The Do You Work Out Zone

[Jet]

Originally Posted by ZimmygLrL

Good Evening Shad,

I lost 60lbs two years ago and I feel a lot better!

That's very impressive. I eat six times a day and no starch after 3 PM. I do eat one starch per each meal prior in small portions. (We'll see how this turns out.)

I have a 6-day exercise regimen that includes alternating between abs and walking.

[shadows papa]

Originally Posted by ZimmygLrL

Thank you SnackTime! My family and friends cannot believe I did it....

I am thinking of taking up riding a bicycle to go along with my power walking...Might help me loose the last 30lbs..

Have a good night,

Zimmy

That is a great story about your fitness journey so far Zimmy! Kudos to you and yah,changing things up by taking up cycling will probably kick your weight loss goals into a higher gear. Our bodies are so smart and adapt so quickly,that if we don't mix it up,the gains or losses become smaller and smaller. My eating habits have been totally derailed and all over the map this last month. That being said,I want to be 10 lbs lighter by the start of spring so I will straighten all that out shortly Jet,let me know how the no starches in the evening works out for you,ok? Today was my circuit training day,and my best friend called right before I was going into the last round. We have been playing a serious game of phone tag,so I thought it more important to catch up with her and let the last circuit slide. Tomorrow is swim day,and since I am declaring Saturday,"do absolutely nothing day", I may squeeze in a little bike ride as well. Y'all have a great evening!!! Shad

[Gemme]

I have a history of working out and then abandoning my program, whether it was successful or not. Being an 'all or nothing' kind of person, if I didn't give my all, it was easy for me to justify giving it up.

I'm a little older now and presumably wiser and realize that every step in the right direction counts and to try not to be so hard on myself. I'm in a bit of a lax period now but know that I will pick my program back up in short time.

My highest weight was 180. On a 5'1 1/2" frame, that is a lot to drag around. Many factors contributed to me reaching that weight but it basically boiled down to me not being happy. Now, I am happy with my life. So, when I gain 5-10 pounds due to changes in medicine or food intake or lifestyle changes, I am less critical of myself.

Now, I'm about 143, give or take. I'd like to eventually make my way back down to 125-128 but won't throw a hissy fit if it doesn't happen. 135 felt pretty good, so I'd be happy with that if I plateaued there again.

For me, it's more about the mental process than the physical one. But there are some days, after I've gone 5-6 miles on the elliptical, that I feel absolutely invincible and I love that feeling.

[shadows papa]

So today was an ummm....3000 yd swim workout? I lose count sometimes! My coach threw in 5 400 yd repeats with 15 seconds rest between each, I managed to hold a time of 8 minutes 45 sec. for each repeat. Not bad for a rock with arms and legs! I was gonna try to sneak in a mountain bike ride,but I promised my mama I would remove the starter from her riding mower and take it in for rebuilding,so I did that instead. I am debating taking tomorrow off and studying all day or going to the pool early,then to the bike trails and then study??? Hmm....it's gonna be GORGEOUS weather....Hope everyone is having a great day and has a great weekend! Shad

[TheSqueeze]

I usually have one marathon and a couple of half-marathons on my summer and fall schedule every year so that keeps my running schedule pretty full from May through Oct. I usually run 3-4 days a week consisting of one long and slow run anywhere from 8-20 miles at a pace of about a minute slower than my goal race pace; one medium distance tempo run 6-8 miles at or slightly faster than race pace; one speed run 3-6 miles of mile or half mile repeats at 5k pace of faster. I try to throw in 2 days of cross-training and strength training in there as well.

Off season workouts tend to be gym focused due to the cold Chicago winters -indoor cycling - spin classes, treadmill runs, cybex machine and weight lifting. The hardest part of the winter season is just getting to the gym...navigating through all of the ice and snow, finding parking and peeling off the layers of coats, gloves, boots and hats. If you can find a locker or a hook for all of your gear you know it is going to be a good day!

[shadows papa]

Welcome to the thread Squeeze! That is some serious running there! and yah,sometimes the hardest part of any workout is just STARTING the dang thang. And ooooohhweee to Chicago winters! Never lived there but I used to drive trucks and aint nothing like fighting frozen steel tarp in the wind off of Lake Michigan! I just started back running after a little setback from a hamstring pull. I had my first half marathon planned for this month,but no dice! Running is my least favorite part of triathlon,but I WILL make it my friend! Novelafemme is training for her first full marathon in the spring of 2010,I believe?Anyhow,welcome and good luck with finding a sweet parking place at the gym! Shad

[TheSqueeze]

I think I have a half-ironman in me. The swim is the toughest part of tri-training for me. I just can't focus for that long in the pool/open water. I become a time checker and find myself watching the clock and counting down the time until I am done. I need to re-engineer my brain for swim training and make the commitment to getting it done.

