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How much exercise is the right amount?

May 19, 2024

Trigger warning - discusses exercise disorders (kinda)

I was standing around talking to some friends at a party last weekend, and was talking about my new road bike I bought, because I likes me some biking, I do.

And one of my friends said something along the lines of “wow, you sure do get a lot of exercise”.

And so ensued a discussion on whether this was a good thing or not.

You see, I’m pretty sure I skate right up to the edge of what you’d call an exercise disorder.

I truly believe that it is only my deep rooted and inherent laziness that is saving me from crossing that line where my exercise habits could be looked upon as problematic. (and I am thankful for this - I have no problem with being lazy… that’s one piece of childhood guilt I’ve managed to shed).

I do exercise every day. 30 mins when I get up in the morning on the exercise bike. Then, in the evenings or on the weekends, I will participate in an hour or two of either skating, wall climbing, biking, hiking, or, if there’s really nothing else going on, just riding the elliptical.

I enjoy all these activities. Seriously. If I do not start my day with the exercise, I am a cranky, cranky girl. I need to get the blood moving in order to have a functional day. All those other things are fun as well as being good exercise (well, OK, I admit it, the elliptical is not “fun”, it’s just exercise for the sake of working out).

But this is, I think, where my lazy saves me from having to turn myself in to the therapist… because I simply don’t do ANY of the things I do very “hard”

Exercise bike? Yes. But I’m reading a book while I ride… and, let’s face it, that really keeps the effort to a minimum. I am raising my heart rate, but it’s not like this is a spin class or anything.

Outdoor biking? I simply do not feel the need to go more than a fairly sedate 15 mph. I like to do a nice 20 mile ride, but I do not care if it takes me 2 hours. I’m far more interested in endurance than speed. I was always a big fan of the tortoise in that story. Slow and steady really can “win the race”

Wall climbing involves a lot of rest, of which I am a big fan. Etc. Etc. Etc.

So yeah, I do exercise “a lot” - but I am only willing to do it “so hard” while I am at it.

I look at people who are doing things like P90x and, wow, now THAT’S some crazy shit right there! I am totally unwilling to go over into THAT territory.

But I could totally see where someone who exercises 20 minutes a day three times a week (that old “recommended” level, which has been revised and re-revised) would look at me and think I was totally whacked to do all I do.

So the question… “how much exercise is the right amount” … that’s quite a conundrum. HAES recommends moving your body. Well, yeah, that’s a good recommendation (if you can do that). But how much is enough to gather any particular “health” benefit and how much is, well, just too much?

I suppose if I was forced to answer that question, I would have to say… well, when you stop enjoying it or getting a good feeling from it, then it’s too much.

But what if the good feeling you get from it is a destructive one? What if I was exercising all that I do, but at top speed? Pushing as hard as I could? Well, I’m sure there would be plenty of folk out there who would applaud that, because that’s what we do in this country… but that would probably be hurting me while it was making me feel good - this is the nature of addictions and disorders.

I don’t really have an answer… but it’s definitely an interesting question.

13 Comments leave one →
  1. atchka permalink*
    May 19, 2024 9:30 am

    I’ve been wondering if there might be some sort of genetic component involved with people who get satisfaction out of exercising vs. people (like myself) who find the whole thing tedious and unpleasant. The more I learn about the role genetics play in things we typically ascribe to personal failing or success (such as appetite and satiety), the more I believe that genetics has something to say about almost everything we are capable of.

    I think if you’re enjoying it, then go for it. It’s only when your behavior starts disrupting the rest of your life that the behavior should be called into question.

    Peace,
    Shannon

    • noceleryplease permalink
      May 20, 2024 6:46 am

      Maybe there is a genetic factor. My sister loves to run. I cannot figure out why people would torture themselves in that way. So maybe she got the “running” gene. I’m kinda glad it skipped me ;)

  2. dufmanno permalink
    May 19, 2024 8:53 pm

    You know this is an interesting one.
    When I was younger my stress levels were through the roof and one of the things that helped was HEAVY gym time.
    It got to the point that I guess you could say I was addicted to the feeling (suppose you call that the endorphin rush) I got afterward.
    I woke at crazy hours to get to the gym before work and then sometimes even went back after quitting time to put in more.
    Now I have such an appalling lack of personal time that I can’t even imagine that kind of schedule but looking back I’m sure there was something way over the top about it.

    • noceleryplease permalink
      May 20, 2024 6:50 am

      Kids = no personal time ;)

  3. sleepydumpling permalink
    May 20, 2024 3:53 am

    I am in recovery from an exercise disorder. When I was at my worst, I was exercising up to 6 hours per day. Yup, 6 hours per day. I would exercise before work, do either classes or gym workouts during the day (we have a gym as one of our employee benefits), then I would come home, change into my swimmers and go up to the pool for two hours, and come home again and do yoga.

    It was fucking insane and I was off my tree at the time. No friends, my work levels sucked, I hardly slept and all I talked about was exercise. I could get no lower than 99.7kg (about 22olbs if my conversion is right) even doing that (along with starving myself and purging what bit I had).

