How do you keep fit?

ancapailldorcha

So... I've managed to get myself into a situation where I've managed to kick off a few stone. I'm actually making time to read, trying to get out there, travel, etc.

However, one area I can't seem to map out is fitness. I joined a gym years ago but my motivation sort of fizzled out despite feeling much better. I enjoy a good walk though, especially when there's nice scenery nearby which is a bit of an issue nearby.

Basically, how are ye keeping fit? Running? Sports? Weights?

Keyzer

This is something I struggle with.

I'm 40, 2 kids (2 & 6), 5'11 and I fluctuate between 13.5 and 14.5 stone.

What I usually end up doing is going on a calorie restricted diet, cut out booze and poor diet and I end up losing weight quickly when combined with going to the gym 3-4 days a week (mostly weight training with HIIT cardio).

Then I stop (don't ask me why) and go back to my old ways (wine by the bottle, pizza etc.).

I suppose its all about discipline and diet. Gym work is great but if you keep your eye on your diet you should keep the weight off.

skallywag

Well, the approach is going to be different depending on whether your primary aim is to maintain a high level of fitness, or whether your main aim is to keep the weight down. In my case I could definitely do with losing a large amount of Kg, but I still am pretty aerobically fit. Personally I love running, cycling and hill/mountain walking. You need to keep at it quite regularly though, I try to get out 4-5 times a week. You don't need to overdo it though, e.g. if you went for a 30 minutes jog 4-5 times a week, and manage to do it every week, then you will quite quickly get to a level where you are maintaining a high level of physical fitness.

Gyms are definitely not for me, I would only use one if away traveling in a hotel, etc, and had no other real options. Each to their own though, I know that they can be convenient if one lives in a large city, etc.

On the other hand, if keeping the weight off is the main goal, then it's definitely down to a good diet that you can maintain. This is where I fall down myself, I might do 5-7 hours of hard aerobic training each week, but my diet is awful in that I eat a load of foods (+ beer!) that I should not in far too large quantities. In the summer times I might even train 10-12 hours a week, but unless I still watch the diet then the weight will not come off.

heebusjeebus

I tried gyms & spinning classes but I never stuck with them.
The only thing that I kept with is running.
Entering a few races kept my mind focused and kept me on the road towards a certain goal. I find that if I don't have a race coming up in the next few months, I dont bother running.

H3llR4iser

It's bloody hard, this is the truth. I have to contend with a number of "impediments", first of which is the fact I actually don't enjoy exercise. Don't get me wrong - I'm not a lazy couch potato, if for example I'm holidaying in a city I've never visited before I'll easily be walking 30-40 Km a day for a week or so. It's just that exercising for the sake of it bores my eyes off their sockets and I'd rather be watching paint dry.

Second problem is that I enjoy food, plain and simple. I have infinite envy for the people who can take just a slice of pizza, or a couple of biscuits from the packet and have the "that's it, it covers my daily calories needs for the time being" thing coming to them. My "that's it" is when there are no more biscuits!

Third issue - I'm "blessed" with what bodybuilders call an "Endomorph" body type; Translated in street speak, it means I'm a naturally feckin' big fella with stocky shoulders, waist, hips and legs. It not only it makes you very susceptible to piling up on fat, it also means that even when you are in good shape street-outlet sold clothes either fit weirdly or not at all, as they're designed with the "upside down triangle with spindly legs" body shape in mind. Even better, often people will just classify you as "fat" even when you're not, just because you essentially look like a feckin' vertically elongated cube . I guess it's easy to see how this all puts a bit of a "why the heck do I even bother?" kind of downer on the whole "keeping fit" effort.

Yet, I still try - I go to the gym, even 'though lately I've had a bit of an "on again off again" type of approach; Getting out of it and trying to stick with the three weekly sessions. I go to work using the Dart 90% of the days, so there's also a decent healthy walk to and from the stations morning and evening (using my phone's health apps, I've discovered I would normally walk 5-6km a day, 8-9 if I go for a walk on lunch break).

The gym is soul destroyingly boring and off putting, with all the posers and the stinky I-just-leave-my-kit-in-the-bag-until-next-session characters you find in there (my days vary a lot but no matter it being Monday, Friday or Sunday, It's always the same people in there, they friggin' live in the gym). Adding to the already charming situation, at least 30 minutes of each one of my training sessions MUST be oh-so-entertaining cardio otherwise I might as well not bother at all.

The irony? Thanks to my quite frankly ****ty body type, I also build muscle very easily; Like a couple of "biceps and shoulders" sessions (after sweating buckets of blood on the treadmill or the standing bike, obviously!) and I can definitely see a difference - not to mention the ability to ramp up weight quickly. Meh.

As for eating, well, I have to try and stay "clean" with a relatively low carb-to-protein intake. To counter the fact that, as I mention, I REALLY enjoy food, I simply make sure I never have anything remotely tasty laying around, nor "ready to eat". So I simply don't buy biscuits, sweets and the likes - fanciest stuff I have lying around right now are "all bran" cereals.

silverharp

walking mostly, i have a nice 2 hour walk, to Poolbeg lighthouse and back, download some podcasts and im good to go. During the week ive got into the habit of going for a walk during lunch, thats 5 hours a week "for free". ive gone off running or trying to get fit for long cycles but there are benefits in doing even a few minutes of HIIT so im going to include them in some way.

