There has been an ongoing request (hello, dear Cassidy) for a Fitness Club, and apparently it’s up to the 93 year old with a dicky hip to take the lead.
When I was a young woman our idea of a good workout was a brisk ride across the moors after something unedible (usually a fox, although occasionally one of the more stupid maids), a glass of wine and three laps around the stable after the Second Footman.
Even though we ate about seven times a day – endless rounds of tea and scandal, long boozy lunches to celebrate Margaret’s new monkey or Jim’s new digs or Sammy snagging himself a Duke, dinners where the port went round seventeen times and had to be refilled thrice, late night suppers of toasted muffins and cocoa, all topped off with enough Battenberg cake to sink a queen and a soupçon of chocolate sauce licked from the chest of an under-butler – we never gained a pound.
All that energy must have been burned off by the raging fire of our youthful pomposity.
Now, of course, I can barely look at a vanilla slice without fearing for the seams of my best Balenciaga. The perils of age.
I have no idea how we are going to go about this.
What are the rules of Fitness Club?
Linnaeus
Don’t talk about the Fitness Club.
Irving
…I’m sorry, talk about what?
schrodinger's cat
First rule of the Fitness Club, there is no Fitness Club
sukabi
Rule 2. Don’t talk about Fitness Club.
EIGRP
How about a Fight Club instead?
Auguste
Okay, 5 Fight Club jokes are enough.
/dictator
Ecks
@Auguste: That’s good, because I didn’t want have to be the first to fight Sarah. I’m not sure how much faith I’d have in the NHS to put me back together right afterwards.
gnomedad
No pooftahs.
Auguste
@Ecks: Exactly.
Southern Beale
… that we don’t talk about fitness club?
Seriously, I can’t think of anything I’m LESS interested in doing. I used to run marathons and 10Ks but since I got this tendonitis in my hip a few years ago I can’t even run a mile. So now I sit at home and drink beer and get fat.
Fitness club? Bah.
Cassidy
Sweet. It does work.
I think we just need to have a weekly “gathering” where people can look for support, ask advice, so on and so forth. Maybe showcasing some different routines, exercises, workout systems throughout the week. Maybe discuss some different eating lifestyles. I know we have someone around who eats paleo, some vegetarians and vegans, etc.
My main reason for asking for it is I know there are people here who want to be in better shape and live a healthier lifestyle, but it’s intimidating to ask. So I thought if we had some specific threads to address people’s concerns in a supportive atmosphere and offer guidance form those who do exercise or eat a certain way, then the intimidation factor would be gone since this is a very helpful group of people.
That’s what I was thinking.
Southern Beale
@Auguste:
Nooo. Never too many Fight Club jokes!!!!
jl
I don’t think Balloon Juice has liability insurance, and I don’t see any disclaimers on the site, so some reasonable rules (to make sure the beasts stay fed) would be no running, no jumping, no heavy lifting, no cycling, no swimming, no calisthenics, no bending, no yoga, no pilates, no Zumba or Rumba (no, wait that’s a vacuum, or something). No fancy dance steps. No hiking, climbing, skiing, ice skating.
Nothing that produces heavy breathing (Wait, that might be a problem for this bunch…) OK, heavy breathing is OK if brought on by trying to think or p 0 R n. But not by exercise.
We do however have food and cooking at BJ, all food is OK. Let’s trade cookie recipes.
There you go, Balloon Juice fitness club.
Violet
I find when I eat right and exercise, I tend to lose weight and get in shape. And then when I don’t I gain weight, get out of shape and generally don’t feel as good. Kind of crazy how that works.
I know what I should do. It’s the matter of doing it that’s the problem. I even like to exercise, but I like eating chocolate and other delicious foods as well. I’d like to be able to do the second without that pesky “in moderation” or “as an occasional treat” nonsense.
Shinobi
I think the best thing I’ve found for staying fit (or more accurately, getting slightly fit) is finding something I enjoyed doing. I currently take belly dance classes, and it is such a fun environment full of nice accepting women. Bonus, overweight girls look way hotter belly dancing than very thin ones. I WIN FOR ONCE
Anyway, that is my suggestion for BJ’s fitness club. Try things, find something you like, do it because you like it, not because you “really should.”
jl
@Cassidy:
Seriously, Cassidy’s idea sounds good to me. BJ has weekly gardening, cooking posts, and during the seasons of madness, almost hourly futbol, and football posts. Why not the same for fitness? A regularly scheduled weekly forum would be good.
JC
Fitness fitness, let’s talk fitness.
Simple – and hard – all at the same time.
Four elements:
a. Cardio
b. Stretching/yoga
c. Some form of resistance training
(And of course, unmentioned above – eat right, which should be it’s own “club” at BJ)
My suggestions for the physical three elements, or what worked for me:
a. Cardio – pick a pace – any pace – where you alternate between YOUR maintenance speed (even if that’s walking, or a jog that is more of a shuffle), with small bursts of a minute of ‘picking it up’. The main goal is to get to that sweet spot, where endorphins kick in, where you don’t HATE EXERCISING.
Because I promise you – once you find that magic spot of your breathing metabolism, where the endorphins kick in, you WON’T WANT to stop exercising. THAT is where the magic is – once your body starts to recognize the endorphin high (and that can happen when you simply fast walk, or at a shuffle slightly more than a walk.)
