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Is This Exercise Working?
Jul. 19th, 2014 05:02 pmToday I enjoyed Messy Breakups with Exercise, which is not about exercising your way out of a breakup but about people telling other people they should exercise and about people lying about exercise and weight loss: "We are told that exercise will lead to weight loss when the research suggests no such thing." It's a fun rant.
"Even if exercise has health benefits, that doesn’t mean that anyone is required to do it, or that exercising creates some sort of health guarantee wherein you are immortal unless you get hit by a bus. Besides, there are lots of things that are shown to improve our odds for health and we can choose some of them if we want, but aren’t all obligated to do any of them. When we insist that people “owe” society healthy habits it very quickly becomes a slippery slope. If we “owe” society exercise do we also “owe” it 8 hours of sleep a night? A vegan diet? A paleo diet? To quit drinking? To not go skiing or play soccer or anything else that could get us hurt? Who gets to make these mandates? I recommend that people not try to tell others how to live unless they are super excited about someone else telling them how to live."
I don't have to deal with those problems, so it was a little educational to read this and the comments are great, too, though some are quite sad.
The thing that really stood out for me are how so many people do exercise they hate in order to lose weight, but then it doesn't make them lose weight--it's not working, so they quit in disgust.
The author says exercise doesn't make you lose weight, but that's not what it's for. What it's for is being healthier, feeling good, and having fun.
So what are your goals for exercise, and is your exercise working?
Jogging
My main goal for jogging is to be able to run faster and farther than I would otherwise in case I want or need to, like if I'm late for the bus. It definitely works for that. Actually, right now, I'm happy to just maintain my ability to run (slog) three whole miles in a row every week during the rest of summer because it's so hot.
I also want aerobic health benefits. When I was younger, I noticed that when I was doing a reasonable number of aerobic activities, my resting heart rate was 70, and when my ankle was sprained for a year, my resting heart rate was 80. I haven't measured my resting heart rate recently, but I'm happy just assuming that jogging helps.
Finally, I wouldn't quite say that I enjoy jogging like some people do. I enjoy running fast for about 20 seconds because I feel fast and macho and it's fun. But jogging while panting is not so fun. Still, I enjoy seeing how my neighbors are dealing with their yards (or having one-car driveways, or having windows taller than normal curtains) as I jog by and I also enjoy spacing out and thinking about things.
Ballroom Dance
This is just fun and also helps with aerobic health and balance. Since getting into dancing, I definitely keep my balance better in the situation where suddenly you come to a complete halt mid-step. And having good balance is probably good for reducing your chance of the dreaded breaking of one's hip.
Pilates Video
Doing many of the things in my video just feel good. It actually feels best when I do it after work (though I rarely do) because there is some good stretching and relaxing. Also you do stuff you don't normally do, like balance on your butt, or wave your legs around in the air while lying down that's kind of fun. And I get to point my toes and pretend I look elegant (except for when I'm falling over).
I feel like there are loads of health benefits too. I definitely breath hard sometimes. I use my core muscles, as might be expected, plus some other ones. There's loads of balancing practice, too.
Walking
I like walking. I like seeing things at that speed. I like to be able to stop and take a closer look at things. I like to be able to handle obstacles that are annoying on a wheeled vehicle. And getting up and getting blood pumping helps me feel less like a slug. Supposedly it's good for you, but I haven't noticed that being true for me. I'm guessing I've never gotten so out of shape that adding walking was an improvement.
Other benefits of walking include being able to get places and not worrying about parking (finding it or paying for it) or putting wear-and-tear on the car, buying more gas, and adding more pollution.
Strength Training
My favorite thing about strength training is getting stronger.
The first time I worked at summer camp was the main time I have experienced this benefit. The first week the counselors were all in one unit while we were getting trained. Then we moved to the units we were going to be working in during our first session. I was going to be in the same unit but a different tent, so I just carried my trunk over there. I was holding it by the handle on one end and resting the other end on my foot while I walked, thus allowing me to use my stronger leg muscles to move my trunk. Another counselor came up to me and said, "Oh, let me do that," and picked it up by the side handle like it was a suitcase and just walked it over, again, like it was a suitcase. I was amazed.
