Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

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Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby La » Fri Nov 18, 2016 3:11 pm

I can just hear the "yeah, buts" coming... :lol:
https://tonic.vice.com/en_us/article/ru ... to-get-fit

From a physiologic perspective I don't know enough to disagree with this, so I'll have to trust the experts (though given how much I've been injured lately, I'd have to agree).

However, from my own personal experience I will say that the "best" exercise is the one you'll do regularly. You really have to drag me kicking and screaming into a gym to do strength work because I just don't like it. Whereas I don't (usually) need much encouragement to go for a run or a bike ride.

YMMV.
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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby ian » Fri Nov 18, 2016 5:45 pm

FWIW, I probably wouldn't suggest running to someone looking to get fit. Although hyperbolic at times, many of the arguments in the article have some truth: new runners are particularly prone to injuries, running doesn't do much to strengthen most muscle groups, and an unfit person probably won't be able to do enough running to accumulate a lot of cardio benefits. You've got to like running enough to enjoy it for its own sake, in which case you'll have some patience to watch its benefits build up over time. That said, it doesn't have to be "only running" or "never running" either.

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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby Dstew » Sat Nov 19, 2016 2:31 am

Then there is the Denmark study that showed slower and low dose joggers had the lowest mortality rates.

I personally believe that we are truly an experiment of one. That for some, running is the perfect way to achieve a life of health and fitness. And from my own experience, things can change as we age and the equation can change with that. So maybe instead of running 4 times a week, one cycles three times a week and runs when they can. Moderate weights are replaced with heavier. Etc.

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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby IronColl » Sun Nov 20, 2016 2:10 pm

I agree with the article. Everyone has a different definition of what being fit is. Running makes you a better runner.

I like this as a definition of fit: "And as we all know, a strong body is the number one way to prevent injuries, increase metabolism, burn fat, and stay mobile and functional in old age". Strength training does this.

I also love the suggestion of higher intensity running with short rests.
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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby La » Mon Nov 21, 2016 8:14 am

IronColl wrote:Everyone has a different definition of what being fit is.

Exactly. Many people simply equate "fit" with "thin" (or the absence of unwanted fat).

As I get older (and see my mother ageing, too) my definition of "fit" has changed. When I was nearly incapacitated for 11 days after running Chicago (couldn't sit down or stand up without holding onto something due to extreme quad pain/weakness), it gave me a scary glimpse into the challenges that older people face. If you can't get up without assistance (whether from a chair, the toilet, or the floor if you happen to fall), your quality (and likely quantity) of life goes way down.
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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby Robinandamelia » Mon Nov 21, 2016 9:27 am

Well for me, I was heavier, smoked 2 1/2 packs of cigarettes a day for over 20 years and was very unfit....I started running in 2008, I'm in the best physical shape I've ever been in. I'm amazed what my body can do at almost 52 years old. Thankfully, I've never had an injury (touch wood) that has put me out of running more than a day or so. I for one, think the high intensity running for a lot of people, is what causes a lot of the injuries. Perhaps with more rest it would be ok. I don't know, because I don't do it. I think it's ultimately what works for each person...If something isn't working, change it....

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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby Jwolf » Mon Nov 21, 2016 1:31 pm

La wrote:However, from my own personal experience I will say that the "best" exercise is the one you'll do regularly. You really have to drag me kicking and screaming into a gym to do strength work because I just don't like it. Whereas I don't (usually) need much encouragement to go for a run or a bike ride.


Truth.

Running is the only activity that I stick to with consistency, so call it what you want-- running makes me fitter than not running.

Although I was a gym-goer and participated in group-fitness activities for years before I started running, it was always on-again off-again and I never had very good fitness. With running I can see more tangible improvements, so it motivates me to stick with it. In that way, it's the best way to get fit for me.

Would I be more fit if I regularly cross-trained and did strength training? Yes, but for me it's not the best way to get fit because I have trouble sticking with it.
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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby La » Tue Nov 22, 2016 7:25 pm

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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby IronColl » Thu Nov 24, 2016 12:08 pm

Doing one type of exercise will make you more fit at that exercise and provide other limitations. There are more aspects to fitness beyond cardiovascular and doing things like strength training and stretching with cardiovascular activity makes you fitter overall. Of course you are fitter doing something rather than nothing.

