The physical fitness encouragement and accountability thread.

Best Selling RPGs - Available Now @ DriveThruRPG.com
Got in a 10-mile mostly-run with a few walking breaks on the Des Plaines River Trail yesterday, followed by a 3.1 mile walk also on the trail. Since my Dad did the North Olympic Discovery Half-Marathon this past weekend, I wanted to match distances with him. I'm pretty happy with how it went, but still pretty tired this morning.
 
Another 10 yesterday. My butt is still the major limiting factor. I've tried out another pad, but didn't help much. I might have to replace the seat, but didn't want to go there as it matches the aesthetic of the bike perfectly.
 
Yesterday it was really cold and actually rained. It should not rain in Santa Clara until December. Then again, climate change. I mean it actually snowed here this year. So I did a hard 20 minutes on the elliptical cycles instead of walking.

Today AM is just as miserable, but without rain. I did 15 loops today.

Today PM: Still cool but okay. I did 15 loops more.
 
Last edited:
MoonHunter said:
Yesterday it was really cold and actually rained. It should not rain in Santa Clara until December. Then again, climate change. I mean it actually snowed here this year. So I did a hard 20 minutes on the elliptical cycles instead of walking.

Today AM is just as miserable, but without rain. I did 15 loops today.
Click to expand...

Yeah, California is getting some seriously odd weather. Down here in SoCal, we've been dropping into the 50's every night (that's 10C for the rest of you non-Mericans!). Today the high was 70F (21C). In June. If it would just start raining regularly, this might turn into a decent place to live!
 
Today is insanely warm (back up 15 degrees). I was unaware that it was going to warm up like this, so I went out at 10am and ow. The advantage of the PM loops is that the mountain and trees block more of the sun. It can be warm, but cooler in shade.. rather than the mid morning which is direct sun.

AM 12 loops.

PM: BP did stupid things. so didn't go.
 
Last edited:
Friday AM: I did 15 loops. I did no PM loops.

Today is an sucky day. It is cloudy & overcast. It is muggy for here (76% and 1% precipitation). It is 11am and only 60 degrees (15c). So unlike the temps I was getting used to early in the week (24-29). It is like I am back in February and March.

Today is a glorious day. I did 18 loops. I was not about to pass out. I haven't done this since February 14th. April and May were bad BP months (low enough that it disrupted my kidneys). So It is a 4 month record.

Every day and in every way I am getting better and better. That is my visualization and mantra and I am sticking to it.
 
chuckdee said:
Stupid smog... but I still did my 10 miles.
Click to expand...
Might I suggest a squirt or two of nasal saline in each side, before and after. It will help your nose deal with some of the particulates and keep the dry out side effects of obscuring air to a minimum.
 
So for those considering diet or exercise ideas, a recent (last 30-60 days) thing that is working well for me is seriously watching added sugar intake (specifically sugar, not general carbs). Sugar is added to practically everything.

I tried the no carb thing and that just didn't work for me, far too limiting and it eliminated a lot of healthy foods like beans, rice, fruit and many vegetables. It wasn't sustainable for me, and honestly I wasn't seeing the kind of results expected. Avoiding added sugar is providing at least as good of results, and in my opinion better although due to moving parts of my get into better shape plan I can't say the switch from low carb, to limited added sugar can take all the credit.

It is pretty amazing to see how much variability there can be in sugar content of simple similar items like yogurt.

I am still watching carb intake (I've pretty much eliminated breads except as a treat :cry: ), just not excluding them to the extreme levels low carb diets recommend.


I also don't do fake sugar as I don't trust them, so none of those 50% fake sugar, 50% real sugar.

I've switched to coconut palm sugar in my coffee or tea (just a bit as I don't enjoy completely unsweetened coffee or tea). Basically the same specs as cane sugar calorie wise, but it is supposed to be slower to get into your system. It tastes a bit like brown sugar but has a lower glycemic index than cane sugar or honey. GI rates how fast the sugar hits your blood stream.


I am extremely pleased with the results of incorporating a series of squats, lunges, pushups and planks throughout the day. Easy to do and I am rapidly seeing improvement. As I progress through my day I either take 5-6 minutes to do a full set of 10 ea, plus a 1 minute plank, or more quickly just do one of them, then next time the next in the series as time and place allow. At work I will take a walk every hour or two popping into the gym for just a moment to get in some of these exercises. Working 10 hours I can usually fit in 4-6 sets depending on how busy my day, and motivation level. At home I tend to just do one at a time throughout the day as I go about my day with a goal of 2-3 sets by the evening.


