Naked Science Forum
General Science => General Science => Topic started by: Caleb on 16/05/2014 15:49:27
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Does anyone do this as a simple form of exercise? Walking up and down a flight of stairs for 15 min.?
Problem is this--sometimes it's not really a lot of fun to go outside and exercise, to go on to my little recumbent bike and set the thing up, but I can just get on my pair of shorts, T-shirt, and go up and down my stairs for 20 min., listening to a podcast (Naked Scientists). Also, I go over my bare feet (which helps with traction), it's very close to the shower, etc.
In doing this, I also hold my breath and so, for example, this morning I went up to 8 to 12 steps him quite often without taking a breath. I never get terribly out of breath, but I really do think that this increases the workout that I get. (I have posted on this site before information on how the published literature supports the training effect of breath-holding.)
I sure have my hand along the banister going down the stairs and I don't really go much for speed--nor do I have to, with holding my breath as I come up.
Right now, and counting every flight by bending down a finger starting with the little finger of my left hand. When I reach 10 (reaching the little finger of my right hand), I move a penny on a piece of paper across the line, this to indicate a cycle of 10 times going up and down the stairs. After moving four pennies, I've reached 15 min. I am going to work out to 30 min. a day going up and down the stairs, but I hope to approach it in several months,, this I've had in the past back problems and a slight difficulty with my right knee. (One of the physical therapists I had for my right knee problem simply said that I should angle my foot more towards the center and it solve my problem absolutely. As a youngster, I broke my right femur and therefore my right foot since five years of age was splayed out to the right. It was a simple fix for me, and it has ended the problem I had with my right knee.)
Anyway, does anyone do anything like this?
Yours,
Caleb
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Does anyone do this as a simple form of exercise? Walking up and down a flight of stairs for 15 min.?
Problem is this--sometimes it's not really a lot of fun to go outside and exercise, to go on to my little recumbent bike and set the thing up, but I can just get on my pair of shorts, T-shirt, and go up and down my stairs for 20 min., listening to a podcast (Naked Scientists). Also, I go over my bare feet (which helps with traction), it's very close to the shower, etc.
In doing this, I also hold my breath and so, for example, this morning I went up to 8 to 12 steps him quite often without taking a breath. I never get terribly out of breath, but I really do think that this increases the workout that I get. (I have posted on this site before information on how the published literature supports the training effect of breath-holding.)
I sure have my hand along the banister going down the stairs and I don't really go much for speed--nor do I have to, with holding my breath as I come up.
Right now, and counting every flight by bending down a finger starting with the little finger of my left hand. When I reach 10 (reaching the little finger of my right hand), I move a penny on a piece of paper across the line, this to indicate a cycle of 10 times going up and down the stairs. After moving four pennies, I've reached 15 min. I am going to work out to 30 min. a day going up and down the stairs, but I hope to approach it in several months,, this I've had in the past back problems and a slight difficulty with my right knee. (One of the physical therapists I had for my right knee problem simply said that I should angle my foot more towards the center and it solve my problem absolutely. As a youngster, I broke my right femur and therefore my right foot since five years of age was splayed out to the right. It was a simple fix for me, and it has ended the problem I had with my right knee.)
Anyway, does anyone do anything like this?
Yours,
Caleb
it is very dangerous to do that as you could suffer from a stroke or a heart attack.There is no peer reviewed evidence that such exercise has any value.you could also slip or fall down the stairs and break your neck or spine.It is suggested you go to a private doctor who can prescribe officially approved medical treatments instead of this wacko exercise nonsense.
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Wow! Someone sure had their full supply of grouchy pills today.
I'm not sure which are objecting to--going up and down the stairs or breath holding or both. Climbing stairs has been a venerable exercise for a very long time. Combining it with breath holding makes sense to me. I could probably get the same effect singing as I go up the stairs, chanting, etc., but breath holding is quite a bit simpler.
Below is some of what I previously posted on this site related to enhancing the training effect by restricting breathing. I am pretty sure it's still valid.
Always glad to have a chance to examine these issues again.
Yesterday I spent 20 minutes going up and down my flight of stairs with some breath-holding each time I came up stairs. The body is wonderfully responsive to even slight increases in bodily CO2, I have read, and I am sure I never came close to serious oxygen debt. I used to run long distances, in marathons and such, and consider this current approach much, much les taxing.
Yours,
Caleb
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Re: Breath-holding and High Intensity exercise -- is Breath Holding important?