La wrote:
As I get older (and see my mother ageing, too) my definition of "fit" has changed. When I was nearly incapacitated for 11 days after running Chicago (couldn't sit down or stand up without holding onto something due to extreme quad pain/weakness), it gave me a scary glimpse into the challenges that older people face. If you can't get up without assistance (whether from a chair, the toilet, or the floor if you happen to fall), your quality (and likely quantity) of life goes way down.


Exactly. And why I think it is important to a variety of activities for overall health.

I'm not going to suggest that someone who can finish a marathon isn't fit, because obviously they have fitness, but they may have reduced flexibility or core strength. There are many fitness tests out there and it is not unheard of to be "excellent" in one thing and "poor" in another.
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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby Dstew » Thu Nov 24, 2016 11:24 pm

IronColl wrote:Doing one type of exercise will make you more fit at that exercise and provide other limitations. There are more aspects to fitness beyond cardiovascular and doing things like strength training and stretching with cardiovascular activity makes you fitter overall. Of course you are fitter doing something rather than nothing.

La wrote:
As I get older (and see my mother ageing, too) my definition of "fit" has changed. When I was nearly incapacitated for 11 days after running Chicago (couldn't sit down or stand up without holding onto something due to extreme quad pain/weakness), it gave me a scary glimpse into the challenges that older people face. If you can't get up without assistance (whether from a chair, the toilet, or the floor if you happen to fall), your quality (and likely quantity) of life goes way down.


Exactly. And why I think it is important to a variety of activities for overall health.

I'm not going to suggest that someone who can finish a marathon isn't fit, because obviously they have fitness, but they may have reduced flexibility or core strength. There are many fitness tests out there and it is not unheard of to be "excellent" in one thing and "poor" in another.


To add to La's list, having to sleep in a recliner because laying in a bed was too painful and I could not get up. This was from an extreme running injury but it was a running caused compression fracture in lower back with out of control inflammation. There was the rebuttal argument made but if you have a race, if you want to set personal bests or reach whatever arbitrary performance objective, runners do not stop, do not rest, do not recover as a rule but instead power through it as evidenced by running mantras: pain is temporary, pride is forever; pain is mandatory, suffering is optional, etc, etc. So they eventually get hurt, come to their senses but then running insanity over comes them. A sensible approach makes them stronger and they regain speed and endurance. And if you have these things, then way not go a half marathon, a full marathon, a triathalon, a [fill in the blank]. Other runners support, encourage and one can argue enable this. I am infected as I have convinced myself I can run at least one more marathon because I have found the secret to doing so this time without hurting myself. My rational mind does not understand or appreciate the need, the desire to "run" but it attempting to figure out a way to reduce, minimize or even eliminate the damage I do to myself. Such as cycling three times a week - that lack of pounding is wonderful. Weights two to three times a week. Walking, some elliptical, stepper and when the snow files, a spinner bike. And the very odd run even if it may be run to a coffee shop, stop and then walk/ jog back.

So there are people who should not be running or at least training for a race, etc. And in that, the original article is correct. But there are those, some part of this on line community that can run as much as they want to and without the hint of an injury. It would be silly if not foolish to tell them to change. If it is not broke do not fix it. But to circle back, there has to be a time when the insanity ends and that is when someone cannot say they have gone, six months, for example without a running injury. For them, maybe a gentle suggestion that a nice jog or a run without no race or goal may be better.

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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby La » Thu Dec 01, 2016 11:40 am

IronColl wrote:Doing one type of exercise will make you more fit at that exercise and provide other limitations. There are more aspects to fitness beyond cardiovascular and doing things like strength training and stretching with cardiovascular activity makes you fitter overall. Of course you are fitter doing something rather than nothing.

La wrote:
As I get older (and see my mother ageing, too) my definition of "fit" has changed. When I was nearly incapacitated for 11 days after running Chicago (couldn't sit down or stand up without holding onto something due to extreme quad pain/weakness), it gave me a scary glimpse into the challenges that older people face. If you can't get up without assistance (whether from a chair, the toilet, or the floor if you happen to fall), your quality (and likely quantity) of life goes way down.


Exactly. And why I think it is important to a variety of activities for overall health.

I'm not going to suggest that someone who can finish a marathon isn't fit, because obviously they have fitness, but they may have reduced flexibility or core strength. There are many fitness tests out there and it is not unheard of to be "excellent" in one thing and "poor" in another.