Just start small, but again, punctuate your maintenance speed with ‘picking it up’, once every 5 to ten minutes, for a minute.
b. Stretching/yoga. Lots of different ways to stretch, but in the main, stretching and balancing to maintain suppleness, openness, in the back, legs, and hips. (and helps to breathe right when doing it.
c. Resistance training – LIGHT WEIGHTS are enough, say where you max out at 20 reps, to combat bone loss. Forget about ‘getting strong’, unless that is a personal goal, initially, simply 2-3 times a week, the minumum to maintain bone density.
To advance a bit further, balance with/without weights (like on a Bosu ball) with compound movements, are the IN thing, nowadays. One’s whole core is engaged, which is really much more useful than isolated weight training.
Again, exercises that are meant to be able to be done until 90.
At any rate, that’s a bare minimum. Lots more you do can do, on top of these suggestions.
BGinCHI
I would suggest a counter-thread for those of us who are fit. It could be for ways to destroy your fitness or something.
Speaking of, how’d the NYC gathering with Doug go yesterday? Did I miss a follow-up thread to that or a live blog?
Or….does what happens in NYC stay in NYC?
Shinobi
@Violet: I bet you that if you gave yourself permission to eat all the chocolate you want, eventually you wouldn’t eat that much chocolate. I have no eating rules, and tonight I had dessert for the first time in probably a week or so. (Not totally sure, because I don’t keep track.)
I also eat salads because I like them, and sometimes I want a salad.
(I am a big fan of Health at Every Size, which research has indicated is more effective at creating improvement in long term health outcomes than typical weight loss focused programs. )
Chuck Butcher
We could try to follow Mitt as he chases Rick, lots of twists and turns and…
jl
@Shinobi:
Which reminds me, BJ reader pics work well for the weekly gardening and cooking posts.
Somehow, at BJ, I imagine lots of 40, 50 something old guys sporting some ample tuck and roll under rumpled gym clothes staring at some gym equipment with a forlorn look on their faces (you, know, like something I would send in).
But if some readers could send in nice pictures once in awhile, that would spruce up the fitness club posts.
Rawk Chawk
Kansas at Kansas State on ESPN.
Go Jayhawks.
AnnaN
Fight Club? I’m not one for punching. But I do like to give out a good slap.
chopper
@gnomedad:
rule six: there is no … rule 6.
rule seven: no poofters!
Annamal
I think “don’t be a dick” might be a good one. There’s the entire rest of Balloon Juice where people can exercise extreme assholeishness.
Make the fitness club threads the one place where mods delete with extreme predjudice.
JC
@jl:
I could send in a pic, but then I’d worry I’m pulling a Christopher Lee.
Not gonna happen.
kdaug
@BGinCHI:
And we get to talk about it. Constantly. And mention in every thread that there is a Fit Club.
gnomedad
@JC:
Very interesting. I’ve seen a number of regimens that show this pattern without saying why. I’ll experiment with this. Thanks.
Gordon, The Big Express Engine
If this is your first time at Fitness Club….
Shinobi
@jl: Sadly I don’t think my pictures would be all that nice. Here’s a video I’m obsessed with though!
ruemara
I walked 2 miles in the cloudy weather photographing parks. I feel fit. Tomorrow I will do pilates or some form of aerobics. & you?
Linda Featheringill
I think a fitness club might be helpful.
I’m very, very, very old and very, very, very out of shape. I did have a checkup a couple of weeks ago, though, and all of my innards seem to be working well.
We found the money to buy an exercise bike. [John has a 400.00 towel rack and I have a 400.00 kitty perch.] When we first got the torture instrument, I could do a minute and a half. Now I can do 17 minutes, but I am rather tired afterwards.
Encouragement and sharing of complaints would be good. I vote for the fitness club.
Violet
@Shinobi:
No, it doesn’t work that way for me. I give myself permission to eat chocolate and can down a significant percentage of a jar of Nutella, or eat an entire bar of chocolate or a lot of a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. I am very good at eating very bad for me stuff. Eventually I tire of it and go through a healthy phase, feel great, lose weight and so forth. And then something happens, usually stress but maybe holidays, and I eat sweets and somehow get out of the healthy cycle.
It’s not about permission to eat chocolate. It’s about using food as a crutch a lot of the time. But it’s also about just plain liking bad for me food. I have a sweet tooth. Always have, as long as I can remember
WaterGirl
I am very excited about this. Big thanks to Cassidy for persistence and to Sarah for graciously granting us the fitness club.
@BGinCHI: Be nice, no gloating about being all fit and everything or we won’t send presents for the baby. :-)
Cassidy
@gnomedad: You need to look up HIIT training.
FormerSwingVoter
I’m terrible about exercising. I’m a bit better about watching what I eat, though.
jeff
@BGinCHI:
I went…probably 20 people came–all lovely folks. I did not, unfortunately, catch a lot of names.
Doug is a handsome fellow, though.
I met a couple of folks, but I just remember their real names, not their posting names–great folks that I would like to meet again.
I do remember Purple Girl, which is not her real name, who was very nice and full of information about NYC.
