Restricting diet and no excercise
Strengthcamp001
Posts: 18 Member
I see so many people (specially young women) restrict their diet to maintain thier body weight but they never exercise , even some of them haven't even set foot in a gym their whole life ... any long term negative health effects of doing this ?
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Replies
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You are likely to live a longer and healthier life if you are in good physical conditions. It's odds, not guarantees.9
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Exercise has a lot of positive benefits, and for optimum health, I personally believe everyone who is able should exercise. However, not everyone is able.
Furthermore, you don't need to exercise to maintain a healthy weight, make wise dietary choices, and live a life that's not sedentary. Regimented exercise isn't necessary to be active in other ways.18 -
Tell them to Google "skinny fat" - that's how they will end up, which is not even visually appealing, especially without clothes.
There are also MANY health benefits to exercise- even just walking a bit or moving around a bit. Exercise is associated with lower risk of heart disease and stroke, cancer, Alzheimer's and many other things. But GottaBurn is right that it doesn't have to be in a gym.14 -
'even some of them haven't even set foot in a gym their whole life'
Maybe they have very active lifestyles and don't need to "exercise". Unless you are a gym owner, the fact that people exercise outside of a gym shouldn't be shocking21 -
I like to think... what you don't use you lose!
About 6 months ago my mobility had gone so bad, I had trouble sitting down and getting up, and getting up the stairs was a huge deal everytime. I climbed slowly one stair at a time and it was very painful.
I worked hard and consistently, but most of all, very progressively. I can now squat completely, and I even run up the stairs. I actually make it a point to run up the stairs every single time because I don't take that for granted anymore. I still struggle with high impact activities, but I focus on doing what I can to keep maintaining what I've got, and hopefully improve slowly along the way.15 -
I think exercise is a good thing. That being said, not everyone likes the "traditional" idea of exercise - that does not mean they are not getting the recommended activity level each day, nor does it mean that they do not incorporate cardio or resistance training into their day through those activities.kathleennf wrote: »Tell them to Google "skinny fat" - that's how they will end up, which is not even visually appealing, especially without clothes.
I do not think labeling anyone's body type as "not even visually appealing" is okay. It may not be your aesthetic, but there is no reason to tell someone else their body is unattractive.38 -
Strengthcamp001 wrote: »I see so many people (specially young women) restrict their diet to maintain thier body weight but they never exercise , even some of them haven't even set foot in a gym their whole life ... any long term negative health effects of doing this ?
You don't need to do structured exercise to exercise. Brisk walking, running around the backyard with your kids, having a physical job. I've never been in a gym, but I do home workouts. No one I work with and most of my friends wouldn't know I take a brisk walk every morning and do DVD/YT workouts several times a week.
Being inactive certainly has health disadvantages. But you don't have to go to the gym to be active.13 -
My mom has always been extremely active, but her osteoporosis doctor wishes she'd started strength training decades ago.
While it's true you don't need a gym membership for strength training, it does make it more convenient than having to buy and store weights at home.
I was trying to get by with just small weights and bodyweight, but I'm really glad I finally sprang for heavier dumb bells. My UPS driver hates me now though
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Strengthcamp001 wrote: »I see so many people (specially young women) restrict their diet to maintain thier body weight but they never exercise , even some of them haven't even set foot in a gym their whole life ... any long term negative health effects of doing this ?
Hmmm. Lets see... negative health effects of no exercise at all...
increased risk of heart attack, stroke, cancer, mental disorders, mobility issues, problems with joints, bones, muscles. Just off the top of my head.
But hey... at least they will be the right weight.
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kathleennf wrote: »Tell them to Google "skinny fat" - that's how they will end up, which is not even visually appealing, especially without clothes.
There are also MANY health benefits to exercise- even just walking a bit or moving around a bit. Exercise is associated with lower risk of heart disease and stroke, cancer, Alzheimer's and many other things. But GottaBurn is right that it doesn't have to be in a gym.
That was NOT a nice comment. Visually appealing, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder...15 -
Strengthcamp001 wrote: »I see so many people (specially young women) restrict their diet to maintain thier body weight but they never exercise , even some of them haven't even set foot in a gym their whole life ... any long term negative health effects of doing this ?
One does not have to step foot in a gym to exercise. I saw a local UPS guy at McDonald's that recently retired that had gained 50 pounds. He have been eating back his old daily workout calories.
