ReThinking The Couch Potato's Position

Jib

Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Messages
591
Look into how to lower noradrenaline and or histamine. I think noradrenaline is the big one. Maybe magnesium and taurine
Thank you. I will look into this.

Staying somewhat on topic, I'll say that being a couch potato seems to be helping. I was pushing myself way too hard before. Lots of rest, lots of red light, lots of sun, and good nutrition go a very long way.

Here on this forum we tend to emphasize those factors. I think social is equally important and in some cases much more important. Ray has a huge emphasis on creativity and individuality and recognizes the need for exercising the human spirit.

That is so critical. One of the best things for our health is to relax and enjoy the wonder of just being alive. Without putting such intense pressure on ourselves to perform.
 
OP
Rinse & rePeat
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
21,494
"Any time spent watching television or using electronic devices such as computers, tablets and mobile phones is classified as screen time – including at school or work. Our report found strong evidence that greater screen time is a cause of weight gain, overweight and obesity in adults."

 
OP
Rinse & rePeat
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
21,494
"A second study found that children who slept in bedrooms with TVs gained about one extra pound of weight each year over the course of four years than kids without TVs in their rooms. Simply moving the TV out of the bedroom is one way to limit kids' TV time, especially around bedtime."
 
OP
Rinse & rePeat
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
21,494
I find this article below interesting because I have lost quite a bit of weight in the last couple of months and I haven't been watching ANY tv and still eating a lot of food. I am now thinking it is probably a contributor. I have been talking on the phone with friends instead, and I've taken up rock painting recently :)

...."television viewing has a fairly profound lowering effect of metabolic rate and may be a mechanism for the relationship between obesity and amount of television viewing.”

Did you know that 20% of your resting metabolic rate comes from brain function? Now think about how spaced out you get watching some of the mindless drivel that’s on TV. You don’t really have to use your brain to watch it — it just sort of flows over you and you go into a lower state of consciousness. Even just sitting there without the TV on and staring off into space burns more calories than watching TV does, because your brain is going to be more active without TV on. All of a sudden it needs to take on the job of entertaining you. You’re likely to fidget more as well.

Watching TV shuts you down. It’s decreased brain activity with decreased movement. All this adds up to fewer calories burned and more pounds around the midsection."

 

Attachments

  • 20220214_212856.jpg
    20220214_212856.jpg
    358.2 KB · Views: 8
  • 20220214_210544.jpg
    20220214_210544.jpg
    298 KB · Views: 8
  • 20220214_212246.jpg
    20220214_212246.jpg
    387.1 KB · Views: 8

Donttreadonme

Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2021
Messages
305
Exercising correctly is the most important thing you can do for your body and MIND. Unless you want to grow old and frail and lose your mental sharpness, then by all means be lazy and don't exercise. Unfortunately most people associate jogging and elliptical machines with a proper exercise routine. Weight lifting/training is by far more valuable to the body and to the mind that making skiing motions with your legs on a elliptical machine.

If you're not weight training already, then start ASAP!!!
 
OP
Rinse & rePeat
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
21,494
Exercising correctly is the most important thing you can do for your body and MIND. Unless you want to grow old and frail and lose your mental sharpness, then by all means be lazy and don't exercise. Unfortunately most people associate jogging and elliptical machines with a proper exercise routine. Weight lifting/training is by far more valuable to the body and to the mind that making skiing motions with your legs on a elliptical machine.

If you're not weight training already, then start ASAP!!!

I find fresh air and brisk walking to be best for me. You might want to read up on the psoas muscles and how important those walking and "skiing" motions are for digestion and to retain mobility.
 
OP
Rinse & rePeat
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
21,494
"Tightness or imbalance in the tone of the psoas can cause other (often overlooked) issues too. These include: difficulty focusing, sitting still or relaxing, irritability, sadness, anger, fatigue, problems falling asleep or sleeping well and digestive issues

How ‘toned’, or how supple and strong your psoas is greatly influences the shape of your pelvis and spine. The tone of your psoas can also affect a host of other issues that inhibit the quality of your life. At least two major factors have a determining influence on the tone or amount of tension in the psoas. These are: your habitual posture and movement, and tension or trauma in your body."

 
OP
Rinse & rePeat
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
21,494
Here is what too much laying around and watching tv does to a body....

"When muscles aren’t used, they rapidly begin to weaken and atrophy (waste away). Strength can decrease as much as 20-30% after only a week of complete bed rest, and it generally takes much longer to regain the strength than it took to lose it.

Decreased muscle strength, together with other structural changes to the nerves and muscles, affects co-ordination and balance, and increases the risk of falls."

"Immobility also causes the heart to beat more quickly, and the volume of blood pumped is lower. The volume of blood generally in the body is lower, and there is less oxygen uptake by the body. This results in poorer aerobic fitness and fatigue sets in more easily.

