2019 Health & Fitness Thread

someidiot said:
Had a rough weekend...
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Well, it`s a long-term thing. Not so much about how it goes from one week to the next but how things go over months/years/decades. If it took [however many years] to put fat on, I`d plan on spending that long taking it off. That`s generally worked out best for people over the long run.

I go to Peloton tomorrow for a trial. I really think I`ll get one.
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I`ll be interested to hear what their program sounds like. I only do two types of stuff like that: I either spike my HeartRate to ~90% of max or I walk. NOTHING in-between, ever other than the RT (and Leg Day sure spikes my HR to the max). I dunno about the "exercise weight off" approach...OK for a quick jumpstart, but overall I don`t think you can out-exercise a crappy diet.

I`d be all about whether you can adjust the seat/etc. so you`re gonna be comfortable. Wouldn`t want you to get the thing and then discover that it messes with your knees or somesuch. Like with my wife, she didn`t realize the AirDyne hurt her until she`d done a lot of workouts on it, nice brief ones too, but they ended up being harmful. Good thing I can make use of it or we`d have wasted our $.

Glad you and your wife had a Date Dinner, I don`t go for people being all "no no I don`t touch anything like that now!" about fixing their diets. IMO, if you *really* want a desert you oughta have one. BUT I also believe that something like fried chicken oughta be an awfully rare indulgence..fried anything for that matter.
 
Accumulator said:
Well, it`s a long-term thing. Not so much about how it goes from one week to the next but how things go over months/years/decades. If it took [however many years] to put fat on, I`d plan on spending that long taking it off. That`s generally worked out best for people over the long run.

I`ll be interested to hear what their program sounds like. I only do two types of stuff like that: I either spike my HeartRate to ~90% of max or I walk. NOTHING in-between, ever other than the RT (and Leg Day sure spikes my HR to the max). I dunno about the "exercise weight off" approach...OK for a quick jumpstart, but overall I don`t think you can out-exercise a crappy diet.

I`d be all about whether you can adjust the seat/etc. so you`re gonna be comfortable. Wouldn`t want you to get the thing and then discover that it messes with your knees or somesuch. Like with my wife, she didn`t realize the AirDyne hurt her until she`d done a lot of workouts on it, nice brief ones too, but they ended up being harmful. Good thing I can make use of it or we`d have wasted our $.

Glad you and your wife had a Date Dinner, I don`t go for people being all "no no I don`t touch anything like that now!" about fixing their diets. IMO, if you *really* want a desert you oughta have one. BUT I also believe that something like fried chicken oughta be an awfully rare indulgence..fried anything for that matter.
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The Peloton was nice. I think it fits my needs and hopefully will keep me motivated. I already have friends who are doing the Peloton at the same time I plan to use it, so having some accountability should really help. It adjusts all sorts of ways and will fit me (6`2) and my wife (5`1) just fine.
 
someidiot- Hey, that`s great!

What kind of info center/read-out does it have?

What kind of programs are you considering? I`m all about efficiency, not gonna waste time at 70-85% of HRmax except when warming up/cooling down. If I can keep something up for more than a few minutes it`s too easy and I might as well just walk (which needs to be done anyhow for arterial flexibility).

Heh heh, the most effective cardio workouts ever studied are also the most efficient; over and done in a few minutes. But those few minutes are absolute agony.
 
someidiot- Ah, OK, sounds good.

I do recommend using a HR monitor, at least until you get a feel for what "real work" is like. The first time I used one I discovered that what I thought was a "good tough workout" wasn`t even close to being genuinely effective (I was in that [crap]-zone of around 80%max). By the time I discovered my *real* max HR I thought I was gonna die..or at least pass out (although I didn`t). Even the target ~90% was infinitely harder than I`d ever expected. For that matter, the ~65% "easy exertion" target for brisk walking (arterial flexibility) was a bit more difficult than I would`ve thought.

[INSERT usual lecture about how the "220 minus age = HRMax" is just feel-good BS for most people]

Although, once I experienced that a few times I no longer felt I needed the HR monitor as I know what "hard enough" feels like now. Good thing since all my monitors seem to get iffy at high levels of exertion. (NO I don`t have a good one like a smart watch).
 
I`m reading this book called The Obesity Code (James Fung) recommended by my physician. It`s really eye-opening for me. It gives a lot of the historical context of dieting and the results of various clinical trials in dieting.

Lowering your daily caloric intake results in a decrease in basal energy expenditure. It also increases hunger hormones. It`s counter-productive. It seems that keeping adequate caloric intake but decreasing insulin levels (by decreased carbs) is key to burning fat and lowering weight.

I`m about halfway done but I think it`s going to change a lot for me. Yeah I`m going "keto" but I`ve also been calorie restricting. It`s not going to work. I won`t exercise enough to lose the weight either. I will have to increase protein and fat and maintain low carbs. Exercise will just be to get me more fit, which I need anyway.
 
someidiot- Glad to hear you`re doing research, and everything in that post seems in agreement with what I believe.

I`d only advocate caloric restriction if somebody`s eating too much (of the right stuff), gotta keep the metabolism fueled. Up your muscle and you`ll up your metabolism, among other benefits.

Although, FWIW, I don`t restrict carbs categorically, just high-glycemic ones. I eat tons of cruciferous veggies and a fair amount of fruit too (despite the fructose).

