Health and Fitness

Discuss physical fitness and healthy living / eating

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Goose
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Health and Fitness

Post #1

Post by Goose »

Okay so I'm into fitness and healthy eating BIG time. Yes, I'm even one of those nerds that track body fat percentage. :eyebrow:

Over the last three years I've lost about 40lbs and feel like I'm in the best shape of my life. I feel great.

I'd love to hear about your workout routines, tips for eating, and any personal stories regarding positive things you have done to improve your health and fitness.

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Post #2

Post by Zzyzx »

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Goose wrote: Okay so I'm into fitness and healthy eating BIG time. Yes, I'm even one of those nerds that track body fat percentage.
Well Goose, there are at least some things on which the two of us can agree – fitness and healthy living.

Although I will turn seventy-five this year, I am in better shape than a vast majority of the population, partially because I have been a "fitness nut" for a lifetime – just under six feet, 180 pounds (within five pounds of my DD-214 weight from an elite unit over fifty years ago), wear 30" waist jeans, and body fat always less than 20%. My lifetime best bench press is 335; however, now one shoulder doesn't like that motion so I use lighter dumbbell presses and flys instead.

I work out at a fitness center at least every other day (often more) and work constantly around my few acres in the country. I bicycle regularly (for exercise, not leisure or necessity) and have ridden to the top of a nearby mountain with 1400 feet of climb.

This time of year I eat primarily from my garden – and also preserve food by canning, dehydrating, freezing, etc. I do not keep animals for food or pets (including human varieties). My grocery bill and cost of living are very low. For a few months now I have been associated with a group of ladies who teach people to grocery shop wisely / economically and cook healthy meals. Just yesterday I attended a meeting at a local university to extend the program to include their students.

For years I have done volunteer work with organizations that provide food to families in need (not always healthy food, though).

Congratulations on your weight loss. What is your age? What are your workout preferences?

Regarding tips for eating: Three things I tell the grocery shopping / cooking groups:

1) If you let a corporation prepare your food you can bet that it isn't very healthy,

2) The junk food you don't buy will more than pay for the healthy food you DO buy,

3) ALWAYS read food nutrition labels and make intelligent choices.
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Re: Health and Fitness

Post #3

Post by DanieltheDragon »

[Replying to post 1 by Goose]

Congrats on the weight loss. I am working on mine too. Hitting 200lbs was a wake up call for me so I have been trying to get lean again.

15lbs down 15 to go!!!!

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Post #4

Post by Goose »

[Replying to post 2 by Zzyzx]

Zzyzx, thanks for sharing – your story is inspiring and you have some really great tips there. It’s encouraging to know that a focus on fitness does not need to stop because of age. Not to mention 335lbs bench press is impressive!

What kind of fitness training did you do in the elite unite? I’ve taken an interest in elite military fitness training – specifically how the Navy SEALs train – and would like to know.

Regarding diet, what kinds of protein do you eat?

To answer a few of your questions and add a bit more. I’m in my early forties, 6’ tall and around 212lbs right now. Body fat is pretty close to yours, around 18-20% (using calipers). (Why do I feel like I’m placing an online dating add right now?:lol:)

Played ice hockey competitively since I was 5 years old and finished up my career playing semi-pro in Europe at the ripe old age of 34. Along the way I also took up an interest in martial arts. So fitness had always been a part of my life in one way or another up until then. But when I stopped playing hockey (and exercising) the problem is I kept eating (and drinking) like a hockey player, got lazy like a couch potato and of course gained weight (quite a bit of it). Finally got fed up with having to buy new pants so I decided to get fit again about three years ago.

I’ve realized weight loss is more about what you eat (and don’t eat) than what you do in the gym. I monitor caloric intake and eat very well. Generally try to eat smaller meals (usually around 300-400 calories each) about every 2-3hrs. Works out to about 5-6 meals per day or 2k-3k calories. I eat plenty of fruit/veggies and protein. I don’t believe in low carb diets especially if one wants to work out intensely. So I do eat complex carbs. I take a multi vitamin and fish oil daily. I stay away from other supplements but do have a scoop of whey protein isolate powder after a workout to help with recovery. I’m blessed because my wife is a great cook and into fitness and healthy eating as well (in fact she is a runner). That makes it easier for me.

