Do You Take Time To Exercise Daily?

[KeithAM]

Congrats on the progress Phil. Keep up the good work! :thumbup:

I feel I'm getting in better shape, but I haven't started losing weight yet. I think it may be the old saw that muscle weighs more than fat. Anyway, this week I rode my bicycle 140 miles by commuting to work on it. My ride times have steadily decreased so I'm riding faster as time goes by. But I guess some diet changes are in order.

 

[Cougar Allen]

That’s 15 pounds in 25 days.

 

[PhilL]

I feel I'm getting in better shape, but I haven't started losing weight yet. I think it may be the old saw that muscle weighs more than fat. Anyway, this week I rode my bicycle 140 miles by commuting to work on it. My ride times have steadily decreased so I'm riding faster as time goes by. But I guess some diet changes are in order.

Keith get yourself a measuring tape, you know the soft fabric ones. Measure your chest, waist and hips, even if there's no weight loss on the scale, you could be losing inches. A small change in your diet could have huge results. Keep track of everything you put in your mouth for a couple of days, and see if there are any empty calories you can eliminate without too much trouble. But, it sounds like if you keep up with the 140 miles a week on the bike, you're going to get pretty good results anyway. What you may want to consider is one day a week, try some sprints, short sections where you go all out for 30 seconds and then slow down again. Sprints like that will help build more muscle. More muscle burns more calories even while at rest.

Good work!

 

[KeithAM]

Phil -- thanks for the good advice and the encouragement! :thumbup:

 

[bulgron]

How are the rest of you doing?

I've been doing a huge amount of cross training since March. Started at ~215lbs. Been walking, biking, hitting the stairmaster and elliptical machine at the gym, lifting weights to burn calories (light weights, high reps), and I just started running.

At the moment I'm averaging around a 600 calorie deficit per day by limiting my food intake to less than 2500 cals/day (usually more like 2000 cals) and then pushing my calories burned up over 3000 calories per day. I lose it some days and then pig out and don't exercise, but 11 days out of 12 I do all right.

They've been taking measurements on me at the gym. On May 8 I was 206.5 and had 29.8% bodyfat. On May 29, I was 201 and 27.7% bodyfat. Lean body mass went from 144.9 to 145.3, which is definitely a step in the right direction.

Mind you, I was sick there for a while, so the slimming down was hampered a bit. Still, I'm delighted by the progress.

My goal is to get under 185. The guys at the gym say I should shoot for 17% bodyfat, which will put me at about 180. Sounds good to me. I haven't seen 180 since I was 32 years old, so if I get there it will be a real achievement.

But man is it a pain trying to lose weight. I'm hungry all the time these days....

Anyone else going through this right now? It's cool to see how other people are doing.

 

[PhilL]

But man is it a pain trying to lose weight. I'm hungry all the time these days....

Anyone else going through this right now? It's cool to see how other people are doing.

It's no good being hungry. First of all you can't stay hungry for long, you're body will go into starvation mode and you'll stop losing fat, no matter what you do. There's a good chance you're over-training and not giving your body enough fuel to run on, let alone build muscle on. Take a look at the ABS Diet by David Zinczenko. Six small meals a day makes sure you'll never be hungry. Eating plenty of good protein and fibre, will keep you full and growing muscle. It also allows you one Cheat Meal a week, so if there's anything you're craving you can have it. When you're eating enough so you're not hungry there's a good chance you'll take a pass on those Cheat Meals.

 

[rifon2]

I used to exercise reguarly - for years - then stopped for a while.

But now I've just started again with walking a mile every other day plus lifting weights,
and I immediately feel about a million times better than when I'd stopped!

I've got to give some credit to this thread; seeing the thread title almost every day was a consistent reminder.

So, many thanks to the OP and all who've kept it in view.

 

[rifon2]

It's no good being hungry. First of all you can't stay hungry for long, you're body will go into starvation mode and you'll stop losing fat, no matter what you do.

So true!

And also, if you don't eat you're mood can go down which makes it harder to get motivated to exercise regularly.
(Or to do anything as well as when you're properly nourished.)

 

[PhilL]

But now I've just started again with walking a mile every other day plus lifting weights,
and I immediately feel about a million times better than when I'd stopped!

Isn't it funny, we put off starting an exercise program and watching what we eat, because we think it's going to be hard and that we might be giving up something. Fact of the matter is, it feels great almost immediately, and the stuff we're giving up made us feel like crap. People are funny.

Keep up the good work.

 

[Trout Tamer]

Great thread, PhilL. I remember replying to your fitness thread one year ago, as well.

One year ago, I'd recently had a complete reconstruction to one of my lower legs, as it had been crushed by a boulder 5 years hence and had serious difficulty recovering. After about 2 months, I was out of the cast and back on my legs. My doctor's advice was to walk, walk, walk and bike, bike, bike. In addition, I lifted weights with my upper body. Along the way, I found some great techniques for building muscle and burning fat simultaneously (getting an aerobic and anaerobic effect) using weight lifting.

