January Exercise & Weight Loss Thread

[BrownBagger]

Well, Happy New Year to everyone. Time for resolutions and all that.

It's been a gruesome winter so far from an outdoor exercise point of view. Either it's been too cold to ski or too snowy/wet/cold to bicycle. Instead, I've been getting my exercise in bed (lamentably, not what you probably think), by sleeping 10-12 hours a night. I must be chilled from the chemo, because the bed and the shower (and a long ride in my car with the heat turned all the way up) are sometimes my best bets for staying warm.

Today, however, the mercury got up around freezing, there's about a foot of fresh snow on the ground and I wasted no time hitting the trails. I took a leisurely 4- or 5-mile jaunt around the local college arboretum, an thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Yes, I got tired more easily than I'd like (chemo and lack of activity recently), but did the loop with no problems. And the conditions were perfect. I like to wax my skis. It's more work and a higher risk that you chose the wrong wax, but when it's working right, there's nothing better. And today, it was working right. And I didn't get cold, either. Once I got warmed up, I stayed that way.

[raym]

So far my only exercise this month has been shoveling more wonderful snow.

[kiwiinoz]

Been really pushing the exercise over the last few weeks and been up I the high intensity zone. Trying to run 5 km under 30 mins but not there yet. BB you would be proud of me as I have even been using the stationery bike for cross training.

I have lost about 1 kg on the last month so I either need to eat more or exercise less.....I think I will just eat more. I have my next colonoscopy on Thursday so I think I could start then

The gym is so full of people trying to keep their New Years resolutions that it is really hard to get a machine, floor space for stretching or weights. Just wait until Feb and they'll all disappear again and I'll go back to being mostly by myself

My goal this year is to reduce visceral fat (turning 41 this year), run faster, longer and join a running club. Provided I am am still in a position to do so, I want to do some 10km+ fun runs for 2014

What does everyone else want (exercise wise) for 2014

[raym]

What does everyone else want (exercise wise) for 2014

Short term, I want to regain the fitness I lost this past fall due to hospital stays and loss of appetite. Unfortunately one reason is I think more surgery is in my future and I can't afford lose even more weight!

[BrownBagger]

What does everyone else want (exercise wise) for 2014

A lot more of this:

[abm]

now that is a fantastic shot and looks like a great trail to ski...me i have been out snowshoeing a few times and tring to get to the gym daily...yes the NY crowds make it hard to get machines...but was able to get in a 10000 and a 5000 meter row over the holiday break as well as upper body workout...the ride to work has been sketchy as the weather has been brutal and the roads worst...have been able to drop 15 lbs since my reversal, hoping to drop another 5 and then maintain at 165.

[kiwiinoz]

OK, so I have it lucky that we are in the middle of summer here and it was a really great day yesterday. Pretty warm at about 32 degrees C or 90 degrees F, so I went up into the mountains about 1.50 hours drive away from where I lived to cool down and go for a run. Got there, and it wasn't any cooler but I ran about 2.50 KM from one village to the next, then ran another 2.50 km down to a lookout point (awesome view), stopped to get some water, check the time and then work out how to get back from where I started at the visitor centre and that was where I realized that I had to basically go back the way I came, or go along some dodgy cliff edge runs so I went that way as it was "quicker".

5 miles is getting to the edge of my stamina at the moment at the pace I am trying to run,and given that it was really hilly terrain by the time I got the back to where I started I was pretty tired, thirsty and I was really hungry. I ended up going over 10 miles and am feeling it in my buttocks today

Walking is a bit tough, especially stairs or going up hill. Don't even get me started on sitting on the toilet

Julie & Horizon were talking about some bracelets that you can wear to measure distance, time, calories, splits etc and gave me the below

https://jawbone.com/up

https://www.fitbit.com/force

http://www.nike.com/us/en_us/c/nikeplus-fuelband

I ended up staying with my iPhone and downloading an app called runkeeper which I think does pretty much what I need and it means I don't have to buy one of the bracelets or some new Nike shoes to make it work.

I am wondering what everyone else is up to on the exercise front?

[raym]

Still feeling really wiped out by the Xeloda along with BP meds. I don't recall being this fatigued with it last time. I managed to work in a Power Yoga class last Thursday evening and perhaps another Yoga class tonight.

[alphagam]

I swim at the local YMCA. They are certified by the arthritis foundation so the water never can be below 86 degrees F. I'm there twice a week at z5:30 am and while they closed for 4 weeks over Christmas for renovation, I jumped back in on 1 Jan and it's a great feeling!

