New Years' Resolution physical fitness thread

[Big Texan]

Actually that's a very good idea. I do have a set of wrap around ankle weights as well a s aset of wrap around wrist weights. I'll have to dig them out. Thanks.

You're Welcome! Should do the trick! If you're walking 2.5 -3 hours a day, you might want to cut back on the time at first when you're using the weights. It will take the starch out of you quicker then you think. After a couple of weeks with the weights, you'll be able to extend your time more to what you're used to.

Edited January 8, 2010 by Big Texan

[phantom]

I hit the gym everyday at work on my supper/lunch break. Only new years thing for me is all the non officer types in the gym until they day they all give up come Feburary.

Right now its bloody busy in there. Lucky for me I am still in resonable shape but I kind of have to be with my job discription.

[LVZ2881]

From a technique point of view, you should take the longest stride comfortable for you and land your stride around the front half of your foot, letting the ball and arch do the work. If you're the sort who lets their heel take the impact, you won't be jogging for long.

Also, a lot of joggers I've met really overdo it. Like other things, it should be moderated and balanced with other activities. I jog once or twice a week and then balance it out by working on my stepper machine on other days.

It's shocking how many people are out there doing excercise in totally ignorant ways. Jogging is a very good way to stay in shape but it's also a very good way to give yourself chronic leg injuries if you underestimate the complexity of the activity.

That sounds like exactly my problem right now!!

I decided late in Dec, that at age 32, I was going to join the Army, and improve a number of my life's issues all at the same time.

I started running and biking dailyon Jan 4th, and I'm over 23 miles at this point on Jan. 10th.

The Army requires me to be fatser than 8:30 running a mile in order to enlist, and I cant do that right now due to lack of endurance, both muscular and lung's.

my only issue is that I think I overdid it, and now my left knee hurts to put any weight on it.

I even went to about.com to try and make sure I was running right, but I guess im not..

I ride 3-4 miles daily on the exercise bike at a heart rate between 140 and 150, and try to run atleast another mile on top of that, to help improve my endurance.

I'm a smoker (atleast for another week, until the Chantix I started taking says to stop a week after starting it), and I obvious need to improve my lung function and cardio, which is my reasoning for running and biking so much.

I am also lifting weights, as I am a fairly scrawny guy, 6'1", and 190#'s (except for stomach, where I need some extra work thanks to too many regular, leaded, ice cold, nectar of the god's Coca-Cola's)

The weird part is my knee is fine when biking and doing leg extension weight lifts, so I think I just overdid it and aggravated the knee joint by running wrong and landing on my heel...

Any advice on both the knee and running, conditioning issues??

Edited January 11, 2010 by LVZ2881

[Kevan Vogler]

Any advice on both the knee and running, conditioning issues??

Always do warm up excercises first. If you do lunge type excercises to stretch the tendons in your legs, avoid bending your forward knee much beyond 90 degrees.

You should find excercises that will actually build up the muscle structures around the knee joint. I had problems with my knees when I was a teenager due to having flat feet. The physiotherapist gave me a couple of sheets of excercises specifically aimed at strengthening the muscles around the knees and those excercises worked wonders for me.

I highly recommend getting stabilty ball and buying a book of excercises to do with it. Just make sure you get a ball that is the right size in relation to your hight (it should have a chart somewhere on the box). There are excercises for just about every part of the body that you can do with the ball, sitting on the ball is an excercise in itself.

[LVZ2881]

Always do warm up excercises first. If you do lunge type excercises to stretch the tendons in your legs, avoid bending your forward knee much beyond 90 degrees.

You should find excercises that will actually build up the muscle structures around the knee joint. I had problems with my knees when I was a teenager due to having flat feet. The physiotherapist gave me a couple of sheets of excercises specifically aimed at strengthening the muscles around the knees and those excercises worked wonders for me.

I highly recommend getting stabilty ball and buying a book of excercises to do with it. Just make sure you get a ball that is the right size in relation to your hight (it should have a chart somewhere on the box). There are excercises for just about every part of the body that you can do with the ball, sitting on the ball is an excercise in itself.

thanks for the advice Kevin....

