I was having an interesting conversation with my friend the other day about whether this is possible.
Whether someone with a very healthy diet, who's at the low end of a healthy weight but is sedentary apart from walking at a leisurely pace for 20 mins a day, is healthy? Would their insides be healthy? Excersise benefits the heart obviously, and metabolism if its weights and what not, but while these are BENEFITS does it work the opposite way and subtract health without it??

Well I hope it's possible, since I fit that description...I've been pretty lazy lately. oops! At my checkup last week, my doctor actually asked me about my excerise-level, and according to her, 15-20 minutes of brisk walking several times a week (i forget how many days) counts as excerise...it is the minimum needed, I guess. Thankfully I don't drive so I gotta walk lots...walking is good for you. I know someone who lost 40 pounds just by eating better (more vegetarian food!) and going for hour long walks several times a week.

Less exercise means less strain on your body. Also means less oxidation from all the cell respiration. You're inhaling less harmful polluted air to wreck damage on your body. You also have more free time! At least those are my excuses... I agree with Starblossom that walking is a great exercise maybe only beat out by swimming.

I've heard of studies on healthy animals who lounge around tend to live longer than ones put on rigorous exercise regimes. Don't know if that is true. I'd like to know about the other issues Taurus posted.

Supposedly walking for 30 minutes, three times a week is beneficial. I would think if you are also eating a healthy diet that you could be a healthy individual. Obviously, if you are sitting in front of the tv eating twinkies and chips every day, I doubt that a leisurely stroll a few times a week would be very helpful! But that's just what I've heard/read over the last few years.

I think it's very important to do weight bearing exercise like lifting weights or resistance work with your own body weight. This is crucial in preventing osteoporosis. I also think that cardio is important -- to get the heart rate up for 30 minutes at the least. Power walking could achieve this, but not just a leisurely stroll.

At the same time, you don't have to be a marathon runner or a professional athlete. Actually, these things can cause a lot of wear and tear on your body.

I don't buy that walking 30 minutes a few times a week is enough exercise. Our bodies are meant to be moving and doing things. A healthy diet is essential, but it's not enough for optimum health. I've gone through stages where I was thin and eating a very healthy diet, but I was out of shape. A healthy person not only eats well, but is fit, strong, and flexible.

Exercise not only keeps you physically healthy but mentally healthy too. A healthy person has a good attitude and vigor about living.

Every little bit helps, and I don't want to give the impression that short walks are bad. (They are GREAT!!) But rather, I'm trying to say that doing something active everyday and having a fit body is what we should strive for. We can't rest on our laurels just because we eat salad.

Diana-Kate

edited to fix typo

I worry about the same thing. Although I eat pretty darn healthily, I am definitely not at the low end of a healthy weight (I'm not even at the dangerously high end of a healthy weight, lol). I'm not trying to make excuses, but I just can't seem to get myself to exercise much at all. People, especially doctors are always on my back about it and I know I really should do it, but it's hard for me. After 9 hours of being on my feet, up and down ladders, carrying heavy boxes, working for long periods with things over my head, etc... the last thing I want to do when I get home is even think about moving anymore. Most days, my back and feet hurt so badly when I come home from work I basically just curl up in the fetal position for the rest of the night, popping Ibuprofens like candy. Like I said, I'm not trying to make excuses for myself because I know there are lots of people out there who have much more labor-intensive jobs than I do and they still find the time to exercise, but perhaps I am just a wuss. I don't think it is normal for my body (especially my back!) to hurt so badly... I'm only 20!

But yeah, I really wish I could find some relatively pain-free time where I can muster the energy to exercise more... I really do enjoy exercising when I can actually get around to it...:-/

I exercise what I believe is pretty close to a minimum amount. It is keeping me lean and looking vibrant, so I figure it's enough. However, what some people see as a minimum is not a minimum to somebody else. Two of my coworkers run marathons, so the amount of exercise I do is paltry compared to them. But then the amount I do probably seems like a lot to somebody sedentary.

I run on my elliptical trainer for 20 minutes, 4-5 days a week. I go FAST, probably closer to sprinting. I can't do it for more than 20 minutes without going out of my mind (it's psychological, not physical) so I try to go fast. I used to do yoga for 20-40 minutes a day, 5 days a week, but stopped. I do plan to get back into it now that spring is here. I also do weights whenever I can fit them in.

basic recomendations for overall heart health is 60-120 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week.

any resistance training exercise is important for bone density- yoga, bodyweight exercises (pushups, lunges, pullups etc) especially if your job is not very active. 2x a week is fine- and you don't need to "lift" weights.