Alanstrainor

I cycle to work, it forces me to exercise. 15km each way, and I do it 4 days a week. It takes the decision out of it for me. I have to cycle in, otherwise I would have had to set the alarm earlier.

silverharp

H3llR4iser wrote: »

As for eating, well, I have to try and stay "clean" with a relatively low carb-to-protein intake. To counter the fact that, as I mention, I REALLY enjoy food, I simply make sure I never have anything remotely tasty laying around, nor "ready to eat". So I simply don't buy biscuits, sweets and the likes - fanciest stuff I have lying around right now are "all bran" cereals.

i came across low carb about 4 or 5 years ago and it was a game changer for me, stumbled over intermittent fasting this year and its been amazing, during the week i only eat between 1pm-7pm 5 days a week but ease off at the weekend. breakfast is just a kellogs scam :pac:

jimmycrackcorm

Alanstrainor wrote:

I cycle to work, it forces me to exercise. 15km each way, and I do it 4 days a week. It takes the decision out of it for me. I have to cycle in, otherwise I would have had to set the alarm earlier.

I do the same from outside the M50 to the city centre. It's a pity a lot more people don't try it, combining the exercise with a quicker commute than either driving or on the bus.

Mark Horgan

Good hard physical Labour every day, eat healthy. No need for any gym for me.

shakeitoff

I walk a lot but tbh as a late 20 year old, it's not gonna keep me fit, it's just an opportunity to clear my head or fill it(music/podcasts) I play football(I train as if I'm a semi-pro footballer), tennis and gym.

Hitman3000

I took up running 4 years ago, I'm 46. Try to stay away from junk food, relatively successful. Weighed over 15 stone before I started running tend to fluctuate between 11st 10lb and 12st 4 pounds depending what running I do and frequency. I'm just over 6ft.

listermint

I do this yearly and it starts with ditching alcohol first for about two weeks then on to cutting out the nonsense crap calories . Literally the crap stuff that you are fully aware ads nothing to your diet. Replace them with non processed fruit or otherwise. Then the training kicks in . Running 5k 6 days a week.

No drink for generally the month . Drop weight easily and quickly.

Can usually get back to a pint or two after the month but keep up the eating fairly solid that's not hard. The running is hard. I hate it . It's a tool a means to an end but I don't enjoy it.

But can usually keep it up for 3 months or so then I tend to drop it. Rinse an repeat.

It's 90 percent diet if you can handle that sort of moderation your grand if not then it's a struggle. I don't got to extremes of any type of food or drink.

skallywag

listermint wrote: »

It's 90 percent diet if you can handle that sort of moderation your grand if not then it's a struggle. I don't got to extremes of any type of food or drink.

I think this statement is key, if you moderate your diet and really stick to it, then you will win the battle in the long term.

I find that really difficult myself though, and while I genuinely enjoy doing the hours of aerobic exercise, and have no issues keeping it up week in week out, I find it impossible to keep the diet on track.

Exercise can be a real motivator for weight loss though, as activities such as running and cycling etc. are going to become much easier as the kgs come off.

ancapailldorcha

H3llR4iser wrote: »

It's bloody hard, this is the truth. I have to contend with a number of "impediments", first of which is the fact I actually don't enjoy exercise. Don't get me wrong - I'm not a lazy couch potato, if for example I'm holidaying in a city I've never visited before I'll easily be walking 30-40 Km a day for a week or so. It's just that exercising for the sake of it bores my eyes off their sockets and I'd rather be watching paint dry.

Second problem is that I enjoy food, plain and simple. I have infinite envy for the people who can take just a slice of pizza, or a couple of biscuits from the packet and have the "that's it, it covers my daily calories needs for the time being" thing coming to them. My "that's it" is when there are no more biscuits!

I can relate to this. An engineer at work asked what I was giving up for lent the day before it started. I paused for a second and decided to ditch the junk food. At the end of it, I've dropped over 4 inches off my waist.

H3llR4iser wrote: »

Third issue - I'm "blessed" with what bodybuilders call an "Endomorph" body type; Translated in street speak, it means I'm a naturally feckin' big fella with stocky shoulders, waist, hips and legs. It not only it makes you very susceptible to piling up on fat, it also means that even when you are in good shape street-outlet sold clothes either fit weirdly or not at all, as they're designed with the "upside down triangle with spindly legs" body shape in mind. Even better, often people will just classify you as "fat" even when you're not, just because you essentially look like a feckin' vertically elongated cube . I guess it's easy to see how this all puts a bit of a "why the heck do I even bother?" kind of downer on the whole "keeping fit" effort.

Yet, I still try - I go to the gym, even 'though lately I've had a bit of an "on again off again" type of approach; Getting out of it and trying to stick with the three weekly sessions. I go to work using the Dart 90% of the days, so there's also a decent healthy walk to and from the stations morning and evening (using my phone's health apps, I've discovered I would normally walk 5-6km a day, 8-9 if I go for a walk on lunch break).

