Delay: Ten on Tuesday - Exercise Motivation

The Ten on Tuesday people had really good ideas for staying motivated.  I conjure up a different approach.  

Fear is a great motivator.  I do not want to feel my age.  I don't want to huff and puff up a flight of stairs.  I do not want to be told X years down the line that I have a disease I could have forestalled with more physical activity.

Etherknitter reads the medical literature and the lay press.  She sees:

Bla bla blah exercise blah bla bla alzheimers blah blah bla bla blah WHAT?

Instant focus.

1.  Anti-Alzheimer's disease:  I have had these links up on my windows bar for weeks.  (Perhaps that is depressing.)  I see it as one small iota of a potential change in fate.  Death and taxes, inevitable.  But let's try to achieve the run-up to the former in functional shape for as long as one can. 

The NYT summarizes the study very well.  If you have a certain gene variation (APOE-e4), you are more likely to develop Alzheimer's.  If you have that gene variation, AND you exercise, your brain will show fewer changes of the disease.  Your brain looks pretty much like the brain of people without that genetic whammy.  The original neurology article is here, for the science geeks.

The test for APOE-e4 is available, but not encouraged.  That is because if you have the gene, you may or may not develop the disease.  And if you don't have the gene, you can still develop Alzheimer's.  So I exercise.

2.  Diabetes:  Exercising with higher intensity intervals burns mostly glucose.  That means that more sugar burning = less need for the body to release insulin.  Less insulin release = less potential in the future for insulin insensitivity, which therefore means less risk of Type II diabetes.  

My family history sucks, and I listen.  Intervals are very satisfying.  Feels good after I am done, and I have actually done something really good for my physiology.

3.  Cancer reduction:  This link is a recent description of lessening breast cancer risk across all age groups with exercise.  One in eight.  Miserable odds.  I'll jump on that elliptical, yessirree.  All you have to do is talk to one woman with either triple-negative cancer, or inflammatory breast cancer, and prevention comes quickly to mind.  Prior discussion on the blog is here.

4.  Cholesterol reduction:  150 minutes per week.  Yug.  But yeah, if you are happy taking a statin every day, you can achieve the same thing.  Unless the statin affects your liver.  Or gives you muscle aches.  I really like my current status of no daily meds other than calcium and vitamin D.  This would not be the sole reason to exercise for me.  Call it an added attraction.

5.  Appearance:  I'm so vain.  I like the way I look in clothes when I have muscles more than how I look in clothes when I have fat.  It is a motivator.

I could come up with five more, but this is enough for now.  Not all exercise is on an elliptical or a treadmill.  Some of it comes with outdoor serenity and joy.

Great Glen cross country ski trails, bark and beech trees, NH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Melissa G]

I exercise so I can play. I also like to wear out instead of outgrow (except in a style sense--80's???) my clothes.

[Peg in Kensington, California]

All good reasons. The younger sister and mother of one of my staff had triple-negative breast cancer. Her mother took care of the daughter until she died and then a few months later discovered she had it. My staff member exercises and does everything she can to keep it at bay.

The rowing, erging and weight-training keep me sane and may prevent all the other stuff. I have pretty good longevity genes.

I just love the way I look. I like my weight (actually, I could gain something). It's worth it.

[June]

My maternal grandmother was ravaged by dementia by the time she died. She lived with my family, so we saw the decline first hand. For probably her last 7 or 8 years, because of increasingly severe arthritis, her only physical activity was walking to the bathroom from her chair (where she watched tv, dozed, ate, read, etc).

We moved ~4 y before she died, and in the new house, radically reduced the distance from her chair to the bathroom (from about 25 feet to 5 feet). At the time, we thought we were doing her a favor by having her walk less and easing the stress on her knees. However, we all noticed a VERY sharp decline in her cognitive level within a year of moving.

Coincidence? I'm doubt it. We would do things differently, if we had the chance. And if I've learned anything from this, I remember my grandmother and keep my body moving as much as I can. Treadmill workstations, all the way!

[Carole]

The disease prevention stuff is a big motivator but, for me at least, it's not immediate and that makes it harder to use for motivation. I see it as the bonus for all the hard work I'm doing. My cholesterol dropped by lots of points and I no longer have to take a statin. Yay!

[margene]

From where I stand (while doing chair squats), or I should say from my age, doing anything your body allows you to do is worth doing. Eating well (sans sugar and fat), exercising if just a little each day, and staying grounded are the very best ways to keep the feeling of age away. I can't help how my face looks but I can keep my body slim and strong.I am working on being more active. Good list, great reasons to keep moving!

[Anne]

I still am a proponent of it not always being the years, but also the mileage (stress, lack of sleep, fries, more stress). I think kudos are in order to whoever gets out there and just does it. I will never be a great athlete (my dreams of being an NFL receiver - pfft - so not happening), but there is something to be said for stemming the onslaught of everything out there that could be improved upon. Thanks for the article links too - you know I love that sort of thing. :)

[Cindy D]

I am keeping a Statin at bay by exercising
at least 5 -6 times a week. Small price to pay.

[Pattie]

I've eliminated gluten and have many positive reactions, including decreasing my need for statins.

Your essay is a good kick in the butt, though, to keep moving and increase my exercise!

[Diane]

Well said. Yes -sir- ee, all your points are the motivation that keeps me running and skiing and riding and all sorts of "inging".

[claudia]

All these points are excellent ones. Thanks for sharing them!