At my yearly physical last week a funny thing happened. The doctors staff informed me that swimming is not an aerobic exercise and that I would be better off walking briskly for 20 to 30 minutes a couple days each week.
I explained I try to swim 2 to 3 times each week for 60 to 90 minutes,and my workout is prepared by MO, ya'll might recognise that name. They asked me the distance I cover in that time and I responded with 2800 to 3500 yards or 1.5 to 2 miles depending on time.
Not good enough according to the staff. I should be walking. I will let the facts stand for themselves.
Age 48
Wt 149
BP 120/80
Pulse 60
Body Fat 18%
Total Cholesterol 194 (need to eat better)
Well it is off to the pool for another MO workout. Maybe I will walk briskly from my car to the pool and see if that counts. Thanks for those workouts MO I enjoy them.
Have a great day
Paul
Originally posted by emmett
Aquageek,
Are you really Ion in disguise? :)
You'd have to give me some credit as it would be a clever disguise. That's now three times in the past month I've been accused of Ion-like behavior. If only I swam slower to enhance the ruse.
If walking is exercise, why stop there, maybe vigorous sleeping is exercise also. I think I'll go take a power nap because as Americans get plumper and plumper the definition of exercise is certain to approach a catatonic state.
Originally posted by aquageek
You'd have to give me some credit as it would be a clever disguise. That's now three times in the past month I've been accused of Ion-like behavior. If only I swam slower to enhance the ruse.
It's not your motives that are suspect, just the way you are expressing your argument. When Ion says "Europeans hold Americans in contempt", and what he really meant was a few Frenchmen he had lunch with, you were right to call him on that. When you call walkers fat, lazy slobs, and what you really mean is a subclass of walkers (the "lolly-gaggers"), then we are right to call you on that. (There was nothing in your earlier posts to indicate that you made a distinction between vigorous walkers, like your wife, and other walkers.)
If walking is exercise, why stop there, maybe vigorous sleeping is exercise also. I think I'll go take a power nap because as Americans get plumper and plumper the definition of exercise is certain to approach a catatonic state.
But you already stated that walking, done the right way, is exercise. (You gave your wife as an example.) Just like others have agreed with you that walking, done lazily, is hardly exercise. You shouldn't be arguing that walking isn't exercise. You should be arguing, like Emmett did, that any exercise (including swimming) needs to have some intensity.
As for that last point, maybe you are on to something. There should be a study, to see if sleepwalkers (who don't otherwise exercise) are more fit than more sedentary sleepers. ;)
mattson:
Fell free to post under my id. You are so much more eloquent in writing than I am.
Maybe you can take a leisurely stroll beforehand to contemplate what to say and you can consider that your daily workout.
Iongeek
I am firmly of the opinion that dollar-for-dollar the Big Mac is the best food choice on the planet and a solid reason why I swim so darn much. McRib is a close second.
McDonald's had a double big mac promotion a few years back, glory be, I was in heaven that month.
Originally posted by aquageek
I am firmly of the opinion that dollar-for-dollar the Big Mac is the best food choice on the planet
Did you know that the Big Mac was invented near Pittsburgh? You should try the Permanti (sp??) Brothers burger! :D
Originally posted by emmett
So, how do we get doctors to say "Walk or, better yet, go to www.USMS.org, find a swimming program near you and sign up today!"?
I just realized, getting doctors to tell people to walk, is what got this whole discussion in trouble in the first place! ;)
Originally posted by Bob McAdams
The drug companies do it by giving out free samples. Will that work for us?
Are you talking about handing out cups of chlorinated water? Don't think that will help. (If you are talking about free drugs, I think that may attract the wrong crowd. :) )
During Nationals, there was a group working on a health survey. They want to see how Masters swmmers compare to other groups, for health versus aging. If swimmers do well (as most people suspect), that would be the research to give to doctors.
I'm fortunate... my doctor is an ex-Masters swimmer, who swam on the same team that I do now...
Once I went to him for a swimming related issue- when he found out that I did Masters, he was pleased...
peace...
Originally posted by emmett
So, how do we get doctors to say "Walk or, better yet, go to www.USMS.org, find a swimming program near you and sign up today!"?
The drug companies do it by giving out free samples. Will that work for us?
