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Finding time to Exercise
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rheddmobile wrote: »This thread has become a little extreme. I do think everyone can find enough time to work out, but somehow this thread has become some sort of contest where if you're not working out several hours of every day you're doing it wrong. Okay, granted health is a priority, but other things are priorities too. I'm a creative person professionally, and watching TV and playing video games and reading books are all things I need to do in order to stay abreast of what other people are doing. Not to mention, life is too short to spend literally every waking moment either at work or at the gym! If you enjoy working out, that's great that you have a hobby you enjoy. I don't enjoy working out. I do it because I need to. But my actual life is elsewhere. The thought of spending 3 and 4 hours every day working out doesn't make me inspired, it makes me sad. Fitness is something I want so that I can enjoy the other things I want to do, not something I want to do for its own sake. Quilting is something I do while sitting on my rear end. I don't want to stop quilting and replace it with training for a marathon. They are not the same activities, and I like quilting. I believe that I get to enjoy quilting and be healthy at the same time. I don't have to throw my TV out the window and be unable to participate in conversations about television to get healthy.
This is fine example of strawman construction and hyperbole.
30 mins/day - all anyone is saying.
The CDC recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate level exercise (brisk walking) and 2 sessions of resistance training hitting all major muscle groups.
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm
80% of the population doesn't meet these minimums:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-80-percent-of-american-adults-dont-get-recommended-exercise/
It would take about 30-40 minutes a day of less screen time. Pretty pathetic 80% if the population can't get this done.3 -
As the successful have stated - it's not about finding time, it's about making time.
I apply the Pareto Principle to this - devoting my energy to the 20% that truly matters and has impact. I intentionally neglect the 80% of lower priority issues that previously clogged up my time.
My wife and I are both working professionals with three active kids. She gets up at 4 am every day to hit the gym for an hour before work, then spend most of her day in a laboratory. I get up at 5 am and do calisthenics or take a quick run/bike, wake up the kids for 20 mins of calisthenics and get them ready for school. 45 min commute to an office setting, but I started up walking meetings for my team. We eat at our desks and use the lunch time for an afternoon workout. For teleconferences I go mobile and walk with an ear bud. My wife picks up the kids after school and starts the evening routine. I hit the gym on the way home and get my lifting in, then we all go for a walk/bike/whatever. Weekends involve hikes, climbing, swimming or something that gets us out of the house and moving.
It's all about prioritization.
I too eat at my desk and prioritize getting some activity at lunch.
I do have a wireless headset for calls and need to get into the habit of using it for more than getting tea.
Kudos for being active with your family - it's a great example to set for kids
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I just increase my activity for cardio... I walk 30 minutes to get coffee in the morning and today I walked to Wendy's on my lunch (40 minutesish) I also walk on breaks 15 minutes so by the time I leave my "sedentary" office job I have easily hit 8k and after dinner I typically get up to 12k. It doesn't take me a WHOLE lot of time I wouldn't be sitting in my car (hate to show up late so I'm always 30 minutes early to work) or trapped in a lunchroom scrolling my phone... it's just a matter of making it a priority. My lifting schedule is 3x/week for less than an hour each time so I hardly think that's asking a lot of my time. It comes down to what is important.1
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armchairherpetologist wrote: »I could prioritize cycling over lawn mowing, but that results in being fined by the township for not obeying the ordinances regarding maintaining one's property.
This is incredibly stupid, and has always bothered me. Almost no one enjoys mowing their lawn, it's a chore. The money people waste putting gas into their lawn mowers is staggering, and not without environmental consequence. In some places, it's an obscene waste of water. Why does everybody need to have a lawn made of one specific type of grass? There are so many kinds of ground cover that only ever reach a few inches tall.
I'm not criticizing you personally, it's the expectation (and law or HOA rule) that's stupid.3 -
I want to remind everyone that without their health, everything is more difficult so for the comment about prioritizing exercise over the lawn mowing, I would love for you to consider how important that grass is and if you'd even be able to mow it if you weren't physically well because you didn't invest in your health during the early able-bodied years of your life. Exercise isn't just about weight loss etc.2
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MsHarryWinston wrote: »^ I average 4-6 hours of sleep, but that's just how my life is. *shrug*
Me too, with 6 being what feels good to me, 4 what I've learned to get by on, and under 4 when I feel awful.
