Comments on: Should You Exercise to Live Longer?

By: David Keech

David Keech — Fri, 08 May 2009 11:20:28 +0000

Firstly, I would like to echo the sentiments of “living more” in the years that you have when you are fit and also the “enjoyment of exercising” argument. I don’t find running on a treadmill or cycling on a stationary bike enjoyable but I do find running or cycling around the countryside and playing sports enjoyable which makes it worthwhile in its own right. I also find everything I do to be easier and more enjoyable when I am fit and I have been unfit in the past so I am speaking from experience here.

I ride to work through the heart of London, as my primary form of exercise which adds two interesting aspects to the game:

1. Riding my bike to work is quicker (and cheaper) than any other method. Catching the bus takes me 45 minutes on a good day and over an hour on a day with traffic jams. The tube is similar at 45 minutes but more reliable. Driving a car takes about 20 minutes but can take over an hour if there is a traffic jam. Motorbikes are held up more than pushbikes in traffic jams and don’t have the ability to take pedestrian shortcuts such as the rail overpass, hence they take about the same time as pushbikes but can take more in traffic jams. The bike takes me 20 minutes with or without traffic, so even after a shower, I am still at my desk quicker by exercising my way there. Exercising like this actually saves time rather than wasting it.

2. Cycling in London is not the safest of activities. I am constantly breathing in the fumes straight out of the back of buses (although I usually just overtake them rather than sit behind them) and inconsiderate drivers frequently try to run me over. I would guess that this has reduced my life expectancy while, at the same time, the exercise has increased it.

Unfortunately I am not able to accurately assess how much my life expectancy has been reduced so this trade-off is mostly blind. I may be better off or I may not… I can’t tell without the data.

By: Presh Talwalkar

Presh Talwalkar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:51:42 +0000

Kent:
Now you know why economics is called “the dismal science”

But seriously, most of us exercise because we like it. It’s just interesting to see that there is a tradeoff and how big it is. It can help inform decisions, like should I push myself to run 5 miles a day (which might injure me) or should I make sure I at least do 30 minutes of walking but keep trying to exercise as much as I can. I’ve taken the latter decision.

By: kent

kent — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:05:41 +0000

It seems pretty morbid to work out just to live longer. I imagine most older people have this in mind, but it just seems strange to me.

By: Presh Talwalkar

Presh Talwalkar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 04:21:47 +0000

Ryan Scheel:
Yes, good point that exercise has more benefits than longevity. I myself enjoy playing sports and find myself doing more than 30 minutes. But on days when I don’t feel like exercising at all, I remind myself that 30 minutes of walking is better than nothing.

By: Ryan Scheel

Ryan Scheel — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:14:20 +0000

A benefit to exercising is not only the physical quality of life, but also the mental. We can if we want, think about other things and exercise at the same time. So, while we haven’t gained any free time for physical work, we have gained time for mental work. Try listening to an audio-book while exercising (I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say how well it’s retained), and work two strong parts of your body at the same time.

Combine with good nutrition, life should be a lot more easier for people who exercise. So don’t X out that chart to whether you live longer or not, merely change the Y Value to ‘more time to think’, and flip the graph so it starts at (0,0).