Here's another article written as a rebuttal to the initial article. One of the things he talks about is how to define "fit."
If I had to pick one way to measure fitness, I'd use METs, short for metabolic equivalent of task. One MET is the level of exertion required to sit in a chair and do pretty much nothing. The harder something is, the higher your fitness level needs to be to pull it off. And the higher your fitness level is, the farther you are from death or disability. The ability to complete a five-MET task—to walk a mile in 15 minutes, for example—is considered the edge of the cliff for mortality risk. Below that, you're screwed.

This is the important part:

Each 1 MET improvement above 5 lowers your risk of dying of any cause by 12 percent. The benefit tops off at 10 METs. Go beyond that and you're just showing off. (Fun fact: A 22-year-old cross-country skier reached 26 METs, the highest ever recorded.)

So, with apologies to you for going into the weeds of exercise science (and with apologies to exercise scientists for pretending the basic crap I just explained is "the weeds"), I want to make sure you understand how I define fitness: getting the f*** away from death.

https://tonic.vice.com/en_us/article/in ... of-running
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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby La » Thu Dec 01, 2016 11:43 am

Dstew wrote:So there are people who should not be running or at least training for a race, etc. And in that, the original article is correct. But there are those, some part of this on line community that can run as much as they want to and without the hint of an injury. It would be silly if not foolish to tell them to change. If it is not broke do not fix it. But to circle back, there has to be a time when the insanity ends and that is when someone cannot say they have gone, six months, for example without a running injury. For them, maybe a gentle suggestion that a nice jog or a run without no race or goal may be better.

I think the traditional thinking is that if "exercise makes you fit" then "exercising more makes you more fit.. But that's clearly wrong thinking. Besides the limitation on returns, there's also a point where doing more will leave you broken (and ultimately less fit).
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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby jonovision_man » Fri Dec 02, 2016 9:43 am

If you don't like strength training and fall off the wagon, you won't get very fit.

That's what I found... strength training in small doses I can do, but man is it boring. I would rather spend my time out in the world running or biking than in a gym or basement grunting.

Whatever you can actually stick to is best IMO. Hard enough for people to get going (and keep going) without being so specific about what they should do...

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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby deerdree » Fri Dec 02, 2016 11:36 am

doing whatever you can stick to sounds like a cop out to me. am i the only one who eats certain vegetables because they're good for me? i'd enjoy 150 calories of ice cream much, much more than a plate of vegetables, but i know that eating veggies is good for my health.

sure, i can say, "well, i'm a lot healthier eating 150 calories of ice cream than back in the day when i was eating a pint of ben & jerry's every night!". but that's hardly a good argument against people who are trying to argue for balance.

i don't know - i didn't like the tone of the original article, but to me the importance of incorporating strength training is almost a no-brainer if you read the evidence. especially as we age. brush your teeth, wear sunscreen, do some push-ups. i'm not getting the pushback.

eta: for anyone who will be upset that i equated running with ice cream, replace it with pizza. at least pizza has nutritional value - just as running has value! it just shouldn't be your whole diet...

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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby ian » Fri Dec 02, 2016 11:51 am

deerdree wrote:i don't know - i didn't like the tone of the original article, but to me the importance of incorporating strength training is almost a no-brainer if you read the evidence. especially as we age. brush your teeth, wear sunscreen, do some push-ups. i'm not getting the pushback.

Actually, I think you answered your question: the tone of the article created much of the pushback. It's really difficult for us to separate our impressions about someone from our judgement about what that someone is saying. Politics is another example of this: we establish personal opinions about certain people, which then biases our reaction to everything they say and do in the future.

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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby jonovision_man » Fri Dec 02, 2016 12:00 pm

deerdree wrote:doing whatever you can stick to sounds like a cop out to me. am i the only one who eats certain vegetables because they're good for me? i'd enjoy 150 calories of ice cream much, much more than a plate of vegetables, but i know that eating veggies is good for my health.

sure, i can say, "well, i'm a lot healthier eating 150 calories of ice cream than back in the day when i was eating a pint of ben & jerry's every night!". but that's hardly a good argument against people who are trying to argue for balance.

i don't know - i didn't like the tone of the original article, but to me the importance of incorporating strength training is almost a no-brainer if you read the evidence. especially as we age. brush your teeth, wear sunscreen, do some push-ups. i'm not getting the pushback.

eta: for anyone who will be upset that i equated running with ice cream, replace it with pizza. at least pizza has nutritional value - just as running has value! it just shouldn't be your whole diet...


1) Roughly 20% of Canadians are considered active, so no, "doing whatever you can stick to" isn't a cop out - it's really good advice. 80% of Canadians are sticking to sitting on the couch.

