2018 Health and Fitness Thread

JustJesus- I really like extended timeframes for this stuff. I`ll turn 60 in about two years and my goal is to be in better shape at 60 than I am now. Long timeframe, pretty vague, so...sure, I can do that.

While many do best under the pressure of deadlines (Accumulatorett included), I do better the other way. With a long period I have plenty of time to accomplish my goals and usually find I`m where I want to be early.

Similarly, most people seem to do well with specific, often quantified, goals. But I do best with something more general, never really drilled down into the Why of it, but that`s how it goes for me. Kinda doubt that`d be a good approach for others though.

Yeah, Stress Eating can be like Stress Drinking/etc., once you get into that pattern it`s hard to break. I`m *really* glad I have a "it`s just fuel" mindset about it.

jrock645- Ah, OK, hope you get over it soon. I have a (quite rare for me) cold at present too, but expect it`ll be gone soon. Feel OK, just not smelling/tasting. It`s been so long since I had a cold that my zinc lozenges expired over four years ago! I figure they`re still OK, but this lingers on for ages I`ll wish I hadn`t gambled on that :o Sure glad I got that Leg Day in when I did, undecided whether I`ll do something (something easy, along the lines of Active Rest maybe..) for today`s scheduled Back/Rear Delt/Bicep/Ab day, we`ll see.

And yeah, when I`m sick I stay away from everybody. Sigh...biggest drag is that I missed my Denny`s bfast this morning :( The gals there are probably wondering if I woke up dead or something.
 
I`m sure no one cares (I stopped worrying about stuff like that a long time ago), but this what my DIY Near-infrared sauna looks like:

attachment.php


Not sure why it is in landscape - is portrait everywhere else.

Very happy so far. Since becoming fully operational Fri night, my sleep quality (deep and REM sleep - according to FitBit) has improved over baseline. Very encouraging.

Update: in the last week, down to 172.4 lbs and lost another 1.5" on waist. And, no, is not from water loss/dehydration from the above - at least according to my smart scale. Fat % down almost 2% from last week. I believe my biohacking is working.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0204.JPG
    IMG_0204.JPG
    95.6 KB · Views: 44
mjlinane said:
I`m sure no one cares (I stopped worrying about stuff like that a long time ago)...
Click to expand...

Eh, keep posting stuff! Never know who will care or when. Bandwidth is cheap these days anyhow ;)

..Very happy so far...my sleep quality (deep and REM sleep - according to FitBit) has improved over baseline. Very encouraging...
Click to expand...

That`s what counts IMO :D Glad it`s working for you.
..Update: in the last week, down to 172.4 lbs and lost another 1.5" on waist...at % down almost 2% from last week..
Click to expand...

Ah, that *is* significant progress!
 
Yeah for me...So, up until 2 days ago - I had no idea what I weighed... But as a reward for loosing some weight - I decided to buy myself a new Schott leather jacket. These jackets are expensive for me - $800 & and are ordered actual size (42, 44, etc..). So, to get the right size I had to buy a scale & weigh myself..And - down 71 lbs since this time last year. BMI initially 39 down to 28 now....Funny, I guessed my weight within 2 lbs.

People say it`s so hard to loose weight as you get older. I dunno. I think it`s actually pretty easy.
 
mjlinane said:
For a 6` tall, 55 year old, yes. First time out of the Overweight/Obese range in more than 30 years..
Click to expand...

That`s really great! Too many guys our age are going the other way, and fast. After all those years of being heavy it`s even more impressive.

I did get my dates on the body fat % wrong. It was 2 weeks for the 2% reduction..
Click to expand...

I actually like that kind of incremental/gradual progress better. IMO it`s more likely to stay on-track that way.
 
Swanicyouth- Gee, that`s some great progress you`ve had too! Seventy. One. Pounds. Wow.

And I like the idea of rewarding yourself with that jacket, bet you`ll stay motivated to keep fitting into it OK.

As best I can tell (and it`s also been my experience), it gets "harder to lose weight as you age" because of a loss of TypeII Muscle Fibers. Same reason people get fatter on the same diet as they age. I`m probably the only person I know IRL who still takes in as many calories as when I was young without gaining fat and I figure it`s because I`ve stayed in shape.
 
jrock645 said:
So that’s just 4 IR bulbs and a space heater?
Click to expand...

Yep - heat lamps from Lowe’s (probably no longer available). The space heater preheats the small room prior to using. I turn it off when I go in and turn on the lamps.

