Studies have indicated that weight bearing when doing moderate exercise such as walking will increase muscle mass and bone density. Five pounds should be about perfect for you Iggy. Studies show that as little as 2 pounds will have an effect. You could try a 5 pound weight belt to wear around the waist and carry 2.5 pound weights in each hand. Less cumbersome that milk jugs if you want to do 10 pounds, Just an idea.
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I think I had reached a "maintenance phase" in walking. but.. I also like long walks outside when the weather is good.. because it is good for the soul. the spirit.. it is uplifting. I don't think these activities are just about muscles, just as I think food is not just about nutrients. just as sex is not just about procreation.
I agree. I also get to enjoy such while bicycling.
I would also suspect that the increased circulation from the physical activity also heightens our senses so that we enjoy our surroundings more.
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but when I started running (I'll call it that, because anything was running to me as it was all hard).. I noticed a definite increase in strength in legs and especially in the hip area. Just felt different.
Exercise sure does a lot of things. It improves our muscles, joints, heart, lungs, motor coordination (balance), and spirit. As I like quoting Lalanne: Exercise is king!
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I also wonder if the up and down movement, similar to rebounding, stimulates the lymphatic system.
I think the increased lymphatic circulation from rebounding is mainly passive, brought about by the effect of gravity. Lymphatic circulation in exercise is active, mainly brought about by muscle contraction and even breathing. But yes, I think the up and down movement in running, or even walking, will bring gravity into play as well.
Gerry, At my age I think I'd be safer in sticking with walking or biking.
The body adapts. Think progressive resistance training. When we can routinely do something, we have to go a step further if we are to keep on improving.
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You once mentioned a positive effect in gripping something tightly with the hands, thus improving one's blood pressure. Do you think carrying heavy jugs of water on my walk would have that effect? I'm thinking of trying to tote two 5gallon jugs around my .6 mile loop. That may be too much for that distance.
That's 20 kg in each hand!
You shouldn't be asking me. You should be teaching me!
And you said you'd be safer with walking.
Anyway, for blood pressure, I would think that any exercise would tend to normalize blood pressure. And if you can add that much resistance in each of your hands, then it's simply added exercise.
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I remember when I was a kid, my dad won $50 on a bet that he couldn't tote a 100# sack of feed 6 miles without a rest. At the end of the 6 miles, he flipped the sack to his other shoulder and offered to carry it back for another $50. His challenger declined.
Wow! If you're anywhere near your dad's capability, I doubt that you have problems with your blood pressure.
Walking is a great exercise, but is not enough, because the upper body isn't being worked. Thats why resistance exercise is important, at least a half hour two or three times per week.
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Walking is a great exercise, but is not enough, because the upper body isn't being worked. Thats why resistance exercise is important, at least a half hour two or three times per week. or carry a 1kg weight ineach hand.
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I agree! But Dr. Douglass disagrees. Which is the point of this thread. He says we need no more than walking, and then he peddles a supplement to preserve our muscles (which we got by who knows what?). Dr. Douglass can be so correct on certain topics, but can be absolutely wrong (at least in my point of view) in others, particularly exercise and water drinking. This is dangerous to his readers, just as the boy who cried "Wolf!" His readers can get to believe everything he says, or disbelieve everything he says.
Anyway, I just came across an item (from the Dec 5 2007 issue of Physician's First Watch newsletter) which says that we can be obese, but as long as we're fit, we're okay. At least, that's how I like to put it.
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Fitness Strongly Predicts Mortality Risk in the Elderly, Regardless of Adiposity
Maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness may be at least as important as avoiding obesity in reducing mortality among the aged, researchers report in JAMA.
A cohort of some 2600 adults aged 60 or older underwent a baseline health exam and exercise testing. After a mean follow-up of 12 years, the authors write, "both fitness and BMI were strong and independent predictors of all-cause mortality," regardless of other measures of adiposity, such as body-fat percentage. They also found that people who were fit and obese had a lower risk for all-cause death than did people who were unfit and normal weight or lean.
They conclude: "It may be possible to reduce all-cause death rates among older adults, including those who are obese, by promoting regular physical activity, such as brisk walking for 30 minutes or more on most days of the week."
Conclusions In this study population, fitness was a significant mortality predictor in older adults, independent of overall or abdominal adiposity. Clinicians should consider the importance of preserving functional capacity by recommending regular physical activity for older individuals, normal-weight and overweight alike.
We don't have access to the full article, but I wonder what they meant by "fit" (the test done was "maximal treadmill exercise test") and how they came to the conclusion (like Douglass) that brisk walking would be enough. My bicycle commutes (for years!) were a lot more than brisk walking, but it did nothing to preserve my cardio-respiratory capacity (my legs remained strong and powerful, though).
At the very least, they should have mentioned how those considered fit kept themselves fit.
As for "preserving functional capacity," I now know that interval training is the best for cardio-respiratory capacity, with Tabata type interval training being the most efficient, if not extreme.
Well, these articles are free after six months. I should remember to dig it up at that time.
For now, I have a justification for my condition: Fat but fit is better than lean but unfit.
How can someone be lean but unfit? I can't help but think of Dr. Douglass (if indeed, all he does is walk -- but again, walking is better than nothing, it's just not enough).
I think, in this regard, "fit" can mean, or be related to, resting heart rate?
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For now, I have a justification for my condition: Fat but fit is better than lean but unfit.
Don't be shy, give us some numbers. Weight, blood pressure,and pulse rate.(resting)
I was 258 pounds, blood pressure was 198/116, and resting pulse was in the 90's.
Now I am 215, blood pressure is 124/77, and pulse is low 70's. Still a ways to go, but heading in the right direction. PBD.
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I'm less than 6 ft, more than 5'11" and last weigh-in was 207 lbs. I have a 40" waist which ideally should be 38" or less, 36" probably being ideal, but my chest is now 44" (previously hovering only between 40" and 42").
I don't know what my BP is now (after Tabata), but it was in the 140/100 range before that. I have no way of measuring it right now.
As far as I can remember, I never had a heart rate less than 70. It was even 110 in my obese youth. I now have resting heart rate readings in the high 50s, and when I take it routinely (not resting) it's in the low 60s, usually less than 64 bpm. And all this was achieved in about 3 to 4 weeks in the Tabata protocol. I would like to try for resting heart rates consistently in the 50s.
But beyond these parameters, I can again bike up a certain hill without breathing hard. I lost this ability in the years of "neglect" when I was doing nothing for my cardio-respiratory capacity, except erroneously relying on the aerobics of bike commuting.
My bicycle commutes (for years!) were a lot more than brisk walking, but it did nothing to preserve my cardio-respiratory capacity (my legs remained strong and powerful, though).
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