I recently came across two news stories that present some new thinking about how much exercise you might need to do for effective weight management, and how much is safe for the typical fitness buff. The first article talks about why some scientists think that it can take as much as 3-4 hours of physical activity and exercise every day to overcome the weight-gaining effects of one of the most common “obesity genes”. The second one talks about how the risks of “overtraining” tend to be exaggerated for most people who aren’t competitive athletes in training. Both of these topics are near and dear to my own heart these days, because (a) I’m pretty sure I have this “obesity gene” that means you need to stay on your feet doing something physical for several hours per day; and (b) I do enough exercise that I need to watch out for overtraining problems, especially at my tender young age. In fact, I doubt I can be very objective about this information, so instead of playing expert here and telling you what all this probably means for you, I’m going to do the opposite. I’m going to tell you what I think about all this from a personal perspective, and let you tell me whether I’m making sense or kidding myself. So, let’s get started by getting the “true confessions” business out of the way: Hi, my name is Dean. I’m an exercise fanatic. I usually spend between 3 and 4 hours doing some sort of cardio exercise on most days. My favorite activities are long (30-50 mile) bike rides, long and steep hikes up in the local redwood forest, or a combo workout–an 18 mile bike ride to the beach and back, a longish walk in the sand dunes, and a wee bit of skinny dipping in the ocean (I call it my “Irish triathlon”—and yes, I’m Irish.). I’m not in training for any kind of athletic competition, and I’m not even trying to lose weight right now, so I don’t really need to be doing this much exercise. And me and all my various physical ailments are going to be turning 60 in a couple of months, so chances are I’m not doing myself any favors by pushing the exercise envelope like this. I do it because I like it--sweat, sore muscles, and all. It’s my spiritual, psychological, and physical antidote to sitting in a little room by myself all day, staring at a computer screen and poking a keyboard. OK, I’ll admit that I really like to see the number on my heart rate monitor’s calorie counter go up, but that’s mainly because I also really like to eat, and the higher that number gets, the more I can eat without worrying about regaining weight. And I do worry about that—you would too if you had gained and lost and regained as many pounds as I have over the years, and like food as much as I do. The last time I stopped exercising for very long (ok, that’s an understatement—I went 20 years without exercising, lol), my weight got up close to 400 pounds. I know that if I don’t keep myself moving at a good clip for 3-4 hours out of the day, I tend to gain weight the way a truck gains speed rolling downhill. It must be those Irish genes. So, that’s my story. Needless to say, the two new research findings that we’re talking about here were music to my ears. It looks like I really should be doing this much exercise, and I probably don’t have to worry about overdoing things. I'm just out riding my bike--not training to give Lance Armstrong any competition when he comes out of retirement. I’ll still be happily climbing the first hill when he hits the showers. Alright, Coach, what do you think? Am I doing the right thing here, or am I fooling myself and setting myself up for problems? Or should I just bite the bullet, eat and exercise less, and use some of this time to get a more balanced life? |
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