Discussion Board

OK.....you have a university that gets funding for a study.

They take 300 overweight study subjects equally distributed on various healthy eating plans.

Then for the subject of the study, exercise, they divide the subjects into 3 groups.

Group 1, 100 people, is the control group. They are the group that will have no exercise plan or equipment.

Group 2, 100 people, will be given many pairs of comfortable walking shoes as well as a comfortable "all-around" bicycle. Their exercise is to walk or cycle.

Group 3, 100 people, are given dozens of tapes, videos, home exercise machines, and gym memberships if wanted. They are instructed to use any or all of those items.

Then everyone is sent home with instructions to exercise (except the control group)
At 6 month intervals, the study subjects are weighed and other tests are conducted (heart rate, blood pressure, etc)

At the 5 year mark the three groups are evaluated as to the impact of the exercise they have or have not done or continued.

What do you think would be the results of the various groups?
Which group would do the most exercise, and continue it the longest?
Which group would be most likely to continue their exercise for life?
Which group would have lost the most weight and kept it off?
Which group would have the best heart rate, blood pressure, etc. ?

Or would both exercise groups test exactly the same as the contol group that had no exercise plan or equipment?

Any thoughts on what such a study would show?

I think the key wouldn't be what they were *told* but what sort of encouragement/follow up/reminders/support they were given.

I have bought countless exercise videos, equipment, etc. But the only times I've really done well is when I've had some sort of support system for sticking with it.

but if you want to assume they all did what they were told ...

gosh, I still think it depends. I mean, if they walk once a week and say "I complied" they'd have very different results from those who walked several miles a day.

I would guess that those who complied ~ who made a change and began exercise of any sort ~ would lose some weight and improved heart rate and blood pressure and the like.

My personal feeling is that those who could exercise regardless of weather (so probably video people, or a stationary bike or other equipment) would have better long term compliance, but that's because in Michigan it can be hard to get out and exercise for a good chunk of the year.

~shrug~

Oh, no, I'm not assuming that they either have encouagement, follow up, reminders, or support.
No, on the contrary, I am assuming that this is the real world and they get little or none of that, unless it comes from friends, family, or fellow exercisers they meet in their own life rather than anything involving the study.
And they begin with little or no instructions for any of the methods
In other words, the real world like 90% of the people here will encounter.

As to living in areas with cold winters,......well each person will have to take that into account.

Oh, then I'm guessing there would be, statistically, no real difference between the groups. 5 years is a really long time to keep up what was suggested if there's no mechanism in place to keep the groups on track.

I, too, doubt there would be much difference. The reason is that simply most people I know already have comfortable walking shoes, gym memberships or home exercise equipment or the ability to purchase them if they wish, bicycles and exercise tapes. And almost everyone I know has been told to exercise by their doctors or TV or school and guess what, they usually don't. Until one of two things happen: either they find something they can be passionate about and treat like play that often comes with the side benefit of socializing, or they have exercise built into their world incidentally such as living in a walking friendly neighborhood with the ability to get to things being actually easier by walking or biking than taking the car.

Personally I have used every one of the interventions you suggested at one time or another. It depended very much on the stage of my life you caught me in and five years would likely have been too long for any one stage.

The thing that I do most consistently, however, is walking. My dog helps get me out the door, even if I don't care to do it. And we started family walks with my kids years ago at the minimum on the weekends, often hauling neighborhood kids along with us. It became a way to get more connected with each other away from the tyranny of electronics. And getting out the door alone has always been my mental stress remover.

(if you'll allow me a unpopular veiwpoint I've gathered over years)

Well, therein lies the problem.. The reality is that there is "no mechanism in place".
IF as is normally the case, the average person is not doing what is already available to most of them, in the form of walking and cycling, then it is my opinion that most of the "activity" that we see everyone so excited about is almost certainly a flash in the pan, and unless their McDougalling is not also the same, then looking 5 years down the road, it all seems rather dismal.

Here is what I see. Lots of people on a new diet and also adding in a new exciting exercise or piece of equipment and everything ending up well before 5 years, right back where it started.
Oh perhaps a bit or even a substantial part of McDougalling remaining, but exercise? No, none of that will remain, certainly not the latest machine or "as seen on TV" video program.
I get back to my often repeated theme....... Look out in the world. What do you see the long term exercisers doing either as individuals or in groups and clubs. Are they doing some "latest" video or "latest new program", or are they a member in the "latest" modern gym, or the "latest" franchise exercise craze.....
NO.......they aren't part of any of those. And, the truth be known, none of those things we see people so avidly discussing are any different than the latest craze in diets. They will all go the way of the "low carb", grapefruit, or West Beach diet...
Fives years down the road is not a long time in exercise........
Indeed, 5 years is the ONLY time that matters.
Exercise is no different than dieting. If you aren't finding and doing a lifelong exercise than why even begin. Diets don't work and neither do exercise "diets".

If one is going to end up walking, hiking, cycling, swimming, or golfing for life, the get on with it..... Learn which of the sustainable activities you really like and can fall in love with. Stop spending time going down the latest dead end road.

