Bestwifeever
Moderator Emeritus
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2007
- Messages
- 17,774
You're healthier than others.... until you aren't.
I voted ten-foot pole.
I voted ten-foot pole.
...I have spent a lot of time looking into ways to maintain my health, strength, and mobility in a more moderate fashion...
That must have been so frightening, and what a strong reminder of what is most important in life, and what is not...
The poll results look a little like the members of this community mostly come from Lake Wobegon.
It's really not just about survival, but more about mobility and functionality. There are plenty of indications that running and high-impact sports earlier in life build bone density (as well as cardiovascular health), but that effect is largely mitigated by recurrent soft tissue damage and osteoarthritis incurred by continued long-term participation in those types of sports. Those aren't things that are going to kill you, but they're definitely going to hinder one's quality of life. In my opinion, if I'm 80 and unable to move around on my own, I'm not sure continued ability to draw breath is something I care about at that point, but I admit that's a fairly narrow view given there are folks my age who aren't able to do so and still lead meaningful lives.I can understand if someone wants to be athletic until an advanced age. But if longevity and health are a concern, then it is a different issue altogether.
One can look at the centenarians around the world to see how many of them were competitively athletic at any point. Mostly, they were just trim and fit, and active throughout their life, have a healthy diet and stress-free lifestyle.
On the other hand, does anybody have a statistics showing longevity of Olympians?
I bet we are, well at least compared to the people of Walmart
Yes I suspect that you are correct in that assertion given that the discipline to get to FIRE is likely carried over to other aspects of life. Perhaps we should start polls on BMI, smoking, alcohol intake, flossing (maybe we already had one on this?), etc
I am learning the art of non-competitive activities. I think you are on the right track questioning what is really important for you....
I am seriously considering retiring from competing at any kind of high level because of the toll it takes on my body and the return I get on the investment of time. I'm not a pro. I'll never be a pro. It's a diversion and a means to get fit.
....
a study came out yesterday that said flossing is useless
It's really not just about survival, but more about mobility and functionality. There are plenty of indications that running and high-impact sports earlier in life build bone density (as well as cardiovascular health), but that effect is largely mitigated by recurrent soft tissue damage and osteoarthritis incurred by continued long-term participation in those types of sports. Those aren't things that are going to kill you, but they're definitely going to hinder one's quality of life. In my opinion, if I'm 80 and unable to move around on my own, I'm not sure continued ability to draw breath is something I care about at that point, but I admit that's a fairly narrow view given there are folks my age who aren't able to do so and still lead meaningful lives.
Um, no. What AP found was that there are no solid studies that prove that flossing is beneficial. That's different from showing that it's not useful.
a study came out yesterday that said flossing is useless
BMI is a joke anyway
The absolute range for a healthy BMI may be disputed, but if I cannot be competitively athletic, the ability to do squats, pushups and pullups is still important to me.
Well, I was a scrawny teenager, so would not want to be back to where I was at 16.
But in terms of pullups, pushups, running, or even lifting weight, I don't think I can beat what I did at 16. I could lift a bit less than 1.5x my weight then.
Um, no. What AP found was that there are no solid studies that prove that flossing is beneficial. That's different from showing that it's not useful.
so it's good exercise?
Again, I'd rather not have food stuck between my teeth.