Exercise and the middle aged

I too was very surprised at those stats. I had always thought there were some couch-potatoes for whom exercise was something that they watched someone else do on the TV but nothing on this scale.  I would have thought a huge amount of planning and dedication would be required to avoid no more than 10 minutes exercise a month!

Maybe HMG should give away free Fitbits, though some folk would have to prepared to make the physical effort to plug them in for a charge once a week.

10 minutes a month seems an unbelievably low number for 40% of 40 to 60 year olds. I'm working a full time job and still get in a minimum of 10 hours cycling, plus various hiking and walking activities every week.

20 seconds a day! That's worrying! I manage that before I've made my morning cuppa. 

I walk the dog most evenings - about a mile I suppose with a longer one at weekends in a park or somewhere nice.

And jog about 3 miles once a week (me not the dog).

For people not retired, what is needed is to enourage walking or cycling to,work, depending on distance - but how to achieve it I have no idea.

Meanwhile, for those who are couch potatoes because they have such a good hifi system and music collection and spend too much time listening, the answer is simple: instead of footrests, chairs and sofas should be fitted with pedals connected to a genertaor, to power the kit.

Same for TV watching and computer/console games (good for yound people who also do not get enough exercise.

As the generating capacity may not be sufficient to run the equipment in its entirety, it could be connected on a switched basis, where mains power continues to be connected for as long as the generated power exceeds a preset amount.

The figures don't surprise me at all. It amazes me that people can't see what's happening to them. 

We have a Wattbike at home which shows, among other things, the power generated whilst cycling. I can maintain about 250W for an extended period, which I would have thought would be more than adequate to power most domestic hifi systems. There are two problems though - firstly, it's not in the same room as the stereo, and secondly, when generating that power it makes so much noise that listening to music would be impossible. Furthermore, I sweat quite a lot too and that would just be unpleasant near the stereo.

Clive B posted:

We have a Wattbike at home which shows, among other things, the power generated whilst cycling. I can maintain about 250W for an extended period, which I would have thought would be more than adequate to power most domestic hifi systems. There are two problems though - firstly, it's not in the same room as the stereo, and secondly, when generating that power it makes so much noise that listening to music would be impossible. Furthermore, I sweat quite a lot too and that would just be unpleasant near the stereo.

So what is needed is a more sophisticated generator, with moving parts well silenced. Less sweaty would mean less energy, but with the switch idea that wouldn only be a matter of selecting an appropriate level.

Talking about Wattbikes is all well and good, but how can people possibly only do vigorous exercise for only then minutes a month? I've walked for two hours today, as well as cycling ten miles, which would keep 40% of 40 to 60 year olds in exercise for a whole year! It's absurd. How can people do so little exercise?

All politicians come up with is sugartax.

They leave the rest to food gurus and sport idiots.

What should happen is a campaign to make people aware how to leave more healthy.

It are really simple things like get coffee for your colleagues, walk to the supermarket, maintain a good garden, eat vegetables (easy ones to start with), walk dog, avoid elevators, don't use remote controls (Ardbeg running away ...)

Hungryhalibut posted:

Talking about Wattbikes is all well and good, but how can people possibly only do vigorous exercise for only then minutes a month? I've walked for two hours today, as well as cycling ten miles, which would keep 40% of 40 to 60 year olds in exercise for a whole year! It's absurd. How can people do so little exercise?

1) Because they have cars. 

And/or 2) Its not that they dont walk: as I heard it survey was looking at beprisk walking sustained for a minimum of 10 minutes, so whether that means that brisk walking fir less than that at a time was discounted I din't know, but it does suggest that gently strolling doesn't count - and I am constantly amazed how slow people walk these days: walk through any town at a  modest 3mph - which personally I don't call brisk, but I don't know tge criteria used in the survey - and you will spend your time steering around all the people dawdling along.

I wonder what the situation is in USA - the impression I have is that, as a sweeping generalisation, people there are even more wedded to the car than in Britain. I recall maybe 30 years or so ago someone in the family visited an uncle who post WW2 had married an American and settled in USA near Niagara, and when the visiting family member asked about the best route to walk into town just a mile or two away, the response expressed surprise as to why on earth they wanted to walk when and wanted to run them in by car.

