The Fitness Thread

My fitness watch is an Android/ Apple hybrid. We are Android users in this house. It does VO2 and I try to pay attention to that. I mostly use my recumbent bike and keep track of my calories- lately I been burning off 600- 700 per session. I'm addicted to that number now where before I was aiming for 500. I been drinking more water than anything else. I always take the stairs and increases my veggies and fruit.

However I been dropping weight fast which makes my mind go with is there something wrong for me drop that quickly. I am not sure.

But what I wrote above has made me lose 15 lbs.

If you track calories (Some disagree) both eaten and expended the amount you should lose or gain is predictable. If you are losing more than this amount for more than a few weeks it is worth checking out, I think. I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express in July for a night.
 
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If you track calories (Some disagree) both eaten and expended the amount you should lose or gain is predictable. If you are losing more than this amount for more than a few weeks it is worth checking out, I think. I did say at a Holiday Inn Express in July for a night.
I see my family doctor soon and if the weight keeps on falling at this rate will bring it up.

I don't count calories apart from the bike. I figured if I ate better, drank more water and reduce my intake if nothing else, my diet would help with two of my illnesses. If I lost weight it be a bonus. I use the smaller plate theory and it has helped me.
 
What are everyone's fitness routines? How do you like to exercise? How do you track progress if you track?

Something I find very useful:: Apple Watch has a feature that tracks your VO2Max while walking and running OUTSIDE. I don't know how precise it is, but as a tool for tracking relative improvement it is fantastic. I find it motivating especially if social events (vacations etc) cause me to skip my normal routines and the watch highlights the corresponding decline in fitness. I am motivated to regaining my prior level and then higher. It basically measures your body's ability to process oxygen so your heart, lungs and muscle. It takes into account your age and body characteristics like height and weight as well. If you are competitive ( I am) then it can be fun to share this data with friends of like minds.

Apple has a really nice write up of it here: https://www.apple.com/healthcare/do...h_to_Estimate_Cardio_Fitness_with_VO2_max.pdf

From the paper:
"Definition
VO2 max is the maximum volume of oxygen an individual can extract from inhaled air and consume 
 through cellular metabolism. As such, VO2 max is a good overall indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness 
 (CRF) because it incorporates multiple organ systems and is influenced by a number of factors at various points along the pathway, from respiration to end-organ oxygen consumption.1 VO2 max values are 
 typically normalized for body mass and reported as milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body mass in one minute (ml/kg/min). They normally decline with increasing age and, at a population level, differ across biological sexes.2"


Don't let the paper make you think using this feature or tracking it is hard. It is VERY easy as the watch will do it for you without you even asking. It will then show your score and track progress for you in the Health App on your iPhone. Simply record your walk/run on your watch and that is all you have to do.
I do cardio on Monday and Friday which currently is a four mile run. I kind of have it in the back of my head that I would like to try training for a 15k but I don't know if that would ever happen. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday is weight training. I like that way more than running but honestly if I tried to do that five days a week I think my body would start to fail me. I already have a nagging elbow issue just from going three days a week. I bought one of the fitness trackers early on and it was a very useful tool to motivate me. Then I got to a point where I noticed that I was maybe a little too obsessed with the numbers where I would just get up and walk around the house to hit 10k steps. I took the watch off and never looked back. I use Under Armour Map My Run because it syncs up to my shoes and keeps track of my stride and distance. I have no idea how accurate it is but it at least gives me an idea if I'm improving or maintaining. I also downloaded an app called Simple Workout Log where I can put in my workout routines and then keep track of what I did from week to week.
 
I do cardio on Monday and Friday which currently is a four mile run. I kind of have it in the back of my head that I would like to try training for a 15k but I don't know if that would ever happen. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday is weight training. I like that way more than running but honestly if I tried to do that five days a week I think my body would start to fail me. I already have a nagging elbow issue just from going three days a week. I bought one of the fitness trackers early on and it was a very useful tool to motivate me. Then I got to a point where I noticed that I was maybe a little too obsessed with the numbers where I would just get up and walk around the house to hit 10k steps. I took the watch off and never looked back. I use Under Armour Map My Run because it syncs up to my shoes and keeps track of my stride and distance. I have no idea how accurate it is but it at least gives me an idea if I'm improving or maintaining. I also downloaded an app called Simple Workout Log where I can put in my workout routines and then keep track of what I did from week to week.
I think getting up to get to 10k steps is great idea.
 
