I don't know why I never did it before but this year I signed up with a personal trainer. It has been one of the best decisions I ever made. I have been working out 5 days a week since the beginning of the year and really working on eating better and being healthy. I am noticing a huge difference. Can't believe I waited so long to do this. Guess it takes a bit of a mid-life whatever to get motivated.
I've posted on other boards about what swimming has done for me. It's a pain in the ass to get going but i'm full in with it.
“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively”
~Bob Marley
I started my own personal "Hell week" this week. I have been working out in the morning and evening and watching what I eat. I have already noticed a change in my energy levels and body shape. Keep it up GUBA, it only gets easier from here on out.
To Punish and Enslave...
I'm going to post here so I can keep being reminded about you guys and hopefully get my act together. I need to start doing something.
Good for you Utah! Just make a commitment to yourself to make the change and you can do it. I have only missed one workout day so far this year and that was the night of the big snowstorm in Jan. I am watching what I eat and going to the gym on a schedule. It has been great.
Awesome! Thanks for the support. I was really, really into it last year. Did Insanity and the whole bit. But then I hurt my back and it killed me for about two months. Since then, I have been very, very timid/lazy (most lazy) to get back into it. I hope that by following/writing this, I will get going again.Originally Posted by GUBA
Some thoughts on fitness from my experimenting over the last few years: I've tried running, P90x, weightlifting, circuit training, High Intensity Interval Training, olympic style lifting, flag football, bball. I think it's all about finding what it is you enjoy doing. To a degree, it all sucks at first, but once you get going you realize there are things you like and things you don't and then fitting that activity to your goals. I HATE distance running, I find it boring and have no interest in having a runner's body. I lift weights 4-5 times a week with 1-2 of those being olympic style lifts (deadlift, squat, cleans, snatch) and do 2-3 sessions of HIIT. I still dread the cardio part of the day but realize it's essential if I ever want to get <15% bf.
This past weekend I couldn't get to the gym for 4 days, it killed me and I hated not being able to go. Probably the first time in 2 years I've taken that much time off. But this week my body feels great, I feel rested and Monday morning I set a new PR on Deadlift (455).
What are some exercises you guys do to strengthen your core? I do leg lifts, toe dips, and I've started doing an exercise with c-sits and a medicine ball, but I still feel like I'm capable of better results.
(edit: all of this is combined with running ~3.5 miles 2x/week and weights 1x/week.)
I know a guy who is a physical therapist at the U Hospital that lives close to me. He said that one of the best core exercises is to stand or sit straight up, and try to suck in your belly button to your back bone (make your stomach as skinny as possible). Hold for ten seconds, and do 10 times. I can't vouch for the validitiy of this, but when I do this, I find myself gettin charly horses in my abdominal and back muscles, so it must be doing something.
“To me there is no dishonor in being wrong and learning. There is dishonor in willful ignorance and there is dishonor in disrespect.” James Hatch, former Navy Seal and current Yale student.
I do planks and push-ups. Occasionally I throw in a an video with a bunch of crunches and leg lifts. I am still about 2 inches away from my goal size, but I have lost 2 inches since January.
I have been doing spin classes off and on for the last 3 years. Sometimes I go 5 times a week, others just 3. Great cardio and w my sciatic issues, it doesn't kill me. That being said, supposedly the lifting and lowering on and off the seat is supposed to also be good for abs. I don't think it is all that great, but you definitely do use abs riding or running.
I get some core exercises from my trainer on Monday. I will share them here.
Exercise is amazing. I have never been one before to like it. I actually used to hate it. I have done it off and on for years because I had to to try and lose weight. For the past 2 years I have been really consistent with it. And I have discovered I love it. I actually look forward to it. If I am feeling stressed a good workout on the elliptical really makes me feel so much better. I went straight to the gym after my beloved Broncos lost to the Ravens this year. I also enjoy lifting weights. I am so happy with the results I have achieved. I am now at the weight I was in high school, though I was never one of those size 0 girls, even in high school. It has really changed my perspective on life. I am not only obsessed with men's shoulders, I am very obsessed with mine. Love to work my shoulders.
You have done a great job Guba. Keep going. I have noticed a change in you since you started! Great job!!!
Last thing I want to say. It absolutely sucks that men lose weight so much easier than women. Not fair!!
Thank you. That is very kind of you to say.
Lose weight now. Ask me how.
Turk, your weight loss plan sucks.
The beauty of it is that he doesn't have to workout. He gets other people to sign up under him, they do the working out, and then he gets the benefits of it.Turk, your weight loss plan sucks.
He's so lazy!
Admiral Ackbar approves of this message.
Those shoes are definitely bi-curious.
Narrowed it down to a Concept2 Model E or Waterrower Club rowing machine. Anyone have experience with either?
