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?

Also in some way believable (sorry)

You don’t believe some people feel that they’ve got no time to exercise?

Your whole post shows a lot of ignorance about the challenges some people face.

It may, but I genuinely do not believe that if people wanted to they still couldn't find 15 min few times a week.

(Fwiw I classify myself as very active, but I rarely break a sweat or get out of breath)

You aren’t “very active” then. The definition of “vigorous activity” is that you get out of breath and sweat.

The point of ‘vigorous exercise’ is to work the heart and lungs which are obviously vitally important organs. It is important to keep them working well, especially as we age.

Those posters who say they don’t break into a sweat or feel out of breath: perhaps you have still raised your HR but you’re just not much of a sweater. Or maybe you are only raising your HR a modest amount and you could push yourself further. It is good for you to occasionally get into that zone where your heart is working at around 60-80% of your Max HR (this obviously varies according to age and health conditions etc. There are plenty of calculators and formulas online to work it out). The good news is that you don’t have to stay in that HR zone for very long to reap the benefits (this is what HIIT workouts are based around).

Personally, I like to try and get into that zone a few times a week. It can feel unpleasant if you’re not used to it, but it also really gets your blood pumping and can provide some endorphins!

It may, but I genuinely do not believe that if people wanted to they still couldn't find 15 min few times a week.

You’re still missing the point. The barrier is that some people feel their lives are so busy that they can’t find time to exercise. That’s why they don’t. That’s also a common barrier to cooking and eating healthily.

People might be able to rearrange their days to overcome the barrier (lack of time/tiredness etc) but that doesn’t mean that the barrier doesn’t exist. It’s a heck of a lot harder to find time to do some vigorous exercise when you’re rushed off your feet and knackered all the time.

Crossed post with @LoobyDop! I agree with you.

I think an often overlooked issue for women's health is the obvious drop in fitness following pregnancy. I used to run half marathons following a childhood of being a pretty serious gymnast.

A combination of morning sickness and SPD in pregnancy followed by a year of atrocious sleep has left me completely out of shape. My attempts to get back in shape have been utterly demoralising especially as I have to juggle to find time to exercise at about 8pm and then it doesn't feel worth it. Being fit used to be an important part of my identity but now I'm too tired to try to work out how to start.

I’m not sure there are able-bodied people who don’t have ANY time for vigorous exercise , given there was a study a few years ago that extolled the benefits of even 2 or 3 minutes of vigorous exercise a day that raises the heartrate.
if you do exercise that makes your heart beat fast and gets sweaty you know it’s something entirely different from daily activity. It’s as if once you’re in the zone (hot , sweaty , feeling you can’t take another step), your mind suddenly becomes euphoric and you have clarity and a sense of well-being. I couldn’t be without this ‘high’ tbh.
If you have small children it’s tricky but it’s an investment in yourself for when your children are older and you need an outlet to work off the (many) frustrations that arise with parenting teenagers.
Menopause and puberty are a deadly combo and you can pound your rage out on a treadmill 😀

I also think it would be good with more women only gyms. In my gym it used to be a corner for women only and I loved it. I still go, but I notice that a lot of the weight equipment is mainly used by men or extremely fit women.

Well, I wasn't missing the point then when I said anything can be bartier if someone wants it to be.

@PandoraP I agree that gyms can be intimidating places, not just for women but for anyone who’s a beginner!

Please don’t be put off the weights section though, I’ve generally found people at the gym to be supportive and encouraging if you need help etc. If you’re interested there’s a thread going over in ‘the weights room’ that’s basically a support thread for women who enjoy weightlifting - beginners and women who have been doing it for years!

I love running but currently it is only cool enough to go running where I am between about 11pm and 6pm and I don't really feel safe at that time. I see a lot of women out running in the winter but not now. I think safety is often overlooked. My dh said he has never even considered it for himself.

This is a very good point.

I used to be fairly fit, then had a high risk pregnancy, c section and 18 months of sleepless nights. I have tried to get back into it but time and tiredness are definite challenges. Wfh during the pandemic gave me the opportunity to get back into running but it is much tougher to find the time than it used to be.

It's intrinsically sexist as women's work is not being considered exercise. Carrying a 3kg weight around for long periods of time would be exercise...but not when you're a woman and the weight is a child.

Does that often meet the definition of “vigorous exercise”?

Depends what they mean by 'vigorous exercise' though, doesn't it?

Vigorous intensity activity makes you breathe hard and fast. If you're working at this level, you will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for breath.

The NHS definition.

My spin classes are in zones so I would class my
Moderate - zone 2-4, breathing harder than usual but able to sustain it for 10-20 mins
Vigorous - zone 4 and up, can't speak, can't sustain it for more than a few minutes without needing a break

I'm more irked by the fact that lockdown has had so many adverse effects and that these are blamed on "the pandemic" rather than a deliberate decision to restrict access to ways of keeping fit. Parkrun for example, now sees far fewer participants then pre pandemic. Women are FAR more likely to take part in exercise if it's fun, accessible and affordable.

And I'm extremely irked by the fact that we keep being told what a terrible state the NHS is in, yet no meaningful action at all is being taken to encourage healthier lifestyles, which would reduce pressure on the NHS.

Leisure centres continue to close, and the ones which are open such as the one in my town is so badly run by such badly paid, unmotivated, incompetent staff, it might as well be closed.

It's intrinsically sexist as women's work is not being considered exercise. Carrying a 3kg weight around for long periods of time would be exercise...but not when you're a woman and the weight is a child.

That's exercise, but it's not vigorous exercise (unless you're running while carrying your child!).

You could choose to pick at the study, the reporting, your lifestyle, the size of your house, gender differences in reporting ...or you could be more forward thinking and try to work out where and how you could fit in some exercise. Because clearly most of don't prioritise that. And doing some exercise, whether gym, jogging, hoovering up, swimming, whatever, means you'll likely live longer, see your kids longer into old age, cost the health service less and be a generally happier human being.

I think an often overlooked issue for women's health is the obvious drop in fitness following pregnancy.

Maybe. I know quite a few women (including me) who didn't take up exercise until after they had children, sometimes as a direct result because they felt heavy, unfit or unhealthy after pregnancies and wanted to be fit to run around after their dc.

It doesn't annoy me particularly no.

I do think that someone out there whether it's the government, the NHS needs to look more at the barriers to exercise and just why exactly people aren't exercising.

If that’s the NHS definition I don’t do any either even though I swim and go to the gym daily. I never get so out of breath I cannot speak.

Actually🙈 being morbid, I've just realised that is actually apparently going to cause big issues with lts of ageing population. So basically looking at all arguments around health care service... We fuck it up (apparently) if we don't keep healthy, but we also fuck it up (apparently) by being healthy and living longer😂