Can something that is not about politics go in "Off Topic"?

Obviously politics are huge and hugely consequential but sometimes it is nice to talk about something else (as a supplement to those other conversations).

One interesting arena for possible conversations are personal motivation strategies during COVID, particularly around diet and exercise. Some of us would like to say good-bye to some pandemic pounds.

Do a 30 minute workout with resistance bands (1100 reps) that is so taxing that you actually dread Monday-Wednesday-Friday, your workout days.






*Always check bands for wear and tear; wear safety glasses, watch your hand position in relation to your face, and where you are going to fall if leaning ....because if those puppies snap when you have them extended you can f@uck yourself up BIGLY.

I have some free weights but no resistance bands. I will consider but attaching them to a door seems dicey as I
may inadvertently pull the door off of its hinges through my brute power.

If you want to lose your Covid-19, get a good night sleep, go to the grocery after a meal, don't buy snacks and treats, and get plenty of fruits, veggies and nuts.

Carbohydrates are blubber. Cut way down on them. Don't eliminate them to the point of insulting dinner hosts, but just do without.

50 lbs in 5 months. Made the open heart surgery much easier than it would have been.

Bobodeluxe said:

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Carbohydrates are blubber. Cut way down on them. Don't eliminate them to the point of insulting dinner hosts, but just do without.

50 lbs in 5 months. Made the open heart surgery much easier than it would have been.

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My dad is a big fitness buff who was also a personal trainer.

His advice is that it is a lot harder to work it off than to just not eat it to begin with.

If faced between the choice of diet and exercise go with diet.

I wish I had his willpower or at least his discipline to actually work off the calories the few times he cheats and has some cheesecake at holidays.

dimitrig said:

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Bobodeluxe said:

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Carbohydrates are blubber. Cut way down on them. Don't eliminate them to the point of insulting dinner hosts, but just do without.

50 lbs in 5 months. Made the open heart surgery much easier than it would have been.

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My dad is a big fitness buff who was also a personal trainer.

His advice is that it is a lot harder to work it off than to just not eat it to begin with.

If faced between the choice of diet and exercise go with diet.

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Agreed. Exercise is healthy for other reasons, but to lose weight it's really 80 to 90% about controlling your diet.

I recommend getting a calorie tracker app like MyFitnessPal or LoseIt and start tracking what you eat. Then you know what some of those "cheat" meals really cost you and can plan accordingly.

Calypso said:

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I have some free weights but no resistance bands. I will consider but attaching them to a door seems dicey as I
may inadvertently pull the door off of its hinges through my brute power.

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I am fortunate enough to have support posts for a porch roof overhang to loop them around. My Dad was a weightlifter that would bring resistance bands on vacation so he wouldn't miss a workout. He was an easy man to track. He left a trail of compromised hotel room doors wherever he travelled.

Some good suggestions here. I think I have been struggling not so much with the "how" of getting in better shape, but more with the "why". There has been an issue of finding motivation. But I think that maybe with certain things you just have to start doing it and then it becomes a habit.

I found my motivation via advancing age. As I started to feel aches and pains in my joints and muscles when I woke up in the morning or got up from a sitting position, I decided I was not down for 30 more years of this. So I started Yoga and resumed swimming regularly. It's helping with the aches and pains, AND it's also improving heart rate and fitness. Win win win.

Bobodeluxe said:

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Carbohydrates are blubber. Cut way down on them. Don't eliminate them to the point of insulting dinner hosts, but just do without.

50 lbs in 5 months. Made the open heart surgery much easier than it would have been.

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I could never cut off carbs. I have always focused on complex carbs and eliminating processed sugar but the few times that I eliminated carbs in the past made me so weak and impacted my weight training that it just was not worth it. I always try to have more protein with snacks and meals and try to limit carbs to complex like veggies and whole grains, including oatmeal and brown rice, to keep my insulin level lower.

By the way, for home resistance training, I like Bowflex Revolution. Tonal looks cooler but I end up using Revolution more.

AunBear89 said:

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I found my motivation via advancing age. As I started to feel aches and pains in my joints and muscles when I woke up in the morning or got up from a sitting position, I decided I was not down for 30 more years of this. So I started Yoga and resumed swimming regularly. It's helping with the aches and pains, AND it's also improving heart rate and fitness. Win win win.

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Same. You just feel better when you're at a healthier weight.

Years ago I dropped about 40 pounds doing as I described above (tracking calories) and even after losing about half of it, my knees and ankles felt immediately better. No more aches and pains. Thinking about it logically, of course that's the case. Just imagine strapping a backpack to yourself with 20 or 40 pound weights inside of it and walking around all day carrying it. Think you might feel sore after doing that? Of course you would. Get rid of the weight and you take that extra pressure off your joints and muscles.

