"Fitness Club" Thread

GWC Community GWC Fitness Club
#581

Hello everyone! Checking in this week. I managed to keep off the 4lb loss last week and lost an additonal 2lbs this week. So far my total loss has been 27lbs. I still have a looong way to go but it feels good to look back and see where I started from. My clothes are looser and people at work are starting to comment on the changes. I wore a pair of pants to work on Friday that were too tight before and now they fit loose! Hehe, that felt good :smiley:

Eating right has been going really well, and I feel more comfortable making healthier choices in what I eat. Logging everything I put in my mouth, no matter how small (even gum) has been a huge key for me. I am a grazer and if left to my own devices I would snack all day long. The problem before was I was snacking on high calorie junk foods. These days I pack a lunch the night before: fruits, vegetables, yogurts, peanut butter, etc., and I bring enough to snack on all day and not feel deprived.

My one hiccup lately has been exercising. Since I got sick last week, I haven’t been able to do as much as I would like. I did an hour of cardio last night and I could not stop coughing. I’m trying to keep positive and tell myself that it’s just a small setback. I hate getting sick.

In other news, I’ve recently got it in my head that I have to try a boxing class. So when I feel better and I’m no longer wheezing my way through my work out, I want to try that. I’ll tell ya’ll how it goes. :groucho:

#582

Being in reasonable shape in time for next year’s meetup is my goal too. That and fitting better in an aiplane seat. :slight_smile: My advice is find something you like doing for exercise because it really helps keep you motivated. And don’t give up on yourself, it may seem overwhelming at first, so break it up into more managable goals. Keep moving forward and don’t give up on yourself, because you are worth it. Just remember what Alfred says to Bruce Wayne.: “Why do we fall? So we can learn how to pick ourselves up.”

Congrats WV Lou! Thats frakking awesome!

Okay I have to see your death glare one day, because I honestly can’t picture you not smiling.

Are you a belieber? :smiley: I can’t tease, you should see my playlist… :oops:

#583

Went to the gym this morning for the first time since December. Depression from being unemployed for so long sapped my motivation, and then when I finally got employed my new hours were an issue and then battling the flu became a further setback.

My hours kinda suck, 10am to 6pm it sucks the whole middle out of your day and has reeked havoc on my sleep cycle. Going to the gym after work seemed unlikely to be feasible or practical, so I decided to try going before work. I think the working out combined with getting up earlier will help to reset my sleep clock, so I am now getting up at 5:30 so I can be at the gym when it opens at 6am. Compared to getting up 3:30 like I used to do while working at the Bakery it will still seem like sleeping in.

I will obviously be taking it easy my first couple of weeks after such a long absence, my main concern is going to be getting my body used to the new routine. Once it becomes a habit I will be gold, and now that I am employed again I can afford to start buying all those supplements I need to build my mass back up again, I am so damned skinny and … pale. Still not real sure how to fit the tanning salon into my new schedule, it will have to be after work I guess, oh well, the gym is more important right now. I am going to be sooo stiff and sore these next coupla weeks… :slight_smile:

No pain no gain right? :smiley:

#584

I’ll post a longer version of this later (when I’m not on an iPhone) but had to jump in to say: Don’t buy in to the “I’ll start going to the gym when I’m in better shape/lose some weight.”

The short version: If you’re out of shape you’ll benefit the most from the gym. Seriously. Yes, you’ll be doing different things than some of the other people you see. (Of course that’ll almost always be the case. Your goals won’t be the same as everyone else’s!) But you’re never too out of shape to exercise – especially if you’re able to walk around and do normal things.

FWIW, I walked into the gym at 270 lbs saying the same sort of stuff. Audra conned me into going. We each had three training sessions, spaced out every other week. I figured I’d do six weeks to make her happy. But I discovered that no, I wasn’t (as virtually everyone isn’t) too out f shape to get in shape. With help, I started small. Hell, I remember pulling a tricep (which is sad–you can’t lift your arms to eat) with 40 lbs on a press machine. I now do 240 lbs on it. There’ll always be someone farther down the fitness road than you in one way or another. But it’s all a process, and you should NEVER be embarrassed about where you are on the path. You’re ON THE PATH, and that makes you every bit as good as everyone else on the path. Enjoy being on the path.