The gym is soul destroyingly boring and off putting, with all the posers and the stinky I-just-leave-my-kit-in-the-bag-until-next-session characters you find in there (my days vary a lot but no matter it being Monday, Friday or Sunday, It's always the same people in there, they friggin' live in the gym). Adding to the already charming situation, at least 30 minutes of each one of my training sessions MUST be oh-so-entertaining cardio otherwise I might as well not bother at all.

The irony? Thanks to my quite frankly ****ty body type, I also build muscle very easily; Like a couple of "biceps and shoulders" sessions (after sweating buckets of blood on the treadmill or the standing bike, obviously!) and I can definitely see a difference - not to mention the ability to ramp up weight quickly. Meh.

As for eating, well, I have to try and stay "clean" with a relatively low carb-to-protein intake. To counter the fact that, as I mention, I REALLY enjoy food, I simply make sure I never have anything remotely tasty laying around, nor "ready to eat". So I simply don't buy biscuits, sweets and the likes - fanciest stuff I have lying around right now are "all bran" cereals.

I'm a big enough guy as well but know SFA about body types.

I enjoy a good long walk but that's about it for me and exercise. I don't really drink or smoke but I do enjoy my chocolate and sweet treats though now in much more moderation. My diet otherwise is pretty decent I think with decent meals in the evening, cereals or porridge in the morning and salads for lunch.

In a previous job, I did the odd shift day which meant that I could get up and go to the gym in the late morning while everyone was at work so a lot of the nonsense wasn't there. In the evenings the usual suspects would be out in full force with their phones, sweating on the weights and machines and talking. Always talking. It was a depressing enough corporate place as well.

bri007

I am 5ft 6 male, age 36 weight was 12.10st this time last year, I am now down to 11.10 stone, mainly from cutting out takeaways, alcohol and cleaner eating, still have the occasional binge.

I do a bit of weights at home, and walk a lot for my job so this helped a lot.

I am still probably over weight, hard to lose anymore, need to push myself more and start doing some sort of training after work in the evenings, I was looking at taking up maybe boxing or bjj just so I can try stick with it as I find the gym boring.

smurgen

I run about 3 times a week with 2 of those being 5 mile fast runs and one of those lasting 2 hours.
I also try gym twice with weights,mat work and bike worked in.
Like my booze so my weight is a constant 90ish kg at 6ft 2 inches tall.trying for a marathon by years end so looking to drop to 85kg for that.down 7kg since year start so doing grand.find this hot weather sapping my energy tho so swapped to early morning runs.wish i had the same energy i had as i was younger,shoulda done my marathon then when i had the strenght and drive.

smurgen

A weird thing i seen on a bbc fitness show for those looking for a fitness shortcuts said that working out on an empty stomach burn significantly more fat,20% ish more.that's why i try to get it the early morning runs where possible.

H3llR4iser

silverharp wrote: »

i came across low carb about 4 or 5 years ago and it was a game changer for me, stumbled over intermittent fasting this year and its been amazing, during the week i only eat between 1pm-7pm 5 days a week but ease off at the weekend. breakfast is just a kellogs scam :pac:

If I go without any food between 7pm and 1pm the next day, people around me will get hurt, most likely bitten.

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

I do the same from outside the M50 to the city centre. It's a pity a lot more people don't try it, combining the exercise with a quicker commute than either driving or on the bus.

I get this from the lads who cycle to work at the office as well; I find it really funny how they can't understand the simple truth: the reason more people don't do it that you need to absolutely love cycling, wake up in the "I can't wait to be at work again!" mood, or any of the two.

Unless you are a porn actor in Ukraine, chances are your day at the office ranges from bearable to infuriating and you'd rather be somewhere else. So having to do physical exercise to get to work becomes just another hassle you can do without.

As I said, I use the DART - it's a royal PIA as it's always late, the trains are not nearly frequent enough, it's often crowded and people are annoying / stink, but at least I don't have to pedal my eyes out first thing in the morning. I've actually tried cycling to work many years ago (for a few months before the bike just...disappeared, as they tend do to in Ireland!) and while going back home in the evening was almost enjoyable, the morning cycle was as horrible and unappealing an experience it can be.

But I understand the people who enjoy cycling - to them the two commutes are something to look forward to. It's the same with me for driving; We don't have parking at the office, but if we had I would drive regardless of traffic; I would actually be looking forward to getting in the car, even if it meant sitting in a queue at the lights.

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I can relate to this. An engineer at work asked what I was giving up for lent the day before it started. I paused for a second and decided to ditch the junk food. At the end of it, I've dropped over 4 inches off my waist.

See, my answer to that would have actually been "WTF is lent?"

silverharp

H3llR4iser wrote: »

If I go without any food between 7pm and 1pm the next day, people around me will get hurt, most likely bitten.

it might mean you have too much sugar or processed carbs in your diet.

theteal

bri007 wrote: »

I am 5ft 6 male, age 36 weight was 12.10st this time last year, I am now down to 11.10 stone, mainly from cutting out takeaways, alcohol and cleaner eating, still have the occasional binge.

I do a bit of weights at home, and walk a lot for my job so this helped a lot.

I am still probably over weight, hard to lose anymore, need to push myself more and start doing some sort of training after work in the evenings, I was looking at taking up maybe boxing or bjj just so I can try stick with it as I find the gym boring.

