Vote in This Week's Poll: Would you take an exercise pill?
Monday August 11, 2008
Last week, we talked about the latest headline news involving exercise in a pill. While this is obviously still in the experimental stage - they've tested it on mice, not on humans and target patients involve people with diseases or conditions that keep them from exercising - it raises some interesting questions. If this pill really did exist, would you take it?
Some of my readers commented that having a boost to their endurance would actually encourage them to exercise more. Others thought the idea ridiculous and wondered if it would contribute even more to our sedentary behavior. What do you think? Vote in this week's poll and tell us your thoughts.
Poll: Would you take an exercise pill?
1. No, there is no substitute for exercise
2. Yes, but only if I couldn't exercise
3. Yes, if it would motivate me to exercise more
4. Yes, I would take it to enhance my current workouts
5. Yes, I would take it to avoid exercising altogether
6. Other - please explain in comments
Comments
I would figure out how to perform exercise despite a condition that might prove a challenge.
After 2 surgeries and 10 months of rehab I have gained weight and am now in terrible shape. I would definitely take the pill long enough to drop the weight required to put me back in pain free exercising range.
Exercise in a bottle? No. In addition to the obvious, exercise is great for stress management, and has the psycological advantage of reaffirming to yourself that you are in control of your well-being.
It would enhance your workouts? Sounds like steroids to me. I’m a clean athlete who would never even think about taking something that might be considered a banned substance. I’ll pass on exercise in a pill.
Exercise in a bottle? Where’s the fun in that? Being able to move and push yourself is a reward in itself, not just a means to an end. I guess MAYBE, if I absolutely could not exercise due to injury or debilitating disease. On second thought, NAH!
I would take an exercise pill only as a last resort. I am HIV positive and have days when fatigue is so bad I cant move. Exercise in a pill would add years to my life.
This would be a hard sell for me. I exercise to stay off of pills! High blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetis and a host of other ailments run my family. At a young age 53, I have none of them and plan to keep it that way by good ole exercising. I love the outdoors and usually run/walk or bicycle but when I can’t get outside there’s the treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical, aerobics….
I wonder what happens when one stops taking the pill and doesn’t start regular exercise. When people stop taking diet pills, if they haven’t changed their eating habits they regain all the weight they lost plus a bit more. Why mimic the effects of exercise by taking a pill when you can have the actual effects by “just doing it”?
Once deemed safe and effective, it should be available by prescription only for those whose medical conditions preclude them from conventional exericse. As for the rest of us… get off the couch and move it move it!
There is no safe pill, there are always some bad side effects, some of them may appear after years and be impossible to repair. Everybody can exercise in some way and exercise pill is just another way pharmaceutical industry tries to raise money.
Absolutely nonsense, but typical.
This another pharmaceutical industry scheme
to make dollars with something that is likely harmful. ALL PHARMACEUTICALS HAVE SIDE EFFECTS. Furthermore, this industry, one of the most profitable ones around, has gotten into trouble in the past for transforming physical conditions into illnesses for which they developed a drug. Please, beware.