Working out

[jasper-isis]

Yeah, I wish I had a buddy around to run with, but everybody's out of town this summer.

I agree with the "gym sucks" sentiment. The treadmill is just sooo boring. I have to put something on the TV before I start or I'd be bored out of my mind.

So wait does this mean next time we see you, you'll be BUFF? JASPER SMASH!

Haha, I doubt that there'll be a noticeable difference in outward appearance (to people besides me, anyway), but my internals should be in better working condition at least.

PS - to Jasper and others - any advice on doing light weights?

When I say light, it doesn't really mean anything (to me) other than that the weights are five pounds or less. I just do three sets of fifteen reps with each movement. It's not the most challenging thing in the world, but I don't want to risk suddenly overexerting a muscle that normally doesn't get any use. Usually I get my brother to watch me to make sure I'm doing it right.

Lantis: glad your heart surgery went well. I can't really drink too much caffeine, either. I don't let myself have coffee at school, and here at work I only allow it about once a week. Even then, I have to use at least 50% decaf. My heartrate gets funny if I have a whole cup of regular. Even Mountain Dew makes things a little weird sometimes. :/

[CodeZTM]

Blarg.

I'm out of shape and slightly overweight, and I know it. I've made a very concious effort this summer to get back into shape and drop some pounds, but it just doesn't seem to be doing the trick.

First off, I have staved off of any type of soda pop. It's my deadliest dietary sin, since I guzzle them down.

I have a nice pool in my backyard that I swim laps in every day, but that alone isn't doing it. I'm too lazy to do any sort of follow-up exercise, so it basically just goes to waste.

I hate walking because it irritates me, but I know that I need to get back into walking shape, since all my classes have quite a bit of walking distance this fall at college.

Overall, I know it's all up to me, but I'm just too damn lazy and preoccupied (I sit at a desk at work almost all day).

[Otohiko]

PS - to Jasper and others - any advice on doing light weights?

When I say light, it doesn't really mean anything (to me) other than that the weights are five pounds or less. I just do three sets of fifteen reps with each movement. It's not the most challenging thing in the world, but I don't want to risk suddenly overexerting a muscle that normally doesn't get any use. Usually I get my brother to watch me to make sure I'm doing it right.

Oh.

Well then I've been doing light weights for about an hour a day on average with my bad arm. I put two 2.5lb ankle weights on my arm and do various movements with it while aimlesswandering, which usually lasts an hour or two. Obviously giving it rest every once a while etc. That actually helped my recovery a lot, once I was ready to work with that sort of weight of course.

I don't know, I'm one of those people that is convinced there's some sort of "special secret" about right ways of lifting weights. It probably doesn't exist beyond the basics, huh

I'm surprised that so many people don't like walking. Unless I'm in a rush, I can't imagine preferring walking to any other mode of transport. Although I should qualify, my walking habits developed very much as a city-dwelling person in an interesting city environment, with occasional trips to interesting countryside. I'm getting pretty sick of walking in suburbs or just flat, empty areas like fields etc. Places like cities with lots to do, or forests/mountains, are pretty much addictive as far as walking goes.

[inthesto]

I kick the shit out of my sparring partner:



I also make sure to pollute my lungs with smoke cancer so I have an excuse to keep any sort of physical activity short.

On a side note, I absolutely want one of these. I imagine they're very therapeutic:

[Kristyrat]

I used to run every Mon-Wed-Fri, with strength training Tues-Thurs, but that was when I was back in Vancouver and I didn't have anybody to play rugby with. I definitely found it easy and tempting to fall out of the routine, but if you keep with it for long enough, it becomes second nature, and you never really question it. Sort of like brushing your teeth before bed, or showering every morning. Without a doubt though, playing a sport or just messing around with friends outside was way more enjoyable than the routine crap.
If you really want to get in shape and keep it up, I'd suggest scheduling a specific time every week to meet up with people that have similar goals and just play around, doesn't matter what sport. That way it's more enjoyable and you get people who will rag on you if you don't show up, that's really one of the biggest motivators for me.

[Kristyrat]

[BasharOfTheAges]

Although I know I should probably be doing something, I grew up knowing (and feeling) that I had exercise-induced asthma problems and decreased lung capacity (mother smoked a lot while I was in-utero). I can work out, but cardio above a certain limit makes my lungs feel like they're full of fluid. Afterwards I feel horrible, completely exhausted, and drained of all energy for hours.