One last thing to think about: I saw a guy cycling AND lifting at the gym twice last week – while lugging his O2 bottle around behind him. I see fat people at the gym all the time. I have been a fat person at the gym. Often. They’re 10 steps ahead of all the people who made excuses and talked themselves out of exercising.

It may be that the gym’s not for you. But if you’re just avoiding it because you’re embarrassed about how you look or don’t want other people to see you – screw that. You’re working to take control of your life and that makes you look AWESOME. Anyone who doesn’t get that doesn’t deserve your attention. Ignore them.

#585

Chuck said it best - Don’t neglect the resistance training - If anything, it should help your posture

That’s cool - although you do realise (IMHO) that being toned is just having muscle with a lot less bodyfat covering it. Also along with diet, resistance training (even if it is just bodyweight training) is very effective at losing the weight as the muscle runs at a higher metabolism.

Also, you can lift weights to lose weight as it helps the body remind itself that it has to keep your muscle. Otherwise when you get to the lower weight that you want to, your metabolism will be slower due to the lack of muscle and you’ll end up looking skinny fat.

To ‘Bulk up’ generally requires a surplus of calories above your maintenance so you shouldn’t bulk up during your weight loss. Plus bulking up with pure muscle is hard work and takes ages - As I’m sure Chuck is finding out.

Anyway, that’s just my thoughts and the major thing is that you continue on this journey at a pace and method that suits you, all we can do

is be here to provide support if you need it.

Out of interest, how is the EA Sports Active - Any good?

If I’m being out of line - just tell me to frak off :slight_smile:

I also agree with the small goals - The whole elephant in small bites comes to mind here.

Also remember the best supplement is food :stuck_out_tongue:

God I hope I don’t sound like a preaching ex smoker…

#586

I absolutely agree with Chuck and Bishop! The most important thing is to get yourself there and keep going. The whole reason why you’re there is to better your health and do what’s good for you, so pay attention to that and ignore anyone who looks like they might think differently. Just do what you do!

#587

well despite feeling like crap, recent diverticulitus diagnosis and what feels like a bad reaction to the vast quantity of medication i’m on time to start slow.

I will, irrespective of prevailing (i.e. probable rain and gale force winds) walk in to work tomorrow and home again, total distance is about 3 1/2 miles and even at my fittest never managed it faster than 24 minutes each way. as I feel now it’ll be closer to 40 but I gotta start somehwres.

Assuming i don’t kill meself on the not inconsequencal hills in my town i’ll let ye know how I got on when I get home.
Phaze
on the “eating healthier as well and i’ll see how the weight is impacted on Sunday morning” ID

#588

I’ve had my Kleen Kanteen 27 oz bottle with sports cap for about a year and I really love it.

#589

Just got back from the gym

Tried out the chest press machine - Did 100kg for 1x5, 2x2
Lat Pull down - 2 @ 12 - 72.5kg (Still need to work at it as it’s a lot of pause-continue type reps - may lower it by 2.5kg and try again)
BB Bent Over Row - 2@10 - 30kg
Curl and press seated - 2x10 @ 16kg (Again, may have to drop as it was pause-continue type reps)
Side bridge - 2x60 secs
Handstand negatives - 4

What do people think of pause-continue type way of training, continue or go down a weight?

Diet today
Total Calories: 1539
Fat: 73g
Carb: 68
Protein: 134

As for water bottle - I use a bottle that is a 2l bottle that came in a Kids Army picnic set :slight_smile:

#590

Starbuccaneer, I don’t have this problem so today I decided to get out of my comfort zone in the gym on your behalf. I did a workout that I got from Men’s Health that I normally only do at home. It involves dumbbells, but it also has an aerobic part that includes jumping jacks, high knee lifts, and side-to-side hops. I did it right there amongst the benches and machinery for the first time, and the gym was pretty full. I felt fairly awkward. Maybe this was a taste of what you’re going through.