At the end of the summer, my dad came to pick me up and he offered to carry my trunk for me, but by then I was able to just pick it up by the two side handles and carry it myself like it was just a box of books. Fun! Also, it was easier to open the heavy doors at college.
And what was I doing at summer camp to make me so much stronger? One thing was carrying a big cooler full of ice. It was the cylindrical kind with a spigot at the bottom. Every morning we would bring one from our unit to the kitchen at breakfast to be filled with ice and then bring it back to be filled with water. Then we'd have cold water all day plus access to ice for first aid if necessary.
At first I'd take one handle while someone else took the other. We'd have to trade sides after a while. Then I would sometimes carry it by myself, holding it on the bottom. Then I would sometimes hold it by one handle and throw it over my shoulder. So macho!
I also swam a total of 10 miles that summer (various strokes, not just freestyle). And I might have practiced doing pull-ups on the rafters of the pavillion in the parking lot while we were waiting for the kids to come for a new session. (I definitely did that some of the summers.)
I think rock climbing is really effective, too. At least I can get a large number of my muscles to feel like jello after some crazy-short amount of time like five minutes, which seems amazing.
Tam likes weight training because it's so easy to see results. I haven't noticed this with weight training as much as I have with jogging, but that's definitely fun, too.
Oh, and you can get bigger muscles, not just stronger ones. I definitely got bigger biceps at summer camp. (And even though I'm female, I like seeing bigger muscles on me. I'm not immune to the thrills of feeling macho. At all.)
I also like being able to help people move. Moving sucks and I like when I can make a bunch of trips (generally up and down stairs) carrying boxes for people.
Blog Posts of the Day
I also enjoyed the post that inspired the one I quoted above, My Breakup with Exercise, which in turn was inspired by a speech the other author made! It's about learning that a moderate amount of exercise is a good amount--going overboard may seem better, but a reasonable amount is not nothing--it still has benefits.
Mostly I liked this quote:
'For most of 2013 I was sedentary. I had multiple false starts as I tried to “get back into the gym.” Each time I returned, there was a new manager at the personal training company who would spot me on the elliptical and approach me, saying “Congratulations on taking the first step towards a better you!” or some bullshit like that.
'I wanted to punch them every time. I am already a better me. I have hobbies now. I have friends. I have a life.
'Then the manager would encourage me to try personal training because “beginners always need someone to show them how to do things properly.”
'“FUCK YOU, I am NOT a beginner,” I would think.'
I just want to get her a t-shirt to wear at the gym that says "I'm not a beginner" in the front and "I'm already a better me" on the back. Just like I want a t-shirt for the mall that says "I don't need any help" and one for bike riding that says "Please don't kill me."
I also enjoyed My Big Fat Marathon by the first writer again where she decides she wants to walk a marathon. I've never thought of doing that. I think now that I've heard of it, I want to do it myself someday.
'Then one day I got bored and restless which lead to me Googling terms like 300 pound marathon. What I found were a bunch of blogs where people had done marathons to lose weight and were devastated to have accomplished neither, and then a blog from a doctor who said that you should never attempt a marathon unless you are within 20% of your “ideal weight” Thirty minutes later I was committed to the Seattle Marathon, 31 minutes later my best friend, Kel, responded to me e-mail with “I’m in” and we were off to the races.'
I love that she responds with more of an "I'll show you" attitude than an "I guess you're right and I'm a loser" attitude. Raaga123 and I have discussed this choice with girls doing math as well. (Apparently research shows that most girls choose the latter attitude." My mom had the same "I'll show you" response for standardized tests when she was told that it's impossible to finish them.
'The question that people ask most is “You seriously want to do a marathon?!” My answer is that no, I really in no way want to do a marathon, but I want to be someone who has done a marathon and I’m not willing to buy a medal in a thrift store and lie my ass off, so let’s get to training for this bad boy.'
