Heh. Yes, it's a fitness thread in a gaming forum.

[voodoolily]

Why the sudden health nut Voodoo?

Not sudden, not really health nut, but since I've been off work I've already put on 5 pounds that skipping lunch won't get rid of. My metabolism is totally fucked - on the weekends I put on a couple of pounds from eating 2-3 square meals, and the rest of the week I hafta starve to try drop them again. I've been bitching that I'm starting to put on a belly for a couple of months now, and since I refuse to stop eating the amazing food that I love to cook and go out to, I figured I should prolly just DO something. Working out is basically the way I'm "earning" the right to eat the way I want to.

Fortunately, I have awesome joints and my extremities are already strong. But like I said, it was mostly a problem because when I go to kickboxing, my abs are too sore the next day to properly do pilates. When I go to pilates, my shoulders and upper back are too sore to throw punches. After a long personal debate yesterday, I went to kickboxing but the studio was closed because they're having repairs. So I got the break I really wanted but was afraid to take 'cuz I didn't wanna puss out. I wasn't really TOTALLY sedentary (I was still walking at least a mile a day), but even when I was working, I only did field work maybe three or four times a month. Even if I was digging pits for 6 or 7 hours in the sun, it wasn't really cardio or anything.

I don't really drink that much alcohol (it was a joke), but I definitely like to drink a cocktail or two every day. Beer gives me worse gas than I usually have (constant loud belching), so I only have it once in awhile, like when I go to the German deli for brats I'll pick up some Spaten. I primarily stick to vodka with some kind of juice (usually cran or pink grapefruit), so I get extra vitamin c while I abuse myself. I also take a multi and 600mg calcium supplement every day just because smoking and birth control can lead to early osteoporosis.

The main problem is that kickboxing is on Sunday (punching), Monday (kicking) and Wednesday (conditioning), and pilates is on Tuesday and Thursday. On Friday and Saturday they only have yoga, which doesn't interest me.  So if I want to skip a day between classes I don't get to go to both unless I skip a couple of days (in addition to the weekend). I'm just going to take advantage of being forced to chill out a few days and just try to stay active by walking and stuff until Sunday.

And btw, Strazos, I had a friend who was like 50 lbs heavier than me (she was a big girl), but she was in WAY better shape than me endurance and strength-wise, and will prolly live to 100.

[Paelos]

Weight training coupled with a cycle class. I'm not kidding it's one of the best things to get a woman into shape.

My sister is a collegiate athlete and she is in killer shape due mostly to those aspects.

[Strazos]

I really would like to work out, I really would...

But weight training, running (damn knees), etc....just thinking about doing this kind of thing makes me want to cry. If I don't enjoy doing it, and I don't Have to do it, well...I just won't do it.

Though I bet if I could ski for more than 10 days a years, or go back to playing hockey, I'd be back in shape pretty quickly.

[Yegolev]

Fortunately, I have awesome joints and my extremities are already strong.

Stop it, you're making me feel funny.

Seriously, though, if I were going to go all out for fitness like you, I'd have to get me some Shao-lin kung-fu.  I'm not kidding, either.  That shit will kick your ass, especially the soft form.  You'd think the hard form would be the rough one, if you were like me.  Also like me, you'd be wrong.  They work your ass every day, too.

[Trippy]

Not sudden, not really health nut, but since I've been off work I've already put on 5 pounds that skipping lunch won't get rid of. My metabolism is totally fucked - on the weekends I put on a couple of pounds from eating 2-3 square meals, and the rest of the week I hafta starve to try drop them again. I've been bitching that I'm starting to put on a belly for a couple of months now, and since I refuse to stop eating the amazing food that I love to cook and go out to, I figured I should prolly just DO something. Working out is basically the way I'm "earning" the right to eat the way I want to.

If losing weight and improving your cardiovascular system is your goal you may be better off spending most of your workout time running/jogging (and quitting smoking). Pilates is not going to burn as many calories per hour as running and neither is kickboxing unless you are doing one of those cardio-kickboxing/TaeBo style workouts.

[Strazos]

Running will also wreck the knees...screw that. Isn't swimming or cycling better, anyway?

[Trippy]

Running will also wreck the knees...screw that. Isn't swimming or cycling better, anyway?

For women that have the joints that can handle it, no. Swimming and cycling are non-weight bearing which means you'll slowly lose bone mass. Walking, stair climbing, elliptical trainers, skating, etc. are all low impact weight bearing exercises which means you'll maintain bone mass in your lower body but you won't build it up. Only high-impact forms of exercising like jogging/running and high-impact aerobics will actually build bone mass in your lower body.

