Yes. I heartily agree. Exercise is just a fetish. If you don't like it, don't do it. And healthy diets are a torture of the damned. You have to ask yourself, "When I could be living a life of carefree wassail and libertine excess, enjoying every sin to its utmost, why I am supposed to submit to regular torture in order to maximize my time at this? What cell of hell is it I checked into?"
Besides it is obvious that no matter what these "good things" do for us, for most it is just prolonging the agony of a useless and underappreciated life.
Regular exercise extends life, (I was afraid of that) and the effect is so powerful that even people who wait until they are middle-aged to begin exercising gain extra days on earth. (You can start at any time. No excuses. I knew there was a catch) Overall, starting exercise in one's middle years lowers the risk of death by 23 per cent over the next two decades or so. (Not enough. I am going back to the beer and nachos. Where is that remote?)
Excellent - or even good - athletic ability is not necessary to get the extra time. In fact, research tells us that college nerds who take up exercise in mid-life live longer than topflight collegiate athletes who later become sofa spuds. When it comes to exercise and longevity, persistence wins out over innate ability. (Nice guys finish last. I knew it.)
How much extra time can exercise buy? In the well-known Harvard Alumni Study, which examined mortality rates over a 22- to 26-year period in more than 17,000 men who had attended Harvard University, life expectancy was about two years longer for those who expended 2,000 calories per week during exercise, compared to individuals who were sedentary. Since 2,000 weekly calories can be consumed during just 15 miles of jogging, it's clear that a fairly modest investment in exercise can bring a large return. (Yes but who needs it?)
Interestingly, while there has been general agreement among medical professionals that a balanced diet can increase life span, those same professionals have long debated whether exercise could also increase longevity. They do this just to have something to talk about.) Recently a few high-powered research studies appear to have settled this important question. A recent study, referred to as the Harvard Alumni Study, appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study followed 17,000 middle aged Harvard graduates over 26 years, monitoring a number of variables, including exercise habits. The study concluded that those who exercised vigorously (jogging, swimming, cycling, tennis, etc) had a 25% lower death rate than those whom were more sedentary or who engaged in "non-vigorous" activity such as bowling, golf, and strolling. -- aerobic products aqua products exercise cycles -- (Links.. oh I get it. This site is sponsored by a retailer of medieval torture devices you can put in any apartment to turn it into a full scale bondage dungeon.)
Another study, the Framingham Heart Study, found that those who expended 2,000 calories per week had an increased life expectancy of 2 years. This means that a person who walks briskly for about 8 miles a week will live considerably longer than his counterpart with the same lifestyle who doesn't exercise regularly. (That two years in an oxygen tent is starting to sound enticing)
One of the most important roles exercise plays in increasing life span is probably by increasing our body's ability to neutralize free radicals. (I thot that judge in Detroit did that in the 1970's to the Chicago 8 and that was the end of it.) This breakdown of healthy cells by oxygen free radicals appears to be a key mechanism in many of the aging processes. These include sun damage to skin, damage to organ systems, and mutations in DNA responsible for cancers. The body, as a consequence of metabolic processes, normally produces free radicals. However, free radical production increases markedly during strenuous exercise, exposure to environmental factors (including sun), and probably during times of emotional stress. Our bodies have systems to buffer and combat these molecules, but it appears that these protection systems become less effective as we age, making our bodies more and more vulnerable to their effects and resulting aging processes. For instance:
* muscle strength usually decreases by about 10% per decade after the age of 45
* aerobic capacity (VO2max) declines 8-10% per decade after age 25
* skeletal muscle mass generally decreases after the age of 40
* immune system function generally begins a modest decline after 40, then falls more rapidly in both men and women by age 58 or 60.
Importantly, these losses seem to exactly parallel decreases in the body's antioxidant defense systems. The two most important tools we have for preventing the increased free radical damage associated with aging are exercise and nutrition. Exercise reduces the normal loss of the body's free radical fighting antioxidant systems. Additionally, initiating an exercise program after the antioxidant potential of the body has been reduced can actually reverse some of the losses. A balanced nutrition program with high levels of vitamins A,C and E, as well as the hundreds of naturally occurring antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables will also likely combat the increased free radical damage as one ages. nutrition
From a disease standpoint, regular exercise has been shown conclusively to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, and depression. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, it enhances fitness, strength, flexibility, and body composition, and contributes greatly to an improved quality of life. -- strength products stretching weight loss -- (More of those retail links. hmmmmmmm)
One of the principal authors of the Harvard Alumni study, and one of the world's leading authorities on exercise and longevity, Dr. Ralph Paffenbarger has thoroughly examined the literature on exercise and lifespan and offered us a simple summation: for every hour a person exercises, he/she gets back that hour plus an extra hour of life. Exercise an hour and live 2 quality hours longer. So one hour seems like two. OK. But where is the trade off? Remember you have to exercise one hour of the two you get back... or is my math bad?-- oh yeah, you only exercise 25% of each waking hour, sorry.
Research into the role of exercise and aging continues today. Based on the current research it is evident that regular exercise along with a proper diet may indeed help us to live a longer more active and productive life. |
