Exercise

[ysabetwordsmith]

Five minutes a day eccentric exercise can improve your life

As little as five minutes a day of eccentric exercise could offer significant health benefits to those living a stagnant lifestyle.


Exercise doesn't have to involve wasting calories in a gym. Everyday activities count. Bending over to pick things up or empty a washing machine resembles toe-touches. Squatting down to plant, weed, or harvest in a garden is the same as squatting on a gym mat. Wash windows or pick tree fruit until you feel like your arms will fall off, and that's an overhead type of exercise. It all counts.

Ideally, exercises works best with some repetition of the same motion; this article suggests at least 10 reps per motion. When you start to notice your body wearing out, switch to something different. If you do each type of activity for 5 minutes or so, you can fit 2-3 types into a short timespan.

This type of activity is easily incorporated into your day. Take a break every hour or so to get up and do something active. It's a good way to keep up with housework or yardwork. Because the aim is modest, it's not a big exhausting project. Plus you accomplish actual work, which is a benefit that gym exercise never offers, thus improving motivation for everyday exercise.

Comments

[greghousesgf]

"eccentric exercise" sounds like exercise does by rich insane people.

[crunchysteve]

I've only recently come accross the "eccentric exercise" term myself. "Spasmodic" would be a better plain english term and still scientifically describe the concept assessed. I think some of these researchers set out to deliberately make their work unreadable by lay people.

And "stagnant lifestyle"? Judgey? Much! There have been studies that have shown that modern, busy lifestyles are a major contributor to sedentry activity levels.

Still, the positive of this paper should not be diminished - any activity is better than no activity and "pottering about" in a garden or a workshop counts towards a healthy lifestyle. Again, other studies have shown that the short walk to public transport shows a marked improvement in health outcomes, compared to those locked into using private cars for the commute, due to circumstance (no access to transit) or choice.

[crunchysteve]

Also, the job I used to do in radio, because it was an Australian Public Service (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, similar structure the UK's BBC), we were actively encouraged to go for stress relieving walks after bulletins, provided we wer back in time for the hourly production cycle. I'm glad to be retired and my own boss but gee I miss the sense of community that place had.

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

That's an excellent idea. I post positive news pieces to counterbalance the edgy stuff.

You might look for a club or volunteer group to recreate a sense of community. Think about things you love, and try to find people with common interests there.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I think some of these researchers set out to deliberately make their work unreadable by lay people.<<

They do. It makes them feel important.

If I'm writing instructions, or reporting actionable news, I try to make it as clear as possible so more people can do it.

>> And "stagnant lifestyle"? Judgey? Much! <<

True, but studies show that both lack of exercise and sitting for much of the day tend to undermine health.

>> There have been studies that have shown that modern, busy lifestyles are a major contributor to sedentry activity levels.<<

Also true. More precisely, moderation promotes health -- neither sedentary nor overworked.

>> any activity is better than no activity and "pottering about" in a garden or a workshop counts towards a healthy lifestyle. <<

Sooth.

>> Again, other studies have shown that the short walk to public transport shows a marked improvement in health outcomes, compared to those locked into using private cars for the commute, due to circumstance (no access to transit) or choice.<<

Yeah, you need to have public transport, and it has to be close enough to reach on foot. Local-America fares poorly in those regards.

Re: Thoughts

[crunchysteve]

Re the stagnant lifestyle term, I should have expanded more, judgemental language doesn't help those being judged overcome what they're being judged for. 30 years ago (god it was actually a third of a century ago 😔) when I was actively involved in Bicycle Tasmania, doubled our membership in a year and increased visible transport cycling by organising regular social rides. Sometimes people would call or write and say things like, "I'd love to do that ride but I only have a cheap bike" and official replies were always along the lines of "Ride what you bring, slowest sets the pace, we're all like minded riders, it's about the route not the bike." In the 5 years the foundation team were running the group, Hobart went from a city where almost nobody but racers rode to a city of visible, if frazzled and harassed cycle commuters. The main cycle route, a concret deck rail trail from the northernmost suburbs into the CBD, still bears the name we gave it, "The Intercity."

We acheived this because we reserved all judgement for city counsellors and State members who kept spouting anti bike rhetoric, and praised anybody who gave riding a "fair go."

I also did media and PR advisory for friend's fat activism work. Learned a heap more about nonjudgemental communication in that capacity, too.

Reserachers really need to check their values at the door of they want widespread adoption of their recommendations. I'd get active in a wider non-judgement field again but a dicky ticker and 10 years out of the media industry, I don't have the energy to rebuild a profile. Besides, here in Melbourne, at leats, "the kids" have got this, they already doing everything I could contribute, and better.

It's time for me to grow old disgracefulky 😂

[fred_mouse]

I love that the exercise physiologists and likewise are starting to talk about the wider range of options. I was fascinated a few years back to read several articles about micro-dosing. The one I remember showed that if you asked university students to take the stairs up - three flights, three days a week - then there was a measurable improvement in cardio vascular fitness. And that was walking up the stairs, not pushing to get to the top as fast as possible.

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

My favorite is the piano stairs experiment.

Re: Yes ...

[fred_mouse]

Oh, I haven't seen that one! I'd be interested in knowing the long term pattern. Because unfortunately novelty doesn't last, and, to quote someone recently 'humans like novelty, but hate change'.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

It looked like they installed the steps in a public place, which implies that many different people would go through there, rather than the same people every day.

Re: Yes ...

[fred_mouse]

I interpreted it as a train station, so I was guessing that there would be a lot of people going through there regularly, as well as some one offs.

Re: Yes ...

[crunchysteve]

OMG! I want to sneak into Flinders St Station between midnight and 5am to do a guerrilla install on the platform stairs! 😂😂😂

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

That would be entertaining.