I feel like I have made it over the hump, I've gotten most of this formed into a habit, so no longer have to badger myself to do it.
Now I have to remind myself to take a by day from time to time to recover, and allow myself a treat from time to time.

We took the kids to a local diner for burgers and fries the other night, first time I've had fries in months. Very tasty. :wink:
 
Thursday evening, I was able to get a nice long run (with a few walking breaks) in, of full, 13.1 mile half-marathon distance. Did it in just under 3 hours, too!

It's still a life-goal to get a sub-3-hour time in an official, sanctioned half-marathon, but doing it on my own was still very satisfying.

I have been slacking on my strength training, though. I don't think I ever went into the gym in May, although I did at least use my home dumbbells a little bit. Need to add some strength back in.
 
Coming in the door, I banged my brake lever on the doorframe, which bent it back. I was able to put it back, but now the brake won't let off. I guess I'm back to walking until I get it fixed - taking it in today after work.
 
OTOH, I'm walking just because I like walking. That is the best reason, if you ask me - when you have to, like with chuckdee chuckdee it kinda sucks:shade:!

Yesterday, I walked from home to my job and back, then went to the FLGS where I was running a session, then went home (about 12 kms in all, I could have replaced that with 4 trolleybus/tramway tickets:thumbsup:).

So, I'm basically including brisk walks in my conditioning. Jack Dempsey would be proud, I guess:grin:!
 
Yesterday was busy in the morning, so I only did a PM walk of 15 loops before dinner.

Today is drizzly. I got 12 loops in this morning before I decided not to get wet.
 
Last edited:
My attempts to get back in shape has been one step forward and three backwards the last year due to injuries and having some cold/influenza/whatever twice. As the university classes are over for the semester, so I will only be working full time for the summer, I will focus on jogging and swimming. I probably didn't swim more than five times during the previous decade, but already been in the pool four times in the last couple of weeks.

Personally, part of focusing on cardio is to be able to focus longer, which will reduce the risk of injuries in other activities. So when it comes to martial art, I will kind of restart with that after the summer.
 
AsenRG said:
OTOH, I'm walking just because I like walking. That is the best reason, if you ask me - when you have to, like with chuckdee chuckdee it kinda sucks:shade:!

Yesterday, I walked from home to my job and back, then went to the FLGS where I was running a session, then went home (about 12 kms in all, I could have replaced that with 4 trolleybus/tramway tickets:thumbsup:).

So, I'm basically including brisk walks in my conditioning. Jack Dempsey would be proud, I guess:grin:!
Click to expand...
I like walking, and that's all I was doing before I got my bike. I've just gotten accustomed to going further on my bike and visiting other areas of the neighborhood.
 
chuckdee said:
I like walking, and that's all I was doing before I got my bike. I've just gotten accustomed to going further on my bike and visiting other areas of the neighborhood.
Click to expand...
Yep, I totally agree! My bike just got stolen a year ago...or was it a couple years already...and I never got around to getting a new one:shade:!
 
Just got 45 minutes of laps in the swimming pool before they closed for the day. Today I only worked on breathing for the breast stroke, as I found out a couple of weeks ago that I breath in when I should breath out, and vise versa. I usually tend to work on breathing out under the water, and doing leg kicks while floating on the back. But as I didn't had much time today, I skipped those.
 
The Beta Blockers are finally kicking in and my HR has been more stable - thus BP more stable, though higher.

I managed 17 loops today in the AM. It is getting very warm here in the afternoon, so my PM walk may be at 1900 instead of 1500. Still trying to reach the pre-heart procedure level of loops without feeling taken down. I want to reach the level I made last Saturday before the new medication and different attempt to control my BP.
 
Went out to the Deer Grove Forest Preserve yesterday morning. Jogged the 5.4 mile yellow loop trail. Then decided to repeat it going the other direction, which ended up being a mixed jog-walk. Ended up with a total distance of 11 miles and an average pace of about 15 min/mile. Before I went to bed, I walked another 1.1 miles around my neighborhood so that my total mileage for the day was half-marathon distance.

After a month or two of not wanting to face the music, I finally stepped on a scale again & weighed about 188 lbs, which is about 20 lbs above my goal weight. Although as I always point out when mentioning weight, the number I really care about is body fat percentage, not weight.
 