Nice meeting those whom I met, and thanks to whoever organized with Doug.
jl
@JC:
OK, to be serious, I agree with JC’s points. I do not like resistance training, or weight training, whatever you want to call it. But it was getting harder to lose weight and avoid injury when doing aerobics. So I finally gave in and started it.
Resistance training is still not my favorite way to spend time, but I would not give it up. Maybe not liking it is a plus, since that means I am very strict about doing it just like trainer told me to, on strict schedule, in minimum of breaks.
The resistance training did wonders for losing weight and reducing injuries while hiking and running to zero (knock on wood).
Only thing is that stretching does not help me before I start exercise so I do
warm up aerobics (brisk walking, or cycling outside or on machines in gym)
resistance training
aerobics
stretching
Also, in addition to JC’s list, some endurance aerobics, like progressively longer hikes (at least 10 to 20 miles when you get fit), is very good addition for aerobic fitness and losing fat. And if you live in an area with lots of good trails or beaches, or cross country rambling opportunities, it is fun too.
Edit: I do recommend getting at least one session with a trainer who knows about resistance training. So you don’t hurt yourself, and you do the right kind of resistance training. You don’t want to do body builder stuff, that just puffs up your muscles for looks, and not much else.
I want strength for aerobics and joint stability. You might want something else. A good trainer can set you up to meet your goals.
srv
Given the proclivity of the commenters here, I suggest someone make a keyboard out of the dance dance revolution foot pad. They could blow off pounds and hot air.
Left Coast Tom
Personally I’m with Shinobi…find something you really like doing (maybe multiple somethings on account of weather). I can hike, snowshoe, ski, etc. for hours, the first and only time I tried a gym I was bored after 30 minutes.
binzinerator
Awesome band name just waiting to be glommed..
MikeJ
@JC:
Sit ins? I don’t know where there’s a lunch counter anywhere near me.
clayton
This poster is really stupid.
This poster has an undeserved assumption of his own superiority of himself. This sort of porn went south at the beginning of the internets.
Doesn’t anyone ever wonder what happened to all of the porn writers on Yahoo? There’s one here who thinks he’s the cat’s meow.
Here’s a cute video of a cat getting the best of a FRENCH bulldog. It’s more interesting than this poster.
LINK
DanielX
WWTDD
Sorry, just can’t help myself.
FormerSwingVoter
@Violet:
This. So much this.
It’s not about eating healthy – I know I can do that. It’s just a matter of giving enough of a fuck about long-term benefits to deprive myself of that.
jenn
Ok, here goes – my goal for the week is to get at least 25 miles of walking and/or running in. Hopefully the public pronouncement will help me not flake out this week!
DCinME
The first rule……….
Wait, what are we talking about????
Cassidy
@Violet: If you can’t beat the food, then focus on working it off. I love burgers. And I hate diets, especially ones with a cheat day. I think it’s BS. I just work a little harder the next day after I eat something bad for me.
Gordon, The Big Express Engine
Relevant
MattR
Some inspiration (perhaps)
Gordon, The Big Express Engine
@Cassidy: Would be curious to get your feedback on p90x in a few weeks. I know several people who completed this and described it as nothing short of life changing.
johio
OT: No Westminster open thread? I swear one of the dogs just looked very alarmed at the human lifting his tail. What are you looking at?! You don’t need to see anything back there! Here’s to the dogs that don’t get embarrassing haircuts from their humans
Jager
@BGinCHI: Destroy fitness, I’m your expert:
1. Start smoking cigars
2. Put off that long bike ride until tomorrow.
3. Blow off your normal visit to the gym just to have a beer with an old pal who is in town for the night.
4. Drink about 4 drinks and then eat a huge steak with lots of sides, drink a bottle of wine with dinner. Split a death by chocolate with your fat client along with a couple of glasses of port, go back to the bar and have a nightcap or two or three along with your 2nd cigar of the night.
After that you will definetely blow off the gym or the run or the ride…in no time your body fat will be up about 5 points, you’ll lose your wind and you’ll be getting a nice set of man boobs! Easy steps to being unfit and on the way to a stent or two. Call me for advice anytime.
jl
Already trolls on a fitness club post?
I fart in their general direction.
Regarding eating too much and hard to resist treats. I found that really intense exercise reduces my appetite, and makes goodies very resistible for the rest of the day.
Probably should see a doc for check up before you start that.
Interval training works for me. One to two minutes easy, then half minute to minute as hard as you can go, alternate. I do that for twenty minutes or so, no appetite problems afterwards. Not sure why that is. But if I don’t do really intense exercise, I want to chow down later in the day at some point.
Scotty
Best thing to do for fitness is keep a log on your physical activity each day. That way you know what you’ve accomplished in the past (such as each month) and you can work to do more or get better at what you’ve accomplished so you can build up your exercise. Also, it’s a good motivator if you see you haven’t done any exercising in a few days and realize you better get your butt in gear.
JC
@Cassidy: DUDE. HIIT?
Yes, that stuff is amazing – but NOBODY I KNOW continues it for more than a couple of years.
I’m not against it, if you have the discipline and focus – it’s awesome, and I do a modified form myself.
But sending anyone who already isn’t in shape to HIIT, is nearly a guarantee of someone doing a month of training, and then saying ‘eff it, I’m done.”
