Fitness 2016

[alfred russel]

NHS health check this morning. Blood pressure, fasting blood sugar and cholesterol excellent. Average resting heart rate 62bpm. Cardiovascular risk half that of most people my age - most of them leave with statins. I'm 2cm shorter than I thought, but that may be the back pain preventing me from straightening up. In other bombshell news, I'm obese, my waist is too big and I drink too much.

Not to knock your health check, but...you are active, and your cardio and blood work seems awesome. Maybe what I bolded isn't so relevant and you shouldn't beat yourself up about it? There are professional athletes that technically meet some obesity standards, after all. It can be a lame excuse, but some people really are built differently.

[Brazen]

The waist size is the biggie as it shows fat is deposited round the organs. You're right to an extent that the blood work shows it hasn't affected my metabolism much, but just the pressure of its presence still puts a strain on the organs. Plus I'd be able to run more and faster and get injured less if I weight less. Not to mention look better. Losing about 28lbs would take me to the top end of a healthy weight range.

[alfred russel]

The waist size is the biggie as it shows fat is deposited round the organs. You're right to an extent that the blood work shows it hasn't affected my metabolism much, but just the pressure of its presence still puts a strain on the organs. Plus I'd be able to run more and faster and get injured less if I weight less. Not to mention look better. Losing about 28lbs would take me to the top end of a healthy weight range.

I was watching a guy who does rather sophisticated body fat testing, and he was asked about the percent of body fat needed to get a 6 pack. The guy said, there isn't one, because fat gets distributed differently on different people, and he had seen people in single digits of body fat without visible abs because the last traces of fat they had got distributed around the stomach, but much "fattier" people often did have a 6 pack because the fat was distributed differently.

The point is, if your fat distributes around the waist, or if you really have a large frame, you may show up worse on the obesity and waist tests than you should for your general health. I wouldn't expect an obese person to have a heart rate of 62 and normal BP.

That isn't to say dropping some weight is a bad idea. Just don't let this all drive you to drink. You know--because of the last thing they said. 

[11B4V]

45 minutes on the elliptical: check
7 and 7: check
Good reading material: check

[mongers]

45 minutes on the elliptical: check
7 and 7: check
Good reading material: check

....

What's not to like.

[Brazen]

Got four exercises from the physio for my back. Tiny pelvic tilts are a bit of a come-down from half-marathon training. 

[celedhring]

45 minutes on the elliptical: check
7 and 7: check
Good reading material: check

....

What's not to like.

I have gone through some great history podcasts while running the elliptical myself. It has become one of my favorite parts of the day 

Haven't been able to work the alcohol into my workout yet though 

[mongers]

I think I do too much exercise given my aims and my age, I should cut back or set a limit. 

So this graph shows how many bike equivalent miles* I've done in the previous 28 days on any given day over the last 6-7 months.

Given how I feel, I think over 500 is too much?

* Each mile of outside walking counts as 4 miles of cycling.

[Josquius]

If you enjoy it then keep at it.
Surely you must have cycled all the possible routes a million tmes over by now though?

Do a newb program that relies on a linear weekly progessive loading on the main lifts like Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5x5, etc. It's very important to approach this with a beginner's mindset, while learning the techniques. Make sure you eat enough meat and fish with vegetables and get good sleep.

Thanks.
Seems to be a lot of emphasis on squats jn those though.
Can't really do those even without weights

[mongers]

If you enjoy it then keep at it.
Surely you must have cycled all the possible routes a million tmes over by now though?

Nope only yesterday I was going between Portland/Weymouth and Dorcester, took a different route and found a beautiful chalk stream.

[alfred russel]

I think I do too much exercise given my aims and my age, I should cut back or set a limit. 

So this graph shows how many bike equivalent miles* I've done in the previous 28 days on any given day over the last 6-7 months.

Given how I feel, I think over 500 is too much?

* Each mile of outside walking counts as 4 miles of cycling.

Hell no.

#1 you aren't that old.
#2 it isn't that much.
#3 rage against the dying of the light anyway.

I'm familiar with running distances a bit more, so to use that method, you covered probably around the equivalent around 125 miles over a 4 week period. That is 31.25 miles per week, or probably around 15-20 miles of running a week (since you a walk around just in the normal course of life). That isn't excessive--it might actually be a bit light to seriously take on a 10k race (though adequate). Biking is less wear and tear than running, so you can probably push a bit harder on a bike in any event.

I heard about a 90 something that recently fell during a regular 10 year mile he ran for fitness. Don't give up now--you are possibly just at the halftime of life.

[Eddie Teach]

10 year mile

Wow, even I can run faster than that!

[alfred russel]

10 year mile

Wow, even I can run faster than that!

well he was 90. 

[Barrister]

Since I started running I seem to be down ~3-5 pounds.  I didn't have an exact starting weight (cuz this wasn't about losing weight) but I was low-to-mid 160s, now I'm at 159.

I put on my barrister's robes today.  I only wear them every couple months, so I still have the same set I had from when I first joined the Crown's office in 2004.  The robes themselves are obviously one size fits all, but the vest that goes underneath was fitting much more snug than it did when I was 29.  But today if fit much better.

[alfred russel]

A few updates:

I did a tough mudder, which was different. I've never paid anyone $140 to run through electric wires while getting shocked.

I have started getting exertion headaches from lifting weight. Not sure what is bringing this on. I've recently cut out most caloric drinks - perhaps the loss of calories without reducing workouts is a contributing factor?