[DBF]

I've been going to the gym in the mornings after I feed the baby (he gets up at around 5:30, so I wind up getting to the gym by 6:30 or 7:00). Well, last time I was there, I decided to sign up for the "90 day transformation challenge" taking place from Feb. 8th to May 8th. I saw that a lot of the people signing up were really fit already, so I thought I had a better chance since I have more weight to lose than they do. I'm thinking of working with a trainer, but the one I met with said I shouldn't push myself too much because of the chemo treatments. Basically, pushing myself makes me feel better about everything, and I really do want to go into this with a competitive attutude. The prize is 10K! By the time the competition ends, I'll be done with chemo, too (I should finish by late March, unless tretments are delayed again bc of WBC/ platelet counts).

If anyone has advice about the kind of workout I should be doing (now I basically run/walk on the treadmill and do weight machines), I'd love suggestions!

DBF

[nkoske]

I've been hitting the gym twice a week since the beginning of Dec. Bright and early in the morning (5:30am). Surprisingly haven't really notice much of the New Year's Resolution rush. Maybe they can't bring themselves to getting up so early.

Did my first official leg workout since before my surgery. I think I was sore for a week. I love feeling sore after working out.

My goal is to get to the gym 3 times a week although we're 3 season into Breaking Bad and it takes lots of discipline to turn off the TV and not watch another episode on DVD .

Now if I can just stay healthy. I've had a cold every month since my toddler started pre-school in Sept.

I need to get this Holiday weight off. I was 203 lbs on the 3rd and 201 lbs today.

[SammyJ]

DBF - that is an awesome thing to sign up for. I really hope you win!!! Maybe not so much for the challenge, but one thing i would recommend for any new mum, let alone someone who has gone through what we have all gone through is the plank holds, to really help with your core strength. You can start on your knees at 30 secs, build up to 1 min, then do them in the full push up position with knees off the ground. A couple of those a day will really help you feel nice and strong and avoid any of the other usual back injuries.

In terms of winning your challenge, i would suggest making sure you have a couple of different routines so your body doesn't get too used to what you are doing. And my old Personal Trainer always says you can't out train a crap diet. But I think you are amazing for just getting there at this point! You are already a winner!

This is my last week of 4 weeks off with the kids over our summer holidays here (Melbourne, Australia). I started back into my running program and was going so well. Then went away with the kids by myself so couldn't get out for a run for a week and now we are entering our 4th day with temperatures over 40 degrees celsius, forecast to be 44 today and at 6.45am it is already 34 degrees. Needless to say i have fallen in a heap!

DBF please keep us up to date with your progress.

[Jachut]

Just easing back into it. I really hit the wall in about October, didnt feel my depression meds were working, could barely raise the energy to get out of bed. Back to bed every day as soon as I got home from work, it was awful. I was diagnosed in the end with adrenal exhaustion, seems that the last three years finally caught up with me. Ironically wht was probably the last straw was the depression medication anyway, a few months of no coffee(at all!), careful supplementing, clean high fat eating and no running or hard exercise, plus six weeks holiday and I feel fantastic.

Its extremely hot here, so Ive ben hitting the gym at 5.30am, havent really lost fitness which is good

[kiwiinoz]

DBF

I'm with Sammy on the core strength. Planks are great for working on that, and even push ups (knees on the ground is fine). I'm obviously into running, but an concious of the impact that has on the body and do stationery bike and the eliptical trainer to work out different muscles. I do a LOT of stretching to try to stop any issues with muscles getting to tight and changing the way my body moves.

The one thing that I personally enjoy is Yoga. It works on your core strength, flexibility and helps your mind at the same time. I was really suprised at the physicallity of the work out I got with yoga when I first started. My shoulders were sore from all the poses and I have been working on increasing my strength through yoga without needing to get too hard into weights.

If your goal is fat loss just try to keep in the fat loss heartbeat zone when you exercise and don't go too hard. Needless to say you need to focus on your diet too. Total calories and the make up of those calories. Everyone has different theories and everyone has different lifestyles but you need to find something where you reduce the calorie dense foods that are easy to eat and replace with something else. Best thing I did in that sense was go from refined grains to whole grains.

Good luck

Kiwi

[abuttigi]

For anyone that runs/walks (outside or inside) there is an iPhone app called Charity Run that donates money to whatever charity you pick for each mile you run/walk! Stand Up 2 Cancer is one of the charities listed, so of course I pick that one often I'm pretty sure there is an option for biking as well. I'm not sure how it would work with cross-country skiing, but its worth a shot! All you have to do is download the app then log onto the app, choose a charity, and start it when you begin your exercise routine and end it when you are finished. I always turn it on and I find it really inspiring!

Angie