IMNSHO (in my not so humble opinion), of course.
jeffreyw
Don’t eat these!
Cassidy
@Gordon, The Big Express Engine: Like I said earlier, I thought I was in pretty good shape, but day 1 was a real ass-kicker. Of course, it’ll get easier, I’m sure, but I really didn’t expet to get whipped like today.
Annamal
Also because I feel the need to boast about this pretty much everywhere (and because it sort of ties into the fitness theme)…
On Saturday my 80 year old grandmother celebrated her birthday by walking the 19 km Tongariro Alpine Crossing with us(us being 3 of her children and 2 grandchildren). Essentially she hiked an entire volcano (which has a stretch known as “the devil’s stair-case”). She is awesome…
She’s been a hiker most of her life and I’m starting to believe in long distance walking as a really good way of staying fit in the long term.
Violet
@Cassidy:
That’s good advice, but I’ve been dealing with a hip/back injury for over a year. I’m not able to work out at the level I like to be. It’s much easier to slack when you have an injury.
schrodinger's cat
Keep a log of everything you eat and drink and your activity.
Since there has been no winter to speak off, I am going to start running outside from this week. I am going to train for either a 7k or 10k around my birthday which is in April. I also like group fitness classes, especially involving dance.
jl
@jeffreyw: That is one effective destroy all fitness club pic.
flickeringlamp
Exercise is great, but for most people, it won’t make up for a crappy diet. If you’re trying to lose weight, there’s no replacement for quitting sugar. Fructose causes insulin resistance, which causes hyperinsulinemia, which causes obesity, leads to most other chronic diseases.
Also, research seems to show that exercise doesn’t do much for weight loss. Turns out it makes you hungry and people tend to eat more than they burned. It’s good for other reasons though.
JC
@jl:
Great point! Hikes or long bike rides, really excellent. There is a lot of variety once you’ve gotten started.
I’ve focused on the MINIMUM that is DOABLE, by most people. But your suggestion is both fun and also pretty doable – hiking or biking for long stretches, at your own pace, with others.
Cassidy
@Violet: Understandable. I have a torn Meniscus and I’ve had a hell of a time finding the right exercise for me that doesn’t cause pain. I stick to non-impact cardio. I even do my sprints on the elliptical and weight lifting. I started p90x today actually, cuz I’m trying to cut BF, so we’ll see.
DanielX
In all seriousness….
Stretching. Stretching is your friend, especially if you’re over 40. Even more especially if you have a stress fracture right below your knee and Dr. Friendly Ortho Guy says be careful because if it doesn’t heal right you get to have your (mostly) good knee replaced.
Walking. Lots and lots of walking. Walk, don’t run, to your friendly footwear emporium for good walking shoes or lightweight hikers. It can be done even when it’s cold out and you burn more calories when it’s cold anyway. Did I mention stretching?
Weights. It’s the number of reps, not the amount of weight, stupid. And once you get into the habit and start seeing results it’s very satisfying. The downside is going to the local Y, for example, and seeing lots of people who should never wear spandex under any circumstances…wearing spandex. Where are the fashion police when you need them? But there are a lot fewer assholes at the Y than there are at LA Fitness, for example, and the Y is a lot cheaper. Of course, if using the weight room as a pickup bar is your thing (shudder), knock yourself out. Please.
jl
@JC:
Yeah, dude, interval training. You don’t need to kill yourself when you start, any variation in tempo works to begin with. You work up to gradually higher pace and shorter rest periods. It’s not so bad if you do it gradually.
For those with good joints, and who like the outdoors, hiking, or if you in right area for it, cross country hiking is a pretty fun way to get equivalent of interval training, unless you are in Kansas or something.
JC
@flickeringlamp:
This is very true – I was an example of this, actually. I was exercising MADLY – much more than I am now – but I also at a huge burrito every couple of days, pizza two or three times a week, and every morning had a danish and a chai.
EDIT: Not to mention – drinking!
Once I scaled back on the above, and substituted carrots and other thngs for some of my snacking (not all, just some), then I lost weight, simply because the daily calorie intake was better.
Cassidy
That’s not true. Weight builds bulk, reps build endurance. Lots of reps will still put on muscle of you’re doing medium weight, but lots of weight will put on the bulk.
flickeringlamp
@jl:
20 minutes seems like a long time for intervals. Most of what I’ve been reading suggests more like 8. What’s the story?
jl
@JC: If you live in the right area, long hikes can be fun.
Longest I did was almost 50 miles in one day, uhh, but because I got lost. Seriously lost, in the effing SF Presidio after dark, when they had started construction on new expressway and stuff was all scrambled around. I do not recommend that.
I am in a long hike paradise, on the SF peninsula.
There are internet sites you can use to plan hikes. One comes to mind now is
http://www.livestrong.com/loops
but I have not used it in a long time.
Nice thing is that you hike all day across SF peninsula into Pacifica, then up along beach to SF and then fool around on the beach/cliff trails to Golden Gate bridge, You can eat like a damn pig that day, and you will still lose weight.
Annamal
Oh and when it comes to long distance walking (and running), the secret weapon is audiobooks (as recommended by both Neil Gaiman and Stephen Fry).
It takes a while to get used to listening to books (I started off with my favourite Pratchetts so it didn’t matter if I missed a few minutes) but once you’re in the zone you can completely lose yourself in a book and wake up 5km later.