Eat healthy. Exercise daily. Die anyway.

bearister said:

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Eat healthy. Exercise daily. Die anyway.

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Yes, but quality of life before one dies matters quite a bit. With Trump soon out of office, hopefully we all can spend the 24 hours a day we have being more productive and enjoying it a bit more

BearGreg said:

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Calypso said:

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Some good suggestions here. I think I have been struggling not so much with the "how" of getting in better shape, but more with the "why". There has been an issue of finding motivation. But I think that maybe with certain things you just have to start doing it and then it becomes a habit.

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Start slowly - Don't use discipline or strict goals. 5 minutes the first day and be grateful to yourself for it. Soon enough you'll be doing more and liking the way it feels. Focus on what you did do and not what you didn't.

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Love this and it worked for my diabetic diet as well. I am not the dieting type, but have shed 30 plus pounds over the last decade by losing a few pounds a year and keeping it off (and will continue to do so - I'm about 20 pounds more than when I was in the Navy - which is my eventual goal. Like BG - making small changes is real easy and not stressful. The first one is easy - watch what you drink. Drop daily sodas, milks and fruit juice (as in most of the time - I still have a root beer on a road trip). I drink a cup of coffee in the morning, water all day and enough alcohol to keep me sane. Over the years I have cut back on many things - but have probably not cut out anything completely (i.e I enjoy a good steak monthly - whereas it was two mediocre steaks weekly when I was younger). These days its cheese. I still love it, but eat it less often in small portions - like dessert.

For the first time in possibly a year I finally got to a respectable step count. It felt great to get out there in the fresh air.

I've put on a COVID-9 the past year and I was perplexed as to why...

Same diet (moderate)
Same workout routine (see below)

Then I figured it out: I used to get in at least a mile's-worth more of steps in, M-F, when I walked my kids to and from school. Even on days I drove them, I'd have to park over a block away. That adds up. Now, I still walk them around the block, at noon and in the afternoon, but it's less steps total, I'm sure.

I feel like my workout routine is solid:

Day One: Cardio (20 min. of running or 30 min. of walking hills, for me)
Day Two: Core (planks and such... a 25 minute routine I cobbled together)
Day Three: Cardio again
Day Four: Strength (I do push-ups, pull-ups and squats... not that many of any of them, frankly)
Day Five: Rest Day

Rinse, repeat...

The problem is, I miss too many days, for one lame reason or another, to the point where I'm always doing the bare minimum and can never seem to "get over the hump" to where I feel good working out and can increase a little bit.

Damn pandemic. Healthy so far, though!

Calypso said:

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For the first time in possibly a year I finally got to a respectable step count. It felt great to get out there in the fresh air.

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I don't keep track of that because I am a swimmer (and now stationary bike because of gym closure)...but on July 3rd, between walking my dog and playing Lincoln Park golf course with my son and carrying, I had close to 20,000 steps. OUCH! NO THANKS!


*That golf course is for billy goats...but beautiful views of The City and the Golden Gate Bridge.

bearister said:

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Calypso said:

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For the first time in possibly a year I finally got to a respectable step count. It felt great to get out there in the fresh air.

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I don't keep track of that because I am a swimmer (and now stationary bike because of gym closure)...but on July 3rd, between walking my dog and playing Lincoln Park golf course with my son and carrying, I had close to 20,000 steps. OUCH! NO THANKS!


*That golf course is for billy goats...but beautiful views of The City and the Golden Gate Bridge.

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You touched my heart, Bearister, with Lincoln Park. I've played a few thousand rounds at Lincoln, many for the SH Fighting Irish. It was where I spent almost everyday during my teenage years. (yes, I was a ruffian ). I love that place to this day. I was fortunate enough to get a junior membership to Olympic Club from the ages of 17-21 but I think if I had one round left to play it would be at Lincoln with my son.

bearister said:

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Eat healthy. Exercise daily. Die anyway.

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Yep. I've been eating pretty healthy for a couple of decades. I work(ed) out and play(ed) basketball. But..heart attacks run in my family. Had one while playing basketball last March at 51 years old. I'm thinking of going vegetarian for a while just to see how that works out.

Great story. My childhood course was Lake Chabot (where that dude scored a Condor on 18 recently, a 2 on a par 6). I remember playing 36 holes on that course when I was 12 or 13 (1967) on a hot day in the era of smog caused by leaded gasoline. By the time I got home I could only take about a third of an inhale before feeling a pain and coughing. If they had tracked Air Quality Index in those days, the index number would have been 750 and the air quality category "YOU HAVE 24 HOURS TO LIVE."

Calypso said:

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For the first time in possibly a year I finally got to a respectable step count. It felt great to get out there in the fresh air.