I don't think it is normal for my body (especially my back!) to hurt so badly... I'm only 20!

But yeah, I really wish I could find some relatively pain-free time where I can muster the energy to exercise more... I really do enjoy exercising when I can actually get around to it...:-/
Katt, try YOGA. It's not only good exercise that's relatively easy on your body, it also leaves you feeling refreshed and relaxed at the end of a tough day. And it helps a lot of people with back pain.

wow!! how interesting!!!!!
especially about the cell respiration. id actually heard that too and it was a point she brought up. about how she didn't understand WHY people wanted to speed up their metabolism when it actually does more harm than good and people who starve themselves live longer coz theirs has slowed down (but they're not very happy!!). she was figuring that the only reason people want a higher metabolism is to be able to eat more. and if she doesn't really want to eat that much more anyway and isn't overweight at all, why do it? my arguement was just about the cardio and healthy muscles etc but perhaps im wrong! i guess the only arguement there is stress management..i know that if i dont at least go for a walk i can't sit still and feel all weird..

Lets nto forget about the people who cannot exercise because of physical incapabilities.
Can they be 'healthy'?I believe so. Can they be as healthy as someone capable of exercising? Most likely not. IMO
I truly believe we all need to conentrate on being the healthiest we can be. If that means not wanting to exercise and consume a vegan lifestlye to reduce high blood pressure, high cholestrol, heat disease etc. I believe they can much healthier than a sedentary person who does not exercise and eats a terrible meat eating diet.
Could be more specific, but kind of tired here :)

I guess I'm fairly healthy. I get sick (cold, flu) only about once every 3 or 4 years. I don't see a doctor regularly (except for the gynecologist once a year), but everything they check is fine. I've done my darndest to avoid exercise for my whole life because I hate it, and it makes me itch. Maybe I'll be struck down with all kinds of terrible ailments in the future, but I'd say that in my experience, a person can maintain basic health for 44 years without any special exercise regimen.

The reason people need to exercise to stay healthy is because our lifestyle has outstripped our evolution. If I was a cavewoman, I would spend all day gathering food and being chased by lions or something, but instead I spend all day sitting in front of a computer. Very, very different levels of activity. Someone who has an active occupation or who walks to work every day would require less exercise then someone who sits a lot.

It depends on the individual as well. I read a magazine article about a woman who had a super fast metabolism and had to eat a large amount of food and not do any exercise to keep her weight healthy. If she did any kind of exercise, her weight plummeted and she started getting sick.

walking is technically weight-bearing exercise. 20 minutes a day is 'enough' though 30 minutes is better. it will make one generally healthy, though not necessarily fit.

to define the term fit, we have to add the other component--fit for what? one can live fine and do basic life tasks with minimal exercise and a healthy diet. But, if one wants to do more than this, such as strenuous yard work, or various other activities, it would be difficult for them to do this. they would not be 'fit for' this sort of strenuous work. to be 'fit for' that, you have to focus on 'fitness' and not just 'basic health.'

but any way one wants to go, fine by me. :afro:

Diet is 80% of your health. Exercise is 20%. I would recommend starting with cardio for 20 minutes 3-5 times a week and working your way up. Eventually add weights (if you want to be tone) and really once you start it is very addicting ;) I am and have been into personal training for over 14 years.

Interesting. Does the wear and tear on the body from exercise (minor to major injuries, cell oxidation (?), increased exposure to the elements and sun (probably), etc.) outweigh the benefits?

It sounds almost too comical to even consider, but I'd like to hear more arguments.

Walking out in the sun is beneficial to all vegans (and those others) lol because we get no Vitamin D from our food sources we need 15-20 minutes of sun everyday to feel better. Expose as much skin as possible so it can absorb. You don't have to work out like a fanatic, just an hour a day 3x a week would be good. You can use light weights and they have alot of machines where you don't have to do much work, they do it for you! But, cardio is what I would start out with being sedentary. Go slow and at your own pace. You will feel so much better!

Anti-oxidants are your defense against exercise's wear and tear. A football player consuming burgers, french fries, and soda is setting himself up for future diseases brought on by the free radicals from cell respiration. During this, oxygen you breathe gains an extra electron after your cell's mitochondria makes ATP. This oxygen is unstable and it will merge with whatever it comes across including important cell organelles like DNA and cause catastrophic damage. Anti-oxidants converge with the oxygen to neutralize this threat. These are stable in either form. It's not something to worry about if you're eating healthy. Dust off your old biology book to learn the details.

