Comments on: Should You Exercise to Live Longer?

By: Iuyarus

Iuyarus — Tue, 08 May 2012 05:06:00 +0000

But then better medical technology comes out

By: My â€œSecretâ€ to Feeling like a Million Bucks - Mind Your Decisions

My â€œSecretâ€ to Feeling like a Million Bucks - Mind Your Decisions — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 05:49:19 +0000

[...] Walk (or run?) for health [...]

By: Presh Talwalkar

Presh Talwalkar — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 08:32:48 +0000

Thomas Bok: Good point, longevity only tells part of the story. The other half is quality of life. In this case, I feel like exercise is a great component, but there are obviously people who overdo it. Athletes are amazingly talented individuals but years of playing pro sports often lead to injuries, concussions, and lifelong ailments.

Athletes are on one end, and couch potatoes on another. I feel walking strikes a good balance, but here’s to finding that middle ground.

By: Thomas Bok

Thomas Bok — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:28:25 +0000

As North Americans, the issue of short life-span absolutely not a concern, due to a great health care system. The average life expectancy at birth is low to mid 80s depending on the source, so even if you are very sedentary, your life span may drop a bit, but it is unlikely to drop well below the 60s.

The real issue is controlled chronic disease through medication which can really disable someone for the last 20+ years of someone’s life. For example, if you have a severe stroke at age 60, and you manage to live til 85.

Regular physical activity can be the difference between needing someone to take you to the bathroom and being able to take your grandchildren to the bathroom. There are people living to their 90s in a nursing home (they are in no doubt disabled and in very bad physical condition)… You can sit on a couch now, but expect to spend some time on the wheel chair later.

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.