Holy crap you guys make me feel like a real potato. I basically did no exercise the entire winter. From October until last week, I didn't exert myself physically at all, except one short burst on the cross trainer. I'm not fat by any stretch, but I used to be slim and I'm not so much any more :S

I really hate the feeling of most exercise, especially gym-type things. I like hiking, getting a consistent exercise over a whole day, but don't really get motivated to do it very often. However, due to recent lovely weather I've been out for a few long walks in the hills.

I often go for REALLY long periods without exercise, and it doesn't effect my motivation much at all. The weather effects me much more strongly - if it's sunny I'm more motivated. If it's cold and grey for an extended period, I start to lose motivation and get distracted and disorganised more easily.

The only thing I miss in terms of exercise is cycling - I used to cycle every day to work/uni and I also cycled 4000 miles last summer, so I'm considering doing a long cycle this coming Easter weekend to make myself feel like I'm not a total slob.

Doesn't anyone else just hate exercise?

Blahah Wrote:Holy crap you guys make me feel like a real potato. I basically did no exercise the entire winter.

Doesn't anyone else just hate exercise?

Same for me The only winter sport I'm interested in is snowboarding and it's quite bothersome.

and I never liked exercises either. It would be more fun doing it with friends though.

Ryuujin27 Wrote:Aerobics only beat weight training when it comes to cardiovascular function, and even then it's not by too much. It is good to run, swim, bike, etc, as you will certainly live longer. But if you want to be in overall good health, you should lift weights and eat right (yes, women, you too).

When I can get it from the home computer, I'll post a link to a site that will help jumpstart fitness knowledge for those interested.

Here's the link: http://www.liamrosen.com/fitness.html

That looks like a good site, lots of good adive. Any site that reccomends Rippitoe's "starting strength" program for beginning lifters is a good site, in my books.

I would also reccomend: http://stronglifts.com

Especially the articles on correct form/lifting technique. It's also a seriously good program for beginning lifters (pretty similar to starting strength). I wish I had read stuff like that when I started out, instead of wasting time with split routines, etc.

I don't think I'm internally very healthy, but I'm pretty thin and athletic on the outside and I rarely go out to do sports or things like that.

I mean yeah I walk like 20-30 minutes to/from the bus stop to and from school but that's really not exercise I guess.

But yeah like on Spring Break last week I barely went out at all for the whole 9-10 days and I felt fine.

Yeah, I basically look like this, but a lot more ripped. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't work out 17 hours a day like I do.

jettyke Wrote:Same for me The only winter sport I'm interested in is snowboarding and it's quite bothersome.

You can also freeboard. Kicks ass.

Quote:Drink water instead, with the occasional coffee or tea for variety. After a few months of this, your soda cravings will slowly dissipate.

If only this was true..

I mostly stopped drinking cola when I moved to Japan, since there is such a variety of stuff available here. The fact that summer is disgustingly hot and sweaty, and that cola makes you even more dehydrated also makes it unappealing for much of the year.

I usually just drink it now when it's mixed with whiskey or rum, of if I'm about to fall asleep at work. (In Canada I had 3+ cans per day)

I'm always bemused when I read of adults drinking cola, or other soft drink.

Apart from when it's mixed with spirits, in this country cola and similar are drinks for children. I can't remember the last time I saw an adult friend drinking a Coke, Pepsi, Sprite or similar.

Never heard of that dichotomy.

I suppose adults have to drink espresso and wear turtlenecks?

onafarm Wrote:I'm always bemused when I read of adults drinking cola, or other soft drink.

Apart from when it's mixed with spirits, in this country cola and similar are drinks for children. I can't remember the last time I saw an adult friend drinking a Coke, Pepsi, Sprite or similar.

I was brought up in a similar way: fizzy drinks are treats and mainly for children. I can't imagine having them everyday. I really like water though. Refreshing and no lingering aftertaste

Beer is a fizzy drink, as is champagne.

Jarvik7 Wrote:Beer is a fizzy drink, as is champagne.

That is true, I'll rephrase: 'non-alcoholic fizzy drinks'. If someone asked me for "a fizzy drink" though I'd assume they meant a non-alcoholic one.

Mineral water? (or sparkling water, whatever you wanna call it)

SammyB Wrote:That looks like a good site, lots of good adive. Any site that reccomends Rippitoe's "starting strength" program for beginning lifters is a good site, in my books.

I would also reccomend: http://stronglifts.com

Especially the articles on correct form/lifting technique. It's also a seriously good program for beginning lifters (pretty similar to starting strength). I wish I had read stuff like that when I started out, instead of wasting time with split routines, etc.

I won't object with you here. "Starting Strength" is the program that really got my lifting going. I'm now on a nice 4-day split, but this was my foundation.

Brought my lifts up dramatically. By the end of my 4-5 months on SS, I was up to:

Bench: 225lbs
Deadlift: 405lbs
Squat: 315lbs
Over-Head Press: 160lbs
Clean: 175lbs.

(Yes, besides the cleans and OHP, I was pretty anal about getting my "big 3" to the next "plate upgrade" before moving on. Blame my OCD).

Combine heavy lifting like that and some cardio and you will shed any extra poundage (assuming you eat right, as well).

