Is exercise the key to health? page

[DanC]

I was reading this http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/01/06/veg...heart-disease/ and it seams every time I read something about grain eaters being healthy it comes down to not be sedentary. My guess is they would be doing a lot of walking and some heavy lifting, maybe running once in a while (sounds familiar!). So do you think exercise is really the key to health?

[iniQuity]

It's one of the many factors contributing to health, absolutely. Is it the key? I think it can be because it usually leads to analyzing other aspects of your life as they relate to exercise. Obviously the method differs but typically people that partake in exercise are conscious of their health and may try to make better choices in other areas such as not smoking, drinking more moderately, eating better (and this is where it all goes wrong for most, thanks to misinformation) getting more sleep, more sun, playing more, etc. Exercise can be the beginning for many.

[Al_Kavadlo]

So do you think exercise is really the key to health?

Absolutely! Sleep, diet and other lifestyle factors are important as well, but I believe intense exercise is the #1 most important part of the puzzle.

[kennelmom]

I don't know if it's "the" key, but I think it's "a" key.

[Primal Fist]

Exercise regularly and with intensity while eating a ton of cakes and bread. See what happens.

[Al_Kavadlo]

Exercise regularly and with intensity while eating a ton of cakes and bread. See what happens.

I've known lots of guys who had lousy diets but worked out seriously and many of them were in above-average health. Would those same people be better off if they ate better? Of course they would, but in the words of Jack Lalanne, "Exercise is king, nutrition is queen."

[Primal Fist]

Going by my personal experience, I worked 12 hour days in a warehouse lifting heavy stuff all day, ran and did crossfit-type workouts at the weekends, but had a lousy diet - and I was always ill, had a hard time getting any stronger, and couldn't shift the fat. Now I do less but eat infinitely better, and all those things have changed.

[lolov]

So, Al, you disagree with Mark's assertion that it's 80% diet and 20% exercise? (It's my experience that it's definitely NOT 80% diet for me. I can't make any strides without exercise, it seems. This has bothered me since the beginning I feel defective LOL.)

[Patrick]

I have to disagree, Al. Lots of evidence out there that a good diet trumps exercise vs good exercise trumping diet. Of course, we all know that a balance is important. Personally, I'd be horribly unhappy without exercise! I love doing it, but I love doing it because of the fact my diet has given me the energy, fat loss, etc. to enjoy it. It could never have been the opposite for me. Exercise sans good diet is like swimming upstream instead of getting out of the water and just walking the path right next to the river. Do both and it's like someone's practically carrying you to wellness.

A lot of it depends on the person, but I thought it interesting to hear Gary Taubes talk about exercise as being antithetical to good health. He didn't really mean it (at least not how we Primal folks approach exercise and fitness) but it was a fun way to introduce his talking points.

[iniQuity]

I don’t think Al is doing this, but a lot of people wrongly equate looking good/fit with being healthy. You can look the part and internally be dealing with nasty shit.

That’s why you see Vegan bodybuilders or what-have-you presented as “proof” that such diets are good for you and all that.