DBR Workout Group

[sue71]

More info coming by the end of the weekend. I'll set up something online, since we're all over the place, and we can post our progress there. Thanks for your patience!

Sue

[wilson]

I'd like this. In conjunction with my attempts to eat healthy, I need to get back up on some more consistent exercise. Keep us posted.

[Gunnar Kaufman]

I'm game. Thanks for organizing.

[DukieInKansas]

Count me in, if you would be so kind.

[blazindw]

Good idea! I'm down, I gotta get back to working out anyway. Somehow in the month of June, I lost 15 pounds, but all I did was play softball and eat really bad. Who knows what I can do with steady exercise and eating right...I could get back to my high school running weight in no time!

[aimo]

I'm actually planning on dragging my tail out of bed early tomorrow to play tennis. I haven't picked up a racket in years, so I'm not really looking forward to it. A co-worker is trying to convince me to join her league team. But, I REALLY suck.

Maybe online support is what I need . . .

[Bostondevil]

How about we collectively complete a marathon this weekend - be it running, cycling, swimming. Everybody keep track of their miles covered and let's get to 26 as a team. Tennis playing should count too. Hmmmm, how about crediting a mile for every 12 minutes of tennis played? That would be 5 miles for an hour of tennis.

[BlueDevilJay]

Count me in as well. I have a membership to my local Y here that has been 'collecting dust' and I'm going to get back into using it. My biggest problem isn't motivation, its lack of knowledge in this area. I know what I want to accomplish, I just don't know what 'plan' I should be using to get there. I need to work on pretty much all upper body and endurance. Abs and chest/arms are the main areas I want to improve, I just don't know where to start!

[mph]

I'm in. I just started working out again within the last two weeks. I have a friend going with me but the extra DBR motivation is sure to help.

[wilson]

How about we collectively complete a marathon this weekend - be it running, cycling, swimming. Everybody keep track of their miles covered and let's get to 26 as a team. Tennis playing should count too. Hmmmm, how about crediting a mile for every 12 minutes of tennis played? That would be 5 miles for an hour of tennis.

That's a great idea. I'm in.

[Bostondevil]

BlueDevilJay, if your Y is any good, there is someone on staff who can help you with those questions.

[hurleyfor3]

How about we collectively complete a marathon this weekend - be it running, cycling, swimming. Everybody keep track of their miles covered and let's get to 26 as a team. Tennis playing should count too. Hmmmm, how about crediting a mile for every 12 minutes of tennis played? That would be 5 miles for an hour of tennis.

You're starting to sound like someone's sigfile.

[ArkieDukie]

As the proud owner of a new bicycle, I'll try to get in a few miles this weekend. Hopefully it will be cool here.

[wilson]

Put me down for 10% of our weekend total today...2.6 miles. Two circuits around the weight room too!

[tecumseh]

Like I posted before although I do work out a fair amount I also spend an embarrassing amount of time reading about working out and I am an MD so it helps me wade through the stuff to get to what is useful.

Higher level tip.
Intensity matters how much is up to debate and it depends upon what exactly your goals are. As far as increasing life expectancy unclear here. But as far as increasing you aerobic capacity and doing other positive things that exercise does it seems to matter a lot. Many people when they exercise fall into a the trap of just tracking mileage or yardage without considering how much it matters to hammer. There have been some interesting studies (http://www.cbc.ca/story/health/national/2006/09/22/exercise-interval.html) that show that a short intense workout can do an awful lot. Here might be a good reason (http://www.lookcut.com/articles/intense-exercise-lowers-hunger.html) Asides from dropping dead from a heart attack the other caveat about intense workout is kind of obvious, it takes a lot out of you and leaves you feeling kind of drained.

[wilson]

I've heard that too, but as I'm trying to work back into things, I think tracking a decent time with varying intervals is a good place to start. I'll begin working in more sprints, etc. as I round back into shape. I'm also hoping to find a racquetball partner...now there's a great high-intensity workout.

[bluebear]

speaking of short higher intensity workouts, I started doing cross fit (www.crossfit.com) a few months ago and highly recommend it..it's clearly not a fit for everyone and I would also recommend building up to/modifying the workouts but as someone who would get very bored of the day of lifting, day of cardio type routines, it has been a nice change of pace. Most of the workouts are 20-30 minutes long (3 days on/one day off) and blend cardio and strength training. There is some lifting but a lot more body weight type exercises like push-ups, pull ups, etc along with sprints and other cardio..I think they have gyms that specialize in it, but I just check the website for the workout of the day and do it on my own...

[bjornolf]

I'm definitely in on the workout group.

As for the marathon thing this weekend...I usually use the weekend as my "rest" time, as this is when my wife is off and we have family time. This weekend I was running around all day Saturday for my 3 year old's birthday party. I did a Blue's Clues "episode" where Blue (played EXPERTLY by my older son...he watched Blue ALL week to get down all the nuances...everyone was REALLY impressed by his performance) had us use the clues to figure out what the birthday boy's biggest present was (it was a GIGANTIC Rocket from Little Einsteins). Lots of fun for all.

Anyway, I DID walk 2.2 miles on Friday, though. Can I get credit for the marathon for that, as Fridays are part of our "weekend" too?

[Bostondevil]

Anyway, I DID walk 2.2 miles on Friday, though. Can I get credit for the marathon for that, as Fridays are part of our "weekend" too?

Absolutely!

I have wrenched my shoulder somehow, probably something to do with chasing a 3 year old. I'm going to attempt a 2 mile run later but I may have to punt, we'll see how the shoulder holds up.

[wilson]

I'm feeling pretty sore today. Not from the run, but from the weights. I am going to try to get another run in today, but probably no lifting. But I will say that it hurts pretty good.;)

[DukePA]

How about we collectively complete a marathon this weekend - be it running, cycling, swimming. Everybody keep track of their miles covered and let's get to 26 as a team. Tennis playing should count too. Hmmmm, how about crediting a mile for every 12 minutes of tennis played? That would be 5 miles for an hour of tennis.

Heck yeah!! I'll put in a few miles on my bike today.

[DukePA]

Put me down for 4 miles on my bike.

[BCGroup]

I did three miles on the bike today.

[wilson]

I ran another 2.8 today.

[sue71]

It's here! It's here! The DBR Workout Group! Please forgive any oddities about it, as it's my first time creating a group. I'm the current mod, though I'm not at all averse (hint, hint) to some more mods. For the time being, all adds to the group must be approved, until we get it going then we can revisit it.

Here's the link:
http://groups.google.com/group/dbr-workout

[Jarhead]

Thanks for doing this, Sue. I am awaiting approval of my application for membership in the group. I think it will be fun, and a good place to brag about accomplishments.

I did 3.25 miles this morning, walking. I don't do running anymore. Haven't run since back surgery in '92. Used to run 10k road races. That's history now. I only walk and work out on 7 or 8 Nautilus machines doing 12 rep sets until it burns at varying weights for each machine. My cardiologist (double Duke alum, Trinity and Med School) tells me that three times a week is good enough. Three times a week is also my golf target, but sometimes I go to the health center instead. Retirement is glorious.

[dukemomLA]

An inspiration for most of us to do more -- and have support. I walked 2 miles today (well...maybe hiked since I live in the hills with rather steep inclines). Swam 1/2 mile. And....how do we measure Yoga or JuJitsu? (...never mind....that's really just stuff to encourage me to do the others).

After posting this, I'm heading back to your link. Again, thanks.

[bjornolf]

Why do I have to answer questions to join? This is killing me. Five seconds before I went to the workout group page, I could have answered the question. Now the only "owner" I can think of is Julio. Crap! Do I have to get this right to join? If so, I guess I'm out. Bummer.

Unfortunately, I'm not one of the cool people that has had the privilege and honor of meeting any of the founders, and I'm HORRIBLE with names if I can't put a face to them. Sorry. I suck.