I'm thining of hiring a personal trainer thru my club for a couple sessions to help with my gait and form to make sure I dont hurt anything else..

and I went to the ER tonight, I sprained my Knee, so no more running for a few weeks atleast

the sad part is i did lunges before I sprained my knee

[TomcatFanatic123]

Wow! All this reading about knee problems makes me cringe. Whatever you guys do...for the love of God, TAKE CARE OF YOUR KNEES! I learned that the hard way from 4-6 days a week playing basketball when I was in high school, and I'm still paying for it today (haven't touched a basketball in a good 5 years, and at 29 years old, and there's times that I feel like I have the knees of a 60-year old ). I had an underlying knee issue that I didn't know about which didn't help matters, but still...every time I hear of people with knee issues I can't help but feel for them.

Edited January 12, 2010 by TomcatFanatic123

[Fishwelding]

The complaint is often heard that eating a more healthy diet is more expensive. Undoubtedly under many circumstances this is true, it is an important (though not exclusive) argument that links poverty and obesity, and I once believed it was an absolute in all circumstances. But what I'm finding now is that, if one is practicing "calorie restriction" and coming down off a much heavier diet, it is true only to a limited extent. Because once I dropped the overall quantity of food I ate, cut out superfluous junk food, and especially cut out prepared foods such as restaurant meals and supermarket sandwiches, I find that it balances out even if I spend more money on fruits, vegetables, and leaner meat, dairy and grain products.

And an interesting exception to the general rule of staying away from restaurants is that the local Chinese food outlet offers a "lighter fare" option which is essentially baked chicken and steamed vegetables with sauce on the side. For some reason, they deem this worthy of being a buck or two cheaper than the same thing with the contents bathing in the sauce. Less sauce? I have no idea, but it makes a cheap and mighty healthy dinner. So if you're looking for a quick takeout meal that fits your new resolutions, ask around at the local take-out places and see if they do something similar.

Edited January 19, 2010 by Fishwelding

[Fishwelding]

So has anyone else stuck with resolutions? Or do I stand alone? ;)

Now 45 pounds down from this time last year.

Edited February 6, 2010 by Fishwelding

[RockyController]

Way to go Fish, I have to admit I haven't stuck to my plans like I wanted to. I was able to pass my military PT test at the end of last month but stardards are changing and I need to do a lot better before I test again in July.

[Fishwelding]

Way to go Fish, I have to admit I haven't stuck to my plans like I wanted to. I was able to pass my military PT test at the end of last month but stardards are changing and I need to do a lot better before I test again in July.

Thanks, Rocky. It seems like the services are having a hard time deciding what standards they want to hold their people to.

Today I didn't make it to the gym, but the snow-shoveling more than made up for it. Indeed, I burned enough calories such that I may permit myself a Newcastle ale tonight.

[LVZ2881]

Nice job Fishwelding!!! I've been sticking with mine...its been 3 weeks today since my last cigarette, and my knees have recovered to where I started working out again this week. I go to Military MEPS in 2 weeks, which means I have to stick with it because I'm only a few months away from Army Basic (provided I pass the MEPS physical, which shouldnt be a problem).

[Fishwelding]

Nice job Fishwelding!!! I've been sticking with mine...its been 3 weeks today since my last cigarette, and my knees have recovered to where I started working out again this week. I go to Military MEPS in 2 weeks, which means I have to stick with it because I'm only a few months away from Army Basic (provided I pass the MEPS physical, which shouldnt be a problem).

Quitting smoking is very impressive. I've seen friends go through that and know it requires extraordinary willpower and character. Stick with it; if you can ditch cigarettes, you can do anything.

Edited February 7, 2010 by Fishwelding

[Fishwelding]

Exercise regime this week: Shoveling snow.

[Fishwelding]

Anyone else still on their plan? Anyone? :)

[phantom]

Yep, :) , same plan for the last 6 years. And best of all the gym at work is not crowded anymore!!!!!!