I'm slightly younger, slightly taller a little lighter (11.5/6) than yourself. I'm fortunate in that I played relatively high level soccer and gaa for close to 30 years now - I still would but for bending my knee the wrong way last November during a match. During the season I would normally be about 10.10ish. Right now all my working out is done in the makeshift home gym I pieced together in the garage (the wife was complaining about my insistence on having a garage with power when looking at houses). I'm still building up strength on my knee so I'm a little hesitant to get out running yet.

smurgen wrote: »

A weird thing i seen on a bbc fitness show for those looking for a fitness shortcuts said that working out on an empty stomach burn significantly more fat,20% ish more.that's why i try to get it the early morning runs where possible.

As above, for all of my sporting life I ate within 2 hours of doing anything. I'd be sick as soon as the intensity kick up, nothing to do with fat burning. The grub does get wolfed almost immediately after though

Mokuba

I go to the gym 4 times a week, spending around 1.5-2 hours there per session.

That is a combination of 5/6 exercises of 3/4 sets, cardio, and chatting with my gym buddy. I love the weights but hate the cardio, but the cardio is a necessary evil which I force myself through.

During the week I am quite strict on myself, I tend to not follow a plan on weekends except for the general caveat of not eating like a complete pig.

I am hoping to get back into actual sport quite soon. As I have improved in the gym, in terms of lifts and cardio, I want to keep pushing my body. It becomes addictive. In addition to that, when you look in the mirror and start to see the results of hard work it is a great feeling.

I used to try to rely on motivation to get me to the gym, but the simple fact is that motivation can come and go. You could be motivated for a week and then nothing for the next 3 weeks. Best to just be as disciplined as possible, keep yourself ticking over when you aren't feeling it, and go extra hard when you are.

To be honest the biggest hurdle for me right now is my social life. Fitness and my social life do seem to compete with each other. Most of my friends are having the few pints on a Friday/Saturday and that really sets you back physically. I can see it showing clearly on lads who would have been skinny before. Or just going out for food, or to the cinema, or to a game - it's just hard in general for me to partake in that to the extent that they do.

Tigerandahalf

I played the usual gaelic/soccer from a young age. I wasn't very good at either but it kept me in relatively good shape considering the beer and bad diet that comes with drinking it.

I am married now with kids. It is so easy to put on weight as come evening time you are wrecked and just want to melt into the couch. It is too easy to have a beer or glass of wine and I find I always snack too much once I am drinking.
You'd be shocked by how much stuff you could eat between 9pm and bedtime.

I took up running a few years back and I haven't looked back. I race a bit but not as much since the kids arrived as getting enough sleep is always hard. I find once I start running regularly my diet immediately improves and I try not to eat after 9pm. That keeps me in good shape and once I run 4/5 times a week I am able to enjoy my food with the occasional takeaway and treat.
You have to have a bit of balance.

I must say I am lucky to live beside a nice park area that makes running enjoyable. I could never do the gym or run on streets. I think you have to find something that you enjoy and that is easy enough to keep a routine with it. Even when I go away on holidays I bring my runners as it means I can enjoy my food, have a beer but I still get in a run to keep things balanced. It is a great way to see a place too and to clear the head.

limnam

While diet is obviously the most important part and the hardest part so I'll ignore that. We all know what to do.


The "issue" with the fitness for me is finding something you actually enjoy and doesn't feel like a chore. Such as soccer/tennis/gaa/etc. I think forcing oneself to a gym is never going to end well, especially if you don't enjoy the "scene" and all the other nonsense that goes with it.


I'm lucky enough that I'm in walking distance to work at the moment which gives me 5 hours or so of activity without really thinking about it.


I also play 5 a side a few days a week which I love so again a few hours activity that I don't have to think of as "exercising"


Now if I could only find a way to put down the burgers and vino :pac:

Grassey

H3llR4iser wrote:

I get this from the lads who cycle to work at the office as well; I find it really funny how they can't understand the simple truth: the reason more people don't do it that you need to absolutely love cycling, wake up in the "I can't wait to be at work again!" mood, or any of the two.

Id say there are very few people who wake up and want to be heading into work in general, regardless of transport mode.

You don't need to love cycling, it can be a pain in the hole some days, but if the alternative is 80 mins stuck in a car or 40 mins on a bike each way its a much more attractive option to have a lie in each morning and arrive to work unstressed, and get home earlier each evening.

Even these days with the schools off its probably a bit quicker to drive, but with this weather would you really want to be in a tin can travelling at walking pace on the M50?

Not to mention the extra time you save from working exercise into commuting time so you don't need to go to gym also.

H3llR4iser

Grassey wrote: »

Id say there are very few people who wake up and want to be heading into work in general, regardless of transport mode.

You don't need to love cycling, it can be a pain in the hole some days, but if the alternative is 80 mins stuck in a car or 40 mins on a bike each way its a much more attractive option to have a lie in each morning and arrive to work unstressed, and get home earlier each evening.

Even these days with the schools off its probably a bit quicker to drive, but with this weather would you really want to be in a tin can travelling at walking pace on the M50?

Not to mention the extra time you save from working exercise into commuting time so you don't need to go to gym also.