I am more active has my health continues to return over the past 4 years but I still walk a quarter of a mile about 360 times a year.
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kathleennf wrote: »Tell them to Google "skinny fat" - that's how they will end up, which is not even visually appealing, especially without clothes.
There are also MANY health benefits to exercise- even just walking a bit or moving around a bit. Exercise is associated with lower risk of heart disease and stroke, cancer, Alzheimer's and many other things. But GottaBurn is right that it doesn't have to be in a gym.
That was NOT a nice comment. Visually appealing, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder...
I agree with you. The poster brought up a valid point about the condition being a concern, but for the wrong reason. The right reason is that "skinny fat" means that the BF% is still at an unhealthy level, so the person lost the weight but isn't getting all of the health benefits expected from getting to normal weight.8 -
Not needing to go to the gym in order to be active has already been covered. I just want to touch on people choosing to be completely inactive simply because they don't like exercise/activity or they're busy watching TV or knitting or what have you.
In the past few years, I've seen an increasing number of people in my life suffer for their inactivity and lack of resistance training. These are generally older friends/relatives who are increasingly "creaky", inflexible, having trouble getting around, being diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis, have spouses who require minimal levels of physical assistance which they are too weak to provide, etc. Now, I am not bashing these folks. For a long time, all of these issues have been ascribed to "getting older." But there is now enough research and enough anecdotal evidence to show that aging doesn't have to come with years--decades!--of frailty and incapacity. Can we always 100% avoid it? Obviously not. But I really urge everybody to not take what their bodies can do for granted. I fear that this may be one of those things that people brush off until it affects them but it's become a soapbox issue for me.8 -
A lot of people are also naturally active. You don't have to go to the gym or purposely exercise to be healthy and fit.7
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Strengthcamp001 wrote: »I see so many people (specially young women) restrict their diet to maintain thier body weight but they never exercise , even some of them haven't even set foot in a gym their whole life ... any long term negative health effects of doing this ?
Sure. I'm 62 and female, and I see the long-term results of inactivity in women around me, my age and older. Muscle mass tends to decrease with age and inactivity. Low muscle mass has lots of consequences, one of which is slightly lower TDEE, so keeping weight off gets gradually harder. Low activity level correlates with higher risk of osteoporosis, which correlates with shortened lifespan (and more unpleasantness along the way to that mortality). Straight women tend to live longer than their male partners, and those with very limited physical strength have fewer options about how and where to live, need to hire more services done (or rely on family and friends) rather than being able to do lots of things themselves. Heart disease of various types is common among older women, and more likely among those with lesser cardiovascular fitness. People with poor fitness and body composition tend to have more body aches and pains more often due to imbalances and stresses on their bodies. I could go on and on.
But you know what's worse? Overweight or obese plus inactive. At least the people whose behavior you question are keeping their body weight down.
And you said nothing about nutrition, and sensible eating/drinking generally, which also has long-term health consequences. I know some people who've stayed moderately active, maybe even kept weight down, but don't get proper nutrition (usually too few veggies/fruits for good micros and fiber, large fraction of calories from carby/fatty highly processed foods, sometimes insufficient protein especially among women, too many calories from alcohol, etc.) . That also has long-term health consequences.
It's all important.
Proper calories for weight management + adequate macros/micros/fiber for nutrition + regular exercise (ideally strenght + cardio) for fitness = best odds of long term good health.8 -
I used to have a gym membership and then my interests in exercise changed. Its certainly where I started nut not wgere I ended up. I really enjoy martial arts and exercising outdoors. It's where I really feel better in my mental space. I have young kids and I'm time poor. I have to exercise when ever I get the chance. I grew a love for martal arts, running, rowing and cycling and kettle bells for resistance training... all without a gym.4
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Well I am going to play devils advocate here. How could the OP possibly know that the young women never exercised or went to the gym? I know the statement is they kept to body weight by a restrictive diet. But maybe they in-lined skated, or were into martial arts, or did barn duty, or did some type of volunteer work that was physically demanding? Millions of people are active and healthy who have never stepped inside any type of gym on a regular basis.
I agree the best of all worlds is eating healthy, being a healthy weight and being active in some type of physically fit type of activity. I am now getting back to really being active more on cardio side as I am working on losing weight. And yes strength training via PT soon. But sometimes some of us have to delay or stop entirely due to injury or other issues.