I am trying to sleep more because I think one issue is that you start thinking something is normal and don't realize that sleeping more would make you feel better, but it's tough for me. Right now I'm just really focusing on trying to regularly get 6, and I am amazed that I feel better (and eating well is also easier and I tend to react less poorly to stress).1 -
People who don't MAKE time to exercise WILL, sooner or later, have to make time for illness.4
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mrsnattybulking wrote: »I want to remind everyone that without their health, everything is more difficult so for the comment about prioritizing exercise over the lawn mowing, I would love for you to consider how important that grass is and if you'd even be able to mow it if you weren't physically well because you didn't invest in your health during the early able-bodied years of your life. Exercise isn't just about weight loss etc.
Mowing the lawn can be exercise. Exercise isn't just about the gym, running or weights. A good deal of my 'exercise' is yard work because we have a LOT of yard.10 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »mrsnattybulking wrote: »I want to remind everyone that without their health, everything is more difficult so for the comment about prioritizing exercise over the lawn mowing, I would love for you to consider how important that grass is and if you'd even be able to mow it if you weren't physically well because you didn't invest in your health during the early able-bodied years of your life. Exercise isn't just about weight loss etc.
Mowing the lawn can be exercise. Exercise isn't just about the gym, running or weights. A good deal of my 'exercise' is yard work because we have a LOT of yard.
I agree with this. Also shoveling snow. Im a spoiled city girl who once spent time on a farm and was wiped out doing farm chores for my aunt.5 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »mrsnattybulking wrote: »I want to remind everyone that without their health, everything is more difficult so for the comment about prioritizing exercise over the lawn mowing, I would love for you to consider how important that grass is and if you'd even be able to mow it if you weren't physically well because you didn't invest in your health during the early able-bodied years of your life. Exercise isn't just about weight loss etc.
Mowing the lawn can be exercise. Exercise isn't just about the gym, running or weights. A good deal of my 'exercise' is yard work because we have a LOT of yard.
I agree with this. Also shoveling snow. Im a spoiled city girl who once spent time on a farm and was wiped out doing farm chores for my aunt.
True, I just meant to address the argument that certain things are more important... that was a pretty bad example in hindsight unless you have a ride on haha
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NorthCascades wrote: »armchairherpetologist wrote: »I could prioritize cycling over lawn mowing, but that results in being fined by the township for not obeying the ordinances regarding maintaining one's property.
This is incredibly stupid, and has always bothered me. Almost no one enjoys mowing their lawn, it's a chore. The money people waste putting gas into their lawn mowers is staggering, and not without environmental consequence. In some places, it's an obscene waste of water. Why does everybody need to have a lawn made of one specific type of grass? There are so many kinds of ground cover that only ever reach a few inches tall.
I'm not criticizing you personally, it's the expectation (and law or HOA rule) that's stupid.
I agree. Thankfully most of my property is wooded, but that which is not requires me to mow it or else be fined.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »mrsnattybulking wrote: »I want to remind everyone that without their health, everything is more difficult so for the comment about prioritizing exercise over the lawn mowing, I would love for you to consider how important that grass is and if you'd even be able to mow it if you weren't physically well because you didn't invest in your health during the early able-bodied years of your life. Exercise isn't just about weight loss etc.
Mowing the lawn can be exercise. Exercise isn't just about the gym, running or weights. A good deal of my 'exercise' is yard work because we have a LOT of yard.
It sort of is, in the sense that I burned calories.
It isn't at all in the sense that it doesn't help me one iota with the races I run or the events I bicycle in. If I had sponsorship they'd have to mow my lawn and I'd just go do my training. 2 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »mrsnattybulking wrote: »I want to remind everyone that without their health, everything is more difficult so for the comment about prioritizing exercise over the lawn mowing, I would love for you to consider how important that grass is and if you'd even be able to mow it if you weren't physically well because you didn't invest in your health during the early able-bodied years of your life. Exercise isn't just about weight loss etc.