But you DO love cycling, or at least like it enough to post in the cycling forum. To anybody who's not a cyclist, the idea of having to sweat, huff and pant 40 minutes to get to work is "meh" at best - not only I have to go and slave away 9-10 hours, I have to work to get to work :P. It has the exact same appeal that sitting in traffic has to you.



As I said before, going back home would be way more appealing, but there's the slight issue of having to get there first, laws of space and time be damned

DEFTLEFTHAND

Sit ups and push ups.

You can do them anywhere quickly and efficiently.

I do 200 sit ups per day 5 times a week (Mon-Fri), 4 repetitions of 50 and 60 press ups, 3 repetitions of 20.

I've been doing this for years, find it a great way of keeping a beer belly off and maintaining good upper body strength.

amcalester

H3llR4iser wrote: »

But you DO love cycling, or at least like it enough to post in the cycling forum. To anybody who's not a cyclist, the idea of having to sweat, huff and pant 40 minutes to get to work is "meh" at best - not only I have to go and slave away 9-10 hours, I have to work to get to work :P. It has the exact same appeal that sitting in traffic has to you.



As I said before, going back home would be way more appealing, but there's the slight issue of having to get there first, laws of space and time be damned

I didn't love cycling when I started commuting by bike. It was just a time-saver, 25 minutes door to door by bike or up to 90 minutes by bus (including the walk to and from the bus stop).

I found out later than I enjoyed it, my principal motivation was an extra 30 minutes in bed.

Recently it's flipped, cycling actually takes longer than driving and now the cycle actually costs me 30 minutes in bed but I enjoy it more than sitting in the car.

AlphaOmega1

Try to only smoke hash on weekends and stuff, the odd left hander to keep the forearms even. I don't eat mayonnaise out the jar with a spoon anymore. I used to carry emergency cheese with me everywhere, lately I've been able to leave it at home and I'm going through 5 blocks a month as opposed to one/day. Baby steps

silverharp

H3llR4iser wrote: »

But you DO love cycling, or at least like it enough to post in the cycling forum. To anybody who's not a cyclist, the idea of having to sweat, huff and pant 40 minutes to get to work is "meh" at best - not only I have to go and slave away 9-10 hours, I have to work to get to work :P. It has the exact same appeal that sitting in traffic has to you.



As I said before, going back home would be way more appealing, but there's the slight issue of having to get there first, laws of space and time be damned

i'd look at it the other way, if you are going to take me away from my family and home comforts i want to get something out of it , getting your exercise in when the alternative is wasting time and money is a win

laoch na mona

Muay thai BJJ weightlifting, ideally 3 weight sessions a week alongside 3 to 4 bjj/muay thai classes. In a busy week it'll be a minimum 2 bjj or muay thai sessions.

It normally works out like this
3 morning gym sessions which morning vary depending on meetings ect
Monday night bjj/muay thai
Wednesday night muay bjj
Friday bjj/muay thai
bjj every other Saturday

semi regular hikes and cycling to work (only 5 miles) as well

Sleepy

Two things I discovered by accident that's helped me lose a little bit of weight (though still not nearly enough) over the past few months: give in to the kids constant pleading for a dog and sort out the garden. The dog ensures I'm getting regular walks and landscaping a garden is a workout that beats any gym session.

My step-son has been sea kayaking with the scouts lately and the father-in-law gave us a couple of his old kayaks over the weekend so hoping to get out in one of those on a regular basis for some badly needed exercise. Just hoping it won't hurt my tennis elbow (that I got doing the garden) too much!

I have an animal that would quite literally eat walls in my house if he is not excercised well. So this is a great motivator for me.

I run for an hour every morning with him in the local forest. I then cycle once every evening for an hour too with him running fast beside me. This is good for me and him.

I have had only a couple of visits to a gym and they went very weirdly. I wrote on this before. So I never went back. The monotony of gym work is not for me though. I just feel it is mundane repetition from which I learn and gain nothing much other than certain fitness things.

So instead I do capoeira and BJJ which not only do wonders for fitness but they also require learning and give real world benefits and skills too. Though one hopes never to use most of them. I could not keep fit if the method of it was not stimulating and interesting to me. Learning combat and dance is.

skallywag

Deleted User wrote: »

...I have had only a couple of visits to a gym and they went very weirdly...

I'm assuming this wasn't due to the fact that the wall eating animal was on the threadmill beside you? :pac:

Boom_Bap

Being active for 30 minutes a day can do remarkable things for you. I try to live by that now, do something every day. Whether it's going for a walk, or a run, or jumping on the bike, hike, swim...just do something.
I've found that after a few days of doing this, it becomes routine and you start to enjoy it, the 30 minutes turns to 1 hour, or you do multiple things per day.
Your diet will also fall inline with it because you'll want to naturally eat what fuels you better for the activity.

If you are wanting something more disciplined, try BJJ. You don't need to be fit to start off, you don't need to know anything about it. You'll normally get an intro class for free. Some people love it, some don't. The great thing about it is that it's also exercise for the mind.

I'm desperately trying to find time to take it up again.

skallywag

skallywag wrote: »

I'm assuming this wasn't due to the fact that the wall eating animal was on the threadmill beside you? :pac:

Hah no. That would go badly too.

No I got into a weird altercation. On the mats some people asked me to demo some capoeira for them as they had never seen it.