Cassidy
If you’re wieght training, you may not lose weight. You’re putting on muscle, but your BF should decrease.
DanielX
@Cassidy:
This is true. I’m more interested in endurance than building bulk, though, and medium is about about as much as I want to move anyway. Unless it’s leg weights. Lots of weight there.
jl
@flickeringlamp: I would not try to do high intensity interval training for 20 minutes straight. I alternate lower intensity interval training with some HIT mixed in. So a three to four minutes of HIT in between lower intensity intervals.
I had a training session before I started doing serious work outs and the dude said any change up in tempo works the same way, and the effect just grows as you do more very intense intervals, and you can mix up higher and lower intensity periods. It works for me.
Edit: the way I was taught, ‘HIT’ means you go 100 percent for 30 seconds to a minute, so you out of gas at the end. No way I would try to string 20 thirty second sessions of that together. So I mix in one minute moderate intensity intervals, so I am just exhausted, not literally wondering how my arms or legs can do anymore, that would be too much.
binzinerator
Used to run almost every day since I was 16. Teen years, 6 – 10 miles a day; in my twenties, 4-6 miles a day; most of my thirties, 3 miles a day. Then marriage, my 40th, and the next year the first kid. Down to running 2x week, 2 miles tops. Kid #2 and I’m lucky if I walk a mile a week.
Now I’m pushing 50, fat and out of shape. I get out of breath playing tag with my kids (“Papa! Chase me!” And my lungs have to work to keep them happy).
Two weeks ago I decided to exercise on our Nordic Track 3 times a week, for 20 minutes. Still keeping the schedule, and it feels so good. It’s not the will, it’s always been a question of energy and time. Only one preschooler now, and the older one now reads. A bit more time and energy now available.
Naturally, I prop the ipad up on the ledge of the Nordic Track panel and read B-J.
[wish list: Nordic Track handles have pressure sensitive buttons so I can scroll up or down on the ipad, or tab and hit enter/select, sorta like how steering wheels of cars have volume controlls.]
MikeJ
@jeffreyw: Leave the gun.
terry chay
Well for running/distance there are a bunch of groups you could create.
You could create an iMapMyFitness group I think. I think that’s mostly for iPhone/Android outdoor types. Their app used to cost money but I think it’s free now:
http://classic.mapmyfitness.com/community/
There is DailyMile groups: mostly triathlon I think, it integrates with a lot of other stuff like Nike+ or Garmins and the like:
http://www.dailymile.com/groups
You could create a FitBit group which is a fancy digital pedometer:
http://www.fitbit.com/community
MyFitnessPal is super popular with female iPhone users. It has great diet and simple cardio tracking. Really an unusable site for tracking resistance training. Also they seem to have a shitty API (one of the only sites I know WITHOUT Withings support).
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums
Nike+ may have group creation also, but again, runner centric. They do make a FitBit competitor, but it won’t fly because you have to wear it on your arm.
MY ADVICE ON CREATING A FITNESS CLUB
Create a public Balloon Juice group on these and nearly any service you can find that is basically free and list them somewhere on the sidebar (some may come with wordpress widgets) as well as in a post so people can join up using whatever they want. As time moves on, a lot of those services will integrate.
…
And remember the first rule of Fitness Club is…
What? Too soon? :-)
EIGRP
I would add find a workout buddy, and not the virtual blog kind.
My neighbor and I go almost every morning (except when one of us is traveling for business). We alternate driving to the gym, so there’s always an incentive to be up bright and early.
I’ve also found that first thing in the morning is easier than after work/dinner/kids to bed/whatever. It probably helps that I’m a morning person.
Eric
Cassidy
@DanielX: No problem with that. I like to do circuit training as well and was looking at Boxing and MMA workouts. Found a quote from a boxer who said that he had no clue what his max bench was, but he knew he could hit you hard and a lot of times. He’d put up something like 150 or in that area and pump a few hundred reps.
jl
I am lucky in one way. Workplace has a great gym, with great outdoor pool, multiple channels of piped in music at all of the aerobic equipment, and TV at a lot of them. Not much on watching TV while on gym machines, but I like music.
But, I want to get away from the gym machines, so thinking about getting another training session. Except I cannot imagine myself doing free weights with all the muscle bound free weight dudes. And I have always imagined it a big pain in the neck to learn how to do training with free weights, so have been putting off doing that.
flickeringlamp
@jl: That makes sense. I do wonder if the lower intensity intervals are adding much to the work-out though. I’m told that high intensity work actually does more for stamina than medium intensity, and avoids the inflammatory effects of longer distance work.
Kirk Spencer
the lesser tidbit: stretch last.
The slightly more important tidbit: after your workout, consume protein. You don’t need a lot (unless you did an hour or more of very hard work), but you need some. Your workout did a little bit of muscle damage. Putting protein in the system gives your body the raw material to fix it. The result is significantly less pain the next day.
The really important tidbit: get a partner. Even if it’s a virtual partner (this group would work). For most people the time comes when you’re depressed or sore or tired or whatever and you decide to put it off just this once, just this once, just this once more… and suddenly you turn around and you’ve not done anything for months if not years.