Mowing the lawn can be exercise. Exercise isn't just about the gym, running or weights. A good deal of my 'exercise' is yard work because we have a LOT of yard.
I agree with this. Also shoveling snow. Im a spoiled city girl who once spent time on a farm and was wiped out doing farm chores for my aunt.
Had a PE teacher back in the day who was working on his Masters. The class (mainly experienced educators) had a mix of students from urban areas and rural. The students did a study on the fitness of rural vs urban kids in their PE classes. It wan't even close, strength, speed, agility, you name it, the rural kids on average came out on top.
Look at what is going on in this picture of a guy stacking hay bales on a wagon. He's basically has to do a clean and jerk, plus a bit of a throw at the end to stack the 70-90 pound bales. Plus he's on a wagon moving through a bumpy field (more core and balance work). Kids in the city don't see that unless they go to a specialized sports training facility.
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armchairherpetologist wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »mrsnattybulking wrote: »I want to remind everyone that without their health, everything is more difficult so for the comment about prioritizing exercise over the lawn mowing, I would love for you to consider how important that grass is and if you'd even be able to mow it if you weren't physically well because you didn't invest in your health during the early able-bodied years of your life. Exercise isn't just about weight loss etc.
Mowing the lawn can be exercise. Exercise isn't just about the gym, running or weights. A good deal of my 'exercise' is yard work because we have a LOT of yard.
It sort of is, in the sense that I burned calories.
It isn't at all in the sense that it doesn't help me one iota with the races I run or the events I bicycle in. If I had sponsorship they'd have to mow my lawn and I'd just go do my training.
That's different. I'm sure there are many forms of exercise that wouldn't help with meeting a specific fitness related goal. That doesn't mean they aren't still exercise.2 -
Packerjohn wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »mrsnattybulking wrote: »I want to remind everyone that without their health, everything is more difficult so for the comment about prioritizing exercise over the lawn mowing, I would love for you to consider how important that grass is and if you'd even be able to mow it if you weren't physically well because you didn't invest in your health during the early able-bodied years of your life. Exercise isn't just about weight loss etc.
Mowing the lawn can be exercise. Exercise isn't just about the gym, running or weights. A good deal of my 'exercise' is yard work because we have a LOT of yard.
I agree with this. Also shoveling snow. Im a spoiled city girl who once spent time on a farm and was wiped out doing farm chores for my aunt.
Had a PE teacher back in the day who was working on his Masters. The class (mainly experienced educators) had a mix of students from urban areas and rural. The students did a study on the fitness of rural vs urban kids in their PE classes. It wan't even close, strength, speed, agility, you name it, the rural kids on average came out on top.
Look at what is going on in this picture of a guy stacking hay bales on a wagon. He's basically has to do a clean and jerk, plus a bit of a throw at the end to stack the 70-90 pound bales. Plus he's on a wagon moving through a bumpy field (more core and balance work). Kids in the city don't see that unless they go to a specialized sports training facility.
My dad took a bad fall and hospitalized recently (he's 78). He had an undiagnosed infection which got out of control quickly resulting in necrotizing fasciitis. The surgeons went in assuming this would be an amputation, but were amazed to find healthy vasculature and were able to save the leg. The comment from the lead surgeon "He's a farm boy isn't he? He has the vascualture of men half his age."
Country boy can survive.7 -
Penthesilea514 wrote: »I never thought I would be the type to wake up at 5:15am to go to the gym before work- but somehow, when I realized that I needed to make changes to make fitness a priority that is wasn't going to fall into my lap, I made it work. I do the mornings for the same reason @Chef_Barbell does- I won't do it after work, I don't like the gym in the afternoon (I hate crowds).
I try to be in bed by 9:30pm to fall asleep around 10- usually gets me enough sleep. I love sleep.
