Exercise

[Homercidal]

Blah. I had a reasonably steady exercise program last year. Most days I'd use some handy freeweights or eliptical machine at the gym and also bike/powerwalk (I hate running on a machine.) for 30-45 minutes.

I wasn't a big fan of it. I don't like exercising for the sake of exercising, but it did help me lose a few pounds and lower my cholesterol.

I basically quit after last year's holiday season due to stress and laziness. I have been pretty busy this summer and I just couldn't seem to fit it in, but I was somewhat active anyway.

Lately I decided I needed to get back on track. I liked what I was doing before and so last night I hit the stationary bike.

It wasn't too bad! I wasn't nearly as winded/tired as I expected, and though I broke a good sweat, it didn't seem that difficult. Only did 30 minutes, due to it being so late, but I could have easily done 45-60.

Nice thing is I can justify eating and drinking a bit more again!

I just wish I liked the process more. I'm ok at home watching TV listening to music, but I wish I liked jogging at all. Winters make it hard to do in Michigan too. I wish I had friends nearby who liked doing stuff like tennis, badmiton, pin pong, basketball, etc. I really like exercising if there is sport involved.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I loathe the gym. Don't mind exercise behind the shroud of another activity (trail riding, yard work, swimming, etc...) but loathe exercise just for the sake of exercise. Have never gotten the exhilaration from it that many claim to get.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I'm pretty anal about getting my exercise session in every day. Funny thing is, I don't really like it either. At this point it's something I do because I just don't feel right skipping it. I suppose that's the mindset you have to have though. If you think about it, you probably do a lot of things every day that you'd rather just skip for the simple reason that you wouldn't feel right leaving them out. Brushing my teeth isn't exciting and rewarding, but I never skip it. Showering usually just feels like time I could spend doing something else, but I never skip it. I've just added exercise to that list of things that I don't really look forward to, yet can't really bear to skip.

Every exercise session isn't going to be an incredible experience, and if you only do it to get that kind of "high" out of it, you'll probably burn out and quit the minute the high stops. Now I just do it for the satisfaction I feel when I'm finished for the day. I didn't want to do it, but I did it anyway, and now I'm done, thank god. In fact, when people ask me if I like exercising what I'll tell them is "I like being done exercising".

 

[Sailingeric]

I was walking about 3 miles every other day around my neighborhood, which has a lot of hills. I have been bad the last couple of months between travel and it being hot here.

It looks like you live near the Lake. If you like boating, try sailing, that is a good workout!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Showering usually just feels like time I could spend doing something else, but I never skip it.

I love taking a shower. Best part of the day!

Doesn't hurt that 9 times out of 10 my wife is in there too and I get to help clean her wiggly bits.

I brush my teeth in the shower. Just how I do.

 

[Die_Beerery]

I try and get up every hour from my desk, and do something that gets the heart rate up, walking, running in place, jumping jacks. I do this for 5-10 minutes. Its quick and pretty painless and refreshes you. After an 8 hour day you have a full cardio in, and can have a beer to celebrate.

 

[Owly055]

Brew Lifts are not sufficient to keep one in shape..........

The idea of exercise for it's own sake is repellent to me. I don't get nearly enough, though I work in the field. I walk, lift things, etc as part of my work. I also walk two miles each day, through the woods down to the post office and back. I love it. The wildlife, etc. It's a peaceful interlude to my day. I find something wonderful every single day, but I've always loved the woods. Other folks here are afraid........ rattlesnakes, the risk of tripping and falling, the uneven terrain, etc. The uneven terrain is what keeps me flexible. I refuse to walk the road as most of those who "exercise" do. It's boring, it's hard on the feet, it involves walking on one tilt one way and the other the other way. As it is, each foot step is individual. I walk with differing strides depending on the ground, and have to adjust my body for every single step. I have to step over and around things. It involves my whole body and my mind........... I can't imagine doing it any other way.

H.W.

