How fit is the average person in Ireland?

Flyer1 · 08-09-2010 10:33AM

I exercise 4 - 5 times a week. Running, cycling, weights, and then usual sit-ups etc just to stay somewhat fit.

itsallaboutheL · 08-09-2010 10:35AM

Fit for what exactly OP?

I'm fit to collapse at the moment due to lack of sleep.

JimmyCrackCorn · 08-09-2010 10:47AM

I exercise 2-4 times a week depending on motivation and workload.

Im not that fit, but i can still see my feet.

_feedback_ · 08-09-2010 10:50AM

easyeason3 wrote: »

oops !

sorry

easyeason3 · 08-09-2010 10:52AM

elviscostello wrote: »

oops !

sorry

You probably feel embarrassed now.

Discuss.

cython · 08-09-2010 10:52AM

Unwilling wrote: »

I am overweight - but not as much as I used to be.
I am not FIT but I am fitter than I think I've ever been.

Sounds like how I'd describe myself. I was always very overweight and unfit when I was in school, and even through my undergrad course in college, though I think college was marginally better than school all the same. In the last few years I got a bit of a wake up call, and especially in the last 12-18 months.

It used to be that a game of 5 aside football would leave me pretty wrecked, but since then, I've started doing a lot of cycling, and a bit of running, as well as the football I had been playing, and I can generally manage a 70-80k cycle with plenty of hills comfortably enough, and longer at times. I also can run 5 miles in about 45-46 mins at constant pace.

So fitter than I was, but plenty of room to improve yet!

starbelgrade · 08-09-2010 10:53AM

I can do a marathon in about 18mins if I put the foot down.

malkmoose · 08-09-2010 10:53AM

I train between 3 and 5 days a week depending on what part of the GAA season we're at.
I can run a mile in 5 minutes.
Just thinking about all my friends and my last few office jobs/ friends on Facebook/LinkedIn I can say that less than 5% are what I consider overweight.
On a typical night out in Dublin I would have the same experience. I think how obesity is measured is not accurate or scientific. Percentage body fat is the most accurate measurement in my opinion.

lamai · 08-09-2010 10:53AM

Last time I did a mile was last year when I started running(3 months) 5.17, Would hope to be around 5min now. I do triathlons and surf. Very fit:D

I am in my early 30's and was always involved in sport when I was younger. I find most of the people that are overweight now were never into sport when they were younger. I also said I would never be overweight, but I was a few lbs over what I should have been a few years ago, and I gave myself a good kick up the arse.

Banned Account · 08-09-2010 10:59AM

gimmick wrote: »

And what is your contribution apart from your witty sarcasm chap?

My contribution was back on post #20.

I just took offence to the butterball stuff - I think it's unfair in a lot of cases to direct the criticism at the kids - the parents should be made exercise until they get it into their heads that they are damaging their kids health by not making them exercise and by feeding them shít.

Thats all.

Fukuyama · 08-09-2010 11:01AM

Used to be quite fit this time last year.

I could do a mile in maybe 5:20. Which is quite good considering most of my friends and people I know couldnt run a mile if you gave them a week. Took my eye off the ball though and have stopped running for some reason...

Time to get back into it though!

TBH, I think when I see properly fat people (not carrying a little padding but a bloody tractor tyre around their waste) I think its discusting. God only knows what they're like inside...

Imagine if they were ever put into a situation where they HAD to exert themselves... like in a flood or something. Survival of the fittest and all that... they'd be brown bread.

Laserhead · 08-09-2010 11:09AM

I gave up basketball when the leaving cert began, which had been keeping me pretty fit. Now I do no regular exercise, but I'm hoping to into rowing at college. I doubt I could sprint for a mile at this point.

gimmick · 08-09-2010 11:21AM

Fitzcaraldo wrote: »

My contribution was back on post #20.

I just took offence to the butterball stuff - I think it's unfair in a lot of cases to direct the criticism at the kids - the parents should be made exercise until they get it into their heads that they are damaging their kids health by not making them exercise and by feeding them shít.

Thats all.

Thats fair enough. As I alluded to in my original post the education around fitness in this country is muck.

seamus · 08-09-2010 11:41AM

Haven't run in about two years, and WTF is a mile?

Anyone who thinks "average" fitness is a 6-minute mile and 100 press-ups and sit-ups needs a reality check.

The average Irish person could likely jog about 1km, maybe 2km before they'd have to stop and have a breather, followed by a cigarette. Most people do very little exercise - at best they might walk part of their commute to/from work and play football once a week. In the under-40s, fitness rates for women are a good deal worse than for men because women traditionally stop doing any sport or exercise when they hit their mid-teens, whereas men are likely to keep it up to some small degree well into their 20s.

However, anecdotally and from personal experience, the tide is beginning to shift and people are recognising the importance of getting at least some exercise - especially once you've left college. I would certainly have to say that over the last two years I've seen a lot more people out jogging and cycling in all weather conditions than I can ever recall seeing before. But maybe I've only just started noticing them.

I say I haven't run in about two years, though I've cycled around 4,000km this year so far. Fitness is subjective from that point of view; My body would easily allow me to run 5km in less than 30 minutes, and I could probably manage to keep going to run 10km in less than an hour, but my legs would soon afterwards give out and I wouldn't be able to walk for a couple of days because I'm not used to using those muscles.