My yet-to-be-delivered far-IR sauna is a wood & glass room with the elements and a stereo. Much nicer looking but far, far more $$$$.
 
Accumulator said:
Swanicyouth- Gee, that`s some great progress you`ve had too! Seventy. One. Pounds. Wow.

And I like the idea of rewarding yourself with that jacket, bet you`ll stay motivated to keep fitting into it OK.

As best I can tell (and it`s also been my experience), it gets "harder to lose weight as you age" because of a loss of TypeII Muscle Fibers. Same reason people get fatter on the same diet as they age. I`m probably the only person I know IRL who still takes in as many calories as when I was young without gaining fat and I figure it`s because I`ve stayed in shape.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I think the secret is just one word: exercise. Find some type of exercise you can do for a significant amount of time several days a week. If it`s too intense - you will hate it and won`t be able to keep it up.

Honestly, I don`t even really diet. I try to eat low fat during the day & don`t drink stuff with sugar in it. Eat whatever I want about 1/2 the nights for diner. Go out to eat a lot. Drink alcohol whenever I want.
 
Swanicyouth- Heh heh, you and I are the exact opposite on some things, but the same on others!

Opposite- IMO I hardly do any exercise quantitatively speaking, but what I do is extremely intense. Been doing it that way for so long that no matter how unpleasant it is, I`ll do it anyhow...just wired that way and it works best for me so there`s some positive reinforcement to keep me at it. Different strokes and all that, but you`re absolutely right that you gotta find what`s right for *YOU* and the primary thing is to find something you actually will do, year in year out, forever. IMO that "forever" part is crucial since the older we get the more critical it is.

Same (basically)- The "I don`t diet, just eat sensibly" is my approach too. I don`t mind fats as long as they`re the right kind, I just hate (and thus find it easy to avoid) empty calories. Same ol` thing- gotta find something you`ll stick with.
 
Today`s arrival:

attachment.php


Will be trying out in about an hour.
 

Attachments

  • FarIRSauna_small.jpg
    FarIRSauna_small.jpg
    315.8 KB · Views: 56
Accumulator, first of all I love the stairmaster. I used to run cross country in high school and for another 2 years in college and my knees are shot. But now days I don`t think I could do 20 minutes of an intense stairmaster unless there were paramedics standing by.lol

That said, I love the stairmaster and its the only aerobic activity I do now days.

I see you do two different types of squats and leg curls on your leg day. Do you not incorporate any lunges? Have you tried reverse lunges on the smith machine? My legs seem to grow so much faster than my glutes. It seems like no matter how deep I squat I can never activate my glutes like I can with reverse lunges and bulgarian split squats.
 
mjlinane- Gee, that`s quite something! How was it delivered?

Lashingstanley- Heh heh, you and I might be the only Stairmaster fans here :D (Did a quickie on it this morning.) Heh heh, no matter how hard I do it, it`s an absolute walk in the park compared to that Airdyne! All I did was the Stair for ages, but to really push myself I decided to go back to the Airdyne (which no longer bothers my knees the way it used to).

I no longer do (the Work portion of) my cardio for as long as 20 minutes. It`s that "go hard or go long, can`t do both" thing. Since shortening the (work) sessions dramatically *EVERYTHING* is better for me, incredibly so. Best change I`ve ever made since I`ve been working out was limiting the frequency and duration of my workouts (both cardio and resistance). Never woulda thunk it, never will get over it..

I`ve posted before about my knees..."you`d better plan on bilateral replacement"... but zero problems as long as I don`t do stuff that bugs them, which just happens to include, wait for it...lunges. No matter what form I use, it ends up bugging them so I don`t do those. But then I basically don`t do *anything* other than what I know for certain works for me (especially where my legs are concerned).

I don`t have a Smith Machine. The times I tried it, the purely straight motion was too unnatural for me.

I don`t get much for my glutes out of squats unless I go really wide, like Hindu Squats, and that`s another thing that`s really unnatural and also hurts my knees, so I don`t do them often. If I do my Good Mornings and Semi-straight ("Romanian style") Deadlifts right I can hit them good. It`s kinda funny, I basically don`t prioritize them yet they`re among my best bodyparts!

Actually, my glute development has become a little bit of an issue in that its` hard to find briefs/pants that fit me properly! Between my glutes and the size of my upper legs I have to buy Large briefs/etc. even though I have a ~31" waist, have to have dress slacks made-to-measure and casual ones extensively tailored...[freakin`] pricey PIA.
 