[Strazos]

Doesn't the addition of weight training solve that problem?

[Trippy]

Doesn't the addition of weight training solve that problem?

It can but then that's extra workout time so that can be a problem if you have a limited amount of time to workout each day, though now that you mention it that should be less of a problem for voodoolily since she's not working right now.

[Strazos]

if I was actually working out...I'd try to have as much variation as possible. Variation = even development.

Do as I say, not as I do. I could probably ask my healthnut mother....but that would mean getting up for no good reason.

[Murgos]

Seriously, though, if I were going to go all out for fitness like you, I'd have to get me some Shao-lin kung-fu.  I'm not kidding, either.  That shit will kick your ass, especially the soft form.  You'd think the hard form would be the rough one, if you were like me.  Also like me, you'd be wrong.  They work your ass every day, too.

I did several years of Shaolin Five Forms/Choy Li Fut/Ba Gua Zhang.  Shaolin is a mix of hard and soft but mostly ornimental any more (at least thats the way it was taught to me), Choy li Fut as taught by my Sifu was very external but VERY GOOD for fitness and Ba Gua Zhang is almost all internal but probably the most impressive to watch in action.

Of them all if I were to start up again I would be most interested in picking up Ba Gua Zhang.

[voodoolily]

Running will also wreck the knees...screw that. Isn't swimming or cycling better, anyway?

For women that have the joints that can handle it, no. Swimming and cycling are non-weight bearing which means you'll slowly lose bone mass. Walking, stair climbing, elliptical trainers, skating, etc. are all low impact weight bearing exercises which means you'll maintain bone mass in your lower body but you won't build it up. Only high-impact forms of exercising like jogging/running and high-impact aerobics will actually build bone mass in your lower body.

Actually, that's not altogether accurate. You don't need to lift weight to build muscle (which is why calisthenics work). Many studies have shown that an increase in muscle mass is linked with an increase in bone density. Which may be why you don't hear too often of old German farm grandmas getting osteoporosis, whereas thin elderly people are pretty much made of glass. Swimming is the best way to quickly improve muscle condition and CV efficiency (while saving your joints), because your heart has to work harder to do the same amount of work when you're in a low-gravity environment filled with resistance (water has much greater density than air, so there's a difference between the no-gravity environ of a pool and the zero-gravity environ of a space shuttle). The water that surrounds you is heavy, and your entire body works against that pressure, especially if you wear those webbed-finger gloves that increase resistance.

Weight loss isn't really my goal (like I said, I only have a couple of extra pounds), just strength, overall fitness, and the ability to kick some serious ass. Just going for a week has already had an impact - my abs and obliques are visible again, I've dropped two pounds, I don't feel like laying on the couch for the first three hours of my day, and I'm already craving healthier food. All while eating literally twice as often as I had been before. This is huge for a heavy smoker with a penchant for sausage, cheese and vodka.

[Sky]

Weight loss isn't really my goal (like I said, I only have a couple of extra pounds), just strength, overall fitness, and the ability to kick some serious ass.

Unload trucks for walmart.

[voodoolily]

Unload trucks for walmart.

I'd rather load 'em. With EXPLOSIVES! 

[Megrim]

Eh, i wouldn't go overboard with the gym stuff. Going everyday of the week is stupid, especially if you've not done any strenious physical activity in years. Personally, i'd drop it to one class of each a week (provided you are not a piggy and no longer wish to be one).

Overall, i'd say the best way to get fit is to join some sporting league. Keep the pilates and pick up weekend football (soccer). Probably one of the best ways to get into shape =)

 - meg

[WayAbvPar]

Unload trucks for walmart.

I'd rather load 'em. With EXPLOSIVES! 

I'll light the match for you.

[stray]

Hey, I kind of like the place. There isn't anywhere else that I can go to shop for groceries at 3:00 AM (yeah, I'm one "those" people  :-D).

[WayAbvPar]

And if they have their way, there will be no place else for you to get your groceries at noon either.

[Fargull]

Being a single parent with an almost five year old leaves me little time for excersize outside of the normal involved in raising a child.  I am; however, looking at a rowing machine, but have zero knowledge on what is or is not a good machine.  Anyone have any suggestions?

[Trippy]

Being a single parent with an almost five year old leaves me little time for excersize outside of the normal involved in raising a child.  I am; however, looking at a rowing machine, but have zero knowledge on what is or is not a good machine.  Anyone have any suggestions?

I've only ever used the Concept 2 rowers but I hear horrible things about the pneumatic types.