 

[BigJoeBrew]

Great for you! Take it one day at a time getting back into it. The hardest part is the first few weeks to get yourself into the routine again. Make sure that you give yourself variety, weights a couple days a week, cardio 2-3 times a week. Try some interval training with your cardio, all you need is a stop watch. 2 minutes on, 1 minute off.

Blah. I had a reasonably steady exercise program last year. Most days I'd use some handy freeweights or eliptical machine at the gym and also bike/powerwalk (I hate running on a machine.) for 30-45 minutes.

I wasn't a big fan of it. I don't like exercising for the sake of exercising, but it did help me lose a few pounds and lower my cholesterol.

I basically quit after last year's holiday season due to stress and laziness. I have been pretty busy this summer and I just couldn't seem to fit it in, but I was somewhat active anyway.

Lately I decided I needed to get back on track. I liked what I was doing before and so last night I hit the stationary bike.

It wasn't too bad! I wasn't nearly as winded/tired as I expected, and though I broke a good sweat, it didn't seem that difficult. Only did 30 minutes, due to it being so late, but I could have easily done 45-60.

Nice thing is I can justify eating and drinking a bit more again!

I just wish I liked the process more. I'm ok at home watching TV listening to music, but I wish I liked jogging at all. Winters make it hard to do in Michigan too. I wish I had friends nearby who liked doing stuff like tennis, badmiton, pin pong, basketball, etc. I really like exercising if there is sport involved.

 

[MeatyPortion]

Sounds like my situation. I was regularly exercising 4-5 days per week then fatigue, stress, and laziness hit me last summer. I'm slowly getting back into it.

 

[triethylborane]

Every exercise session isn't going to be an incredible experience, and if you only do it to get that kind of "high" out of it, you'll probably burn out and quit the minute the high stops. Now I just do it for the satisfaction I feel when I'm finished for the day. I didn't want to do it, but I did it anyway, and now I'm done, thank god. In fact, when people ask me if I like exercising what I'll tell them is "I like being done exercising".

Those endorphins are amazing though. Arnold wasn't too far off when he talked about the "pump" as it were an orgasm. Im not a bber, but with my constantly changing routine, it feels usually incredible. It absolutely can SUCK when you are doing it, but embrace the suck lol.

 

[bfish]

…. I wish I had friends nearby who liked doing stuff like tennis, badmiton, pin pong, basketball, etc. ....

I've been enjoying pickleball. In open rec. play, games only last a few minutes, then you switch partners. It keeps things moving, and you get a wide variety skill levels and playing styles. I wish my shoulders and one ankle could still handle tennis or basketball.

 

[aces-n-eights]

... I wish I had friends nearby who liked doing stuff like tennis, badmiton, pin pong, basketball, etc. I really like exercising if there is sport involved.

A few years ago my wife and I checked out Pickleball and have really enjoyed it. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the US and is great for all ages and abilities. Like everything else there are thousands of YouTube videos of Pickleball if you want to check it out.

A quick googlization shows there is Pickleball at the "GTN West Gym" in (near?) Reed City on Mondays from 6:30 -9:00 pm.

Cheers!

 

[aces-n-eights]

bfish beat me to the Pickelball recommendation!

 

[arturo7]

My brain works better when I exercise.

 

[McKnuckle]

The key to exercise is discipline, not motivation. Too many people talk about how they are not motivated; they don't like it enough; they are too tired, stressed, busy, etc. etc. Well, sure. Exercise can be painful, especially when you have not been doing it and you are out of shape. And every human on the planet is tired, stressed, or busy at times. So it's an excuse, not a true reason.

Do we impose this kind of mental wrangling on ourselves when we consider whether to brush our teeth? No (hopefully). We just do it as a matter of habit, brought on by an initial discipline learned early on that made the habit stick. Apply this concept to exercise. Get into your workout clothes without thinking about it. Set them out in advance so they are ready for you. Weather sucks? Wear the right clothes and it'll be fine. Nike really has the best, most succinct slogan: Just Do It.

If you want to do it badly enough, you will. Otherwise, not.