[devildeac]

Count me in, too. Walked about 90 minutes on the beach on Saturday and 70 minutes on Sunday. Returned home Sunday evening, mowed the lawn (30-40 minutes walking), showered, ate dinner and then walked another 30 minutes (2 miles). Now, if you folks could enlist my wife and get her to post, she walks about 90 minutes/day, runs 2 miles 2X/wk and does an aerobic/light weight training exercise class for about 90 minutes 2X/wk also. I started my day today (as I start most days) with a 2 mile run (slow) and will walk 30-45 minutes each night with my wife. Our main vice is eating, so if we did not exercise at least 60 minutes/day, we would be part of the US obesity stats.

[bjornolf]

On second thought, maybe I shouldn't join the group. I was proud of myself for finding time in my day to walk my 2.2 miles in 35 minutes. Can't jog, too hard on my joints. But I'm reading what all these other people do, and it just makes me feel like a loser. And I'm already part of the "US obesity stats". Thanks for that. :(

I'm going to Krispy Kreme. :eek: Why fight it? See ya later.

[devildeac]

On second thought, maybe I shouldn't join the group. I was proud of myself for finding time in my day to walk my 2.2 miles in 35 minutes. Can't jog, too hard on my joints. But I'm reading what all these other people do, and it just makes me feel like a loser. And I'm already part of the "US obesity stats". Thanks for that. :(

I'm going to Krispy Kreme. :eek: Why fight it? See ya later.

Walking that amount is fine and you should be proud of it. I would wager that a large %age of the population doesn't find time to work out even 2 days/wk. Running is not necessary. It is an activity I find hard to abandon, despite some aches and pains and aging joints, too. This is a discussion I regularly have with my patients and we start off our planning with running but I reassure them that 60 minutes daily, 7 days weekly, of running, walking, biking, swimming, water aerobics or any related/similar activities are beneficial. Even if the goal is accomplished in 2-30 minute sessions, I assure them that it is still satisfactory.

(BTW, could you pick up a couple chocolate-covered, custard-filled ones for me, too:o;))

[TillyGalore]

On second thought, maybe I shouldn't join the group. I was proud of myself for finding time in my day to walk my 2.2 miles in 35 minutes. Can't jog, too hard on my joints. But I'm reading what all these other people do, and it just makes me feel like a loser. And I'm already part of the "US obesity stats". Thanks for that. :(

I'm going to Krispy Kreme. :eek: Why fight it? See ya later.

Don't abandon us. I'm in the same boat as you!!!

[TillyGalore]

I posted my goals. I'm sort of new to Google and accidentally started my own thread. Sorry.

[hamster]

i can add in two miles if we count this am! :)

[BlueDevilBaby]

Softball on Thursday (no beer!). 1/2 hour walk with the dogs Sat and Sun and about 40 minutes on the bike Sun (the Tour always makes me want to ride) - thunderstorm cut me short. I can't get on the google site either, since I needed a hint to get one owner's name. Help.

[wilson]

In contrast to almost every other Google product with which I'm familiar, I find their Groups interface to be rather rudimentary and somewhat confounding. For instance, I added my goals onto the "let's get cracking" (or whatever the phrase is) thread, and while the indicator at the top of the page says there's a new post, I don't see mine anywhere.
Any tips?

[TillyGalore]

In contrast to almost every other Google product with which I'm familiar, I find their Groups interface to be rather rudimentary and somewhat confounding. For instance, I added my goals onto the "let's get cracking" (or whatever the phrase is) thread, and while the indicator at the top of the page says there's a new post, I don't see mine anywhere.
Any tips?

I saw your goals posted in that thread.

[wilson]

Well that's at least comforting. It is definitely going to take me a little while to get better at navigating the Google Groups interface though. Like I said, I'm surprised at how clunky it feels.

[sue71]

Well that's at least comforting. It is definitely going to take me a little while to get better at navigating the Google Groups interface though. Like I said, I'm surprised at how clunky it feels.

Hey guys, if you want to move the group to Yahoo or somewhere else, that's not a problem. Thoughts?

[TillyGalore]

Hey guys, if you want to move the group to Yahoo or somewhere else, that's not a problem. Thoughts?

I'm fine either way. Both are a little foreign to me (sometimes I think I still live in the 20th century), but I'm sure with time I'll be up to speed.

[wilson]

My apologies...I really didn't mean to make this into a complaint about the group. I should take the tutorial that Google offers, and I just haven't had time yet. No need to go through the trouble of moving everything.

[BlueDevilJay]

BlueDevilJay, if your Y is any good, there is someone on staff who can help you with those questions.

Its a pretty new Y so maybe that will be the case. I'm going with my cousin tomorrow night so I'll ask someone then. Thanks for the advice.

[DukePA]

Count me in, too. Walked about 90 minutes on the beach on Saturday and 70 minutes on Sunday. Returned home Sunday evening, mowed the lawn (30-40 minutes walking), showered, ate dinner and then walked another 30 minutes (2 miles). Now, if you folks could enlist my wife and get her to post, she walks about 90 minutes/day, runs 2 miles 2X/wk and does an aerobic/light weight training exercise class for about 90 minutes 2X/wk also. I started my day today (as I start most days) with a 2 mile run (slow) and will walk 30-45 minutes each night with my wife. Our main vice is eating, so if we did not exercise at least 60 minutes/day, we would be part of the US obesity stats.

I imagine most of us work really hard during the day. I usually have a rather large patient load and feel like I've been beaten with a lead pipe at the end of the day. How do you make yourself workout when you're mentally exhausted? Any advice will be much appreciated. I'm going to try to convince myself that working out is just as important as working. Really it's more important, but darn it's hard to do. I know I won't do it in the am's because I have an hour commute. I'm a whining blob of blah.

Donna

[blazindw]

I imagine most of us work really hard during the day. I usually have a rather large patient load and feel like I've been beaten with a lead pipe at the end of the day. How do you make yourself workout when you're mentally exhausted? Any advice will be much appreciated. I'm going to try to convince myself that working out is just as important as working. Really it's more important, but darn it's hard to do. I know I won't do it in the am's because I have an hour commute. I'm a whining blob of blah.

Donna

When I was in law school, I scheduled going to the gym to either work out or play basketball among my busy schedule. I had it in my planner just like I had my classes, so I treated it like my classes (being there on time, being mentally on point during my workouts). Granted, it was something that I looked forward to, because as rough as law school was mentally, it was somewhat of a release for 2 hours to take my mind off things.

So, to answer your question, an activity that you enjoy that will burn calories (running around with your dog in the backyard, playing a sport with your kids, basketball, tennis, whatever) should be scheduled in like your other appointments, but when you get to it, you should be motivated to go but also be able to clear your mind and let go of all the other trials and tribulations of the day and just have fun while you burn calories.

[sue71]

I imagine most of us work really hard during the day. I usually have a rather large patient load and feel like I've been beaten with a lead pipe at the end of the day. How do you make yourself workout when you're mentally exhausted? Any advice will be much appreciated. I'm going to try to convince myself that working out is just as important as working. Really it's more important, but darn it's hard to do. I know I won't do it in the am's because I have an hour commute. I'm a whining blob of blah.

Donna

Wow, you just summed up a good deal of what I'm fighting against (except, of course, the patient load, as I'm not a doc or PA, but work drains me nonetheless). I get home and just want to VEG! No workouts, no cooking dinner, no going out. Just veg. Ugh, I am such a sloth.

[blublood]

Wow, you just summed up a good deal of what I'm fighting against (except, of course, the patient load, as I'm not a doc or PA, but work drains me nonetheless). I get home and just want to VEG! No workouts, no cooking dinner, no going out. Just veg. Ugh, I am such a sloth.

You can do more than you think you can! I hate my job, so back in the days before we had a baby, I was like, "This is just not going to work. No way can I make it through this day and be pregnant at the same time."

Then when I was pregnant and still working the job I hate, I said to myself, "Well, o.k., but no way can I do it once the baby gets here. I'll just be too drained."

