Let's talk fitness!

[Lex]

We talk about the fitness of our audio video systems all the time. What about the fitness of our most complex machine? Our bodies. Only you know where you are at in that greatest race of all, the race against time. we all know like the movie "In Time" our clocks will run out someday. I say, let's not make that day any quicker than it has to be!

If you smoke, quit. If you drink, please, only in moderation. How's your weight today vs where you were a year, 5 years, 10 years ago? Are you doing anything about your cardio fitness? The heart is the most important muscle in the body, if we don't take care of it, how do we expect it to take care of us?

I'm the first to admit, I have abused my body over the years, and with a birthday here, turning 57, I realized, with the help of my Dr, it was time for me to try to roll back the clock for the future and start thinking about my health TODAY, before it is to late.

I have responded myself. I log into www.loseit.com and I log every food I eat, every day. Another popular site is www.myfitnesspal.com. You could take your pick if you want to see exactly what you are doing to yourself every day. I picked up the book "Lose it", is how I found Loseit.com. I logged into myfitnesspal the other day, but decided for now I will stay with loseit. I like certain features of it.

So, I set a personal plan for where I want to be, as a start point. I weighed 238. I want to be at 200, and much fitter than I was on June 15, when I made up my mind to start this process. At that time, I began using my elliptical machine for a cardio workout. I do that 6 days a week, now up to 30, sometimes 40 minutes at a time. I work to get my heart rate up to 130 or so for me, that is a pretty good workout target. By all means, check with your Doctor before developing a plan for you, but the basic guideline is for people in average good health anyway, to take the number 220, subtract your age, and then take 80% of that to find your cardio workout heart rate. 220 - your age is your max heart rate your body can normally endure without causing you problems. Of course, this varies by person, and by age. A younger person's heart rate is likely able to sustain higher number for longer without issue than someone that is aging more.

I personally got a cardio wristwatch, that I can watch my heart rate on, it is imperative to know where you are at, so you can stay within safe ranges for your workout. I have since added some light weight lifting to my workout, but resting 2 days between lifts. I am mostly working my arms, and core body structures. Not worrying about as much leg and other difficult weight exercises, yet...

This is a marathon, not a sprint. I don't expect myself to be at my top form just starting out a month ago, but I have come a long way in just over 35 days. I continue to work out 6 days a week for cardio, ,then rest a day. I continue to do some other walking, and weight lifting. My body is FEELING better. It takes time to reach weight targets. Honestly, I am not even worrying about that so much, other than a general calorie intake watch. loseit helps me with that. I still eat foods I like, and yes, the more I work out, the more great foods I can enjoy, because a body needs fuel. The more you make the engine work, the more fuel you need. Good fuel, not junk from fast food and processed foods isle.

I shop at a gormet foods store for the best meats I can buy. I'm eating more lettuce, carrots, good grains, and such. Less processed foods. I Still enjoy apple pie! I still enjoy an ice cream sandwich! I still enjoy some caramel chocolate balls that are delicious! But I don't eat fried fries, I don't eat a lot of butter, I don't eat a lot of potato chips, and other chips, greasy foods, etc... What I enjoy, I make it count! I do enjoy fresh market's apple pies, and I enjoyed a piece last night. But I stayed in budget. I have reduced a baked potato to eating half one night, and refrigerating the other half for the next night or so. You know what? I don't even miss that other half, and I save that many calories.

I am also taking 2400mg of fish oil pills, Vitamin B6 and B12, Magnesium, drinking lots of water, less sodas. I am hoping to add a treadmill soon, to vary and increase the intensity of my home based workout. I detest the idea of going to a gym. I don't like other people's sweat and I like the convenience of doing it at home. I can go straight to my own shower afterwards and combine it with other workout stuff like yardwork before my shower! uhhhg.

So, that's what Lex has been up to. I now weigh 230, and have turned some fat to muscle. I'm hoping for more real progress in the weeks ahead. Join me for this fitness and wellness challenge?

Doug

[madmac]

That sounds great Lex (AKA...Doug). Some things that all over weight people have in common is of course over eating (Especially snacking!), drinking pop (Diet or otherwise), and overall lack of exercise. You sound like you are on the right track and motivated.

I will admit that I drink (Daily) and smoke (Moderately). However, I do not snack, over eat, or drink soda. When I eat.....I eat well and only until my body tells me it's full. I also cycle and play tennis almost every day. I'm 6'1 and weight about 205 pounds. I generally feel good. Amen........

