I have this thread bookmarked, and I’m interested.
I am coming to the end of a one year program which has helped me master some new habits. A year ago, my main objective was to lose weight so I was a faster runner. Over the course of the year, I’ve realized that perhaps I’m not as interested in endurance events as I thought I was! Going forward, my goals are to do some running, but it enjoy it more; keep up my Pilates practice; try to do more yoga and add in some strength training. Oh, and not gain any weight back! Over the course of this thread, I lost over 100 pounds, but gained around 25 back. I’ve finally lost those pounds and 18 inches from my girth. I’m hoping I can keep up those habits - eating to 80% full, lean protein at every meal, more vegetables than fruits. Anyone else working on maintenance that wants to chime in?
Sabaray - congrats! Finding the exercise that one enjoys is key to establishing an exercise habit.
@sabaray wow, that is mighty impressive and inspiring. Hats off to you!
I am working on continuing my weekly exercise routine, I love it, it has two/three spin classes, two/three TRX classes, one power yoga class; I have got to know many of the folks doing these classes and we encourage each other and have fun exercise together.
My weight goal is to lose 30lb, I am one third there and it might be an unattainable one. But I am significantly stronger and the feeling is priceless, so I won’t be too sad if the other 20lb refuse to leave me. Lol.
It’s interesting isn’t it to see your vision, likes and expectations change over the course of the wellness journey?
I also think that’s totally normal and even insightful to realize that a path can end and a new one start or a path be changed mid-road.
I have to say that I think enjoyment of whatever your routine is is super important - I know it’s super important to me!
I am more into maintenance than weight loss. I could lose five pounds, but am okay where I am. About five pounds have come off slowly over the last few months due to more activity and less snacking.
I like hearing you are discovering the activities you truly enjoy and focusing on them. It does change over time. I am swimming more due to the heat, but also because I missed my swim friends. It is hard to get out of the house and put on a bathing suit some days, but I never regret it once I get to the pool. Hard work and lively locker room talk! I am spinning more because my body is up to a new challenge. I have less in common with the other students because they are kids compared to me, but I Iike to compete with them. And I am running less because I am just not feeling it right now.
I had an injury that kept me from group activities for some time and I found I really missed the camaraderie and encouragement - like makemesmart, I had gotten to know people in my classes and really missed that aspect of exercise. I like how you refer to “swim friends” - I have my running friends.
One habit that I think will help me with maintenance now is taking a rest day. I think I had convinced myself that I needed to exercise every single day, full out, or the weight would come right back. I wasn’t paying enough attention to portion size, though, and the weight came back, even though I was running like a crazy woman. So add rest days and portion control to my list of must do habits.
I’ve been using MyFitnessPal to track calories, for a few months now. As a result, I’m getting a better feel for the calorie count in certain foods-meals-drinks. I think I was flying blind before, remarkably ignorant of calorie counts. This has been super helpful for maintenance and decision making re: food & drink intake.
It’s hotter now that it’s summer and the dog cannot walk very far in the heat. The other day, we went one mile, at a snail’s pace, instead of 3-5 miles. It’s going to take an extra effort on my part to get out there and walk more miles by myself. Audiobooks & podcasts help.
The best thing is the hiking club. They go out every Sunday morning, for 8-12 miles, no matter the weather. We put in 10 miles today in the non-stop rain. There were only 7 of us, but everyone was in good spirits and had a sense of humor about the weather.
Last weekend, the club went out of town for the weekend, and I was able to join them for three consecutive days of hiking. It was so nice to get away and just walk and walk. The club has several members in their 70s and they are in great hiking shape. It’s so encouraging.
On the downside, speaking of injuries, I’ve developed some lower back pain and sciatic nerve pain. I’ve been to the chiropractor and that seemed to help. I’m going to look at our park district and see if they offer yoga classes at a time that will fit in my schedule. Part of it might be my new job which is much more desk time than on my feet walking around time. I’m not sure though.
