"Fitness Club" Thread

GWC Community GWC Fitness Club
#1061

Hey all-

I’ve lurked around this thread for a while, and I have to say it has been such an inspiration. My 40th birthday is a few months away, and I have been meaning to get a fitness regimen going for a while now. I was never athletic as a kid, and my fitness level through most of my life has been pretty dismal. Other than swim lessons and ballet as a kid, I never did much in the way of athletics. I was blessed with a good metabolism, so other than during the baby bearing years, weight has not been an issue. The main issue for me is health. I know I am out of shape, but I worry the closer that I get to 40 the harder it will be to get going and get in shape.

So my husband and I have started swimming. Right now we are going two days a week, at 5:30 in the morning. In an outdoor pool. It was pretty chilly when I got out of the pool this morning! That’s been a bitch to get used to. I hate to get up any earlier than necessary. But with two kids, a job, two dogs, etc that seems to be the only time that I can find for myself to work out. What I like about this swimming program is that there is a coach, giving me direction and a workout plan. If I just go the YMCA on my own and get on a treadmill or try and lift weights, I goof off and loose focus. So having a coach in this class is definitely been good for me. And I forgot how much I love to swim. I am really enjoying being in the pool.

I’m having a hard time figuring out how/what to eat that early in the morning. I’m also starving the rest of the day after I swim! I don’t normally eat much, so this is different for me. Food for me has almost been sort of an afterthought- I eat because I am hungry, and have always tried to stick with healthy options- whole grains, not a lot of meat, fruits, salads. But I’ve never had much of an appetite, so being really hungry during the day is rather annoying to me! Any advice on what would be best to eat on these workout days would be appreciated.

Thanks guys!

#1062

Reg, welcome to the club.

Best advice we can give you will be based on your normal daily intake. Think about what a normal day is in terms of eating and we can help you in any changes that might be necessary. Good luck buddy!

#1063

I went and pre rode the course for our local mountain bike race that’s happening Sunday. Took my phone and played with the gps, too.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=204277552798557514707.0004afbb95aaf56d6fa48&msa=0

And welcome aboard, Reg. Wolverines!

#1064

I am here to say I joined a gym about two months ago to the day with the goal of breaking a sweat every day.
I am here to say for two months I adjusted my diet but denied myself nothing.
I am here to say I started eating breakfast and stopped drinking regularly.
I am here to say I can wear every shirt in my closet without choking myself and may have to start buying new belts.
I am here to say there is no secret to getting healthy besides consistency and perseverance over time
I am here to say I weighed myself today and I have lost 25 pounds.

and I am here to say I could not have done this without all of you. Seriously. <eyes truly welling up> You made this possible by inspiring me by your spirit and dedication. I made this happen, but you were the support and the example.

I fucking love you guys. Thank you. :slight_smile:

#1065

Hells yes!

#1066

Hi, Reg! It’s so great that you’re taking control of your health, it really is an amazing when you find that your work in the gym has you feeling healthier and more energized. I know swimming is great exercise, and I wish I could do it more myself, but I haven’t been to a pool in years.

I used to get really hungry after workouts, and I’d eat a lot of junk, which would defeat the purpose of going to the gym in the first place. But I noticed that eating a good breakfast or a small meal an hour before exercising really helped. But I’ve heard people say two hours is better (especially if you’re swimming) because it’ll give you more time to digest. Then after class I usually have a snack like yogurt, crackers and cheese, or a protein shake.

The other thing that really helped was having regular meals, what worked best for me is eating six small meals a day instead of three big ones. I really feel the difference if I skip meals, so I try not to. But I have trouble figuring out what I should eat for breakfast, too. Usually it’s a cup of cereal (like Complete), skim milk, scrambled eggs, and some fruit. Anyway, I’m glad this is something you and your husband can do together, it’s great to have a partner who can support you, and good luck.

I love you, Solai! Wolverines!

#1067

Everything you have said is truth. Especially the importance of the support of this community. I have skipped mental gym dates so many fewer times than would be the case without all of your encouragement. And I know for a fact that y’all have helped me get back to being a runner (guys! I can call myself a runner again! I go running at least twice a week every week! How cool is that?) by offering suggestions and tips and happy thoughts as I’ve gone through a really long process of recovery and training. I can’t thank you enough, so I’ll just have to keep participating and pass on this amazingness to the next new Wolverine… hi, Reg!