[wkhanna]

Belgian Beer, Single Malt Scotch & watching other people exercise.

Along with a seven mile bike ride three times a week when possible & 9 months without a cigarette.
No junk food, no soda, no processed food, ever.

Oh, can not forget, Portuguese Port & good wines from around the world. :W

[Lex]

Dan, get off the sauce X 7, that's to much buddy.

Awesome on leaving those cigs along Bill! I am very pleased to hear you've stayed true!!! I look forward to seeing you make 1 year bud.

I look forward to my 10 year anniversary being quit next April. Sadly, that means it's 10 years since I lost my Dad. :-(

[Hdale85]

That's a big thing too cause he was smoking quite a bit! lol

[PewterTA]

P90x

Though I really haven't done it in a long while.... I need to get back on it, it's the best workout I've found to completely do a 180 on one's lifestyle. People think it's not for them and the can't do it... well just about everyone is wrong if they have that mentality. It's about attempting to do things you've not done. Heck even after 3 times through it, there's still things I can't "completely" do. But it will turn anyone at any age into something they never thought they could be. However, it does take dedication, talking about 6 days a week (roughly an hour each day). But after 2 to 3 weeks, when really sticking with it and making the effort, the changes to one's body is noticeable. Maybe not physically in the mirror...but more emotionally and psychologically.

With doing that, I've always taken the approach, I can then eat whatever I want...so far it's worked out pretty well.

There is a nice "impromptu" Tony Horton 30 minute training session he did and I have to say it's an awesome way to keep in shape. Anyone can do it (I think)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISkp7eaoADc&feature=youtu.be

[madmac]

Belgian Beer, Single Malt Scotch & watching other people exercise.

Along with a seven mile bike ride three times a week when possible & 9 months without a cigarette.
No junk food, no soda, no processed food, ever.

Oh, can not forget, Portuguese Port & good wines from around the world. :W

You KNOW how to live Bill !!!! Oh YA !!!

[Lex]

Dougie, Bill was probably like me, he doesn't half a$$ anything. IF you smoke, you smoke, if you drink you drink, if yo cuss you cuss damnit.

Pewter, someone at work was telling me about this program recently, said some people went to far with it, or couldn't handle it, and it destroyed their body due to the extreme stress this put on them. I don't know how much truth there is to that, but it may be worth investigating. I am pretty sure that's what she was talking about. What she was talking about, the intensity was such that it loaded up some of the body's organs with to many impurities, gave it to much to process, and liver function or something like that shut down! I don't remember exactly what she said, and I have not found anything supporting this yet on the net. But...

This statement on the web is probably quite accurate:

Because of its intensity, P90x may not be safe for some people. Overweight people or those who have no workout experience should talk to their doctor first. Although, creators of P90x say that anybody could follow the program, you would still need to consider personal condition before starting.

Read more: http://www.thehealthguide.org/fitnes...#ixzz2ZgxTDfHU

Myself, I am going to continue with age and condition appropriate exercise of my own chosing. No canned program for me, because honestly, it just may not fit my needs or what I can do. I'll make my own up as I go along. :-)

Doug

[George Bellefontaine]

77 is just ahead or me. My doc says I am in good shape for my age. I stopped smoking 26 years ago, led an active life, played hockey and baseball, even a little tag football, and did a lot of running up until about age 55, but stopped as it was banging up my knees. Since I retired I walk 3 times a day ( but had to take a break from that during my wife's three year battle with cancer ) and occasionally jog a small distance. My wife overfed me and I used to push 180 until she passed away. Today I am 170 to 172. I have maybe two drinks on a Saturday afternoon, or a few more when with friends, but I never indulge now. A short bout of depression after my wife died took a bit of a toll on me, but I am getting back to where I was . So aside from a little arthritis and having to take drops for glaucoma, I guess I'll be around for a few more years. Stopping smoking was the smartest thing I ever did.

[Lex]

George, glad to hear you are doing well! I would say your weight is in good shape brother! We all understand what you went through, and depression is to be expected. I can't imagine how tough it must have been losing your life partner, the love of your life. I would say you have done very well to get back to your healthy weight too. Great job. There's something else that helps Glaucoma they say, you may not even need a drink then either. (wink)

Doug

[Lex]

Oh man, I decided to try pedaling my elliptical backwards for a bit. I lasted 2 minutes, and my legs were BURNING. LOL. I went forward for 8 more after that, for a 10 minute set. Today, I am doing 10 minute sets instead of 30 at once. Cardlio is balancing out nicely doing that, and recovering FAST. I remember stepping backwards once a good ways years ago, my legs were so sore the next day or two. Hopefully that doesn't happen from 2 minutes on the elliptical, lol. It might though, use different muscles I guess.