« Reply #9 on: 11/01/2014 23:23:50 »
Actually, I think several abstracts published on pubmed.gov fairly clearly support the usefulness of breath holding while exercising.
In http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24282212 is this: Br J Sports Med. 2013 Dec;47 Suppl 1:i74-i79. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2013-092826. “Repeated sprint training in normobaric hypoxia.” Galvin HM, Cooke K, Sumners DP, Mileva KN, Bowtell JL.
The above study compared sprint training using either normal oxygen levels (21%) or hypoxic levels (13%). The authors open their abstract with this:” Repeated sprint ability (RSA) is a critical success factor for intermittent sport performance. Repeated sprint training has been shown to improve RSA, we hypothesised that hypoxia would augment these training adaptations.” They concluded with this: “Twelve RS training sessions in hypoxia resulted in twofold greater improvements in capacity to perform repeated aerobic high intensity workout than an equivalent normoxic training. Performance gains are evident in the short term (4 weeks), a period similar to a preseason training block.”
Seems to have been a dramatic training effect.
Another study is this (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18331220):
High Alt Med Biol. 2008 Spring;9(1):43-52. doi: 10.1089/ham.2008.1053. Effects of intermittent hypoxia training on exercise performance, hemodynamics, and ventilation in healthy senior men. Shatilo VB, Korkushko OV, Ischuk VA, Downey HF, Serebrovskaya TV.
The authors open with: “The efficacy and safety of intermittent hypoxia training (IHT) were investigated in healthy, 60- to 74-yr-old men. Fourteen men (Gr 1) who routinely exercised daily for 20 to 30 min were compared with 21 (Gr 2) who avoided exercise.” They concluded with this: “Thus, healthy senior men well tolerate IHT as performed in this investigation. In untrained, healthy senior men, IHT had greater positive effects on hemodynamics, microvascular endothelial function, and work capacity.”
In the above study, the hypoxic condition consisted of rebreathing.
Sure makes sense to me that people who are out of shape will benefit the most from this kind of approach.
I think we can clearly see this kind of approach at work in military training camps, where people jog and chant/sing at the same time. Chanting and singing certainly would raise the effort level up quite a few notches. Maybe an important point to make is this -- we are either free-breathing or we aren't. If we take long sentences, we are suspending our breathing a bit. (Physiologist Brad Pillon, in his weight control book, "Eat-Stop-Eat" says "either we are feeding or fasting", and that is an interesting and insightful way of looking at eating, I think.)
I really would like to see studies on this effect, perhaps using fruit flies and mice to see whether intermittent hypoxia would lead to a training effect, and maybe also to greater longevity. Similarly, I wonder if this process would also lead to training effects in humans— whether simply limiting oxygen would be helpful physiologically (especially to those who cannot exercise), in terms of bolstering cardiovascular fitness, laying down more blood vessels, etc.
Exercise itself makes us stronger through an adaptive process, and maybe intermittent hypoxia itself would be another form of that adaptive tendency. And interestingly, maybe an important step (in terms of one approach to fitness) is running out of breath, often enough and also for a long enough time.
Yours,
Caleb
« Last Edit: 12/01/2014 19:12:40 by Caleb »
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I just found this on pubmed.gov and it comports well with what I'm doing, I think. I had back surgery about 15 years ago, and I can no longer run, but I think I am getting a good training effect from the stairs.
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Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1993 Nov;25(11):1275-8.
Effects of stair-climbing vs run training on treadmill and track running performance.
Loy SF1, Holland GJ, Mutton DL, Snow J, Vincent WJ, Hoffmann JJ, Shaw S.
Author information
Abstract
Physically active college age women were evaluated to determine the effects of 9 wk of stair-climbing (Stairmaster Gauntlet) vs run training on 2414-m run time and treadmill measured aerobic capacity (VO2max) and submaximal physiological parameters. Subjects were randomly assigned to a stair-climbing (STAIR N = 11) (43.8 +/- 1.5 ml.kg-1.min-1) (mean +/- SEM) or run training (RUN N = 12) (44.2 +/- 1.8) group, training 4 d.wk-1 at 70-80% of maximum heart rate (MHR) for 30 min progressing to 85-90% MHR for 45 min. The STAIR group significantly increased (P < 0.01) their VO2max by 12% and decreased (P < 0.01) their 2414-m run time of 12.8 min by 8%. The RUN group increased (P < 0.01) their VO2max 16% and decreased run time (P < 0.01) 11% from 13.1 min. Submaximal treadmill runs at the same speed and grade demonstrated significant decreases in %VO2max and % MHR (P < 0.01) for both groups. The data support the use of stair-climbing exercise as an alternative mode to running with similar treadmill and running performance results subsequent to 9 wk of training.
