Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

[cidbahamut]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

You can't get much less time-consuming than a pop-tart.

The back exercises are something I'm not about to cut, seeing as how they're keeping me moderately functional. Maybe I'll just have to try some walking after dinner for as long as the daylight will hold out. ARGH! I need more hours in the day.

[Feba]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

Go out late. Don't walk, run.

Your chances of being robbed are far lower than your chances of dying to cardiovascular disease. Especially when you run like a motherfucker.

[Taskmage]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

Or possibly take the walk to and from work at a more brisk pace that gets your heart rate up more, if you're not doing that already? How far away is your workplace?

I started this workout plan today at Armando's recommendation. Technically today is not supposed to be a strength training day, but I want to start strong and hopefully get some momentum going. Crunches are so easy I feel like I must be doing it wrong, but I can't figure out how I'd mess up something so simple. I doubled the reps. Lunges are more challenging than I expected but I can handle the recommended number of reps, doing them Zaboo-style with a gallon of detergent in each hand as weights. Pushups same, hard but doable. Pullups—oh my god. I had to break them into six sets of four reps each because after the fourth one in a row I no longer have the arm strength to lift myself at all. I'm only about half done now, but I'm totally sweat soaked.

[Feba]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

Also even if it's dark, your eyes will adjust. Trust me, humans weren't helpless at night for however many millenia it took us to get around to making fire.

We used to live in forests using the motherfucking moonlight after the sun went down. We're badass motherfuckers. Start acting like one.

[Taskmage]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

What back exercises are you doing? Did you mention that earlier in the thread and I missed it? I have a problem with back pain, too. Not as bad as you but persistent and obviously I'd like to mitigate that.

---------- Post added at 12:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:53 PM ----------

Trust me, humans weren't helpless at night for however many millenia it took us to get around to making fire.

Isn't that, like, when we slept in trees where large predators couldn't reach?

[Feba]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

I'm not saying we didn't get our asses kicked sometimes, just that we are perfectly capable of running around far more dangerous environments in the dark of the night; if it were that much of a hazard, you wouldn't be walking there during the day either.

[Armando]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

Technically today is not supposed to be a strength training day, but I want to start strong and hopefully get some momentum going.

Careful with that, remember what I said - your muscles need rest, and if you don't let them rest, you won't gain strength. It's cardio that you can do twice a day, every day if you really want.

Crunches are so easy I feel like I must be doing it wrong, but I can't figure out how I'd mess up something so simple. I doubled the reps.

It's normal for you to be able to do significantly more reps of crunches than push-ups/lunges/whatever. Also note that just because you're not sore afterwards, it doesn't mean you didn't work the muscle. Besides that, different people experience soreness with different exercises.

Pullups—oh my god. I had to break them into six sets of four reps each because after the fourth one in a row I no longer have the arm strength to lift myself at all.

Be proud, it's very common not to be able to pull yourself up even once. Scooby recommends that you do as many as you can normally, then grab a chair, grab hold high, and lower yourself very slowly as many times as it takes to finish your reps. Repeat the normal pull-up/hang slowly cycle with each set. He's got a full video on it on youtube.

Also, it's fine to rest as much as 2-3 minutes between sets. It's better to rest long and work at full capacity than rest too little and not work the muscles enough because of fatigue.

What back exercises are you doing? Did you mention that earlier in the thread and I missed it? I have a problem with back pain, too. Not as bad as you but persistent and obviously I'd like to mitigate that.

Crunches may not be a good idea if you have chronic back pain. If you find that your back pain intensifies or becomes more frequent, cut the crunches out of your routine. They're not absolutely essential, since they don't work your abs in a natural way.

@Cidbahamut: Also consider getting a jump rope, they're like $10. You can work out in your living room while you watch TV no matter how light or dark it is outside.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

Or possibly take the walk to and from work at a more brisk pace that gets your heart rate up more, if you're not doing that already? How far away is your workplace?

About a mile, give or take. Usually takes me a little under half an hour to get to work.

I started this workout plan today at Armando's recommendation. Technically today is not supposed to be a strength training day, but I want to start strong and hopefully get some momentum going. Crunches are so easy I feel like I must be doing it wrong, but I can't figure out how I'd mess up something so simple. I doubled the reps. Lunges are more challenging than I expected but I can handle the recommended number of reps, doing them Zaboo-style with a gallon of detergent in each hand as weights. Pushups same, hard but doable. Pullups—oh my god. I had to break them into six sets of four reps each because after the fourth one in a row I no longer have the arm strength to lift myself at all. I'm only about half done now, but I'm totally sweat soaked.

