Hey freiamaya,

Wow! Thank you so much for serving! I am so grateful to you and others who chose the military path!

I think you make a good point about the body being more resilient than we give it credit for. And sometimes pushing is a good thing.

That said, many of those posting here are older and have hardly any recent history of exercise. Such people probably need to use caution, especially if they are also very overweight to begin with. Just walking can be plenty strenuous.

All of us on 3FC really don't know what the physical condition of other posters is, so there is no way we can tell them what to do. The most we ought to do, in my own opinion, is to make suggestions based on our experience (which varies widely). The best individual advice about any exercise program comes from one's doctor or other health care provider.

Jay

Now THAT is what is so cool about this site! We all have different views and most comments are meant well....just shows that what works for one person may not be a good idea for another....depending on age and health!

Have a great day! and don't forget to SMILE!

Hi all!
You're welcome! That particular tour of duty was hair-raising, to say the least!
I guess my perception of "appropriate exercise" has been warped by the excess of weight-loss competition-type reality programming out there. What, with The Biggest Loser, Fat March, X-Weighted and Taking it Off (avail in Canada!), my perception of exactly HOW hard you can push the human body has changed significantly. This season, for example, on the Biggest Loser, there was a 62-year-old, 300 lb man who kept up with the rigorous exercise program with the other age groups there. It just made me wonder - do we give those in the higher age bracket "permission" to be less active? Do we give ourselves permission to "slack off" when we get older because of age? Is it time to rethink our perception of aging and, given the parameters of human physiology, should we be prepared to push the outer boundaries?

Personally, I am all for taxing our bodies beyond their limits but as someone who has osteoarthritis in her knees (at the age of 32) due to being heavy I also understand what weight can do to your body. I had also read that every pound on your body puts 3-4 extra pounds of stress on your knees. Although gail doesn't weigh much, I think caution should be used for anyone who isn't "in shape" or consider themselves "in shape". Some people have enough trouble just carrying their own body weight.

If someone was walking regularly and wanted to increase the intensity of their workouts, I think the weight vests sound like a great idea.

Also wanted to add, I saw your reply about the Biggest Loser with a 300 lb man. I have to say that heavy people, older people can and should be active. Even though I was 300 lbs and over since the age of 14 or so, I had always tried to be active and found myself doing things that others my weight couldn't. I would do 5 mile hikes, take step classes, use the heaviest weight possible when lifting weights, etc. The one thing I do have to say though is those 5 mile hikes are a LOT easier now than 140 lbs ago.

I think most people choose what we feel we can sustain. Most people are NOT out for the quick fix, but are looking for longterm results. IMO, there is no reason to push yourself past a point that may very well result in injury. Exercise is vital to ones health, but we don't want the quest for good health to result in damage to the body. There will always be a certain degree of risk involved in doing physical activity. I think we need to weigh the risks and the benefits of each activity and decide for ourselves, or with our doctors what is the best route to take. There is no one size fits all answer regarding the amount and type of exercise that should be done.

when you weigh more, you probably also have more muscle to do more available work to lug around extra weight. That sxtra weight isn't fat alone; it's also muscle for movement! Now adding extra weight on a backpack certainly isn't going to be stres free to your bones!

I was going to say the same as freiamaya. My husband is in the Air Force & my sister is in the Army. Everyday for Physical Training my sisters unit wears their flack vests with plates for the extra weight. They do their running, walking etc...

I went walking with her one day and she brought one for me to wear, I was sweating like a pig when finished. I also achieved my max heartrate sooner than without it.

Oh I forgot,

I bought several of those ankle weights that you strap on. Instead of wearing them on my ankles I bought enough that I could strap together and wear them around my waist. I wear them walking, around the house.

I actually got the idea from a belly dance instructor. They say it is good for strengthening your waist muscles and makes you more aware of your hip movement. A good thing in belly dancing!!!

Good luck!!