[Fishwelding]

Yep, :) , same plan for the last 6 years. And best of all the gym at work is not crowded anymore!!!!!!

That's a real plus. The gym I work out at is a "community rec center." It's starting to get really, really crowded, especially as it is become the town day-care center for kids ages 5-18. For that reason and for the general gym burn-out I'm hoping with the warm weather to go entirely with non-machine cardio, weight, and calesthenics. I need some other cardio options than running, though, because I don't want to cultivate long-term injuries. What are some machineless options? Lunges? Slow stair climbing?

Ironically, I've got some back/shoulder issues, probably from the machines. I use an elliptical cross-trainer, but it seems to cause me mid-back stress. Running feels better! My doctor got on my case about weight-lifting, and really wants me to do cardio. But I can't argue with the results on the scale. That elliptical is magical for weight loss.

Edited March 27, 2010 by Fishwelding

[Fishwelding]

So yesterday I tried a variety of push-up techniques: Arms in, arms out, arms normal. Holy schnikies. Was not prepared to discover, via subsequent fatigue and a little aching, how much the weight machines were not doing for me.

[phantom]

Oh I agree about those things. I want a old school chin up bar, but the "kids" in charge of the gym just keep putting in new radios to play the damn disco crap rap music.

[Sig Saur & Son]

How'd I miss this thread. My 2010 Resolution is to cover 2010 miles using only foot power. After yesterdays thirty-five mile bike ride, I've cover 544 miles via Snowshoeing, Hiking, Walking, Jogging, Stair Master and Biking. I'm down 140 pounds since Oct 9th 2008. My waist size is down from 55+ inches (relaxed fit Dockers for when your *** is as big as a boat), to size 32. BTW gents, it's true what Dr Oz reports about male organ size and weight loss. Sorry, don't want to veer into the too much information lane so you'll have to Google that. Well, I'm off now for a ten mile hike on the AT.

Cheers,

Dave

This was taken almost a year ago. I'll try to update with a current shot soon.

Edited April 1, 2010 by Sig Saur & Son

[Fishwelding]

Oh I agree about those things. I want a old school chin up bar, but the "kids" in charge of the gym just keep putting in new radios to play the damn disco crap rap music.

I have my headphones in the whole time. If I'm not listening to metal, I'm trying to learn Spanish! The Spanish lessons are too formulaic to be much help, though. Just after I posted the last, the gym staff instituted new, NKVD-style policies about younger children and parental supervision. And they're enforcing them, too.

The local government built this community "recreation center," and while I use it, I think it was a problematic investment, because there's lots of private gyms in the area. Now, the private contractors running the center have to placate the whole community, which includes a lot of parents with young children, but also cater to the hard-core work-out types who otherwise will drift to the other gyms, who might not allow children altogether.

How'd I miss this thread.

Yea, I'm somewhat surprised at how doable the whole thing is. It takes time and effort, but if money is carefully invested in the project, it isn't even too shockingly expensive to lose weight or get in shape. I'm now down sixty pounds from this time last year, and the biggest bill I face in the immediate is buying new clothing!

[Sig Saur & Son]

I have my headphones in the whole time. If I'm not listening to metal, I'm trying to learn Spanish! The Spanish lessons are too formulaic to be much help, though. Just after I posted the last, the gym staff instituted new, NKVD-style policies about younger children and parental supervision. And they're enforcing them, too.

The local government built this community "recreation center," and while I use it, I think it was a problematic investment, because there's lots of private gyms in the area. Now, the private contractors running the center have to placate the whole community, which includes a lot of parents with young children, but also cater to the hard-core work-out types who otherwise will drift to the other gyms, who might not allow children altogether.

Yea, I'm somewhat surprised at how doable the whole thing is. It takes time and effort, but if money is carefully invested in the project, it isn't even too shockingly expensive to lose weight or get in shape. I'm now down sixty pounds from this time last year, and the biggest bill I face in the immediate is buying new clothing!

I was spending close to $100.00 a month on meds. Now that the weight is gone, my long list of medical issues is gone too.

