Play WoW AND get in shape!

[Margalis]

When you excersize, you tend to have more energy throughout the day. You also tend to have clearer thought processes. And you usually sleep better. That's worth the time.

I work out a fair amount, but I am not bulky by *any* means nor do I want to be. I am fairly cut though. (Although not as much as I was a few years ago) I can also do some weird feats of strength like sit down and stand back up slowly on one leg while sticking my other leg out in front of me and holding a beer in a cup. (Try it - it might not sound very hard but not many people seem to be able to do it. It's an amusing trick at a party when people are buzzed if nothing else. I can do it with either leg also)

Anyway, my point was you don't have to be some blimpy musclehead. Most women don't go for that anyway. (Not that I work out to attract women, but it's a handy fringe benefit.)

Edit: Crawling a 20 minute mile would actually be a pretty good workout. Probably use a lot of muscles in a way you don't normally...and it would be pretty hard. That said, walking at 3 to 4 MPH is hardly a workout. I walk 35 minutes to work everyday, I don't consider that anything. (Other than a constant reminder that I need some sort of mobile music playing technology)

[Arnold]

Wonder whether fitness would triumph?  Honestly I can eat and drink almost anything in massive quantities during soccer season, without noticable consequences.

Yeah.  And I've found that nothing cures a hangover better then forcing your ass out of bed and getting in a good workout.

[Arnold]

I can also do some weird feats of strength like sit down and stand back up slowly on one leg while sticking my other leg out in front of me and holding a beer in a cup. (Try it - it might not sound very hard but not many people seem to be able to do it. It's an amusing trick at a party when people are buzzed if nothing else. I can do it with either leg also)

You bastard, I'm working on those... well except for the beer part.  They are hard as hell and I collapse about 3/4 of the way down.

[Polysorbate80]

Yeah.  And I've found that nothing cures a hangover better then forcing your ass out of bed and getting in a good workout.

I always thought the best hangover cure was to get in the shower, turn it up so hot you can barely stand it, wait for it to get comfortable, and then crank it over to bone-chilling cold before your brain has a chance to tell your hand "hey, asshole, don't DO that!"

Needless to say, make sure the showerhead is not pointing at your crotch when you do this...

Then go have breakfast and take a walk.

I'm not any paragon of health, though.  Used to be I could bike 4-5 miles downhill across the valley floor, up the other side of the valley (another 6 or 8 miles or so horizontally, with a 2000' climb), back down and across the valley and halfway up the other side to my home....and then do something like eat an entire bag of Double-stuff Oreos.  But goddamn, I had the best freakin' legs of my life.

[CmdrSlack]

Well, according to the news, the gov't has finally clued in to the obvious.  Eat less and exercise.

[Margalis]

I can also do some weird feats of strength like sit down and stand back up slowly on one leg while sticking my other leg out in front of me and holding a beer in a cup.

You bastard, I'm working on those... well except for the beer part.  They are hard as hell and I collapse about 3/4 of the way down.

It's kind of strange, it didn't take me long at all to learn to do that. (As in, like one day) I don't have particularly strong legs either and a pretty high center of gravity. I think the key is having strong lateral leg muscles to keep your knee in place and I guess I do..

[Murgos]

I CAN CRAWL A 20 MINUTE MILE.

I've got $20 here that says you can't. And if you try that would be something worth mocking.

Crawl a 20 minute mile?  Probably not.  Still a 20 minute mile is dead slow.  It's like waddling slow. 15 is an average pace 12 is pretty damn good for walking.

And for whoever asked about using a weight vest?  If you have any respect for your back or joints DONT DO IT!

[geldonyetich]

Well, according to the news, the gov't has finally clued in to the obvious.  Eat less and exercise.

Nice link, gracias.

So, according to that, 20 mins of exercise 3 times a week is crap.   Bare minimum 30 to 90 minutes of exercise each and every day.   At least 60 minutes a day to "lose weight and keep it off".   To those that said so before, still convinced that everybody can make time to exercise?

[Margalis]

I will bet any amount of money that you can lose weight jogging 30 minutes a day.

[Nebu]

So, according to that, 20 mins of exercise 3 times a week is crap.   Bare minimum 30 to 90 minutes of exercise each and every day.   At least 60 minutes a day to "lose weight and keep it off".   To those that said so before, still convinced that everybody can make time to exercise?

