Light Exercise - 60 minutes counts as 30 minutes of exercise!

The Centers of Disease Control and prevention realized back in 2003 that Americans weren't getting enough exercise, so they added a new category: light exercise, of which 60 minutes counts as a half-hour of normal exercise. This is an old story, but I found it out today and thought it was hilarious.

Activities that count as "light exercise" include:
*Sitting in a whirlpool bath
*Light office work
*Floating
*Playing video games
*Yachting
*Fishing while sitting down
*Purposeless wandering
*Shooting a pistol

55% of Americans are not getting their recommended dose of a half-hour of exercise, four days a week. With this new category of exercise, now you have more alternatives to stay healthy!

Car Talk (Source)

Source

I do so purposeless wandering that I should be ripped by now!

There was also a recent article that obesity costs as much as terrorism. Approx. 2 trillion bucks

a reply to: darkbake

My favorite, sitting in a whirlpool bath!

Think I'd love to count that as my daily exercise, let's see, I need 2 hours per day with a good book in a whirlpool bath and I'll be looking like Kate Moss in no time.

a reply to: darkbake

This IS hilarious. AND illogical. I really don't see any point in lowering the bar- it's not like if you just lower the measures, the 'value' of the 'exercise' increases in any way. We're not talking about points in a game or valuta!

And I don't get it- those examples of ''exercise'' you posted are completely lazy and passive in my book, it's just as lazy as sitting in front of the tv and eat! Or sleep! What's non-exercise in this regard? I can only think of ''being dead''.

It all makes no sense.

a reply to: grandmakdw

Well, good luck with that!

Something I don't understand: why is exercise apparently such an unenjoyable thing for so many people? I admit, doing repetitive exercises in a gym isn't the most fun and exciting thing in the world, but that's a rather pointless excuse as there're often (unless the climate really doesn't allow you) countless ways of exercising that don't feel like a mental drag and are actually fun and relaxing! When you build up a bit of endurance and get more fit you don't quickly get so tired anymore and you even feel better and more energetic, besides just the health benefits. But people (in the US) seem to treat it the way I treat the idea of eating Brussels sprouts: omfg no please no!

I noticed the difference and improvement myself when after some years without I got a bicycle again. Love it!

a reply to: darkbake

Indeed it is hilarious. Common sense is dead. Most people are getting more and more unhealthy and slowly they get used to it like it is normality when in fact they are at 95% responsible of their unhealthiness. Society keeps getting more and more hilarious, proportionally to the degree of its patheticness which is through the roof of the universe....

originally posted by: darkbake
The Centers of Disease Control and prevention realized back in 2003 that Americans weren't getting enough exercise, so they added a new category: light exercise, of which 60 minutes counts as a half-hour of normal exercise. This is an old story, but I found it out today and thought it was hilarious.

Activities that count as "light exercise" include:
*Sitting in a whirlpool bath
*Light office work
*Floating
*Playing video games
*Yachting
*Fishing while sitting down
*Purposeless wandering
*Shooting a pistol

55% of Americans are not getting their recommended dose of a half-hour of exercise, four days a week. With this new category of exercise, now you have more alternatives to stay healthy!

Car Talk (Source)

Source

Since when does the CDC or medical doctors consider those "light exercise?"

And, the recommended amount of exercise is more than 4 days a week, 30 minutes a day. It's 30 minutes every day, with the allowance for a day off. In reality, that is a bare minimum and we should have 45 minutes or one hour a day of exercise.

As for light exercise and those recommendations, they usually are referring to 30 minutes of walking or something similar. 30-45 minutes of walking a day will put you in basic heart shape (basic), and keep your legs a little bit toned. But it's just threshold fitness, and really not enough.

A better plan is 4 days a week of 30 mn- one hour of moderate-intensive exercise, and the other two days (making it six) have light exercise.

originally posted by: Pitou
a reply to: grandmakdw

Well, good luck with that!

Something I don't understand: why is exercise apparently such an unenjoyable thing for so many people? I admit, doing repetitive exercises in a gym isn't the most fun and exciting thing in the world, but that's a rather pointless excuse as there're often (unless the climate really doesn't allow you) countless ways of exercising that don't feel like a mental drag and are actually fun and relaxing! When you build up a bit of endurance and get more fit you don't quickly get so tired anymore and you even feel better and more energetic, besides just the health benefits. But people (in the US) seem to treat it the way I treat the idea of eating Brussels sprouts: omfg no please no!

I noticed the difference and improvement myself when after some years without I got a bicycle again. Love it!

Yeah, I hear you. Our bodies are built to get some kind of activity or exercise every day.

I think that it's partly modern developed nation culture that is to blame. Many people have jobs that are sedentary and then they are really tired or busy and don't make themselves get exercise. And modern entertainment culture has the average person watching insane amounts of TV.

I think though that there isn't really any excuse for not at the very least getting in 4-5 walks a week. All that takes is a neighborhood or lunch break walk at a brisk pace to meet the bare minimum cardio needs.

This is so hilarious. Sitting in a whirlpool? Playing video games? As light exercise...and here I thought walking to school, which takes me 35-40 minutes, was light exercise. Which it is now that I think of it.

People are getting so unhealthy it is ridiculous and then people want to complain why the are overweight. Those things you posted up are not "light exercise". Those are just giving people a reason to be more lazy. It makes me shake my head at how stupid society is.

-Cosmic

a reply to: darkbake

I've been playing video games for years and I have to say, this comes as great news to me.

I work at my desk so sit a lot. I'm over 60 and at 5'10", 200lbs I was overweight. I've been on blood pressure meds for years (they were upped about 6mos ago) and 4 weeks ago had my annual physical. My BP was nearing 190/90. My Dr. told me my insurance required that he get that down and that he'd need to get more aggressive in its treatment. I asked him to give me 4 weeks to get myself on-track. I eat well but have a voracious sweet tooth and love junk food. Besides some hellatious yard-work from time-to-time, some kayaking and bicycling I don't have any regular exercise. I had seen the BowFlex Max Trainer advertised that claimed a 14min high intensity interval workout would be 2.5 times more effective than alternatives, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I ordered one. It took me almost 2 weeks to work my way up to the 'Max Interval' program. Over 4 weeks I only missed one day and that day I did 6hrs of yard work and was toast. Saw my doctor again 2 days ago. Over that 4 week period I lost 14lbs and my BP was down to 137/78. I also find I'm eating WAY less and don't miss it at all. I feel great. 14min a day. I thought it was marketing BS but it actually works.

That list is hilarious, we should all be super humans by now!

It takes a little bit more than that. I workout for at least a half hour every morning with the occasional rest day, I call my routine "the bare minimum". It's not always easy to get started but I never regret it, It's a great start to the day, I leave for work feeling energized and positive.

I have to do this to tame my anxious mind but I recommend it to everybody. People will make fun of you for being health conscious, like someone said it seems 95% of us are unhealthy as ****, but that just means your doing good.

Bet they'd get a lot more takers if they added sex to that list.
But, if you classify it as "light exercise" you ain't doin' it right.

a reply to: jtma508

Congratulations on getting healthier.

I wish more people saw that sitting around is not healthy. Being 17 I'm 5'8" and weighed 220 a year ago; then I did boxing for a few months and I walk to school now and I lost 15 pounds. I'm happier and healthier. It actually works if you get up and exercise but also watch what you eat.

a reply to: darkbake

Floating? I'm laying here on the couch and I can't make it happen.

originally posted by: new_here
a reply to: darkbake

Floating? I'm laying here on the couch and I can't make it happen.

Just try a little harder.

a reply to: jtma508

That Bowflex sounds good! I'm glad you have been getting healthier. Almost makes me want to buy one, if I had the money.

originally posted by: darkbake
The Centers of Disease Control and prevention realized back in 2003 that Americans weren't getting enough exercise, so they added a new category: light exercise, of which 60 minutes counts as a half-hour of normal exercise. This is an old story, but I found it out today and thought it was hilarious.

Activities that count as "light exercise" include:
*Sitting in a whirlpool bath
*Light office work
*Floating
*Playing video games
*Yachting
*Fishing while sitting down
*Purposeless wandering
*Shooting a pistol

55% of Americans are not getting their recommended dose of a half-hour of exercise, four days a week. With this new category of exercise, now you have more alternatives to stay healthy!

I love Indoor Bike Trainer

"Purposeless wandering"

The story of humanity. LOL