So now that the baby is here and I'm *still* at this job, I just basically don't expect to get any rest ever and yet somehow that works for me. :) I also have to squeeze workouts into my lunch hour because running or doing an evening class just doesn't work with a little one waiting on me at home.... which I thought I would never be able to do, and yet I'm doing it.

This is not to say that it's a reflection on me, just on the fact that your body/mind can adjust to the harshest conditions if you give it a chance. Even when you're drained and laid out on the couch, get up and just take a short walk. You'll be surprised at your own energy reserves.

[blazindw]

First time in the gym in several months - did 5 miles on the exercise bike and 1/2 mile on the treadmill doing inclines, along with 30 minutes of weights. I'm feeling good!

[DukePA]

Thanks everybody. I was exhausted at the end of the day but managed to force myself to go to Curves for my workout. I felt so much better after only 5 minutes into it. I'll check into the google page on a daily basis that way, I won't want to lose face with you guys and will do some sort of workout everyday!

Thanks again for the encouragment,
Donna

[wilson]

Way to go, Donna! I took today off, because the soreness after getting back at it hard has been killing me (although I'm working on cleaning my room ahead of the gf's arrival on Wednesday...enough of a workout in its own right:o). Both Saturday and Sunday, though, part of what felt good during the workout was knowing I'd be able to share progress here. I know that this group really will help me (and I expect a kick in the pants or two should I fail to check in for a while;)).

[devildeac]

I imagine most of us work really hard during the day. I usually have a rather large patient load and feel like I've been beaten with a lead pipe at the end of the day. How do you make yourself workout when you're mentally exhausted? Any advice will be much appreciated. I'm going to try to convince myself that working out is just as important as working. Really it's more important, but darn it's hard to do. I know I won't do it in the am's because I have an hour commute. I'm a whining blob of blah.

Donna

More thoughts tomorrow. Our daughter is returning home tonight after about a 10 day mission trip so we are off to the airport right now.

[Bostondevil]

I haven't tallied up our weekend experiment yet. I think we were a little short but no worries, there is always next weekend or week.

I certainly didn't pull weight. My shoulder is bothering me enough that I've got to rest it a couple more days. I've had this problem before and 4-5 days of ibuprofen and taking it easy usually clears it up. Perhaps it sounds crazy but when my shoulder gets like, it does hurt to run.

As far as working out after a long day at work? When I do it, I go home first, sometimes even eat dinner then go to the Y for an hour to an hour and a half, when I get my second wind. I get a second wind almost every evening.

[Jarhead]

A little motivation never hurts. I got my motivation on two separate occasions. The first was a few years ago when I was trying on a new suit for weddings and funerals. My size didn't fit me any more, and I recalled that I hadn't been able to button my rarely worn old suit. I had stopped working out following prostatectomy (PSA is now too low to measure), and didn't notice the weight gain. I changed a couple of things, and my weight started down gradually from 244. I was back in the saddle as far as my regular workouts go, and my wife and I stopped using the dinner plates for dinner. I got down to around 220, which would have been OK for an inshape 40 year old Marine, but not for a 79 year old retired Marine. My blood pressure was under control, and my cholesterol was a constant 140. I was doing fine until that episode with the suit. That's when I went out of control, but I couldn't figure why. That was in 2006. My wife and I were in Orlando, staying at a military hotel at Disneyworld. Chest pains. Pretty severe. Into the hospital where I failed a stress test and ended up on a table for an angioplasty. The last thing I remembered was the surgeon telling me that they were going to see if they should put in stents. He said that if the stents won't help, he'll open me up. I said, "Huh?" just before the lights went out.

When I woke up, the first thing I did was to check my chest to see if it hurt. In a few moments I was told that three stents did the job. Later I was told that I did not have a heart attack. I went to see a cardiologist as soon as I got home, and he put me into cardiac rehab. That's where I learned what to do. Weight was no longer the best target, only a target. Get rid of body fat. Lower my LDL, and raise my HDL. Stay away from saturated fat and transfat. Eat seafood, and get plenty of fiber. Pretty good guidelines. My HDL now is about 40 and LDL is about 38. My body fat is down, and my stamina is tops. On my last stress test, the cardiologist, stopped it after several minutes when he commented that I was boring him. We had been talking about the promise of Cutcliffe when the technician announced that the machine was sloped as high as it would go. He made another appointment for me and told me to get my HDL up a little higher. So that's what I have been working on. Hey, hey! what d'ya see! Get me more omega three!

Now my workouts are simply maintenance, but my weight continues ever so gradually going down. About a pound a month. I am now 196, and I will reach the 195 plateau by Friday, but that isn't my primary focus. I have all the motivation I need to get to the health center on time, and to continue with the pretty good low fat, low sodium, high fiber diet I am on. You'd really be surprised what really good food there is in the market place these days. Some of our restaurants down here do a real good job being creative with a healthy menu, also

If any of you continue to need motivation, just think about the risks your are causing by not doing the things you know you should. And look, the medicos are already talking about the cancer risks that accrue to those who don't pay attention to what your body needs. I had my epiphany when I said, "Huh?" just before they put me to sleep down in Orlando. It meant as much, or more than the one I experienced when I quit smoking at 11 PM on December 24, 1971.

[sue71]

Wow. Just, wow.

[dairedevil]

I've been a DBR reader for a LONG time, although I post infrequently. This thread was started just as I had decided it was time to get back in shape. I've gone back to the gym, and I'm trying to change the eating habits.
The gym I go to is a crossfit gym, but I've got a ways to go before I will be doing anything but a very modified workout. Started yesterday - warmup on the elliptical, then cycled through rowing, squatting deadlift and jump rope. Plan to go back again today...

[bjornolf]

Awesome, dairedevil, keep it up...

My question is, how do I count this "workout"? Maybe devildeac or someone else can help me. Instead of my morning 2+ mile walk, I spent about an hour and 45 minutes digging a new grassline for my tree, replanting the grass, then moving an azalea bush and an evergreen tree that is four feet wide and eight feet tall (it's four years old, so it has a pretty extensive root system I had to get through). It was made more difficult by the fact that my tree was rubbing up against my house and the azalea, but I was trying to save the plants and the house, so I had to contort myself into all sorts of fun positions to get the tree up. And let me tell you, digging in this hard, Northern Virginia swamp clay soil is NO picnic. Then I trimmed the tree and hauled away the branches. After I was all done, I had to push my kids around in their battery operated jeep (the battery died) for about twenty minutes. So, total workout time was about 2 hours, about an hour of which was hard digging. I haven't sweated this hard or felt this exhausted in years. Lifting weights isn't NEARLY this hard. Why is digging and moving plants so darn hard? So, do I count this as resistance? Cardio? Both? What's the equivalent? Thanks.

[DukePA]

You all rock!! Wow. This is already helping a great deal. Okay, Curves again today and perhaps a bike ride later. I have a really sweet 7-speed Jamis earth cruiser, Duke blue of course.

Go DBR Workout Group!! GO DUKE!! GTHC!!

Donna, who plans to get as cute and feisty as her '08 Mini Cooper!! (especially before the big 30th high school class reunion in a year)

[blublood]

So here's a question for the group: yesterday at the gym, I did the rowing machine for about 5 minutes, but I had to stop not because my shoulders were tired, but because my right knee kept popping in this weird way. Huh?? That shouldn't happen - there's not even any pressure placed on the knee with this machine.

Any thoughts about what I'm doing wrong? Today is Suki's class at the Rec center so I should certainly get my money's worth! She is crazy. She's an Indian student with a British accent and she likes to yell out at the class, "Control the muscle, don't let the muscle control you!" and "Are you feeling it?? Let me know when that muscle talks to you!"

[bluebear]

The gym I go to is a crossfit gym, but I've got a ways to go before I will be doing anything but a very modified workout. Started yesterday - warmup on the elliptical, then cycled through rowing, squatting deadlift and jump rope. Plan to go back again today...