Then some woman approached me making suggestions about a hotel room which I politely denied.

But it got really weird when some guy in a Hulk Hogan style vest and arms to nearly match took exception to me for this. He accused me of coming to "his" gym to hit on women and perv. This was "taken outside" eventually.

Was not a good memory or experience for me. But in general gyms themselves just do not appear to be the environment for me. Too much repetitive monotony. I would go into a spiral of depression.

wijam

I took up cycling about 3 years ago to try and improve general fitness, to help with football, used to play twice a week.

The football has since fallen away, but the cycling has taken off, I'm out 2 mornings a week for a 30-40km spin and out at the weekend for a 100+km spin. Heading down to Clare this weekend for the Ring of Clare.

My diet is pretty good, but trying to think of what to do now to improve my core fitness.

TheBoyConor

H3llR4iser

Why do you say youve a ****ty body type.
Most guys would kill to have a mesomorph body type as it means you can pile on the muscle easy. You are one of the lucky ones. So don't knock it.

I can't actually believe that you complain that you noticeably have gained muscle after a few arms and shoulders sessions!!!! You are physically gifted my man.

Personally I don't care much for cardio but I cycle to work every day to keep aerobically fit. Then it's liftin' brah in the gym three days in the mornings along my way to work.

CelticRambler

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

However, one area I can't seem to map out is fitness. I joined a gym years ago but my motivation sort of fizzled out despite feeling much better. I enjoy a good walk though, especially when there's nice scenery nearby which is a bit of an issue nearby.

Basically, how are ye keeping fit? Running? Sports? Weights?

Dancing, proper dancing like set-dancing! Seriously! Due to a change in country, I've had to adapt to an alternative, but back in my Dublin days, we had a Cork lad join our Thursday set dance night to complete his week. He'd dropped about 9 stone since moving to Dublin and wanted to lose one more before his sister came up for a visit. (She literally didn't recognise him when she turned up later in the year, he'd lost so much weight)


Dance classes/céilí nights/tango/ballroom/whatever gives you a mix of physical activity and social interaction, so you're not just exercising for the sake of it.

H3llR4iser wrote: »

... if for example I'm holidaying in a city I've never visited before I'll easily be walking 30-40 Km a day for a week or so ...

Ah now .... :rolleyes:



It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you're exercising when you're not, and convince yourself that you're being "active". You sound like my friend who counts every saunter from his office to the coffee shop as "walking". People on the pilgrim trails (Camino, etc) will do about 20-25km a day; there's no way you would ever do anything like that in a city - you've got to re-set the clock every time you stop! :cool:

ILikeBoats

This is a good read. I do try to keep fit, mainly through the gym and some morning runs.

I think it comes down to motivation and discipline more than anything. I go through phases of being highly motivated, eating as cleanly as possible and all that. Then it stops, then I get pudgy, then I have to start all over again. I have a 1 year old so I can't do all that I want all the time but I try my best to work around it.

Maybe a bit off topic but I read the below on Reddit a few months ago and try my best to remember the non zero days part of it. Even if I go for a 15 min walk or do 20 press ups, it is better than doing nothing. I am currently in a motivated phase so flat out in the gym but even so, I still think about the non zero days...so if I have done 20 mins on the treadmill or cross trainer, I say sure do 5 mins more, you won't regret it. Or do an extra squat set, you'll be happy you did! It works well for me. (I'm not fussed with Ryan's other past/present/future you and forgiveness stuff)

Just as a preface - he's replying to a guy in college who has given up on himself.
https://www.reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/1q96b5/i_just_dont_care_about_myself/

Ouch. Sounds like you're having a tough time max. That sucks. I've been there, so I kinda know what you're talking about. I've been in the ever circling vortex of self doubt, frustration, and loathing. It's no bueno. I know. If you don't mind lemme tell you a couple things. You can read em if you want, read em again later if you feel like it. But honestly man, if I spend all this time typing this out to you and you don't let it be a little tinder for your fire, well, you're just letting us both down. And you don't HAVE to do that. You don't HAVE to do anything. But you get to choose.

(Who am I? My name’s Ryan and I live in Canada. Just moved to a new city for a dream job that I got because of the rules below. I owe a lot of my success to people much cooler, kinder, more loving and greater than me. When I get the chance to maybe let a little bit of help out, it’s a way of thanking them. )

Rule numero uno - There are no more zero days. What's a zero day? A zero day is when you don't do a single ****ing thing towards whatever dream or goal or want or whatever that you got going on. No more zeros. I'm not saying you gotta bust an essay out everyday, that's not the point. The point I'm trying to make is that you have to make yourself, promise yourself, that the new SYSTEM you live in is a NON-ZERO system. Didnt' do anything all ****ing day and it's 11:58 PM? Write one sentence. One pushup. Read one page of that chapter. One. Because one is non zero. You feel me? When you're in the super vortex of being bummed your pattern of behaviour is keeping the vortex goin, that's what you're used to. Turning into productivity ultimate master of the universe doesn't happen from the vortex. It happens from a massive string of CONSISTENT NON ZEROS. That's rule number one. Do not forget.