[mhoupt]

How'd I miss this thread. My 2010 Resolution is to cover 2010 miles using only foot power. After yesterdays thirty-five mile bike ride, I've cover 544 miles via Snowshoeing, Hiking, Walking, Jogging, Stair Master and Biking. I'm down 140 pounds since Oct 9th 2008. My waist size is down from 55+ inches (relaxed fit Dockers for when your *** is as big as a boat), to size 32. BTW gents, it's true what Dr Oz reports about male organ size and weight loss. Sorry, don't want to veer into the too much information lane so you'll have to Google that. Well, I'm off now for a ten mile hike on the AT.

Cheers,

Dave

This was taken almost a year ago. I'll try to update with a current shot soon.

Dave,

This is a great testimonial. I think I might get my back end in gear and see what I can do.

BTW, does your lens shrink when your waste size does - it seems that way from the pics :-)

Mark

[twobobs]

Not that I was ever really that heavy (most was 195) but I felt the most comfortable at 170-175 back when I was playing a ton of basketball from my mid-twenties to my mid thirties.

Over a year ago I was at 192; went to a dietician after working out and running like a demon without much weight loss. She gave me some basic rules to follow:

- don't eat fruit in the AM, eat it at night. It drives your appetite due to the sugars

- don't eat bananas ever, I don't know why but she said they're bad bad bad...

- limit your carb intake to 50grams a day (not hard actually, lots of good food out there that fit the bill)

- drink lots of water

- eat anything else you want; just follow those basic rules

After a month, I lost 22lbs; after another mont I lost another 10. I've kept it off for over a year and have gotten as light as 156 and as heavy as 165. Now if I can only get to the point where I can dunk with one hand and grab the rim with two, I'd be golden!

[Fishwelding]

I think I've hit my first of the fabled 'plateaus' in weight loss, just north of 200 lbs. Motivation remains high, however, because exercise performance increases. Push-up count has more than doubled since this thread was started. Am able to run further than ever before in my life. I figure with resistance training, increased lean muscle-mass will result in more calorie deficit, and continuing, at least a little further, the weight loss drive. I realize what the BMI chart says for a guy 6' even, but frankly, given my build, I doubt getting too far below 200 lbs without loss of muscle.

[Steve Filak]

I think I've hit my first of the fabled 'plateaus' in weight loss, just north of 200 lbs. Motivation remains high, however, because exercise performance increases. Push-up count has more than doubled since this thread was started. Am able to run further than ever before in my life. I figure with resistance training, increased lean muscle-mass will result in more calorie deficit, and continuing, at least a little further, the weight loss drive. I realize what the BMI chart says for a guy 6' even, but frankly, given my build, I doubt getting too far below 200 lbs without loss of muscle.

Fish,

Personally, I don't put a lot of stock in BMI charts. Weight has less to do with BMI when you're packing on muscle since, as you know, muscle weighs more than fat. When I was 20, I weighed in at an even 200 pounds (I'm also 6'), yet I was wearing size 30 jeans, and in probably the best shape of my life. In fact, just out of curiosity, I just went to one of those BMI calculator websites and found this nugget:

What Is Adult BMI?

Body Mass Index or BMI is based on your height and weight. Doctors often use BMI to determine if a person is underweight, at a healthy weight or is overweight. While BMI is accurate for most people, it doesn’t work for everyone. It’s important to remember that:

*

You could have a high BMI but be at a weight that is considered healthy if you’re muscular or athletic.

* You could have a normal BMI and have poor nutrition.

* It’s important to talk to your doctor about weight-related health risks.

Best advice I can give you? Just keep on keeping on. Don't focus on the actual weight or BMI. Focus on how you feel, how your clothes fit, and your energy level. Also focus on whatever might be your personal Achilles' heel. For me, working at night, it's eating after 3AM. When I'm at work, I try to limit my meals to an apple and a cup of soup before 3:00, and then I don't eat again until I get out of bed in the early afternoon. Also, as Bob said, I drink a lot of water; I usually try to drink a gallon a day. Seems like a lot, but it's not that hard if you keep a 32 oz water bottle with you. I generally go through a quart at the gym alone.