I got into a lot of walking because it doesn't cause my heart and breathing rates to trip me past that point - it resulted in me having huge legs though (which is a trait that runs in my family anyways ).

I got into a good DDR / walking routine when I started college, but after fucking up my ankle and having my orthopedic doctor tell me I could easily rupture a tendon if I didn't stay off my ankle, I stopped.

[krzT]

It takes 21 days to build a habit! :O

Don't beat yourself up for skipping days though...it makes wanting to do it all the more difficult. Of course I'd go running with you if I were home (=(((( ), but I agree with Orwell that you should be doing at least 30 minutes of running/physical activity (I would generally do about 40 minutes of running + 15 minutes of ab work + maybe another 15 minutes of weights when I have time x_x). Haha, I guess I'm also lucky that Ithaca is so damn hilly that a 20 minute hike to class with a backpack is better than nothing (though the resulting thunderthighs are not exactly what I had in mind ._.). I would actually suggest picking up a new sport over the traditional "working out". It's a lot more fun and something you generally look forward to doing. Maybe take a clinic in tennis and then you can play with me!

I guess a question for me is...any body know any habit-building tips? Most of the time for me if I decide to work out one day and I actually do, I'll devote a good amount of time to it. But it's just getting myself to do it to begin with...

[CodeZTM]

I've learned many habit-building exercises over the years. Most of them involve studying, but I guess they could be applied elsewhere.

1) Keep a "motivational" memento around

- For me, it was a picture of a McDonald's employee for studying, showing me exactly what could become of me if I didn't keep my mind clearly on my studies. For exercising, just google something or post a picture of yourself :O

2) Just Dew it

- When there is a task to be done that I don't really want to do, I just get up and start doing it without even thinking. If I think about it, I eventually won't do it.

3) Music always helps

- Seriously, just pop in some tunes and think about all the things you might be doing instead (for me, it was the very thought of having to go into work).

4) Keep at it!

- It takes 21 days to form a habit (like stated above). However, it only takes one day to totally mess it up. I should know. I attempted to give up fingernail biting, and it went well for about a month. Then, one day I just started biting (I was nervous) and it was all over.

Also, I think that exercise/diet isn't something you can only do for a few weeks/months. It's a lifestyle that you have to work at and achieve. You can't just do it half-assed, or you'll just end up failing in the end. :O

[Otohiko]

I've learned many habit-building exercises over the years. Most of them involve studying, but I guess they could be applied elsewhere.

1) Keep a "motivational" memento around

- For me, it was a picture of a McDonald's employee for studying, showing me exactly what could become of me if I didn't keep my mind clearly on my studies. For exercising, just google something or post a picture of yourself :O

2) Just Dew it

- When there is a task to be done that I don't really want to do, I just get up and start doing it without even thinking. If I think about it, I eventually won't do it.

3) Music always helps

- Seriously, just pop in some tunes and think about all the things you might be doing instead (for me, it was the very thought of having to go into work).

4) Keep at it!

- It takes 21 days to form a habit (like stated above). However, it only takes one day to totally mess it up. I should know. I attempted to give up fingernail biting, and it went well for about a month. Then, one day I just started biting (I was nervous) and it was all over.

Also, I think that exercise/diet isn't something you can only do for a few weeks/months. It's a lifestyle that you have to work at and achieve. You can't just do it half-assed, or you'll just end up failing in the end. :O

Yup! Actually hardly any of this works for me (except music!), but...

I'd also add two more - first of all, be sure that the goals you set are realistic. Don't under or over-evaluate yourself and what you want to get to. I find talking to other people who know my limits well helps in those sorts of things. Overly-lofty goals will demotivate you, but overly-easy goals without long-term thinking will make you lazy.

Secondly, building some sort of reward mechanism into it helps. Instead of working against a potential punishment or side effect, better to work for some sort of instant reward afterward.

Otherwise as far as exercise goes, I'd try to set it up to be something you do at a time of day when you have no excuse to do anything else. I find late-afternoons a bit of a problem because there's generally lots of other things you could do then. If another time is possible, I'd pick that. But that really depends on your own schedule. I found the ideal time to be around mid-morning, when I was working out regularly.

[GloryQuestor]

I've been keeping in general shape, although I surprised myself getting a time of 41 minutes for walking 5 kilometers in a walking race (and getting a silver medal for it )

Usually I like to walk everywhere around town, which keeps me at least not too overweight for my age and size. I do a lot of aerobic stretches and exercises here and there to balance out the walking exercise.