La deuxieme regle - yeah i learnt french. its a canadian thing. please excuse the lack of accent graves, but lemme get into rule number 2. BE GRATEFUL TO THE 3 YOU'S. Uh what? 3 me's? That sounds like mumbo jumbo bull****. News flash, there are three you's homeslice. There's the past you, the present you, and the future you. If you wanna love someone and have someone love you back, you gotta learn to love yourself, and the 3 you's are the key. Be GRATEFUL to the past you for the positive things you've done. And do favours for the future you like you would for your best bro. Feeling like **** today? Stop a second, think of a good decision you made yesterday. Salad and tuna instead of Big Mac? THANK YOU YOUNGER ME. Was yesterday a nonzero day because you wrote 200 words (hey, that's all you could muster)? THANK YOU YOUNGER ME. Saved up some coin over time to buy that sweet thing you wanted? THANK YOU. Second part of the 3 me's is you gotta do your future self a favour, just like you would for your best ****ing friend (no best friend? you do now. You got 2. It's future and past you). Tired as hell and can't get off reddit/videogames/interwebs? **** you present self, this one's for future me, i'm gonna rock out p90x Ab Ripper X for 17 minutes. I'm doing this one for future me. Alarm clock goes off and bed is too comfy? **** you present self, this one's for my best friend, the future me. I'm up and going for a 5 km run (or 25 meter run, it's gotta be non zero). MAKE SURE YOU THANK YOUR OLD SELF for rocking out at the end of every.single.thing. that makes your life better. The cycle of doing something for someone else (future you) and thanking someone for the good in your life (past you) is key to building gratitude and productivity. Do not doubt me. Over time you should spread the gratitude to others who help you on your path.

Rule number 3- don't worry i'm gonna too long didnt' read this bad boy at the bottom (get a pencil and piece of paper to write it down. seriously. you physically need to scratch marks on paper) FORGIVE YOURSELF. I mean it. Maybe you got all the know-how, money, ability, strength and talent to do whatever is you wanna do. But lets say you still didn't do it. Now you're giving yourself **** for not doing what you need to, to be who you want to. Heads up champion, being dissapointed in yourself causes you to be less productive. Tried your best to have a nonzero day yesterday and it failed? so what. I forgive you previous self. I forgive you. But today? Today is a nonzero masterpiece to the best of my ability for future self. This one's for you future homes. Forgiveness man, use it. I forgive you. Say it out loud.

Last rule. Rule number 4, is the easiest and its three words. exercise and books. that's it. Pretty standard advice but when you exercise daily you actually get smarter. when you exercise you get high from endorphins (thanks body). when you exercise you clear your mind. when you exercise you are doing your future self a huge favour. Exercise is a leg on a three legged stool. Feel me? As for books, almost every ****ing thing we've all ever thought of, or felt, or gone through, or wanted, or wanted to know how to do, or whatever, has been figured out by someone else. Get some books max. Post to reddit about not caring about yourself? Good first step! (nonzero day, thanks younger me for typing it out) You know what else you could do? Read 7 habits of highly successful people. Read "emotional intelligence". Read "From good to great". Read “thinking fast and slow”. Read books that will help you understand. Read the bodyweight fitness reddit and incorporate it into your workouts. (how's them pullups coming?) Reading is the ****ing warp whistle from Super Mario 3. It gets you to the next level that much faster.

That’s about it man. There’s so much more when it comes to how to turn nonzero days into hugely nonzero days, but that’s not your mission right now. Your mission is nonzero and forgiveness and favours. You got 36 essays due in 24 minutes and its impossible to pull off? Your past self let you down big time, but hey… I forgive you. Do as much as you can in those 24 minutes and then move on.

I hope I helped a little bit max. I could write about this forever, but I promised myself I would go do a 15 minute run while listening to A. Skillz Beats Working Vol. 3. Gotta jet. One last piece of advice though. Regardless of whether or not reading this for the first time helps make your day better, if you wake up tomorrow, and you can’t remember the 4 rules I just laid out, please, please. Read this again.

Have an awesome ****ing day ☺

tldr; 1. Nonzero days as much as you can. 2. The three you’s, gratitude and favours. 3. Forgiveness 4. Exercise and books (which is a sneaky way of saying self improvement, both physical, emotional and mental)

wakka12

listermint wrote: »

I do this yearly and it starts with ditching alcohol first for about two weeks then on to cutting out the nonsense crap calories . Literally the crap stuff that you are fully aware ads nothing to your diet. Replace them with non processed fruit or otherwise. Then the training kicks in . Running 5k 6 days a week.

No drink for generally the month . Drop weight easily and quickly.

Can usually get back to a pint or two after the month but keep up the eating fairly solid that's not hard. The running is hard. I hate it . It's a tool a means to an end but I don't enjoy it.

But can usually keep it up for 3 months or so then I tend to drop it. Rinse an repeat.

It's 90 percent diet if you can handle that sort of moderation your grand if not then it's a struggle. I don't got to extremes of any type of food or drink.

5k run would burn a lot of calories, Im surprised you have any trouble keeping weight off even with a not so good diet with tht much exercise. When I ran 5km every second day, even if I had my diet fairly relaxed, the weight was just falling off me, I just couldnt keep up with running 6 times a week though!