Another quote - 'What I am doing: Attempting to walk 26.2 miles, cross a finish line, receive a medal and a shirt that doesn’t fit, and be able to say that I completed a marathon.' - Mmm, tempting. Especially if it's in a pretty place I've never been to.
"Even if exercise has health benefits, that doesn’t mean that anyone is required to do it, or that exercising creates some sort of health guarantee wherein you are immortal unless you get hit by a bus. Besides, there are lots of things that are shown to improve our odds for health and we can choose some of them if we want, but aren’t all obligated to do any of them. When we insist that people “owe” society healthy habits it very quickly becomes a slippery slope. If we “owe” society exercise do we also “owe” it 8 hours of sleep a night? A vegan diet? A paleo diet? To quit drinking? To not go skiing or play soccer or anything else that could get us hurt? Who gets to make these mandates? I recommend that people not try to tell others how to live unless they are super excited about someone else telling them how to live."
I don't have to deal with those problems, so it was a little educational to read this and the comments are great, too, though some are quite sad.
The thing that really stood out for me are how so many people do exercise they hate in order to lose weight, but then it doesn't make them lose weight--it's not working, so they quit in disgust.
The author says exercise doesn't make you lose weight, but that's not what it's for. What it's for is being healthier, feeling good, and having fun.
So what are your goals for exercise, and is your exercise working?
Jogging
My main goal for jogging is to be able to run faster and farther than I would otherwise in case I want or need to, like if I'm late for the bus. It definitely works for that. Actually, right now, I'm happy to just maintain my ability to run (slog) three whole miles in a row every week during the rest of summer because it's so hot.
I also want aerobic health benefits. When I was younger, I noticed that when I was doing a reasonable number of aerobic activities, my resting heart rate was 70, and when my ankle was sprained for a year, my resting heart rate was 80. I haven't measured my resting heart rate recently, but I'm happy just assuming that jogging helps.
Finally, I wouldn't quite say that I enjoy jogging like some people do. I enjoy running fast for about 20 seconds because I feel fast and macho and it's fun. But jogging while panting is not so fun. Still, I enjoy seeing how my neighbors are dealing with their yards (or having one-car driveways, or having windows taller than normal curtains) as I jog by and I also enjoy spacing out and thinking about things.
Ballroom Dance
This is just fun and also helps with aerobic health and balance. Since getting into dancing, I definitely keep my balance better in the situation where suddenly you come to a complete halt mid-step. And having good balance is probably good for reducing your chance of the dreaded breaking of one's hip.
Pilates Video
Doing many of the things in my video just feel good. It actually feels best when I do it after work (though I rarely do) because there is some good stretching and relaxing. Also you do stuff you don't normally do, like balance on your butt, or wave your legs around in the air while lying down that's kind of fun. And I get to point my toes and pretend I look elegant (except for when I'm falling over).
I feel like there are loads of health benefits too. I definitely breath hard sometimes. I use my core muscles, as might be expected, plus some other ones. There's loads of balancing practice, too.
Walking
I like walking. I like seeing things at that speed. I like to be able to stop and take a closer look at things. I like to be able to handle obstacles that are annoying on a wheeled vehicle. And getting up and getting blood pumping helps me feel less like a slug. Supposedly it's good for you, but I haven't noticed that being true for me. I'm guessing I've never gotten so out of shape that adding walking was an improvement.
Other benefits of walking include being able to get places and not worrying about parking (finding it or paying for it) or putting wear-and-tear on the car, buying more gas, and adding more pollution.
Strength Training
My favorite thing about strength training is getting stronger.
The first time I worked at summer camp was the main time I have experienced this benefit. The first week the counselors were all in one unit while we were getting trained. Then we moved to the units we were going to be working in during our first session. I was going to be in the same unit but a different tent, so I just carried my trunk over there. I was holding it by the handle on one end and resting the other end on my foot while I walked, thus allowing me to use my stronger leg muscles to move my trunk. Another counselor came up to me and said, "Oh, let me do that," and picked it up by the side handle like it was a suitcase and just walked it over, again, like it was a suitcase. I was amazed.