A healthy diet also protects you from the sun, but I doubt it's fullproof if your skin isn't dark. I don't know much, but I'm assuming antioxidants again might be the shields against UV rays? After I switched to a diet of only nature's unprocessed foods, I noticed I didn't burn and blister under the sun. If I'm out in the early afternoon all day I'll turn pink. People are finding that typical sunscreens can be harmful, so you might be better off without it. Unless you're eating junk food, then you're going to be better off with it in my opinion.

So the whole exercise thing does bring along mixed blessings, but only if you aren't eating a diet humans thrived on many years ago.

wow. how interesting!! she actually started going to the gym recently but hated it.
on a note referring to myself though, i love excersise, LOVE it but i often find i cant eat enough on the days i go hard. more excersise means you need more calories, and when you're sticking to whole foods, i find if i eat 'enough' for all that excersise my stomach cramps up with too much fibre and whatever else. it sounds weird, but its true!!
i usually end up eating some sugar crap, because its zero fibre. i consume SO much fat and SO much protein already that sugar to get those last few calories is the only thing that works. its my only 'processed ' food but id rather have none!
oh well. if i was excersising for health..then i guess maybe i wouldn't go so hard so i didn't have to figure out what i could fuel myself with but its purely a pleasure thing.
good to know my friend won't keel over and die though!

wow. how interesting!! she actually started going to the gym recently but hated it.
on a note referring to myself though, i love excersise, LOVE it but i often find i cant eat enough on the days i go hard. more excersise means you need more calories, and when you're sticking to whole foods, i find if i eat 'enough' for all that excersise my stomach cramps up with too much fibre and whatever else. it sounds weird, but its true!!
i usually end up eating some sugar crap, because its zero fibre. i consume SO much fat and SO much protein already that sugar to get those last few calories is the only thing that works. its my only 'processed ' food but id rather have none!
oh well. if i was excersising for health..then i guess maybe i wouldn't go so hard so i didn't have to figure out what i could fuel myself with but its purely a pleasure thing.
good to know my friend won't keel over and die though!

I just read a report that showed that people who exercised were less likely to get skin cancer than those who didn't. This was contrary to what they expected because they thought that increased sun exposure from outdoor exercise would contribute to a higher incidence of skin cancer.

I think that the need for load bearing exercise to prevent osteoperosis is important. I also believe that people who exercise handle stress better and have better sleeping parterns, but I can't point to any studies which show this.

So, I do not think that one can be completely healthy without some sort of regular exercise. However, one might get enough walking around during one's day or through the work they do. The most important thing to do is to find exercise you enjoy and pursue that.

I think not exercising does indeed subtract from your life.

I also think that overdoing it can hurt your immune system.

So there's a balance between rest and excercise. But I believe you gotta move to live long.

The questions are, do you want to be *optimally* healthy, or just ok? And do you just care about being healthy when you're 15-35, or do you still want to be healthy at 70?

A 20yr old who doesn't take weight bearing exercise may well not miss it, until her bones start the rapid thinning after menopause and she starts breaking bones at 60. A young adult who takes no aerobic exercise might feel fine, but her heart and blood vessels are accumulating gradual changes that lead to chronic health problems when she's in her 50s. People who get no exercise often feel fine and don't get overtly sick often, but people who exercise regularly on average report having more energy and better moods.

Living bodies are always remodeling. A lot of the remodeling pattern is in response to recent stresses -- stress the bones, remodeling makes the bones stronger. Don't stress the muscles, remodel the muscles slightly weaker and more flabby. Maybe when you're in your 20s you don't miss the extra bone mass, optimized cellular metabolism, stronger muscles, strong immune responses, whatever.

Late in life, cellular repairs slow down and accumulated damage starts to make itself felt. Exercise at this point can slow the decline, but not stop it. The best defense is two-fold: First to hit your later years in as good of shape as possible, so you have more to lose before you have a real problem. Second, to keep taking care of yourself to slow the decline.

I hate lifting weights. But I spent an hour at it today, because I want to be able to walk upright when I'm 80, and I know that's the price I need to pay. I've been sick. It sucks. If I go there again, I don't want it to be because I didn't take care of myself.

It's all relative. If you walked a few times a week, you would be healthier than someone who NEVER moved around. But you wouldn't be as healthy as someone who exercises every day. And the type of exercise is important. You need weight-bearing, aerobic exercise. Yoga and Pilates are wonderful, but they don't get your heart rate up. And if walking IS your chosen exercise, a leisurely stroll isn't going to cut it.