To answer your question regarding workout preferences, I have many. Right now I’m following a workout schedule I put together for myself. It’s rather eclectic in that incorporates boxing, weights, calisthenics, circuit training, swimming, running, rollerblading, bike riding and rest. If I had to describe it, I’d say it would be Navy SEAL training, crossfit, P90X, triathlon training, MMA training, hockey training all rolled into one.

Monday I run 5km (3miles) and swim 30-45 min early in the morning. Monday afternoon I do 5-8 circuits of calisthenics. One circuit consists of 10 pull ups, 15 dips, 20 push ups, 25 sit ups, 25 jumps and a 100M sprint. No rest between movements but 2 min rest between circuits.

Tuesday I do 5-7 circuits on my legs. One circuit consists of 2min of barbell squats with one 45lb plate per side, 2 min of lunges holding one 45lb plate, and 1min of burpees. Sometimes I’ll also do another 20min of leg intervals on the stairs if I feel up to it.

Wednesday I run and swim again in the morning and do 6 circuits of upper body weight movements focusing on shoulders, chest and triceps. One circuit consists of 10 bent over flys, followed by 10 shoulder presses, 10 incline dumbbell bench presses, 10 flat dumbbell bench presses, 10 dips, and finally 10 overhead triceps extensions. I also do three 5min sets of continuous abs/core movements with 2min rest between.

Thursday I do 45 min of cardio focusing on my legs. Either rollerblading, stairs, or riding the bike. I also usually hit the heavy bag for 30min. I love hitting the heavy bag. It’s never once tried to hit me back and that’s awesome because nothing ruins a workout faster than getting punched in the face.

Friday I run and swim again in the morning. In the afternoon I do 6 weight circuits focusing on back and biceps. One circuit consists of 8 chin ups, 10 seated rows, 10 lat pull downs, 10 barbell bicep curls and 10 dumbbell hammer curls. I also do three 5min sets of continuous abs/core movements again.

Saturdays are usually a light longer run of 6-8km. If I feel up to it I’ll hit the heavy bag again because I like punching things. Saturday nights I have a couple beers and ice cream. And a few slices of pizza. And some potato chips. And a few more beers. And another slice of pizza.

Sundays - rest.

Each week’s intensity is increased for three consecutive weeks and the fourth week is a recovery week. After three months I’ll take a few weeks off to let my body fully recover.

Then I’ll do it all over again until I’m down to about 195-200lbs (or I have a heart attack).

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Re: Health and Fitness

Post #5

Post by Goose »

DanieltheDragon wrote: Congrats on the weight loss. I am working on mine too. Hitting 200lbs was a wake up call for me so I have been trying to get lean again.

15lbs down 15 to go!!!!
Congrats on losing the 15lbs. Let us know when you hit your goal of another 15. Are you doing anything special to lose the weight?

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Re: Health and Fitness

Post #6

Post by DanieltheDragon »

[Replying to post 5 by Goose]

I like to do a combo of intense cardio and then strength training.

I have a road bike for my cardio , I attach my burly buggy(child carrier and put roughly 100lbs of weight in it and bike for about 15-20 miles trying to cover 80 miles a week.

Then a lot of stuff similar to what you are already doing. Swimming is a great activity that I really enjoy. Lots of situps pushups pull ups etc whatever I can do without weights is great and then 1-2 days a week I hit the gym and do a full body workout.

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Post #7

Post by Zzyzx »

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[Replying to post 4 by Goose]

WOW, what a workout schedule. That is much more intense than I have EVER done – and much broader. Keep it up. As you know, once we get out of shape it is SO hard, so discouraging trying to come back.