[SelfMadeMan]

Stacy and I just joined a fitness club and I am SO happy about it! My main workout right now is heavy on the cardio and also focusing on my arms/back. Feels so good to be taking my life back and getting healthier!!

[PapaC]

I could sure use it too.

Well. I finally got the nerve after discovering that I don't *mind* pool swimming as much as I thought I would to visit my local pool. Prior to that I'd been swimming in lakes.

A brief history. I started T in 2003 making navigation around gender binary change areas in fitness club/rec centres an 'issue'. Since I was already self conscious about my size, I took to the trails and swam in a lake 20 minutes from home. when I moved to the west coast in 2006, I found another lake 7 minutes away but didn't want to deal with men's changing areas.

I've been told that yes some pools the men's area has like ZERO privacy. Forget that.

Anyway, long story short, buddy of mine did some research and happy to say that almost all pools in my area have 'family' change areas, including my local pool which is less than 5 minutes away. I no longer have any excuses to not do my favorite workout in the winter. Nothing is going to stop me now.

Right now I'm not bothering with stats. I'm just showing up to do a solid 1-2 hours of swimming (non-stop) 5 times a week. That's the goal. Between 2002-2005 (although 2004 was the main year), I lost a total of 125 lbs, and keep off most of it (100-110lbs) over the last 4 years. That's an achievement in of itself but I got a lot more to go as I'm still over the 350lb mark.

Today my routine consisted of 2 breast stroke, 2 front crawl, alternating between the two. I also want to work on more upper body so today when I swam front crawl I did so with no kicking (love doing that... I really feel the burn in my shoulders).

I gotta long way to go but the journey is all part of it.

Good luck to rest of you and your routines. Glad to be here to help motivate each other!! (woot!)

[shadows papa]

Originally Posted by PapaC

I could sure use it too.

Well. I finally got the nerve after discovering that I don't *mind* pool swimming as much as I thought I would to visit my local pool. Prior to that I'd been swimming in lakes.

A brief history. I started T in 2003 making navigation around gender binary change areas in fitness club/rec centres an 'issue'. Since I was already self conscious about my size, I took to the trails and swam in a lake 20 minutes from home. when I moved to the west coast in 2006, I found another lake 7 minutes away but didn't want to deal with men's changing areas.

I've been told that yes some pools the men's area has like ZERO privacy. Forget that.

Anyway, long story short, buddy of mine did some research and happy to say that almost all pools in my area have 'family' change areas, including my local pool which is less than 5 minutes away. I no longer have any excuses to not do my favorite workout in the winter. Nothing is going to stop me now.

Right now I'm not bothering with stats. I'm just showing up to do a solid 1-2 hours of swimming (non-stop) 5 times a week. That's the goal. Between 2002-2005 (although 2004 was the main year), I lost a total of 125 lbs, and keep off most of it (100-110lbs) over the last 4 years. That's an achievement in of itself but I got a lot more to go as I'm still over the 350lb mark.

Today my routine consisted of 2 breast stroke, 2 front crawl, alternating between the two. I also want to work on more upper body so today when I swam front crawl I did so with no kicking (love doing that... I really feel the burn in my shoulders).

I gotta long way to go but the journey is all part of it.

Good luck to rest of you and your routines. Glad to be here to help motivate each other!! (woot!)

Hey there PC! Welcome to the thread! Sounds like you got a plan for the winter time months. I have upped my swimming to 4 times a week; 3 coached workouts and one on Saturday morning where I just zone out and SWIM till I get tired. I tried going for a mountain bike ride yesterday,but after careening off a tree and sliding down a 10 ft embankment in the first mile,I realized my heart and head weren't in it so I came home.I also took today off,as it has been 3 weeks since a full day off of working out for me. Climbed back on the clean eating wagon this morning,because when I eat crap,I feel like crap! Tomorrow is circuit training day at the gym(this is the last week of this routine and I'm happy to see it go!) I will be designing another 3 week routine that will be more about developing strength with a 20 minute treadmill run before and after. Tomorrow is also my day off work,so if the weather continues to be gorgeous, I am going for a road bike ride! Happy Monday everyone! Shad

[SnackTime]

Originally Posted by TheSqueeze

I think I have a half-ironman in me. The swim is the toughest part of tri-training for me. I just can't focus for that long in the pool/open water. I become a time checker and find myself watching the clock and counting down the time until I am done. I need to re-engineer my brain for swim training and make the commitment to getting it done.

Good luck with re-engineering your brain on the swim part of the training!

Originally Posted by SelfMadeMan

Stacy and I just joined a fitness club and I am SO happy about it! My main workout right now is heavy on the cardio and also focusing on my arms/back. Feels so good to be taking my life back and getting healthier!!

Congrats on joining a fitness club! Keep up the the great work!