[voodoolily]

I would hazard a guess that if you simply match the activity level of a four-year-old you'll be golden. (Also, kids that age aren't too young to start taking on hikes, if you have access to places worth walking.)

[penfold]

Being a single parent with an almost five year old leaves me little time for excersize outside of the normal involved in raising a child.  I am; however, looking at a rowing machine, but have zero knowledge on what is or is not a good machine.  Anyone have any suggestions?

Spend 5% (or less) of the money on a pull-up bar, and do some bodyweight exercises too and see if you really have the time and inclination for regular work out. Then think about getting a rowing machine, because whilst I know plenty of people who thought a rowing machine would be a good idea, all have since relegated the machine to collecting dust in the garage, cupboard or spare room.

[Margalis]

Eh...all this advice is basically triviality.

For the average person (IE, not a pro wrestler, body builder, long distance runner, etc) far and away the best advice is choose something you can do and STICK WITH IT. What you actually do is largely irrelevant vs. doing something.

Most people who want to get in shape buy some tapes or get some machine, use for a couple of weeks, then get lazy.

Engage in a variety of activities that get your heart rate up and require some strength, and do it regularly. The end.

[Fargull]

Spend 5% (or less) of the money on a pull-up bar, and do some bodyweight exercises too and see if you really have the time and inclination for regular work out. Then think about getting a rowing machine, because whilst I know plenty of people who thought a rowing machine would be a good idea, all have since relegated the machine to collecting dust in the garage, cupboard or spare room.

Yeah.  Only reason I was really looking at a rowing machine is the fact I used to canoe all the time.  When my boy starts swimming fully, I will get back into that here.

Margalis, your advice is very sound and that is what I normally do, but I am finding myself confined to the house and limited time for activity between work and taking care of the kiddo.

Trippy, thanks for the link.  I am unsure I want to invest that much into one yet, as Penfold pointed out.

Voodoo... that is what the weekends are mostly like weather permitting, but it is the week days that are currently awash in my ass not doing anything.  I am mainly looking at cardio, as my weight is not an issue though I am seeing a migration to the middle.   :-D

[Margalis]

If all you have is some spare minutes around the house, do some pushups, some pullups, maybe some squats, jumping jacks, etc. You know, all those things you did middle school gym class. Crunches too, etc.

[voodoolily]

I heard that jumping rope for 10 minutes burns as many calories as jogging for 30, but I don't know how that could be true.

[Murgos]

I heard that jumping rope for 10 minutes burns as many calories as jogging for 30, but I don't know how that could be true.

5 minutes with google tells me that Jumping rope at 70 bpm is comparable to jogging at 5 mph for calorie burn over an hour.

I closed the window with my links but just google "jump rope calorie" and read some of the articles.

Anyway the sources sited said ~750 calories per hour.  I run faster than 12.5 minute miles but it seems like a good excercise so I might do some rope skipping for the calves and to break up the routine a bit.

[voodoolily]

Plus jumping rope is FUN!! And jumping is good for the tuckus.

[WayAbvPar]

Plus jumping rope is FUN!! And jumping is good for the tuckus.

I think you and I have different definitions of the term 'jumping rope'. 

[voodoolily]

........


 

[ClydeJr]

My wife and I are planning to ride in the Tour de Doughnut in November. It's a 28 mile bike ride with several stops where you can eat Krispie Kreme doughnuts. For each doughnut you eat, 5 minutes will be taken off your final. Yes, you can finish with a negative time.

I have to get some exercise somehow. This other exercise program wasn't working too well...

[Paelos]

The river of vomit that such a bike ride will entail makes me giddy.

[Arnold]

I heard that jumping rope for 10 minutes burns as many calories as jogging for 30, but I don't know how that could be true.

Check out the Tabata Protocol.  4 brutal minutes that are equivalent to 60 minutes of low intensity aerobics.

[Paelos]

Just do five rounds of 40 yard suicide sprints. That'll set you free.

For those that don't know what they are, you start at the goal line, and run to the 10, then you run back. Then, you run from the goal line to the 20 and back. The thirty and back, and finally cross the 40. Do it all in less than 30 seconds each run.

[voodoolily]

Thanks, I'll pass. Since I took that little break last week, this week my KB and pilates has gone awesome, and even my teachers have noticed a difference in my flexibilty and range of motion. And most importantly, I don't hurt. You remember when you were a kid and you used to roll up in a ball and roll around on the floor? When you try doing that with searing daggers shooting into your abs it's no picnic. This week it was fun and I could feel the muscles working to roll back up. Hooray!