Does working our really help?

[Prunepicker]

I just received word that a friend of mine just died of a massive heart attack
and was 8 days younger than me.

He worked out everyday. He was the epitome of health.

I'm to the point of believing that I should remain a little over weight and
forgo any type of cardiovascular activity.

I know the youngsters aren't going to be too concerned with this but what
about us who are over 60? Seriously.

Oy vey!

[gjl]

It depends. A lot of it is in your genes. A lot of it is your life style. All my life I was always in what I considered great health. I started having coronary artery disease at age 47. Just 1 coronary artery. Lots of angioplasty and stents. Heart attack and open heart surgery at age 56. With me it was both hereditary and life style. Made big life style changes 11 years ago. The best thing to do if you are concerned about your heart health is to go and have a stress test done. Especially before Obamacare decides you are too old to keep alive and all you are going to get is pain medication.

[Plutonic Panda]

Lot of factors. Genes and your regular food diet would seem to be the biggest factor I would think.

[Prunepicker]

I have no health issues. I thank God Almighty.

I find it interesting that members of my family have died as early as in their
50's and as late as into their 90's. My blood pressure is very low and my
cholesterol is normal, as are all the other numbers. I do nothing. Period.

What's very peculiar is that my friends and family who died early exercised.
Those who died late in life didn't exercise.

[ljbab728]

I had a heart attack about 9 years ago but I'm still around.

I never did any major physical workouts other than just normal activity, yard work, etc. I have never been more than about 5 - 10 pounds over my preferred weight, so that wasn't a factor. I haven't changed my diet at all since then and I've been doing fine in cholesterol levels, etc. so I don't think that diet was a factor either. I agree that genes could have a lot to do with the likelihood of having heart attacks and it's why people who think they might be inclined towards heart attacks should get very regular checkups.

[Prunepicker]

Interesting.

I'm not going to change anything.

[ljbab728]

I have no health issues. I thank God Almighty.

I find it interesting that members of my family have died as early as in their
50's and as late as into their 90's. My blood pressure s very low and my
cholesterol is normal, as are all the other numbers. I do nothing. Period.

What's very peculiar is that my friends and family who died early exercised.
Those who died late in life didn't exercise.

It's not unusual to hear examples of people who have been athletes to die young so that type of physical activity is no guarantee of good health. However, I see no reason to think that not exercising is a benefit. I think there are some types of exercise that are not necessarily good for you in later life, however.

[Prunepicker]

Lot of factors. Genes and your regular food diet would seem to be the biggest
factor I would think.

I'm going to start having a piece of peach or blueberry pie every week.
Maybe a few more grilled cheese, peanut butter and garlic samiches on rye
with lots of butter. I really do like them. Not a joke.

Oh, I refuse to drink any milk that isn't 100%. 2% is gross. 1% is worse.
Skim is nothing but Blue John, in other words, the remains of rinsed out
milk bottles.

[ljbab728]

Oh, I refuse to drink any milk that isn't 100%. 2% is gross. 1% is worse.
Skim is nothing but Blue John, in other words, the remains of rinsed out
milk bottles.

I have to agree with that after growing up on a farm with our own milk cows. I wouldn't consider anything else.

[Plutonic Panda]

I'm going to start having a piece of peach or blueberry pie every week.
Maybe a few more grilled cheese, peanut butter and garlic samiches on rye
with lots of butter. I really do like them. Not a joke.

Oh, I refuse to drink any milk that isn't 100%. 2% is gross. 1% is worse.
Skim is nothing but Blue John, in other words, the remains of rinsed out
milk bottles.

If you like peanut butter, you need try some of those new Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups.... THEY ARE AWESOME!!

I drink a gallon of milk a day and it is 100% whole milk. Skim milk is nasty.

[Prunepicker]

If you like peanut butter, you need try some of those new Butterfinger Peanut
Butter Cups.... THEY ARE AWESOME!

I drink a gallon of milk a day and it is 100% whole milk. Skim milk is nasty.

Dude! I saw those Butterfinger Cups today at Homeland. I was very
tempted. I'll check them out.

I put peanut butter on most of my food, i.e. baked potatoes, cold pizza, grilled
cheese samiches, any sammich, left over burritos, rice, fried chicken. I can't
think of anything I won't eat with peanut butter. There might be a soup, but
I don't know what it may be. Peanut butter is fantastic with potato and tomato
soup. Haven't tried it with split pea. I'll bet it's fabulous, though.

My favorite dip for potato chips is peanut butter. Same goes for Fritos and
tortilla chips. Oh my, refried beans and peanut butter is awesome. Even
pork and beef roast, baked chicken. Whoa! Hamburgers and Hotdogs!
How could I forget them?

