Interesting, but it won't matter in the grand scheme of things because people will not waste the time it takes to exercise daily. If the researchers figured out how to get the benefits of exercise, which are supposedly awesome, then maybe it matters.
In fact I don't see why we fund any other exercise related research, or even most other health research at all until the exercise pill has been approved. Aside from the cure for cancer that is basically the only problem we have left worth worrying about.
"people will not waste the time it takes to exercise daily"
If you consider it waste you won't do it. As for me, I love the benefits of exercise and the experience of doing it. I exercise every day, twice a day, only a few minutes, but burpees, which are intense. What benefits?
- Discipline in all other areas of life
- Connecting with others who exercise
- Stable appetite
- Focus
- Easy to fall asleep and wake up
- A body that doesn't get winded and girls comment on with attraction
- According to the article my brain develops too
I also know not to waste time talking to people who consider exercise a waste of time. We have different values.
You are obviously making up this benefit:
"I also know not to waste time talking to people who consider exercise a waste of time. We have different values."
since you've obviously wasted a significant amount of time writing this relatively lengthy comment as a response to someone who considers exercise a waste of time..
It is fair enough, I wouldn't consider it a waste either if I enjoy it either.
My problem is that I don't, basically. I hate the feeling of being sweaty, the shortness of breath, the constricting feeling in my throat, the thirst, etc.
But most of all I hate that if I spend the time doing that and the stop, six months later I will be back to square one. If I spend the time learning a new skill, reading a book or even watching a movie then six months later I would still have the skill or be able to talk about the book or the movie.
This is a great point. Despite coming from a very different starting point, it really resonates with me.
I love running, absolutely love it. In the past, I used to run at least 10 times a week and do a 4hr+ run in the beautiful mountains near my home about once a month. I enjoyed the nature, I felt good, and it did wonderful things both for my body and mind. It's amazing how easy everything feels when you have a resting pulse of 50!
On the other hand, I don't run anymore and unfortunately running fitness can be built or lost very quickly. After a few months of inactivity it really is mostly gone. Looking back on it now, it's very difficult not to feel a little bit guilty about all the hours I spent on running trails. I too, would prefer to have been building lasting skills such as learning a musical instrument or dancing.
The one exception is the times I went on long runs with my old roommate. That was worth it in every way since we often had great conversations and got several hours worth of running outdoors as a bonus!
I have to strongly disagree with your post. First, millions of people do "waste" the time it takes to exercise daily; it can even be enjoyable. It's certainly not an impossible task to motivate people to exercise.
Second, it seems somewhat odd to talk about "figuring out" how to get the benefits of exercising, when you could always ... well ... exercise.
Third, with a biological system as complex as the human body, it seems to require a lot of hubris to expect a pill to completely replace the role of exercise in maintaining health, with no side effects etc. I have trouble picturing doctors recommending such a pill instead of regular exercise; even if they do, I have trouble believing we are anywhere close to understanding the implications of trying to put the entire world on a pill to replace normal biological function.
Fourth, even if the pharmaceutical companies did assure me that their drug was a healthy, legitimate replacement for exercise, I personally would feel weird about living off of a pill. And it couldn't replace the role exercise plays in my life anyway (see also spodek's post).
Fifth, it seems a little odd to put a problem with a known solution (going to the gym) up next to finding the cure for cancer as a priority/challenge for humanity.
In fact I don't see why we fund any other exercise related research, or even most other health research at all until the exercise pill has been approved. Aside from the cure for cancer that is basically the only problem we have left worth worrying about.