Big crossfit fan..definitely build up slowly to avoid injury..I read some horror stories about people jumping right into the workouts and having serious health problems..I've been doing it for about 3 months and now only modify on occasion. Keep with it.

[unexpected]

BostonDevil - 7 mile run on Sunday. That should help a bit! I'm going to post "my story" later.

[DevilAlumna]

So here's a question for the group: yesterday at the gym, I did the rowing machine for about 5 minutes, but I had to stop not because my shoulders were tired, but because my right knee kept popping in this weird way. Huh?? That shouldn't happen - there's not even any pressure placed on the knee with this machine.


Rowing actually should primarily work the legs -- the upper body and arms should just be used to complete the stroke.

You're probably opening up your legs to put your upper body between them, which would put a weird horizontal strain on your knee and hips. I messed up my hip flexor quite badly in high school from rowing. had to switch from starboard to port, just to make it through the season.

Rowing on an ergometer (erg, rowing machine)is an excellent workout, but best if you know a little about the form and motion required to row in a boat. That motion is best summed up as arms-back-legs-legs-back-arms.

Not to get all greybeard on you, but to get a good sense of this motion, break it down into pieces. First, just sit on the machine, all the way back, legs flat, back a little open (laying backwards about 20 degrees from perpendicular), and arms pulled in to your chest, elbows tucked into your sides, not out like wings.

Then, just move the arms in and out. Literally - just straighten them, then pull them back. This motion starts the stroke, and ends the stroke.

Next, incorporate the back. Put your arms out, bend over from the hips (keeping your arms straight), reaching out to a point where it just gets uncomfortable to hold for any length of time. Now, lean backwards (keeping your arms straight) and come back to your laid-back position, then pull your arms back in. So, you've just done arms-back-back-arms.

Next, incorporate the legs. Put your arms out, move your back forward (reach out), now slowly roll up the slide, so your legs are comfortably bent/contracted. You should try and keep your heels flat, but unless you're somewhat flexible, this is hard. Also, and especially important for your knee, don't splay your legs open. Your knees should track in line with your hips as much as possible. You don't have to scrunch up like a round ball -- you actually shouldn't be leaning too far forward, or have your legs totally scrunched, as you don't get any additional drive from being this contracted.

But now, reverse. Keep the back bent, keep the arms straight, while you lower/straighten your legs and move back on the slide. Then, open the back, then pull in the arms. That's arms-back-legs-legs-back-arms.

I suggest practicing in bits, just to get the rhythm -- sometimes, just keep those arms straight, and work on the back-legs middle part (it looks goofy, but helps.) It's actually how most crews warm up on the water -- arms, then arms-back, then half-strokes (only go partway up the slide), then full strokes. Good luck! Hope the knee gets to feeling better.

[blublood]

Now, see, the teeny-tiny pictures on the rowing machine that I learned from didn't give me all *that* info. :D Thanks for the help! I'll see what happens today after Suki's class.

[devildeac]

I imagine most of us work really hard during the day. I usually have a rather large patient load and feel like I've been beaten with a lead pipe at the end of the day. How do you make yourself workout when you're mentally exhausted? Any advice will be much appreciated. I'm going to try to convince myself that working out is just as important as working. Really it's more important, but darn it's hard to do. I know I won't do it in the am's because I have an hour commute. I'm a whining blob of blah.

Donna

In the AM, I tell myself missing my run or walk is NOT an option. This AM it was a 2 mile walk as I/we were up late chatting with our daughter who just returned from Serbia and I did not have the energy to run. We will have about 1 1/2 hours of dance lessons tonight and reduce our walk to 30 minutes instead of 45 minutes. If I have a 12 hour day of work, my/our walk in the evening is reduced to 30 minutes. I have changed some runs to walk 'cuz of some plantar fasciitis issues in recent weeks. Your 1 hour commute makes it more difficult. Is a 30 minute walk at lunch time a possibility? I do make some sacrifices, however. (posting is obviously NOT one of them:o:D) Newspapers, mail and journals get read late and bills get paid just about deadline time. We also watch very little TV (except when our favorite hoops team is on between Nov. and March, err, April;)). Hope that helps some.

[devildeac]

A little motivation never hurts. I got my motivation on two separate occasions. The first was a few years ago when I was trying on a new suit for weddings and funerals. My size didn't fit me any more, and I recalled that I hadn't been able to button my rarely worn old suit. I had stopped working out following prostatectomy (PSA is now too low to measure), and didn't notice the weight gain. I changed a couple of things, and my weight started down gradually from 244. I was back in the saddle as far as my regular workouts go, and my wife and I stopped using the dinner plates for dinner. I got down to around 220, which would have been OK for an inshape 40 year old Marine, but not for a 79 year old retired Marine. My blood pressure was under control, and my cholesterol was a constant 140. I was doing fine until that episode with the suit. That's when I went out of control, but I couldn't figure why. That was in 2006. My wife and I were in Orlando, staying at a military hotel at Disneyworld. Chest pains. Pretty severe. Into the hospital where I failed a stress test and ended up on a table for an angioplasty. The last thing I remembered was the surgeon telling me that they were going to see if they should put in stents. He said that if the stents won't help, he'll open me up. I said, "Huh?" just before the lights went out.

When I woke up, the first thing I did was to check my chest to see if it hurt. In a few moments I was told that three stents did the job. Later I was told that I did not have a heart attack. I went to see a cardiologist as soon as I got home, and he put me into cardiac rehab. That's where I learned what to do. Weight was no longer the best target, only a target. Get rid of body fat. Lower my LDL, and raise my HDL. Stay away from saturated fat and transfat. Eat seafood, and get plenty of fiber. Pretty good guidelines. My HDL now is about 40 and LDL is about 38. My body fat is down, and my stamina is tops. On my last stress test, the cardiologist, stopped it after several minutes when he commented that I was boring him. We had been talking about the promise of Cutcliffe when the technician announced that the machine was sloped as high as it would go. He made another appointment for me and told me to get my HDL up a little higher. So that's what I have been working on. Hey, hey! what d'ya see! Get me more omega three!

Now my workouts are simply maintenance, but my weight continues ever so gradually going down. About a pound a month. I am now 196, and I will reach the 195 plateau by Friday, but that isn't my primary focus. I have all the motivation I need to get to the health center on time, and to continue with the pretty good low fat, low sodium, high fiber diet I am on. You'd really be surprised what really good food there is in the market place these days. Some of our restaurants down here do a real good job being creative with a healthy menu, also

If any of you continue to need motivation, just think about the risks your are causing by not doing the things you know you should. And look, the medicos are already talking about the cancer risks that accrue to those who don't pay attention to what your body needs. I had my epiphany when I said, "Huh?" just before they put me to sleep down in Orlando. It meant as much, or more than the one I experienced when I quit smoking at 11 PM on December 24, 1971.

Highly impressive and most difficult to accomplish. I have a complaint, however. Don't try to convince any of MY patients to embark on this plan 'cuz if you do, I will be out of business in 5-10 years:o:D.

[devildeac]

Awesome, dairedevil, keep it up...

My question is, how do I count this "workout"? Maybe devildeac or someone else can help me. Instead of my morning 2+ mile walk, I spent about an hour and 45 minutes digging a new grassline for my tree, replanting the grass, then moving an azalea bush and an evergreen tree that is four feet wide and eight feet tall (it's four years old, so it has a pretty extensive root system I had to get through). It was made more difficult by the fact that my tree was rubbing up against my house and the azalea, but I was trying to save the plants and the house, so I had to contort myself into all sorts of fun positions to get the tree up. And let me tell you, digging in this hard, Northern Virginia swamp clay soil is NO picnic. Then I trimmed the tree and hauled away the branches. After I was all done, I had to push my kids around in their battery operated jeep (the battery died) for about twenty minutes. So, total workout time was about 2 hours, about an hour of which was hard digging. I haven't sweated this hard or felt this exhausted in years. Lifting weights isn't NEARLY this hard. Why is digging and moving plants so darn hard? So, do I count this as resistance? Cardio? Both? What's the equivalent? Thanks.

