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Fitness Checkin

I got back from my month-long road trip a few days ago, stepped on the scale and said "ACK!" Time to get back to a decent diet and exercise program. :vulcan:

Of course, the first thing I did was wrench my back on my first day back at work (lifting wine cases), so I'm going to have to take it easy for a bit. But I did go back to the gym yesterday and did some stretching and upper body work. I plan to get back to a real weight workout again when my back isn't killing me.

I have been walking/jogging every day, though. And I have returned to virtuous eating habits ... lots of protein, plenty of veggies, and fewer carbs. I've also (*GASP!*) cut out alcohol for the most part.

I know I'm out of shape when my 14-year-old arthritic dog can run faster than I can. :lol: I'm used to leaving her home because she can't keep up - but for now she's moving better than I am!
 
I've been walking quite a bit the past several months - 3-5 times per week, 3-4 miles per walk. I love it - I've always loved walking. But the problem is that winter, with those short, short days, is coming soon, and while I live in a nice, safe small town, I know I won't be able to keep up this schedule once it's dark pretty much every moment I'm not at work. Walking in the dark isn't so bad, and walking in the cold, with or without snow, isn't bad, either, but slush, snow or bitter cold combined with dark...not so good.

We have a fitness center here at the office - which is great, don't get me wrong, but...dear God, is the treadmill boring compared to walking out in the real world. So is the elliptical trainer. And as for the stairmaster, that may be the most boring thing ever. I used to use it pretty regularly a few years ago, and I felt like a draft horse grinding wheat or something. ("Come on, Kate!" ::crack:: "Move it along there, old girl!" ) B-o-o-o-o-O-O-O-O-o-o-o-o-oring! There's a TV in there...I could use my iPod...but golly, that all sounds boring, too, compared to looking at squirrels and houses and people and the herons that nest in the park and...

Does anybody have any suggestions for making indoor exercising less b-o-o-o-o-O-O-O-O-o-o-o-o-oring? I don't want to lose all this conditioning I've worked so hard for.
 
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I cleaned up my lagging nutrition...I'm losing bodyfat now. Training hard on new supplements..my strength goes up every week. Last night attempted a curl max for the first time in a long time, hit 185. Still off my best by 40 lbs. My set total was 20 pounds higher than last week.

RAMA
 
I'm doing well. I'm feeling increased strength and my stomach and chest are even tightening up a bit!

My endurance has significantly improved. I was playing volleyball all weekend. Unfortunately I forgot sunscreen for about an hour of that (I'm a tomato)!
 
JustKate, I know what you mean about the treadmill. Nothing compares to the great outdoors, and I used to walk in the park before I decided to join a gym back in early 2000s. I felt the same way when I first started using cardio equipment all those years ago, but it really is just a matter of getting used to. I like elliptical machines better, which is more low-impact (and what I use at home) compared to running on a treadmill. I'd hate to say it, but listening to your I-Pod or watching the evening news is probably the best type of motivation/entertainment you'll get while using your treadmill. Some people say they like Wii Fit, which I've never tried before. It looks fun and effective.
 
Thanks, Drone. I didn't really think anybody had come up with a solution that I hadn't at least considered, but...I thought I'd ask anyway. And it's good to know that other people have managed to overcome the "inside exercise is b-o-o-o-o-O-O-O-O-o-o-o-o-oring!" factor.

Hmm....I have a number of audio books, all on CD. I wonder if I could transfer some of those to my iPod?
 
I refuse to use any Apple product, :borg: but I do have a 30-GB Zune that contains maybe up to 6 hours of digital music (almost all of which were burned from CDs I used to have). Audio books sound fun ... anything you listen to can make your workout seem to go faster.

Going back to Wii Fit, I have a couple of co-workers who use the console for their yoga and indoor exercise routine. They seem to like the interactive features.
 
I actually cannot remember whether my iPod is an actual iPod or not. It's an itty bitty digital music storage thingy of some brand or other - I forget. ;) I am pretty sure it's not a Zune, but that's about as far as I can go right at the moment.