And finally the most important thing: don’t watch the numbers. Not the weight, not the inches. As long as you tie your workout to that, it’s a JOB. Instead find the magic spot JC mentioned, and strive for it. Make the goal the reward of just feeling great, not staying down to some arbitrary weight or clothing size. The exercise becomes something you do for the immediate reward instead of the long-term drudge.
tl;dr: do it for the fun. And if you do it right, it will be fun.
terry chay
BTW, for personal health information, Microsoft has HealthVault. Some people might want to look into it:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/healthvault/
Also, the best device I’ve ever seen for health is the WIthings WiFi Scale
http://www.withings.com/
The body fat stuff is a joke, but I’ve never seen a product that works so seamlessly with nearly every other product on the market. I’ve seen it work with nearly every web site, desktop app on fitness, etc.
jl
@flickeringlamp:
I don’t know that much about it. I just followed the trainer’s advice to start intervals at whatever level was possible for me, and then work up to whatever I felt comfortable with.
Any kind of interval training does a lot more for me than just plodding away at a moderate pace.
I am not a ‘quick starter’ at exercise. So, I can do very intense intervals at the end of a 20 minute session of mixed moderate intensity and high intensity intervals that I cannot do at the beginning. I think I have to work up to the kind of HIT where after 30 to 60 seconds you have gone 100 percent and your limbs are starting to fail. I just can’t even attempt something like that unless I have been exercising at various paces for at least ten minutes or so.
Lurker
@Scotty:
This also works for calorie counters. I used to use Livestrong’s Daily Plate to count calories, but I recently switched to FatSecret for online calorie tracking. So far I’ve lost 3.5 pounds. Only 25 more to go…
Shinobi
Oh I forgot the other fun fitness thing I adore. Ladies only, dance dance party party, it is just a dance club, without the booze and the dressing up. They have a bunch of chapters, usually one night or two a week. It is lots of fun.
flickeringlamp
@jl: Fair enough. This stuff’s all new to me, so I’m trying to make sense of everything I’m reading. Turns out there’s lots of conflicting information about fitness on the Internet.
I’ve been doing some free weights for a few months now, and I highly recommend it. Surprisingly, it’s been amazing for my range of motion. But yeah, you definitely need a trainer until you really learn what you’re doing.
TooManyJens
@Violet:
I don’t, which pisses me right the fuck off. I do get in shape, but when I’m on antidepressants I can’t ever lose more than a couple of pounds.
jl
@flickeringlamp:
I think a check up with a doc and a couple of sessions with a trainer are essential before you start intense exercise.
I had two sessions with trainer, one for resistance training and one for how to do aerobics. The session on resistance training was essential, since there are so many ways to do it, for different purposes. If I hadn’t had a trainer who understood my goals, I would have done the wrong kind of training.
Annamal
On a completely different note, I wish there was more of a focus on fitness as a reward in itself.
It feels amazing to get fitter even if you’re still overweight.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
I eat a modified paleo – more kind of primal with a (very) little dairy (cream in coffee and some cheese; 2T greek yogurt in berry smoothie). I’m more inclined to want to do interval training than anything, but the MS fatigue makes any training tough right now.
imbrium
Dammnit, I need to do this. But I’m too freaking antisocial for classes and gyms and my knees are too shot for running (I do walk a lot though.) Website communities all seem to be aimed at a much more gung-ho set than myself.
I like pedometers, but tend to loose them. I have an elliptical machine I haven’t used since a cross country move 4 mo. ago. There’s four flights of stairs between the gound floor and the lab I work it. Gotta start somewhere…
imbrium
Dammnit, I need to do this. But I’m too freaking antisocial for classes and gyms and my knees are too shot for running (I do walk a lot though.) Website communities all seem to be aimed at a much more gung-ho set than myself.
I like pedometers, but tend to loose them. I have an elliptical machine I haven’t used since a cross country move 4 mo. ago. There’s four flights of stairs between the ground floor and the lab I work in. Gotta start somewhere…
flickeringlamp
@ahhafI: Sounds similar to my diet. How long have you been eating like that? What do you think of the results?
Left Coast Tom
@Annamal:
Since I started playing in the Sierra, shortly after moving to CA 25 years ago, I think I’ve gained 30 pounds and picked up one inch of waist size. I’ll take that. I guess that fits with the ‘find something you want to do and do it’ thing…can I backpack cross-country, ski double-diamonds, etc? If so, I’m maintaining and/or improving my ability to do a serious activity that I want.
Not sure how relevant this is to people with various disabilities, its an issue I’m thus far thankful not to have, yet I’m extremely impressed when I see things like blind people skiing with guides.
schrodinger's cat
@imbrium: How about swimming?
Sarah Proud and Tall
@Cassidy:
Only because I’m an old softy. Don’t push it.
Sarah Proud and Tall
Oh, and let me know when you think would be a good time for the Club post, and how often you want it, and I will organise.
imbrium
@schrodinger’s cat:
A good thought, and something that I enjoyed in the past, but the weird self-consciousness I have around people also happens to be inversely proportional to the coverage of clothing I’m wearing. Still, I remember swimming for being great for getting into some sort of zone…
Currently I pace a lot, the stare at my feet and mutter to myself variety, and probably look crazy for it.
