exercise and/vs CR

[Guest guest]

I know, apples and oranges, but I've considered the American fixation on

exercise as the ultimate panacea for some time, having participated in

that mass-consciousness movement for long periods in the past.

I think that the reason that so many people are attracted to exercise,

and so many [albeit fewer] actually end up exercising, frankly,

fanatically, is because of the psychological attraction of

" doing " something rather than inherent " not doing "

that accompanies CRON. CRONies have plenty to do, of course: monitor

correct intake, find work-arounds in our food-happy society, etc., but

except within our very constrained communities, there's not a lot of

" show " that goes with CR. With exercise, though, there's a

regimen with outward activity and outward results that are related to

doership and that can be seen and lauded publicly by many; by contrast,

many people just think that CR and the skinny outward results thereof are

just sort of nutty, and certainly there is not the same degree of public

positive feedback that accompanies marathoning, for example. The rewards

are far greater with CRON, I think we'd all agree, especially when it

incorporates sane levels of moderate exercise, but the psychological

requisites for CR are greater and different from those necessary for

going forth and worshipping at the western altar of exercise. Hence the

tendency for people to literally run themselves into the ground allegedly

in pursuit of some health/self-image goal.

Maco

At 06:13 AM 10/9/2007, you wrote:

> I found it astounding that

in the Chicago Marathon

> " At least 49 people

> were taken to hospitals, while another 250 were

> treated onsite, many

> for heat-related ailments. " The story also said

> that " About 10,000 of

> the 45,000 registered runners never even showed up

> for the 30th annual

> Chicago race, while another 10,934 started but

> didn't finish "

>

> So, of the 35,000 who actually raced, about 300

> required treatment or

> a hospital visit. That is about 1%.

While I dont think long distance running is a great

practice for long term health and longevity, these

numbers are skewed to do the weather.

I do not beleive they are typical for a marathon.

Regards

Jeff