Re: i do not understand: exercise

From: Max More (max@maxmore.com)
Date: Thu Nov 16 2000 - 11:30:13 MST


At 09:18 AM 11/16/00, you wrote:
>Max More wrote:
> >
> > I would say that 45 minutes of strongly aerobic exercise five times a week
> > is excessive. I think you can get virtually the same health benefit from
> > around 25 minutes four times a week, with far less free radical formation.
>
>I'd have to disagree.. my understanding (feel free to prove me wrong) is that
>you really have to do a minimum of 30 minutes of steady aerobic exercise
>to really have any effect on your cardio system.

I have to disagree with your disagreement. :-) Aerobic conditioning
certainly begins no later than 10 minutes after training range is attained.
25 minutes gives you most of the preventive health benefits. I'll go look
this up when I have more time. But I can say that I wouldn't have gotten
such a high aerobic fitness rating in my Kronos Clinic testing if what you
say is true. I never continue aerobic exercise past 25 minutes.

When I'm talking about aerobic exercise, I'm not referring to girly-man low
heart rate exercise. ;-) I'm talking about maintaining my heart rate at
the upper end of the fitness training range. (Last night's 3 mile run
quickly brought my heart rate up to 165, then it climbed to 170-180 for
most of the workout. I use a Polar heart monitor--this is cool tech that
lets you see your heart rate in real time on a watch or displayed on most
treadmills.)

45 minutes several times a week might be needed to get most of the benefits
if someone is training a lower level of intensity. According to Dr. Kenneth
Cooper, running any more than 15 miles per week will not bring increased
health benefits. If I were to run for 45 minutes five days a week at close
to my current pace, I'd cover about 30 miles. At my pace, 25 minutes
several times a week seems just about optimal.

>This is the part that I find a little off-putting.. like I said if it helps
>you in your job or whatever that's a good thing. But other than that, I see
>it as a waste of time to try to attain some kind of "look" and hold it. I
>could understand it if you are planning to try to maintain a physical body
>far into the future... some people dig that, but myself I prefer to just be
>uploaded and modify my body image at will after that.

When do you expect to be uploaded? I'm not willing to wait for a future
technology to save my body, not knowing when it will happen. The clear
health, strength, and mood-enhancing benefits of resistance exercise give
me clear reasons to do it. The enhanced body image is an enjoyable plus. If
uploading takes decades (which I think fairly likely but practically
unknowable) then I will have decades to enjoy the results of my exercise,
and I'll be a vigorous grey-haired guy while wait-for-uploading folks will
be shuffling around and asking for a hand with their luggage. :-)

Weight-training does have clear health benefits such as stronger, healthier
bones, reduced LDL levels, and lowers total cholesterol, among other
things. Some references:

Goldberg, L., et. al. Journal of the American Medical Association 252
(1984); 504

Larsson, B., et. al. International Journal of Sports Medicine 6 (5) (Dec
1984): 336-340

Max



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