Mnemosyne
@Violet:
I used to be pretty fit, but I managed to tear my ACL falling off a stepladder at work 6 years ago, and I’ve never managed to figure out how to come back from that injury.
Doesn’t help that my allergies suddenly got really bad in the last couple of years, which means I have to be extra-careful with aerobic exercise lest I trigger my asthma and slide into bronchitis.
WaynersT
instead of drinks – add starting and current weight to every post.
+160/-158
jl
@Sarah Proud and Tall:
So, SPaT, you will be our Balloon Juice Fitness Club
dominatrix,seductress, concierge? OK by me.Edit: I think same time and day every week would be best, like the regular gardening and recipe posts.
Why not, in the next installment, post a list of times that are good for you and you can pick one that works the best for most people.
And, since you travel in rarefied circles, maybe some pics of your famous friends in the gym would attract a crowd. I heard Newt decided to get fit awhile back, and peddled some Newt fitness gear of some kind. Do you have any updates on how that worked out? (Not too well for Newt, if recent pics are any guide).
Actually, just a picture of Cole’s infamous stationary exercise cycle (with or without Cole) would attract a crowd.
cdmarine
Is anybody interested in a Balloon Juice Fitocracy group? I have a few invites to hand out, and once you sign up, you’ll also get invites, so you can get a pretty big group going with a few invites per person.
Fitocracy is a fitness-based social networking thingie that is currently in beta:
http://www.fitocracy.com/
They’ve basically combined social networking (groups, people you follow, etc.) and gaming (you can complete “quests” and “achievements” and “level up” etc.).
Michele
Really enjoying this new thread and hope I can participate in it more – I’m forty-something and like to do couch to 5k, which is an easy interval training for running your first 5k. That is, I like to do it, but haven’t gotten past the 2nd week; I slack off and then start over again. At least I’m moving, I tell myself.
Also interested in the paleo diet – has anyone heard of the blog Mark’s Daily Apple? He’s all about primal living and it’s something I’m getting interested in trying and would like to hear from other people who have tried it and what they think of it.
Thanks for suggesting this, Cassidy, and thanks for giving us this thread, Sarah!
jl
Thinking about features of the BJ Fitness Club. Hmm…
Regional BJ meet ups are becoming more popular. So, maybe could have regional BJ meet ups for hikes and such? Then people could post pics of a BJer huffing puffing down a path of some kind. Or general pics of exciting fitness scenery.
Fitness Club posts would be a good place to organize those.
Maybe tips on fun fitness things to do around where various BJers live. To attract the elusive and perhaps mythical Cole (all we have a picture of some dude claimed to be Cole), I’ll repeat my suggestion of reports on good regional rails to trails. Those are mostly easy trails, good for people at any level.
And this being BJ, tips on hikes and outings that provide some nice mix of fitness, scenery, food, drink and/or pet fitness opportunities would attract interest. BJ tastes vary, you know.
imbrium
@cdmarine:
That sounds geekily awesome! (Or horrifyingly lame, depending on what they do with the ‘social networking’ aspect. I despise anything that wants to leave its stickly fingerprints all over my otherwise neglected facebook status page just to hawk itself.) Definitely would check out though!
cdmarine
@imbrium: It’s self-contained. It doesn’t post to your Facebook or Twitter. I imagine they might add that functionality at some point once they’re out of beta, but since it’s currently invite-only, there’s not much point in spamming your other social networks with status updates. All the sharing currently happens within Fitocracy.
I went ahead and created a group over there:
http://www.fitocracy.com/group/6503/
If any of you are already on Fitocracy, please feel free to join it.
If you’re interested in getting an invite to join, e-mail me at cdmarine =at= gmail =dot= com. I don’t have a ton of invites to hand out, but like I said, once you join, you get your own set of invites to hand out, so we could get everyone on who wanted on.
Cassidy
@Sarah Proud and Tall: I would suggest Sunday because that is the typical day of rest for people with a workout routine. People could post what they’ve don for the week. Thought behind that is that if people feel accountable to a group they’ll work harder, not skip that day when they don’t feel like it, etc. People work out better in a group.
One or two posts a week showcasing a particular workout routine, exercise, or diet/ nutrition plan would be cool to expose people to new things or get feedback from someone who does it.
As far as everything else, I think one or two posts a week showcasing a particular way or working out or diet/ nutrition plan, etc. would be suitable just as a way to expose people to new things.
And goals. You need a goal. Losing weight is not a goal. You may or may not lose weight depending on what you’re doing. If you’re putting on muscle, you might gain weight. A goal should be something tangible and something that can be measured: I want to run a half marathon/ marathon in 9 mos, I want to do 20 dead hang pull ups (my goal), I want to get down to a size 6, etc.
cdmarine
@imbrium: Oops! I spoke too soon. It looks like Fitocracy does give you the ability to post your stuff to Twitter and Facebook, but they do say, “Don’t worry, we will never ever post to your Facebook/Twitter account without your permission nor will we ever spam your friends.”
askew
@Violet:
My downfall is chips. I love chips – Doritos, Cheetos, Potato Chips, Pretzels. I could eat a giant bag of chips everyday and not be sick of them.