PMID: 8289616 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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15 to 20 minutes of walking on a flat surface is more exercise than most adults achieve today. Community health would improve if people took up this practice several times per week.
I am sure that walking up stairs is a more intensive form of exercise, which will do more for your heart than walking on a level surface.
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I tend to like to take the stairs rather than escalators or elevators. Unfortunately, many building designers tend to make it hard to find or get into the stairs.
I'm not sure about the hypoxic training. I could see two things happening.
- It may stimulate erythrocyte growth somewhat like high altitude training (for elite athletes).
- It may also stimulate the formation of lactic acid, similar to intense anaerobic exercise. Would this stimilate muscle growth?
Lung function, cardiac exercise, and etc are also important, so I think I'll breathe, unless swimming underwater.
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CliffordK --
But you are not opposed to running out of breath at times, are you? Especially during maximal exercise?
Seems to me that for a real training effect, running out of breath (with panting, etc.) is not something that should be totally avoided. Indeed, it's a sign that the exercise is helpful, I think.
And you do not have a belief that regular slow breathing is always the correct way to go? Seems to me that if you were, you would believe that no one should exert her/himself at all, and that's not what leads to a training effect, as far as I can see.
Yours,
Caleb
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CliffordK --
But you are not opposed to running out of breath at times, are you? Especially during maximal exercise?
Seems to me that for a real training effect, running out of breath (with panting, etc.) is not something that should be totally avoided. Indeed, it's a sign that the exercise is helpful, I think.
And you do not have a belief that regular slow breathing is always the correct way to go? Seems to me that if you were, you would believe that no one should exert her/himself at all, and that's not what leads to a training effect, as far as I can see.
Yours,
Caleb
Exercise can cause hear attacks and death due to the heart muscle being damaged.
Look at all those deaths from fun runs and marathons.some people die many days after the fun run but this is not connected and so the actual rate could by many times the reported figure.just imagine you lying slumped at the bottom of the stairs.
why don't you take statins as a leading doctor last week said everyone over the age of 30 should be taking them.you should prescription drugs for your condition.
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why don't you take statins as a leading doctor last week said everyone over the age of 30 should be taking them.you should prescription drugs for your condition.
More drugs aren't the answer to everything in the world. The improvement from Statins is minimal, and only in cases with significant heart disease risk with high LDL.
Exercise both moderately improves the HDL/LDLl balance, as well as being good for the old ticker.
The old "use it or loose it" adage is true with many things, and the ticker needs exercise too. However, that doesn't mean taking the exercise to excess, nor going from a couch potato to a marathon runner overnight.
In fact, a marathon is not representative of a more sane moderate exercise program, perhaps including a few high intensity drills, but not exercising until one literally drops.
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why don't you take statins as a leading doctor last week said everyone over the age of 30 should be taking them.you should prescription drugs for your condition.
More drugs aren't the answer to everything in the world. The improvement from Statins is minimal, and only in cases with significant heart disease risk with high LDL.
Exercise both moderately improves the HDL/LDLl balance, as well as being good for the old ticker.
The old "use it or loose it" adage is true with many things, and the ticker needs exercise too. However, that doesn't mean taking the exercise to excess, nor going from a couch potato to a marathon runner overnight.
In fact, a marathon is not representative of a more sane moderate exercise program, perhaps including a few high intensity drills, but not exercising until one literally drops.
But there is no profit in exercise while taking statins makes the economy strong.
the doctors and governments recommends it too.
you should respect your doctors who
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Walking up stairs is great exercise. I'm not sold on the breath holding part, though... I suspect that increasing the intensity of the workout while still breathing as needed would be better than maintaining intensity while decreasing available oxygen. Otherwise I could just get in shape by sitting on the couch with a plastic bag on my head 20 minutes a day.
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Walking up stairs is great exercise. I'm not sold on the breath holding part, though... I suspect that increasing the intensity of the workout while still breathing as needed would be better than maintaining intensity while decreasing available oxygen. Otherwise I could just get in shape by sitting on the couch with a plastic bag on my head 20 minutes a day.