[SnackTime]

Originally Posted by PapaC

I could sure use it too.

Well. I finally got the nerve after discovering that I don't *mind* pool swimming as much as I thought I would to visit my local pool. Prior to that I'd been swimming in lakes.

A brief history. I started T in 2003 making navigation around gender binary change areas in fitness club/rec centres an 'issue'. Since I was already self conscious about my size, I took to the trails and swam in a lake 20 minutes from home. when I moved to the west coast in 2006, I found another lake 7 minutes away but didn't want to deal with men's changing areas.

I've been told that yes some pools the men's area has like ZERO privacy. Forget that.

Anyway, long story short, buddy of mine did some research and happy to say that almost all pools in my area have 'family' change areas, including my local pool which is less than 5 minutes away. I no longer have any excuses to not do my favorite workout in the winter. Nothing is going to stop me now.

Right now I'm not bothering with stats. I'm just showing up to do a solid 1-2 hours of swimming (non-stop) 5 times a week. That's the goal. Between 2002-2005 (although 2004 was the main year), I lost a total of 125 lbs, and keep off most of it (100-110lbs) over the last 4 years. That's an achievement in of itself but I got a lot more to go as I'm still over the 350lb mark.

Today my routine consisted of 2 breast stroke, 2 front crawl, alternating between the two. I also want to work on more upper body so today when I swam front crawl I did so with no kicking (love doing that... I really feel the burn in my shoulders).

I gotta long way to go but the journey is all part of it.

Good luck to rest of you and your routines. Glad to be here to help motivate each other!! (woot!)

Chris, I am glad you found something you enjoy! It does sound like you have a great plan in place! Keep up the great work!

A few years ago, I got back into swimming after having shoulder surgery. In the beginning, I used fins and a kickboard and just kicked anywhere from 1000-1500 yards 3 times a week. I would also do some arm exercises while in the pool.

[shadows papa]

Ok so I overslept today and missed my circuit training routine But to make up for it I did a 45 minute interval run on the treadmill; 8 minute warm up,then alternating 3 minutes at 5.7 mph with 2 minutes at 7 mph.repeat 6 times,then cool down about five minutes walking. I am not up to par yet with the hamstring so by the time I was done I wanted to ! But I didn't.Now it's off to classes.Today is my day off work,but it's raining so no biking,mebbe an evening swim. Happy Tuesday everyone!! Shad

[christie]

I managed to get the new Ab Circle Pro out of the box and assembled yesterday - I am glad that it was less work than assembling the elliptical.

With the current weight loss at 64.7lbs since Aug 1, its certainly time to ramp up the activity level!

Any one have the ab circle thingy? Like it? Love it? Hate it?

[shadows papa]

Originally Posted by christie0918

I managed to get the new Ab Circle Pro out of the box and assembled yesterday - I am glad that it was less work than assembling the elliptical.

With the current weight loss at 64.7lbs since Aug 1, its certainly time to ramp up the activity level!

Any one have the ab circle thingy? Like it? Love it? Hate it?

Christie,a big congrats and a for your weight loss and fitness journey so far! YOU RAWK! Keep on keepin' on sis! Tonight I went for a swim work out and wound up doing 3.1 miles.It feels good to just zone out and concentrate on nothing but breathing and technique.It also keeps me from throwing algebra books into the street as they blaze awayHave a great evening everyone! Shad

[SnackTime]

Originally Posted by christie0918

I managed to get the new Ab Circle Pro out of the box and assembled yesterday - I am glad that it was less work than assembling the elliptical.

With the current weight loss at 64.7lbs since Aug 1, its certainly time to ramp up the activity level!

Any one have the ab circle thingy? Like it? Love it? Hate it?

Congrats Christie!!! That is awesome!! Keep on keeping on!

I was waiting on your report of the Ab Circle Pro...lol

[shadows papa]

WOOT! Just finished my last day of a 3 week circuit training routine. I HATE circuit training but it was a good way to boost muscular endurance and prove to myself I could maintain 7 mph on a treadmill without sliding off the end!! I will start a strength building routine next week,probably a push/pull routine 3xweekly.It's also time to ramp up the outdoor running! Happy Thursday everyone! Shad

[christie]

Does the 87000 trips I have had to make to the back of our facility today (50K+ sq ft) count as working out?

I need a scooter, I think or at the very least, one of these:

[shadows papa]

Originally Posted by christie0918

Does the 87000 trips I have had to make to the back of our facility today (50K+ sq ft) count as working out?

I need a scooter, I think or at the very least, one of these:

Actually, I think it would have been an awesome workout if ya made those trips on a pogo stick! Shad

[SnackTime]

Originally Posted by shadows papa

Actually, I think it would have been an awesome workout if ya made those trips on a pogo stick! Shad

I can see it now...hahaha