Evil_Dragon Wrote:

Quote:Drink water instead, with the occasional coffee or tea for variety. After a few months of this, your soda cravings will slowly dissipate.

If only this was true..

It is.

I had a habit of drinking 44 oz. soda's with every meal. I got used to caffeine to the point where I could slam down 6 Red Bulls in a row and be completely unaffected.

One day I thought that I should stop because I was getting fat, and now I don't drink soda at all unless it's mixed with alcohol, and I don't even like drinking alcohol either. That was 5 years ago.

I lost 25 lbs after giving up soda. Also, I get insanely hyper if I have a cup of coffee now.

Unfortunately I'm fatter now =(

thecite Wrote:Mineral water? (or sparkling water, whatever you wanna call it)

Actually if someone asked me for a fizzy drink they'd have to have tonic water because that's all I have We have lots of sparkling fruit drinks here marketed at adults but I'm happy with just plain old tap water.

Furabisu: yes pushups feel so good, they seem to fix everything up.

As for the op: No I don't do shit. The only exercise I get is walking to the bustop every morning ~10 minutes walk. However seeing as my doctor suggested I don't do heavy exercise because of a small heart condition, walking is the most I'm to do.

But yeah, I am not relaxed most of the time, I have severe neck-pain at random intervals, I don't know how to fix it. I never find the time to go see a doctor about it, i really should get it checked up because I fear that I'll turn into one of those old people at nursing homes that have hump-backs bigger than that of the notre dame.

It is extremely easy to maintain good physical shape with a few basic exercises:

-Regular walking, or failing that skipping for 10 minutes or so everyday.

-Pushups. Can be varied in a million ways. Focus on doing pushups of maximum difficulty (at your current level) with good form rather than doing a high quantity of easy ones.

-chin-ups on a doorframe.

-one legged squats. forgot the name for these.

Then you can do things like handstands, reverse push-ups (bridge), backbends etc for variety.

All this can be done in less than 20 minutes a day and doesn't need to be done in one sitting. As long as you focus on gradually ramping up the difficulty of your exercises your body keeps getting stronger and stronger, without having to increase your total exercise time.

[ファブリス]

Evil_Dragon Wrote:

Quote:Drink water instead, with the occasional coffee or tea for variety. After a few months of this, your soda cravings will slowly dissipate.

If only this was true..

I was sensibilised to this again lately. I was getting into a bad habit of drinking a soda can in the evening. I got a little better in shape with pushups but noticed my waist is loosening very slowly as I get in my late 30's and I don't want to start looking like Homer Simpson :/

I really want to drink something sweet after eating pasta or rice and most dishes. So I started buying oranges and mandarines to replace the evening soda. It's surprisingly effective. Mandarins may be too small, but a juicy orange is quite satiating. After just a week of doing that soda already tastes fake.

This topic just motivated me to sign up for one of my university's yoga classes for this semester...

@fabrice
Keep ramping up the difficulty of the pushups and I guarantee you'll see further results. Can you do one arm pushups? pushups on your fingers? pushups with your arms extended far out to your sides or stretched past your head? If the answer is no then you are yet to reach a limit for pushups.

My goals aren't quite grand enough for the gym, but the park is next door. Yesterday, I did:

30 minutes exercise.
3 stations (table and smokers stand [it's about the same height], climbing net for kids, two large wooden poles used for exercise)

Tables and smokers stands: close and 1 armed pushups + dips.
Climbing net: assisted pull ups (inner, normal and wide), handstand pushups, and diver bomber pushups on the stand that they have on the other side.
Wooden poles: spider dips (I'm gonna call it that), layups? (basically, under poles, legs wrapped around through inside, hands holding poles and pull upwards [also with side on and end of pole grips and high and low position] - upside down pressup, sorta.)
Between sets I climbed a tree (ahem.); jogged, sprints, knee high running, pushing back running, etc.

To put it lightly, without the Yoga I'd be pretty sore right now after that workout. Definitely, I'm feeling the love in my neck, shoulders, mid-back and triceps. (Oh, and, yeah me, round 2# is today.) I would like to work more on my lats, but it's sort of hard without a proper pull up bar.

So... what this is all about is that it is quite possible to work your upper body without weights. Outside is your friend (although, a few kids thought I was hilarious that I was trying to climb the tree).

ファブリス Wrote:

Evil_Dragon Wrote:

Quote:Drink water instead, with the occasional coffee or tea for variety. After a few months of this, your soda cravings will slowly dissipate.

If only this was true..

I was sensibilised to this again lately. I was getting into a bad habit of drinking a soda can in the evening. I got a little better in shape with pushups but noticed my waist is loosening very slowly as I get in my late 30's and I don't want to start looking like Homer Simpson :/

I really want to drink something sweet after eating pasta or rice and most dishes. So I started buying oranges and mandarines to replace the evening soda. It's surprisingly effective. Mandarins may be too small, but a juicy orange is quite satiating. After just a week of doing that soda already tastes fake.

Careful with that... oranges are sneaky in that they have more calories and sugar than you'd expect. They aren't particularly healthy for you. Orange juice is even worse.

I certainly wouldn't eat one a day.