“Children and dogs are as necessary to the welfare of the country as Wall Street and the railroads.” -- Harry S. Truman
"You never soar so high as when you stoop down to help a child or an animal." -- Jewish Proverb
"Three-time Pro Bowler Eric Weddle the most versatile, and maybe most intelligent, safety in the game." -- SI, 9/7/15, p. 107.
I use a Concept2 rower in our gym. Solidly built, whose things will last forever. There is a reason they are chosen by health clubs. I have never used a water tower. I have read they are more smooth, and I suppose people who actually row on rivers and lakes like the sloshing sound.
“To me there is no dishonor in being wrong and learning. There is dishonor in willful ignorance and there is dishonor in disrespect.” James Hatch, former Navy Seal and current Yale student.
GUBA, I did this a year ago come April.
I was hesitant at first and not very motivated.
However, it's turned out to be very fulfilling and exciting. The results are motivating to push further ahead.
You'll probably experience some ups and downs in regards to staying motivated or staying on task in regards to eating right and exercise, but don't get discouraged and quit. Those things happen when you are getting into the routine and aren't a sign of failure...they are just a sign of being new to something.
It's a great feeling when people that haven't seen me in six months or a year start saying, "Hey, what are you doing? YOu look great!"
Keep up the great work!
And with that post, I guess I've officially joined UB5.
Last edited by UteBeliever aka Port; 03-02-2013 at 02:02 PM.
This thread just inspired me to go do my running right now instead of a nap. It's just so hard to find motivation when it's so cold out.
I fully agree with those who have said you gotta just find something you love. Sustainability is key when it comes to exercise.
Well, there's always this:
Pilates-Reformer.jpg
Looks like a medieval torture device, doesn't it?
Great for stretching and for no-impact cardio:
Leg-circles-reformer.jpg
Last edited by LA Ute; 05-22-2015 at 08:19 AM.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Man, saw this thread, clicked on it and realized I wanted to do something to help myself years ago.
It's funny, because since the beginning of June, I've worked out three times a week and haven't missed.
I started running/walking and couldn't get very far. Yesterday I had my best time when I ran two miles and my average pace was under 9 mins. I was happy about that.
My goal is to be able to run 3 miles in 25 mins. I have no desire to run any further than that.
I've also been lifting three times a week. Nothing too crazy.
Thursday: run two miles. Bench, squats, pull-ups, crunches.
Saturday: run two miles, overhead bench, biceps curls, deadlift, and calf raises
Monday: run two miles, goose grip bench, front squats, Romanian deadlift, bent over row
I like it. Big time. I'm pretty weak but feel a lot better. Plus, I do all this with my wife which is fun because it's some time with her away from the kids every week.
As far as running, once I can do two miles in 8:30 pace, I'll start increasing my distance by 0.1 miles every two weeks until I can do three miles.
its National Pancake Day!
First of last October, I went hardcore and started counting calories everyday and working out 2-3 times a week. I try to eat between 1800-2000 calories each day. I've gone from 235 lbs to 195 lbs since and have added a little muscle.
The best thing is my fat ass fits so much better in the Huntsman Center seats that I think were designed for people from Mesopotamia 800 years ago.
I really need to start doing this. I just don't have the discipline. And I'd probably be afraid to see just how many calories I eat in a day when I'm not paying attention. Could really stand to lose 15 pounds though. I assume that you used an app for logging your calories? Any tips?
I'd love to get something going that adds some motivation for me on this. I hit 40 last year and sad realization kicked in about getting in shape. Ive got a lot of weight I want to lose and get back down to close to my bike racing weight. Since mid-January I've been exercising at least an hour a day a minimum of 5 days a week.
The other time I had some weight to lose the thing that got me going was working with peers and truthfully putting some skin in the game. Me and a couple of buddies set some reasonable goals that put us all on equal footing of sorts, then we each pitched in $100. The person who got to their goal first got the cash. The most dangerous place on earth is between a Mormon and a dollar as you all know, so that worked great for me.
I don't know if any of you are interested in doing that sort of a thing as a motivator, if so it might be cool.
I used the my fitness pal journal app which tracks your calories and then deducts calories for your exercise. At first its a pain to use until you get into a routine and get all the food you typically eat stored into your saved selections. It easier if your diet is relatively the same week to week. I found it frustrating to see how much weight loss is more about diet than exercise. I think it's about 80% diet and 20% exercise (unless your in the gym 3 hours everyday).
I started off doing the Slim Fast shakes twice a day and then a regular dinner for the first 2-3 months. I would also do a low-carb Monster Energy Drink 1 hour before I exercised (less than 50 calories). Monster = not healthy but it helped me with energy to exercise and it was a good trade off for me. I found once I was used to the diet and my stomach had shrank. It wasn't to hard to keep on that diet.
The one thing I heard over and over that stuck with me about weight loss is Don't drink your calories. Stay away from regular soda, juices, milk, etc.
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