#1068

Hi Wolverines,

I am also on Nerd Fitness and they just started a 6 week challenge. The challenges there are ongoing and each person comes up with their own goals. The goals are 3 diet/fitness goals and 1 life goal that are specific and attainable in 6 weeks. They threw in a twist this time of a fail goal. The idea is that if you haven’t failed at a goal then maybe it’s time to reach out of your comfort zone and stretch your goals a bit into something you could fail at. If you achieve the goal then it’s that much more awesome. If you fail then the idea is you learn something.

I thought I would share my challenge goals with GWC fitness too. (If you are willing to indulge me) The challenge runs from October 24th – December 4th.

Fitness Goals:
Run/walk 3X a week with a goal of getting to more running than walking, even if it’s cold out.
Strength training 2X per week
Be able to do 10 good pushups, I can’t do any right now, it makes karate class embarrassing.
Get 8 hours of sleep per night
I would like to lose 6-8 lbs and any inches

Diet Goals:
Eat better - no grains, no sugar, more veggies and protein. (aiming for 80% paleo)
Drink 8 glasses of water a day

Life Goal:Daily meditation

Fail Goal:Winter Biking – I tried to bike all winter last year but I hate the cold.

I’m not sure how good my fail goal is but it was all I could think of because honestly, I fail often, and I could fail at any of the goals I set up. I do look at it as a chance to see where I went wrong, did I take on more than I could handle, were my goals unrealistic, etc.

Also, I had mentioned in an earlier post that I knew I had lost weight and inches but didn’t know how much just that my pants kept falling off. Well I weighed and measured myself for the start of this challenge and it turns out I have lost 30 lbs and about 6 inches in the past year. It’s not huge numbers, and I have a lot more to go, but it’s steady and has stayed off, so yeah me.

Pushups, the bane of my existance, I am using One Hundred Push Ups Training Program

#1069

Well, it’s been a weird couple of weeks, I really haven’t got to the gym to lift weights and it’s got to the point where I’m not as focused as I was, I have no idea why.
In the midst of transferring son into his new room so my time is getting eating up by that for the time being. I just need to suck it back up and head to the gym as I know I would love it when I get there.

My weight goes from 215-210 but I know that’s when I don’t track my calories as tightly as I should. However, my clothes have not increased and I think they may have decreased but its hard to say as I haven’t been measuring consistently.

To keep active, I have gone from 10 minutes runs to doing 25 minute runs every other day. I’m doing the couch to 5K program.

Rebooked my doctors appointment till March where I have to lose about 24lbs (give or take). I know I can do it, just in a wierd headspace right now.

So with the help of the wolverines, I will get back into the razor like focus that I had…I’m going to transform, mark my words :).

#1070

Huzzah! Tell us more about Nerd Fitness, I am sure there are one or two people who might relate and why you like it!

We are here for you buddy to give you all the RAHRAHRAH you require. Remeber: don’t punish yourself yourself for the things you don’t do, but feel good about yourself for the positive decisions you make. Life happens, roll with it. This is not a sprint, this is a long distance run. #wolverines

#1071

Nerd Fitness is a blog and a forum community. The idea is you are leveling up your life like we level up game characters. :slight_smile: He (Steve, the creator of NF, also has workout plans, running plans, t-shirts and hoodies available for purchase, but it’s not a requirement. You can cbheck it out at http://nerdfitness.com/blog/

On a side note, my daughter had a halloween party today. There was a ton of candy around but I am happy to report I did not eat any of it. Go me!

#1072

Been going to the gym pretty much every other day, and even got in a day of hiking (hoo-rah!). Of course the weights are hardly even close to what I used to do, nor am I doing as many reps but I am maintaining the routine which is my main goal right now. And I am surprised by how well my body is responding, there were a few days of pain and tightness but I am already noticing results. I sleep better, I am not as tired and apathetic. And I am already beginning to firm up, the most obvious and happiest result has been my legs. I was starting to develop ‘pillar legs’, a common problem with diabetics and inactive people. Where the area between your calves and ankles swell and fill with fluids causing your legs to look like pillars. Well my lower legs are all nice and firm and tapered already- Huzzah! :slight_smile: I am sure the hiking had a lot to do with that…

The results are very inspiring, which is good. My greatest fear was that I would feel depressed about how far I had yet to go to get where I want to be. These minor victories are going to really motivate me to continue.

GO WOLVERINES!

