'm more describing making this important enough to you that you start looking for places to slot it into your day. Yes, a routine will likely form out of that but I think it's secondary to getting you to want to do the thing, which is harder (at least for me).

> I'm more describing making this important enough to you that you start looking for places to slot it into your day I get where you’re coming from, and I think you’re missing the point. Executive dysfunction (for me at least) means I can “want to do the thing” a LOT, heck I can even have the motivation, but getting my brain and body to actually do the damn thing can feel insurmountable. There are certainly ways to w…

I am the same kind of person, and believe me, it's a lost battle to try to explain how impossible it is to get to do something every day. People who are normal in that sense will never understand. Their concept of laziness or of that "ah, it's going to be hard to get on that treadmill today" feeling is completely different from ours. Their brains are wired differently.

Just read the answer below

> The only thing ever stopping you from going out the door and running is putting on shoes and shorts, its easy to form a habit!

For people like us, this is akin to "if you are depressed, just cheer up!". It's ridiculous, bordering on the offensive.

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