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"It felt great to get out there:" is a key. If you can find an exercise activity that you enjoy, the rest gets easy. As a long-time runner and cyclist, that's what works for me. Then it's not a matter of self-discipline because you just enjoy it. That's not to say you can't fall off the wagon due to time conflicts, bad weather (personally, I need to do it outdoors). But it's something you look forward to restarting, not something you "have" to do. And the more you do it, the more fit you become which means you can then do what you enjoy for longer periods. I tried weights years ago and got stronger, but never enjoyed it. Conversely, some of the happiest moments of my life were spent running on the Strawberry Canyon fire trail, cycling up Salmon Falls Rd to Highway 49, etc.

Disclaimer: At age 66, I don't run 50 miles/week any more, or even 20 but I still weigh within 15 lbs of my best high school and college weight.

Has anybody tried Tai Chi to improve flexibility and balance? As I get older (66 YO), my balance and flexibility aren't what they once were. I tried yoga, but doing a pose correctly while concentrating on breathing and simultaneously clearing your mind frankly drove me nuts. I think something that has more movement might be worth trying which is why I wonder about Tai Chi. Any thoughts?

HearstMining said:

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Has anybody tried Tai Chi to improve flexibility and balance? As I get older (66 YO), my balance and flexibility aren't what they once were. I tried yoga, but doing a pose correctly while concentrating on breathing and simultaneously clearing your mind frankly drove me nuts. I think something that has more movement might be worth trying which is why I wonder about Tai Chi. Any thoughts?

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I took Tai Chi at Cal as part of the RSF programs when I was in college.

I hated it. There is movement, but it is slow and deliberate. It was annoying to memorize all the forms. I quit after the first semester.

I have not taken yoga, but bare feet disgust me and women in yoga pants do not which means I wouldn't be able to pay attention.

bearister said:

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Great story. My childhood course was Lake Chabot (where that dude scored a Condor on 18 recently, a 2 on a par 6). I remember playing 36 holes on that course when I was 12 or 13 (1967) on a hot day in the era of smog caused by leaded gasoline. By the time I got home I could only take about a third of an inhale before feeling a pain and coughing. If they had tracked Air Quality Index in those days, the index number would have been 750 and the air quality category "YOU HAVE 24 HOURS TO LIVE."

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I've only played Chabot a couple of times but it seems to me it is hillier than Lincoln. Anyway, both good courses to grow up on minus the smog. We were the lucky ones.

HearstMining said:

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Has anybody tried Tai Chi to improve flexibility and balance? As I get older (66 YO), my balance and flexibility aren't what they once were. I tried yoga, but doing a pose correctly while concentrating on breathing and simultaneously clearing your mind frankly drove me nuts. I think something that has more movement might be worth trying which is why I wonder about Tai Chi. Any thoughts?

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I did "Don Fiore Daily Tai Chi" a number of times. It was very slow but still seemed useful and it was kind of nice and relaxing except on those days where I had a lot to do and simply didn't feel like I could slow down that much.

Calypso said:

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Can something that is not about politics go in "Off Topic"?

Obviously politics are huge and hugely consequential but sometimes it is nice to talk about something else (as a supplement to those other conversations).

One interesting arena for possible conversations are personal motivation strategies during COVID, particularly around diet and exercise. Some of us would like to say good-bye to some pandemic pounds.

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1. Perhaps you've seen my Warriors thread. They play again in 90 minutes, by the way. See you there?

2. I don't call them Covid pounds. I call them "Trump and the Radical Right Pounds".

3. Oh, sorry, I turned it back into politics. GO WARRIORS - I'm just not sure what I'm rooting for: wins for winning sake. Losses for lottery sake. Perhaps the W's will barely miss the playoffs, win the #1 pick through the lottery, and in doing so knock the Timberwolves out of the top3, thus securing their #4 picks.
Can you say "Golden Bears"? Get it? Bear market means down? Golden means we win! We win, by losing. The tankathon is nearly on!

PS: GOP wins by losing, too. Dump Trump, rebirth.
IMPEACH.

Most important thing you can do is simply be moving. Don't worry about muscle.
Same for me.

Get a treadmill, and commit to walking anytime you want to watch the tube.

concordtom said:

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Most important thing you can do is simply be moving. Don't worry about muscle.
Same for me.

Get a treadmill, and commit to walking anytime you want to watch the tube.

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Good advice. I would love to get a treadmill but I can't figure out where to put it. Right now I have a big recumbent bike and some free weights in the middle of my family room...add a treadmill and it starts to become a 24 hour fitness. I half contemplated getting an ADU to serve as a home gym.

So, I have to thank you, because I just did some marching high knees for the last half hour. Maybe I'll do some stretching during the game!

Drink.
Water.