Seriously. Peanut Butter rulz.

[BBatesokc]

...I find it interesting that members of my family have died as early as in their
50's and as late as into their 90's. ... What's very peculiar is that my friends and family who died early exercised.
Those who died late in life didn't exercise.

Anecdotal at best.

As already stated, genes play the biggest part. However an active lifestyle and healthy eating will always (overall population) trump a sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits.

My wife if probably the epitome of health - at 42 she likes to rub in my face she can free-climb an unknotted rope 3.5 stories (twice in a row actually) and the first time not using her thighs/legs/feet - arms only.

However, she still has to take cholesterol medicine daily and will most likely have heart issues she needs to keep an eye out for (leaky heart valve) - as, most every female on her mom's side of the family has those issues regardless of lifestyle.

That said, poor choices in one's lifestyle can make an existing problem even worse - and that goes both ways.

If you know you're a candidate for a heart attack, yet you live a very healthy lifestyle, then you most likely should monitor you exertion and not over do it.

Using your logic, someone could easily point to George Burns and say - I guess the answer is to smoke cigars and drink regularly into your twilight.

[kelroy55]

I have to agree with that after growing up on a farm with our own milk cows. I wouldn't consider anything else.

I grew up in the country and our neighbors a half mile down the road had a dairy farm. I used to go down there and get fresh cream all the time, it was the best

[OKCTalker]

Nobody gets off this rock alive.

Do what you enjoy and what gives you the greatest number of healthy years, understanding that exercise & a health diet will add to those years, whereas a sedentary lifestyle & poor diet will subtract from them.

[PennyQuilts]

Keep moving (helps balance, flexibility, energy, metabolism, mood, immune system). Eat fresh stuff. Don't smoke. Pay attention to your gut - if it isn't working right, adjust. Genes will do a lot of us in but losing our sense of balance and flexibility leads to injury and hurting ourselves makes life a lot harder than it ought to be.

And get a dog. Especially if you don't have a strong social network.

[RadicalModerate]

A nice compromise here might be to make potato chips that weigh about 5 lbs. each. That way a person could tone their biceps and forearms shoveling them from the bag to the gullet. =) Wasn't there once a big jogging advocate who dropped dead in the middle of a jog? James Fixx or something? I think the thing about exercise may be that it makes you feel better for a few minutes and in general. I used to lift weights (keywords: used to) and recently have found that a nice, brisk walk, of a mile or so, has a good overall effect that is difficult to pin down. Of course, before I quit carrying around a 60 lb. bag of concrete mix all day, every day, a walk like that was more of a chore than an amusement. I'm still thinking about buying a bicycle.

[Just the facts]

If you have to drive to a gym to work out - you already lost. Once I changed my lifestyle to include more 'exercise' as part of simply living I started to lose weight, save money, and feel better. Will it make me live longer, who knows, but my quality of life has gone way up.

1) I try to walk 2 or 3 days a week. Admittedly, I do drive to a part of town that is more walkable, but this results in me walking further, enjoying the walk more, socializing with people on the sidewalk (or park bench), connecting with the historic roots of the city, enjoying unique architecture, and supporting local businesses. You can't do any of those things at a gym, which is why many people have to force themselves to go to the gym. Some times I walk so far I have to carry the dog part of the way.

2) I ride my bike to the store when I can. Some people drive to the store to get bread. I burn calories when I do go. I downloaded Tune-In Radio and bought a cell phone holder for the handlebars so riding the bike is even more enjoyable.

3) When I do drive I park as far from the store as I can. It keeps me from getting door dings, but more importantly, I get the extra walking in.

[RadicalModerate]

It just occurred to me that if the half-way destination of my brisk, one-mile walk wasn't a convenience store to pick up a pack of smokes or some cigars, the benefits of the exercise might be exponentially multiplied . . . I have, however, learned how to pretend that the Snack Cake, Cracker, and Candy Racks in there don't exist. Nor does the Soda Pop refrigerator. =)

[BBatesokc]

If you have to drive to a gym to work out - you already lost. Once I changed my lifestyle to include more 'exercise' as part of simply living I started to lose weight, save money, and feel better. Will it make me live longer, who knows, but my quality of life has gone way up.

1) I try to walk 2 or 3 days a week. Admittedly, I do drive to a part of town that is more walkable, but this results in me walking further, enjoying the walk more, socializing with people on the sidewalk (or park bench), connecting with the historic roots of the city, enjoying unique architecture, and supporting local businesses. You can't do any of those things at a gym, which is why many people have to force themselves to go to the gym. Some times I walk so far I have to carry the dog part of the way.

