what is the point in exercising?
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Excercise makes your muscles stronger and more flexible so you don't break your ankle because your damn leg just decided not to bother working right one day. Or your other foots plantar decides to snap because it was too taut. Or have your damn arm,shoulder and chest muscles get massive cramps just because you moved a little weird.0
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snowflake954 wrote: »Exercise is for your future--my husband calls it "our insurance policy for old age" a friend of ours said "I want to die healthy". As you age, even if you're thin, health problems creep up. It's easier to work with them if you're in decent physical shape. It's the best thing you can do for yourself. I hope you love yourself enough to overcome your dislike of exercise.
YES! There are exceptions...but often once my patients are about 55-60 you really separate who is active and who is not. Those that are tend to be pretty fit and lean, they don't often have pain issues (minus autoimmune or occasional over-training injuries), they don't often need joint replacements, they usually don't have circulation issues, cholesterol/pressure issues, diabetes, etc. I have quite a few patients in their late 60s and early 70s who could probably have run laps around me in my 20s and they seem like they have more energy than me too.4 -
In addition to the many valid reasons listed above - I find that being active (doesn't even have to be strenuous exercise - just keeping moving) helps support my overall healthy lifestyle because it's a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy. When I first joined MFP, I was guilty of moving/logging exercise just so I could eat more calories. But before long, I realized that I really wanted to go to the gym, or wanted to be outside, or wanted to lift some things - and the extra calories were a bit of a bonus, but they also provided me energy and enjoyment which in turn made me want to do the active things.
Inertia is tough to overcome - whether you fall ill, become injured, fatigued, too busy to exercise - it becomes difficult to obtain the activation energy again to get moving and get back into an exercise routine. But once it is part of your regular routine, disruption in that routine can be really frustrating as well.
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snowflake954 wrote: »Exercise is for your future--my husband calls it "our insurance policy for old age" a friend of ours said "I want to die healthy". As you age, even if you're thin, health problems creep up. It's easier to work with them if you're in decent physical shape. It's the best thing you can do for yourself. I hope you love yourself enough to overcome your dislike of exercise.
YES! There are exceptions...but often once my patients are about 55-60 you really separate who is active and who is not. Those that are tend to be pretty fit and lean, they don't often have pain issues (minus autoimmune or occasional over-training injuries), they don't often need joint replacements, they usually don't have circulation issues, cholesterol/pressure issues, diabetes, etc. I have quite a few patients in their late 60s and early 70s who could probably have run laps around me in my 20s and they seem like they have more energy than me too.
I would like to add that I'm 63 and my husband is 64. We've been exercising for a long time. We see alot of people that are newly retired and start up at our pool,and gym. Frankly, it's a little late. They waited until they have the time, but muscle takes time to develop. Don't wait, start young.3 -
For me, exercise helps with eating in a better healthier way.
Cal counting/dieting alone is not enough for my weightloss efforts. Without exercise, I need to call upon a lot of willpower and discipline to eat properly. Without exercise, I am eating a 1L tub of icecream in one sitting, or a whole pizza, or a whole bag of chips and then some. (Unfortunately, NOT exaggerating).
I overeat less when I exercise. Exercising regularly makes those junk foods above become unappealing. When I exercise regularly, my body craves food which will nourish it. I find I don't want chips or cake, not because I'm telling myself it's not in my calorie budget, but because I simply just don't want them. Instead, I start to crave more vegetables and whole foods, and less additives. Which makes it a whole lot easier to stay in calorie goal.
That's my number one reason for exercising. I need exercise to supplement my diet choices. When I stop exercising, I stop caring about the food I put in my mouth.
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YES! There are exceptions...but often once my patients are about 55-60 you really separate who is active and who is not. Those that are tend to be pretty fit and lean, they don't often have pain issues (minus autoimmune or occasional over-training injuries), they don't often need joint replacements, they usually don't have circulation issues, cholesterol/pressure issues, diabetes, etc. I have quite a few patients in their late 60s and early 70s who could probably have run laps around me in my 20s and they seem like they have more energy than me too.