Best measure of fitness? 5 years ago, jogging 100m to catch a bus would leave me breathless, sweating and with pains in my lungs, taking 5 - 10 minutes to recover. Now I can sprint 200m to catch a bus and when I get there I'll be breathing a bit heavier but will recover in about 2 minutes.

Ostrom · 08-09-2010 12:09PM

http://www.slan06.ie/publications.htm

Main report (2007), pages 49-53 for physical acitivty summaries

Feeona · 08-09-2010 12:14PM

I run for half an hour most days. Feel great after it, but there was a time when I'd balk at running for five minutes! I hope to build up my stamina and speed over the next few months. Looking at some people's speeds here (mile in five mins :eek:), I'm seriously behind in the speed stakes!

kfallon · 08-09-2010 12:22PM

Well I got 90 mins of football ahead of me tonight so no doubt I'll be wrecked (but in a good way) tomorrow morning. Can't beat the feeling of stiff and sore muscles to know you had a good blow out!

sock puppet · 08-09-2010 12:41PM

In my experience once people reach college (me included unfortunately) they give up sport or start competing at a much lower level. Once you give it up it can be hard enough getting back into the routine.

scouser82 · 08-09-2010 12:44PM

When people say they can run a mile in 5 minutes do they mean 5:00, 5:29, 5:59 or what?

Theres a hell of a difference between 5:00 and 5:59.

I've done a Mile recently in 5:48, I certainly wouldnt classify it as a "Mile in 5 minutes". What it is is a sub 6 minute mile.

Anybody who can do a mile in 5 minutes dead is WAYY above average fitness levels. There was a SPAR mile challenge last year around Ireland and less than 1% of people ran it under 5 minutes, and not a particularly big percentage (maybe 10%, I've forgotten) ran it under 6 minutes. Of course those percentages are only of people who were bothered to try run the mile. Of the general population the percentages would be even smaller for sub 5 and sub 6.

You need a bit of natural talent and a lot of hard training to get under 5 IMO. Hopefully I'll manage it some day.

Banned Account · 08-09-2010 12:47PM

scouser82 wrote: »

Theres a hell of a difference between 5:00 and 5:59.

Indeed, if only there were some new fangled way of quantifying it Hmmmm ...

Michellenman · 08-09-2010 12:48PM

I'm relatively fit I'd say. I exercise 3/4 times a week. I can run a kilometre in about 7 and a half or 8 minutes. As a child I was much fitter but I had an injury to my foot when I was about 12 and that ruled out all sport and even walking long distances for years until I was in 5th year in school. After that I just never got back in to playing for teams.

But my apartment is on the fourth floor of my building (which is up TEN flights of stairs) and there is no lift. I have to climb them 3/4 times a day so right now that's keeping me fit :pac:

Pherekydes · 08-09-2010 12:51PM

Enough, 8 minutes, yes and no, some do, do your own homework.

The average Irish person is about 5'8" and 150 lbs. They are 35 years of age. We don't know how fit they are because they don't exist.

candy-gal1 · 08-09-2010 12:52PM

Fairly fit i would say, I mean id do regular workouts, some jogging and are rarely out of breath.

kfallon · 08-09-2010 12:53PM

candy-gal1 wrote: »

Fairly fit i would say, I mean id do regular workouts, some jogging and are rarely out of breath.

All the sugar from the sweets gives you the energy to run....for days on end I'd imagine

candy-gal1 · 08-09-2010 12:56PM

kfallon wrote: »

All the sugar from the sweets gives you the energy to run....for days on end I'd imagine

lol yep! that must explain it tbh

kfallon · 08-09-2010 12:59PM

candy-gal1 wrote: »

lol yep! that must explain it tbh

Does chocolate actually cause dehydration tho? Or did I just dream I was told that before :rolleyes:

Feeona · 08-09-2010 01:00PM

scouser82 wrote: »

When people say they can run a mile in 5 minutes do they mean 5:00, 5:29, 5:59 or what?......

You're questioning if people can run a mile in five mins yet totally neglected to pick up on the poster who said he/she can run a marathon in 18 minutes if they put the foot down?

'If I put the foot down'.....made me laugh :pac::)

candy-gal1 · 08-09-2010 01:01PM

kfallon wrote: »

Does chocolate actually cause dehydration tho? Or did I just dream I was told that before :rolleyes:

oh i think it does, but if you can mix it up with some jellies then its fine!

Banned Account · 08-09-2010 01:05PM

Feeona wrote: »

You're questioning if people can run a mile in five mins yet totally neglected to pick up on the poster who said he/she can run a marathon in 18 minutes if they put the foot down?

'If I put the foot down'.....made me laugh :pac::)

To be honest, he was just saying that in running terms it take a massive amount of effort to get from a 6minute mile to a 5minute mile and was curious to know if the 5 minute posters were actually 5mins or 5mins+

In relation to the marathon - he was referring to driving his car 26 miles in 18 minutes hence the reference to "putting the foot down"

Anything else let me know

kthanx

Lux23 · 08-09-2010 01:06PM

I exercise but I can't actually run that far because of my knees and ankles which are both in really bad shape. So the question of how quickly can you run a mile annoys me a bit, I can do an hour without stopping on a cross trainer or a bike.

How fit is the average person in Ireland?

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