2) I ride my bike to the store when I can. Some people drive to the store to get bread. I burn calories when I do go. I downloaded Tune-In Radio and bought a cell phone holder for the handlebars so riding the bike is even more enjoyable.

3) When I do drive I park as far from the store as I can. It keeps me from getting door dings, but more importantly, I get the extra walking in.

IMO, this is more proof that everyone's physical fitness needs are individual and meeting them is just as individual.

For me, driving to the gym is the only reason I am so physically active.

I drive twice a day most days - I go from Edmond to the Downtown Y most mornings for early morning classes and return two evenings a week for additional classes. I then drive to the Edmond Y twice a week for evening classes also.

For me its the classes that make the difference. I walk/jog occasionally and for the most part I just want to get it over and I'm bored. Plus I can often burn more calories in class than when working out on my own or walking/jogging.

For me I find the gym to be very social and being a member of the Y does help give back to the community.

My wife and I are big though on not parking near a store's doors (on good weather days), just so we can get in a little extra walking.

Taking up mud runs the last couple of years though has definitely helped to keep me motivated.

[Just the facts]

It just occurred to me that if the half-way destination of my brisk, one-mile walk wasn't a convenience store to pick up a pack of smokes or some cigars, the benefits of the exercise might be exponentially multiplied . . . I have, however, learned how to pretend that the Snack Cake, Cracker, and Candy Racks in there don't exist. Nor does the Soda Pop refrigerator. =)

I walk in 3 areas of Jacksonville depending on my mood - downtown, San Marco, and Riverside. Because these areas have a connected street network and small blocks I rarely ever take the same route twice. In fact, I usually just let the dog decide where he wants to go at each intersection. When you let the dog lead the way it can lead to some interesting routes. If I get tired or the dog really needs a break I stop at a sidewalk café and get smoothie or something. I chalk the stop up to 'quality of life' and hope the walk off-sets the calorie intake. Yes I had a strawberry-Nutella smoothie, but I walked 3 miles to get it.

[RadicalModerate]

Blueberry and Peach Pie were mentioned above. To me, they are like cocaine: I vowed, about 35 years ago, that I would never go looking for it, but if it was offered to me I would never turn it down. (I liked the "high" so much--the four or five times I tried it--that I had to make that promise to myself. Since then, I've decided I would simply say no if it was offered. I'm pretty old now.) Now . . . If someone offered me a taste of the Blueberry or Peach Pie from, say, Ingrid's Kitchen, I would definitely say YES!. However, I'd never order a whole slice for myself. It's one of those "Calories Count" deals if I don't want to end up back in the hospital with an unstoppable nose bleed because I was 100 lbs. overweight and my blood pressure was hitting about 230. (Probably it was only really around 200 but an unstoppable nose bleed is a stressful situation.)

I think a lot of this indicates that you are about as healthy as you think you are--and will be as healthy as you choose to be.
It really is about Quality rather than Quantity of life. I think.

[PennyQuilts]

As a young mother, I liked the gym because they had a child care area that allowed me an hour to exercise and clear my head. It was as much a mental health break as a physical work out. Once I got past that stage, walking and just using my body worked best. In law school, I rode my bike to and from at least a couple of days a week and that was the best shape I was in for my adult life. Once I realized that moving was really about maintaining a sense of balance and the brain circuitry that goes with that, the rest made sense. A lot of people confuse good looks with good health. They are often the same but just as often not.

[PennyQuilts]

Prunie, I wasn't thinking. I am very sorry about your old friend.

[Pete]

Cholesterol levels have a lot to do with heart disease... Even skinny, active people can have high cholesterol due to genetics. Always wise to have this checked during an annual physical as it's easy to detect and regulate with modern meds.

As far as working out, all things held constant, of course there are massive health benefits. Someone who has heart problems at a relatively early age probably deferred them through cardio activity. Using a young person with health problems as an excuse not to get routine exercise is like pointing to the 80 year-old who has smoked their whole life as a reason not to quit smoking.

Show me one relatively fit person with heart problems and I'll show you a million out of shape people who died earlier. Heart disease is still the #1 killer in the U.S.


And BTW, there are many benefits to regular exercise other than avoiding heart attacks. I'm 53 and very active and don't feel anywhere near my age. In fact, when I went to my class reunion this summer and was in a room with 300+ all exactly my same age, it was pretty shocking. The average middle-aged person would benefit tremendously from regular exercise yet very few actually do it.

[PennyQuilts]

Avoiding being sedentary would be the best possible thing this country could do to bring down health care costs. Most really old people I know never stop. You rarely see a 90 year old who wasn't regularly dancing, working in the yard or doing their own housework within the past couple of years. In fact, sad to say, most 90 year olds are less sedentary than most 60 year olds. It's how they got to be 90.