I am not an exercise physiologist or trainer, but if I did this work, I would consider it to be a 2 hour workout with cardio and weight/resistance training. I simply add up the time spent doing "exercise" and yard work and count that as my workout/s for the day, much as you did. So, a 20 minute run in the AM, 2 hours of yard work in the afternoon and a 40 minute walk after the blazing NC summer sun sets for the day is a 3 hour workout for me that day.

[devildeac]

Uh-oh, I have posted 3 times in a row here (now 4). I hope the LTE/whatever/post counters don't call me out for posting too much. I am simply trying to answer some exercise questions and help the DBR workout group:o;). I'll stop for a while.

[BlueDevilBaby]

Check out the washington post online. They are doing a series of workout/exercise articles with Olympians. We might find some good tips.

[sue71]

I went and did 30 min on the bike yesterday. Nothing earth shattering, and I'm almost shamed compared to some of you, but it's a start.

I posted details on the Group page.

[sue71]

BTW, we're up to 19 members! Hmmm very few posts over there though... :confused:

[Schwarz]

I went and did 30 min on the bike yesterday. Nothing earth shattering, and I'm almost shamed compared to some of you, but it's a start.


Thirty minutes on a bike is nothing to be ashamed of. That is my normal workout. I usually burn about 380 calories per ride, but it took a couple months for me to work up to that level.

[DukePA]

Thanks DevilDeac, et al. You are so right: skipping workouts is not an option. Period. As long as I have that mind-set (as I do with work) I know I'll be fine. Okay, so I did my Curves workout again today so this makes 3 days in a row working out. Yee ha!! Going to sleep now :p

[blazindw]

Went out and played pickup soccer for 90 minutes today. I was planning on just going to the gym to do some cardio, but on my way back from a job interview, I passed a field where some people I know organize a pickup game a couple times a week. I saw they were playing, and immediately zoomed home to change and get back out there. Scored a goal too :) Even though I was covered from head to toe in sweat, I wasn't very tired at the end, which means that I'm at least able to run around and play.

[devildeac]

I went and did 30 min on the bike yesterday. Nothing earth shattering, and I'm almost shamed compared to some of you, but it's a start.

I posted details on the Group page.

That is a good start, I agree.

[tecumseh]

I imagine most of us work really hard during the day. I usually have a rather large patient load and feel like I've been beaten with a lead pipe at the end of the day. How do you make yourself workout when you're mentally exhausted? Any advice will be much appreciated. I'm going to try to convince myself that working out is just as important as working. Really it's more important, but darn it's hard to do. I know I won't do it in the am's because I have an hour commute. I'm a whining blob of blah.

Donna

Yeah I can appreciate somewhat what you say the "experts" giving advice don't have jobs. A few tricks work for me: one is load up on weekends (I cheat here as I have 3 day weekends), you simply can't miss a weekend day and you can do two workouts a day or one long one each day and get some serious hours in. People will play golf, 4 hours, or watch a football game 3 hours do you know how much you can workout in 3 hours. There is certainly a benefit to long slow distance, so weekends long bike rides or walks or swims can do quite a bit for your health. No reason you cannot do double workout on weekends. Like Yoga class in the morning bike ride in the afternoon.

Weekdays. OK if you do well on the weekends you really don't need to workout every workday and often it does not fit into your schedule that is OK. So two days a week detour home from work to your workout place. Do not stop, do not pass go. Buy some weights and one day a week lift weights in front of your TV. Tada great fitness no so much trouble.

[tecumseh]

Highly impressive and most difficult to accomplish. I have a complaint, however. Don't try to convince any of MY patients to embark on this plan 'cuz if you do, I will be out of business in 5-10 years:o:D.

As you know you can't really convince most people. I had this patient I was seeing yesterday who was at most 40 years old probably younger. Diabetic, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, overweight couch potato with a crappy diet. His wife was with him and he asked me some question about diet once we started talking (he asked for it). I explained to him the ridiculousness of his predicament he is talking all this crap to counteract his lousy habits how about just getting good habits and he could probably get off all this crap and have good health. I tried to be gentle and encouraging and his wife was somewhat enthusiastic but of course he got defensive and said how much he loved hamburgers and sausage and stuff or course he had never tried to live without it. It just seems so ridiculous sometimes.

[sue71]

Today I did an hour on the bike. 10.90 miles. Sigh.

[sue71]

Well this is rather depressing:


What has become increasingly clear, however, is that the conventionally accepted advice — 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days of the week — is probably insufficient to spur any real change in a person's body weight.

Link (http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1827342,00.html?cnn=yes)

(I know, way to be positive when trying just to start a workout program. Go me. :o )

[DevilAlumna]

Today I did an hour on the bike. 10.90 miles. Sigh.

Woohoo! Good job!

What entertains you while you're on the bike? Do you listen to or watch something, or focus on the gauges, or just zone out?

[bjornolf]

I'm confused. Are we supposed to be posting our everyday workout habits here, or over at the group page? I don't want to post twice, but I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing. I thought this page was more for asking questions, getting advice, and coming in times of crisis. Just trying to get the guidelines figured out.

[TillyGalore]

I'm confused. Are we supposed to be posting our everyday workout habits here, or over at the group page? I don't want to post twice, but I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing. I thought this page was more for asking questions, getting advice, and coming in times of crisis. Just trying to get the guidelines figured out.

I'm posting over there.

[bjornolf]

Yeah, I commented on your latest post over there. Nothing earth shattering or anything. I commiserate on the footpain, by the way.

[TillyGalore]

Yeah, I commented on your latest post over there. Nothing earth shattering or anything. I commiserate on the footpain, by the way.

Just responded to your post, and posted something on your page.

[blublood]

I would just like to report being extremely pleased with myself this week because I stepped up to 6 pound weights in cardio/weight class. That means I'm out-working most other people in the class which is a real point of honor to me since most of them are 18, 19 years old and I'm.... not. They have a minimum 10 year advantage on me, have not had babies, and look terrific, but I still feel smug. :D

[BlueDevilBaby]

^Awesome! I used to feel that way, but 5 years of being a couch potato has me for the first time feeling my age. Here's to the workout group inspiring me to get off the couch. So far it's working.:)

[devildeac]

Today I did an hour on the bike. 10.90 miles. Sigh.

Excellent. I keep posting over here-just one less site I have to visit (and more PW'ing on the OTB:o:D)

[DukePA]

Excellent. I keep posting over here-just one less site I have to visit (and more PW'ing on the OTB:o:D)

Same here and my work computer won't let me into the Google group site : (

[DukePA]

So, I worked out again last night and that makes 3 days in a row. It has been a long time since I did that. I have committed to some form of exercise every day because I need it and because I do nothing in moderation. It's all or nothing. Feeling pretty good!

Donna

[devildeac]

So, I worked out again last night and that makes 3 days in a row. It has been a long time since I did that. I have committed to some form of exercise every day because I need it and because I do nothing in moderation. It's all or nothing. Feeling pretty good!

Donna

After another lousy night of sleep/waking up too early, a 2 mile walk in about 30-32 minutes this AM was my early exercise. We are also going out dancing tonight for a couple hours so we will probably skip our evening walk. (gotta pay bills, read the mail/newspaper and pack sometime:o or ;))

[DukePA]

After another lousy night of sleep/waking up too early, a 2 mile walk in about 30-32 minutes this AM was my early exercise. We are also going out dancing tonight for a couple hours so we will probably skip our evening walk. (gotta pay bills, read the mail/newspaper and pack sometime:o or ;))

Oooohhh where are you guys going? Somewhere fun I hope. I'm off to Curves again and am exhausted. We had 6 consults today and unfortunately for the patients, they have very complicated cases. Dang it.

