How much do you exercise?

[Sympthsical]

I'm not a star member yet, so I can't make a poll.

However, I've been seeing posts about depression, lethargy, ill health, etc. So I wanted to make a poll.

How much do you exercise? What kind? Do you see any improvement in mood? Feel better/worse? Do you sleep better? Is your sleep worse?

Especially with the pandemic and quarantine, I'm wondering how much these negative feelings and perceptions are correlated to physical inactivity.

[SoonerPride]

1. I run 30+ miles a week.

I run 5 or 6 days a week.

It helps me wake up and clear my mind.

I started running a decade ago on doctor's orders and lost 70 pounds and have kept it off.

[Sympthsical]

25. 5k a day

So I guess I do 30k a week.

But I'm jealous of runners. You can do that? Ooft, my knees. Hate it.

I'm just always impressed with runners who found God doing that. So much I cannot do. Tried to train for a 10k. My pregnant sister-in-law managed. I was all, "Nah, good over here."

[Sherman A1]

2. 35 miles per day on an exercise bike

I might add that you can become a star member for just a few bucks and do your poll.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

3. Walking 3.5 miles

per day on fairly hilly terrain. Try to do it 4 time per week.

[Walleye]

4. I've walked 3 miles a day for the last month

Really needed it. Gym was closed all year. Once the weather warmed up, I forced myself to go outside and exercise. If I don’t my mood deteriorates rapidly. Doesn’t seem to be helping combat the insomnia, though.

[Sympthsical]

27. Quick question

Have you ever gotten a sleep test? Like, maybe apnea is thing?

I have insomnia. Despite my OP, nah, I never sleep. But exercise helps.

But nah, I'm still up all the time. My partner thinks it's weird I function on three hours a night.

[NewHendoLib]

5. garden for hours each day, 5-6 mile hikes in nearby parks every other day

hard for me to sit still! I'm 65 and agree with "use it or lose it"

[bdamomma]

31. I'm 66

and I find it hard to sit still too. I walk everyday when I don't I get guilty.

[hlthe2b]

6. I walk at least 4 miles every day. Often considerably more.

I think it helps with sleep for multiple reasons, not the least being the time outside influence on circadian rhythms.

I do think it helps with stress. Listening to upbeat or calming music, even more.

[tinrobot]

7. Exercise offers the single largest health benefit of just about anything.

It helps with mood, vitality, weight, brain health, cardiovascular health, blood sugar, and a bunch more.

Personally, I walk, hike, bike along with some yoga. I try to do at least 30-60 mins per day. It helps tremendously. I find when I don't exercise, I feel really sluggish.

[Wounded Bear]

8. Not enough. Late in life to start, too...

but there are a couple of related 'co-morbidities' I need to work on including weight and blood pressure.

So, I'm trying to develop a habit of walking regularly and lifting some light barbells to improve muscle tone on arms and upper body. Slow going and covid didn't help. I'm good at finding excuses for my laziness. Pain and soreness in my lower legs and feet doesn't help.

Haven't noticed much change in mood yet. Not sure how much that applies to me.

[MineralMan]

9. I go up and down 24 flights of stairs daily.

Not all at once, of course. My office is in the basement of our house, and the bathroom is upstairs, along with the coffee pot and other necessities. So, up and down I go. I actually counted the number of times several times one month. 24 was the average.

[malaise]

10. I walk at least 20K a week

and work out for an hour a day. And yes it's good for the entire body and mind
Welcome to DU

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. I do, but it does little to address my depression/anxiety, which is something I knew long before

the pandemic.

[Goonch]

12. ;-{)

[bdamomma]

29. funny

but not healthy.

[doc03]

13. I ride a bicycle, last week I rode 85 miles total. Biking

is great you get outside away from people if you chose to.
It keeps your weight down and I don't think you get the impact on your joints like in walking or running. Since I retired and started riding I have a entire new circle of friends. We go on group rides several times a month. I find people that get out and exercise have an entirely different outlook on things then people that sit on their ass.

[Ocelot II]

14. Walk 2-4 miles a day. Old knees can't handle running any more.

I started doing this last summer when my dieting got stuck and I realized I needed more exercise, and it's made a huge difference in both my mood and my weight loss (which also improved my mood). I try to get out and walk every day regardless of the weather, did it even in -22 wind chill; and now I feel antsy if I don't. I enjoy walking around the neighborhood, observing the changes in the seasons, what people are doing with their yards and gardens, just being outside. I'll keep doing it to stay cheerful and keep the lard off.

[lark]

15. Right now just walk for 30 min. every morning with hubby and dog.

Shoulder and arm are still healing, so have added gardening (not heavy) and some stretches. Next week I will be looking for an exercise program (thinking chair yoga or restorative yoga to start?) and/or add a 2nd walking session.

[GoCubsGo]

16. Every day for at least an hour.

I used to do that at he gym (swim/aqua aerobics, spin classes, Zumba, etc.) but right now, I only feel safe going there at the crack of dawn on Sundays, when nobody is around. I walk 4-4.5+ miles 3x/week, I swim for an hour once a week, and do various exercise videos (Zumba/aerobics/cross-training) on YouTube/Amazon Prime the other 3 days. I also do "Classical Stretch by Essentrics" 5-6 times/week, which is carried on many PBS networks. That's what has been the best thing I ever started doing exercise-wise. I started doing it when my gym closed. I feel so much better now, and my balance has greatly improved--far more than it had in the barre class I had been taking at my gym.

I exercise mainly to try to keep my weight in check, but it also helps with mood and sleep. There's also the "use it or lose it" factor. Like most people, I have been slowing with age, but thanks to exercise and stretching, it's not even close to what many other people my age are experiencing.