I also think I’m on the other end of this one in a way. The gym I go to is mostly women. So I already feel like a bit of an intruder. I try very hard not to look at anybody and accidentally make them feel uncomfortable. But when I’m exercising and really concentrating, I become somewhat unaware of my surroundings. Sometimes I suspect that people think I’m looking at them when I’m really focused on myself in the mirror or some object near them. So I feel like sometimes people think I’m one of the watchers when I try not to be.

Of course, there are also a lot of bizarre people out there. Those guys that stared at Darth Revan sound quite bizarre and hostile. Maybe you accidentally ended up at a gym for assholes, and they recognized you were not one of them.

#591

I haven’t posted in a week! I think it’s a case of the twitters? lol

We’re on spring break this week, so the hub and I have been able to hit the morning bootcamp classes! yay! I’m not worn out from my day yet!

We’ve been working on the house with spring cleaning and tackling jobs we haven’t had the time to do. Finally got those shelves up for my geek swag in my lil room!

The hub’s back has been killing, what with the wallpaper stripping and painting, so he’s been using our sadistic foam roller to pulverize the muscles in his back. That thing is the spawn of satan, I tell you, but it does the job! And it’s not the soft one, it’s the FIRM one! ack!

I have been really concentrating on form with our excercises. Slowing down and making sure the form is good, rather than just knocking it out as fast as I can to get thru it. I find I am MORE SORE than ever, but my overall condition is improving! huzzah!

As for water bottles, the hub and I share our stainless steel Browncoat water bottle. I also have the ossim 44 oz tupperware bottle with insulated carry sleeve. I drink a LOT of tea, and that’s what is usually in there.

Lately, I’ve been making a peppermint tisane- so refreshing! And the valentine blend is frakking decadent! I make them concentrated, then fill up the rest of the cup with water and ice and NOM! The flavors help me keep hydrated when plain water I tend to forget.

I love the conversation here!

WOLVERINES!!!

#592

More leg focused today

So ended up doing the following:

Walking RDL - 2x8 (each side) @ 16kg
Glute Bridge Ups- 2x12 @ 16kg
Lunge with plate hold - 2x10 (each side) @ 16kg
Alternating Superman - 2x10 (each side)
Leg Press - 2x10 @ 105kg

30 minutes on the bike

Then walked wobbly legged home - leg days feel good

In terms of diet, I came in at higher calories again - still 211lbs

Total Cals: 1868
Fat: 62g
Carbs: 107g
Proteins: 195g

It might be a tad lower as I used a commerical brand of chilli con carne instead of putting it in manually (Mother in law cooked it, so I have no idea on method of cooking,etc).

Went for a long walk at lunch time which felt good.

In other news, I’m doing a charity canoe trip (13 miles) in July to raise money for a local breast cancer charity so I’m going to 1) do a page for fundraising and 2) Start prepping for it and work on my core and legs. I’m really going to concentrate on the food aspect as I really hit the wall last time I tried it. It was worth it though.

#593

walked in and out today, first exercise in quite a while, the backs of my legs hurt but in a good way.
i’ll slowly increase my walking over the coming weeks and will check in on sunday with current weight once a week only.
Phaze
on the “now to watching the boardwalk empire , had to turn off bsg after a mere 47 minutes” ID

#594

Bishop,

Your workouts sound intense. Are you just maintaining your weight at this point or building muscle?

#595

I have realized that a lot of my bad eating habits come from eating to feel better during stressful periods. Now that I am logging my food and trying to stick to a menu I created, I realize that the times I want to eat junk most are when I’m stressed and depressed.

I just searched for “stress” on this thread and didn’t find much. So, I hope this isn’t an old topic. I just wondered if other people have dealt with this. Taking a walk or watching a sitcom aren’t as effective as ice cream for making me feel better (in the short term anyways).