[ForeverBlowingBubbles]

I've gained 15 pounds in 4 months... mostly lean muscle.... woo hoo!! (5'10 weighed about 129 ever since sophmore year of highschool, now senior in college)

[DukePA]

I've gained 15 pounds in 4 months... mostly lean muscle.... woo hoo!! (5'10 weighed about 129 ever since sophmore year of highschool, now senior in college)

Great Job!! Keep up the good work!

[Exiled_Devil]

I signed in as well -

I had a rough 18 up to the end of July, and in that time put on almost 30 lbs. having people to connect with around this topic will be great for me. I just started eating well again this week, and am working back into exercise.

Exiled

[dukemomLA]

Primarily I'm posting because I want to keep this thread up on the first page of Off Topics. I think that's important for all of us. I'm not sure that 'daily updates' of exercise regime is the point, but anything that helps us all is good.

P.S. to tecumseh. LSD -- those were the days.....

[devildeac]

Oooohhh where are you guys going? Somewhere fun I hope. I'm off to Curves again and am exhausted. We had 6 consults today and unfortunately for the patients, they have very complicated cases. Dang it.

Danced at the Elks Lodge in Raleigh to the melodies of The Tune Swingers for about an hour of the 1.5 hours we were there. We would have arrived earlier but we had to attend the Raleigh stop on the Coach Cutcliffe tour last evening:D. We would have stayed longer but there was about 2 hours of business work that needed attention last PM before we could leave town today. I may post on the EK board for a brief summary of Coach's "talk."

[bjornolf]

do we still do stickies? Can we sticky this, oh mighty moderators, to help the poor fat schlubs (namely me) on the board?

[devildeac]

30 minute walk this AM around the 'hood and about a 50 minute walk tonight on the beach at a moderate pace. Quite a workout for the feet (barefoot) and calves. Made me nice and thirsty (see "ymm, beer" thread:o:D).

[DukePA]

30 minute walk this AM around the 'hood and about a 50 minute walk tonight on the beach at a moderate pace. Quite a workout for the feet (barefoot) and calves. Made me nice and thirsty (see "ymm, beer" thread:o:D).

I didn't work out yesterday :mad: Instead of giving up, think I'll grab my boy toy, Stevo, and head for the beach for a walk this morning then perhaps an extra long bike ride tomorrow.

[devildeac]

I didn't work out yesterday :mad: Instead of giving up, think I'll grab my boy toy, Stevo, and head for the beach for a walk this morning then perhaps an extra long bike ride tomorrow.

Sometimes, you just have to skip a day of workout/s for weather, fatigue, minor injury, illness, work or whatever prevents you from your "exercise fix." The walk on the beach and a long bike ride sound like good ways to have a "make-up call" fro Friday's off-day. Today, a 20 minute run in 85 degree weather (not pleasant), an hour walk on the beach after lunch and probably a sunset stroll of an hour or so also. Hey, there HAS to be some posting time:o:D.

[ArkieDukie]

Hey, all! This thread has inspired me to up the exercise. I managed to ride my bike for an hour 3x this past week. I've been riding in the evening, but the weather for the next few days (heat index over 100) will likely slow that down. Maybe I'll work in a ride tomorrow morning.

I'm fortunate to be a block from Forest Park, which is a great place to exercise. I think I took a different route for each of my rides. Killer hills if you're not in shape, but the scenery is great.

[devildeac]

Hey, all! This thread has inspired me to up the exercise. I managed to ride my bike for an hour 3x this past week. I've been riding in the evening, but the weather for the next few days (heat index over 100) will likely slow that down. Maybe I'll work in a ride tomorrow morning.

I'm fortunate to be a block from Forest Park, which is a great place to exercise. I think I took a different route for each of my rides. Killer hills if you're not in shape, but the scenery is great.

You should connect with Throaty for a ride and a brew:D.

[tecumseh]

Primarily I'm posting because I want to keep this thread up on the first page of Off Topics. I think that's important for all of us. I'm not sure that 'daily updates' of exercise regime is the point, but anything that helps us all is good.

P.S. to tecumseh. LSD -- those were the days.....

Geez from a public health point of view those were also some pretty shameful days. Remember all that talk about LSD and birth defects if one looks back at the "data" it is clear what most of the fuss was about was fetal alcohol syndrome. So here we were scaring people with false information about LSD which was not that big of a problem and totally ignoring fetal alcohol syndrome which was a significant problem.

Anyway I digress remember the best workout is the one you do. I often trick myself into saying all I have to do is get the pool jump in and get wet and that will be enough but once you are in the pool you end up working out anyway. The hardest thing is getting started.

[DukePA]

Geez from a public health point of view those were also some pretty shameful days. Remember all that talk about LSD and birth defects if one looks back at the "data" it is clear what most of the fuss was about was fetal alcohol syndrome. So here we were scaring people with false information about LSD which was not that big of a problem and totally ignoring fetal alcohol syndrome which was a significant problem.

Anyway I digress remember the best workout is the one you do. I often trick myself into saying all I have to do is get the pool jump in and get wet and that will be enough but once you are in the pool you end up working out anyway. The hardest thing is getting started.

I couldn't agree more. Excellent post.

[devildeac]

today looks like a repeat of yesterday: 20 minute AM run, hour afternoon walk on the beach and 30-45 minute evening walk. I have some sore, ugly feet now with all the showers and drying and cracking and callous-ing (I doubt that's a word:o).

[DukePA]

we'll be taking the new kayak out today. We have a tandem for my guy and Millie the boating wonder dog. She's part golden retriever, part chow. I'll take the new single with the cooler of beer! We're going to head out on the ICW and find a cute little island with a sandy beach.

[CathyCA]

today looks like a repeat of yesterday: 20 minute AM run, hour afternoon walk on the beach and 30-45 minute evening walk. I have some sore, ugly feet now with all the showers and drying and cracking and callous-ing (I doubt that's a word:o).


Walking barefoot on the beach is supposed to be the best pedicure of all! The sand sloughs away the dry icky dead skin on your feet, and the salty water soothes the new soft skin that the sand's exfoliation has exposed.

I'm envious that you get to walk on the beach today! Have lots of fun! :cool:

[devildeac]

Walking barefoot on the beach is supposed to be the best pedicure of all! The sand sloughs away the dry icky dead skin on your feet, and the salty water soothes the new soft skin that the sand's exfoliation has exposed.

I'm envious that you get to walk on the beach today! Have lots of fun! :cool:

That may be true in theory but you oughtta see the dryness and scaling there now:o. What the hey, I'll just go for another walk right now and see if I can improve their "beauty" in the next 30-60 minutes;).

[DevilAlumna]

DD, your talk of your walking inspired me to get out after dinner tonight -- took a lovely 45 min. stroll, and even explored a little, hidden park not to far from home -- it will now be a frequented walking destination in the future too.

[devildeac]

DD, your talk of your walking inspired me to get out after dinner tonight -- took a lovely 45 min. stroll, and even explored a little, hidden park not to far from home -- it will now be a frequented walking destination in the future too.

Excellent! Now, see if you can make it a habit for 30-60 minutes daily. When I gained (or maintained:o:() about a 20 pound surplus during my 1st year of medical school over 30 years ago and could not walk up 2 flights of stairs without becoming short of breath, I vowed to start running on 1/1/78, kept my promise (after Mrs. DD and I were engaged that day:D), and have continued a reasonable regimen since that time. My weight has remained fairly constant (though it has redistributed a bit:(), we don't race anymore, we walk a lot more than we run but we are still fairly fit for a couple middle-aged Dukies.

[Schwarz]

Motivational bump.

Since I keep track of when and how I exercise, I can say with certainty that I have exercised 74 times so far this year.

[bjornolf]

I have a question for DevilDeac or some other doctors around here. What is an accurate way to measure body fat or BMI? I'm not trying to brag or make excuses. I AM FAT. There, I said it. I need to lose a good 50 lbs or so to be healthy and get myself out of the danger zone for heart disease and whatnot.