Yeah, Scooby's got some good stuff. I'm not really following it properly, but I am using what he's got as a guideline of sorts. Workouts every other day, consisting of 3 sets of lunges, crunches and push-ups. I've got no pull-up bar, and haven't yet invested in one of the doorway bars he suggests, in part because I'm skeptical, partly because it'd be awkward given the doorways I have access to, but mostly because I'm a lazy fuck and want to go at my own pace for a month or so before throwing down cash on equipment.

specific exercise babble

Crunches hurt. When I first started I think I was able to do three proper ones before flailing wildly and giving up. Next time I did 'em I was amazed at how much strength I'd gained. I was able to lift myself up further with ease and actually start doing them properly. That alone cemented my desire to keep up an exercise routine. Amazing the kinds of results you can get when restoring muscles that you haven't used in forever, but it really inspired me. It's like "hey, if I can see that kind of improvement in a few days, imagine how awesome it would be to keep this routine up all year long". I've no illusions of having swift results, but being able to see results is encouraging.

Lunges hurt, but in a good way. I actually had to put them on hold recently when I started experiencing joint pain in my knee. Probably means I was doing them wrong, but I need to let that heal up before trying again. Even without weights/gallons of milk they're a pretty intense workout.

Push-ups are kind of fun if you put on some good music to go with them. Having no upper-body strength to speak of I started with the modified ones Scooby has on his site, where you use your knees instead of your feet. Now I can almost do 20 of those before I have to take a break, so I'll probably move on to proper ones soon, but at the moment they're still a bit much for me.

What back exercises are you doing? Did you mention that earlier in the thread and I missed it? I have a problem with back pain, too. Not as bad as you but persistent and obviously I'd like to mitigate that.

I'm not sure what most of 'em are called, but the morning and evening routine of them is what got me into other exercises, which I think I did mention earlier in this thread.

I'll try to dig up proper descriptions and names when I get home but here's a run-down of the ones I do currently:
- On your back, knees bent, lay both legs to one side for 10 seconds. Repeat on other side. 3 reps
- On your back, knees bent, lift pelvis off the floor trying not to arch your back, 10 seconds, 3 reps. (should feel it working some of the muscles in your lower back)
- On your back, bend one knee up to your chest and hold 10 seconds. Repeat for other leg, 3 reps.
- On your back, using jump rope b/c you are too cheap to buy specialized workout equipment, place loop around your foot and pull leg vertical and foot back so as to tug on the hamstrings. This will hurt. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat for other leg. 2 reps
- On your stomach, using jumprope looped around foot, pull over your shoulder, should feel the stretch in your thigh

I wouldn't use any of those descriptions as instructions if I were you. Hopefully I can dig up some proper material for you when I get home.

[Aksannyi]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

I'm not saying we didn't get our asses kicked sometimes, just that we are perfectly capable of running around far more dangerous environments in the dark of the night; if it were that much of a hazard, you wouldn't be walking there during the day either.

I live in the type of area where, as a thirty-one year old white female, going anywhere after dark that's not straight from my apartment and into my truck (hell, even that) is a huge risk to my safety. I don't have a concealed carry permit yet so I can't carry, so I'm the type of person who can't exercise after dark.

Not saying cid is in the same boat, obviously, but there are some people who live in the city and some cities aren't that safe after dark.

[Murphie]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

Aks, every time you describe where you live in any way, I'm like "WHY!?!?!?!"

TM is right. Brisk walking to get your heart rate up is better than nothing. Just don't sweat to death when on your way to work, because that's gross. You're gross.

My sister is a personal trainer with an actual degree in health and fitness. She gave me a list of back friendly exercises I can do in my room with minimal equipment (a medicine ball and a rubber stretch...thingy. I can post it for you if you like.

[Aksannyi]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

Because I am poor Murph. I gotta do what I gotta do. I make ends meet but with my commute and gas prices I can't much afford to live in a better area. I am planning to move soon though.

In news related to the thread, I have a friend with a gym membership who is going to let me use a guest pass. :-)

[Taskmage]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

My sister is a personal trainer with an actual degree in health and fitness. She gave me a list of back friendly exercises I can do in my room with minimal equipment (a medicine ball and a rubber stretch...thingy. I can post it for you if you like.

pleeease

[cidbahamut]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

From this link:5 Back Stretches and Exercises You Should Be Doing Every Day - Healthy Back Exercises Video - 5 Back Stretches and Exercises You Should Be Doing Every Day

- Knee to Chest Exercise
- Lower Trunk Rotation Exercise
- Bridge Exercise

Plus the stuff with the rope that I don't know proper names for.

[Taskmage]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

Kyah muscle soreness. Not so much my arms or chest, but my legs. Ugh.

Related image:

[Taskmage]

Re: Time for a change... ((Health stuff.))

In trying to jump rope today for the first time since elementary school, I've determined that my body's drivers are so far out of date they might not even be compatible with the hardware. I could not for the life of me perform the simple feat of coordination of making my arms sync up with my jumping. The best I could do was bouncing on the balls of my feet twice for every swing of the rope. If I tried to swing the rope faster I'd either reflexively bounce faster or, ridiculously, higher, which obviously did not work out. Trying to drop a hop to sync and bring up the speed of both together just resulted in me whipping myself about the toes and ankles. Eventually I just gave up and stuck with the 2:1 ratio for the rest of my time, which would still fall apart after 90 seconds at most. It was hilariously bad, and I'm so glad I wasn't doing this in public. I'm sure I looked like I spilled a whole soda in my keyboard and tried to play QWOP.