But I am kind of liking the idea of audio books...

I do know people who use Wii Fit...or at least have Wii Fit and have used it some. They all seem to like it, although I don't so far know anybody who relies on it. For the people I know who use it - and I'm not saying they are typical - it seems to be something used to fill in the gaps in their regular exercise routine.
 
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JustKate, I use audio books on my iPod. If you load any audio CD iTunes will boot up automatically and you can import it into your library and then move it to an iPod (if you are, in fact, using iTunes).

And if you really get into it, you can subscribe to Audible.com, which is like NetFlix for audio books. I used them for awhile and gathered a number of nice SF books by some of my favorite authors. :) I also love podcast novels. Check out PodioBooks.com, especially J.C. Hutchins' "7th Son" novels. There's some fabulous SF/fantasy material out there (and it's free)!

Well, I started my serious diet & exercise program. After checking out a number of different programs, I settled on Turbulence Training, which several people I'm acquainted with have recommended. I did the first workout yesterday and I really liked it ... the best part is it takes quite a bit less time than my usual routine. Plus they have a $4.95 trial offer. :) We'll see how it goes in a few weeks!
 
My fitness - all time low. My diet - a mess.
My weight this week - alarming.

Mon - 64.1
Tue - 62.6
Wed - 62.2
Thu - 61.7
Fri - 61.3
Sat - 60.8
Today - 60.3

WTF? I'm already a skinny guy. Eat (even) more nuts ...
 
RoJoHen said:
My workouts would go so much better if I had a normal sleep schedule.
Click to expand...

I used to hate getting very little sleep when I was building. Though I felt better when a guy I know - who was going for, and won best newcomer in Mr Scotland a few years back - was a bus driver working 12 hour shifts, working out in the morning and evening staying awake only with a combination of bizarre pills.

Made me feel a little better for getting four-six hours when he was getting one or two.

On me - I've been doing light workouts since dropping to under 180. By months end I intend to go back to my old schedule (or maybe find a new one) to get myself back up to a reasonable weight before a gig in January.

I'll feel a hell of a lot better on some heavier weights.
 
This is my first time in the fitness check-in, but today's a good day for it: today I biked 61.7 miles in 4 hours! I'm very pleased, and a bit sore. I'm training for a round of bike tours coming up in spring, including the 5 Borough Bike Tour, about which I am very excited. I'm thinking of buying a trainer to use during the winter months, but they're awfully pricey so I'll have to see if I can get one second-hand.
 
I have recently learned that drinking green tea about 30 minutes before a workout gives me a ridiculous amount of energy. My workouts have been awesome ever since I started doing that.
 
I'm trying to get back into racquetball. My new partner isn't as casual as the partner i had last year, so we move at a much more break-neck pace. While not as much fun, it will definately help get me back into shape.
 
Lately my workouts have been taking a really long time. I'm at the gym at least 1.5-2 hours, which I've always believed was way too long. However, I've been resting a lot more between sets, and I've been pushing much heavier weights in an attempt to shock my muscles into new growth. And ya know what? It's working! :D
 
Two hours? That's a long time. No wonder I haven't developed any visible musculature. When I had a gym membership, my workout time was about an hour at the most. Well, you're getting to your goals.
 
Drone36929 said:
Two hours? That's a long time. No wonder I haven't developed any visible musculature. When I had a gym membership, my workout time was about an hour at the most. Well, you're getting to your goals.
Click to expand...

Well, a typical weight training workout should really only last about 45 minutes.

The majority of my 2 hours has been resting in between sets.
 
RoJoHen said:
Drone36929 said:
Two hours? That's a long time. No wonder I haven't developed any visible musculature. When I had a gym membership, my workout time was about an hour at the most. Well, you're getting to your goals.
Click to expand...

Well, a typical weight training workout should really only last about 45 minutes.

The majority of my 2 hours has been resting in between sets.
Click to expand...


I'm doing cardio twice a day now on my new elliptical. My workouts tend to go 2 hrs because of it.

RAMA
 
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