[bigburner]

Good thread.

Exercise has been an important part of my lifestyle for 17 years now (I'm 59). These days I do a hard 40 minute cardio workout at the gym three times a week and I usually do 2 to 3 hours in the garden on Saturday. Apart from the obvious benefit of a healthier heart the biggest benefit from my exercise regime is the improvement in my mental wellbeing. I can strongly recommend exercise to anyone who is prone to depression.

I gave up cigarettes on 28 January 2001, but hey, who's counting? It's a hard addiction to overcome but really worth the short term pain.

My weaknesses are food and alcohol. Since the earthquakes I've been a 7 day a week drinker. The earthquakes are really just an excuse. I blame my music hobby more. I watch 5 to 7 DVD concerts most weeks and a few glasses of wine make the experience more enjoyable. Since I started working from home 2 years ago I am able to start my concerts earlier which means more time to drink before I get the dinner call from my wife.

If you are overweight then I can assure you that exercise is not the answer. It works at the beginning but you soon return to your original weight. The only way to lose weight is to eat less (or eat differently) and reduce your calorie intake from alcohol.

Keep up the exercise regime Doug. Most people give up soon after starting (that's why gyms are affordable). Don't be one of those people.

Nigel.

[impala454]

I used to be 350+ back around 2009 and am currently just under 250. I have to say the #1 biggest difference for me was simply counting calories for a while. I'm a data nerd so it was actually kinda fun, and hugely eye opening. Don't just assume you think you know how many calories you're eating. At 350+ I knew I was eating really bad, but if you'd have asked me I'd have said "eh I guess I'm eating around 3500-4000 calories a day", and when I started calculating, it was more like 5000-6000. I dropped about 40-50 lbs very quickly just dropping that back to a reasonable number.

The #2 biggest difference for me (where the rest of my weight has gone) has been following the primal / paleo style diet and doing short, high intensity style workouts. People tend to associate high intensity workouts with added stress on their bodies, that's simply not the case, don't be scared to try it! I do sprints on a bike or elliptical all the time, and / or lift weights with little rest in between sets. My workouts take all of 20-30 minutes and I'm exhausted by the end. Crossfit is awesome as well and while I don't do it anymore due to the price, I highly recommend it. It's not as dangerous as some people suggest and don't feel like you have to already be in shape to do it. I went in at 300 lbs and completely out of shape and they taylor the workouts to fit you. The biggest thing Crossfit taught me is that I was never pushing myself as hard as I knew I could handle. If you're not super fatigued at the end of your workout, then you could have done more. Learning to push myself was huge. That's how you promote change in your body.

Some people vehemently disagree w/the primal / paleo eating, and that's fine, I'm not going to start up some long argument about it, but it's done wonders for me. It basically centers around keeping a consistent level of insulin in your bloodstream and avoiding spikes / dips by avoiding high glycemic index foods and eating foods which provide a more consistent level of glucose. You'd be surprised how high the GI is on some foods (i.e. a single piece of bread spikes your blood sugar more than a tablespoon of actual sugar!). It's made my energy levels awesome all day, and my sleep has never been better (I sleep ~7-8 hrs a night and haven't used an alarm clock in nearly two years). For more info on primal, check out the main site: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/welco...ks-daily-apple . The guy reads a little gimmicky but don't let that stop you from at least reading and learning.

[George Bellefontaine]

Sounds like you're onto something good, Chuck. The main thing is it is working for you and you are a healthier person because of it. Stick with it, buddy.

[aud19]

My weaknesses are food and alcohol. .

Ditto :lol:

My wife and I both love to cook and are at least partial "foodies" and also enjoy good wines (predominately reds), a vast array of tasty beers and (more so just me) scotch. My "worst" foods are probably my love of bacon (mmmm) and a weakness for ice cream, cheeses and chocolate (though at least I prefer darker, less sugary stuff). Not to mention Carolyn's thankfully only occasional homemade cookies/assorted baked goods. If we weren't careful, that could get out of control fast! :lol: It's also probably the reason that despite being fairly active, that I've got a spare ~10 pounds of unwanted/needed weight!

