2020 Health & Fitness Thread

The world has become a scary place since Denny’s has closed!
Heh heh...well, I wouldn`t go so far as to say "scary" for me personally, but that`s easy for me to say and I do worry about their employees. For them it undoubtedly *IS* very scary indeed as they`re all basically scraping by hand-to-mouth in the best of times.

I`m *REALLY* pleased that our Governor is doing the right things though, and that includes shutting down restaurants/etc. "Break the Chain" now before it`s pointless to even try...
 
jrock645- Ah, OK, bet that was a smart move on the bench! As long as nothing about it bugs you there`s nothing wrong with price-shopping those :D

The 52.5s OTOH, might get limiting...not what I`d want for shrugs/etc. let alone any at-home Leg work...I`ll be interested to hear what you think once you`ve had `em for a while. I *DO* think it might be a good design though, similar idea to my IntellBells, but those are awfully fragile and sometimes you just can`t set `em down gently at the end of a work set.

Can you get additional weight for them? With the IntellBells, the one set I have was upgradeable, but the ones I got from my BFF when she moved doesn`t appear to be and their 50lb limit makes me glad I have others.

You *can* of course add a bit with PlateMates, something I use nearly every single workout.

they make a select tech Db that goes up to 95lbs, but they cost twice as much. Wasn’t gonna spring for that right now. Yeah, a bit limiting maybe but short term it’ll be ok, and for in a pinch workouts it’ll be ok.

Menno wrote me a contingency workout program for the circumstances. BW leg movements that tore me up today. Pistol squats being the first. First time doing those, rough. And then a glute movement called a lying walk out.
 
jrock645- OK, sure understand about that kind of price diff with the bigger sets! Yeah, that is enough weight for all sorts of stuff.

And yeah#2, Pistols are indeed challenging! I actually found them *easier* with additional weight (a db) compared to just bodyweight, maybe because it was easier to stay in-balance.

I can visualize (I think..) the Lying Walkouts, sounds good.

That`s great how he`s working with you to deal with training at home! You can probably imagine how I`m thinking "maybe this`ll be a blessing in disguise" :D Though after a while you might have to do some thinking to keep it all challenging.
 
With Denny`s being closed I figure this is a good time to rethink/reset my dietary practices. (Oh man, I sure hate the term "diet" as to me it connotes asceticism, deprivation, and short-term thinking.)

Reading Barry Sears` The Resolution Zone led me to revisit his other books. (Oh man#2, sheesh does he need a copy-editor who knows what`s-what! :rolleyes: )

I don`t understand how/why so many misinterpret his stuff..the vast majority of what I read about it is easily refuted by (the actual) info I can easily find in those books; it`s like people read some alternate-universe versions or something. He advocates plenty of protein, lots of (the right) carbs, plenty of (the right) fats...his version of "Calorie Restriction" is really just a fine tuning of common sense "eating right" IMO.

I like his mindset of "thinking of Food as a Drug" and administering it properly. Makes perfect sense to me and IMO it`s better than my "it`s just fuel" in some possibly subtle ways.

I`m gonna tweak my carbs...more fermentable ones and fewer starchy ones, and I`m gonna be a bit more careful about quantities-per-meal with regard to everything. I`m sure not giving up my burgers/Arby`s, or even planning to cut back on those, but I do think I can do better on everything else. Might as well start now and see if it becomes my New Normal. Always room for improvement...

By the time things get back to normal and Docs are seeing people who aren`t sick, I plan to be in the best shape of my life :D Eating right sure won`t make that harder, and I bet I can do it without feeling like I`m denying myself any pleasure. As it is, it`s pretty easy for me to avoid eating [crap] because every time I do I end up *feeling* like [crap]..it`s like my New Hangover (now that I don`t get those from drinking thanks to the Fish Oil).
 
Although I’m nowhere near into this stuff as you are, my dietary practices have changed a bit in the form of cutting sugar drastically for the sake of my teeth more than anything else. My labs came back even better than last year’s so that’s a bonus as well. There are no sweets in my house and I’ve been doing pretty good adapting.
 
People over complicate nutrition big time. .8g of protein per lb of bw. .6g fat per kg of bodyweight, more if desired as calories increase. Carbs move up or down as calorie needs go. Cram as much fruits and veggies in as you can. That’s effective nutrition in a nutshell.
 
People over complicate nutrition big time. .8g of protein per lb of bw. .6g fat per kg of bodyweight, more if desired as calories increase. Carbs move up or down as calorie needs go. Cram as much fruits and veggies in as you can. That’s effective nutrition in a nutshell.
 
jrock645- Back when I was tracking my bodyweight/fat% all the time, I was astounded at how I responded to differing amounts of protein (the primary thing I tweaked back then). When I dropped below 1g/lb lean weight the muscle simply melted off me like I`d quit exercising!

Since then, I`ve found that *which* fruits/vegetables I eat can make quite a diff too, but not nearly as drastic as for my wife, who`s simply "carb-sensitive". When I cut my bread consumption by ~1/3 (eliminate about a half-slice/day, replacing it with broccoli/cauliflower/red pepper and olives- same calories just different glycemic load) it made a *definite* diff that I`m really pleased with, although it took months for it to actually show in my appearance. Just one half slice of relatively low-glycemic bread...who would`ve thunk it!

Heh heh, while it might *seem* like I overcomplicate things, it`s like my training (what with all the Isolation Work and constant analyzing/etc.) in that the more I micro-manage the better my results. Certainly could be another of those "just me" things!