These days, I'm back in school and close to finishing my bachelor's. WIth the spring term over, I can spend more time exercising; I've only got one class during the summer session, a basic physics course to finish my general eds. I'm 30 years old, 5'11" tall (although I lost 1/2" from the crushed leg) and weigh 194 pounds. My summertime goal is to hit a consistent 190 lbs. I've also got some strength and endurance goals, as well.I lift weights 3-4 times/week, walk my dog 3 times/week, and do a cardio-specific workout 2 times/week.

In May 2002, when my leg was crushed, I weighed 185 pounds. I dropped 20 pound over the next month. 6 months afterwards, though, I was eating like a horse (which the doctor advised ) and, due to increased intake and physical inability, I'd gained 60 pounds, weighing in at 225. As my leg healed, I was slowly able to be more active and dropped down to about 210 pounds. By last March, when I had the complete reconstruction, I was weighing 195 pounds, but was incapable of walking more than a mile, due to extreme pain.

Nowadays, as my leg continues to improve, I'm feeling better and better. In order to regain my walking ability last summer, I did just what PhilL said he does - I started walking a little bit and added a slightly larger distance each day. One year ago, I couldn't walk to the end of my street and back without extreme pain and multiple rest stops. Nowadays, I can do at least 4 miles and am pushing for more. The take-home lesson? Start moving your body, or weighted objects, through space each day, a little at a time. As time goes, with commitment, health, strength, endurance, and well-being will significantly improve!

Oh yeah, don't ever think that it's not possible to get a good cardio workout from lifting weights. A great technique is Charles Staley's "Escalating Density Training". If you're pressed for time and need a one-stop exercise method, this one works very well.

 

[PhilL]

Trout Tamer, thank you for your inspiriting post. I think it would be hard for anyone to complain about the initial aches and pains a body could feel when the first start exercising, compared to the life changing pains you've had to endure.

Congratz to you on how far you've come, may your healing be complete and your pains a distant memory.

Thanks again.

 

[m1marty]

MMA training 2-3 times a week. Weights all day evey day (my job) and staying generaly active keeps my weight at a steady 240 (I'm 6'4") w/ 19% body fat. I could stand to lose 10-15lbs and I need to kick the cardio up as I stopped running quite some time ago due to knee injuries making it painful. I can still bang out a 2 miler in under 16:30 but I can't walk worth beans for a few days after that.

 

[flipe8]

I train regularly, using www.crossfit.com as my foundation(3 days on/1 off). I'm also a pretty serious paddler, logging 100+days/year on the water. During the winter months, I add a bit more cardio for some winter climbing. Cardio for me usually consists of either spinning on my bike trainer with some Spinnerval videos or some easy runs. I had back surgery two years ago, so the runs aren't as frequents as pre-surgery, but I still like to throw them in. I was also quite into karate at one time, but it's still pretty hard on my back, so it's pretty much something I "used to do" now.
I think the key to fitness is finding something that really interests you and challenging yourself with it. Between crossfit and kayaking, I don't think I'd need anything else. For me, every day starts checking the local tides and marine forecast to see what the Bay is doing and where the winds are coming from. Getting out for an hour or so is quite the rush, depending on the conditions and this "workout" is disguised as "play".
Keep up the good work:thumbup:

 

[PhilL]

I can still bang out a 2 miler in under 16:30 but I can't walk worth beans for a few days after that.

Two miles in 16 1/2 minutes, for me right now I would consider that to be a blur. My best time right now for 2 1/2 miles is 35 minutes. Like I've said I'm taking it real slow. My best time ever for 3 1/2 miles was 28 minutes, and that was running in a race, in my 30's.

My plan is when I can do the 2.5 miles in under 30 mins. to increase the distance to 3 miles. When I can do that distance in under 30 to move up to 3.5 miles. I have no desire to do more than 3.5 miles.

 

[Bumppo]

I am back from China. No more gym, I have to think of staying with it now, but this thread is a good inspiration. I am in Florida today, tomorrow I get my official assignment on where I will be in the near future. I do not have a scale, I was thinking of picking one up for a daily remainder of consistant training. I have my jump rope, and this hotel has a cardio room, but who knows where I will be next? If nothing else, i will have a variety of scenery to get healthier in. Time to get serious. The Gym crutch is gone.

 

[PhilL]

Bumppo, I think the thing I miss most about working in Houston was the free gym where I worked, and my boss who was my workout partner.

