15 Comments

Not sure if Joan’s comment is tongue in cheek or not above, but If so, well played! Dr. Pontzer suggests after we reach equilibrium regarding incorporating exercise into our daily lives, we have the ability to manage roughly 600 calories worth of energy expenditure through hormone fluctuation, reproductive system alterations and the like internally (exercise above this threshold is the natural Ozempic). As you mention Michael, reaching this plateau in calorie burning means we’re reaping the most benefits we can from our exercise, those that the evolution of our species lead us to need.

I think most people think adding in exercise makes a sedentary person healthier, but Dr Pontzer suggests it’s a more accurate relationship to think about not exercising makes an average person unhealthy. Everyone should think of 4-600 calories of exercise per day as a mandate for a healthy lifestyle, but they can do it in whatever form they want!

As usual, great content. I look forward to these every M, W and F!

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Great comment. I appreciate you dropping some wisdom.

I agree that exercise doesn't make us healthy so much as inactivity makes us sick.

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Like many American women, I have lost and gained the same pounds over the course of my life. I thought I had found the holy grail when I discovered Keto. And yeah, I lost weight. But was it because I was eating low carb, or was it because I religiously measured every bite I took.

One of my trainers long ago told me that weight is 10% exercise and 90% diet. So that’s always been in the back of my mind. It took a minute to recognize that if I eat 600 calories of junk food, I will definitely not exercise enough to burn that off. My solution? Stop eating 600 calories of junk food.

I’ve left keto behind. My BMI is higher than I’d like, but I lift twice a week and am heckin strong. I’m trying to learn how to eat to live, instead of living to eat. Great article!

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Sounds like a fantastic and sustainable plan!

I think trying different diets helps us learn what works for us. They give us pieces that allow us to put together our own puzzle.

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I've been outrunning diet for the last 7 years. I started ultra-running (50Ks then 50 milers and now several 100 milers) when i was 30 after sustaining an injury to my shoulder in the gym. Before I started running 30-40 mile weeks i would fluctuate weight from 145-175. For the last 5 years i've been consistently 155-165 lbs - no matter what i eat. It's quite nice but I know it won't last forever. If i ever have to reduce my activity i know i will need to watch what i eat.

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So cool to hear that you run ultras! Thanks for your comment. I'm glad to hear you're cognizant of the fact that reducing your running will likely stop your ability to eat whatever.

When I was running a lot, I could also eat whatever I wanted. In fact, I had trouble eating enough. :)

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I wonder what the second and third order affects would be if the government mandated a much more rigorous lifestyle, i.e. an hour a day of moderate to heavy exercise? Beyond creating a more resilient populace, I'm sure lots of health care costs would drop, as well as mental health would improve. Would there be any downside?

And as a follow-on question: how does the government come up with "exercise guidelines"?

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Great Q. I know with dietary guidelines, which come out in five-year plans, there’s a two or so year process where things get updated. So the USDA and/or FDA take tons of inputs, from open comment periods to industry white papers, health and wellness professionals, lobbyists, everyone with a stake in the outcome. And then all of that gets reviewed and reviewed again and ... we inevitably end up with something like an entry-level plan. (I’m oversimplifying but trying to give you the gist.) My sense is that they’re trying to make an honest assessment of a ton of info while weighing risk/reward. So people might feel motivated by 20-minutes a day to start. Then maybe they crank it to 30 once the habit starts.

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This may not answer your question, but the benefits of exercise drop off of the more you exercise. So the government effectively looks for the highest ROI position that feels reasonable from a public health perspective. They also release nutritional guidelines. So if you pair the two, you're rather solid.

I fully believe that if a person follows both the federal nutrition guidelines and the federal exercise guidelines, they'll be relatively healthy. That's different than fitness. I also believe more exercise would probably make a person less likely to get sick.

This post assumes a person is following a standard American diet, not the guidelines.

I hope that made sense! Haha.

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That makes total sense now, thanks for the follow-up!

I wasn't factoring in the "low bar" that most Americans are starting at and was shocked by how little movement/exercise was advocated. I guess my dream of having beefier government guidelines that produce a populace of Captain America's will have to wait...

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So true. And your post also assumes people follow the standard American exercise, which might make you maintain health but not fitness? I mean, it’s taken me years to get my wife to never touch her 5 lb dumbbells again. She now heads toward the middle of the rack!

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Physical activity guidelines are every 10 years as of now. The last update came out in 2018 and was only the 2nd edition. The process is similar what Aris described, and was essentially a large review of literature. 150 min per week of moderate intensity is the baseline recommendation. 75 min for vigorous activity. The upper limit is 300 min of moderate and 150 of vigorous. This range is where you get the most bang for your buck as far as health benefits. Once you go above the 300 min, the increase in benefits levels off. These aren't recommendations for performance, just for health benefits. They also throw in 2 days per week of strength training. Only about 25% of Americans meet the guidelines for both.

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Does it matter if you get that hour in shorter sessions throughout the day?

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No. Total caloric consumption would be the same.

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Can't you read about Ozempic?? Don't you understand that weight and calories whether from "healthy" or not so are not relevant. Forget calories Hormones Rule. Anyone who pushes the body to extreme exercise unless this is the only way they can earn a living is essentially nuts and so what they eat is summed up by: Who cares?

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