The blood also becomes thicker and stickier, which increases the risk of a blood clot forming, especially in the legs (deep vein thrombosis) and the lungs (pulmonary embolism)."

"....immobility causes a reduction in the percentage of lean mass to body fat, and raises the risk of developing diabetes: immobile muscles can develop reduced insulin sensitivity, which in turn leads to raised blood sugar levels."


 
Joined
Apr 4, 2021
Messages
499
"When muscles aren’t used, they rapidly begin to weaken and atrophy (waste away). Strength can decrease as much as 20-30% after only a week of complete bed rest, and it generally takes much longer to regain the strength than it took to lose it.
Does not sound peaty to me. If your muscles waste away easily when not using them, then you have built them with corticosteroids which sacrificied other tissues for muscle growth. Relying on corticosteroids is not peaty in my opinion
 
OP
Rinse & rePeat
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
21,494
....
Does not sound peaty to me. If your muscles waste away easily when not using them, then you have built them with corticosteroids which sacrificied other tissues for muscle growth. Relying on corticosteroids is not peaty in my opinion
Ray Peat says otherwise.
 

Attachments

  • 20220306_113502.jpg
    20220306_113502.jpg
    183.6 KB · Views: 46
OP
Rinse & rePeat
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
21,494
“And it’s important to point out this is even after taking into account parental income and education and other factors that have an impact on obesity,” DeBoer said.

The study looked at data from over 11,000 children enrolled in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study in the 2011-2012 school year. A year later, researchers interviewed the majority of the children’s parents about their children’s screen time. They also measured the children’s height and weight.

It was television viewing that seemed to make the most difference in a child’s weight gain. Scientists saw no similar results with kindergartners who were using computers.

What is it about television that may lead to obesity in children and adults? Since this was an observational study, researchers don’t know exactly, but other studies with more controls have shown that it may have something to do with television being a passive activity.”

 

Dr. B

Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2021
Messages
4,320
“And it’s important to point out this is even after taking into account parental income and education and other factors that have an impact on obesity,” DeBoer said.

The study looked at data from over 11,000 children enrolled in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study in the 2011-2012 school year. A year later, researchers interviewed the majority of the children’s parents about their children’s screen time. They also measured the children’s height and weight.

It was television viewing that seemed to make the most difference in a child’s weight gain. Scientists saw no similar results with kindergartners who were using computers.

What is it about television that may lead to obesity in children and adults? Since this was an observational study, researchers don’t know exactly, but other studies with more controls have shown that it may have something to do with television being a passive activity.”

Its cuz computers use your brain more and tvs dont? So the brain consumes more calories?
 

BearWithMe

Member
Joined
May 19, 2017
Messages
2,020
It might also be that computer people are more active than TV watchers.

Watching TV is the epitome of passivity. On computer, you can actually be super active and creative, and this mindset will transfer to the physical realm.

In other words, computer people are more likely to be physically active, no matter how ridiculous it might sound.
 
OP
Rinse & rePeat
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
21,494
It means if you actually read on computers not just watch YouTube or video games?
I don’t do either of those activities, but I would think that video games would be a better choice than tv or watching online videos for brain activity, but video games seem stressful to me, which would raise cortisol levels, making one look no better than a couch potato.
 

Dr. B

Member
Joined
Mar 16, 2021
Messages
4,320
I don’t do either of those activities, but I would think that video games would be a better choice than tv or watching online videos for brain activity, but video games seem stressful to me, which would raise cortisol levels, making one look no better than a couch potato.
Reading Wikipedia reading ray peat articles forums and etc?
 
OP
Rinse & rePeat
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
21,494
Reading Wikipedia reading ray peat articles forums and etc?
I don’t watch YouTube videos or play video games. I read everyday for a couple of hours or more. I think that is just as stimulating as painting, and not considered a couch potato activity like Facebook or watching tv.
 
OP
Rinse & rePeat
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
21,494
“The science behind it is that by raising your body temperature, heat shock proteins are released, which in turn lowers blood sugar levels. An hour long bath is equal to about 25-30 minutes of walking, which is definitely the best excuse we’ve heard for an extra-long soak. The only catch is, does anyone ever spend as long as an hour in the tub?

Burn more calories: Have your bath after a meal – the heat is also said to reduce the blood sugar spikes that often happen after eating.“

 
OP
Rinse & rePeat
Joined
Mar 10, 2021
Messages
21,494
Thank you. I will look into this.

Staying somewhat on topic, I'll say that being a couch potato seems to be helping. I was pushing myself way too hard before. Lots of rest, lots of red light, lots of sun, and good nutrition go a very long way.

Here on this forum we tend to emphasize those factors. I think social is equally important and in some cases much more important. Ray has a huge emphasis on creativity and individuality and recognizes the need for exercising the human spirit.

That is so critical. One of the best things for our health is to relax and enjoy the wonder of just being alive. Without putting such intense pressure on ourselves to perform.
Everything you said is what I strive for too.
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom