Diet/Exercise/Health/Wellness Support Thread

Parent Cafe
20361

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<p>Should make for a lovely spring, Sewhappy. :)</p>

<p>Seeing the first bits of green as those bulbs start pushing their way up through the soil late Jan/early Feb, there’s nothing like it. Love it.</p>

20362

<p>Burpee Fusion. Kettle bell swings and burpees. 20 minutes of pure hell. I moved it outside tonight. Gorgeous. 65 degrees, blue sky. Nice and cool, beats standing in front of a fan. The problem is that I think I give it a little more gusto outside.</p>

<p>Swings were really good. Ever since I bumped it up to 45 pounds, they’ve been swinging me a little bit. Today, I really felt like I was swinging the weight again.</p>

<p>That’s just a really good short workout for me now. 30 seconds of exercise, 30 seconds of rest. Gets me bent over, hands on knees, panting like a dog by the end of the second and third sets, but it’s over in five or six good songs on the iPod.</p>

20363

<p>Third day off today. I picked up my new car which took a few hours and otherwise busy with work and errands. I will do a set of military press exercises with the barbell and call it a day (after working for another hour).</p>

<p>I was a bit surprised when idad missed a day or three of working out looking for a car. Well, I haven’t looked for a car since 2000 so I didn’t recall that it took some effort to buy one.</p>

<p>A rather interesting research piece on how muscles age.</p>

<p>"Rare muscle stem cells are located inside each skeletal muscle of the body. Also called satellite cells, due to their position on the surface of the muscle fibers they serve and protect, these cells are essential to maintaining the capacity of muscles to regenerate. Satellite cells are able to generate new, differentiated muscle cells while keeping their identity as stem cells, retaining the ability to maintain and repair muscle tissue. Normally in a resting or dormant state, satellite cells respond rapidly to repair injured tissues. The current study finds that aging muscle stem cells lose their ability to maintain a dormant state, so that when called upon to repair injured muscle, they are unable to mount an adequate response. "</p>

<p>“Andrew Brack, PhD, of the MGH Center for Regenerative Medicine, senior and corresponding author of the Nature paper, says, “Just as it is important for athletes to build recovery time into their training schedules, stem cells also need time to recuperate, but we found that aged stem cells recuperate less often. We were surprised to find that the events prior to muscle regeneration had a major influence on regenerative potential. That makes sense to us as humans, in terms of the need to sleep and to eat a healthy diet, but that the need to rest also plays out at the level of stem cells is quite remarkable.” An assistant professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Brack is also a principal faculty member at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.”</p>

<p>[Inadequate</a> cellular rest may explain effects of aging on muscles - Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA](<a href=“http://www.massgeneral.org/about/pressrelease.aspx?id=1504]Inadequate”>http://www.massgeneral.org/about/pressrelease.aspx?id=1504)</p>

20364

<p>4.1 miles, 32:40. Now off to grill dinner. My left arm is still sore form the MMR shot I had to get today (don’t ask :rolleyes:)…</p>

20365

<p>BC:</p>

<p>Congratulations on the new ride. Now, you can add car waxing to your workout rotation. For some reason, it’s a lot harder than I remember it being when I was 20…</p>

<p>I can’t believe how long they make you sit at the dealership while they “do all the paperwork” to buy a car. I took a cashiers check figuring I’d be in and out of there and I sat there for a good part of the afternoon. </p>

<p>I was looking for a used car, so it took a little bit of internet time and calling around just to come up with some options to consider. Then, one afternoon doing a couple of test drives and thinking through the options: price versus mileage, etc.</p>

<p>The new cars are very fancy, but it’s like consumer electronics: they’ve taken a lot of content out. Everything is plastic and super light weight compared to even 10 years ago.</p>

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<p>BB:</p>

<p>I hear ya on the shot. I had to get a tetanus booster when I went in for my physical and my arm was sore for a couple days. But, at least I’ll be good to go if I step on a rusty nail or whatever…</p>

20366

<p>Idad, at least a tetanus shot protects against a real threat. I am 100% positive that I will not get measles from attending an evening class at the U a couple of times a week. :slight_smile: Oh, well.</p>

<p>My pace during the run varied from 8:20 in the beginning and went down to 7:30 in the last 3 minutes. Cooler evening temperatures have been a real blessing for my runs.</p>

20367

<p>Well, there is a lot of paperwork going on but they try to sell you things along the way. They brought me in to see the “finance guy” that tried to sell my about $7,000 in insurance and other services and I just declined them all. BTW, they took a personal check and just let me drive it off. The last time (in 2000), I wrote a personal check and they wanted to verify the check overnight before delivery.</p>

<p>The car I bought is very similar to my previous car but it does weigh 250 pounds less though a good chunk of that was replacing some hydraulic systems with electrical systems. 30 years ago, my cars weighed around 2,200 pounds. The one I bought is 3,240 pounds, down from 3,500 pounds 12 years ago.</p>

<p>My feeling is that you get more car for your money than a decade ago. I think that this is a result of fierce competition; most recently from South Korea.</p>

<p>There were two ladies buying a car at the desk next to the one I was at. They wanted to put down $1,500 and finance the rest and we’re talking about $25,000 - $30,000 SUVs. He was talking about monthly payments and how adding options packages would only add a little to the monthly payment. It’s pretty easy to hide the real cost of things with modern finance.</p>

20368

<p>Oh, I feel your pain, BC. I’d rather get a root canal than shop for another car.</p>

<p>Day off except weights and pushups. I’m exercising my brain today…</p>

20369

<p>off the tracking wagon the last few days, mainly due to being distracted with house guests. Then I jotted some things down to input later, lost that, never got around to it, etc.</p>

<p>Yesterday quick half hour run. Today “boot camp” at the new big box gym. Ugh.
Started with having to park across the street in the shopping center parking lot because their lot was full. Okay, not going to complain about having to walk a bit to get to the workout place, because the irony would be too much to bear, but didn’t enjoy cruising the lot searching for a space. I will now always park farther away.</p>

<p>Boot Camp class, supposed to be kind of crossfit-like. Not. And not in a good way. Essentially just a circuit class. TRX body rows, step ups, squats, plyo lunges, Xerband bicep curls, push ups, med ball ab work, bosu ball OH shoulder press with squats, bosu ball plyo squat jumps, rope stuff etc. Around and around, interval-like, but no rests, low energy instructor. Overall most of the exercises were okay, but the whole class was kind of uninspiring and seemed a little ad hoc, with her tacking on some very odd (jumping?) kb squats at the end.
I will try another instructor before I write this class off.</p>

20370

<p>I don’t get the “no rest” approach to exercise. I understand a quick pace to get some high heart rate conditioning, but the quality of the exercises goes to hell with zero rest.</p>

<p>CJame, I bet you are the one to ask. Ever done any snowshoeing?</p>

20371

<p>^ yup.
Love snowshoeing.</p>

20372

<p>I’m thinking it might be a way to get a little hiking exercise in the wintertime. I hated cross country skiing back in the day, but that’s much more like running and I just don’t think by body is designed for that.</p>

<p>But, snowshoeing looks like it might be a little more my speed, although I’m sure it is very tiring. I found this set of photos from a snowshoe hike on one of the mountain trails I’ve done. On the right day (like this one), it looks like it could be a very enjoyable thing to do!</p>

<p><a href=“http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_r80o2DL7MPo/TUwNYcKRKuI/AAAAAAAAK5M/3iZRq1kXhMg/s1600/IMG_1484.JPG[/url]”>http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_r80o2DL7MPo/TUwNYcKRKuI/AAAAAAAAK5M/3iZRq1kXhMg/s1600/IMG_1484.JPG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Looks like the Audubon Center 20 minutes from here has a lot of snowshoeing, both on the relatively flat trails and on the lake itself when frozen:</p>

<p>[On</a> the trails](<a href=“http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Chlr01-bwGA/SYZCGAhzNpI/AAAAAAAAAPM/zuzSlVu35qc/s1600/2009+01+31_Massabesic+Audubon+Society+m+name+here_0235.jpg]On”>http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Chlr01-bwGA/SYZCGAhzNpI/AAAAAAAAAPM/zuzSlVu35qc/s1600/2009+01+31_Massabesic+Audubon+Society+m+name+here_0235.jpg)</p>

<p>[On</a> the lake](<a href=“http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5208/5360823606_4937cc6b7f_b.jpg]On”>http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5208/5360823606_4937cc6b7f_b.jpg)</p>

20373

<p>idad, I think you will love snowshoeing! You maybe even ready for some cross-country skiing. Not the Olympic type, this kind of skiing:</p>

<p><a href=“http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/123/cache/Cross-Country-Skiing_12325_600x450.jpg[/url]”>http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/123/cache/Cross-Country-Skiing_12325_600x450.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

20374

<p>My recollection of cross country skiing is that it is pure agony unless you get going fast enough to get the whole glide thing going. And always pure agony uphill – which, in NH, is always at least half the time!</p>

<p>Of course, I could always combine snow shoeing with skiing, like the crazies in NH do at Tuckerman’s Ravine on Mt. Washington:</p>

<p>[Tuckerman’s</a> Ravine 4/9/2011 - YouTube](<a href=“Tuckerman's Ravine 4/9/2011 - YouTube”>Tuckerman's Ravine 4/9/2011 - YouTube)</p>

<p>You have to carry your stuff 2.5 miles and up nearly 2000 feet of elevation just to get to the hut at the beginning of that video.As BC would say, “I think I’ll take the Cog Railway…” Here’s what [climbing</a> it looks like without the snow](<a href=“http://www.harborbible.com/images/HPIM0291.JPG]climbing”>http://www.harborbible.com/images/HPIM0291.JPG).</p>

20375

<p>My family was into x-country skiing when I was a kid. Oh, how I hated it. The agony with no real ecstasy. We raced. Really, really horrible memories. I guess the scenery was pretty but I was too focussed on the pain.</p>

20376

<p>I’ll stick with ice skating.</p>

20377

<p>I’m a snowshoe lover and own my own snowshoes. Done a lot of it and even have done some running on snowshoes in Colorado. IDad, you will love it. I prefer groomed trails instead of clomping through knee high snow, though. I’ve done nighttime snow shoe hikes and it is just so beautiful.</p>

<p>I’m spending a lot of this weekend with my high school class of 1970. I just want to say that I admire and respect every one of you on this thread. That is all.</p>

<p>11 fairly easy miles on the beautiful Perkiomen Trail this morning. Good stuff.</p>

20378

<p>I should have known the Dallas/Nashville CC’er would be the snowshoer! I forgot about all your time in Colorado.</p>

<p>Knee deep powder is not something we have to worry about here much in NH. We tend to get a wetter snow in general and the freeze/thaw cycles take care of any powder. From reading about snowshoe hikes, it looks like all the popular hiking trails get broken in and packed within hours after a big snow fall, even the mountain trails that strike me as insanely difficult for snow shoes. But, I guess, in some ways, the hiking is easier in winter because all the damn rocks are buried! :slight_smile: Anyway, the vast, vast majority of outings I would do would be on broken packed snowshoe trails rather than virgin territory. And, even at that, it’s rare that we get more than 12 inches of snow at time. The dry deep powder of the Rockies is just not winter in New Hampshire.</p>

<p>With that in mind, I’m thinking traction and terrain rather than floating on top of powder as primary considerations in choosing snowshoes. Smaller, rather than bigger. Lots of ice-gripping stuff. Any tips? The [MSR</a> Lightning models](<a href=“http://loomisadventures.com/sites/default/files/images/gear/msr_lightning_ascent_snowshoes_06.jpg]MSR”>http://loomisadventures.com/sites/default/files/images/gear/msr_lightning_ascent_snowshoes_06.jpg) look really good for the terrain around here. Plus, you can get them on the smaller side and add 5 inch extensions for deep snow. I sure need a smaller size than I would have needed with an extra 90 pounds. Of course, I never would have considered snowshoeing when I weighed 250.</p>

<p>Snow shoeing might solve a problem for winter fitness for me. As I really don’t enjoy going out and walking/jogging on nasty salted sandy wet roads. But, the parks and hiking trails are either covered in snow or muddy. Taking advantage of even half a dozen snowy days in winter to get outside for some good exercise would help break the monotony of Jan, Feb, March. I used to downhill ski, but I got to the point where I felt like I was going to end up with a torn ACL or a broken hip and it’s just crazy expensive. All my downhill stuff went in the dumpster before the move (it was all past the “sell-by” date). </p>

<p>With snowshoes, I can just leave them in trunk of the car (next to my trekking poles) and take off on a whim. I’m thinking that places like the nearby Audubon Center with five miles of fairly flat wide trails would be an easy place to start and I think I’m probably fit enough for that. Looks like they actively promote snowshoeing there. Maybe try some of the easier hiking trails in the mountains if that goes well. That trail I did to the waterslide swimming hole would certainly be manageable on snowshoes or skis.</p>

20379

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<p>Amen to that. Geezer fitness is clearly the rare exception, rather than the rule. The problem is that the farther you get from fitness, the more daunting the thought of making that kind of lifestyle change. When it’s hard to walk to the mailbox, the idea of exercising doesn’t seem very appealing. Frankly, it’s not very appealing at that stage. The trick is imagining (because that’s all you can do at that point) that there will be some steady progress that will make it easier and more enjoyable. That’s a big leap of faith.</p>

20380

<p>Okay, I need someone to kick my butt. We moved this summer, and with all the craziness, I have not been exercising regularly. And, I have spinal curvature which is giving me issues (leg/back/hip pain), making it hard, but nonetheless, I need to get out there and do what I can and reverse the trend of gaining weight, getting less fit. We moved to the midwest, so I’m thinking I would like to try some snowshoeing when the winter comes. Do you buy snowshoes? Is that the best thing to do? Trying to embrace the coming coldness. Lived in California for over 30 years.</p>