My Army experience was with the 101st Airborne Division from 1958 to 1961 in Division Recon. Though it was peacetime (after Korea and before Vietnam heated up), we trained hard because our mission was to be the forward unit of a forward unit. We used parachutes in those days though the division now uses helicopters (probably a better system for most applications). The 82nd still jumps.

Jump school was pretty physical – but not near as challenging as it is claimed to be. Later in the recon unit we did a lot of PT, a lot of running, frequent hikes with heavy loads, pull-up and sit-up contests, days long field exercises with constant motion and minimal rest or sleep.

I volunteered for Ranger Training but was not accepted until there wasn't enough time left on my enlistment and I was not willing to extend or reenlist. Some of my most appreciated training (though not in the physical realm) was serving with the division rifle team. That was as close to sniper training as available in those times. During peacetime snipers were regarded as assassins – so we didn't get the good / necessary training – just long range marksmanship.

That said, I have no delusions that I could have ever made it through SEAL training. They take the best of the best (which I never was) and still wash out an astonishing percentage. Same goes for all of the modern super-elite units of all branches.

You are sure right about food intake being the key to weight management. No matter what we do we can only use a finite amount of energy (calories) and it is easy to intake more than we burn. One donut can contain enough energy for an hour of brisk walking, jogging, or bicycling. A fast food burger, fries, and shake equals more like five hours of the same.

My maximum calorie burn was probably in the vicinity of 9000 a day while doing long distance bike touring (carrying camping gear, supplies, etc for eight or so hours per day). That was thirty years ago and a remarkable young woman and I did a 1000 mile tour each of five years.

I tell people that the only effective exercise for weight control is "push aways" – push away from the table before overeating, away from junk food, away from prepared meals and snacks, etc.

I don't worry about protein – but eat plenty of fish and chicken, with some red meat.

Reference age: A friend at the fitness center is 91 years old. He was a bomber pilot during WWII and later had a career as superintendent of a nuclear electric plant. He does surprisingly well. For example, we were using adjacent recumbent exercise cycles. He asked what resistance level I was using. "The max, level 25" – he said he was only doing seven "But I can do more" – and set it up to 15 and held it for a long time. What a guy – and always in a good humor, everybody likes him. I told him that he is my hero and he replied, "Well, you are mine too."
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Post #8

Post by Zzyzx »

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I have asked Otseng to create a user-group AND a separate sub-forum entitled "Physical Fitness and Health"
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Post #9

Post by Zzyzx »

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We now have our own user-group and sub-forum. I'll move this thread over there and leave a "shadow" here.

To anyone interested in health and fitness: You don't have to be "hard core" to be a member or to post. The objective is NOT to exclude interested people, but to include them and encourage people to live healthy and active. For some that may mean walking regularly, for others jogging, running, doing marathons -- or swimming, bicycling, jumping rope, doing gymnastics, etc, etc.

One of my recent (small) fitness moves was to install a 14" lifted section on my computer desk to use standing rather than sitting. I've made it a practice to use the sitting area only during evenings. That took a bit of getting use to -- but after a week or so standing became the new norm -- not a big deal, but something in the right direction.

We can talk about weight control -- a subject "dear to my heart" and an area in which I have helped a lot of people move toward their objectives. It isn't easy but it IS simple -- eat less, eat smart.
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Post #10

Post by dianaiad »

Hi, Zzyzx...

I'll chime in here, probably just once, but hey....I've lost fifty pounds over the last year, too.

Don't recommend my method as a diet for anybody, though. ;)

Still, I like weighing less. Might even get on a bicycle, if I can remember how to ride one.

Diana, whose idea of exercise is jumping to conclusions, of healthy eating is swallowing more crow than is appetizing, and whose idea of an organically healthy food is fudge. Hey; chocolate is from a bean, right? So is vanilla? Sugar is from beets...very healthy. Milk, also healthy. Dunno about the marshmallow creme, though.

(sigh)

I know, I'm hopeless.

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