My real left field comment, is we as a civilization keep coming up with more and more ways for people to walk less, move less. Think of the moving walk ways in airports, escalators everywhere. And now all the battery or electric operated standup scooters popping up in large cities (number of them in the USA).
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I have a glass spine. Literally..I rolled over in bed one night and gave myself 2 herniated discs. I cannot lift anything heavier than 10 pounds. I'm not allowed to bend, or twist. The cushioning between my spine vertebra is gone, and I can literally feel my bones grinding together. It hurts me to sit. It hurts me to stand. It hurts me to lay. It hurts me to walk. I don't feel an OUNCE of guilt over eating a calorie restricted diet and not exercising. Mind your own business there, high horse.25
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Not needing to go to the gym in order to be active has already been covered. I just want to touch on people choosing to be completely inactive simply because they don't like exercise/activity or they're busy watching TV or knitting or what have you.
In the past few years, I've seen an increasing number of people in my life suffer for their inactivity and lack of resistance training. These are generally older friends/relatives who are increasingly "creaky", inflexible, having trouble getting around, being diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis, have spouses who require minimal levels of physical assistance which they are too weak to provide, etc. Now, I am not bashing these folks. For a long time, all of these issues have been ascribed to "getting older." But there is now enough research and enough anecdotal evidence to show that aging doesn't have to come with years--decades!--of frailty and incapacity. Can we always 100% avoid it? Obviously not. But I really urge everybody to not take what their bodies can do for granted. I fear that this may be one of those things that people brush off until it affects them but it's become a soapbox issue for me.
You and @AnnPT77 and a few others have been beating this drum since before I got here. You make a good enough case that I've been doing more and different kinds of exercise to help me age well. And I've repeated it to friends in the offline world. I hope you know your doing good.8 -
I like to work out in the gym in the mornings. The gym I go to has a lot of retired oap members (here in the uk the councils make gym membership for the older generation very cheap and it used to be completely free) anyway as a young ish guy it has completely opened my eyes.
2 stand outs for me is one man mid 80s he was apparently a boxer in his younger years, he lifts heavy weights and does all sorts of exercises where he’s up and down off the floor, sit ups, press ups no problem. There is absolutely no stopping him and his agility is outstanding.
The other guy is almost 90. He never lifts weights but his passion is running. He regularly races in 5 and 10ks. Again his work ethic on the treadmill and cross trainer is seriously impressive so are the monthly medals he picks up. While running isn’t my thing I can’t help but be impressed with his determination and agility.
This is just 2 examples. I see a lot of people both male and female who are as fit as a fiddle, who could prob out cardio me despite me being under half their age.
That’s from long term exercise. I hope I’m as fit when I get there and I believe that excercise and understanding about nutrition and calorie counting will help me get there.
Like the others I believe you can excercise wherever you want. I just personally prefer the gym as my main form of excercise is weight lifting.6 -
Ive never set foot in a gym, im 50 and have the physique of a bodybuilder, my weight is up n down , i diet, to keep active i walk, i dont run my knee wont allow it now.
My job is driving a lot, i shouldnt look like i do, work that one out ! 11 -
holycrosser wrote: »Ive never set foot in a gym, im 50 and have the physique of a bodybuilder, my weight is up n down , i diet, to keep active i walk, i dont run my knee wont allow it now.
My job is driving a lot, i shouldnt look like i do, work that one out !
That is called "genetics".4 -
Being inactive has negative effects on health. Being obese and inactive has even more negative effects on health. I would encourage people to be active (not necessarily gym, I haven't used a gym since I was a teen), but I wouldn't criticize their attempts to stay at a stable healthy weight regardless of their activity. What I often see is the opposite, though. It's currently trendy to be fit and "diet" is a taboo word.4
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I have 2 herniated discs, spinal stenosis (from MRI) as well as undifferentiated spondylitis. In other words, my back is jacked up. I see this as a reason to exercise, rather than a reason not to. I can carefully strengthen muscles in my lower back to give me more support and experience far less pain. I know a few people around my age (2 months from 60) who see conditions like this as signs of getting old and a reason not to exercise, which I believe hastens their decline.