2) Pizza vs Veggies is not an apt comparison, it's more like peas vs broccoli - both good for you, if you pick one and not the other as part of your veggie diet then you're going to be ahead, certainly healthier than someone who chooses pizza (ie. 80% of Canadians).

If you're the outlier who can stick to a strength training plan even if you don't enjoy it, fill your boots and target that "optimal" fitness. But that's not the reality for most people.

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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby IronColl » Fri Dec 02, 2016 12:02 pm

La wrote:Here's another article written as a rebuttal to the initial article. One of the things he talks about is how to define "fit."
If I had to pick one way to measure fitness, I'd use METs, short for metabolic equivalent of task. One MET is the level of exertion required to sit in a chair and do pretty much nothing. The harder something is, the higher your fitness level needs to be to pull it off. And the higher your fitness level is, the farther you are from death or disability. The ability to complete a five-MET task—to walk a mile in 15 minutes, for example—is considered the edge of the cliff for mortality risk. Below that, you're screwed.

This is the important part:

Each 1 MET improvement above 5 lowers your risk of dying of any cause by 12 percent. The benefit tops off at 10 METs. Go beyond that and you're just showing off. (Fun fact: A 22-year-old cross-country skier reached 26 METs, the highest ever recorded.)

So, with apologies to you for going into the weeds of exercise science (and with apologies to exercise scientists for pretending the basic crap I just explained is "the weeds"), I want to make sure you understand how I define fitness: getting the f*** away from death.

https://tonic.vice.com/en_us/article/in ... of-running


He doesn't define fit. He gives the definition of what he thinks it should be defined as.

deerdree wrote:doing whatever you can stick to sounds like a cop out to me. am i the only one who eats certain vegetables because they're good for me? i'd enjoy 150 calories of ice cream much, much more than a plate of vegetables, but i know that eating veggies is good for my health.

eta: for anyone who will be upset that i equated running with ice cream, replace it with pizza. at least pizza has nutritional value - just as running has value! it just shouldn't be your whole diet...


Have you seen my smoothies? It's because they are good for me that they are 80% vegetables.

And I agree about the cop out you allude to. It's not about "feeling" fit, it's about being fit. Like I said above cardiovascular fitness is one component. There are days where I feel tall, but am I actually tall?
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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby deerdree » Fri Dec 02, 2016 12:32 pm

jonovision_man wrote:
deerdree wrote:doing whatever you can stick to sounds like a cop out to me. am i the only one who eats certain vegetables because they're good for me? i'd enjoy 150 calories of ice cream much, much more than a plate of vegetables, but i know that eating veggies is good for my health.

sure, i can say, "well, i'm a lot healthier eating 150 calories of ice cream than back in the day when i was eating a pint of ben & jerry's every night!". but that's hardly a good argument against people who are trying to argue for balance.

i don't know - i didn't like the tone of the original article, but to me the importance of incorporating strength training is almost a no-brainer if you read the evidence. especially as we age. brush your teeth, wear sunscreen, do some push-ups. i'm not getting the pushback.

eta: for anyone who will be upset that i equated running with ice cream, replace it with pizza. at least pizza has nutritional value - just as running has value! it just shouldn't be your whole diet...


1) Roughly 20% of Canadians are considered active, so no, "doing whatever you can stick to" isn't a cop out - it's really good advice. 80% of Canadians are sticking to sitting on the couch.

i just don't think i agree. i understand the concept. it's sort of like efficacy versus effectiveness in health research. efficacy studies the benefits of an intervention in an "ideal world" scenario - if people were willing to follow the intervention, as prescribed, what would the benefits be? effectiveness looks at the real-world setting. it doesn't matter how well the cream helps the rash if it smells like sulphur and no one is willing to put it on their skin. but i think it behooves us to present the best possible evidence and let people make informed decisions. to me, the evidence says that if you want to get fit**, you should start with strength training and small doses of high-intensity cardio. saying "i don't like it" doesn't make that less true. but maybe we can make the cream smell like roses and maybe you can do your push-ups in the park under a tree instead of at the gym.

we've seen similar debates about physical activity guidelines in general. set it too high and people will find it daunting and not even try. but set it too low and you have a bunch of people thinking they're going to live forever because they walked briskly for 150 minutes in a week. what's wrong with saying that X is good but Y is best?

**i think the concept of getting fit versus staying fit has been a bit muddled, both in the original article and our responses.

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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby deerdree » Fri Dec 02, 2016 12:36 pm

Maybe if the author had made the argument that running is not the best, instead of saying it's the worst, it would have been more acceptable?

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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby Dstew » Fri Dec 02, 2016 2:43 pm

deerdree wrote:Maybe if the author had made the argument that running is not the best, instead of saying it's the worst, it would have been more acceptable?


Or even add that is MAY not be the best.

Back in the early 2000s, I had gained a lot of weight and had been melting that off in the gym through weights and the cardio suggested in the article. But I got bored in the summer and I was losing steam around the 15th hole or so in golf. So during the summer, a couple of times a week I would run 5 - 9.5 K. Sometimes a quick jog, sometimes an all out sprint but if I had to guess, most of it was be a nice "tempo" run. I kept the weight off that I had lost in the gym and I was able to finish 18 holes. The 5 - 10 K races started to do in 2002 did not really alter that. Nor did my first marathon for in retrospect, I was grossly under trained and did not even come close to the long runs that the running bible would suggest something needed to do. But as I did more marathons and as I aged, the weights and other activities fell by the wayside. I was running year round but found I would gain weight in the fall and then lose it in the spring as my mileage increased in anticipation of the race season. The problem is nagging injuries became chronic, my intensity and frequency dropped and I was not "healthy" enough to do enough to make up the difference. The final blow was in training to do a trail half marathon, compression fracture in my lower back. With no running and very little of anything aside from the occasional round of golf, I really became unfit and very unhealthy - 20% chance of a heart attack unhealthy. Walking and jogging this spring that transitioned into heavy weights and cycling. I have added back a few pounds but most people have asked if I have lost even more so it is "good" [?] weight.

Talk about coincidence but with the cold and snow, I have started to run again and gained a couple of pounds and felt bloated. I read something about this as when I run, it as if my body thinks I will be doing the brutal long runs I once did and it starts to store up fuel to get me through that. Now have to figure out how to tell my body I am changed person and I vow, pledge not to over do it and so no need to store up fat.

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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby turd ferguson » Fri Dec 02, 2016 4:31 pm

deerdree wrote:doing whatever you can stick to sounds like a cop out to me. am i the only one who eats certain vegetables because they're good for me? i'd enjoy 150 calories of ice cream much, much more than a plate of vegetables, but i know that eating veggies is good for my health.

sure, i can say, "well, i'm a lot healthier eating 150 calories of ice cream than back in the day when i was eating a pint of ben & jerry's every night!". but that's hardly a good argument against people who are trying to argue for balance.

i don't know - i didn't like the tone of the original article, but to me the importance of incorporating strength training is almost a no-brainer if you read the evidence. especially as we age. brush your teeth, wear sunscreen, do some push-ups. i'm not getting the pushback.

eta: for anyone who will be upset that i equated running with ice cream, replace it with pizza. at least pizza has nutritional value - just as running has value! it just shouldn't be your whole diet...


I think you're missing the point.

Ask a scientist what's the best exercise? He or she might say spin.

I don't like spin and I'm not going to do it. I'm going mountain biking instead.

What's the best salad? kale and cardboard. I hate both kale and cardboard, so I'm eating a green salad with a bit ranch dressing.

The point is that its not enough to answer the academic question "what's the best exercise" in isolation. And its worse than that - people get discouraged when scientists tut-tut at them that they're doing something other than what scientists consider the best.

If a person smokes, what should their doctor say? "you must quit smoking. there is no alternative" or "you should try to quit smoking, but that might not be realistic, so try to smoke less". Lots of things are no-brainers if you read the evidence, yet here we are.
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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby deerdree » Fri Dec 02, 2016 6:24 pm

turd ferguson wrote:
deerdree wrote:doing whatever you can stick to sounds like a cop out to me. am i the only one who eats certain vegetables because they're good for me? i'd enjoy 150 calories of ice cream much, much more than a plate of vegetables, but i know that eating veggies is good for my health.

sure, i can say, "well, i'm a lot healthier eating 150 calories of ice cream than back in the day when i was eating a pint of ben & jerry's every night!". but that's hardly a good argument against people who are trying to argue for balance.

i don't know - i didn't like the tone of the original article, but to me the importance of incorporating strength training is almost a no-brainer if you read the evidence. especially as we age. brush your teeth, wear sunscreen, do some push-ups. i'm not getting the pushback.

eta: for anyone who will be upset that i equated running with ice cream, replace it with pizza. at least pizza has nutritional value - just as running has value! it just shouldn't be your whole diet...


