What is Your Fitness Regimine?

[Waxman]

As 40 fast approaches, I feel the need to strengthen my fairly decent diet and exerise habits. A couple issues came up at my annual physical; nothing major, but suffice it to say that I need keep an eye on things like blood pressure, weight, and keeping fit.

I have switched to decaf coffee and I now eat only fruit until lunch time.

I exercise regularly, but have decided to increase the weight training I do. I do some yoga stuff almost daily.

I have noticed the biggest difference in how I feel from the all-fruit mornings so far. The rest I think is just doing more of what I already do.

How about you? Any ideas on diet and exercise to share?

 

[MEP001]

If you're trying to avoid the deleterious effects of coffee, you might want to quit altogether. Decaf can be worse for you than regular coffee due to the process used that removes the caffeine.

If you want the best health benefit from weight training, many reps with lower weight with no breaks in between is better because it gives you a cardio workout. Just building muscle does little for your health.

 

[Waxman]

I was actually thinking of just cutting back to a coffee on the way to work and maybe 1 decaf later. did that today and felt fine.

what about the fact that muscle burns energy? slimming down by about 15 lbs would help and weights have always made me feel really good.

I do sometimes do supersets like you recommend. I like those, too. Is that what you do?

 

[Eric H]

My wife and I both started using Wii My Fitness Coach (NOT Wii FIT). http://www.amazon.com/My-Fitness-Coach-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B001H0RZX2
I've lost 5 lbs and strengthened my core after about 3 weeks. My cronic back pain is gone and my posture has improved. I figure another 2 weeks and I'll have a 6 pack, no more beer gut.
My wife has lost weight and commented to me today that her arms are firming up.
The Program is very customizable. My program is totally different from my wife's. My brother in law is a personal trainer and he liked the program when I showed it to him. It includes Yoga, Cardio, Core, upper and lower body, and Flexibility. I'm too cheap to pay for a gym membership and a personal trainer, never mind the time commitment of going to the gym. This takes me 45 minutes 3 days a week and I see results already.

 

[ted mcmeekin]

We are old farts and went to a Volumetrics eating plan ( Penn State Professor) coupled with morning swim in Endless Pool about 2 years ago and had very significant results in short term. Having said that we have slipped the last couple months and now need to regroup. I have never been gym person but love to swim. We found a new Endless Pool (never unpacked) on E Bay 5 years ago which we installed. It is great--they are very pricey but you can find some bargains when people move and you can refurb thru Endless Pool--a great company. Maintenence is nothing but time savings is great--walk out of shower and into pool.

Ted

 

[MEP001]

I do sometimes do supersets like you recommend. I like those, too. Is that what you do?

I try to alternate.

A parody of the Wii Fit:

http://www.break.com/index/wii-fit-parody.html

 

[jfmoran]

Heres what I do

Weight training is anaerobic exercise and has little to no effect on your cardio-vascular health, that being said there are a tremendous amount of benefits to weight training: increased metabolism (fat burning), increased energy, slowing or negating the effects of aging such as arthrirtis are just a few of the benefits. I have been training with weights for the beter part of 28 years (now 42) and I can tell you that my energy levels and ability to lose weight and feel good are siginificantly better when I am training with weights.

I use something called HIT-High Intensity Training, one set of 10-15 reps of about 70% of my one rep max. One set takes about a minute as each rep takes about 6 seconds to do (3 up and 3 down). I work large muscle groups only, 1 exercise per body part and I can do a workout in about 20 minutes, but feel like I just spent 2 hours in the gym.

My cardio workout is simlilar in that I do HIIT-High Intensity Interval Training on a bike. 5 minute warm-up, 30 second sprint at level 11 & 1min 30 sec ride at level 5. I do this 7 times and then a 5 minute cool down for a total of 22 minutes. It's a fallacy that cardio has to be done for long periods of time 30 minutes or more. Its the intensity of the training that has the benefits not the duration.

Never cardio and weight training on the same day. I try and workout 5-6 days so keeping it to less than an hour each day (workout time and travel time to my gym) is important to maintain motivation and my busy schedule.

 

[Renato]

Hi all: This year I will be 38 on december, years ago I used to do tons of exercise, however I become very lazy and do NOTHING for exercise for the past 5-6 years, just the small that i do when Im at the car wash, Last february I decided to get on the exercise again, I started running 2-3 week couple of miles per day. Then I decided to become a triathlete. With the help of some friends I been trainning since February 20th on this new discipline for me. and I can say THAT ITS AWESOME!!!!! At this date I can run 30 miles per week, 80 miles per week on the bike and Im swimming 7-8 miles per week,
I get ride off all the nocius food, and loss about 20 pounds in this 3 months period of trainning, I will be on my first race on August 28 at the beatiful city of Veracruz Mexico.
i recommed you all this discipline you will enjoy it!!
regards
Renato from Mexico

 

[Sequoia]

Health

You might consider investigating the benefits of a low fat, low sodium diet.

There is a TON of sodium in foods everywhere-- you have to start reading nutritional labels to really understand that.

My wife and I shoot for all food items that have no more than 5% sodium. You'll find some single item foods exceed 50% of daily values. Ditto for saturated fat. Bunch a few of those together in a single meal or a single day and watch your blood pressure climb ....

 

[MikeV]

At the tender age of 64, my daily regamin starts with 3-4 cups of regular coffee, a stop at shipley's for a butterfly roll and another coffee. Usually no lunch, then a nice dinner with a glass of red wine or two...recommended by my doc. My blood pressure is right where its supposed to be, as of my latest tests, no plaque build up in my arteries, cholesterol is right where its supposed to be, can still work all day without getting exhausted. I have friends and relatives who were workout junkies and health nuts and have since died at much younger ages. I think its all in the genes and no matter what you do, nothing will prolong your life any longer that God wants you to live.

 

[pitzerwm]

Personally, if you are doing it enough, being on top is enough exercise. Has always worked for me, so far anyway

 

[Renato]

At the tender age of 64, my daily regamin starts with 3-4 cups of regular coffee, a stop at shipley's for a butterfly roll and another coffee. Usually no lunch, then a nice dinner with a glass of red wine or two...recommended by my doc. My blood pressure is right where its supposed to be, as of my latest tests, no plaque build up in my arteries, cholesterol is right where its supposed to be, can still work all day without getting exhausted. I have friends and relatives who were workout junkies and health nuts and have since died at much younger ages. I think its all in the genes and no matter what you do, nothing will prolong your life any longer that God wants you to live.

You are right!!!!
saludos
Renato

 

[Waxman]

all valid and helpful replies so far! great.

 

[jfmoran]

Genes Help

Genes certainly do play a role both in a good way and a bad way. For me its about quality of life versus quantity, its also about preventative health care versus reactive health care. Your right in that we won't live a minute longer than the good Lord has allowed for us, but if I can remain as healthy as possible before that day then I will.

 

[Waxman]

my all-fruit mornings have been great so far. I notice more energy. been doing this 3 weeks. ate out for breakfast yesterday, felt crummy and lethargic from it. missed the fruit!

 

[Waxman]

FWIW

I re-started my morning meditation practice at the advice of my drum teacher. My blood pressure has gone down pretty significantly in a week of not missing a morning of meditation.

 

[Danny]

In January I was in a car accident that injured knee and ankle. Since then I have had to stop my muay thai kickboxing and brazilian jiu jitsu. I have noticed that my aches and pains are back along with being a little umm more "squishy". I am hoping to start again in the next month. The two are awesome cardio workouts. Prior to the accident I was working out/sparring 2-4 times a week 1-3 hrs a session. I encourage anyone thats ever been interested to give it a try.