People who gain weight as they age

[bleedblue1234]

I think a part of the problem is that many older people simply don't have the social resources to exercise regularly.

Many of them are long beyond playing sports and doing other things that lead to exercise secondarily (for instance, I currently play hockey as an 18 year old, and I am in pretty darn good shape because of it). Also, many running / exercise clubs are geared towards the younger crowd (<40)...

However, I do notice a lot of older people seem to enjoy biking and things that are a little more quaint but still provide good exercise. An older person simply cannot train as hard as a younger person, but if they eat right and keep moving I see no reason why he/she cannot maintain a good physical appearance (My grandmother is 75 years old and is not "flabby" at all... she looks fine, as any other man/woman should look, probably around 150 pounds)...

 

[ideasrule]

I think a part of the problem is that many older people simply don't have the social resources to exercise regularly.

Many of them are long beyond playing sports and doing other things that lead to exercise secondarily (for instance, I currently play hockey as an 18 year old, and I am in pretty darn good shape because of it). Also, many running / exercise clubs are geared towards the younger crowd (<40)...

True, but you don't need social resources to stay in shape. Not enough sports clubs? Go to the gym, swim at the beach, jog a few kilometers every day, or ride a bike (as you suggested) across hilly terrain. Go hiking somewhere and do some rock climbing while you're at it.

Even if you don't have time to do any of that, you can always cut down on junk food and maintain a balanced diet. Absolutely no time commitment or social/financial resources are needed for this. I know plenty of young people (high school students) who are in great shape, despite not playing sports or exercising heavily, because they avoid eating chips 24/7 while lying on the couch.

 

[DaveC426913]

I just don't get it.

How can any of you commit such sweeping generalized judgements in a vacuum of facts?

You know nothing about the lives of the people you are judging - well, you're not really judging people at all. You're judging an unfounded preconception you have of a group you've made up and stuffed - what? thousands? millions? of people into. They all have the same lives and are perfectly free to have hard, fit bodies and the only reason they don't is beause they've stopped caring?

This is ridiculous.

 

[Proton Soup]

I just don't get it.

How can any of you commit such sweeping generalized judgements in a vacuum of facts?

You know nothing about the lives of the people you are judging - well, you're not really judging people at all. You're judging an unfounded preconception you have of a group you've made up and stuffed - what? thousands? millions? of people into. They all have the same lives and are perfectly free to have hard, fit bodies and the only reason they don't is beause they've stopped caring?

This is ridiculous.

are you disputing the statistics? perhaps on an individual basis BMI is not reliable, but on a population it's a pretty good indicator. and the numbers show that our BMIs have continued to rise. it's not a personal judgement, just an observation of facts that, as a nation (US), we are getting more obese. and it's not just a matter of having less active work lives, our consumption of calories has also gone up. we eat more, and we exercise less. at some point, we've got to stop worrying so much about stepping on everyone's feelings and take ownership of the idea that, as a matter of health, our nation needs to eat less and exercise more.

 

[ideasrule]

I just don't get it.

How can any of you commit such sweeping generalized judgements in a vacuum of facts?

You know nothing about the lives of the people you are judging - well, you're not really judging people at all. You're judging an unfounded preconception you have of a group you've made up and stuffed - what? thousands? millions? of people into. They all have the same lives and are perfectly free to have hard, fit bodies and the only reason they don't is beause they've stopped caring?

This is ridiculous.

Just to clarify, my previous post was meant to argue that not having social resources doesn't need to prevent anyone from exercising. It doesn't try to argue that all of the people are "perfectly free to have hard, fit bodies".

That said, if you want to claim that they can't have hard, fit bodies if they cared, that's no less of a sweeping generalization than the judgments you're denouncing. It's a kinder generalization, sure, but it's no more accurate and certainly not universally applicable. Undoubtedly, a lot of people do become overweight because they lost interest in dieting/exercising, and a lot become overweight due to stress, physical injury, lack of free time, etc. You seem to be assuming, without any supporting evidence, that the first group is negligible in size compared to the second.

 

[Alfi]

are you disputing the statistics? perhaps on an individual basis BMI is not reliable, but on a population it's a pretty good indicator. and the numbers show that our BMIs have continued to rise. it's not a personal judgement, just an observation of facts that, as a nation (US), we are getting more obese. and it's not just a matter of having less active work lives, our consumption of calories has also gone up. we eat more, and we exercise less. at some point, we've got to stop worrying so much about stepping on everyone's feelings and take ownership of the idea that, as a matter of health, our nation needs to eat less and exercise more.

as I said
.. energy in equals energy out + fat.


but this has little to do with relationships, unless you make it an issue.
Love is blind. or Love is beyond the physical.

 

[Proton Soup]

as I said
.. energy in equals energy out + fat.


but this has little to do with relationships, unless you make it an issue.
Love is blind. or Love is beyond the physical.

relationships (the marrying kind) are about more than love. and at some point, excessive weight has a negative impact on hormones.

 

[DaveC426913]

are you disputing the statistics?

... just an observation of facts...

Really? There are statistics that show that, as people age, the reason they gain weight is that they stop caring out of disrespect for their spouses?

Because that's what's being claimed by the OP and seconded by leroyjenkins.

 

[lisab]

Really? There are statistics that show that, as people age, the reason they gain weight is that they stop caring out of disrespect for their spouses?

Because that's what's being claimed by the OP and seconded by leroyjenkins.

No, that's not what the OP said. He said they gain weight, which is disrespectful of their spouse. He did not say that they gain wait because they disrespect their spouse.

 

[Evo]

I haven't been keeping up with this thread, but has anyone cited a very obvious reason that most elderly people gain weight aside from the fact that their metabolism slows? It's their health. They may have rheumatism, arthritis, bone, joint, and lung problems, and numerous other health issues. The amount of exersize these people can do is severely limited. It's not because they are lazy or without motivation.

 

[S_Happens]

Lisab did at the very onset, with respect to longer healing times at least.

My goal here hasn't been to argue with the OP, but point out that they are making uneducated assumptions with regards to both marriage and physiology. If I thought they were interested in an actual discussion or if they asked a question that wasn't rhetorical then I would participate beyond simply pointing these things out.

Until the OP points out that they are grossly ignorant of the subject(s) and open to information, I'm happy with the nowhere that this has gone. Who really cares what another's ignorant opinion is?