@Slasher09 I've been around these message boards for three years and this is one of the most inspiring posts I've read. I'd like to send you a friend request if you don't mind.1 -
echastee92 wrote: »I need some motivation because my calorie goal is already as low as it gets. If I exercise, I technically should just be eating more, but then it makes exercise feel pointless. I need to get out of this mindset so I thought maybe some of you educated exercise folks could hit me with some good ol facts to help me see the point in exercise! I know it has benefits and it's good for you but can someone help me understand how it's going to help aid in my weight loss? I keep talking myself out of it. I've been doing a real good job without it I just wonder how much better I could be doing with it...
If you are already eating the bare minimum, eating back exercise calories means you get to eat more food. I mean, for me, that's pretty cut and dry
. Cardio strengthens your heart and can increase endurance, resistance training helps you maintain your muscles so you don't risk looking like a wet noodle when you get to goal weight. Exercise is awesome stress relief. And there's a use it or lose it component, the more you move, the easier it is to move. The more you do, the more you want to do, at least for some of us. 1 -
This is what exercise can help with.
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Exercise is for fitness and health. And while it can help you achieve higher calorie burns, the main reason people do it is to improve they physiques and cardiovascular fitness.
Trust when I tell you that you don't want to be that senior later in life having a hunched over look and major issue with your joints, balance and lack of strength to just get out of chair without assistance. How do I know? Because a lot of former clients came in for these reasons.
Don't WAIT. Age comes on faster than you think and it only gets HARDER if your body isn't physically conditioned to begin with.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I get 1200 calories a day if I want to have a beer or anything greasy and yummy I need to work for it, as long as I stay at the proper deficit0
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In addition to what everyone else has said, weight-bearing activity increases bone density, which is incredibly important for women. That might not mean anything to you yet, but it becomes more important as we age.1
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SunnyDuckling wrote: »For me, exercise helps with eating in a better healthier way.
to this i'll add that exercising puts food into context for me. i'm not on any e.d. spectrum as far as i know, but i i have always had a pretty cavalier sort of relationship with it. lots of 'meh', and i've always treated food as if it was something you could do or not do based on whether you felt like it. as if it had nothing to do with anything beyond that.
i had a roommate in college 30 years ago who told me just recently 'you didn't eat bad food, was the weird thing. you just didn't seem like you cared about it.' and he was right; i mostly didn't. it was more like a nuisance like making beds than a really meaningful thing to me.
so i've really enjoyed the way lifting in particular tightens up my ideas of cause and effect. you lift, you get hungry. you get hungry, you eat. you eat, you go back and lift the next day. it's like dohhh, now this food thing makes sense.0 -
YES! There are exceptions...but often once my patients are about 55-60 you really separate who is active and who is not. Those that are tend to be pretty fit and lean, they don't often have pain issues (minus autoimmune or occasional over-training injuries), they don't often need joint replacements, they usually don't have circulation issues, cholesterol/pressure issues, diabetes, etc. I have quite a few patients in their late 60s and early 70s who could probably have run laps around me in my 20s and they seem like they have more energy than me too.
@Slasher09 I've been around these message boards for three years and this is one of the most inspiring posts I've read. I'd like to send you a friend request if you don't mind.
No problem! And thanks!
Everyone always jokes that the "secret" is don't turn 50. We would hear it so much the doctor and I (I'm 29, she's 36) would talk about how these people are TERRIFYING to us. And 3/4 of everyone diagnosed with health issues that affect their quality of life wish they started even 5 years ago
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If it helps you with the motivation to not feel like you are "wasting your time", try eating back half. That way you get to enjoy some extra calories while also getting the benefits of exercise, and you can feel like you are getting a bonus.
Exercise doesn't have to be hours on the treadmill, try a dance/zumba class or hiking, swimming, etc. Any activity is more than sitting on the couch!1 -
In addition to what everyone else has said, weight-bearing activity increases bone density, which is incredibly important for women. That might not mean anything to you yet, but it becomes more important as we age.