Holding your breath is very dangerous and can lead to brain damage says experts and organ failure.
Just take statins.
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Re: Simple exercise by walking up and down a flight of stairs for 15 to 20 min.
« Reply #11 on: 22/05/2014 06:43:57 »
Quote
Quote from: chiralSPO on 21/05/2014 20:50:01
Walking up stairs is great exercise. I'm not sold on the breath holding part, though... I suspect that increasing the intensity of the workout while still breathing as needed would be better than maintaining intensity while decreasing available oxygen. Otherwise I could just get in shape by sitting on the couch with a plastic bag on my head 20 minutes a day.
Holding your breath is very dangerous and can lead to brain damage says experts and organ failure.
Just take statins.
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You say with great confidence "Just take statins." I'm not a physician, and not medically trained, etc., but I believe that there would be very, very few (approaching zero) physicians and other medical professionals who would suggest that people simply take statins and avoid all exercise.
On this issue, you are clearly "long, strong, and wrong," and if others followed your advice fully, there probably would be more death, more limitation in range of motion, shorter lifespan, etc. I have completed quite a few marathons, especially before back surgery, and am well accustomed to running out of breath, especially during training runs. I certainly have seen no particular danger from that experience.
But I do see danger in non-medical people giving erroneous advice in a confident manner.
in the first marathon group I belong to, The Honolulu Marathon Clinic, the cardiologist, Dr. Scaff, trained people who had undergone a heart attack (or other cardiac event) to work up to a full marathon. They even ran as a group in the Boston Marathon. They were very successful in completing the marathon training, and thus improved their lives and also added to medical knowledge.
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But I do see danger in non-medical people giving erroneous advice in a confident manner.
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According to Sir Magdi Yacoub, Britain’s top heart doctor, everyone who is aged forty and above should take statins on a daily basis. Statins, which is a class of drug that is used to lower cholesterol levels in the body, is proven to minimize the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
its not me giving advice.
its him
http://www.anglechronicle.com/statins-recommended-for-40-year-olds/2356/
“the risk benefit is massively in favour of using statins.”
says mr yacoub i mean DOCTOR YACOUB.
exercise can cause heart attacks but statins can save you .
bored chemist will agree with me plus that neilip guy...
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Does Sir Yacoub say not to exercise at all?
That's sure what your "Just take statins" advice should be interpreted as, especially given your stated concerns about the downside of exercising.
On the other hand, we have the below citation from Pubmed.gov and I fit the following profile pretty well (although I am not a veteran).
Am J Hypertens. 2014 Mar;27(3):422-30. doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpt241. Epub 2014 Jan 16.
Statin therapy, fitness, and mortality risk in middle-aged hypertensive male veterans.
Kokkinos P1, Faselis C, Myers J, Kokkinos JP, Doumas M, Pittaras A, Kheirbek R, Manolis A, Panagiotakos D, Papademetriou V, Fletcher R.
Author information
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Hypertension often coexists with dyslipidemia, accentuating cardiovascular risk. Statins are often prescribed in hypertensive individuals to lower cardiovascular risk. Higher fitness is associated with lower mortality, but exercise capacity may be attenuated in hypertension. The combined effects of fitness and statin therapy in hypertensive individuals have not been assessed. Thus, we assessed the combined health benefits of fitness and statin therapy in hypertensive male subjects.
METHODS:
Peak exercise capacity was assessed in 10,202 hypertensive male subjects (mean age = 60.4 ± 10.6 years) in 2 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. We established 4 fitness categories based on peak metabolic equivalents (METs) achieved and 8 categories based on fitness status and statin therapy.
RESULTS:
During the follow-up period (median = 10.2 years), there were 2,991 deaths. Mortality risk was 34% lower (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.66; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.59-0.74; P < 0.001) among individuals treated with statins compared with those not on statins. The fitness-related mortality risk association was inverse and graded regardless of statin therapy status. Risk reduction associated with exercise capacity of 5.1-8.4 METs was similar to that observed with statin therapy. However, those achieving ≥8.5 METs had 52% lower risk (HR = 0.48; 95% CI = 0.37-0.63) when compared with the least-fit subjects (≤5 METs) on statin therapy.
CONCLUSIONS:
The combination of statin therapy and higher fitness lowered mortality risk in hypertensive individuals more effectively than either alone. The risk reduction associated with moderate increases in fitness was similar to that achieved by statin therapy. Higher fitness was associated with 52% lower mortality risk when compared with the least fit subjects on statin therapy.
