Not the least bit surprising that there is some dependency. I think the physical effects are probably not great either.

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I tweet!

ehh, it's all psychobabble

Adam Kreek who won gold in the Men's 8 rowing in 2008 wrote a good article about this recently.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/...-last-182745899.html

I don't do this to be the healthiest I can be. I do this to be as fast as I can be.

As long as my health is good as far as short term side-effects go (injuries and illnesses), I am happy. After all, I plan on backing off some day...

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-Bryan Journey
Travel Blog | Training Blog | Facebook Page

Yeah but sitting on your ass watching life pass you by sucks X 1000

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Dave Stark
dreamcatcher@astound.net
USAC & USAT level 2 certified coach

Well alcohol is more addicting than heroin, so don't drink wine.




... Oh well- fuck the science.

Yeah but sitting on your ass watching life pass you by suck X 1000


I think there is a pretty big middle ground between being an elite athlete and someone sitting on their ass while life passes them by...

The study is not surprising at all. In our society (at least in the western world) the thought tends to be that if exercise is healthy then more and harder exercise must be more so. We seem to do that with everything. If coffee is good for you, drink 10 cups. If a food is nutritious, eat it all the time and add it to everything.

The healthiest people I have ever met have a few things in common. They eat lightly, they eat a lot of natural vegetables and fruit. They sleep well. They are active in terms of hobbies and interests. They get regular and easy outdoor exercise (walking, gardening etc.).

None of those involve endurance exercise done over long periods of time and it is little surprise to me but we have grown up with a mindset that more is better and that will not change easily.

Well said.

My ironman training makes me feel good now (think cocaine) and will make me faster at Louisville, but I do not think it makes me healthier.

Being world class in anything is not that good for your health.

It is not limited to athletics.

And when you look at the articles you think they'd know better and would want to look at
a control group before drawing any conclusion...Maybe having a look at what happens to
people who retire for instance ;-)
What makes you depressed etc? The lack of exercise when you retire, or the fact that you've
retired? There are many factors involved, and I don't think the studies are particularly well
designed to demonstrate what they want to demonstrate.

My ironman training makes me feel good now (think cocaine) and will make me faster at Louisville, but I do not think it makes me healthier.


I think there are a lot of great reasons to do triathlons but I object when people always bring up the "it's better than sitting on your couch getting fat" as if that is the only alternative. I think if people who do triathlons had to stop, they most definitely would not be the ones sitting on the couch all day stuffing themselves with food. And the people who do live that way probably couldn't care less about triathlons or have any desire to get out there and try one.

There are lots of reasons to do endurance events but doing one for your health is not one of them. It is very hard on your body and many people don't build their fitness over a good length of time (have to check off the to do list), typically training for an Ironman (often their first triathlon) and then completing it within a year and then stopping the sport. I think that quick build up and stop would be pretty hard on your body.

I would think, but have no proof, that a longer build up where you increase fitness slowly and consistently over a number of years would be not only better to avoid injuries and easier on your body but also a more enjoyable way to train. That's not going to happen though.

Also low stress, which is obviously influenced by external factors but perhaps less obvious to many people by how you respond those external factors.

Maybe so, but it does seem pretty good for your sex life.

http://espn.go.com/...illage-espn-magazine

I'm just glad that I don't need to work that hard to kick my 'Shroom, Acid & mescaline habit. I can quit anytime I want to.

I just don't want to right now.

Grooooooovy, baby.

Brian

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Swim. Bike. Run. Repeat as necessary.
Welcome to the Church of Briantriology!

That's a great chart. Where did you find it? Or what's the source?

thanks.

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Advanced Aero TopTube Storage for Road, Gravel, & Tri...ZeroSlip & Direct-mount, made in the USA.
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Does anybody? Those drugs are pretty much anti-addictive.

So what this graph is telling me is: If I've used nicotine and alcohol, and I'm not addicted, I probably wouldn't become addicted to anything.
Also, believing this graph would tend to make me less sympathetic towards addicts in general. Millions have kicked the nicotine habit -- HTFU.

I completely agree. If I stop working out without having a wind-down period at the end of the season, I get headaches and feel nauseous. I've seen a doctor about it and been informed that it's a combination of lack of endorphins and a psychosomatic reaction to stress. In other words, I exercise to get high and blow off steam.

Even if I come down slow, if I go for more than a couple weeks without exercising I start to feel like crap all the time. This is wonderful motivation to stay in shape!

Endorphin Withdrawal is a terrible thing to experience, and horrible to watch

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

"One of the things you learn, after years of dealing with drug people, is that everything is serious. You can turn your back on a person, but never turn your back on a drug – especially when it’s waving a razor-sharp hunting knife in your eyes." - HST

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Gonzo lives!

Brian

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Swim. Bike. Run. Repeat as necessary.
Welcome to the Church of Briantriology!

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

I actually disagree with the comparison of endurance training to drug dependence.

THere are NO physical withdrawal effects from abruptyly stopping elite-level exercise. You're totally fine.

You can DIE from serious alcohol or heroin withdrawal, just from the physical effects.

Exercise also doesn't generally lead you to law-breaking activities to support the 'habit', even in extreme situations. Drug addictions commonly involve law-breaking addictions to support the habit, and not just because purchasing it is illegal - I'm talking robberies, homicides, and violence to scrounge the money to continue.

Not even a close comparison for the physical effects. For the psychological effects, there's a tiny overlap, but really still no comparison.

Isn't this true for anything to which you dedicate a portion of your life? Is there not often depression associated from retiring from your job? Therefore is working addictive and unhealthy? When you define yourself to some extent by what you do, and then you stop doing that, it will be difficult - no PhD's or study needed to tell anyone that. Trying to turn whatever that activity is into a diagnosable medical disease that is detrimental to your health is taking the idea too far, and in some ways is a justification for further broadening this field of medicine, the salaries of the PI's of the study.

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
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