On my wish list is to get back to a simple strength training program. I know I just need to start. Then slowly build a new routine. It seems yard work and running errands and life is getting in the way of me blocking out the time to just do it. A few years ago, I was doing strength training and got to the point where I could do an unassisted chin-up, which felt like a HUGE accomplishment. I’ve since fallen off the wagon, and that is one thing I want to get back to.
That is a huge accomplishment! Very impressive. I know I’ve set goals for myself in Pilates - thinking at the start of each year, what do I want to master?
I subscribed to a yoga series through No Meat Athlete. There are short sequences which are good for someone like me who usually doesn’t like yoga that much!
Hiking is something I would consider giving a try as an alternative exercise to my usual walk/run/spin weekly routine. Different than just a straight walk.
@sabaray congrats on the weight loss. And congrats to everyone trying to keep a healthy lifestyle. It’s hard work but worth it.
I’m at a point where I’m attempting to reduce my body fat as opposed measuring weight loss or gain. My diet is a zone/paleo diet and has been for many years. Workouts are 5-7 days per week, rigorous and consist of weights (barbells and plates), running, rowing (ERG) and air bike.
My goal right now is working on my “engine,” trying to smartly push through those moments when I just want to quit. Increasing my redline as it were.
Another Mother Runner has a series on hiking the Grand Canyon rim to rim. Last week started with the physical aspect, this week the mental and I’m thinking next week will focus on the training.
https://anothermotherrunner.com/2018/06/04/grand-canyon-rim-to-rim-hiking/
Sushiritto, if one is interested in a crossfit type of workout, what should one look for in a gym? There are a few in my area but they are intimidating to a newbie, I guess. Any buzzwords that help identify beginner friendly gyms?
I just had an invite to do the rim to rim last week - the person said, “I’m doing this in the next 5 years and I think you should do it with me!” - I’ll be honest I don’t even know what it entails! I’ll take a look at your link @sabaray
I don’t know if this is my cup of tea but curious to read about it.
@sabaray First, don’t be intimidated. It’s just people who like to exercise. I can’t speak for every “box,” but most will be VERY welcoming of beginners. They’ll always have a 4-6 session beginner’s course, called an “on ramp” program, where you will learn how properly perform the various movements in CF workouts, for example, a burpee, squat, clean, snatch, etc. Some are easy, from a techinical standpoint, to the more complex, like the snatch. Bottom line: All workouts are scaled for age and level of experience.
I don’t want to bore the folks on the thread, so I’ll be succinct. For me, it’s about two things:
a) culture/environment/fit/community
b) programming (class offerings and open gym time)
Ask for a free workout and talk to the owners/coaches/customers at each location. Some folks come because they want to lose weight, walk up stairs without being winded or rid themselves of Diabetes Type 2. Some come because they want to be Games-winning athletes, so each box has a personality, but they also have a range of customers too. DIscuss your goals and see how they respond.
You sound like someone who wants to learn new things and go beyond the routine. That’s CF. Try one of the “on ramp” courses and see if CF is for you. If you want to increase your strength, aerobic capacity and learn new skills, then I’d say go for it. Routine is the enemy. My workout for today has a new variation of a movement that I’ve never heard of or seen and I’m excited to try it today. We are never too old.
That was helpful - I just checked and both places near me offer a free workout and the beginner’s course you mentioned, which I definitely would need.
Don’t worry about boring folks on the thread! I think this is the nerd thread.
Don’t know if this link is allowed, http://www.stack.com/a/10-things-you-need-to-know-to-burn-more-body-fat?
I very much second the “resistance training/strength training” section and am seeing the results of it myself.
“Your body will use more calories as it grows more muscle, but you can also take into account the energy (calories) you’re expending while you’re working out and the energy your muscles use to repair themselves after you’re done. When you put it all into perspective, you can see why resistance training is so important to burning fat and getting lean! In many cases, you don’t even have to cut calories to see aesthetic benefits from resistance training.