Boom_Bap

wakka12 wrote: »

5k run would burn a lot of calories, Im surprised you have any trouble keeping weight off even with a not so good diet with tht much exercise. When I ran 5km every second day, even if I had my diet fairly relaxed, the weight was just falling off me, I just couldnt keep up with running 6 times a week though!

A lot depends on the type of running when doing a 5km run. I'm a slow runner and it doesn't shed much. But when I start improving speeds it generally starts to come off faster. I suppose both go hand in hand the fitter one gets.



If you want to loose weight quicker than jogging, just do loads of sprints, but that needs loads more stretching and looking after muscles and recovery.

seamus

Weight is lost in the kitchen, not in the gym.

If you exercise to lose weight, you'll quit eventually.

Exercise to have fun and enjoy your body and your new found fitness, and forget about what is best for burning the calories. If you want to lose weight, eat less.

What you will find is that as you become in any way fit, you'll realise how much your weight is holding you back and you'll naturally start thinking about what you're putting in your mouth. When you've gone out for a 5k training run, your chinese or your bag of chips feels like you're just undoing that day's work.

Some recent studies suggest that there's actually no significant change in metabolism after the age of 30, so the old trope of the "middle aged spread", is more a function of changes in habit and time management rather than an actual biological process making you fatter. You're just spending more time on the couch.

limnam

Boom_Bap wrote: »

A lot depends on the type of running when doing a 5km run. I'm a slow runner and it doesn't shed much. But when I start improving speeds it generally starts to come off faster. I suppose both go hand in hand the fitter one gets.



If you want to loose weight quicker than jogging, just do loads of sprints, but that needs loads more stretching and looking after muscles and recovery.

My understanding was the speed doesn't matter.


Walking 5k burns the same cals as running 5k but you obviously do one in a lot less time. e.g. it's about the distance.


Not sure where I read this now.

Lemming

seamus wrote: »

Weight is lost in the kitchen, not in the gym.

If you exercise to lose weight, you'll quit eventually.

.. snip ..

What you will find is that as you become in any way fit, you'll realise how much your weight is holding you back

QFT.

I found gyms crap. Uninspiring. A chore. I did a fair bit of both Yoga (Ashtanga iirc) & Pilates a few years ago and found them both really good with really good instructors, but again .. a bit like gyms ... at times you're like "meh, next week".

What I loved doing in my teenage & early adult years was mountain biking (and cycling in general). So I started doing the mountain biking again because I find it fun, and cycle to work a few times a week (not consistently but enough ... ) with a 16 mile round trip to get a reasonable work-out.

I will also - because of my height - do core exercises a few times a week at home too; 10/20 mins late in the evening sort of thing.

Started going for walks at lunch time at work too, and more importantly, watched the food intake. I didn't go mad like some of my work colleagues who eventually (and inevitably) fell off the wagon; all I did was cut back on food portions, paid more attention to the fat/calorie/sugar/etc. content labels on packaging when in the supermarket, and reigned the snacks in.

I have dropped near 4 stone in a year and a half. Still got a couple to go.

silverharp

Ive started commuting to work now by bike, 25km round trip per day some incline but not too bad. That's the week covered, still try to get in at least one 2hr walk at the weekend. Main interest now is just to be functionally fit, went camping/hiking with my son last week and had a 6hr walk which was tiring but doable so would like to keep that up even if irregularly , shame to have the Wicklow mountains on your doorstep and not use them.

Boom_Bap

limnam wrote: »

My understanding was the speed doesn't matter.


Walking 5k burns the same cals as running 5k but you obviously do one in a lot less time. e.g. it's about the distance.


Not sure where I read this now.

I should pre-empt by saying I'm no expert in the field - It's about how your body is using the calories, if you are running faster, you are probably using a longer stride, which works alot more muscles harder which use more calories.

silverharp

based on a quick google search, that answer might understate the difference though as my leisure walking speed is more like 3mph

Calories Burned per Mile for a 160-Pound Person. You can find more results with walking calorie calculator charts for different weights and speeds. The 4 mph speed is that of a brisk walk. Running a mile will burn 30 more calories for this person than walking briskly.

seamus

Boom_Bap wrote: »

I should pre-empt by saying I'm no expert in the field - It's about how your body is using the calories, if you are running faster, you are probably using a longer stride, which works alot more muscles harder which use more calories.

Yeah, the amount of momentum conserved when running is relatively small, so the calorific cost of maintaining the faster pace is bigger.

Wind resistance also makes an impact. To double your speed, requires quadruple the energy to overcome wind resistance. Which you don't tend to feel all that much when running, but it's there.

So the effort to overcome wind resistance and walk a 10min/km is a quarter that required to overcome wind resistance on a 5min/km.

It's not a gigantic difference, but it's enough to be significant. The Energy = Mass x Distance would say that velocity doesn't matter, but that calculation doesn't account for any resistance.

Boom_Bap

So if you add in more resistance such as inclines/hills, the faster you are going uphill against the wind, the more calories you burn.


That actually sounds like torture ha!

JJJJNR

I work out every day for 2 minutes, two sets of 1 minute planks, I find less is more with planking. On a sunday I go for a spin on the trail bike for about 2 - 3 hours, fairly mixed terrain from red to black graded trails. I also do lots of walking every day at least an hour and a half.

Thats it, fairly happy with that.