Getting (and staying) Fit

[IAems]

Just to clarify

By all means, lots of different forms of exercise are great. P90X is a plan for getting in shape. Personal training is a plan for getting in shape. The LAPD fitness log is a plan for getting in shape. All these different plans equate to a lot of time focusing on fitness.
Not to mention, Aerin-Sol, for how long and how often have you been going to the gym? Sounds to me like fitness has been a part of your life for a long time. It's already a learned habit for you. All I was trying to say, was that one of the mistakes I kept making very early on was over-doing it. Out of nowhere, I would start going the gym 3 to 5 days a week and start eating seven meals a day with various forms of protein depending on the activity and rotate muscle groups, and read fitness magazines, but I couldn't maintain the intensity. Now, while I still haven't reached that same level, I do exercise almost every day and, I've maintained that constant exercise for much longer than my bursts of heavy activity, but that's just me and maybe I'm misreading. Just a word of caution.

 

[EMT2B]

IAems~
I have a tendency to quickly get "bored" with one type of exercise, so I figured a couple of workout/yoga tapes at a quarter apiece would be a fairly decent investment. If I end up not liking/not doing them, I'm only out a dollar, as opposed to a few hundred dollars for a gym membership/fancy fitness doo-dads. I've also read through the LAPD packet. I have learned (the hard way) not to just run full speed ahead into any fitness/exercise program. I know I may not be able to complete the whole packet in the time suggested, and I'm okay with that. Like in the story of the tortoise and the hare, "Slow but steady wins the race!"

Aerin-Sol~
I've lived in the San Francisco bay area my whole life. "Hot" temperatures here start at about 77F, and "unbearably hot" is about 90F! Its not really all that warm (or cold) where I live.

(P.S. I'm a she, not a he. No harm, no foul. Webpages make for nearly impossible gender determination. :blink: )

 

[loves2(k)box84]

Congrats on making a lifestyle change because that's what it really is, a lifestyle change. Your body will thank you a million times over, I promise!

That's great that you are taking baby steps. Try to remember to set realistic goals like your initial 20 lb loss =) I like keeping a food journal, it really makes you conscious of what you're putting in your body. Also try to remember little things like not eating late before going to bed (unless you plan on working out in the AM) and not eating mindlessly in front of the TV. I try to eat more meals throughout the day but smaller portions. I try to stick with healthy and even organic foods like jasmine brown rice, fresh colorful produce, tofu, grass fed free range beef, steel cut oatmeal, stevia or agave nectar instead of sugar, dark chocolate, things like that. Also and I'm not assuming everyone has one but if you do have a smartphone, there are tons of calorie tracker apps. I use Lose It! for iPhone.

I am not a gadget person per say, those infomercials never really seem to appeal to me. The only workout items I like using at home are things like a simple dip bar and a kettlebell. I like HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts where you're exercising steady and then there are moments where you push yourself to the limit for a short amount of time and then go back to a steady pace. I am not sure where your fitness level is as we speak but like people have been suggesting, make sure you ask your doc if this type of workout will be ok for you. There's a girl on youtube that has AWESOME HIIT workouts, a lot of them just utilize your body weight, pushups, high knees, skipping rope, burpees. Just search 'body rock tv' or you can go to her website at bodyrock.tv And don't forget about swimming laps or doing an aquacise class!

Another workout I am VERY fond of and is close to my heart is boxing and muay thai kickboxing (which also happen to be excellent HIIT workouts). It seriously is one of THE best workouts ever. I do one 50 minute training session and I am soaked in sweat. Plus, you gain flexibility, boxing/kicking skills and it really helps your cardio! And if you're having a rough day, you can always take it out on those heavy bags OR if you want, you can even do full contact sparring (w/ pads of course).

Keep up the good work and you WILL get there!

 

[beandip4all]

Congrats on your recent success! Awesome that you're working hard towards a change... I can feel the motivation in your posts.

This isn't going to be the most "fun" answer, however if you want to change your body composition, it's 80% + diet. Plus, if you want this to be a lasting change... for the rest of your life, you'll need to develop permanent habits- meals you can cook yourself and feed yourself/your family that are healthful and simple. Go shopping at a farmers market each week, and then make a challenge to yourself to use up all the veggies you bought before they go bad. Try to eat one salad a day- add cottage cheese, or a greek yogurt, or some other protein to it. Get rid of the junk! If you got up to your current weight, maybe you have some bad habits in there- night eating, emotional eating, binging, fast food- that you could work on eliminating?

No matter how hard you work, it's a sad fact that you can't out train diet. So if you're still consuming too many calories or relying on lotsa junk in there as staples, while you're working out tons you might not see the weight come off. And that's a quick way to get demoralized!

Also, I would ad walking to your regimen. Easy on the body than running. Do you have a dog? Go for 20 minute walks, work up to 40 or 60 minute walks. Do them twice a day. A tired dog is a happy dog, and the exercise will be great for you, too!

Finally, I recommend strength training. Add in some muscle building activities to up your metabolism and help your body cannibalize your fat. I noticed you mentioned you're in SF Bay area- I train with a great powerlifting group that meets in the city. Kinda crossfitty vibe although more focused on strength and delving into strongman stuff sometimes too/ We have group workouts several times a week and they also train beginners at the gym. lmk if you're interested, it's super fun and a great group of people!