All of this depends on your goals and priorities- 3-4 hours of working out may be fun and important to someone, just as important to others as playing video games or reading books. I don't see competition here, just people being honest that if you want something badly enough, you need to make it a priority, be it in the fitness world or career or family or gaming or whatever.
@JetJaguar I am obsessed with MST3k and I am enjoying the new season!
I knew you was good people.
hahaha same to you!
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Packerjohn wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »mrsnattybulking wrote: »I want to remind everyone that without their health, everything is more difficult so for the comment about prioritizing exercise over the lawn mowing, I would love for you to consider how important that grass is and if you'd even be able to mow it if you weren't physically well because you didn't invest in your health during the early able-bodied years of your life. Exercise isn't just about weight loss etc.
Mowing the lawn can be exercise. Exercise isn't just about the gym, running or weights. A good deal of my 'exercise' is yard work because we have a LOT of yard.
I agree with this. Also shoveling snow. Im a spoiled city girl who once spent time on a farm and was wiped out doing farm chores for my aunt.
Had a PE teacher back in the day who was working on his Masters. The class (mainly experienced educators) had a mix of students from urban areas and rural. The students did a study on the fitness of rural vs urban kids in their PE classes. It wan't even close, strength, speed, agility, you name it, the rural kids on average came out on top.
Look at what is going on in this picture of a guy stacking hay bales on a wagon. He's basically has to do a clean and jerk, plus a bit of a throw at the end to stack the 70-90 pound bales. Plus he's on a wagon moving through a bumpy field (more core and balance work). Kids in the city don't see that unless they go to a specialized sports training facility.
My dad took a bad fall and hospitalized recently (he's 78). He had an undiagnosed infection which got out of control quickly resulting in necrotizing fasciitis. The surgeons went in assuming this would be an amputation, but were amazed to find healthy vasculature and were able to save the leg. The comment from the lead surgeon "He's a farm boy isn't he? He has the vascualture of men half his age."
Country boy can survive.
Very cool. Bet he was back on the tractor pretty quick.1 -
All I know is I see people (including amazing people here on MFP) juggling a lot more on their plates than I have to deal with and they make the time. I find that highly inspirational. Sometimes, all the exercise we might be able to make time for is running errands and doing yard work- that's just life. But if you want it, be it waking up a little earlier, going to bed a little later, squeezing in multiple 15 minutes sessions throughout the days, or straight up dropping time you spent on other things, they are all ways I have seen people deal with it. Take the stairs, park at the top level of the parking deck, have walking meetings like @CSARdiver- these are all things that you can do. If you want to compete in events, that is a different level of commitment and each person needs to determine how they can accomplish their goals. While a sponsored athlete may be able to get someone to take care of the lawn, it takes a hell of a lot of hard work to get to that level of athleticism and sacrifices are made to be able to do even be considered for a sponsorship. Each person has a limit to how much they may be willing to sacrifice (or risk) to do that and I consider that to be highly individualized.
Do I think that people can find a way to squeeze in the recommended about of exercise in a week (30-40 minutes a day per @Packerjohn CDC sources)? Yes, I do and I think people can find the time if they care enough to.
But beyond the recommended healthy level of exercise comes the individual drive people have to go above and beyond to compete or push themselves and that is another tier of prioritization in my book. At that point, for me, it goes from health reasons to personal reasons. Do I think everyone has time to train for an official marathon? No, I don't- it is a privilege for some to be able to afford race fees, equipment, and the time it takes to train for that distance. That doesn't mean I don't think they can't do what they need to do for personal health. Nor does it mean that a person couldn't make it such a priority in their lives that they save money/train in the middle of the night/do their own marathon distance/etc in order to make it happen.3 -
it is a privilege for some to be able to afford race fees, equipment, and the time it takes to train for
So much this, and it's not marathon specific. I know many parents who struggle to find either the time or money for sports for "themselves" because so much time and money is dedicated to making sure their children can do those things.3 -
MsHarryWinston wrote: »Packerjohn wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »armchairherpetologist wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Packerjohn wrote: »As the successful have stated - it's not about finding time, it's about making time.