I think you're missing the point.

Ask a scientist what's the best exercise? He or she might say spin.

I don't like spin and I'm not going to do it. I'm going mountain biking instead.

What's the best salad? kale and cardboard. I hate both kale and cardboard, so I'm eating a green salad with a bit ranch dressing.

The point is that its not enough to answer the academic question "what's the best exercise" in isolation. And its worse than that - people get discouraged when scientists tut-tut at them that they're doing something other than what scientists consider the best.

If a person smokes, what should their doctor say? "you must quit smoking. there is no alternative" or "you should try to quit smoking, but that might not be realistic, so try to smoke less". Lots of things are no-brainers if you read the evidence, yet here we are.

i understand the difference between what's ideal and what's practical. there's usually a step between evidence and guidelines to stop that 'tut-tut' effect, which is why you'll see fairly low standards in guidelines compared to what the evidence would suggest is ideal. but i still think that we should still be clear about what's ideal (e.g, in your smoking example, the doctor wouldn't tell a patient that smoking less is as good as quitting smoking - i hope).

what i don't get is why folks are willing to do all sorts of things that i imagine they don't find particularly enjoyable for the sake of health, but draw the line at strength training. and why no interest in finding a type of strength training that IS enjoyable?

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turd ferguson
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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby turd ferguson » Fri Dec 02, 2016 7:07 pm

deerdree wrote:
turd ferguson wrote:
deerdree wrote:doing whatever you can stick to sounds like a cop out to me. am i the only one who eats certain vegetables because they're good for me? i'd enjoy 150 calories of ice cream much, much more than a plate of vegetables, but i know that eating veggies is good for my health.

sure, i can say, "well, i'm a lot healthier eating 150 calories of ice cream than back in the day when i was eating a pint of ben & jerry's every night!". but that's hardly a good argument against people who are trying to argue for balance.

i don't know - i didn't like the tone of the original article, but to me the importance of incorporating strength training is almost a no-brainer if you read the evidence. especially as we age. brush your teeth, wear sunscreen, do some push-ups. i'm not getting the pushback.

eta: for anyone who will be upset that i equated running with ice cream, replace it with pizza. at least pizza has nutritional value - just as running has value! it just shouldn't be your whole diet...


I think you're missing the point.

Ask a scientist what's the best exercise? He or she might say spin.

I don't like spin and I'm not going to do it. I'm going mountain biking instead.

What's the best salad? kale and cardboard. I hate both kale and cardboard, so I'm eating a green salad with a bit ranch dressing.

The point is that its not enough to answer the academic question "what's the best exercise" in isolation. And its worse than that - people get discouraged when scientists tut-tut at them that they're doing something other than what scientists consider the best.

If a person smokes, what should their doctor say? "you must quit smoking. there is no alternative" or "you should try to quit smoking, but that might not be realistic, so try to smoke less". Lots of things are no-brainers if you read the evidence, yet here we are.

i understand the difference between what's ideal and what's practical. there's usually a step between evidence and guidelines to stop that 'tut-tut' effect, which is why you'll see fairly low standards in guidelines compared to what the evidence would suggest is ideal. but i still think that we should still be clear about what's ideal (e.g, in your smoking example, the doctor wouldn't tell a patient that smoking less is as good as quitting smoking - i hope).

what i don't get is why folks are willing to do all sorts of things that i imagine they don't find particularly enjoyable for the sake of health, but draw the line at strength training. and why no interest in finding a type of strength training that IS enjoyable?


I guess that's the thing. I don't believe that people continue will continue to do things that they don't find enjoyable. ESPECIALLY when a more enjoyable option is available.

Maybe for a week or a month, but not for the rest of their lives.

Which is fine. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured.
"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." - Douglas Adams

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Spirit Unleashed
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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby Spirit Unleashed » Fri Dec 02, 2016 9:38 pm

My shoulder is a little sore. Guess I better lay off the strength and stick with cardio for a couple of days.
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MrBond
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Re: Article: Running Is The Worst Way To Get Fit

Postby MrBond » Sat Dec 03, 2016 6:09 am

Spirit wrote:My shoulder is a little sore. Guess I better lay off the strength and stick with cardio for a couple of days.


My bum is a little sore. Guess I better lay off sitting down and stick with standing up for a couple of days.....
"You're in over your head Donny..."


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