#596

Walking and fairly intense exercise can indeed help with both stress and depression, but make it a good long walk if you can, 45 mins really assists me, especially if it’s power walking, listen to a podcast while you walk, it’ll help make the walk go faster and you can laugh along with whomever is hosting it (assuming it’s entertaining). Comfort eating is a fairly common reaction to stress, it’s simply a matter of breaking the habit of going to that zone rather than trying something else, also one can become convinced that the unhealthy food is the only thing that helps. It’s not and finding other outlets for your stress that are lower calorie is good.

In the end explore your options, I’ve found having a blast at a shooty game can assist if I’m feeling down, work out the anger at the world or the fundamental unfairness of the universe by blasting bits of it to graphical oblivion.

pm me if you’d like to discuss further or want to chat about anything.
Phaze
on the “dealt with being overweight in one form or another since I was about 12 or so, seen most things and aspects of it and may be able to offer insight” ID

#597

Sheesh Wolverines, it’s been a few weeks since I posted here! Okay, to be honest the Meetup killed my eating habits :smiley: But really, I didn’t care. Frozen yogurt and lots of Rover pub food, pancakes for breakfast, and the junk food laden drive back to CA, hell I gained 5 lbs!! A lot for a few days. But came back and jumped into my established diet and regime and am now 2 lbs less than when I left.

It’s been my goal to drop 15 lbs. I’ve dropped 17 as of now. I feel like I look better, I def have more energy, all my clothes feel better…glad I did it, in a nutshell! :smiley:

I think I’ll try and drop a few more, then start working on some muscle-building stuff.

You all continue to be an inspiration to me. It’s great to compare and share and prop each other up. I really love how this thread has taken off.

We Rock!

#598

I agree with Phazed, walking can be great for stress relief. I enjoy it because a) it lets me be outside (which my work doesn’t leave much time for), and it’s totally personal time - I can plug in the iPod and just go.

I actually started doing yoga a few years ago during my doctoral exams as a way to decompress once a week, and though I’ve been less than stellar at keeping it up (though I’m hoping I’ve turned a new page), I’ve found it to be a good practice in terms of improving my focus on things that matter the most to me. Plus, it’s helping my upper body strength, which has always been minimal. I’ve also done tai chi with a similar motivation, and found that the flowing movements are relaxing (and at least for me, help with stress).

#599

I feel a little weird posting here, because I’m already fit and have been for years. I don’t want to feel like I’m butting in, but I’m gonna add a couple of things because I think they are helpful. Please accept them in the spirit they are put forward.

One of the keys to dealing with stress is to not take it with you. If you go for a walk, don’t think about what is causing your stress while you walk, that won’t help and you’ll eventually associate walking with stress and you’ll hate to do it. The trick is to concentrate on the action of walking and breathing, as if it wasn’t almost involuntary.

That brings me to something else I’m not sure has been mentioned here. Find something you really like, most of the posts here have talked about going to the gym and what not, which is great. Weight training is one of the best ways to lose fat, because the muscle you add burns fuel even while at rest. BUT, also find a physical activity that you really connect with. Something that feels like it’s a part of you, like your body was made for it and you won’t have to try to motivate yourself to do it. Mix that in and you’ll find that you get more mileage out of activity for fun than basically grinding the fitness quest.
Developing a social network associated with an activity helps too, as you’ll want to go to the gym or go play whatever because your group is there too.

Now if you really want that ice cream, walk or ride down to the store and buy an ice cream sandwich or something that you can eat on the return trip. It’ll have less of an impact if you eat it while you’re body is working harder, and how can you be stressed out or bummed if you’re walking home eating ice cream?

#600

Well, today hasn’t been particularly productive for exercising. I walked around a few blocks for my HOA garage sale (not as much as I did last spring, but I’ll get to why in a second). I found a $10 DVD player to hook up to my old TV.

Around lunch time, I went around and looked a few places for an elliptical to buy with my tax refund. Found a few good ones, but I think I’m going to go with the Horizon EX-59 I tried a Schwinn that was nearly as smooth, but I like the idea of having a fan built in.