Why do so many people give up on physical fitness after hs and college?

joedirt wrote:

Medical Student and Runner wrote:

I'm in medical school and manage to workout 1 hour a day. I guarantee I am more busy than 99% of my peers and a good amount of married couples too (even those with kids). What is the secret to fitting exercise into my schedule? I don't watch television, sports, movies, or play childish video games. Don't get me wrong I like to be entertained, but people need to grow up and stop watching hours of television every night and then bitch about they are fat.

That guy that paced Galen Rupp at BU works in investment banking and ran sub 4 this year. People like him and those on letsrun are outliers. With every passing decade Americans are becoming more soft.

You're not married are you? You live in an apartment and have no kids? Am I right?

I don't have kids, but I am married (and living in a house!) and I have no idea what you are talking about.

Fu\cking lazy idiots.

1. Most..meaning like 80% ...were never fit to begin with. Don't confuse not fat with fit. Beyond the handful of high schoolers who play sports no one just "works out".

2. The motivation for college aged people to workout is to find a mate. You workout so you look better to the opposite sex. Even this is typically limited to the former hs athletes

Very few people regard staying in shape as a top 5 top 10 or top 100 priority. Working out is haaaaaard....and the new season of Revenge is starting and I got other stuff to do or not to do

Alan

jorvack wrote:

Also as you age your metabolism changes drastically. Also the ability to recover from workouts disapates. Injury increases. All your prs are behind you. If you are twenty or 30 think about this: If you have obtained the dream girl, and will never run faster than you used to, and after training steadily for 20 years, on every trail or road within a 2 hours drive, what the point of running more than you feel like?

This thread was not about running at elite level after college, but to avoid becoming a fat couch potato.

People get lazy. They make excuses. They continue to eat junk. They get more lazy. They make more excuses. They become more sedentary. They accumulate visceral fat. They become hormonal messes. They get hypertension, diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease. They have much bigger problems now.

Aging sucks. It doesn't matter if you are fit, you are still old. Middle age and old age? Who cares about being fit? Your job is to take care of your children. You don't count anymore. There are new young people around.

ho hum wrote:

People get lazy. They make excuses. They continue to eat junk. They get more lazy. They make more excuses. They become more sedentary. They accumulate visceral fat. They become hormonal messes. They get hypertension, diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease. They have much bigger problems now.

Fitness is not even that necessary. With a great diet you will be thin, low cholesterol and blood pressure, no diabetes, low cancer risk.

diet beats exercise by a wide margin.

well,. wrote:

This thread was not about running at elite level after college, but to avoid becoming a fat couch potato.

I am pretty much a couch potato but with a healthy diet.

cholesterol & blood pressure are excellent(LDL

well,. wrote:

This thread was not about running at elite level after college, but to avoid becoming a fat couch potato.

I am pretty much a couch potato but with a healthy diet.

cholesterol & blood pressure are excellent(LDL

LDL

LDL < 1,8, BP < 115/75)

weight is the same as in college

blood sugar optimal

what the hell is this software doing to my messages?

Charlie Sollers wrote:

ya..... wrote:

If you're single and or don't have kids you wouldn't understand.

I think this applies to a lot of threads. I was finally able to consistently run when I realized 10 years ago that the only time I could count on was when everyone else was asleep. (about to head out at 6:15am on Sun -- usually 5-6 am on weekdays)

Yes, it's all about priorities. I'm often told by co-workers and others that I meet that they would love to run but they cannot "find the time" to do so. When I tell them that since I enjoy running, I make it a priority to run, the response is always silence.

I make running a priority in my life, so even though I'm married with children and a full time job, I make certain to fit in my running. I run at lunch (had to join a gym for the shower facilities) and after the kids are in bed. Even though I generally don't run on weekends because of family commitments, and I am still able to get 40-50 miles/week. I'm not very fast, but it's a healthy activity that I enjoy, so I structure my life in such a way that I can do it.

For most people, health is just not a priority.

I am able to take an hour during lunch to get in some kind of workout and shower and back to the desk each day.

I don't know how many people even have that option in their job.

Without that option, I would find it very hard to keep up with fitness on any kind of regular basis.

I'm not good with getting it in early in the morning and have to come home and make dinner for the family right after work.

And I am too settled in the evening to get anything in.

Scheduling consistent workout periods is teh hardest part.

Simple answer: Priorities.

Taking the time for any fitness regime is a luxury that falls well below the immediate and more important needs of caring for your family, working, and social commitments.

I think you are looking at this from a very naive based on middle class suburban outlook.

This is a good point. I think the last time I checked Americans spend, on average, 27 hours in front of a screen (television or computer) outside of work every week. Even when I was training for Ironman races, my training was only around 20 hours/week, meaning they could do all of that training and STILL watch an hour of television a day...if they had the motivation to do it.

Medical Student and Runner wrote:

What is the secret to fitting exercise into my schedule? I don't watch television, sports, movies, or play childish video games. Don't get me wrong I like to be entertained, but people need to grow up and stop watching hours of television every night and then bitch about they are fat.

That guy that paced Galen Rupp at BU works in investment banking and ran sub 4 this year. People like him and those on letsrun are outliers. With every passing decade Americans are becoming more soft.

Heinenkleisner wrote:

I was great until 123 punch of baby, job change with a commute, and injury. Then I learned about the other reason people quit working out. When you think you're good at something, but then you go do it and you suck - It's depressing.

Still holding out for a comeback.

Exactly. That has been me for the past few years. I get started and doing well, and up pops some new injury. I get it done, and the cycle repeats, albeit with a new mysterious injury.

There are really one two reasons for this.

1. General laziness of the masses

2. Have found a partner and no longer need to try.

You guys haven't really mentioned one the biggest reasons. Injury (or re-occurring injury.)

Running is great, but if you are constantly hurting and hurting bad, you dont enjoy it at all. You never get to the point where you can't just do your daily 30 min run. If every step is a sharp pain, you will not run. The activity become a dreaded event, and if you don't enjoy an activity you will not make it a habit.

And I'm not talking about feeling bad because you're out of shape, Im talking about joint pain.

ataglance wrote:

Simple answer: Priorities.

Taking the time for any fitness regime is a luxury that falls well below the immediate and more important needs of caring for your family, working, and social commitments.

I think you are looking at this from a very naive based on middle class suburban outlook.

Take a look at this from the CDC...

If you cannot be bothered to click, here are the key findings from the abstract:

1. Among men, obesity prevalence is generally similar at all income levels, however, among non-Hispanic black and Mexican-American men those with higher income are more likely to be obese than those with low income.

2. Higher income women are less likely to be obese than low income women, but most obese women are not low income.

3. There is no significant trend between obesity and education among men. Among women, however, there is a trend, those with college degrees are less likely to be obese compared with less educated women.

4. Between 1988–1994 and 2007–2008 the prevalence of obesity increased in adults at all income and education levels.

The abstract does note that certain studies have found a link between educational or socioeconomic status and obesity. Regardless, obesity seems to be a problem across all classes.