Fitness and being Healthy

[degre]

The problem is not much in getting started, I guess lots of us at a point signed up to the gym or got on doing some exercise, the problem is consistency, how long do you go before you get bored and start making excuses because you really can't be arsed?

If you're getting bored with your exercise you're either not switching it up enough or you're not doing something that is fun enough for *you*. Also, the longer you keep at something, the more easily it becomes a part of your routine where it gets to the point where it's actually hard to miss a workout. I think the saying is that it only takes four weeks to make a habit or something?

Also, you'll stay consistent with something if you actually see progress, since that's pretty motivational. If you start working out, but then end up overcompensating by eating too much, if your goal is weight loss, then you may not see any progress and figure there's no point in exercise after all.

I read/look at way too many motivational tumblrs and whatnot lately, and damn does that ever keep me going. One of the most commonly used phrases is something like "One hour of exercise is only 4% of your day". And it's so true! One hour is peanuts. I also got to the stage in my life where I'm tired of making excuses. No, I'm not too tired. Yes, I do have time. Yes, it's too hot outside but instead I'll go running in the mornings when it's cooler. No, I won't just eat less today to make up for the lack of exercise. No, I don't need a break. No, my work day wasn't too hard. Like seriously, at some point, you just have to smack yourself and say enough is enough.

Anyway, all that to say... if you don't enjoy your physical activity, you won't stick with it for long. So find something that you truly find entertaining, and stick with it. Be it running, going to the gym, special classes (I just found something called hooping that they've actually turned into an exercise class - yes, with a hula hoop), a sport, dancing, whatever.

Personally there is nothing I find entertaining, the only period I've ever had a fun in a gym was when I used to play to rugby and was training with the team, the fun being the banter, but I don't really care for it otherwise.
Anyway, thanks the same but I wasn't asking advice, I have solved differently, I don't go to the gym, I don't do running, I started a simple free body workout that literally takes me 10 minutes a day, no way I can miss that and is getting perfectly in my routine, once you are in the habit of getting things done then you can push up.

I'll avoid much running for weight loss though, counter-productive, sprints or a good strength workout produce better results.

[Sabindeus]

Anyway, thanks the same but I wasn't asking advice, I have solved differently, I don't go to the gym, I don't do running, I started a simple free body workout that literally takes me 10 minutes a day, no way I can miss that and is getting perfectly in my routine, once you are in the habit of getting things done then you can push up.

What's in your workout?

[Arnock]

I haven't been to the gym in... an unfortunately long time. I was going to my local LA fitness 3 times a week doing stronglifts 5x5, but then I got an internship where I was able to use the company gym for free, so I cancelled my membership at LA fitness. Unfortunately, I got really sick in mid-june, sick enough to run a fever of 103 and lose 5-10lbs over a weekend, and any strenuous activity for 2 months afterwords sent me into a fit of uncontrollable coughing.

I've been hired by my company since then, but that means I can't use the company gym now until I have health insurance. So I'm just itching to get back into the swing of things and hoping that I haven't lost too much ground since early summer =/

[degre]

Anyway, thanks the same but I wasn't asking advice, I have solved differently, I don't go to the gym, I don't do running, I started a simple free body workout that literally takes me 10 minutes a day, no way I can miss that and is getting perfectly in my routine, once you are in the habit of getting things done then you can push up.

What's in your workout?

It's nothing serious, every day Monday to Friday 2 reps of:
Body Weight Squat x10
Push-Up x9
Plank 15 secs
Jumping Jacks x15
Crossover Reverse Lunge x6 each leg
Lying Hip Raise x10

On Friday I pick on rotation one of the exercise and after the regular reps I push it as far as I can.

I could easily push way more but the plan is to go light for a bit with a 10 minutes workout to gain consistency and integrate the workout into my daily routine, so far is working as intended.

My main problem with the gym that was causing me to pass was that in between travel time and all together took 2 hours a day and I couldn't be arsed to spend that time, whereas now I'm not doing much, but 10 minutes a day is better than nothing and once is a solid part of my daily routine pushing up the reps is going to be barely noticeable.

With October I'll add a full rep and then I want to talk to a trainer to vary the exercises so that I'm not training the same groups every day, would probably allow me to easily push harder.

[Nikachelle]

I'm not exactly on track (was hoping to have lost another 10 pounds by now), but I have dumped another 6 pounds in the past two months. Having surgery kind of waylayed (sp?) my progress throughout October, but I'm feeling back on track. Just in time for Christmas to come around and nail me in the butt with the goodies + alcohol! (haha)

Also, still loving My Fitness Pal for calorie + exercise counting. Best thing EVER.

[Fivelives]

6 pounds in 2 months is a sustainable loss, so that's pretty decent.

[Skye1013]

[Nikachelle]

Hah! Awesome shirt!

[Arnock]

So I more or less completely stopped working out for the last month or so of the summer, a combination of sickness and losing access to the company gym. But I re-joined my old gym and after a heavy deload and a month of re-training myself, I'm back up to 200lb deadlifts and 150lb squats. Yes, I am still weak, but I'm working my way back up.

[Fridmarr]

lol, if I was a bit older, I'd totally buy that shirt. It might motivate me to actually be ahead of someone

Great job on getting back Arnock. I know when I have come back after a break, the loss strength from the time off can be a bit demoralizing, so it can be difficult mentally to want to stick with it.

[isiz]

Being overweight can be a good thing?

[Rhiannon]

I thought BMI had long been thought of as little more than a handy rule of thumb, I didn't think people actually published serious papers using it as a metric of anything by itself...

e.g. I have a BMI of 22.1 (178 cm, 70kg), which falls almost bang in the middle of healthy weight, but that's because I have comparatively low muscle mass, not because I'm skinny (far from). Ideally I want to drop about 5% body fat and gain about 8-9kg of muscle over the next couple of years, which would put me on the borderline of overweight according to BMI but I'd certainly be in much better shape than I am today.

Think anyone who has well-developed muscle mass with a healthy body fat % would come out as overweight according to BMI, so somewhat skeptical about that study.

[Fivelives]

BMI is still the gold standard in the medical profession, for some unknown reason. I think it's probably because it's easy enough to figure without running a bunch of tests.

[Nikachelle]

Anything that mentions BMI as the only measurement pretty much gets a pass from me. It doesn't provide enough of a picture to give an accurate assessment.

[firstamendme]

Anything that mentions BMI as the only measurement pretty much gets a pass from me. It doesn't provide enough of a picture to give an accurate assessment.

/Seconded.

I'm 6'4 (193.04cm) and 235lbs (106.6kg). That puts me at a BMI of 29.4 (Overweight and only 0.6 below the marker for obese). However, I'm at the gym lifting and/or running 1.5-2 hours, 6 days a week. I also play endurance sports on top of that for ~1.5 hours a day ~3 days a week. I also have an active lifestyle as a lab monkey and am in no way a fattie.

So dumb.

Edited to add measurements in metric for people who use a reasonable system of measurement.