Cheers, and good luck with everything!
Bean

 

[EMT2B]

Any ideas of exercise I can do when the weather is 90° plus? My area's been hit with a sudden heat wave and the thought of riding my bicycle in any temps above 75° makes me want to pass out from imaginary heat exhaustion! :blink: Oye! I have my VHS's but no curtains/blinds on my windows, and my front yard is in full view of my landlord's kitchen. I really don't think the 17 y/o son wants to see my flabby white self in a WB and a pair of boxers! :blink: :blink: I don't need to scar him for life!

 

[exodus]

90+? XD That's nothin! Come to So-Cal and that's a normality!! ^_^

 

[EMT2B]

90+? XD That's nothin! Come to So-Cal and that's a normality!! ^_^

I know! I lived in Reedley for about a month before I got so homesick I had to come home. The day I moved into the dorms at Reedley JC, it was "only" 101°!!!

 

[beandip4all]

Any ideas of exercise I can do when the weather is 90° plus? My area's been hit with a sudden heat wave and the thought of riding my bicycle in any temps above 75° makes me want to pass out from imaginary heat exhaustion! :blink: Oye! I have my VHS's but no curtains/blinds on my windows, and my front yard is in full view of my landlord's kitchen. I really don't think the 17 y/o son wants to see my flabby white self in a WB and a pair of boxers! :blink: :blink: I don't need to scar him for life!

Find a pool!

UCSF has a great one on the roof of their mission bay campus... swimming in the sunshine aint so bad

also city pools in SF are surprisingly clean. you can always swim in the bay...

 

[JD9940]

eat less, move more

 

[EMT2B]

Had my first "hands-on" portion of my EMT class today and ... Wow! A lot heavier than I expected. And the stretcher/gurney was EMPTY. :blink: :blink:

Anyone have any suggestions as to TotalGym and/or weight-training exercises I can do to increase my strength? I *do* have a gym membership, but its kind of a hassle to get to the gym. (my gym membership is free under my insurance)

Thanks all!!

 

[JD9940]

Had my first "hands-on" portion of my EMT class today and ... Wow! A lot heavier than I expected. And the stretcher/gurney was EMPTY. :blink: :blink:

Anyone have any suggestions as to TotalGym and/or weight-training exercises I can do to increase my strength? I *do* have a gym membership, but its kind of a hassle to get to the gym. (my gym membership is free under my insurance)

Thanks all!!

which gurney was it?
my company has the Stryker Power-PRO XT which is supposed to be a fairly heavy gurney and even our tiny girls can lift/lower the empty gurney.
also is your form ok? straight back and using your legs to move?

 

[EMT2B]

which gurney was it?
my company has the Stryker Power-PRO XT which is supposed to be a fairly heavy gurney and even our tiny girls can lift/lower the empty gurney.
also is your form ok? straight back and using your legs to move?

I dunno what gurney it was. It was just heavier than I expected. For some strange reason, I expected the gurney to weigh, like 50 lbs. (Please don't ask why. I have NO IDEA why I thought that! :unsure One gurney was an old one, and one was almost brand new. I think he new one was a Stryker.

Bear in mind that this was the FIRST TIME I have ever attempted to lift/lower a gurney. My form was so-so. I got corrected on it once.

The sit-lift was easier than I thought it would be (I had the gal's legs) and getting the stair chair up the stairs was a little more difficult than I thought it would be (after having taken the stair chair down the stairs).

 

[JD9940]

looks like you'd benefit from some SQUATZ and OATZ

 

[JohnJ]

Deadlift and squats will help you with lifting.

 

[EMT2B]

looks like you'd benefit from some SQUATZ and OATZ

WTH are "OATZ"? Or do you mean oats, as in the food?

 

[JD9940]

yes, steel cut oats are a great pre-workout meal
also take this, it will help

 

[Underoath87]

yes, steel cut oats are a great pre-workout meal
also take this, it will help

They don't need to be steel-cut. The only nutritional difference between steel-cut and rolled oats is .5 grams of fat per serving. Oh, and steel-cut oats cost several times more $.
Not worth it.

 

[br10]

Any ideas of exercise I can do when the weather is 90° plus? My area's been hit with a sudden heat wave and the thought of riding my bicycle in any temps above 75° makes me want to pass out from imaginary heat exhaustion! :blink: Oye! I have my VHS's but no curtains/blinds on my windows, and my front yard is in full view of my landlord's kitchen. I really don't think the 17 y/o son wants to see my flabby white self in a WB and a pair of boxers! :blink: :blink: I don't need to scar him for life!

Swimming

 

[STXmedic]

Any ideas of exercise I can do when the weather is 90° plus? My area's been hit with a sudden heat wave and the thought of riding my bicycle in any temps above 75° makes me want to pass out from imaginary heat exhaustion!

Running! It's never too hot to run!!

 

[lightsandsirens5]

They don't need to be steel-cut. The only nutritional difference between steel-cut and rolled oats is .5 grams of fat per serving. Oh, and steel-cut oats cost several times more $.
Not worth it.

Exactly! I keep telling my dad that, bit why would a dad ever listen to his son. Lol!

Besides, I absolutely hate the texture/feel of steel cut oats. :-S


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