Fitness

[DragonmasterDan]

So like many people with a desk job and bad eating habits, as the years have gone by my level of fitness has dropped to unhealthy levels. This week I've started dieting and perhaps just as importantly joined a gym to try to get into better shape. Outside of my high school and college gyms, I've not really worked out at a proper gym before but am getting in the habit of going immediately after work everyday.

My question for the board is do you go to the gym? If so how often? What kind of workouts do you do?

[_joshuaTurbo]

No gym (but possibly in the future)

I try to get my exercising done in the AM before work whether that's just following a workout DVD (DDP Yoga, P90X) or if the weather is nice, I go for a 3-5 mile jog.

I'm not super athletic or anything, but I'm in way better shape now than I was 10 years ago.  (roughly 60 lbs lighter)

Dan, are you looking to just drop weight or build muscle? 

PS: I've seen your calves, they're HUGE!!

[DragonmasterDan]

Dan, are you looking to just drop weight or build muscle? 

PS: I've seen your calves, they're HUGE!!

Looking to drop weight primarily.

When I was in high school/college I used to be able to do the max on my high school and college leg press machines which was 2500 lbs or so. I also used to be able to dunk a basketball, so my legs are pretty strong but definitely not where they were a decade ago.

[ClodBuster]

I don't visit the gym, but I'm running every weekend, between 5 to 15 km depending on who is going with me. Some years ago I participated at a 21 km half marathon, and I'd like to repeat that.

EDIT: By the way, this is the kind of music that helped me surviving that run:
http://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/40094?tags=512kb

[mitsuman]

I go to the fitness center at my wife's work about twice a week, but am looking at increasing that. I go Saturday and Sunday morning, for about an hour a piece. One day I will ride the stationary bike for an hour. The other day I will work on upper back, shoulders, and abs.

Last year when I was dealing with depression, I got the fantastic idea to put on a bunch of weight to hurry along my inevitable death. Since I have high blood pressure and a bad heart (not weight related, I was diagnosed with it all when I was 17 and in prime health), I figured the quick increase in weight would do me in. No suicide means wife still gets my life insurance.
Well I worked through all of that, and am now working to drop all of that weight. I have gone down about 5 or 6 pounds in the past couple weeks because I finally got my diet under control. Now I just have to get my work out routine back in order and I should start dropping weight quicker. But in the end, I would really like to build a little bit of mass and tone up a lot.

A quick note on P90X, I did that 5 or 6 years ago, and dropped about 25 pounds in the 90 days. It was fantastic.

[Necromancer]

"Gym?  What's a gym?"

My exercising is limited to bike riding (~10 miles a day when it's nice out) and 12 ounce arm curls.

[cjameslv]

"Gym?  What's a gym?"

My exercising is limited to bike riding (~10 miles a day when it's nice out) and 12 ounce arm curls.

Ahh this is me as well. I have a really nice bike trail that passes right behind my house and goes all the way to a wetlands preserve. Its a 8 mile loop there and back. Just got a road bike and what a difference from a mountain bike!

[NightWolve]

Some things that are working for me:

- Instead of driving, walk through the McDonald's drive-thru for your big macs.
- Let Majors talk you into walking "just across the parking lot" to buy your liquor.
- Use a shopping basket instead of a cart, it builds upper body strength to carry all those twinkies and energy drinks around the store with you.
- Keep one foot on the floor when weighing yourself.

That last one has been most effective for me, but I'm thinking about experimenting with tapeworms to break this plateau.

 

[wildfruit]

I've actually lost half a stone over the last couple of months just by eating less and doing a bit of wii fit u. The gym is a bridge too far for me.

[xelement5x]

I used to go pretty regularly and was lifting but stopped because of life (and a baby!) so I've been slowly ramping back into it.  My work offers a free gym in the building so I normally do basic cadio while watching anime/tv or something.  I may get back into lifting again but instead use a coach to help make sure I keep proper form and such.

If you are going for weight loss like others said, diet is extremely important, and I have been told that lower intensity longer time is the best (with some caveats), but my number 1 advice is to pace yourself on starting out exercise.  I have seen a lot of folks go super gung ho then work out too long/or recklessly and strain or hurt themselves and get stuck waiting a couple weeks to a month to heal so they could start again.  Loosing that inertia in the routine is horrible and makes it hard to get back going to the gym again. 

[bartre]

I lol'd at the "across the parking lot" -mgc was grand

I try to go 3x a week, and do different things on each visit.
I swim one day, legs/abs/lower back the next, arms/chest/upper back the next
The two most important things are safety and varying your workout.

I'm sure you know this, but it's important to change your diet as well
Two hours at the gym is essentially ruined by a couple sodas.
Honestly though, I've found that drinking more water and just slimming the amount you eat helps hugely

[DragonmasterDan]

I lol'd at the "across the parking lot" -mgc was grand

I try to go 3x a week, and do different things on each visit.
I swim one day, legs/abs/lower back the next, arms/chest/upper back the next
The two most important things are safety and varying your workout.

I'm sure you know this, but it's important to change your diet as well
Two hours at the gym is essentially ruined by a couple sodas.
Honestly though, I've found that drinking more water and just slimming the amount you eat helps hugely

I've given up on non-diet soda. Drinking a lot of water, and have been watching what I've been eating. With that said I'm only on day 3.

[MrBroadway]

I've found that seltzer, even cheap seltzer, really curbs my appetite when I want a snack. I've only lost 5 pounds since, but I blame work right now for not having enough time to run. My goal is to get to under 190 by the end of the summer.

[mitsuman]

I've found that seltzer, even cheap seltzer, really curbs my appetite when I want a snack. I've only lost 5 pounds since, but I blame work right now for not having enough time to run. My goal is to get to under 190 by the end of the summer.

I would think seltzer works about the same way as eating a fiber rich food would. It "fills" you up with gasses.

I have a zip lock bag full of almonds at my desk. I eat a handful, and they tend to tide me over for a couple hours.

[Dicer]

I'm rocking a well maintained "dad bod" which seems to be all the rage, so I'm gonna leave it as is...