Vigorous exercise study

[Tubs11]

47% of women have done no vigorous exercise in the past 12 months

This news story had irked me and feels like a women bashing exercise

Me: I haven't done vigorous exercise since pre pandemic and damn right I have no motivation or interest in doing any as I'm still knackered from having to raise and educate kids whilst working during the pandemic. Incidentally I'm the thinnest I've ever been as I didn't have time to eat!!

Anyone else annoyed by this study?

Your heart doesn't know or care if you are skinny it just cares you keep it healthy. Unless you are being active enough to sweat and get your pulse really working you're not helping it.

And frequent exercise which raises your pulse gives you more energy so you'll be less knackered

The problem with walking is that it's easy to start off fast and drop your pace if you're not motivated. I don't think walking should be so pushed as 'exercise', a lot of people walk very slowly, don't get their heart rate up and kid themselves they are exercising when actually what they are doing is just basic movement.

As regards women exercising I think it's important to note that 'boys' sports are prioritised in school and most out of school clubs are geared towards those sports perceived as being historically for men. Whilst girls/women are doing more of these sports, they don't continue past 14/15 whereas boys continue. This continues into their adult life and prioritise this and women just expect/accept their partner cycles/plays in a team and it becomes normal.

Basically what I was thinking. Women put themselves at the bottom of their lists. Basic maintainance is seen as 'a treat'. My partner puts exercise first, then claims there was no time to clear up his shit before starting work. Getting up earlier to help/ clear up his own stuff doesn't register as an option.

I feel my mental state and ability to cope with life take a nose dive when I can’t do my daily workout. Anxiety is heightened, molehills become mountains. Without exercise my digestion is sluggish, I sleep badly, my skin is bad, pmt is debilitating, Peri symptoms are worse.
Proper exercise is life changing. Don’t even get me started about how amazing it is to live free from chronic back pain (another unexpected benefit of daily exercise).

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This 100%

I think women owe it to themselves to do all they can to look after ourselves ad we get older because Mother Nature does fuck all to help us

I love this post btw

Yes. Jessica Smith on YouTube has some excellent free videos

I don’t see how it’s ‘women bashing’

If the figures are correct, the figures are correct

Hopefully it can result in changes to make it easier for more women to do more exercise
Whether it’s leisure centres providing crèches and childcare to allow women to get exercise in
Or looking at reasons why women are put off working out
or addressing attitudes that assume exercise is just for people wanting to lose weight

I’m really not surprised by this at all. It’s hard to fit exercise into your life as a woman. The demands of family and work, the sheer amount of time it takes to wash and style hair, do makeup and generally get ready for the day. We KNOW these things are optional but they don’t feel optional for the majority of women.

I’m in a women’s running group and the weekend runs are at 8am, because family time. Men don’t seem to have an issue cycling, playing football or golfing for hours on end. Women have to squeeze in half an hour to themselves.

Again Jessica Smith certainly used to have cardio videos for small spaces/living in a flat as did Jo Wicks although caution with his as you need to be careful with HIIT if it's new to you, easy to twist or sprain things (speaking from experience )

I disagree that walking is not proper exercise, but obviously depends how fast and far you walk. It’s also great being outside in fresh air.

As some others have said I truly believe men overstate what is ‘vigorous’ and women will understate.

This is far too simplistic. If you’re obese, that can have an adverse effect on your heart. Higher blood pressure, greater demand on your heart, worse cholesterol, greater risk of diabetes which can lead to heart disease… Staying in the healthy weight range (not necessarily “skinny”) is something all of us can do to help keep our hearts healthy.

The key here as you've said is fast and/or hills. Really get breathless and tell your glutes kicking in

Too many people think a daily meander is enough. Your heart probably hasn't even noticed you've stood up.

Hi Purple sorry yes, agree with you, I'd been simplistic as a reaction to the "I'm skinny so it's ok" thought process. That's just as dangerous, the old "skinny on the outside fat on the outside thing".