[yonder]

17. I used to run 25-30 miles a week till da knees said no mo.

Damn, I miss that and don't seem to get the same high afterwards no matter what I do now.

[luvs2sing]

18. Mostly, I walk.

1-3 miles by myself as soon as I get up. After I get home and Hubster and Dogster get up, we do another 1-2. Later in the afternoon, Hubster and I sometimes walk another 1-2. Walking is literally my Prozac, especially that early morning walk by myself.

[ChazII]

36. This is my routine for my two dogs

and myself. Wake up at 5 a.m. get in around 700+ steps according to the fitbit my friend gave to me. A couple of hours later another 600+ step walk before the heat gets out of the 80's.

[Mossfern]

19. I got a rower during lock down

had to wait a couple of months for it.

In the past (before pandemic) I walked at least 3 miles a day, up and down hill and HIIT training three days a week,
I recently started training two days a week with a personal trainer and haven't gotten back to a regular walking schedule.

Right now I'm having health issues with mystery light headedness and dizzy spells.
Cardiologist cleared me for continuing with trainer with the understanding that as soon as I get light headed I sit down.

We're playing Sherlock Holmes trying to find the cause. Got thyroid tested, and will have ultrasound of my carotid arteries some time this week. If that doesn't work, then there's the pulmonologist and a neurologist. If still nothing, I'll try a psychiatrist.

Pushing myself with exercise makes me feel alive!

[USALiberal]

23. Same here, Concept model. Love it. Watch TV as I row 40 minutes. nt

[madwivoter]

37. Same here!

We 'pandemigifted' ourselves a water rower, we had to wait about 4 months for it.

I'm working my way through Netflix while rowing about 40 min a day. I also walk between 3-5 miles a day if possible.

[Nevilledog]

20. Slightly less than none.

[Pinback]

21. Tai Chi, walking a few times a week

I find most exercise boring, but listening to podcasts while I walk helps a lot. Sometimes I miss a few days and can really tell the difference.

Staying out of restaurants for more than a year has improved my health as well. I was surprised to learn when I went to the doctor recently that I’d lost ten pounds! That’s all about to change, though, so I better up the exercise.

[USALiberal]

22. Star costs $5! nt

[USALiberal]

24. Rowing machine, 30 to 40 minutes a day. And walking. nt

[CoopersDad]

26. Per Fitbit, average 12,500 steps/day plus 150 situps.

I haven't let a day pass without hitting my 10,000 steps over the past three years.

I've taken up doing situps to music, songs with the right pace:

Land down under, Safety Dance, Stones in the Road.

Sit ups are using a stool, sitting with feet hooked under the sofa, kind of like this image except that I sit on a stool, not an incline:

[bdamomma]

28. found this article

everyday for me and I feel and sleep much better.

https://www.msn.com/en-xl/lifestyle/health/8-tips-to-follow-for-when-youre-walking-for-weight-loss/ar-BB1gR2yM?ocid=mailsignout&li=BBKxOg5

[JanMichael]

30. I may have missed it but nobody mentioned resistance or weight

training. You know squats, bench press, deadlift, pullups, dips, etcetera.

As people age maintaining muscle mass is vitally important. Bone density is also maintained with resistance training.

Sure some yoga and running or walking is great but people should try moving heavy stuff. That includes bodyweight exercises and straps like TRX.

[GumboYaYa]

32. I am addicted to exercise and if I miss a day it definitely affects my mood.

I think you are correct that regular physical activity has a dramatic impact on sleep as well, which probably also impacts mood and general attitude. I know the answer is not as simple for everyone who has depression, lethargy and ill health, but in my experience it definitely makes me feel better physically and mentally.

Years ago I ran ultra marathons, but as I aged I had to switch to more cross training. I am training for a half iron man right now. I do two workouts a day six days a week, one cardio and one strength, with one day of flexibility. I alternate between running and biking for my cardio workout and do a minimum of 45 minutes a day with a day of a long run/ride once per week.

[GulfCoast66]

33. Never been able to 'exercise'. Get too bored.

But seldom sit and am a serious gardener. Pretty big yard that takes 2 hours to mow with a push mower. And in the summer I do it twice a week. I’m always doing something physical. Maybe not strenuous, but something.

Plus fishing in the gulf weekly. Lest you imagine a fat guy in a small boat on a tranquil lake, think again.

Loading up a 22 foot boat. Running it thru waves at 35 MPH for 20 miles. Baiting lines, landing fish, swimming when you get too hot. Snorkeling for scallops in season. Then cranking up and doing it all again in reverse plus scrubbing down the boat for an hour. You sleep good that night. Running a boat in waves is easy for those sitting down. For me standing at the helm it is constant holding on and readjusting my weight.

My grandfather lived to 87 physically healthy and able to work his farm till he keeled over from a heart attack. He never exercised a day in his life. He just stayed busy.

I’ve lost 35 lbs over the past 14 months. My doctor says I’m now fit. Off BP meds for the first time since I was 37. And I’m now 55. Ironically I’ve not watched tv in 14 months.

[Niagara]

35. I have to work out on the daily.

I started walking 1-2 miles a day for about a year and a half now.



I've been working on core exercises for about 2 months now. Bird dogs, bicycle crunches, c-curves, leg raises, reverse crunches, russian twists with an invisible ball, and super womans. And after all this I still can't hold a regular plank for over 15 seconds at a time.



I recently missed 4 days consecutively of walking and core exercises. It really messed my body up and my glute area was out of wack by not working out and I had a difficult time with my mobility. I made sure to get back into the grind. Once I started my routine again, my lower back and glute area snapped and cracked on it's own back into place.


I haven't lost any weight or lost inches, but it does help me keep my mobility in check. I also have insomnia, even after walking and working on my core, and I suspect that I'm perimenopausal. I try to eat clean but I'm not successful in that department.