I apply the Pareto Principle to this - devoting my energy to the 20% that truly matters and has impact. I intentionally neglect the 80% of lower priority issues that previously clogged up my time.
My wife and I are both working professionals with three active kids. She gets up at 4 am every day to hit the gym for an hour before work, then spend most of her day in a laboratory. I get up at 5 am and do calisthenics or take a quick run/bike, wake up the kids for 20 mins of calisthenics and get them ready for school. 45 min commute to an office setting, but I started up walking meetings for my team. We eat at our desks and use the lunch time for an afternoon workout. For teleconferences I go mobile and walk with an ear bud. My wife picks up the kids after school and starts the evening routine. I hit the gym on the way home and get my lifting in, then we all go for a walk/bike/whatever. Weekends involve hikes, climbing, swimming or something that gets us out of the house and moving.
It's all about prioritization.
The average American spends 50 non-work hours a week on screen time:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/30/health/americans-screen-time-nielsen/
Someone has to be a pretty special snowflake to not be able to find an hour a day to exercise.
How on earth does the "average American" manage that anyway? That's 7.5 hours a DAY of "screen time". Does the "average American" neither work or have any other hobbies or interests or obligations whatsoever? I expect imminent collapse of society if this study is accurate or as broad as portrayed.
Game of Thrones, Kim Kardashian's *kitten*, Honey Boo Boo, and, well, that's as much as I'm capable of naming off the top of my head, but you get the idea. These are the average American's hobbies and interests.
People ask me about television shows all the time and they think that I'm lying when I say I have no idea what they're talking about. My television "watching" is limited to the fact that I use it for background noise before I fall asleep. I can't imagine just sitting there staring at the the glowy box.
I get this too. All the time. Did you see the latest Game of Thrones? Um, no I'm less than 1/2 through season one. <blank stare> It's as if I said I'd never seen a tree.
And worst is that people keep giving us seasons of shows to watch as gifts (we actually had to buy a bigger DVD case just for all the DVDs we'll probably never watch) and then they constantly ask if I've watched it yet and seem irritated when we say no.
LOL, I haven't see the first 30 seconds of the first episode.
My life isn't sad.
*blink blink. Stares at you both like you've never seen a tree*
Yeah but... it's Game of friggin THRONES!
Lol, jk, but it really is an awesome show/book series. I mean come on... dragons! Lol
I've never seen a second of game of thrones, I heard it's more soft porn than anything, plus i'm not into medi- evil type shows/movies.0 -
armchairherpetologist wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »armchairherpetologist wrote: »I could prioritize cycling over lawn mowing, but that results in being fined by the township for not obeying the ordinances regarding maintaining one's property.
This is incredibly stupid, and has always bothered me. Almost no one enjoys mowing their lawn, it's a chore. The money people waste putting gas into their lawn mowers is staggering, and not without environmental consequence. In some places, it's an obscene waste of water. Why does everybody need to have a lawn made of one specific type of grass? There are so many kinds of ground cover that only ever reach a few inches tall.
I'm not criticizing you personally, it's the expectation (and law or HOA rule) that's stupid.
I agree. Thankfully most of my property is wooded, but that which is not requires me to mow it or else be fined.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »mrsnattybulking wrote: »I want to remind everyone that without their health, everything is more difficult so for the comment about prioritizing exercise over the lawn mowing, I would love for you to consider how important that grass is and if you'd even be able to mow it if you weren't physically well because you didn't invest in your health during the early able-bodied years of your life. Exercise isn't just about weight loss etc.
Mowing the lawn can be exercise. Exercise isn't just about the gym, running or weights. A good deal of my 'exercise' is yard work because we have a LOT of yard.
It sort of is, in the sense that I burned calories.
It isn't at all in the sense that it doesn't help me one iota with the races I run or the events I bicycle in. If I had sponsorship they'd have to mow my lawn and I'd just go do my training.
Just get an old-timey reel mower and think of it as cross training.
My lifting workout today called for woodchoppers. So I stood there chopping air with a DB and felt kind of pissed off that I wasn't actually splitting kindling.
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