"May you have the motivation to begin, and the discipline to persevere."

 

[Homercidal]

Thanks, guys. I really do think the 6 months or so of good, regular exercise was helpful and healthful. I hated that I couldn't get the motivation or energy to get back into it, and worse than that, my eating habits went downhill a bit too. Not like what they were before I changed my diet last year, but I was still eating more than I needed and snacking more junk food. I lost 10-15 lbs over those 6-8 months and only gained a few back. I'm not really heavy and I'm not exercising to lose weight, but I can say my body still felt better with the effort and even losing those few pounds.

Pickleball would be AWESOME! I wish I could get my wife to do that kind of thing with me, but she isn't athletic and doesn't like competitive sports with me because I grew up being active (Although I didn't play any teams sports beyond my first year of Little League growing up), and she, well, didn't. I can see her point as it's no fun to lose all the time, but I wish we could find something active to do together besides the usual once or twice a week pelvic workout. And besides, I'm the only one burning calories with that!

I will look for a pickleball court near me. There isn't one in my town. I know because a girl at work wanted to play tennis and I called the city about out courts and they were in process of taking them out and putting in expanded playground space since nobody was using them. There are courts in Big Rapids, and it's close enough to drive there once or twice a week if we find it fun enough.

Got my daughter's car on the road finally so my basketball court is open again. That's a fair workout if I'm not actually playing basketball. Just shooting around can raise the heartbeat a bit.

Before it got warn, the girl at work and I would walk during lunch and play pokemon. It was a 1/2 hour and we could get 1.35 miles. Nothing strenuous, but I could feel the benefit over time. Now she's pregnant and since the start of summer, it's too hot for it and I miss that. It was something easy to fit into my routine. I find it harder to schedule exercise after work when I have all kinds of chores and hobby projects going on. I have to force myself to find that 1/2 to 1 hour most days and get a good heart rate going.

It's all about discipline I suppose. Many nights I'd go to bed feeling bad about myself for not finding that 1/2 hour of SOME kind of exercise. Tension tubes, free weights, whatever. Most days I could afford that much time if I stopped feeling lazy and just started doing it! Just about every time I do exercise I hate the first 5 minutes or so and then it's fine. (Physically). And I feel better after getting workouts in for a week or two.

What other kinds of exercise is there that's not super boring? I'm planning on rejoining the gym downtown in October when my outside hobby and to-do list will hopefully get shorter. With a $40/month plan I feel obligated to get down there a few times a week. I'm actually thinking about talking to an expert about exercises that are good for neck and shoulder.

 

[rmhays25]

My latest strategy was to buy an HBO subscription. When I start my binge watching, I hop on the stationary bike. An hour goes by pretty fast while paying attention to a Westworld episode. Plus, I won't have to get bundled up, scrape the snow off my car, and drive to a gym during the Michigan winter.

 

[triethylborane]

What other kinds of exercise is there that's not super boring? I'm planning on rejoining the gym downtown in October when my outside hobby and to-do list will hopefully get shorter. With a $40/month plan I feel obligated to get down there a few times a week. I'm actually thinking about talking to an expert about exercises that are good for neck and shoulder.

For me, I love the stair master. It is the best bang for your time cardio machine and when I hit intervals on it, I can drop some serious body fat. But, its probably boring as hell for most people. It can also be difficult for people with knee, hip, back, feet and weigh issues. I also love burpee marathons, the sort where you puke.

This probably doesn't sound all that good. Point? Since you sound serious, I'd talk to a personal trainer that has a good rep and feel out if this is someone you want to work with. They will have you define an objective that you are reaching for and if you can only come up with "general fitness," they should be able to further nail that down into concrete goals (drop body fat, gain muscle mass, improve 1 mile time, strengthen neck/shoulders). They can develop routines (yes, you will need to change it up) that can help you accomplish the goals, rather than just looking for non-boring workouts.

And the second part of this is the battle of the fork and knife. There is so much information out there on diets and food, its all information overload. Most of the time when someone says this is it, this is the diet that will transform you into Frank Zane, thats a sales pitch. They usually have a supplement to go along with it. Beware of those traps, and a good PT can guide you on a general meal plan that meets your goals.

It's all about discipline I suppose. Many nights I'd go to bed feeling bad about myself for not finding that 1/2 hour of SOME kind of exercise. Tension tubes, free weights, whatever. Most days I could afford that much time if I stopped feeling lazy and just started doing it! Just about every time I do exercise I hate the first 5 minutes or so and then it's fine. (Physically). And I feel better after getting workouts in for a week or two.

Discipline, motivation, guilt, whatever gets you working out. For some people I know, they work out so they can eat and drink like they are still a freshman in college and still maintain a good physique and health.

 

[Homercidal]

I'm going to be honest. I don't believe that I'm going to work out, get to 0% body fat, and look like a 20 yo. (That's why God gave us imaginations...)

But I do want to lose some fat, gain some muscle, and generally feel healthier and more able.

During my 6-8 diet and exercise plan I basically cut out all Red Meat. I ate smaller amounts of pork and I ate mostly chicken and fish for meats. I ate more veggies and about the same amount of grains. And I ate less of everything in total. I would like to cut out most all processed sugars, but I would keep that as a "treat" for when the right one comes along and I feel good about how I've been doing lately. It's easy to fall into the trap where you get a little here and a little there and before you know it you're back to impulse snacking.

Well, gotta go. Charter just cold called and I didn't leave work early enough to avoid it. Gotta go brush her off so I can get out of here.

 

[SlitheryDee]

My latest strategy was to buy an HBO subscription. When I start my binge watching, I hop on the stationary bike. An hour goes by pretty fast while paying attention to a Westworld episode. Plus, I won't have to get bundled up, scrape the snow off my car, and drive to a gym during the Michigan winter.

When I set up my home gym one of the first things I did was mount a TV connected to a Roku in front of the treadmill. My only cardio is to walk at a brisk pace at an incline, so that mixes well with tuning into an episode of something while I exercise. When I'm lifting weights I just turn the tv to face me. I got an inexpensive set of wireless headphones so I can hear what's going on over the treadmill and/or clanking weights. The general experience is better than any of the gyms I used to attend, and I can get my workout in in what time I have. It's easy to make excuses when you have to pack a gym bag, make a drive, work out, and then drive back. It's not so easy when all you really have to do is change clothes, step into a room, and get started.

Another strategy I use is to make my workouts as fast and easy as I need them to be. If I'm not really feeling up to today's chest workout, I'll happily drop the weight or reps down to a level that feels comfortable to me. I feel like that's better than either dreading my workout or missing it. Doing that, I haven't missed a workout in at least a year. The funny thing is that more often than not I'll end up working out harder on those slow start days than a regular day. Turns out all I really needed to do was get myself going and it's business as usual.

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

I think one of the other benefits that people don't realize of regular exercise is you'll get a better night's sleep. You'll be more exhausted by the time you hit the hay and have a deeper sleep through the night.

 

[jayrome2722]

To stay motivated, I find it helpful to have some type of goal to work toward, keep it small, and when you reach it make another one. Make a list that includes the exercise you choose and then cross it out when you're done. That way you are motivated both by your goal and your accomplishments.

 

[bruteforce]

For me, there is nothing like the feeling of the bar bending when I pull a heavy deadlift or unrack for a heavy squat. Steel bending when my bones can handle the weight is a pretty big boost for the ego. There have been a lot of days when I haven't felt like it over the past year, but the payoff came in today. I'm officially no longer diabetic. My bloodwork had been improving for a while, but this year I cut my drinking in half, upped my meat and veggie consumption (reducing refined grain and sugar) and made sure I was in the gym 4x a week.

Now, I HATE cardio. But I can trick myself into doing it with rest-pause style lifting and pushing a sled around for a while. Running though? Never gonna happen.

 

[McKnuckle]

I realize my prior reply was a little blunt (discipline, Just Do It, etc.). For the first 80% of my years on this planet, I did not exercise - at least not with any commitment.

Seven years ago I began cycling, which I did for 2 years, and then took up running, which has been my sole form of exercise for the past 5 years. I had never run before outside of high school gym, and like so many people, was fond of saying I hated it. Now I run up to 30 miles per week. This took time. You start really small, add on a little at a time, and you will get there. CouchTo5K is a great program because it deals with exactly this phenomenon.

Addressing the boredom issue: Note that cycling and running can be done outdoors. That, for me, was the key that unlocked my exercise puzzle, and enabled me to make it a permanent part of my life. Outdoors = adventure, exploration. You see, hear, and feel things. This doesn't happen so much inside on a treadmill or stationary bike. It made me feel like a kid again, to be honest.

Now, when you run or bike outside, you have to eventually get home. That means you can't just quit half way through, you can't turn off a machine and plop down on your couch if you get lazy. You press on, you keep going, because you have to get home. And when you do that, gradually, over time (patience!), you develop a tolerance for discomfort that you didn't know you could possess. What used to be "horrible" becomes tolerable. What was tolerable becomes easy. And these thresholds continually expand as you get more fit and more experienced. There are interesting physiological and hormonal reasons for this, but like water adjustment in brewing, not everyone cares.

I like saying "Condition yourself to run 10 miles, and 5 miles becomes nothing." Five miles is a lot more than most of the people you know can run. Use smaller values at the beginning, but the same axiom holds true.

 

[triethylborane]

I'm going to be honest. I don't believe that I'm going to work out, get to 0% body fat, and look like a 20 yo. (That's why God gave us imaginations...)

But I do want to lose some fat, gain some muscle, and generally feel healthier and more able.

During my 6-8 diet and exercise plan I basically cut out all Red Meat. I ate smaller amounts of pork and I ate mostly chicken and fish for meats. I ate more veggies and about the same amount of grains. And I ate less of everything in total. I would like to cut out most all processed sugars, but I would keep that as a "treat" for when the right one comes along and I feel good about how I've been doing lately. It's easy to fall into the trap where you get a little here and a little there and before you know it you're back to impulse snacking.

Being realistic helps, but you might surprise yourself and blow your expectations out of the water. As for looking like a 20 yr old, maybe not, but there is TRT, which is beneficial for those that have low T. Ive seen people before TRT and then after, it can be shocking in a good way.

Sounds like you have some goals, drop body fat, gain muscle mass, increase agility (core) and deal with some neck/shoulder/upper back stuff.


Diets are just like workouts, very subjective. You have to get an idea of what works for you and what doesn't. For me, ketogenic dieting (no carbs) does not work, but for others it works well. I think if someone is telling you that it has to be one way and this is the way it works, period, that is a sign you need to find someone else, both with respect to diet and workouts. We understand quite a lot of the mechanisms of muscle growth/strength/plasticity, metabolism, recovery, and so on, but these things need to be tailored to circumstances. Just some thoughts on that.

 

[Homercidal]

Well, I haven't really worked out much since then. But on Saturday I helped move a HUGE oak cabinet and table and chair set for a friend and it was quite a good workout in itself!

Then I climbed under a car and did exhaust work. I was plenty sore and tired after that.

Last night I thought about riding the bike, but I was still pretty full from dinner. So I took the "Water" book and a notepad to the local brewery and jotted down some notes for a presentation I'm giving for this month's homebrew club meeting. I'll try to get my ride in tonight, weather permitting.

 

[Jtk78]

My first bout with exercise was about 12 years ago. I moved out of state with my then girlfriend in January, so all we did nothing but pack the pounds on. In the spring we joined a Kenpo karate dojo (gym) I lost about 50lbs in 3 months. We did it for about two years and really enjoyed it. I never gained more than 10 of those pounds back, even after we stopped going, and I wasn't doing much.

About 5 years ago, I joined a regular gym and started going, but my work schedule was all over the place the first year and a half, so it was kind of hard. Last year we bought a house that needed a lot of remodeling and I was the remodelor, so I quite cold turkey. After things settled down, I would try to go, but just couldn't get started.

3 weeks ago, I told her "I'm done. I'm changing gyms for the sake of change". I've been doing good, and feel better already.

Some things my wife and I have done together include bike rides, running, doing a 5k, 8k, and 10k run, an indoor triathlon, a Warrior Dash, and taken a slew of the free 1st classes a various gyms like kickboxing, cross fit, and Orange Theory.

 

[Funkychef]

I spend a fair bit of my spare time mountain biking, probably 5-10 hours a week, usually about an hour afterwork if its not dark, its fun and interesting, i cant run due to knees and ankles but mountain biking has been good for me, plus I can drink as much beer as I want and dont put on weight, but winter is harder where i live with over 2m of snow on the ground, but I do manage to hikenin the winter and still ride on the icy roads or on an indoor cycle trainer. But exercise keeps my mind in the right direction and in a happy mood!

 

[Homercidal]

Update: Still haven't gotten in a regular exercise program. I don't feel as out of shape as I did before, but I know I'm missing out on feeling better. It's just so hard to find time. I feel as though it takes an hour and a half to get in a decent workout and then shower, etc. I'm trying to get other things done like fix up my daily driver jeep, maybe make dinner, keep up with around the house chores, help with band booster stuff, or whatever else someone needs.

Luckily I think some of what I am doing can kind of count towards at least a bit of exercise. It's October and I planned to start going back to the gym, but it's been so warm here, I'm still spending considerable time outside doing things. Wife is contemplating getting a treadmill, but a decent one is $$ and I have a feeling she will be using it less than I use our bike. I don't want to discourage her, but I think we need to figure out how to exercise together or at least be more encouraging before dropping coin on another device that will be taking up space in our smallish house.

I really want to take up light jogging to go along with walking. It's not something I'd want to do by myself along a road. I'd be much more interested running trails. And I'd have to have someone choose some proper attire. My sense of fashion could be the source of great humour.

 

[McKnuckle]

I'm a married father of 3 with a demanding full time job, couple of serious hobbies, and the desire to be lazy for at least a few hours daily.

I have run 143.5 miles since my last post on this thread.

There's always a reason to not start until you finally decide there will be no more reasons. Sending motivation vibes your way...

 

[triethylborane]

Update: Still haven't gotten in a regular exercise program.

No sweat. Tis the season to bloatmaxxx and become huge and freaky so you can throw around epic amounts of weight:



Punish the scale:



Score:



Bloat some more:

 

[Homercidal]

I did ride the bike a bit last night and even got done in time to hit up the brewery for Mug Club Monday!

After I got done I felt I should have also done some arm and shoulder exercise. Next time.

 

[mirthfuldragon]

Wife is contemplating getting a treadmill, but a decent one is $$ and I have a feeling she will be using it less than I use our bike. I don't want to discourage her, but I think we need to figure out how to exercise together or at least be more encouraging before dropping coin on another device that will be taking up space in our smallish house.

I really want to take up light jogging to go along with walking. It's not something I'd want to do by myself along a road. I'd be much more interested running trails. And I'd have to have someone choose some proper attire. My sense of fashion could be the source of great humour.

Craigslist is your friend for treadmills. Anything by Sole is going to be decent, and they usually have a check function that will give you the machine's mileage and hours. I got my Sole F80 for $200 with less than 100 miles on it.

When it comes to my wife, if she has enough desire to want to buy something to help with fitness, I don't stand in her way at all. I squeeze my pennies pretty hard, but that's one area where I let it go.

On the topic of joint exercise: my wife and I would kill each other if we worked out together. It is one of those things that is never going to happen. But good luck to you on it!

On workout clothing, Target actually has good, cheap stuff that lasts and is comparable to the higher-end stuff at a fraction of the price, and they have a good selection of seasonal gear so you can find something that works with the weather.

Walking and running is also a great way to enjoy it - I've used a formal run/walk schedule on all three of my marathons.