Q: Do you find that eating fruit like an apple has a different effect on you than eating something like blueberries, for instance? I`m curious how that goes for others...when I eat an apple pre-workout, it helps me perform better; when I eat grapefruit or blueberries (both of which I love and really go through), it does *NOT* fuel me the same way at all (wish it did). Again, I was surprised that such a minor diff would register at all.

Bill D- Same here, no sugary sweets around here either. Though there are sometimes boxes of Russel Stover chocolates in the pantry; if I`m gonna eat [crap] at least that kind is IMO real food and not just straight sugar. Hey, I can sure enjoy all kinds of bad sugary stuff (Jolly Rancher Green Apple or Watermelon candy come to mind!), but I treat it like pure poison, haven`t had any since forever. If I`d just stay away from those waffles with syrup and two cans of pop/week...

Yeah, with that lack of fluoridation I bet that avoiding sugar was almost a no-brainer! And yeah#2 I`m not surprised it showed in your bloodwork (e.g., your TG/HDL ratio).
 
Come to think on it, I used to eat potatoes/rice/pasta daily, often at most meals. Now I can count the times/week on one hand. More of that `who woulda thunk it`, had it been proscribed by somebody else I would`ve been all "no way, I love this stuff!" but DIYing that change for my own reasons was somehow different.

Replacing even more of those starchy carbs with the right vegetables oughta pay off, though it sure won`t happen overnight.
 
I`m curious what others are doing for Milk...skim/low fat/whole? I switched from skim to whole and sure didn`t gain any bodyfat from it (dunno if I lost any either, supposedly I should`ve), just improved how palatable my Protein/MRP drinks are (in a big way). I also go through a *LOT* of half/half in my morning coffee...
 
I always had only skim milk in my cereal since growing up. I still do to this day. Even drinking glasses of it is normal for me. I can tell the difference in taste between it and other milks.
 
I always had only skim milk in my cereal since growing up. I still do to this day. Even drinking glasses of it is normal for me. I can tell the difference in taste between it and other milks.
I gather you prefer the taste of the Skim, right? While I don`t, I can understand that. (This is another of my weird dietary preferences, I can`t *STAND* the taste of straight milk, couldn`t force it down to save my life.)

I only have milk when I mix up a Meal Replacement shake (usually just post-workout to get my whey protein quickly), and the Whole makes for a thick/creamy milkshake. Since I haven`t had a real milkshake in ages, it`s my version of a real indulgence :D and the only such thing I have on a regular basis.

I bet the different taste is related to the different fat/sugar ratio; the Skim probably tastes sweeter (I can`t really tell by the time I add the flavored powder).

I used Skim for ages until I read that study about how switching to Whole consistently resulted in lower bodyfat, presumably due to the different digestion characteristics of the Milk Fats, which apparently metabolize in some special way (along with the expected slowing down/leveling of blood sugar due to the different fat/sugars ratio). I see it as basically a good excuse to drink the Whole that I prefer, rather than some "and so you oughta..." kind of thing.
 
I’m just so used to skim because I’ve been drinking it my entire life. I do on occasion use Parmalat 2% and I can tell the difference in taste between that and skim. I’ll try out whole some time and see if I like it.
 
While people who drink Whole are far less likely to develop diabetes/etc., a recent study in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity found that people (in that study) who drank Skim/1% appeared to experience ~4.5 years less biological aging than those who drank 2% or Whole.

Though the guy who did the study later said it wasn`t conclusive and that he could easily argue either for/against either side.

(No, I haven`t read the whole Study to really drill down into the details..I don`t drink enough to care either way, and since I`m not giving up half/half in my coffee anyhow...)
 
a recent study in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity found that people (in that study) who drank Skim/1% appeared to experience ~4.5 years less biological aging than those who drank 2% or Whole.
LOL. That must be why I still look young for my age!
 
Bill D- Ya know...seriously..you`re doing so much more than most people (just by eating/drinking sensibly and doing all that walking), and so much *less* when it comes to detrimental stuff (avoiding sugar), that your not looking age-typical doesn`t surprise me in the least. Now... if I could just get you to do some kind of Resistance Training ;)
 
He he. Maybe you can become my personal trainer!
Virtual version :D

It`s not all that tough to make a huge diff without going off the deep end. Just bodyweight stuff is a gazillion times better than nothing. IMO people overestimate what needs to be done for it to register and underestimate what it takes to go beyond the basics. Per usual, I put the emphasis on mindset and Critical Thinking.
 
Well since the beach is closed I can’t walk my usual route so I tack on another mile when I walk now. I’m up to 5 miles. I did it this morning. I don’t feel a thing from the extra mile.
 
Well since the beach is closed I can’t walk my usual route so I tack on another mile when I walk now. I’m up to 5 miles. I did it this morning. I don’t feel a thing from the extra mile.

Ah, I like the way you`re finding ways to work around no access to the beach. I bet it`s far less demanding when you don`t walk on sand, and I wonder what you might do to up the Intensity (as opposed to increasing the Volume) since you didn`t feel a diff from that +25%.

Heh heh, I can`t help but quip that if you found a way to do most of that at a steep incline you might indeed feel it when you add some more time/distance ;) But you`re *outside* instead of doing it down in my basement and that`s got a lot going for it too!

I do wonder what you`d think of the Heavy Hands approach to walking...done *correctly* it`s not as easy as one might think. Just pumping my *unloaded* hands during my steepest incline work absolutely makes a diff. It sure worked great for ol` Len Schwartz! Yes indeed, I`m still trying to find some way to insert some Resistance Training into your regimen ;) Don`t want you to lose Fast-twitch Muscle Fibers!
 
Back
Top