At the end of the summer, my dad came to pick me up and he offered to carry my trunk for me, but by then I was able to just pick it up by the two side handles and carry it myself like it was just a box of books. Fun! Also, it was easier to open the heavy doors at college.
And what was I doing at summer camp to make me so much stronger? One thing was carrying a big cooler full of ice. It was the cylindrical kind with a spigot at the bottom. Every morning we would bring one from our unit to the kitchen at breakfast to be filled with ice and then bring it back to be filled with water. Then we'd have cold water all day plus access to ice for first aid if necessary.
At first I'd take one handle while someone else took the other. We'd have to trade sides after a while. Then I would sometimes carry it by myself, holding it on the bottom. Then I would sometimes hold it by one handle and throw it over my shoulder. So macho!
I also swam a total of 10 miles that summer (various strokes, not just freestyle). And I might have practiced doing pull-ups on the rafters of the pavillion in the parking lot while we were waiting for the kids to come for a new session. (I definitely did that some of the summers.)
I think rock climbing is really effective, too. At least I can get a large number of my muscles to feel like jello after some crazy-short amount of time like five minutes, which seems amazing.
Tam likes weight training because it's so easy to see results. I haven't noticed this with weight training as much as I have with jogging, but that's definitely fun, too.
Oh, and you can get bigger muscles, not just stronger ones. I definitely got bigger biceps at summer camp. (And even though I'm female, I like seeing bigger muscles on me. I'm not immune to the thrills of feeling macho. At all.)
I also like being able to help people move. Moving sucks and I like when I can make a bunch of trips (generally up and down stairs) carrying boxes for people.
Blog Posts of the Day
I also enjoyed the post that inspired the one I quoted above, My Breakup with Exercise, which in turn was inspired by a speech the other author made! It's about learning that a moderate amount of exercise is a good amount--going overboard may seem better, but a reasonable amount is not nothing--it still has benefits.
Mostly I liked this quote:
'For most of 2013 I was sedentary. I had multiple false starts as I tried to “get back into the gym.” Each time I returned, there was a new manager at the personal training company who would spot me on the elliptical and approach me, saying “Congratulations on taking the first step towards a better you!” or some bullshit like that.
'I wanted to punch them every time. I am already a better me. I have hobbies now. I have friends. I have a life.
'Then the manager would encourage me to try personal training because “beginners always need someone to show them how to do things properly.”
'“FUCK YOU, I am NOT a beginner,” I would think.'
I just want to get her a t-shirt to wear at the gym that says "I'm not a beginner" in the front and "I'm already a better me" on the back. Just like I want a t-shirt for the mall that says "I don't need any help" and one for bike riding that says "Please don't kill me."
I also enjoyed My Big Fat Marathon by the first writer again where she decides she wants to walk a marathon. I've never thought of doing that. I think now that I've heard of it, I want to do it myself someday.
'Then one day I got bored and restless which lead to me Googling terms like 300 pound marathon. What I found were a bunch of blogs where people had done marathons to lose weight and were devastated to have accomplished neither, and then a blog from a doctor who said that you should never attempt a marathon unless you are within 20% of your “ideal weight” Thirty minutes later I was committed to the Seattle Marathon, 31 minutes later my best friend, Kel, responded to me e-mail with “I’m in” and we were off to the races.'
I love that she responds with more of an "I'll show you" attitude than an "I guess you're right and I'm a loser" attitude. Raaga123 and I have discussed this choice with girls doing math as well. (Apparently research shows that most girls choose the latter attitude." My mom had the same "I'll show you" response for standardized tests when she was told that it's impossible to finish them.
'The question that people ask most is “You seriously want to do a marathon?!” My answer is that no, I really in no way want to do a marathon, but I want to be someone who has done a marathon and I’m not willing to buy a medal in a thrift store and lie my ass off, so let’s get to training for this bad boy.'
Another quote - 'What I am doing: Attempting to walk 26.2 miles, cross a finish line, receive a medal and a shirt that doesn’t fit, and be able to say that I completed a marathon.' - Mmm, tempting. Especially if it's in a pretty place I've never been to.