# What single exercise has made the most difference for you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 27, 2019, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-exercise-has-made-the-most-difference-for-you/844071 "2019-11-27T16:01:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2019, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-exercise-has-made-the-most-difference-for-you/844071/21 "2019-11-28T03:38:59Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Looks like i was wrong. But just barely. šŸ˜‰ Yeah, the squat would be second. Thatā€™ll hit your entire lower body. Followed, probably, by bench presses and then, I guess, barbell rows. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2019, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-exercise-has-made-the-most-difference-for-you/844071/22 "2019-11-28T03:55:17Z")
Running. I tell people I run so that I can continue to eat like crap. And itā€™s true. The miles I run are all that holds back the tide at my waistline. And I have not felt winded or exhausted during the aerobic exercises life throws at me, such as running through an airport to make a connection or shoveling a foot of snow. (Seriously, why would an agent booking international flights not warn me that Logan has separate terminals for International and Domestic, with a painfully slow shuttle bus going between them every 20 minutes or so, with a bus driver that takes a 15 minute smoke break at each stop. I made it to the gate as they were shutting the door and they hustled me onboard.) ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2019, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-exercise-has-made-the-most-difference-for-you/844071/23 "2019-11-28T03:59:39Z")
I walk too as my main cardio exercise (plenty of hills around here if one needs a challenge). Itā€™s free and available any time I am! I like Pilates best, though, since I actually feel good after doing it. Unfortunately I can no longer do a full Pilates routine since the carotid dissections I got as the result of a car accident a few years ago. I just concentrate on abdominal and lower body stuff now and supplement with a short barre routine when needed. I also want to get into Tai Chi now, since I know itā€™s recommended for older people to do more balance-related exercises, but not sure how to get started with it. The videos Iā€™ve tried get complicated too quickly for me (Iā€™m not all that coordinated to begin with!) and the classes that are available are not at times I can take them (not all of us are retired, you know ā€¦) ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2019, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-exercise-has-made-the-most-difference-for-you/844071/24 "2019-11-28T04:06:16Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > I also want to get into Tai Chi now, since I know itā€™s recommended for older people to do more balance-related exercises, but not sure how to get started with it. The videos Iā€™ve tried get complicated too quickly for me (Iā€™m not all that coordinated to begin with!) and the classes that are available are not at times I can take them (not all of us are retired, you know ā€¦) This one? https://www.youtube.com/embed/cEOS2zoyQw4?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=LLlb89qLXZZsHQU39k9g3K_Q&start=0 Itā€™s fine if you feel like a 5-year-old trying to learn a kindergarten dance at first. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2019, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-exercise-has-made-the-most-difference-for-you/844071/25 "2019-11-28T04:13:05Z")
Iā€™ll give it a try, thanks (and yes, it needs to be shown to me like Iā€™m 5)! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2019, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-exercise-has-made-the-most-difference-for-you/844071/26 "2019-11-28T04:20:59Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Tai Chi has been the most surprising thing for me. Iā€™ve been doing it just under 2 years. Its roots are in yoga so itā€™s got that going for it, and working on your balance is working on your core. Iā€™m in no way a tai chi master and Iā€™m not doing a super intense class, but it always leaves me feeling GOOD and ready to do more. That was one of the things I really, really miss about my Tai Chi classes. Are we sure it counts as exercise, when instead of tired it leaves me wanting to go find me a mountain to climb? Helluva good for posture, core and spatial awareness too. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2019, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-exercise-has-made-the-most-difference-for-you/844071/27 "2019-11-28T04:23:58Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > Iā€™ll give it a try, thanks (and yes, it needs to be shown to me like Iā€™m 5)! Thatā€™s how I felt when I tried to follow along on that Tai Chi video and I did military drill. Itā€™s fine to feel lost and inept when starting out; Youā€™re starting out, thatā€™s just what it feels like for most people who start learning something thatā€™s new to them. I did have difficulty concentrating after the hippie presenter called one of the moves ā€œhugging the treeā€. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-single-exercise-has-made-the-most-difference-for-you/844071.md?page=1)