150 minutes/week exercise "recommended"

[Fedup]

Thanks to this thread, I've been slugging out there every day. I swim at least 30 minutes a day. Walk at least a mile to shop for light groceries, and doing yard work. The health benefit I see is that I sleep very well at night. Same with my husband, he tries to run every day in the morning, but if he can't he will go swimming with me.


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[prose3589]

I have been exercising 30 mins a day usually 6 days a week. 3 days of walking/jogging and three days with a trainer. I feel better than I have in years. Energy level is higher and sleep is better. I have also lost about 30 pounds but I attribute a lot of that to diet and less stress.


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[haha]

All of these studies are pretty consistent. Exercise is worthwhile. I read a study that quantified exercise effort in terms of METS( standard metabolisms). It stated that the benefits of vigorous exercise to prevent certain types of cancers seems to top out at 12 mets for some period which I forgot. That's very vigorous. Bottom line is do as much vigorous exercise as you can.

In fact the evidence is so overwhelming it is really irresponsible not to do it in some form.

That is very vigorous! Can you find a reference to this study?

The number of middle aged people willing to exercise at 12 METs, or even capable of attaining 12 METs is small.

Ha

 

[ls99]

None of those are exercise. All of those are playing.


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Exactly. And I am sticking with it.

 

[MRG]

I have been exercising 30 mins a day usually 6 days a week. 3 days of walking/jogging and three days with a trainer. I feel better than I have in years. Energy level is higher and sleep is better. I have also lost about 30 pounds but I attribute a lot of that to diet and less stress.


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Congratulations! That's awesome. I lost a bunch better yet I no longer take any medications. It's amazing how diet and exercise can make such a huge change.

 

[HFWR]

Exactly. And I am sticking with it.

But it's exercise. You're not supposed to have "fun"...

 

[ls99]

But it's exercise. You're not supposed to have "fun"...

Disagree, it is not exercise!

It is pure unadulterated fun with some eye hand coordination, good blance and muscular controls required. Preferrably done in good form.

For the skating some semblence of art thrown in as well.

BTW if I wanted adulterated fun I'd have been a porn star.

 

[Danmar]

That is very vigorous! Can you find a reference to this study?

The number of middle aged people willing to exercise at 12 METs, or even capable of attaining 12 METs is small.

Ha

Yes, I agree. I exercise around 8-10 mets. At this level the benefits are still very large. Sorry, I found the study when I was surfing and can't find it again. Although there seems to be quite a lot on the net relating to this subject. Ie vigorous exercise is better at preventing certain types of cancer. In particular a Finnish study.

 

[Amethyst]

A while back, on one of those other forums, I saw a typical comment pooh-poohing exercise for longevity: "Why do something I don't enjoy, just to spend extra years in the nursing home."

I think the exercising is to try to extend the years not spent in a nursing home.

 

[razztazz]

I think the exercising is to try to extend the years not spent in a nursing home.

The best, and I think still the most relevant, take on exercise I've heard was way back in the 70's when aerobics was being sold as the Be All of Immortality and Health. There was an exercise guru on TV and he admitted exercise won't necessarily add years to your life but it can add life to your years. That's worth settling for. But if get extra that's good too.

 

[Fedup]

If you can do vigorous exercise like me, I can't run or do aerobics even if my life depends on it, I still think it's beneficial to do some low impact exercise. My in laws were healthy even until the late 80s, all they did was walking a lot. The minute they stop walking because my father in law can't keep up, their health started to go down.


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[audreyh1]

A while back, on one of those other forums, I saw a typical comment pooh-poohing exercise for longevity: "Why do something I don't enjoy, just to spend extra years in the nursing home."

I think the exercising is to try to extend the years not spent in a nursing home.

Exactly - that person is not able to think logically.

They've obviously already decided they won't put in the effort to have a better quality of life when older. Maybe some folks think you can't improve health through fitness when you are a senior, or in the decades before you become a senior.

 

[audreyh1]

If you can do vigorous exercise like me, I can't run or do aerobics even if my life depends on it, I still think it's beneficial to do some low impact exercise. My in laws were healthy even until the late 80s, all they did was walking a lot. The minute they stop walking because my father in law can't keep up, their health started to go down.

Studies have shown that even walking a lot - just 2 miles a day even - has major health benefits for older folks.

 

[haha]

Sorry, I found the study when I was surfing and can't find it again. Although there seems to be quite a lot on the net relating to this subject. Ie vigorous exercise is better at preventing certain types of cancer. In particular a Finnish study.

Thanks for trying to find it Danmar.

Ha

 

[HFWR]

A couple of graphical representations of "mets"... Take your pick.

 

[MRG]

A couple of graphical representations of "mets"... Take your pick.

View attachment 23329

View attachment 23330

I run for a short while on the treadmill, today it said I was at 11 mets. Pretty accurate running 6 mph at a 3.5% grade. Now I only hit this for a while and in no way could sustain it for any length of time. It also proved my max heart rate is in the 170s.

 

[LOL!]

All of these studies are pretty consistent. Exercise is worthwhile. I read a study that quantified exercise effort in terms of METS( standard metabolisms). It stated that the benefits of vigorous exercise to prevent certain types of cancers seems to top out at 12 mets for some period which I forgot. That's very vigorous. Bottom line is do as much vigorous exercise as you can.

In fact the evidence is so overwhelming it is really irresponsible not to do it in some form.

It looks like the "top out at 12 mets" occurs because you would die right away if you exercised at 13 mets.

The two figures showing METS were interesting and not consistent with my body. I can ride a bike for hours at 18-20 mph, but running at 9 min/mile I can only last about 30 minutes nowadays.

 

[Danmar]

A couple of graphical representations of "mets"... Take your pick.

View attachment 23329

View attachment 23330

Interesting. The biking at 10-12 mets seems overstated? I work quite hard to do 8-10 mets for around 45 minutes on elliptical or stationary bike. HR will hit 150 and average about 135 over this period. When actually biking, I cannot get my heart rate above about 130 unless I am going up a pretty steep (8-10%) hill. This would imply I am not doing more than 6-8 mets?

Agree that anything over 10 mets is very vigorous.

 

[nun]

I work exercise into my daily routine by cycling most places. So I ride my bike to the shops and into down town. When I want to do some serious exercise it's also on a bike, but will be a 50 to 100 mile day out in the countryside.

 

[WoodM]

I think it probably depends what kind of exercise you're doing for those 150 mins. For example someone running for that length of time is very different to someone doing yoga or light walking for the same length. I try to do some vigorous exercise 4 days a week. My favorite is cycling!