I cannot make a sweeping generalization about people with a similar diagnosis. I am a stoic and I am willing to "bite the stick" sometimes to turn the corner, getting strong enough to take some pressure off the spine. Losing a lot of weight also helped. Some people have worse pain and/or are unable or unwilling to push through it. The doctor told me it was okay to do that as long as I was reasonable about it; there is no magic PT that will improve it without some pain. There is going to be some grinding; I just have to use the machines and do the exercises that minimize it. SUP paddling helped tremendously.6 -
Look, sometimes you can only make one big change at a time. And tbh if you’re going to try to fix a problematic lifestyle diet isn’t a bad place to start. I know exercise is great but trying to get ahold of my (very out of control) eating was probably the best place to start.
Aside from that, physical injuries make trying to understand what exercises you can do a challenge. And being obese made these things harder for me. Not impossible mind you, but yes it’s harder. Trying to exercise often left me with another injury so I wasn’t getting great reinforcement. These came from systemic issues that probably wouldn’t have been that bad had I never been obese, and taking weight off of my joints through diet makes it safer now. Not totally safe, but safer.
I think I’ve even seen it recommended here before sometimes to lose weight before throwing yourself into trying to be fit to prevent injury. I don’t think it’s always bad advice. Especially if you’ve come from a very sedentary lifestyle (like me).
One thing I really don’t see discussed here is how overwhelming learning new things like how to eat and exercise can be when you’ve never done it before. It takes skills with planning, foresight, energy, sometimes math, sifting through a lot of misinformation and trying to figure out a) what’s true and b) what actually applies to you. Even if you’re very intelligent in other areas, this can feel overwhelming. Food and lifestyle can also be very personal, emotional, and a real sore spot for those of us who have ‘dropped the ball’ or never really had it to begin with.
If you can start with one thing & it’s effective, it’s not a bad thing. It’s a start. A diet change is a good start. Complaining that it’s not enough to be perfectly healthy is a recipe for overwhelm and giving up, imo.8 -
Often, our goals aren't things that actually serve us and our health. We can have the tendency to control something that gives us quick visual changes but won't help us be better or more capable people in the long run.
We have to do the hard things to learn, challenge ourselves, and grow. The obsession with constantly becoming or maintaining smallness as an end to itself is problematic when you think of the fact that the human body is amazingly good at coping and we should do things to encourage our bodies to remain healthy in that interesting state of flux as we grow and age.
Specifically, I'm talking about developing muscle mass as you grow older to help with independence and capability (there are a few articles out there talking about how we should prioritize that more), which...you can only do through weight training (even if it's body weight stuff) and eating enough to sustain that development.1 -
elizabethmcopeland wrote: »Often, our goals aren't things that actually serve us and our health. We can have the tendency to control something that gives us quick visual changes but won't help us be better or more capable people in the long run.
We have to do the hard things to learn, challenge ourselves, and grow. The obsession with constantly becoming or maintaining smallness as an end to itself is problematic when you think of the fact that the human body is amazingly good at coping and we should do things to encourage our bodies to remain healthy in that interesting state of flux as we grow and age.
Specifically, I'm talking about developing muscle mass as you grow older to help with independence and capability (there are a few articles out there talking about how we should prioritize that more), which...you can only do through weight training (even if it's body weight stuff) and eating enough to sustain that development.
The bolded is not strictly true. Weight training is the most efficient and effective way, but it's not the only way. Anything that taxes your muscles enough to make them stronger can add strength and muscle. Weight training is fastest and has more ability to take you to your genetic maximum potential, but it's not the only route to functional strength.
Among the most capable and independent older women I've known were old-school farmers. They never lifted a weight, but they worked
I have a few nice li'l ol' lady muscles myself, just from rowing . . . rowing really, really a lot. (I'd have more if I enjoyed lifting, lazy hedonist that I am.)8 -
It’s a personal choice. People like my 82 y.o. dad have never “exercised” but are in great shape because they naturally move during the day. He doesn’t understand why someone would want to “waste all that good energy at a gym” because he can mow the lawn and do chores with it instead. One size doesn’t fit all.13
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holycrosser wrote: »Ive never set foot in a gym, im 50 and have the physique of a bodybuilder, my weight is up n down , i diet, to keep active i walk, i dont run my knee wont allow it now.
My job is driving a lot, i shouldnt look like i do, work that one out !
Any pics of this "bodybuilder physique"? I'm curious as to what this type of physique looks like to you.8 -
Among the most capable and independent older women I've known were old-school farmers. They never lifted a weight, but they worked
YES MA'AM! I wasn't thinking about the fullness of my terms used, and you're completely right. "Work" is a significantly better word capturing what I intended when I said "weight training." Move things, do things. 5
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