And they're most undoubtably in debt, but have a nice car or two on the driveway. Yes, a gentle walk doesn't really do anything for the body, but gives a clear conscience. Do some proper exercise.  "you should cut down on your porklife mate, get some exercise"

I've done three consecutive hard runs over the past three days, bought some great Brooks Hyperion shoes, having fun, don't feel tired, feel energised. Tomorrow I'll stay in and relax. Work hard, play hard.

This is the forum to be smug.

Our office was offering discounts on Fitbits as a health incentive and for a brief time counting steps was a "thing." During this time someone who thought he was pretty active was marveling at how few steps he actually had on his Fitbit. I told him to give it to a smoker - they rack up 5,000 steps just walking to the smoking area and back a couple times a day   

I watch people drive in ever-widening circles around a building for 5 minutes when they could just park at the perimeter and walk in less than a minute. It's bizarre. After 40 minutes in the car, I'm raring to go like a puppy getting out of timeout. And I like driving! Just wish I could pedal.

The US is all over the map. We have Spartan workout masochists on one hand and people who need an electric cart to buy cookies at Walmart.

Hungryhalibut posted:

Talking about Wattbikes is all well and good, but how can people possibly only do vigorous exercise for only then minutes a month? I've walked for two hours today, as well as cycling ten miles, which would keep 40% of 40 to 60 year olds in exercise for a whole year! It's absurd. How can people do so little exercise?

Three reasons, 1) lack of education 2) lack of intelligence 3) Lazy

Possibly sounds harsh, but unfortunately true.

I overheard a conversation in a coffee outlet, comment from customer ' I need to exercise more' comment from their friend 'I know you can't afford it but you need to get a dog' 

I was tempted to say ' you don't need a dog to exercise.... all that is required is to have a brisk walk once a day' 

As I observed the first one commented ' do you want another cake' ....

So many angles to this but I would suggest the age group that really needs to get a culture of regular exercise is the youngest one. I am completely unsurprised by the statistic quoted by the way.

I would also add to the list of reasons the design of our urban areas and many, many other societal factors. My team and I spend an awful lot of time trying to promote active lifestyles and the barriers are far more complex. To suggest that people are just lazy/stupid/ill-educated I think is simplistic in the extreme, and very insulting.

How do you get regular exercise if you both work long hours in 2 jobs to make ends meet, plus 3 young kids at home? Or if the area in which you live is not terribly safe after dark?

Bruce

Bruce Woodhouse posted:

 

To suggest that people are just lazy/stupid/ill-educated I think is simplistic in the extreme, and very insulting.

 

 

Simple yes......you can dress it up as much as you wish but unfortunately it's true...

Here we go again!! A reasonably informative and pleasantly discursive thread makes the inevitable descent into judgemental unpleasantness. A little less smugness and arrogance, and a little more constructive debate would be nice.

Timmo1341 posted:

Here we go again!! A reasonably informative and pleasantly discursive thread makes the inevitable descent into judgemental unpleasantness. A little less smugness and arrogance, and a little more constructive debate would be nice.

Well said.....

wenger2015 posted:

Timmo1341 posted:

Here we go again!! A reasonably informative and pleasantly discursive thread makes the inevitable descent into judgemental unpleasantness. A little less smugness and arrogance, and a little more constructive debate would be nice.

Well said.....

Apologies.

Bruce

Bruce Woodhouse posted:

So many angles to this but I would suggest the age group that really needs to get a culture of regular exercise is the youngest one. I am completely unsurprised by the statistic quoted by the way.

I would also add to the list of reasons the design of our urban areas and many, many other societal factors. My team and I spend an awful lot of time trying to promote active lifestyles and the barriers are far more complex. To suggest that people are just lazy/stupid/ill-educated I think is simplistic in the extreme, and very insulting.

How do you get regular exercise if you both work long hours in 2 jobs to make ends meet, plus 3 young kids at home? Or if the area in which you live is not terribly safe after dark?