When it comes to your exercise regimen, stick to compound exercises that use large muscle groups over multiple joints to get the most out of your workouts. These include movements like Squat variations, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Push-Ups, Rows, Pull-Ups, etc.
Generally speaking, free weights and bodyweight exercises will burn more calories and build more muscles while also keeping your body more resilient than exercising via machines. …”
They won’t allow you to fully participate in a class, before completing the on ramp program. If you can’t do pushups or pull-ups, squats, etc., then they’ll scale these movements to your beginner level. Also, if you have a physical limitation, a coach will be able to work around that limitation.
Typical classes will be learning and/or reinforcing skills, a strength building exercise and then what is called the WOD (workout of the day) or “met con” (metobolic conditioning), where you will use that strength or skill exercise you learned/used earlier in the session in a WOD.
As @makemesmart mentioned, there are variations of squats, but there are also variations with deadlifts, pullups. pushups, etc. For example, the variation of squat today for my workout that I’ve never seen/done is called a “Zercher squat”, where you squat with a barbell resting on your arms in the elbow crease. Other squat variations are the most commonly used “rear rack” squat (barbell resting on your upper back/shoulders behind your head), but there’s also the front rack squat (weight in front of your face resting on shoulders) and the overhead squat where you’re holding the barbell weight over your head, arms fully extended and squatting. If you stick it out, over time, you’ll learn all the variations, but always with coaches helping you learn the proper way, starting with no weight, called an “air squat.” The variations all work different areas of the body.
The only “machines” in a box are the rower and air bikes. CF doesn’t believe in those typical gym machines where the weights are positoned on a cable and/or supported by a machine. Machines operate up/down in a linear fashion. CF is about using your stabilization muscles, where you’re doing 100% of the work to stabilize your own weight or the added weight of a barbell, dumbbell, medicine ball, etc.
Again, I apologize, I’m getting a little too wordy.
No, this is good - I’m feeling less intimidated having you describe how a class works. I can do push-ups, pull-ups are a no, squats are a yes. I was doing a circuit strength class I really liked but they cancelled it when I was injured, so I’ve been doing TRX instead and some 7 minute workouts I found online plus Pilates.
I usually give anything new a couple of months before I give up completely, so summer is a good time to add something new. Hopefully I won’t be a lost cause!
Lots of people, not just women, start training with assisted pull-up bands. You’ll be doing one, unassisted, before you know it. 
I just joined a new gym/box myself. I was a bit apprehensive too. It’s normal. I decided the old place was too crowded and seemed more of a social club. It’s not that I’m anti-social, but I do take my workouts seriously. There’s a pacing to CF. Each portion of the workout has a designated overall time to completion and each component may have a tempo such as every 2 minutes, 20 minute AMRAP (or as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes). The tempo and pacing is important.
One thing I forgot to mention is that CF is also about measurement. When you finish your workout, you typically will record your time to finish or the weight lifted. It’s not about competition with others, although some do make it about themselves, but it’s about competition with yourself. You’ll likely repeat that same workout in a month or two and then you can see how much you improved (or not). Measurement of performance is part of CF. It’s way of tracking your improvement or lack thereof in my case. =))
Many people come to CF not being able to do a pull-up, that’s not a big deal. But if that’s one of your goals and you commit to the process, then I’m willing to bet, you’ll be able to do a pull-up. You sound in great shape and it’s a progression.
I belong to a CF Masters Program, which is divided by age and gender. Masters in CF is anyone older than 35. Generally, we’re grouped into increments of 5 years. I’ll pick the workout of the oldest group (Male/Female 60+) to illustrate an example of their workout. Their workouts include EVERYTHING that the younger kids do, including pull-ups, overhead squats, etc. Just less weight and less volume.
Here’s a link to submit-by-video open-to-everyone online competition to get into the Crossfit Games. There were 4 workouts over 4 weeks for Masters, but check out some of the videos of the older Masters. Just pick one or two randomly and check out what these older men and/or women can do.
https://games.crossfit.com/review-scores/1a0f00f35a8c8bf39adb/video-review