I just got back from my 2 1/2 mile route in Prospect Park. My goal today was to jog 1/2 mile. My goal was not to see how fast I could do it, just to do it. In fact I kept telling myself, "Slow down, let's just finish". I was huffing and puffing pretty good, but I was okay. Now, just to put it in perspective, it took me 6 mins to jog 1/2 mile, that would be a 12 min mile, and 24 minutes to cover 2 miles. That means that M1 walks faster than I can jog. In fact he'd finish a 2 mile race 8 mins before I could, (if I could jog 2 miles). But, I'm not in a race with M1, I'm just trying to do the best I can. That's all any of us can do. Do the best you can, from where you are, right now. On the positive side, 6 minutes is the most I've been able to jog this year. And I finished the 2 1/2 miles in 32 mins. my best time for this year.

So, am I pleased? You bet your ash I am.
Am I looking forward to my next time through the park? Yes!
Remember getting started is the hard part, after that it just gets better and better.

 

[Quiet Storm]

Congrats, Phil!

When I tried to walk 2 miles I had to sit twice because of pains in my shins, muscle cramps.

What you experienced is called shin splints. They occur when someone who is new to running overdoes it. Make sure you get enough rest after you get shin splints, they may become chronic if you train through them.

My plan is when I can do the 2.5 miles in under 30 mins. to increase the distance to 3 miles. When I can do that distance in under 30 to move up to 3.5 miles. I have no desire to do more than 3.5 miles.

While setting specific training goals is very important, I think you're going at it the wrong way. In order to make good progress, you need to mix things up a bit. Since 35 minutes for 2.5 miles is where you currently stand, try something like this:

Day 1 - 5 miles (no time limit)
Day 2 - rest
Day 3 - 1 mile in 11:30 mins
Day 4 - rest
Day 5 - 2.5 miles in 34:30 mins
Day 6 - rest
Day 7 - 5 miles (no time limit)
Day 8 - rest
Day 9 - 1 mile in 11:15 mins
Day 10 - rest
Day 11 - 2.5 miles in 34 mins
Day 12 - rest
etc.

In essence, I recommend mixing long slow distance running and shorter distances at higher speeds. That way you increase your base endurance (very important for beginners) on one day and work at improving your speed with the short run on another. If you run the same distance over and over again, your body will be slow to adapt to higher speeds.

Something else to consider is splitting up the distance you wish to run in a given time (2.5 miles in under 30 mins in your case). Try running 5 x .5 miles in 6 minutes each half-mile, 6 mins of rest in between the intervals. Once you can do that, run 2 x 1.25 miles in 15 minutes each with a 10-minute rest.
If you can't handle the 5 x .5 miles/6 min at first, do not give yourself more time, but reduce the number of intervals instead. Try three or four intervals first and work your way up from there.

MMA training 2-3 times a week.

Cool, we need to roll someday.

 

[SteelGhost]

My waight is probably going to be the death of me. I used to be very fit and athletic MMA instructor 6'2 245 lbs mostly solid muscle. Back then I was training 8 hours a day 7 days a week, dropped out of highschool just to amp up my training. One day I had to go in for surgery and after that things seemed to go down hill, a rough year or so and I never got back to the point I was at. Now I work a job that involves sitting for 12 hours a day 7 days a week making big bucks and getting in worse shape than ever. 300 pounds now give or take. Just reached the point that im considered diabetic. Pain all over my body constantly acheing, sleep apnea I have a machine to keep me breathing at night, I walk to the end of the block or climb the stairs and im out of breath, hearts going a mile a minut.
I have tried calorie counting diets, I try to stay active, swimming, walking here and there. It always feels like im either starving, or have too little energy to get up and go.
I dont really look overwaight for my size, im just really out of shape. I have a gym membership that I use perhaps once a year. The funny thing is im actually not that comfortable around other people, ive been that way most of my life. If there is even one other person at the gym when I get there I will turn around and go home. It just overwhelms me. The doctor says that at the rate im going my health is probably going to kill me. I figure hes right, but ive run out of ideas and pretty much accepted my fate.
Who knows, I keep on trying im not really one to give up, but it seems like im just going in circles. If I make any major breakthroughs it will be a miracle lol ill be sure to let you know.

 

[Quiet Storm]

SteelGhost,
Have you considered working out at home? Just doing bodyweight exercises at first would be a very good (and inexpensive) start.

 

[SteelGhost]

Quiet storm,
I have considered this and I do some exercises at home, but I find it all seems to come back to pain and lack of motivation. It hurts to do nothing, but it hurts to get back in shape. I work out then I ache more for several days then I did before. Then the motivation... The way it seems to me is unless I work out 8 hours a day 7 days a week like I did in my prime ill never be satisfied with my condition so...

I am slowly trying to amp up my home routine, mostly staying active.
I am making gains slowly. I think its mostly a matter of motivation. I find im content to just sit around and do little more than exist, anything else seems like such a hassel.

I need a bootcamp lol seriously though I find structured workouts with some mean sob rideing your case have been the best way to get motivated in the past. Now I live in the middle of nowhere so there isnt really anything like that here.