Accumulator said:
mjlinane- Gee, that`s quite something! How was it delivered?

Lashingstanley- Heh heh, you and I might be the only Stairmaster fans here :D (Did a quickie on it this morning.) Heh heh, no matter how hard I do it, it`s an absolute walk in the park compared to that Airdyne! All I did was the Stair for ages, but to really push myself I decided to go back to the Airdyne (which no longer bothers my knees the way it used to).

I no longer do (the Work portion of) my cardio for as long as 20 minutes. It`s that "go hard or go long, can`t do both" thing. Since shortening the (work) sessions dramatically *EVERYTHING* is better for me, incredibly so. Best change I`ve ever made since I`ve been working out was limiting the frequency and duration of my workouts (both cardio and resistance). Never woulda thunk it, never will get over it..

I`ve posted before about my knees..."you`d better plan on bilateral replacement"... but zero problems as long as I don`t do stuff that bugs them, which just happens to include, wait for it...lunges. No matter what form I use, it ends up bugging them so I don`t do those. But then I basically don`t do *anything* other than what I know for certain works for me (especially where my legs are concerned).

I don`t have a Smith Machine. The times I tried it, the purely straight motion was too unnatural for me.

I don`t get much for my glutes out of squats unless I go really wide, like Hindu Squats, and that`s another thing that`s really unnatural and also hurts my knees, so I don`t do them often. If I do my Good Mornings and Semi-straight ("Romanian style") Deadlifts right I can hit them good. It`s kinda funny, I basically don`t prioritize them yet they`re among my best bodyparts!

Actually, my glute development has become a little bit of an issue in that its` hard to find briefs/pants that fit me properly! Between my glutes and the size of my upper legs I have to buy Large briefs/etc. even though I have a ~31" waist, have to have dress slacks made-to-measure and casual ones extensively tailored...[freakin`] pricey PIA.
Click to expand...

I agree on the smith machine feeling completely unnatural. Literally the only thing I use it for is reverse lunges.

How old are you?? That`s amazing. You must be seriously fit to have a 31" waist. Even though you probably don`t have much fat, do you tend to store excess fat in your glutes and thighs? If I start overeating virtually every single ounce of fat my body stores in my lower belly. It`s the worst. I have a friend that does bodybuilding and when he bulks the first place he starts storing fat is in his legs and his glutes. I`ve always envied him for having defined abs even when he`s bulking but he said it`s not that great because he ends up carrying all of it in his lower body.

Looking back, I can`t believe I used to think that bulking and cutting was the best way to put on muscle. This is probably embarrassing to admit, but I`ve learned a ton from watching Jeff Cavaliere of AthleanX youtube videos over the past 5 years. I don`t follow his program but I think his videos are motivational and I feel like he is a good guy and generally a straight shooter. He`s big on intensity and makes it very clear that there are no shortcuts. Do you follow anyone on youtube?

By the way, I`m not sure what type of briefs you wear but I HIGHLY recommend trying the Under Armour BoxerJock boxer briefs. They are like $15-20 a for a single pair but they are the most comfortable underwear on earth.....These boxer briefs are the best thing that ever happened to growers vs showers.lol They actually make your junk LOOK bigger. Even though the women that are kind enough to sleep with me will still inevitably end up disappointed, nowadays there`s a little more suspense.lol
 
Accumulator said:
mjlinane- Gee, that`s quite something! How was it delivered?
Click to expand...

18-wheeler and 3 surprisingly small but (kind of) heavy but really awkward boxes on a pallet. According to Amazon, total was something like 350 lbs/450 lbs with shipping. Don`t think is anywhere nearly that heavy. (Or my eccentric exercises are really working. ;) ) Could probably have moved and assembled by myself but, as was going upstairs into my exercise room, a second person was much appreciated. Took maybe 30 min to put together. Loving so far.
 
How the [flip] do I keep forgetting this?!?

Every time I work upper legs I do an additional movement that I keep omitting :o

Single leg bent-knee leg raises. Bend knee so toes barely touch ground. Place resistance (I use weights + elastic) right behind knee, raise leg, hold, lower (but not enough for toes to touch down and allow rest).

Works the rectus femoris and supposedly the abs, though I never really feel it in the latter.

There, got it posted before forgetting it again :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top