I think getting up to get to 10k steps is great idea.
I agree, it was great motivation for me in the beginning but I got to the point where I was doing enough extra stuff that I didn't feel like I needed to reach that magic number anymore.
 
I agree, it was great motivation for me in the beginning but I got to the point where I was doing enough extra stuff that I didn't feel like I needed to reach that magic number anymore.
That is me now. I have 8000 on my fitness tracker. If I hit it I'm happy. I'm doing other stuff to the mix.
 
I started the keto diet and did extremely well, however after doing a lot more research there’s a drawback it’s called your metabolism slowing down and that’s not good either so what I’ve decided is to try to keep my carbs under 100 a day. This way you don’t slow down your metabolism but at the same time you’re Messing with your blood sugar too much. When you’re 55 like me I have to be extremely careful with carbs.
Just get moar coke...EZPZ
 
What are everyone's fitness routines? How do you like to exercise? How do you track progress if you track?

Something I find very useful:: Apple Watch has a feature that tracks your VO2Max while walking and running OUTSIDE. I don't know how precise it is, but as a tool for tracking relative improvement it is fantastic. I find it motivating especially if social events (vacations etc) cause me to skip my normal routines and the watch highlights the corresponding decline in fitness. I am motivated to regaining my prior level and then higher. It basically measures your body's ability to process oxygen so your heart, lungs and muscle. It takes into account your age and body characteristics like height and weight as well. If you are competitive ( I am) then it can be fun to share this data with friends of like minds.

Apple has a really nice write up of it here: https://www.apple.com/healthcare/do...h_to_Estimate_Cardio_Fitness_with_VO2_max.pdf

From the paper:
"Definition
VO2 max is the maximum volume of oxygen an individual can extract from inhaled air and consume 
 through cellular metabolism. As such, VO2 max is a good overall indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness 
 (CRF) because it incorporates multiple organ systems and is influenced by a number of factors at various points along the pathway, from respiration to end-organ oxygen consumption.1 VO2 max values are 
 typically normalized for body mass and reported as milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body mass in one minute (ml/kg/min). They normally decline with increasing age and, at a population level, differ across biological sexes.2"


Don't let the paper make you think using this feature or tracking it is hard. It is VERY easy as the watch will do it for you without you even asking. It will then show your score and track progress for you in the Health App on your iPhone. Simply record your walk/run on your watch and that is all you have to do.
Doggystyle is my fave. I recommend it! Go deep!
 
Got a wild hair and upped my running distance and went a little over 5 miles. Since I've started running my goal was always to be able to do a 5k without actually paying the money to enter one. Now that it's got to be no big deal I've been looking at ways to challenge myself. They have a local race that is a 15k. At the heart of the race is a steep 1/2 mile uphill section. I had never even really considered it until the last month. I talked to a guy that I know that runs 5ks, marathons and everything in between and kind of told him what I had been doing. He said that I could definitely do it but that I should try to increase my distance and see how it feels. After 5 miles I honestly felt pretty great. That's just a hair over half of a 15k. Granted I didn't include the 1/2 mile uphill but I'm feeling pretty good about things. I still have another month to prepare. We'll see if I work up the nerve. That always seems to be the biggest challenge for me is just taking the leap.
 
Got a wild hair and upped my running distance and went a little over 5 miles. Since I've started running my goal was always to be able to do a 5k without actually paying the money to enter one. Now that it's got to be no big deal I've been looking at ways to challenge myself. They have a local race that is a 15k. At the heart of the race is a steep 1/2 mile uphill section. I had never even really considered it until the last month. I talked to a guy that I know that runs 5ks, marathons and everything in between and kind of told him what I had been doing. He said that I could definitely do it but that I should try to increase my distance and see how it feels. After 5 miles I honestly felt pretty great. That's just a hair over half of a 15k. Granted I didn't include the 1/2 mile uphill but I'm feeling pretty good about things. I still have another month to prepare. We'll see if I work up the nerve. That always seems to be the biggest challenge for me is just taking the leap.

Do it!
 