I think the annoyance comes from women who already feel like they are doing loads and now feel criticised for not doing enough exercise. The times article had a few single mums working full time with kids, house to clean etc pointing out that they are wall to wall with things to do. I know my random efforts at exercise have slid into the abyss after I had DD (Poor sleeper, DH pulls his weight but tbh after a long day neither of us feel like doing much atm). I assume it will get easier as she gets bigger.

Women do often put themselves at the bottom of the list and many men also put their partners and wives needs at the bottom of the list. Women need to basically take time of they want it or need it not wait for it to be offered. Right now I’m starting with sleep and trying to get as much of that as possible.

Try doing burpees and squat jumps without getting out of breath!

Interested which of those you don't find heart pumping. I train heavily 6 days a week and can use all of those as vigorous exercise. Yoga and Pilates you have to pick pretty challenging routines, but certainly possible. For the others, it will depend on what weight or resistance you use, or how explosive you make the movement. Squats versus squat jumps, lunges versus plyo lunges etc, gentle jogging versus high knee running.

Re. The dancing, I do Zumba at home on my iPad in a space about metre and a half square. Also Just Dance in front of the TV. I once did a scarf dance exercise video, but one scarf caught a bulb on the light fitting and rained glass down upon me. So I don't recommend that unless you have much higher ceilings than I do.

If anyone is wondering how they can exercise vigorously at home, can I put in a word for Caroline Girvan? I came across her after seeing her mentioned on here.

In three decades I have never, ever found a single exercise regime I can stick to, but her workouts are the real deal. I'm around 5 weeks in and honestly I already look and feel completely different!

Her workouts are all free. You just need an area maybe 2m x 1/1.5m, a mat and some dumbbells to get started.

How? I live in a small house and have not found any exercise I can do inside.

Skipping rope? Step exercise? Circuits (burpees, star jumps etc)?

I'm not doing enough vigorous exercise and I'm not remotely pissed off by the article. OP - you admit you don't do exercise because you have no motivation to do it - so why are you offended?

I was really surprised by this article.

I did more exercise in the pandemic, not less. During the first lockdown my school based job didn't require me to do anything, so I helped yr5 and yr7 DC do their work. However at the start of every day I walked or ran with the dog for 3-6 miles at 5/6am.

Then I did a 20 min PMA workout (YouTube) or bodyfit by amy (YouTube).

Then it was kids up, school, gardening etc then another 3 mile dog walk after restrictions eased. I lost half a stone in the first lockdown.

I've continued in roughly the same vein since.

Surely all those on furlough were exercising more? And what about those people who did daily walks with their family (my children always refused to join us).

I must mix in different circles because I don't know a single mum who didn't exercise more during the pandemic.

And to the PP who doesn't have space, I literally do all my home exercises in a space the size of a gym mat.

I was one, I couldn't physically exercise as I'm allergic to it
Thankfully I'm now on a v expensive drug which keeps it under control and I do spin classes most days. It wasn't that I didn't want to, I couldn't face exercise covered in hives and itching

It’s really important that we are mindful of things that affect womens heath. If this makes one woman think that she maybe hasn’t done as much as she could’ve and it has an improved health outcome then surely that’s a good thing

For me there's a difference between "exercise" and "activity". "Exercise" is artificial - an activity for the sake of it, eg going to the gym, for a run, a workout at home. "Activity" is just part of your lifestyle: walking instead of driving, cycling as a form of transport; walking up stairs and escalators; carrying shopping home from the supermarket.

I probably haven't done any vigorous exercise for over 12 years, let alone 12 months. I don't like "exercise", I don't like sports. I do, however, do lots of "activity", some of it vigorous. I don't drive so I'm dependent on walking and public transport (which also involves walking!); dragging heavy shopping uphill from the supermarket; walking up 4 flight of stairs; walking for miles at a brisk pace.

I'm surprised by the number of posters who can only seem to conceive of "exercise" in an artificial form, eg gym or home workout. Are your lives really so sedentary that you don't do any "activity" in your daily/weekly life that can be classed as vigorous? Is this due to car-culture? Are people who don't drive much more physical in getting out and about?