Bruce

 

I think inbuilt day to day exercise is so important, not just formal exercise. When I was 10 growing up in New Zealand I rode my bike to school and played school team sports on the weekend. Without knowing it, I was reasonably fit and trim. Our family was transferred to the outer suburbs of Melbourne Australia for the next 2 years. My new school was across several major roads and was too far to walk to, and too unsafe to ride a bike to. Also team sports were not compulsory on the weekends, so no sport for me, and  there were also 4 tv channels vs 1 in New Zealand, and morning TV as well. As such I became far less active and looked a bit podgy in the school photos from that time. On my return to New Zealand after 2 years it was back to bikes, football , cricket and athletics and I have remained reasonably fit since despite being well past the first bloom of youth.

The car is king and people are more time pressured. Also, basic cooking skills are dwindling. There is a greater tendency to eat fast food which is high in fat,sugar and salt. Pity it still isn't like 1970 any more, still the hifi is better, but the music is worse!

MDS posted:

.... watched someone else do on the TV.

A bit too energetic for me. Those eyelids are heavy.

The point about three jobs and small children to look after is interesting, and of course there is little time. But even when ours were small we'd do country walks with the on our backs. But the statistics refer to those 40 to 60, whose children are usually gone or old enough to be left at home. It's the ten minutes a month that seems surprising, but then I suppose we live in a lovely area with countryside on our doorstep, and where it's safe (or as safe as it can ever be) to go running in the dark. 

It's clearly very complex, and as one who is active it's hard to see how people would not want to be active, but unless you get the habit young perhaps you just don't view activity as something 'for you'. 

Picking up Wenger's points, I don't think it's fair to say that they are stupid, but ill informed is certainly relevant. 

We discussed at a CLP meeting how to get people to vote when so many don't read the paper or watch TV news, and it may be similar here - how do you get people to understand why exercise is important without patronising them and in a way that's manageable and affordable? 

I've just got back from a run and feel knackered, but there is a great feeling from the endorphins. 

wenger2015 posted

Three reasons, 1) lack of education 2) lack of intelligence 3) Lazy

Possibly sounds harsh, but unfortunately true.

 

I don't think there is evidence for this.

1) Not lack of education in a general sense, nor even awareness of the need to exercise: we are bombarded with public information telling us that exercise is good for us and essential for health - just as we are with recommendations to eat more fruit and veg, or not to smoke.: People know it, but ignore it - so it is not education, but the effectiveness of education that is lacking, in respect of which a significant question is whether the ignoring of the information is conscious decision -  and I suspect that in general it is not,  Just that lifestyles are over-riding.

2) I don't think the split between those who exercise and thise who don't bears any correlation to intelligence: plenty of intelligent people don't exercise, while plenty of less intelligent people frequent gyms, as well as vice versa.

3) Laziness probably in a proportion of cases, but I'm not convinced it is as simple as that:  plenty of  people but whose jobs don't entail brisk walking, running or cycling (from teachers to plumbers to doctors to electricians to accountants, etc) are very hard working and far from lazy, but don't choose to take exercise in their spare time - maybe because they aren't lazy and are hard working they don't have the time, or simply wish to sit and relax after work.

No, I think the issue is ingrained lifestyle, and only way to change that is the right kind of education  - the question is, what is the right kind of education, and how to deliver it? One thing that can sometimes cut through is severe shock - e.g a heart attack, and being told to either change or die. But that really is rather late, and certainly too late for those where the heart attack is catastrophic.

Maybe, just maybe, this discussion here could cause some of us to re-evaluate ourselves and do something about it - and even if that is only one person, HH will have done a wonderful thing starting this thread.

Interesting discussion, let me contribute with another view:

Whats wrong with people deciding to enjoy life not with sports and healthy lifestyle - but with smoking, drinking, eating and being lazy?

Many years ago a member of a band I knew left the band: he did not feel like traveling so much anymore, he then dedicated his life to food and grew bigger from year to year quite happily. 

This is just a thought, not a recommendation though, I think everybody should find his/her own way, but I try not to re-educate those that choose other paths than I did.