"Until one of two things happen: either they find something they can be passionate about and treat like play that often comes with the side benefit of socializing, or they have exercise built into their world incidentally "

Well, I think there you have it all. And what I see most people doing or discussing has nothing to do with any of those elements.
Those are the essential keys to sustaining 5, 10, and 20 years of exercise.
Oh, sometimes a real exerciser will slow down or even stop for a few months or even a year or two, but then they're right back at the time honored few sustainable exercises that we all know.
And, I have a firm belief that the year after year exercise pattern is essential for most people who have ever had the genetic predisposition to gaining weight. Its not a option, its mandatory. This essential-ness of exercise makes the wise choice of a exercise so important.
Why have short term relationships which you know will end in divorce.
Choose a mate (exercise) you can live a lifetime with.
Have a good marriage with a exercise rather than a pattern of short-lived Las Vegas style marriages.

So thats what I see. Too many folks heading to Reno and Las Vegas, getting hitched to doomed marriages.
Thus is my potification on exercise.

Well, I mostly agree with your metaphor. The problem is that what that marriage looks like can vary person to person. One size does not fit all. And many times you simply can't know if you love a sport until you actually do it. My aunt, for instance. She works in an office downtown she has to drive to and from. But her employer has provided a gym she uses at lunchtime. It's convenient, weather independent, and she has used it for years and always stayed trim. But a few years ago she decided she needed something extra and joined a soccer team that she plays in twice a week and loves. She tried a pilates class and wasn't so crazy about it. One might say she has an enduring marriage with a few flings on the side.

Or there's my daughter who loves to ride. At present she rides about 4 and a half hours a week and it's her bliss. But the day will come when she won't be able to afford the time to drive to the stable and tack up on top of her other commitments. And she may not be able to afford the money for the actual riding when no longer subsidized by her own personal bankers. She is considering a job that will involve riding but she's 14--sticking her with a lifetime of a walking program or even horseback riding would just be unfair. Kind of like an arranged marriage.

I think the part missing for most people, including myself from time to time, is the commitment to the principle of exercise (unless they have it built in to their daily life where it is unconscious by virtue of necessity). If you have the commitment, then you problem-solve and find ways around barriers. You find the thing that gives you joy, connection with others or the natural world, relaxation. Something other than the knowledge you have ticked a box off. What that looks like may change completely based on your life circumstances, finances, proximity to classes, etc. But you keep the commitment. That is the marriage in the end. It's sort of like commiting to McDougalling for health rather than just weight loss. It's just a deeper level that allows one to endure the "stuff" that throws other people off.

Don't know if you intended to get philosophical. Nice discussion anyway. BTW, I hope you put all that passion of yours to work in getting others around you fired up about exercise. It's quite infectious, ya know.

Dear Purdy and Hope,

I love your posts. I am so excited that there are people who think the same way I do about the importance of exercise over the long haul. Now here are my two cents.

Find the exercise you enjoy then you will keep doing it. None of those quick fixes.

Here's my history (I'll try to make it quick.) and my personal experiences regarding exercise.

I grew up on a farm. Small house, big family, big yard. Walked alot hoeing fields and to get away from my siblings. Took lots and lots of bike rides. I was a skinny kid.

University: Went through some rough spots, found myself walking instead of going to classes. (looking back at it, it was the right thing to do.) Graduated eventually.

Took up running as a way to combat the weight gain from binge eating in University. I was sometimes successful, sometimes not. To this day I find running to be something I don't enjoy because I associate it with trying to lose weight.

Post University and marriage: Took up walking again. Walked with my babies and without them. Skinny again.

Divorce and Single parenting. Walked and walked.

New relationship (9 years now) Walking some more. Added weight lifting and lots of biking now that the kids are grown.


To me walking is my second skin. I walk ( or bike) at least 5 times a week for an hour or more each time. Walking is a constant in my life. It is what I do. It is what I love. It is very therapeutic.

Because of my consistent walking (over the years) and recent good eating, I have excellent blood pressure, low cholesterol, and a pulse rate of 59 (athlete's level.) I have a BMI of 19.7, even though I am 46. Many people say walking isn't that good for you, but once again it is CONSISTENCY that counts.

Some people love tennis, others swimming, others dance. Whatever it is make a commitment to do it and in time it will be like brushing your teeth or washing your hair. Find something you'll want to do for life and not just until the weight is off.

I think that exercise is at least as important as dieting. My favourite line by Jack Lalanne is, "Exercise is king. Diet is queen. Together they make a kingdom!"

Thanks for listening to my random thoughts,

YVie

I agree with this completely.

But I thought you were asking about creating a university study.

I think for a study to show an effective difference, the study would need to provide some mechanism for encouragement/support/follow up. To give the groups the best chance of really being different.

That's all I was trying to say.

Although, too, back to the personal passion thing ~ sometimes it takes a lot of dead end roads to find what DOES work for you. And that can be different in different seasons of life. Right now walking is working very well for me, but I had to do it for months and months consistently before I started to *enjoy* it. Pregnancy fatigue is making it harder, and I'm sure new baby demands and sleep deprivation will make it harder yet. I am not sure whether I will be able to keep it up for the next year, despite really wanting to stick with it.

You sound like me, Yvie. Walking is my therapy. I even have some stuff from Thich Nhat Hahn and Byron Katie on my iPod for the days that the exertion itself doesn't do it. I love my iPod.