The Diet/Fitness Thread

[qimissung]

I got my sons fit bits for Christmas. They don't use them. They said it was more useful for people who run, and they lift weights.

I bet you are so right about those chambedmaids, Sancho. I know I'd step more lively if I thought I was getting some benefit out of it.

[YesNo]

I am having second thoughts about getting my wife one for Christmas. She doesn't need to lose any weight, but the present might imply that I think she should.

[Sancho]

Good thinkin', Y/N.

You could get her a new mop and a bucket.

Wait, no, hmmm, scratch that.

How about a Lexus?

[Calidore]

I am having second thoughts about getting my wife one for Christmas. She doesn't need to lose any weight, but the present might imply that I think she should.

Yeah, that's definitely the kind of present she should request first.

[papayahed]

Papaya and I are in the Fitbit club. The Fitbit is a little digital doohickey you wear on your wrist and among other things it tells you how many steps you take each day. I can guarantee you I move more when I wear it than when I don't. I'll make two trips to the barn carrying smaller loads rather than one big trip. I don't skip my daily run as much. I park farther from the building. I absolutely don't take the elevator. Every week they e-mail you a summary in which they tell you your average daily step count, how many miles you went that week, how many active minutes you had, and here's the kicker - they give you these little digital badges for milestones: 100 miles, 500 miles, 1000 miles, I'm embarrassed to say how much I enjoy getting a new badge.

That's is pretty accurate. I noticed that before Fitbit I would walk through the tank farm, with the Fitbit I walk around the tank farm. True Story: A guy I work with walks in the morning. One morning a police officer stopped him to say one of the neighbors reported somebody suspicious in the neighborhood. The police officer asked my friend why he was weaving around the cars. My friend answered "Because I'm trying to get my steps". hahahaahaha

I don't have the wrist type Fitbit, I have the cute magenta one that you can put in your pocket or belt. I don't think it does as much but it's less intrusive.

[Calidore]

I was doing okay at the old Power 90 workouts and wanted more variety than just those two routines over and over, so I've promoted myself to the Power 90 Master Series. This was created after P90X and is much more polished than the original Power 90. It consists of six workouts: three cardio and three strength. I've run through all of them twice now just to get acclimated, and holy cow, I'll be here a while. These routines are not only longer and tougher than the originals, but they have a much greater variety of moves, which are also often more complex in themselves. Entry-level strength aside, my questionable coordination and balance make some of these pretty difficult, so this will take quite a bit of practice. Thankfully, Tony Horton is very good about suggesting modifications for different skill and fitness levels--I need both.

It's amazing how many sadistic variations of pushups and squats people can dream up. Here's a few of the former you can try at home for fun (I'm lucky to do more than a few of any of these):

* Sphinx pushups: Start in plank, but resting on your elbows instead of your hands. Then push yourself up using your triceps.

* Pike Press: Start in a high Downward Dog and raise & lower yourself while holding that pose, thus mostly using your shoulders.

* Plank > pushup > side arm balance > plank > pushup > other side arm balance > repeat

Squats include things like the One-Legged Russian Ruble Squat, which involves standing on one leg while squatting down to pick up a bottle cap at your toe, straightening up while passing the cap to your other hand, and squatting and replacing the cap on the floor; then stand back up and repeat--all ideally without letting the other foot touch the floor. Hah.

I also picked up an inexpensive heart rate monitor (the Polar FT1 @ $40, recommended by Consumersearch), which I understand will let me know should my heart stop during aerobics. Got one positive from it right away: My resting heart rate is a pretty good 53.

Now the nervous-making part. I've just gotten medical coverage, which I haven't had in 15 years and very seldom used when I did. I now have to schedule my first checkups in probably more than 20 years. Not too worried about the physical, but I doubt I'll be as lucky with the dental.

[Darcy88]

I'm not technically overweight, but I'm as fat as I've been in about six years. I obsess over my weight and find this extremely distressing. But a few months ago I bought a sweet two-hundred pound punching bag at a pawn shop and since then I've been attacking the poor thing with furious determination for two or more hours a day, and have lost about fifteen pounds in that time. Kickboxing is my favourite form of exercise, I have been doing it for years now, and this is the first time I've had in my possession an actual heavy bag, all my previous bags having been jimmy-rigged poor-man's improvisations, the last consisting of a hockey bag filled with dirt and old clothing, duct-taped in the areas it split open at. It is very nice to have a sturdy, resilient thing to let fly my fists, elbows, knees and shins at.

I've also been doing skip rope, running on the spot and jumping jacks.

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

Went on my usual run this morning to make room for the Turkey tomorrow.
I'll likely hit the trail early, early tomorrow morning to make room for desert.

[papayahed]

I lost my fitbit. I don't know what happened. It was in my pocket at lunch and when I got home it was gone.

[YesNo]

I hope you find it. Did you check your car?

On a side issue, but relevant to the thread, I have considered looking for some self-hypnosis app to listen to on my phone. My problem is that I understand an optimal maximum weight for me would be about 179 pounds given my height and weight. I am about 185 pounds or so, but I don't check often nor do I have a fancy digital scale.

Does anyone have any recommendations for self-hypnosis apps to loose a small amount of weight, say, 10 pounds?

[Sancho]

New Year's Resolutions anybody?

[papayahed]

It's not really a new years resolution as I started it two weeks ago but it's close. I love Coke and all things sugary and carbonated. Love. Sooooo... I made a deal with myself that if I can go without pop (soda for you non-midwesterners) until March 30 I can put a down payment on a trip I really want to take in July. I've also thrown fast food in the picture as well. That used to mean anything with a drive through but now Panera has a drive through and I don't necessarily consider them fast food so I'll have to come up with another definition.

[Sancho]

Good one. I should probably do something like that, although my weakness is the bakery, which kicks out the Panera drive-through - "Would you like to add a bakery item for 99 cents, sir?" - "Yes...yes I would. In fact I'd like to add a dozen bakery items, thank you very much. Oh hey, is that a Krispy Kreme across the street?"

[papayahed]

Luckily, Santa noticed that I lost my fitbit and brought me a new one. Now the old one will reappear any day now. Today I took 1775 steps today! My biggest exertion today was putting on decent clothes to open the door for the pizza man.

[easy75]

I resolve to lose 10lbs over the winter. I resolve to do more cardio at the expense of weights. I may even get a fitbit! I am curious papaya, can you give me a brief eval on yours? What you like and don't like about it?