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Staying fit, flexible, firm and muscular, and able to engage in strenuous physical activities adds greatly to the quality of life. It's not a matter of necessarily extending our life span, but increasing the quality of life within that time frame.
For example look at Arnie Schwarzenegger - the guy was superfit probably up until his late 40s, 50s -
Surely you jest. A man who gobbled PED's and injected steroids for 20 years is "super fit??" Is that why he's had a massive heart attack? Could he even have run 2 miles in 1976? I seriously doubt it.
Someone who is super fit does vast amounts of cardio. Frank Shorter or Bill Rodgers are both in their 60's are are what I would consider to be SUPER FIT.
There is a big difference between a professional athlete and someone who exercises. Many athletes push their bodies to the limit, and damage themselves with sports (football or boxing comes to mind)
Exercising is 100% need. 70% of chronic conditions are caused by leading a sedentary lifestyle not eating healthy. You can prevent many illnesses by getting out there!
And a marathon or a triathlon isn't "pushing your body to the limit?"
It may not necessarily make one look younger, but it does significantly reduce the incidence of chronic illness in one's later years.
Not only that, but if something does happen to you, you do bounce back better.
Surgeries, infections, childbirth...all have less chance of morbidity and mortality if your body was fit and you have a lot of reserve to count on in case of emergency.
My friend just crashed his plane last year. He broke his back and his legs and then developed a blood clot in the icu, etc, etc, etc. He is in his late 30s, but he had always been athletic and was at that time training for a triathlon. You look at him now (not even a year later), and he is FINE. He is totally fine. It's freakin' amazing.
Elderly who break hips or get massive pneumonia...or anyone going through a bypass surgery...I am telling you, your fitness prior to these events makes a big deal.
I can't tell you how many people I have done cpr on...and even the length of code doesn't seem to affect their outcome when they are fit and have great reserve.
And what about the day to day? I know someone who lost 100 pounds because she couldn't keep up with her toddler and the kid was sad mommy wouldn't play outside with her. Now she's a total fitness freak and her life has improved IMMENSELY.
We all pretty much told that exercise is the cure for every ill, and will make you look, feel younger, reduce your risk of fatal disease, and help you live longer.
But I wonder are the benefits of exercising particularly for aging overstated - I often look at ex athletes and very fit celebrities - and to be honest they don't look any younger than an average person there age who doesn't drink much, smoke and does some recreational exercise - For example look at Arnie Schwarzenegger - the guy was superfit probably up until his late 40s, 50s - and doesn't look exceptionally young, decent for his age but not exceptional.
Perhaps exercise has limited benefits up to 4 or 5 times a week and hour a week, and excessive fitness regimes by celebs, athletes really does not add any extra benefits.
Athletes don't live any longer than the rest of the population, and I can't think of any old athletes that look that young. If exercise was very important in the aging process, then who workout regularly would live until there a 100 plus
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeyking
Yes it makes you look better, and maybe a little younger - but lets say Guy Pierce does not work out for 6 months or a year. eating what he likes - I think he would probably look like any 40 plus guy. It takes constant effort for minimal health gains
1. Let me start at the end with the phrase I placed in bold; the health gains of regular exercise are not "minimal", they are huge, although I agree with you that one has to keep at it.
2. Regarding ex-athletes, we have to be careful to define what we are talking about. Ex-athletes who do not maintain their fitness in their later years may indeed not be much better off than people who were never very fit. Years of doing nothing take their toll on all of us. Exercise is more important for people over 50 or 60 than for people under 50 or 60. And the benefits accrue at levels of fitness way below the levels of fitness of professional athletes. We do not have to run marathons.
3. The original post focused heavily on looks, and there is nothing wrong with that focus per se, if that is what one is interested in. However, I believe we can place looks pretty far down on the list of benefits from exercise, just as longevity would not be at the top of the list. Even if I knew exercise would not add one single day to my life span (and that wouldn't be true statistically), it would add to the quality of my life, to my ability to easily accomplish the activities of daily living.
I am aware that my comments are partly a reprise of points already made by other posters in this thread, whom I thank and salute, but I have given them perhaps a slightly different slant.
Right now, for whatever reason, unless you see me with my shirt off, you wouldn't realize how much I work out.
But I can FEEL it. I can feel how switching my schedule from days to nights to swings to nights to days doesn't hurt like it used to (not as bad, anyway). Or how carrying my kid around and lifting him in awkward ways doesn't affect me. Or how much farther I can run and how much heavier I can lift or how much higher my side kick is.
And a marathon or a triathlon isn't "pushing your body to the limit?"
Yes they are. I just put down two that came to mind. I have done both, and my knees are damaged from running long distances. And there are varying degrees of pushing yourself. Not all athletes have permanent damage.
Can we keep the religion out of the exercise threads?
Not if I think it applies to the topic. I am not going to limit my beliefs just to respond here. Don't worry though, I am not going to push it on anyone.
Not only that, but if something does happen to you, you do bounce back better.
Surgeries, infections, childbirth...all have less chance of morbidity and mortality if your body was fit and you have a lot of reserve to count on in case of emergency.
My friend just crashed his plane last year. He broke his back and his legs and then developed a blood clot in the icu, etc, etc, etc. He is in his late 30s, but he had always been athletic and was at that time training for a triathlon. You look at him now (not even a year later), and he is FINE. He is totally fine. It's freakin' amazing.
Elderly who break hips or get massive pneumonia...or anyone going through a bypass surgery...I am telling you, your fitness prior to these events makes a big deal.
I can't tell you how many people I have done cpr on...and even the length of code doesn't seem to affect their outcome when they are fit and have great reserve.
And what about the day to day? I know someone who lost 100 pounds because she couldn't keep up with her toddler and the kid was sad mommy wouldn't play outside with her. Now she's a total fitness freak and her life has improved IMMENSELY.
One of my favorite mom blogs ever chronicles a young mother's journey from morbid obesity to ultra-marathons. When the snooze alarm calls, one thought of her, and I'm lacing up my shoes. She is absolutely extraordinary!
Quote:
Originally Posted by stan4
Right now, for whatever reason, unless you see me with my shirt off, you wouldn't realize how much I work out. But I can FEEL it. I can feel how switching my schedule from days to nights to swings to nights to days doesn't hurt like it used to (not as bad, anyway). Or how carrying my kid around and lifting him in awkward ways doesn't affect me. Or how much farther I can run and how much heavier I can lift or how much higher my side kick is.
I don't look much different. I'm still the same weight, just slightly on the chunky side actually, but I can run ten miles at a stretch and feel great. And I haven't been sick in a l-o-n-g time, other than a very occasional sniffle.
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