#1073

keep up the good work Omra! :slight_smile:

#1074

So, I have a weird problem that I’d like some advice on.

As you could see if you scrolled back to my initial posts on this thread, about a year ago, that I started seeing a physical therapist and working on an injury so I could get back in shape. I knew I wanted to lose some weight–basically the 25 pounds I’d put on since college. In the course of pursuing that goal and my physical activity goals, I’ve lost a lot more than 25 pounds. I look good–I’ll just say it. Great.

The problem is that I have always been really uncomfortable about my physical body. Uncomfortable inhabiting it, uncomfortable having it noticed, uncomfortable with comments on it. I’m working on that. But now that I’m hitting the gym 4 times a week and looking strong and super healthy and considerably skinnier, people are commenting all the damn time. Nice comments, of course. But it makes me deeply uncomfortable. What do I do? I feel like saying, “I wish you wouldn’t complement me” feels trollish. Also, of course, a lot of it is over facebook, where it would be a much-delayed response to a wall post of innocent intentions.

Tips on how I should deal with this? Recommendations on how to change my attitude so this doesn’t bug me?

#1075

This might seem like a strange comparison, but walk with me.

I am a member of a non-profit theatre organization in NYC. The tryout process is unique in that everyone in the organization is invited to sit in the audience to watch you audition. This is terrifying. One guy who is usually the lead saw me frightened as I was getting ready to go on stage to audition and said, “Dude, everyone out there wants you to succeed” and suddenly everything changed.

When people around you comment kindly or observe you have have lost weight just remember they want you to succeed. They are validating all the hard work you have done and celebrating it. Embrace it. Take it as an achievement. You have kicked ass. Time to take some credit for your hard work. You deserve it my friend.

#1076

Starbuccanner, I’m the the kind of person that finds it hard to take compliments, too. I think it’s because there’s a part of me that’s afraid they don’t really mean it. I try and give myself props when I’ve accomplished something so that I’m not so surprised when other people notice, but it took some time for me to feel comfortable in my skin, and sometimes I still don’t. But give yourself time, confidence is built slowly.

By the way, congratulations to Sean for losing two-and-a-half pounds! Wolverines!

#1077

For the Wolverines a little motivational video to keep on pedaling!

//youtu.be/yEH4Yum4nN4

Now if I had the ability to project this while my bike is on it’s trainer I wouldn’t miss a chance to pedal!

#1078

Solai and Nike make such stellar points- I’d like to add my voice to theirs.

You DO look great. You DO deserve it- you’ve been working so hard at it!

I understand the impact of how so much positive attention (attention in itself when you’ve spent your life trying to hide is like a bucket of ice water in your face- I know) can cause knee-jerk defensive responses with negative feelings. I’ve always fallen back on my sense of humor to get me through. I have yo-yoed all my life and have experienced this countless times.

If you can’t take the compliments gracefully in the moment, think up a few stock replies that will give you recovery time and give the speaker/assaulter (lol) enough satisfaction to let it go at that. You are going to get this regardless, so roll with it and try not to take it too hard. This is an emotional workout. You can own its a$$.

We all want you to succeed. Inside and out!

PS: the facebook stuff- leave it alone. Sometimes the best comeback/reply is the one not given. Don’t stress yourself over it. They do NOT require response. You’re too busy anyway!

#1079

Starbuccaneer,
Okay…I am teh N00b around here. Got it.

Nevertheless…I must echo some of the other comments and do what I can to get you over the uncomfortable. BE COMFORTABLE! You’ve earned it! You’ve wanted this! You know deep down you secretly jump for joy at the new look and feel! Be proud of it! Embrace it! Flaunt it! You didn’t work so hard fort nothing! Work it! When people comment, they’re basically saying to you “Shit hot! I wish I could do that!” They can, of course, but you HAVE. Learn that far from feeling uncomfortable with the compliments and comments, you should feel like a normal person inspiring others. We’re not all genetically engineered to look perfect all the time. Your fitness and look are the product of work and effort. People like that. Go buy new clothes! Go show skin! Go somewhere sunny and show off!

-Trey

#1080

Starbuccaneer, I totally understand where you are coming from. My brain realizes that yes I have earned the compliments because I have worked hard to get where I am at. Emotonally I am still struggling with the insecurities I’ve always had. I’m just trying to cope right now, thinking maybe I need to see someone about it before I let it hijack all the work I’ve done so far.