I have large-ish cup of coffee in the AM as well. And often a smaller 2nd cup after lunch. I wouldn’t want to live in a world without it also.
I’m buddies with a 58-year old woman in the gym, who appears to be following an online bodybuilder type program. The online program must have thousands of participants, because the woman who runs the online program was giving away $5,000/each for various awards, such as “body transformation” (men and women) winners.
The woman who I’m friends with is in great shape, works hard. She showed me her before and now pics and she’s had a big transformation too. After showing me the pics of the winners, I told her she should have submitted her pics. IMO, she might have won.
I’m definitely a light-weight compared to some people here. @sushiritto and @ClassicMom98 may be our “most active/fit” people, and they are definitely way more active than I’ve been.
Always remember though, it’s not a contest - unless you want one with yourself. I think the thing that often buries the will to exercise is not feeling like you’re enough and comparing yourself to others.
That’s my opinion!
Also re: docs and telling patients to lift weights. Here’s my comment. I’ve heard that a bunch of times. NEVER have they given any guidance as to what they mean. Is 3-5 pound weights on a video good enough? What are the expectations to benefit ME health wise??
I wasn’t sure if this was rhetorical. If you are asking, potential benefits include living longer on average, better quality of life when older (more likely to be able to hike mountains, climb stairs, get out of chair, …), higher bone density / less bone fractures, increased metabolism, lower body fat % (not the same as weight loss), look better, better functional strength in daily activities, better blood sugar control, better posture/balance + reduced risk of falls, better mental health + improving stress, better cardiovascular health, better general athletic performance and performance in specific sports, less muscle loss/catabolism when dieting or when injured, and social / community benefits.
Which of these potential benefits you are likely to achieve depends on your training, age/health, and lifestyle. In general doing some arm exercise with 3lb dumbbells is not going to have much impact on potential benefits above. Compound exercises utilizing larger muscles and heavier weights are more likely to have an impact. You might start by considering what you want to achieve, then decide on a training plan to support those goals. You can find many generic plans on the Internet. When I was starting out, I found https://exrx.net/Lists/WorkoutMenu useful, which shows workout splits and exercises, with videos.
My point is, don’t just ask me “do you lift/use weights?” - ask me how I use them and tell me more about how lifting weights would help me or my health and any conditions. No one should just start throwing a bunch of weights above their head. GIVE SPECIFIC GUIDANCE
I scored twice–one with my left foot and one with my right foot.
I was on defense and there was a long-ball over the top that I got to before the on-rushing attacker , I then dribbled at full speed nearly back to mid-field before being to pass it off. It was quite the run and the guy was “that was too much running.”
Doctors probably don’t know a lot about weight lifting themselves…
Talking about such issues would take time that they don’t want/have to spend with patients. The amount of time doctors spend with me during a visit probably ranges closer to 5 minutes vs 10.
There is such a wide variety of types of lifting, it is sort of hard to get into real specifics. and, not only are people different, the amount of weight can vary greatly. Is 5 pounds too light? It depends. I use all my dumbbells between 5-45#. At the gym I can go heavier. And it’s not even dependent on the exercise. “Bicep curls” I can use anywhere between 10-30# dumbbells depending on the type of curl, the number of sets/reps, and where it falls within a certain workout, and how many other sets also use the biceps.
That being said, they should at least be able to tell you super general things like: Try to lift at least 3x week for 20-30 min., the last rep of each set should be pretty difficult, lifting heavy will help strengthen your bones, increasing mobility can help lessen your chance for falls, etc… And if you’re unsure about what to do, find a trainer, videos, etc… though I suppose that would be overwhelming for a lot of newbies unless they were handed some list of places to go, people to see, links, etc.
I would tell my/the patient to at least learn how to squat. And then we’re “off to the land” of better balance and mobility, which are good too.
IMO, everything health-wise begins with the legs. Leg strength is the most reliable indicator (not an absolute, of course) of mortality and physical functionality later in life.
Learn to “air squat.” Add dumbbells (“suitcase” or “waiter” style) for “progressive overload.”
That’ll be $250 please. Or do doctors charge more than that nowadays?
My personal experience has been doctors rarely ask about exercise or recommend exercise, unless it relates to an injury for which I am seeing the doctor. My experience has been that doctors generally lack information about fitness and exercise, unless it relates to activities they do themselves. For example, a doctor who is in to jogging might be quite knowledgeable about jogging, medical conditions/injuries related to jogging, and enthusiastically recommend jogging to patients.
This can lead to issues such as doctors regularly tracking BMI, without considering the difference between muscle % and fat % in what BMI is desirable. For example, in the past I used to carry quite a bit more lean body than I do today. When I was 6’1" and ~200lb this was flagged as being overweight by BMI, even though I had a low body fat %. When I had a physical with this body composition and it became clear that I had high muscle % rather than high body fat %, I was given a “people are not supposed to look this way” speech and told to stop taking steroids ( I wasn’t taking steroids). I found a new PCP after that experience.
The BMR apparently doesn’t change much throughout life, according to some researchers. What changes is our activity level. We might not notice that we are slowing down much, but in fact we all are. Joints become stiffer, we lose flexibility, we are more interested in watching Netflix than running around like a toddler with our arms flailing. Also, as we women go through menopause, we lose our ability to produce estrogen, which regulates fat distribution. So don’t beat yourself up!
My weight distribution has definitely moved around.
I’ve gained a few pounds since I started my CPAP. I’m sleeping better, my husband’s sleeping better, it’s been a positive change.
I have read that the CPAP can change your metabolism since you don’t stop breathing. I really don’t think there’s been any other changes in diet or exercise. Except for that dang getting older.
I think my activity level is about the same as it was last year and the year before. I did exercise more during Covid but now I use that time to play mahjong instead of that second walk. I will increase my activity level once the weather get warmer as it does every year.
I played pickleball for almost 3 hours today. It was fun while playing, but my feet hurt afterwards, from my shoes. I have been trying to decide if a pair of shoes I recently purchased fit OK. After PB I tried them on, and they hurt. Then I tried another pair of shoes on, and they hurt. So, maybe it’s the PB shoes that are the problem… They are about worn out, but I have another pair just like them. Hopefully they won’t be a problem.
Lately, I can’t find much interesting to watch on Netflix. So I’d rather run around with my arms flailing, though my running form isn’t that bad.
I love how some of the 25-year olds just walk into the gym and start their workout/reps, no warm up or mobility work. Ticks me off. I must spend 15-20 minutes warming up, rolling out and using resistance bands to stretch and increase flexibility.
So far I’ve hit my 10k step count each day this week. My dogs have been super happy with a couple of extra outings in their day In addition:
Tuesday, I used my lunch hour for 30 minutes of pickleball followed by 30 minutes of weights.
Yesterday, H and I took a 13 mile bike ride after work (yay for DST!).
Today is cool and wet, so probably no outside walking for me. I will use my lunch hour and do something to get steps (either tread mill or stationary bike) at the fitness center plus a short weights session.
I am known in a crummy weather day when I’m tired of doing fitness videos to put on a 30 minute show and do an inside run-in-place session! Usually will get me around 2.5 miles of activity!
Went for a 21 mile bike ride on a path near our house - the longest so far this year. Did a little bit of road riding, but not much. Last year we were in much better biking shape early, because we did a 2 week bike trip in NZ with big hills and other craziness, plus hiking, etc. while we were there. But I’ve now ridden 4 times this week, so that’s good.
So you actually run in place? My sister used to do “hallway running” when she was a SAHM with 3 little kids and she couldn’t get out. And my Mom has a mile route mapped out around her house that she walks when the weather is bad.
In addition: