Exercise... for fun?!?

Luno

Luno

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Okay, as we can see, this forum "Health and Fitness" is always a popular posting site for the Medics and EMTs.... :P So long story short, this year I decided that I was spending too much time in the weight room, not enough time doing cardio (f'n hate cardio...). That being said, I took the plunge, and bought new running shoes (yeah, I'm kinda gear queer, I guess in EMS they're called "whackers" like that, if I'm gonna do it, gotta buy the gear...) and eventually started running again.

First couple of weeks sucked, but I started off with a partner, and he and I went running every day, well, most days on a nice little 3 mile track that ran around a small lake. Luckily the weather was nice, so we didn't have any excuses, get up a little earlier, and knock out some cardio. Both him and I were spending too much time lifting weights (all show, no go :P) , and not enough time running. First couple of weeks sucked, but then I noticed that I started to look forward to my morning run, and when he started backing out, due to some old injuries, I just kept to it. Amazingly, my running times improved quickly. I had heard somewhere that the hardest part of exercising is getting dressed, because once you're dressed, you're committed, so I started sleeping in my running shorts.

Well, it's all fun and games until things start getting challenging, then the weather turned, in WA state, it happens, no more 60 degree, sunny mornings, all of a sudden, it was a stretch of 45 degree, cloudy, mornings, well, okay, I've come this far, I'll be damned if I give up now. Then I realized that I might be developing a pattern, when my daughters would ask me if I didn't have my running shorts on when I took them to school, "why aren't you going running today, daddy?" Okay, now I've got two little personal trainers now...

Now being the ultra-competitive alpha male type personality, I've got to keep pushing myself, and always being one of those that tends to bite off more than he can chew, I got some inspiration from an EMT that I know that is in medic school now. Last year she did her first triathlon. This year I'm going to do my first. I've got two planned this for this summer. Now I'm wondering does anyone else here run tris, well, besides TriCam, I know you do buddy, we had this conversation. And yes, I'm starting this year. If not, take a look at them, it's daunting to look at, at first, but they're not all the marathon runs, swims, and bikes, there are also sprint triathlons, and olympic distances, which are much more manageable. While they do look fairly difficult at the start, as you build up, they become much more doable, and c'mon how many people can say, oh, yeah, this summer I did a couple of tris? Just a thought. Anyway, if you're interested in my progress towards this, new blogspot for my training. http://lunotraining.blogspot.com. Good luck, and you'll never know unless you try. -luno
 
when I was younger (15 years ago) I would run and lift weights... my knees made me stop running so I went into the gym.... after years of that I looked around at all the grim faces on the cardio machines.... I looked at the tons of weight I had lifted and none of them had moved anywhere... I quit exercising for exercise sake... decided that it had to be FUN.... I did a bunch of stuff over the years.... now i do Taekwando for 6-12 hours per week and landscaping in the spring... keeps me buff... and its fun....
 
Cool, Luno - GREAT job!


I'm fat. I can't run for long distances... I've been walking around my neighborhood every few nights for 2-3 miles. I feel so much better just moving around and doing SOMETHING.

Jon
 
Movement equals life.... and at my age, I cant stop... cause if I stop, I wont start again... :blink:

seriously tho... even fat can be fit... or at least fitter... so good work on the walks... your quality of life will improve.....
 
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Fitness is definitly needed if we want to last in this profession, but more importantly if we want to last to be with our familys.
 
Jon said:
Cool, Luno - GREAT job!


I'm fat. I can't run for long distances... I've been walking around my neighborhood every few nights for 2-3 miles. I feel so much better just moving around and doing SOMETHING.

Jon
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You look so thin in your picture!:P
 
Luno, I admire you for making yourself begin and stick with something that didn't appeal to you originally ( like the weights seem too)
I too like the lifting much more, but while I'm strong, I'm fat and don't have much stamina. I take my state exam in sept, and have been walking miles and miles at all different times,but have been slacking off the last couple weeks. I told myself when I decided to be an EMT, I would not be a fat EMT. Your post will help me stick to that. Good luck in the triathlon!
 
Jay, thanks man... It's not so much that I didn't have stamina, I've been a fighter for years, and now fighting MMA I have to go out and do road work, but it just wasn't my favorite part. I mean mitts, sparring, heavy bag, etc... bring it, but just hated the distance running. Now I have to do it. ;) But if you stick with the walking part, you'll definitely drop weight. Also look at some lower impact things like spinning classes, or swimming. Running probably isn't the best idea, especially if your BMI is 25 or higher (adjusted), because of the wear and tear you'll put on your knees/legs. The flip side to that, is my BMI is .2 from "obese." (non-adjusted) Stick with it, it will help you in the long run... (hahaha, I kill myself...)
Jon, good for you man, keep it up, you'll feel better because of it.
 
Luno my Bruddah!!

Outstanding!! Kudos to you man! Keep me posted on how you do. The level of the bar has been raised so much over the past decade with regards to MMA.

There are several with EMS, RN, and Fire experience making a living in MMA. Wasn't Chris Lytle a FF in Indiana? I think Rory was the RN. There is one in the IFL that was a medic.

You have a fan over here!
 
A'ight, so I've been kind of out of touch for a while, been in Canada for work, but I'm a week out from my triathlon. Training has been one of the most rewarding things that I've done in a long time, and I'll post the results here when I finish. If you haven't ever trained for an event, I would highly recommend it. I think I have a new addiction, and I'm considering running the Seattle Marathon in November.
 
Luno, how did the triathlon go? I hope you were satisfied with your results. I'm still being inspired by your post. I've been going to my local Ymca for a few weeks and have a regular exercise regiment going.
 
Results

Didn't do half bad, all things considered, missed a podium spot by 38 seconds, which pretty much sucks, but in retrospect, I could have also done a lot better, had some gear issues, etc... It's an addiction, and I guess I've got an addiction prone personality!!!! It's a blast though, highly recommended!
 
I've got a bit too much junk in the trunk myself. I am having surgery on my arm tomarrow and then I hope to start up with something to "tone up". I'm going to call tomarrow before I head off to the hospital and find out how much a membership to the gym is. If anything, I will start walking and get rid of some of the weight.
 
Luno said:
Didn't do half bad, all things considered, missed a podium spot by 38 seconds, which pretty much sucks, but in retrospect, I could have also done a lot better, had some gear issues, etc... It's an addiction, and I guess I've got an addiction prone personality!!!! It's a blast though, highly recommended!
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Kudos to you, no easy task by any means!.:unsure:

I lifted quite a bit when I was younger. I stayed away from running as I had little "bumps" on my shins that made running nearly impossible and very painful. I don't have those as much any more, though I use ankle braces and knee straps which reduces their presence. I run 2.5 every night and I more than agree with a previous post of yours-it sucks until you get your "runner legs' underneath you. I want to do some 5K events, though I'll leave the triathlon stuff for you diehards.:P
 
Weight

Everyone,
I do admit that I am not in the greatest shape of my life. When I was younger I swam on a swim team and was in great shape. I sometimes have a hard time walking up flights of stairs and have asthma on top of everything else.
I know I need to get into shape better and actually I am planning on making time when I start my EMT-Basic class in the spring. It is kind of serving as a motivator for me.

Anyone got any tips?

Thanks!
 
Luno, what distance tri did you do and which one was it? I am also a triathlete.

WLSC - I was a couch potato for most of my adult life. Like you, I was active when I was younger. After seeing my brother in the hosp. and barely being able to fit into my bridesmaid dress for my best friend's wedding, I decided I needed a change. I lost 80 pounds and began exercising. I started real slow with mostly walking. I began to jog and bike and lift weights after that. I ran in a few 5 and 10k races about 3 years ago. I took a year off while I was building a house and then began competing in triathlon last year. Luno is right, its very addictive. My advice is start slow, talk to your doctor about what you should and shouldn't be doing because of your asthma. Swimming is still a great, all around workout with minimal impact on your body (unless you swim into the dock like I did during my first tri this season... DOH!). Let me know if you'd like and help, tips, advice, etc. I'll be glad to help you out.

be safe, yall.
 
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I bought a bike this year to get some cardio exercise. Easier on my knees than running. One of the guys I work talked me into a 100K ride. about 30 miles into it som one asked how long I had been riding. I had 180 miles on the bike at that point. Finished the ride in a little over 5 hours. BTW hills suck!
 
fyrdog said:
I bought a bike this year to get some cardio exercise. Easier on my knees than running. One of the guys I work talked me into a 100K ride. about 30 miles into it som one asked how long I had been riding. I had 180 miles on the bike at that point. Finished the ride in a little over 5 hours. BTW hills suck!
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Right on ! I love stories like this one... Yes.. hills suck but you are in good shape and biking will keep you there. I have a weather problem this year. I live in Wisconsin and am in paramedic school so I won't be going to Arizona this year. I can see myself at the end of this year... stressed out, nasty and fat.<_<
 
WLSC2008 said:
Everyone,
I do admit that I am not in the greatest shape of my life. When I was younger I swam on a swim team and was in great shape. I sometimes have a hard time walking up flights of stairs and have asthma on top of everything else.
I know I need to get into shape better and actually I am planning on making time when I start my EMT-Basic class in the spring. It is kind of serving as a motivator for me.

Anyone got any tips?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

hey killer good for you. i would suggest that the first thing you want to do is learn how to eat in a way that is good for you but also something that you will be able be reasonably consistent in following. No need to be psycho/obsessive what fun is that? Just reasonably consistent.

As for the exercise start out slow. Really slow then pick up as your body permits. like:

walk-->walk longer-->walk faster-->jog (repeat)

just be consistent and patient.

be safe and have fun ^_^
 
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fit4duty

Eating is important, but I would say that when you're working out hard, I had an interesting experience with that... I was eating everything in sight, usually 4 large meals a day (think 1 large plate of food, and a large salad), and my weight was staying static, which was at 208lbs, granted, on run days it was 7-7.5 miles in under an hour, bike days was 10-15 miles at 18-20mph pace. Oh, EMTFF, I'm training and racing sprints, I don't see my 5'10" 212lbs frame really built for the 6hr endurance races, but dangerous on the high intensity for an hour or so... ;)
 
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