KEYWORDS:
blood pressure, fitness, hypertension, mortality risk, statins.
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Does Sir Yacoub say not to exercise at all?
That's sure what your "Just take statins" advice should be interpreted as, especially given your stated concerns about the downside of exercising.
On the other hand, we have the below citation from Pubmed.gov and I fit the following profile pretty well (although I am not a veteran).
Am J Hypertens. 2014 Mar;27(3):422-30. doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpt241. Epub 2014 Jan 16.
Statin therapy, fitness, and mortality risk in middle-aged hypertensive male veterans.
Kokkinos P1, Faselis C, Myers J, Kokkinos JP, Doumas M, Pittaras A, Kheirbek R, Manolis A, Panagiotakos D, Papademetriou V, Fletcher R.
Author information
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Hypertension often coexists with dyslipidemia, accentuating cardiovascular risk. Statins are often prescribed in hypertensive individuals to lower cardiovascular risk. Higher fitness is associated with lower mortality, but exercise capacity may be attenuated in hypertension. The combined effects of fitness and statin therapy in hypertensive individuals have not been assessed. Thus, we assessed the combined health benefits of fitness and statin therapy in hypertensive male subjects.
METHODS:
Peak exercise capacity was assessed in 10,202 hypertensive male subjects (mean age = 60.4 ± 10.6 years) in 2 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. We established 4 fitness categories based on peak metabolic equivalents (METs) achieved and 8 categories based on fitness status and statin therapy.
RESULTS:
During the follow-up period (median = 10.2 years), there were 2,991 deaths. Mortality risk was 34% lower (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.66; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.59-0.74; P < 0.001) among individuals treated with statins compared with those not on statins. The fitness-related mortality risk association was inverse and graded regardless of statin therapy status. Risk reduction associated with exercise capacity of 5.1-8.4 METs was similar to that observed with statin therapy. However, those achieving ≥8.5 METs had 52% lower risk (HR = 0.48; 95% CI = 0.37-0.63) when compared with the least-fit subjects (≤5 METs) on statin therapy.
CONCLUSIONS:
The combination of statin therapy and higher fitness lowered mortality risk in hypertensive individuals more effectively than either alone. The risk reduction associated with moderate increases in fitness was similar to that achieved by statin therapy. Higher fitness was associated with 52% lower mortality risk when compared with the least fit subjects on statin therapy.
KEYWORDS:
blood pressure, fitness, hypertension, mortality risk, statins.
these studies are meaningless as they are done under artificial conditions or some are just placebo effect.
bored chemist and his partner will confirm it.
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... bored chemist and his partner will confirm it.
How very dare you [:)] : I've seen a picture of Bored Chemist and he's not my type [:)]
The NHS figures for efficacy of stains are much more modest : a 2% reduction in the odds of having a heart-attack or stroke over a 5 year period ...
A review of scientific studies into the effectiveness of statins found that around 1 in every 50 people treated with a statin for five years would avoid a serious event, such as a heart attack or stroke.
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cholesterol-lowering-medicines-statins/pages/introduction.aspx
BTW being on Statins for 5 years is gonna cost a four-figure sum.
[ The expenditure may make more economic sense for groups at higher risk ].
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Exercise? Hmm. If you drive your car faster, does it last longer?
Seriously, it's worth reading http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-side-effects/art-20046013 (http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-side-effects/art-20046013)
Statin side effects can be uncomfortable, making it seem like the risks outweigh the benefits of these powerful cholesterol-lowering medications. Consider the risks and benefits.
Magdi Yacoub is a nice guy and a hell of a good surgeon, but it's your body, not his. And your body intentionally manufactures cholesterol because http://cholesterol.about.com/lw/Health-Medicine/Conditions-and-diseases/What-Is-Cholesterol-Good-For-.htm (http://cholesterol.about.com/lw/Health-Medicine/Conditions-and-diseases/What-Is-Cholesterol-Good-For-.htm)
Cholesterol performs several important functions in the body. Perhaps the most important of these is its role in forming and maintaining cell walls and structures. Cells also need cholesterol to help them adjust to changes in temperature, and it's used by nerve cells for insulation.
Additionally, cholesterol is essential for synthesizing a number of critical hormones, including the sex hormones testosterone, progesterone and estrogen.
Bile, a fluid produced by the liver, plays a vital role in the processing and digestion of fats. To make bile, the liver uses cholesterol. Your body also needs cholesterol to make vitamin D; in the presence of sunlight, cholesterol is converted into vitamin D.