However, I am a BIG guy. I weigh 285 (weighed close to 300 when all this started). But I have a LOT of muscle and bone. I have had multiple collisions where bones should have been broken and nothing (hits in football to the legs including the same shot that broke Krumry's leg in the superbowl where the guy landed on me sideways with all his weight and my cleats got stuck in the turf so there was nowhere to go, big hits in rugby, shots to the face with every ball known to man, fists to the face, hit a 6" diameter tree at about 30 mph in skiing with my the middle of my shin...instructor was already calling the ski patrol when I staggered to my feet suddenly) but some nasty joint damage. At several of these, I had x-rays, and EVERY single radialogist, intern, orthopedist, and GP commented that I had some of the thickest, densest bones he/she had ever seen. I'm 6' tall with a 6'7" wingspan (I think I was stunted by a milk allergy as a kid. My wingspan is WAY longer than my height, and MOST of my height is in my torso. Although I'm 6' tall, my inseam is only a 28-29". My 5'7" wife's hip bone is at a level with mine when we stand). I have a 19.5" neck, a 56" chest, 66" shoulders, 29" thighs, 20" upper arms (flexed), and a 46" waist (I wear 42" pants, but I wear them down on my hips). My point is, I just get depressed when I read books or listen to doctors or scales that tell my I should weigh 190 lbs to be healthy, or that my body fat is 37% based on height/weight calculation. I know I'm overweight, but I can keep up with much smaller, much younger, thinner guys on the basketball court. I can ride my recumbent bike with fairly high resistance at 22 mph for over two hours without too much trouble. I can play tennis without any trouble. My point is, how many guys with 37% body fat can do that? I want to know what a more realistic healthy weight for me would be, cause I am 100% convinced that I would be a skeleton at 200 lbs., let alone 190. Even when I was in darn good shape in college, playing football for Duke while playing pickup hoops a couple times a week, I still weighed 240. When the carnival guys guess my weight, they guess between 220 and 240, which is obviously WAY off. I think a lot of times, I quit or get depressed because it just seems so impossible for me to lose 100 lbs. But I REALLY don't think I need to do that. So, how would I figure out what I really need to lose?

Thanks.

[Schwarz]

I have a question for DevilDeac or some other doctors around here. What is an accurate way to measure body fat or BMI? I'm not trying to brag or make excuses. I AM FAT. There, I said it. I need to lose a good 50 lbs or so to be healthy and get myself out of the danger zone for heart disease and whatnot.

Thanks.

First off, BMI is a horrible metric. Anyone who lifts weights comes out as obese or morbidly obese. Micheal Phelps is probably considered obese according to the BMI. Also, don't trust any body fat percentages that are measured without submerging you in water.

You are definitely an athletic freak. I ride a recumbent bike for 30 minutes at around 21.x mph and burn 380 calories. I can't imagine doing that for 2 hours and burning 1520 calories. The most calories I have ever done in one ride was 550 which I think I did in 40 minutes.

I think what you need is a nutritionist, whereas most people with more normal physiques and less athletic inclinations probably need a personal trainer. I think with your insane ability to exercise that a proper diet would bring you down to your ideal weight rather quickly, and it definitely wouldn't be 190lbs.

[bjornolf]

First off, BMI is a horrible metric. Anyone who lifts weights comes out as obese or morbidly obese. Micheal Phelps is probably considered obese according to the BMI. Also, don't trust any body fat percentages that are measured without submerging you in water.

You are definitely an athletic freak. I ride a recumbent bike for 30 minutes at around 21.x mph and burn 380 calories. I can't imagine doing that for 2 hours and burning 1520 calories. The most calories I have ever done in one ride was 550 which I think I did in 40 minutes.

I think what you need is a nutritionist, whereas most people with more normal physiques and less athletic inclinations probably need a personal trainer. I think with your insane ability to exercise that a proper diet would bring you down to your ideal weight rather quickly, and it definitely wouldn't be 190lbs.

Thanks for the advice.

I realize that the computer on a bike is pretty simplistic and doesn't take a lot of things into account, but according to it, at my weight and height, my pulse rate, etc., I'm burning about 1000 calories an hour at that speed. It's weird. I can't run, especially on a sidewalk. I start hurting and huffing right away. But throw me on a bike I can watch TV while riding or throw me on a field or a court with people and a ball to chase, and I can go for a LONG time, especially for my size (great, I'm a freakin' St. Bernard!). It's funny, the show I watch affects my abilities too. Put something on I'm not interested in and I'll tire quickly. Put on something adrenaline charged and I'll go forever. I get bored trying to watch wrestling sitting on the couch, but show it while I'm riding, and I get pumped and think it's awesome. I was going nuts watching the Phelps races while riding the bike! I was going 27 mph for a while without even realizing it. I think I have some kind of testosterone condition. I think I MASS produce it in certain situations (like riding the bike or pumping iron while watching wrestling or the aforementioned swimming). Anyway, thanks for the advice. I wonder where I could get that measured in water.

[bjornolf]

After our posts the last few days, I decided to test myself today. Took a few days off since my mom was in the hospital. She's okay now. Here was my test:

Got on the recumbent bike. I managed to do a little over 41 miles in two hours. I had to quit when the kids got up, but I was still holding up pretty well, so I think I could have gone longer. I'm feeling pretty proud right now, I must admit. Nothing spectacular, but I doubt too many 6'0", 285 lb. guys could do that.

[devildeac]

After our posts the last few days, I decided to test myself today. Took a few days off since my mom was in the hospital. She's okay now. Here was my test:

Got on the recumbent bike. I managed to do a little over 41 miles in two hours. I had to quit when the kids got up, but I was still holding up pretty well, so I think I could have gone longer. I'm feeling pretty proud right now, I must admit. Nothing spectacular, but I doubt too many 6'0", 285 lb. guys could do that.

That is VERY impressive!

[Schwarz]

Nothing spectacular.

Wrong! Do you do a flat course or a hill program? I always ride the same hill program, and I have never once thought that I should try a 2 hour ride.

[bjornolf]

Wrong! Do you do a flat course or a hill program? I always ride the same hill program, and I have never once thought that I should try a 2 hour ride.

It's my personal bike, and it's about six years old, so it's not fancy like that. I just set the resistance to medium high or high, which are fairly tough. I set it to medium high this time, since I knew I was going pretty far. So, it's constant resistance unless I change it manually. I'd guess medium high is probably the equivalent of a medium grade on a hill program, but not changing.

[unexpected]

Several Things.

Michael Phelps is not obese according to BMI. You can plug in his stats, 6'4", 195. He comes out being "normal" weight.

It's easy to make fun of BMI, but I think it's a pretty good metric. Yes, bodybuilders destroy the BMI, but those are body builders. Your average American, who works out 3x a week is not a body builder.

That being said, bjornholf, your right, body fat is the best way to measure fitness. You played football for duke. You're pretty large. You're going to have a TON of muscle mass.

If you're not happy with the body fat % produced by the scale (and scales are really wacky), the most common way to measure body fat is with calipers. These are hard to do yourself though, and it's often recommended that you have someone that knows what they're doing do it. You might want to consider having your wife do it, so you can't "cheat".

If you want an even more accurate method, see if you can find a hydrostatic body pod type apparatus somewhere in your area (use google). These dunk you in a tank of water and use the water differential and density to calculate your BF %.

Honestly, I don't think you're 37%. That would mean less than 200 lb of muscle to support your 300 lb frame. If I had to do a "what you're telling me on the message board" guess, I would guess you have about 210 - 230 lb of muscle, and I'd peg your bf % between 25 - 30%.