Those are guidelines.  They are limited by a plethora of contributing factors.  I know for a fact that there are a number of exercise programs that are quite effective and require less time.   They just aren't for everyone.  For example, I wouldn't want anyone morbidly obese or with a severe heart condition doing high intensity circuit training.  They would be better served by 60-90 minutes of moderate exercise daily... see what I did there?  Due to the lawsuit happy society, recommendations need to be set at levels where they minimize liability.  

From my experience, people that are 75 years old rarely wished that they had worked more.  Life is all about choices... barring those few with guns to their heads.   With that in mind, I'm convinced that most Americans could find the time to adequately exercise if they made it a priority in life to do so.  The majority of Americans don't get adequate exercise and eat like crap.  As a result, their quality of life is lower (see any number of studies on obesity and depression) and their healthcare expenses (on average) are much higher.  The previous sentence isn't my opinion, it's a fact.  

It's your life, do what makes you happy.  To say that you don't have a choice in the matter is likely not the case.   Life is all about choices and opportunity costs.  Yes, I have to make sacrifices in order to exercise daily.  I believe that these choices will prove beneficial in the long run.   Choosing not to take the same path doesn't mean that the path is unavailable, it means that you don't find it a good cost/benefit plan for your lifestyle.  

Then again what do I know... I could die of a heart attack tomorrow.

I will bet any amount of money that you can lose weight jogging 30 minutes a day.

 

I'd take this bet.  Losing weight is about taking in fewer calories than you burn.  If you run 30 mins a day, you could still offset that increase in calories burned with a greater intake.  

To be honest, I know what you mean... you were stating that if you monitored your diet AND ran 30 mins a day that you'd lose weight.  I'm just being a dick because it's late.

[Margalis]

I said can, not will.

You CAN lose weight jogging 30 minutes a day. Will you? It depends if you decide to eat more in an attempt to stay out of shape :)

If you eat the same, you will lose weight...or at least gain weight slower than you were I suppose.

[Arnold]

I can also do some weird feats of strength like sit down and stand back up slowly on one leg while sticking my other leg out in front of me and holding a beer in a cup.

You bastard, I'm working on those... well except for the beer part.  They are hard as hell and I collapse about 3/4 of the way down.

It's kind of strange, it didn't take me long at all to learn to do that. (As in, like one day) I don't have particularly strong legs either and a pretty high center of gravity. I think the key is having strong lateral leg muscles to keep your knee in place and I guess I do..

You are talking about one of these, right?




That is rather difficult and most people have to train for weeks or months to pull one off.  If you can do those, you don't have weak legs, at all.

[Calantus]

I relly can't see why setting up a tredmill/computer setup is a bad thing to entertain yourself while you work out. I also get the feeling that no-one is actually saying that. What they are saying is that making that setup because you are such a catass that you need to merge other parts of your life into your MMOG fix is pathetic. The man is not a 1-2 hours free a day man who spends his life doing other stuff and therefore decided to merge his exercise time and MMOG time so as not to neglect one or the other. Nor is he a guy who found treadmilling to be so completely boring that he found a way to entertain himself doing it.

You all need to take just a little more time understanding what everyone is saying before you get into arguments over it. Which is why Geldon is so inflamatory, he's so hard to understand. Personally I just skim what he writes. The less you read them the more you understand them. At least that's what I find.

[CmdrSlack]

Well, according to the news, the gov't has finally clued in to the obvious.  Eat less and exercise.

Nice link, gracias.

So, according to that, 20 mins of exercise 3 times a week is crap.   Bare minimum 30 to 90 minutes of exercise each and every day.   At least 60 minutes a day to "lose weight and keep it off".   To those that said so before, still convinced that everybody can make time to exercise?

It's a matter of can vs. will.  And like Nebu said, those are guidelines.  When I need to drop weight, I just stop drinking beer, switch to booze + diet soda drinks, I stop eating shit late at night unless it's an orange or celery.  Then I bike for about 30 mins twice a week, with an extra 40 mile bike-ride on the weekend.  It doesn't get me toned or ripped or whatever, but it certainly drops the pounds at a reasonable, sustainable pace.

