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  Neil Armstrong's 'finite heartbeats' quote

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Author Topic:   Neil Armstrong's 'finite heartbeats' quote
damnyankee36
Member

Posts: 37
From: Alamogordo, NM USA
Registered: Aug 2017

posted 07-20-2019 07:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for damnyankee36   Click Here to Email damnyankee36     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I've always loved Neil Armstrong's alleged quote:
I believe that every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises.
However, I just discovered a few comments online stating that he never actual said this, in fact, he disagreed with this statement.

Any comments on either of these views?

Headshot
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Posts: 864
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 07-21-2019 09:45 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Headshot   Click Here to Email Headshot     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I was always under the impression that this quote originated while Armstrong and David Scott had to train for Gemini 8, when Scott had to train extra-hard for his EVA activities.

I would imagine that if it is a legitimate quote, one could find the reference in "First Man" by James Hansen, or someone might even ask David Scott.

David C
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Posts: 1015
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012

posted 07-21-2019 10:51 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for David C     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
If I recall correctly, and purely from memory the quote was from a Life interview. I think Collins also referred to it in his book. It was said in jest by Armstrong who could be a pretty funny guy, but you know the media. One of his sons mentioned in a recent interview about him doing push ups on stage in an effort to put the whole thing to bed.

I guess if you were Neil Armstrong, you had to be careful what jokes you cracked.

Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 07-21-2019 11:20 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Headshot:
...one could find the reference in "First Man" by James Hansen, or someone might even ask David Scott.
Here is what "First Man" says about it:
John Glenn remembered, "I always got a kick out of Neil's theory on exercise." Armstrong joked with friends that exercise wasted a person's precious allotment of heartbeats. Dave Scott, Neil's crewmate on Gemini VIII, recalls Armstrong coming into the astronauts' exercise room at MSC when Scott was sweating away pumping iron, getting on a stationary bicycle, and setting its wheel at its lowest possible tension, and grinning at Dave, saying, "That a boy, Dave! Way to go!"

rarmstrong
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Posts: 17
From: Cincinnati, OH USA
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 07-22-2019 11:23 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for rarmstrong     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
My understanding — he said it but it wasn't an original quote and he wasn't saying he necessarily agreed with it.

AstronautBrian
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Posts: 287
From: Louisiana
Registered: Jan 2006

posted 07-24-2019 11:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for AstronautBrian   Click Here to Email AstronautBrian     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I've heard this quote attributed to Armstrong many times over the years, and one I like to refer to often because, frankly, I'm lazy and don't like to exercise.

I never seriously believed that he ever actually said it, or if he did, meant it only in jest. The man was a test pilot and astronaut; I would imagine that keeping a fine-tuned body would have been important to him.

GACspaceguy
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Posts: 2476
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006

posted 07-24-2019 01:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for GACspaceguy   Click Here to Email GACspaceguy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by AstronautBrian:
I like to refer to often because, frankly, I'm lazy and don't like to exercise.
Heart beats based on those who exercise vs. those who don't. (Given the theory the we only are allowed a finite number of heart beats in ones lifetime.)
  1. Typical at rest heart beat for those who do not exercise — 80/minute
  2. Typical at rest heart beat for those who do exercise — 60/minute
  3. Typical accelerated heart beat during the workout — 120/minute
  4. Consider a 1 hour workout/cool down time, the work out beats:
    120 beats/min x 60 mis = 7200 beats
For those that do not work out the beats per year is:
  1. 80 beats/min x 60 min/hr x 24 hrs x 7 days = 806,400 beats/wk
  2. 806,400 beats /wk x 52wks/year = 41,932,800 beats/year
For those that do work out the beats per year;
  1. Working out 6 days/wk at 1hr/day is 6 x 7200 beats = 43200 exercise beats/wk
  2. For those 6 days the beats would be 60 beats /min x 60 min/hr x 23 hrs x 6 days=496,800 + 43200 = 540,000 beats for 6 days
  3. For the 7th day (no exercise that day) the beats that day would be 60 beats/min x 60 min/hr x 24 hrs=86,400 beats
  4. Total for the week 540,000 + 86,400 = 626,400 beat/week
  5. 626,400 beats /wk x 52 wks/year = 32,572,800 beats/year
Assuming that a typical non workout person lives 72 years;
  1. The beats in a lifetime would be; 72 yr x 41,932,800 beats/yr = 3,019,161,600 beats
Using the number 3,019,161,600 beats as the given beats in a life time:
  1. Those who work out use 32,572,800 beats/yr therefore the number of years of life they would have would be 3,019,161,600 beats divided by 32,572,800 beats/yr = 92.7 year or approx 93 years
Conclusion: Using the approximate number of lifetime heart beats of 3 billion, a person who does not exercise lives to the age of 72 years but those who do exercise they will have an extra 21 years and live to 93 years old. So:

Work out and extend your life expectancy!!

All times are CT (US)

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