[BlueDevilBaby]

I just wondered, because I got inspired in January and started doing Body-For-Life, and want to toot my own horn and their's. It's a 12-week exercise/diet program by the end of which you are supposed to be completely transformed. Of course, they want you to buy their supplements, which I have not. It has worked for so far for me, except that I cannot work out upper body due to shoulder surgery in Dec. Just means more cardio. I have lost over 20 LBs since January and am shooting for 20 more over the next 12 weeks. My eating habits have also completely changed based on a list of allowed foods, all of which I like. You are full all the time so you don't crave the junk, except maybe salt sometimes (and a Five Guys burger and fries). And I'm cooking all the time, which I don't mind. Only thing that bothers me is I can go up and down a couple LBs in a day. I know it's water, but it's still frustrating. I try to drink more water than coffee but am really bad about it.

Hope everyone is doing well and sticking with your program.

[sue71]

Hope everyone is doing well and sticking with your program.


<Hanging head in shame> :(:(:(

[CathyCA]

Ugh. Not me. The only weight I've been able to lose in the past year was a 250 pound husband.

[DukePA]

very little progress here. I have started working out with wii fit. I like it so far. I have also decided to resume a very limited calorie diet. that is the only thing that has worked for me in the past. I'm not giving up. I'm in a wedding Labor Day weekend and am planning my 30th high school reunion for this fall and cannot show up to either event this huge.

Go To Hell Fat, Go To Hell! And of course, carolina can go to hell too :D!!!

[CameronBornAndBred]

I never started. I never agreed to. But I do need to, Tony Little and his Gazelle standing in the hallway calls to me. I might get it out tonight in front of the tv. Might.

[BlueDevilBaby]

Ha! I've got his videos collecting dust somewhere.

[aimo]

I was actually just thinking about the workout group the other day. I played tennis for almost three hours Saturday and was completely worthless the rest of the day. Haven't touched my Wii Fit in weeks. A friend of mine told me how she got on her Wii Fit for the first time in four months and it called her by the wrong name. Too funny. I love the yoga, though. Once I'm doing it, I LOVE it. It's just getting my tail in gear and actually doing it.

[bjornolf]

Yeah, I definitely fell off the wagon over the winter. With my first son being in school, potty training my second son, and chasing my now-crawling daughter around, I've been too busy.

Started riding my bike again a couple weeks ago, though, and I'm trying to cut down on the junk food. I gave up soda for New Year's and haven't had a drop in three months, which if you know me, you know how hard THAT was. I then gave up fast food for Lent, which has been just as hard. I'm pretty miserable. Luckily, that ends in a week with Easter. We'll see how it goes.

Oh, and DukePA, I have only one thing to say... from your waist to ole Roy's cheeks! ;)

[BlueDevilBaby]

I think part of my problem was I have no kids to run around after, so I became a couch potato. My friends who have kids are all skinnier than they were before the kids because they run around nonstop all day.

[kmspeaks]

I didn't notice this thread the first time around but just applied for membership in the google group if it's still being used.

I have recently become very motivated to exercise. The thought of living with my boyfriend this summer and talk of getting engaged has made me a little more conscious of my appearance.

Diet however is a big issue. Living on a college campus makes it very difficult. Most of the time I finish my meal but do not feel satisfied because it wasn't very good and turn to dessert to obtain that satisfaction. I have recently tried to replace the cookies and brownies with fruit and cereal and have had some success. Any nutritionists out there with good healthy eating suggestions for college students? I'm a little bit of a picky eater so salads aren't really an option for me. I do fine eating when I'm at home but at school I feel like it's all pizza and fried foods.

[bjornolf]

I know a BIG part of it is portion control. It's not as much what you eat as how much you eat, especially when you're young (I'm guessing from the college campus comment). One of the big things is substituting something good for you for something bad. You say that you don't do salads, but could you use one as a partial meal? For example, if you normally eat say four pieces of pizza, try to start with a salad and then eat two pieces. Also, soda is a killer. If you can drink water instead of soda, you'll save TONS of empty calories. I'm a HUGE Dr. Pepper addict, and I can't stand diet sodas, but I gave up soda as my New Year's resolution, and I haven't had a drop since. It's been REALLY tough, especially when my wife was sick and drinking ginger ale for her stomach, but I've persevered.

So, here's a question. Has anybody tried any of the acai or colon cleansing products that everybody seems to be talking about these days? How are they?

[BlueDevilBaby]

I saw a story that acai is a myth. Not proven to help with weight loss. People are even getting ripped off by online scams.

12 weeks into my lifestyle change, I am still tinkering with portion control. As I've lost weight, I find I need less and less to be satisfied, but if the portion is too small, I get hungry. Basically, I eat about six times a day, a little carb and a little protein each time. But the carbs are good carbs - lot of fruit and veggies, brown rice. I'm usually full, so don't get cravings, except for something salty every once in a while.

[bjornolf]

I read somewhere that if you want something salty, eat a little piece of banana around the same time. Supposedly the potassium in the banana can absorb the salt and it doesn't hurt your diet as much.

I've read several sites that say that there are two different kinds of acai berry, purple and white. The key is to find a supplement with the purple one. Apparently the white one is useless. It's the purple one that can really help you and was featured on all the shows. The purple ones are the rarer berry, so a lot of companies cut corners and use the white ones. That's where the "scams" come from. Who knows?

[Turk]

I've been trying to do my own thing - down 12 lbs since Feb 1. (the HR people at work started a little contest). In addition to more exercise, the littlest change that has had the biggest impact is no food after 8PM. I wake up hungry, and even someone like me can't eat potato chips and hamburgers for breakfast. I eat better in the AM and then don't need to eat as much the remainder of the day.

I must admit I have splurged once or twice when enjoying an evening on the town, but as long as I earn it I am still coming out ahead.

[BlueDevilBaby]

I've been trying to do my own thing - down 12 lbs since Feb 1. (the HR people at work started a little contest). In addition to more exercise, the littlest change that has had the biggest impact is no food after 8PM.

I was eating after 9pm after going to the gym - just was not getting results, so I bring my dinner to work at eat around 6pm. I find I'm usually not hungry after I come home from the gym, but if I am, I just have a piece of cheese. My trainer said it is good to have a small complex protein after a workout because it goes straight to repairing your muscles.

[unexpected]

The whole group fell apart. It was kind of disheartening, it sort of mirrored a typical diet.

I kept at it though- I've come down from 260 to 185!

[BlueDevilBaby]

The whole group fell apart. It was kind of disheartening, it sort of mirrored a typical diet.

I kept at it though- I've come down from 260 to 185!

Wow! That's fantastic and very inspirational. Congrats!

[DevilAlumna]

The whole group fell apart. It was kind of disheartening, it sort of mirrored a typical diet.

I kept at it though- I've come down from 260 to 185!

Holy moley - congrats, Unexpected - that's outstanding!! Keep it up! (Or should I say, off? :D)

[bjornolf]

Yea, I used the group for a while, but after a couple months, it seemed like I was the only one, so I gave up. I'd start up again if people started using it again.

[kmspeaks]

Yea, I used the group for a while, but after a couple months, it seemed like I was the only one, so I gave up. I'd start up again if people started using it again.

Well I for one know I need the accountability, the more the better. I just posted my goals today and hope to update with my daily activity and maybe diet information.

There's no time like the present to get started again.:)

[BlueDevilBaby]

I definitely need accountability and someone to kick me in the but. I knew I would not do what I needed without a trainer, so I work with one once a week. Will go for 24 weeks and see after that. I also keep a daily diary in which I plan my meals for the week and mark down my exercise activity and morning weight. Has kept me disciplined where I was not at all before. Hit a new low this morning.

Keep it up everybody! Bathing suit weather is coming.:eek:

[BlueDevilBaby]

Opening Day was a killer on the plan - gained 3lbs in one day and lost it in the next 24 hours. How is that possible? The up and down drives me nuts.

Anyway, I signed up for Lawyers Have a Heart (don't laugh) 10K, the first I will run in about 20 years. I hope I don't rue the day. Anyone have a recommendation on how to get myself up to the 6 miles or so by/before June 13? Even though I used to run everyday, I have no idea how to train to run longer and longer by a specific date. I'm at about 3 miles but have not been running outside. Will try to start this weekend.