You beat me too it. My 80 year old mother is skinny, active, and generally healthy, but wishes she'd started strength training decades earlier.
On the plus side for me, she gave me her snow shoes because she was worried about falling in them.
I should be snow shoeing for the first time this winter tomorrow, woo hoo!2 -
Once you find the right exercise for you, it's just plain fun. And there are a million exercises out there to try, not just gym machine things, but stuff like tap dance, bicycling, roller skating, tennis, martial arts, swimming, kayaking and many many more. One (or more) will be so fun for you that you'd do it even if it weren't healthy. Try things until you find it!
Also: The stronger and fitter I get, the fewer aches and pains I have (back troubles, etc.), and the easier/less exhausting home maintenance chores get. I can do things by myself that would've required extra help (like getting a 70+ pound boxed unassembled desk from car to house & up a full flight of steps by myself . . . and I'm a li'l ol' lady (62)!).
I want to reinforce the "aging" thing: Like I said, I'm 62. I have - of course - lots of friends my age, and plus/minus 10 years or so. Some are athletes (mostly rowers). Some are very sedentary and inactive (mostly artists and craftspeople). I value them all in my life.
But, across the board, the inactive ones have more diseases and conditions (diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, even cancer); get sick more often and stay sick longer (routine infections and viruses); need more surgeries, have more complications from them, recover slower; need to take more prescription drugs, which often have negative side effects and bad interactions; have more sleep problems (night pain, restless leg syndrome, apnea).
Furthermore, the inactive ones need more help from children and family members with routine household chores (yard work, seasonal cleaning, flipping the mattress, moving furniture, etc.). They spend more money on doctors and drugs. They have much more limited, and often more expensive, choices in clothes, because a large fraction of them are very obese.
The inactive people are more restricted in what they can do for fun, because they can't walk very far or stay on their feet very long. With my rowing buddies, I've gone to art fairs, big quilt show, jazz and folk festivals, hockey games, maker fair, and more. My inactive friends don't want to do those things - too much walking, standing, stairs.
As a result, the inactive people spend more time sick, in pain, and even depressed. They could still improve things . . . but they believe it's impossible "at our age", so they don't try.
That is not the future you'd want for yourself, I'd guess. Now is the time to start building a better one, so your future self can be happy and healthy.
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echastee92 wrote: »I need some motivation because my calorie goal is already as low as it gets. If I exercise, I technically should just be eating more, but then it makes exercise feel pointless. I need to get out of this mindset so I thought maybe some of you educated exercise folks could hit me with some good ol facts to help me see the point in exercise! I know it has benefits and it's good for you but can someone help me understand how it's going to help aid in my weight loss? I keep talking myself out of it. I've been doing a real good job without it I just wonder how much better I could be doing with it...
I don't love exercise. It is kind of like brushing my teeth. It feels better in the long run to the alternative.
I do it because it is more fun to eat 1400 calories than 1200.
It helps me manage stress.
If I exercise my family is encouraged to be more active too.
The idea of walking 1.5 miles to walk to an appointment would have been really tough for me before but now it is normal. I like that it is normal to walk a couple of miles every day.
Stronger, more flexible, better balance are nice perks of moving more.
I tend to be more productive if I am sitting less.2 -
I'd kill people if I didn't exercise. It's a major stress reliever for me and brings balance to my life. I also love to see how strong I can get, how fast or far I can run, how many pull ups I can do and I love how my body looks in and out of clothes (massively narcissistic but never mind)
It is part of my life, it is a habit and I honestly don't know what to do with an evening without an hour doing something.
I have plenty of variety in my regieme. I have an hour with a PT. Play netball once a week, run once or twice a week, yoga at home once a week and 3 CrossFit sessions (fitness addict) plus walking the dog twice a day.
Once you find something you love exercise is easy and there doesn't need to be a greater purpose other than it generally enhances your life.1 -
xsmilexforxmex wrote: »This is what exercise can help with.
OMG! This is so my goal. Do you mind if I PM you and ask for some pointers on recomp?0 -
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