Oh, also, the trail I went to yesterday was sparsely populated, but of the few people who were out using it, the majority were on mountain bikes. Might inspire me to actually get my bike out, which I haven't ridden in a few years.
 
ordered an ebike for commuting. 14 miles, each way. I figure i can do it in about 45 minutes each way at a solid and maintainable clip. This actually beats me driving to work, driving back from work to the gym, driving home, AND THEN the time for the workout at the gym. I figure I got 5 months before I have to be serious about winter gear for it.

this will get me 5 days a week exercising.
 
Raleel said:
ordered an ebike for commuting. 14 miles, each way. I figure i can do it in about 45 minutes each way at a solid and maintainable clip. This actually beats me driving to work, driving back from work to the gym, driving home, AND THEN the time for the workout at the gym. I figure I got 5 months before I have to be serious about winter gear for it.

this will get me 5 days a week exercising.
Click to expand...

I worked with a woman who bought an ebike for commuting. It worked well as she had a pretty good hill to go over. On the way to work she used to boost to keep it an easy ride so she wouldn't be all sweaty when she got to work. The ride home she rode without help, since she could take a shower when she got home.
 
Toadmaster said:
I worked with a woman who bought an ebike for commuting. It worked well as she had a pretty good hill to go over. On the way to work she used to boost to keep it an easy ride so she wouldn't be all sweaty when she got to work. The ride home she rode without help, since she could take a shower when she got home.
Click to expand...
I can actually shower at work as well. We have nice facilities. Just taking the advice someone gave me a long time ago, and he essentially rode every day and lost a pile of weight. He was younger, but it’s still going to happen for me. Perhaps I’ll be able to keep up with my son next year.
 
Raleel said:
I can actually shower at work as well. We have nice facilities. Just taking the advice someone gave me a long time ago, and he essentially rode every day and lost a pile of weight. He was younger, but it’s still going to happen for me. Perhaps I’ll be able to keep up with my son next year.
Click to expand...
I shower twice a week, in grimy, murky facilities that require encounter rolls. I find that if I shower every day, the insects stop sticking to me.
 
My sister turned 60 and had a 'pavement party' - she wanted to run 6 miles, and set up 4 mile and 2 mile courses. Of course, she's several states away, so I did 2 miles here at the same time.

I also went to the reservoir to try paddle boarding...

Fuck paddle boards.
 
chuckdee said:
My sister turned 60 and had a 'pavement party' - she wanted to run 6 miles, and set up 4 mile and 2 mile courses. Of course, she's several states away, so I did 2 miles here at the same time.

I also went to the reservoir to try paddle boarding...

Fuck paddle boards.
Click to expand...

Never tried paddle boards, but I worked as a lifeguard one summer, and the lakes had rescue boards, sort of big wide surfboards, that you could lay on and paddle out (with your arms) to a person. They are wide for stability and have hand holds that a person can hang onto or use to help them get on the board.

I used to take those out for PT paddling around the lake. A great upper body workout, particularly the shoulders.

I'm thinking you are talking about the kayak-ish things.

1687068612312.png
 
Toadmaster said:
Never tried paddle boards, but I worked as a lifeguard one summer, and the lakes had rescue boards, sort of big wide surfboards, that you could lay on and paddle out (with your arms) to a person. They are wide for stability and have hand holds that a person can hang onto or use to help them get on the board.

I used to take those out for PT paddling around the lake. A great upper body workout, particularly the shoulders.

I'm thinking you are talking about the kayak-ish things.

View attachment 62711
Click to expand...
No.

1687132247914.png

It's harder to stand up than advertised, and my knees don't work as well as they used to for kneeling. Going to have to start stretching and have a lot of practice.
 
Skipped Yesterday due to joint pain

Today AM - 15 loops. I only had approximately an hour, so it went pretty well. Towards the end my knee was reminding me of why I skipped yesterday.

Today PM - 12 loops. Again only an hour to walk, but not as fast as this morning.
 
Last edited:
bleys21 said:
That's what I call "swimming". Because just as soon as I try to stand up, I'm swimming again lol
Click to expand...
I feel that on a personal level. I ended up canoeing on the board after I fell in too many times and just wanted to chill.
 
2 miles at the park, then parked far away from dinner location for another mile and a half - .75 before and after dinner.
 
It seems that I am still fluxing. One good day. One less good day. (or one and a half good day/ less good more accurately.) So today qualified as a less good day.

AM- 8 loops.

Add on for the PM
Three and a half servings of coffee and some medication later, I am still lower systolic and "haven't been this high in months" diastolic. I am out of whack. Hopefully, tomorrow evens out. The walk might even this out or it may send it in directions I do not want. Thus we are playing a skip card.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Banner: The best cosmic horror & Cthulhu Mythos @ DriveThruRPG.com
Back
Top