Otherwise we tend to eat pretty healthy with a very fruit/veggie rich diet, whole/multiple grains when we eat them and aside from the bacon (and occasional burger/steak etc) predominately leaner meats. We also try to get local and/or organic produce and meat when possible.

As you guys already mentioned we stay away from as much processed food as possible as well as again making an effort to buy organic, non gmo products and avoid products with corn/"golden" syrup and soy lecithin in the ingredients list.

The supplements we take are multi-vitamins, Omega 3-6-9, CoQ10 and IMO a couple things that IMO have been keeping us much healthier and resistant to colds etc... acidophilus and bifidus (digestive probiotics) and vitamin D (especially for those of us that live in less sunny locals). HIGHLY recommend the probiotics to everyone though!

My usual exercise has been interrupted a bit by twin boys and a bathroom reno but normally there's hiking, mountain biking, walking, swimming and my favourite, yoga with some occasional home dumbbell use as well. Largely low impact stuff (better for joints) but a good range of cardio, strength, stretch etc.

[impala454]

Thanks George

Agreed on the soy lecithin stuff Jason.

[Lex]

Great additions to the thread guys, thanks for participating. Points taken on losing weight at first, and not later with exercise. But I have changed my diet some as well, that I think will help me to sustain or begin losing weight after my muscle load balances. I have trimmed down a bit already, and hopefully will some more before end of the year. I am able to exercise longer now, elliptical of 40+ minutes burning over 480 calories once, and 450 today on 40 minutes. That's keeping my heart rate under 130 with the exception of a very occasional overage of 135 or so.

I have reduced my breads to only whole wheat raisin breadin the AM. No bread for lunch or dinner. Reduced cheese and butter amounts ate. Also, when I eat a baked potato, which is pretty often at night. I no longer eat a whole medium to large potato, rather I eat half, and refrigerate the other part. Things like this have reduced my portions. I don't eat a whole steak either, I will take 3-4 sittings to eat an entire steak, I do mix it with a bit o ground sirloin, so I wind up having about 5-6 Oz of beef probably when I have beef.

I have also started eating a sweet potato now and again. Reducing my colas, just a lot of stuff, and counting calories daily at www.loseit.com as I said.

I am doing well staying under their specified calorie limit for me, way under sometimes. I'm bound to drop some weight eventually!

My lunches are either lowfat cottage cheese with fresh pinnapple and some baked ham and baked chicken, or a big lettuce based salad with similar ingredients, and about a tablespoon full of dressing.

Stepping up my exercise has made me a bit hungrier, but I am trying to control my additional intake of food.

[bigburner]

Exercise

Straight from the doctor's mouth.

Nigel.

[bigburner]

Exercise

Deleted.

[Blindamood]

Just saw this post...interesting. I personally find that the only way to really stay physically fit is to find an activity that really interests you, and join a group, team, or school that can help keep you motivated. In my life, the two primary activities I participate in have been cycling and Taekwondo. I'm not into dieting or really watching what I eat that much, but I don't binge and I keep everything in moderation (including adult beverages). When I get into an activity, however, I try to get totally into it, and push it hard. I achieved my third degree of black belt in Taekwondo, and regularly competed in order to keep myself motivated (easy to do when you know the other guy is trying to hurt you...). Now that I'm in my upper forties, I enjoy cycling much more. I tend to ride 3-4 days a week, anywhere from 40-60 miles, and sometimes 100 or so on occasion. I'm a member of a local cycling club that is very active in charity fundraising, which is also a great motivator. In addition to keeping me fit, it's also been a great way to meet new people (including my girlfriend), having moved here several years ago and not really knowing anyone when I got here.

Whatever activity you choose, do it regularly and hit it hard!

[impala454]

I recently joined "the club" at work of a few guys who have a Fitbit. It's a fun little device and pretty good for tracking activity (even sleep).

https://www.fitbit.com

[Chris D]

Interesting, Chuck. I'd really like to hear your thoughts, including how you guys chose that particular device. I've been thinking about getting some Withings devices like that and connected scale, hopefully to jump start and help me in motivation and such to get healthier.

[impala454]

I got the fitbit one, it's tiny. I didn't really choose it so much as the guys at work showed it to me and I liked it. You can create an account and log food, weight, body measurements, sleep, blood pressure, glucose, etc, all for free (without a device). The device will give you a rough calorie burn amount (continuously running all day), step count, estimated distance, etc.