I am still recovering from breaking my foot in December. I got the go-ahead to try to do some exercise last week. My goal is to work up to an hour of aerobic activity 6 days a week. Then in a month start adding in weight. I HATE weight training, but I am sick of being this fat. I hate having to order my clothes online. I hate being exhausted easily. I hate how much my joints hurt from carrying around this extra weight.
I’d love to have a BJ Fitness Club just to have a place to read about other people’s fitness ideas, goals, setbacks, etc.
Cassidy
@askew: If you’re simply wanting to decrease BF, look into some circuit training routines that incorporate dumbbells. That way, you’re still getting some resistance work in to do strength and conditioning, but your primary focus is cardio to shed body fat. Or, without the dumbbells, do circuits that involve pushups and stuff like that. You’ll be amazed at how much stronger that makes you.
Eat your chips. Enjoy them. Limit yourself to one or two handfuls. If you deny yourself what you love, you’ll only want it more. It’s easier to learn to moderate your intake.
SIA
Me too.
Gretchen
I used to be a runner till I developed a bad hip. My new regimen: I bought an elliptical machine at New Year’s. I dial up a long comment thread on BJ, prop my Ipad on the book-holder, and before I know it 30 minutes has flown by. I’m trying to alternate with yoga, because I’m not only fat but stiff-jointed, and it helps with balance too. Haven’t figured out how to read while doing yoga, so there’s less incentive to do that….
Gretchen
My workplace has a Choose to Lose competition, with teams competing for largest % bodyfat loss. My team is presently in last place.
askew
@Cassidy:
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll look into circuit training. I belong to one of those strip-mall gyms and they offer a weight machine intro. They probably have something for circuit training as well.
Michele
@cdmarine was kind enough to send me an invite to fitocracy so I have invites if anyone is interested in joining the balloon juice fitness group – email me a tmgnordlie at gmail dot com :)
Cassidy
@askew: I joined Plant Fitness.
Unsympathetic
If weights in a gym aren’t your thing, you should do burpees..
1) jump as high as you can with your arms stretched up
2) when you land, go down into a squat position, put your hands on the floor
3) kick your legs back to get into pushup position
4) do a push-up
5) hop your legs back underneath your body
and repeat.
A complete full-body workout is “burpees-a-minute” — first minute, one. Second minute, two. Continue the pattern of adding one each minute until you can’t do any more.
Trinity
@Cassidy: I did ‘Plant Fitness’ in college. Always gave me the munchies though. ;)
Unsympathetic
You lose weight by eating correctly and increasing your resting heart rate. If you go to the gym a lot [and work hard] you increase your resting heart rate.
Your baseline daily calorie intake is about 2000. It takes roughly a 2000 calorie difference between (2000*7 days in a week) and (food you eat in a week – work you do at the gym) to lose each pound in a healthy fashion.. crash diets simply don’t work.
Tips: Your snack foods are carrots and yogurt. Drink water all the time – this fills you up.
WaterGirl
I like the idea of regular times for BJ fitness club. I wonder if we might want to start with 2 or 3, one in the evening, one during the day, one on the weekend.
That way everybody who is interested ought to be able to find at least one thread where they can participate in real time, if they wish, rather than reading a thread that is already over.
And it would be helpful to keep a link to the 3 latest fitness threads on the side bar so it’s easy to find, even if you are late to a thread.
Edit: I think these could probably be scheduled threads, which Sarah could create at any point that works for her. They could just be scheduled to be posted at the agreed upon times. Just a thought.
FastEddie
couch to 5k – lots of podcasts to put on ipod.
http://www.c25k.com/
Cassidy
@Trinity: I did plant fitness in college too. That’s how I ended up in the Army. lol
If anyone is interested, P90X Plyometrics is a lot of fun.
Cassidy
@Unsympathetic: I like to end my circuits with these. Somedays, I’ll just do a pyramid 1-10-1.
Cassidy
Also, (sorry for multiple comments, just a little scatterbrained), I think every post should be a singular topic. That way we don’t get sidetracked with multiple things and someone looking for information doesn’t have to hunt through several things.
Terry
Having just lost 60 pounds, here are the four things I would start with:
• Think about what you are hungry for and what might satisfy it even better than what you’re tempted by. An $8.50 rib-eye steak with a baked potato is a hell of a lot better for you than a Wendy’s double. So pass on the lunch and stop at the market on the way home.
• Start serving yourself on saucer-sized plates.
• Stop drinking carbonated beverages and substitute water.
• Arrange your computing workstations so that you can comfortably work standing up. Do so, listen to music as you do, and move when you want.
Five, I guess:
• Start the day with a chunk of protein. I use bacon, cheeseburgers, or hard-boiled eggs a lot. Seriously.
Neal Deesit
@Unsympathetic – “You lose weight by eating correctly and increasing your resting heart rate. If you go to the gym a lot [and work hard] you increase your resting heart rate.”
No. Your resting heart rate is your heart rate when you first wake up in the morning before you’ve gotten out of bed.
When you exercise, you increase your heart rate to some percentage of your maximum heart rate, for which there are a number of formulas.
Typically, as a result of regular athletic training, a person’s resting heart rate will DECREASE over time due to increased muscular efficiency in using oxygen and increased heart size, which increases volume of blood pumped with each beat of the heart.
For more about heart rates than you ever wanted to know, look here.