    And the doctor I had at the time suggested that perhaps I could “ramp up the exercise a bit” to lose some more weight.

    Yeah I could, if I want to kill myself, or at the very least lose my job and end up in hospital with some kind of injury.

    Now I refuse to exercise. I engage in physical activities I enjoy, but they are not “exercise”. I go for a bike ride because it makes me feel good, walk to clear my head, do yoga to stretch and relax. And I try to only do one or two at the most of those per day. I don’t want to ever set foot in a gym again. I move my body because it makes me feel good and because in the long term, some moderate activity regularly is going to keep me supple, strong and relaxed.

    • noceleryplease permalink
      May 20, 2024 6:48 am

      This kills me…

      “And the doctor I had at the time suggested that perhaps I could “ramp up the exercise a bit” to lose some more weight. ”

      Doctors that don’t listen to people who are ALREADY killing themselves with exercise and then contribute to a disorder by encouraging MORE of it. Bah!

      • sleepydumpling permalink
        May 20, 2024 4:25 pm

        The real irony is, I weigh less now than when I was starving myself and doing “moderate” exercise, ie, not killing myself but going to the gym for one hour per day, which I HATED.

        I now only do activity that I enjoy and not for exercise sake, and practice intuitive eating, and yep… 16kg lighter than I was when I was on a starvation and purge lifestyle!

        And I’m happier and healthier today than I’ve ever been.

  4. Roxy permalink
    May 20, 2024 5:16 am

    I definitely believe exercise/physical activity is a personal thing… so what is too much has to be defined for each individual.

    I love the feeling I get after working out (like dufmanno mentioned) and I love doing certain things like reformer pilates, tennis, running, swimming.

    My feeling is, so long as you love doing what you’re doing… and it’s not crippling other facets of your life, then you’re ok. Personally, I love to use workouts to be social with friends… playing tennis, going on a hike or a bike ride is a great way to catch up with a friend and it’s FREE! :)

    And NCP, even if you were pushing yourself “harder” than you are when you work out- I still wouldn’t say something was wrong so long as the above is still true! Though, I’m so with you on the leisurely 15 MPH bike rides!!! Cyclists ZOOM by me all the time.

    • noceleryplease permalink
      May 20, 2024 6:49 am

      I love a good group hike or bike. As long as it doesn’t end up being a race… gotta rein in the competitive people ;)

  5. Healthy Amelia permalink
    May 20, 2024 8:50 am

    I really think this is something you have to find for yourself. Each person’s comfort level will be different. One person’s exercise addiction can be another’s healthy active lifestyle. It’s all about finding your own personal balance.

    About one year after finally quitting dieting, I am still working to find that balance. At this point, I’m only doing what I want to do – which is really just yoga a couple times a week. I’m working to incorporate it more into my daily life, but I’m trying to be gentle about it and not fall into old patterns of doing it because I should (activating my rebellious response which makes me want to NOT do it). My wonderfully supportive husband occasionally tries to encourage me to do more resistance training and cardio, but that doesn’t help. I resist being told what to do by anyone, regardless of how well-meaning.

    It seems like yoga and swimming are the two things that I truly enjoy not only for the feeling afterwards, but while doing them as well. I’m about to move to a community with a pool and yoga is wonderfully portable so I’m going to stick with what I like to do.

  6. Mom permalink
    May 23, 2024 7:30 pm

    I went nuts two years ago and my doctor put me on meridia, which I later found out is speed. I exercised for hours every day, I charted every calorie. I lost 121 lbs.

    I ended up in the hospital with gallbladder surgery. Then, I got pregnant within two weeks. Then I miscarried, then within a month I had an 8 cm ovarian cyst. Can you say, this is a body in deep, deep trouble? I didn’t tell my doctor about my heart palpitations.

    Now it’s been over a year since the surgery. The weight is back, but the blessing is that I feel so good. I do some fun easy exercise on the Wii Fit Plus, when I want to. My heart does not beat irregularly and I am off of all of my meds to regulate my hormones. I am back to me.

    But here’s what I wanted to say, I read, about a year ago, that if you were not willing to exercise for at least an hour at a time, it was not worth it. That is a terrible thing to say. Just my easy 25 minutes on the Wii Fit and I can feel biceps and my legs are firming up.

    Do what’s fun. The rest will follow. I may be fat, but I am a damn sight healthier than when I was 165 lbs.

    • sleepydumpling permalink
      May 24, 2024 12:36 am

      Ahh the old legal speed. I had a doc put me on that too. Sure, it suppressed my appetite. In so much that I didn’t eat or drink anything for four days. I would be on this insane hyper kick for the first 18 hours after I took it, my work mates HATED me, and then I would come crashing into the depths of depression for the last 6 until I took the next pill.

      Four days of that bullshit and my closest work colleague took me aside and begged me to stop taking it. I’m glad I listened to him, if it didn’t kill me physically, the depressions took me to the brink of killing myself.

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