There's a reported increase in the incidence of rickets in developed countries, correlated with the increased use of statins.
As for healthy living, it pays to remember the famous dialogue:
Doctor: "If you stop smoking, drinking, eating fried food and sleeping around, you could live for another fifty years"
Paddy: "And why would I want to do that?"
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Alancalverd -- you write -- "Exercise? Hmm. If you drive your car faster, does it last longer?"
So you think we are equivalent to metal machinery and that we can't get a training effect through exercise?
Seems a bit of a stretch of logic to me, and also one which the medical profession would disagree with.
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I won't bore you with the details, but google "athletes die young" to bring up 21,000,000 hits. At least the top dozen are sound studies by respected medics and sports physios.
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alancalverd -- So you are saying that avoiding all exercise is better than exercising? that all the admonitions to do at least some exercise is harmful?
Sure flies in the face of what I understand about the general advice of at least moderate exercise 3 or more times a week.
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Not at all. But I make a fair bit of money from imaging sports injuries, and the statistical fact seems to be that professional athletes die younger than case-matched couch potatoes.
I am a great advocate of "disposable life": the time you can spend doing what you want rather than what you have to. So the question is whether running up and down stairs for 20 minutes, or spending an hour in the gym, will add 20 or 60 minutes to your life expectancy, and whether you want to quality-adjust that time: would you rather have an extra hour of your life at 20 or at 80 years old? On the face of it, strenuous exercise seems to be contraindicated, unless you actually enjoy doing it.
I used to play rugby and cricket, lift weights, and swim. I don't regret any of the time spent in those activities, or a few warmup and training exercises, but when they ceased to be competitive fun - and there's something about cricket whites and linseed oil that attracts beautiful women - I didn't punish myself in the hope of living longer.
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I sure never said extreme sports anywhere in my messages, and you seem to be intuiting it somehow, or are attacking a straw man I never proposed.
As I said, for quite a few years I used to do long-distance running, marathoning, and I had a great time doing it. I don't regret it.
But regular exercise -- not extreme exercise -- seems to benefit people physically, emotionally, etc. (I'm a psychologist and the literature shows it is also very beneficial for treating depression, if the individual is physically able to do exercise.)
Dissuading people from engaging in moderate, regular exercise seems very wrong to me and certainly is not something that medical groups would engage in.
Yours,
Caleb
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I won't bore you with the details, but google "athletes die young" to bring up 21,000,000 hits. At least the top dozen are sound studies by respected medics and sports physios.
If you google "athletes live longer", you'll find sound studies that say the opposite, e.g. Olympic Medallists Live Longer (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/254034.php).
I suspect it depends on a variety of factors, such as the nature of the sport, the intensity and duration of the exercise, etc. Moderate exercise is associated with greater longevity (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/252478.php).
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bored chemist and his partner will confirm it.
What partner is that?
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I suppose if you spend 10,000 hours sweating in a gym, and hate every moment of it, you might not ever get that time back.
However, there may be many beneficial psychological aspects of exercise, and I do enjoy getting outside and riding my bicycle... at least in the sunshine. Plus it can be relaxing.
There is the old adage, "if you don't use it, you'll loose it".
If I ever reach the ripe old age of 90 (assuming I don't get smacked by a car before then), I'd rather be the 90 yr old that is independent, and can get out and walk a few miles a day, perhaps climb an apple tree, rather than the 90 yr old that is bed ridden, and needs assistance to transfer into a wheelchair to get to the bathroom.
Lack of exercise is a risk factor for both cardiovascular diseases, as well as Type II diabetes, both of which I could do without.
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this morning I went up to 8 to 12 steps him quite often without taking a breath. I never get terribly out of breath, but I really do think that this increases the workout that I get.
The podcast below (12 minutes) is by a researcher who discovered that exposing your body to a slightly hypoxic environment can improve the resilience of your body to later exposure to hypoxia.
He gives the somewhat surprising example that putting a tourniquet on your arm sends out factors throughout your body that provides some resilience to heart attacks.
See: http://radio.abc.net.au/programitem/pglxGLgZB7?play=true
Warning: Do not try try dangerous activities at home in an attempt to improve your safety!
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Surely we've known about hypoxia adaptation for a long time? Don't mountaineers spend time acclimatising, and athletes go for altitude training? Sherpas make a living from it!