[LordDax]

20 mins of exercise 3 times a week is not crap IF you do it correctly. If you don't follow a routine proven to give results based on 20minute periods, than yes, you are only going to give yourself a headache. Hell, I've gotten a nice set of abs doing only 8 minutes in the morning, 7 days a week(56 minutes total for those of you counting.)

8 minutes in the Morning

[Rasix]

8 minutes is too much. Hell, that's almost another tap on the snooze bar.

[Calantus]

8 minutes is too much. Hell, that's almost another tap on the snooze bar.

I wish to god manufacturers wouldn't put that evil button on alarm clocks.

[ClydeJr]

Anyone know if there's any truth to that saying that you have to exercise for at least 20 minutes before it does any real good? Something about after 20 minutes your body starts burning stored fat?

Getting started on an exercise program is always the hardest part for me. If I can get through the first couple weeks without skipping days, everything after that is fine. But those first couple weeks, I have such a hard time getting started.

[stray]

Anyone know if there's any truth to that saying that you have to exercise for at least 20 minutes before it does any real good? Something about after 20 minutes your body starts burning stored fat?

Getting started on an exercise program is always the hardest part for me. If I can get through the first couple weeks without skipping days, everything after that is fine. But those first couple weeks, I have such a hard time getting started.

It's bullshit. The body responds to work immediatly. Any action, even for but a moment, is always better than no action at all. Exercise, no matter how little, is always better than not exercising.

No documented "evidence" or "proof" here. I'm just arguing for common sense.

[sidereal]

You need to get your heart rate up to around 65% of peak and keep it there for a while to get real cardiovascular/weight loss benefit.  That's pretty easy to do, especially if you're out of shape.  It just means you shouldn't try to do power squats for weight loss, since you'll exhaust yourself before your heart rate gets up.  It also means casual strolling isn't very useful, unless you're strolling uphill.

[Jayce]

Anyone know if there's any truth to that saying that you have to exercise for at least 20 minutes before it does any real good? Something about after 20 minutes your body starts burning stored fat?

Getting started on an exercise program is always the hardest part for me. If I can get through the first couple weeks without skipping days, everything after that is fine. But those first couple weeks, I have such a hard time getting started.

It's bullshit. The body responds to work immediatly. Any action, even for but a moment, is always better than no action at all. Exercise, no matter how little, is always better than not exercising.

No documented "evidence" or "proof" here. I'm just arguing for common sense.

The 20 minute rule is that if you keep your training heart rate up (ie, post warm-up) for 20 minutes, you start to develop muscles at a greater rate than just sustaining.  This is primarily for cardio exercise.  Resistance training (weights, sit-ups) is a different beast.

I think < 20 minutes will give you a fat burning benefit, if a small one.  Of course the more you exercise, the more fat you burn, so I think < 20 minutes per session is going to give you a glacial pace of fat burning (not considering diet), but it will be there.

In that vein I wouldn't agree that a 35 minute 4-5mph walk a day isn't "anything"... it's not going to put you in the Olympics but if every American did just that, this "obesity epidemic" would probably go away.

Edit: typo

[Margalis]

Yep, that picture is exactly what I am talking about. I have no idea why I can do that, but I can, and basically always have been able to.

[Arnold]

Anyone know if there's any truth to that saying that you have to exercise for at least 20 minutes before it does any real good? Something about after 20 minutes your body starts burning stored fat?

Getting started on an exercise program is always the hardest part for me. If I can get through the first couple weeks without skipping days, everything after that is fine. But those first couple weeks, I have such a hard time getting started.

I think that has to do with the average time it takes to burn up the sugars in the blood stream before the body starts utilizing fat.  This isn't an all or nothing scenario though; IIRCyour body goes to burning fat within a few minutes when doing something, like walking.

But as Stray pointed out, your body has to burn energy to do work and it begins to burn energy the second you start working.  Even if you never make it to the "fat burning zone", your body will go to the fat stores afterwards to get what it needs.

The Body For Life program has some kind of cycled cardio workout that many swear by, and is only 18-20 minutes long.  The "Tabata Protocol" was first used on Japanese Olympic athletes, and is starting to become more popular.  It is a very, very intense 4 minute long cardio workout that has been shown to provide more benefits(including fat loss) than tradional, less intense cardio work (walking, jogging, etc).