Welp, I took the leap and signed up for the 15k. Last week I had my wife drop me off at the base of the "hill" and I started my run there. I went up and down the hill and then ran back to town. I finished up at 7.38 miles. Just under 2 miles short of a 15k but I felt pretty good and know the last couple miles would be no problem. If anything running on some gravel roads helped me out. Friday is supposed to be pretty nice so I think as long as my knee is feeling better I will try to push to a little over 8 miles then I will probably kind of shut it down until the actual race. I know with my times that I'm probably going to be way at the back of the pack but I'm a little curious to see if having other people out there will motivate me to push myself or if I will just let them all leave me in the dust. :ROFLMAO:
 
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Welp, I took the leap and signed up for the 15k. Last week I had my wife drop me off at the base of the "hill" and I started my run there. I went up and down the hill and then ran back to town. I finished up at 7.38 miles. Just under 2 miles short of a 15k but I felt pretty good and know the last couple miles would be no problem. If anything running on some gravel roads helped me out. Friday is supposed to be pretty nice so I think as long as my knee is feeling better I will try to push to a little over 8 miles then I will probably kind of shut it down until the actual race. I know with my times that I'm probably going to be way at the back of the pack but I'm a little curious to see if having other people out there will motivate me to push myself of if I will just let them all leave me in the dust. :ROFLMAO:
I have always liked entering races - for me, it gave my training a purpose other than just pure fitness for fitness sake. I'm a "middle-of-the-pack-for-my-age-group" athlete, but I normally perform a little better than that in a race.

I hope you have that experience, too. Just being around other folks with similar goals and challenges does wonders for your mental fitness, and that makes the physical fitness piece a little easier - at least it does for me.

Let us know how it goes - I think you'll surprise yourself with how well you do. (y)
 
Between my only kidney not healthy and blood pressure being up, I’m trying (really trying but it is hard) to eat healthy and walk at least 1.5 if not 2 miles a day. It was going to be muggy today so I did it this morning at the gym.
 
Between my only kidney not healthy and blood pressure being up, I’m trying (really trying but it is hard) to eat healthy and walk at least 1.5 if not 2 miles a day. It was going to be muggy today so I did it this morning at the gym.
You might want to try is a KETO DIET. It does work extremely well and you can avoid starving to death. Keeping your carbs under 50 grams a day is challenging, but it’s a great blood sugar regulator. Do your research and good luck.👍
 
Between my only kidney not healthy and blood pressure being up, I’m trying (really trying but it is hard) to eat healthy and walk at least 1.5 if not 2 miles a day. It was going to be muggy today so I did it this morning at the gym.
It definitely isn't easy to get started but it gets easier the longer you stick with it. I'm sure it annoys my wife because I have a routine and I rarely break it. Even if it's like last night when I showed up a half hour late to a family dinner at her Dad's house. I'm driven by the fear that if I slip up once that everything will come to a screeching halt and I don't want that to happen. My first doctor's appointment after going off of my meds isn't until mid December so I gotta keep on grinding.
 
It definitely isn't easy to get started but it gets easier the longer you stick with it. I'm sure it annoys my wife because I have a routine and I rarely break it. Even if it's like last night when I showed up a half hour late to a family dinner at her Dad's house. I'm driven by the fear that if I slip up once that everything will come to a screeching halt and I don't want that to happen. My first doctor's appointment after going off of my meds isn't until mid December so I gotta keep on grinding.
Me.

I use to say I was addicted to my workouts but fear yeah maybe that plays a part. 🤣🤣🤣
 
Me.

I use to say I was addicted to my workouts but fear yeah maybe that plays a part. 🤣🤣🤣
What keeps me motivated as soon as I slip up I can hear the Grim Reaper whispering in my ear and say keep up the good work. 💀 😳😳😳🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
 
Me.

I use to say I was addicted to my workouts but fear yeah maybe that plays a part. 🤣🤣🤣
What keeps me motivated as soon as I slip up I can hear the Grim Reaper whispering in my ear and say keep up the good work. 💀 😳😳😳🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
You two sound like my hubby lol. I walk18 holes, hike a lot always did, I use to run ( not in my best interest anymore...I’m a gimp now 😂) ski ( also not in my best interest) and keep up with any and all my grandkiddos. They keep me young. ( or so I believe lol.)

~Dee~
 
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