Restricting diet and no excercise

Strengthcamp001

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 ?

CarvedTones

You are likely to live a longer and healthier life if you are in good physical conditions. It's odds, not guarantees.

GottaBurnEmAll

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.

kathleennf

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.

joinn68

'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 shocking

xmarye

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.

kgeyser

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.

kimny72

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.

kshama2001

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

OldAssDude

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.

Gisel2015

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...

GaleHawkins

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.

CarvedTones

Gisel2015 wrote: »

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.

jemhh

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.

Francl27

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.

AnnPT77

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.

KungfuPandin

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.

maureenkhilde

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).

ShayCarver89

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.

NorthCascades

jemhh wrote: »

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.

Tic78

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.