Note that a recent study (again at Tufts, man they come up with some good stuff!) did cast aspersions on the whole Glycemic Index/Load topic, but IMO it`s still safe to generalize between "good and bad" and try to limit the latter.

In both cases, it wasn`t about limiting the calories, but rather altering what the calories come from.

I really like that you`re not gonna try to "out-exercise a bad diet". That approach often seems linked to the "too long, too easy" type of aerobics that people waste time with until real life interferes with such stuff. Once you get your bodyfat down you can tweak things via exercise quite effectively, but just getting your diets squared away and a perpetually doable exercise regimen under way will do the most good IMO. Build a good foundation for the long haul.
 
Accumulator- Thanks for the info as always.

Your stance on RT on an exercise ball makes total sense to me.

Haven’t gone out in the wild yet searching for a mattress, not really looking forward to it. What we have now counts as “good enough”, so it keeps getting put off. Interesting thought on the towel for lumbar, but I move around too much in the night unless I’m really broken/exhausted. Ironically, sometimes when my back is acting up I actually get “relief” by shifting so that my back makes flat contact with the bed. Once I’m sleeping I end up moving around anyway though.

Your thoughts on CF also make a lot of sense to me. A friend of mine (probably in his early 40’s, not appearing to have been through anything fitness for a while) joined a CrossFit gym and would end up with long recoveries like you referred to. I don’t remember the specifics, but I think he hurt himself during some intense plyometrics thing (May have been fell off a box or similar?).

Your “don’t confuse motion with progress comment reminds me of when I was ~18-20 and would “show off” being able to hang from a bar, tuck my knees to my chest, rotate my body so it’d pass through my arms until I’d be hanging with my arms now behind myself, then retuck and roll back to how I started. I’m sure that did my shoulders no favors... (just because you can, doesn’t mean you should..)

I’d like to find some kind of class to do together with my daughter. She’s already done some a gymnastics class, dance, a sports sampler class and a pile of swim lessons. So far she’s been the source of any of my resistance training; I’ll hold her legs and lift her up so she has to stabilize herself for whatever it is she’s doing. You don’t realize what a difference that makes for her core/coordination until you try it with someone else’s kid... :o You also realize that 37lbs doesn’t sound like much, but at arms length...
 
Oneheadlite- And likewise, I enjoyed reading your post!

Even with the moving around, I`d try the towel. I`m somehow staying on it OK even when I change position, and when it`s not right it`s surprisingly easy to get it back where I want it and doze off again. Eh, might just be me, but when something works so well despite my initial reservations...guess I`m thinking that having something under there providing support will do the "flat contact" without having you in a poor-posture position.

And yeah..watching CFers do their thing just leaves me shaking my head when I`m not shaking in my boots out of concern for their safety. I do wonder how many guys my age can say they`ve stuck with it for decades without experiencing any injuries. Yeah..*any* injuries ;)

Heh heh, I did that exact same maneuver on the bar! Actually, since it never did any damage I figure it was all good. Funny what does/doesn`t cause issues for different people, especially when it comes to shoulders/rotator cuffs.

Oh man, that`s great that your daughter is so active (and that she`s an able swimmer!). And yes indeed, 37lbs. is indeed a Real Weight at arm`s length, especially when it`s something(one) that matters enough that you can`t fail.

FWIW, if we had a daughter (or a son for that matter) Imy wife and I would be all about doing both Yoga (which I don`t currently do :o ) and some kind of MA, at least one that ingrains "how to fall safely." IMO, sixty years from now she`d still reap benefits from either/both. It sounds like you`d be the kind of Dad who`d be a benefit and not a hindrance (to put it nicely) if doing the class along with her, and that`s really great to hear too.
 
So I challenged my (58yo) BFF to try the Down/Up...she just *did it* without any trouble (using the scissoring method). Gee, she`d be the first to say she`s not anywhere near my condition, but that wasn`t anything tough for her despite her one knee still being a bit iffy from her last fall-related injury.
 
I mentioned before that I was started on Lipitor. My lipid profile was drawn on 1/8 and I was started on Lipitor 1/9. I had an insurance physical on 1/15, which included a repeat lipid profile.

Before/after 1 week of Lipitor and cutting out carbs
LDL: 205 / 136
HDL: 31 / 24 (uh oh)
Triglycerides: 367 / 242
Total: 309 / 209

Pretty powerful drug. But I really need to get that HDL up.
 
someidiot- With those numbers I`m glad you`re attending to this. The HDL number is indeed awfully low, what`s the plan there?

I tweak my HDL with Niacin, but opinions vary about whether altering the HDL number that way actually translates into better health (mine`s in the Fine range even without it but I`m still taking it anyhow). My wife used Niacin for a while, got her HDL up (into the lower 80s), and then it *stayed* up after she quit the Niacin over not liking the flushing. Not sure what`s going on there, why it didn`t drop back down, but OK..

Of course I`m a broken record about taking (therapeutic doses of) Fish Oil so [INSERT usual admonition here..]. That could help with the TG among other things.
 
The plan right now is losing weight, exercising, cutting carbs, increasing olive oil intake, fish oil supplements/eating more fish. If this all doesn`t help, I will talk to my doctor about niacin.

The little bit of reading I`ve done suggests that niacin (or other drugs) can increase HDL but this increase doesn`t seem to provide a cardioprotective effect like natural methods of increasing HDL. So I`m hoping with diet, exercise, and supplementation that I can naturally increase it.
 
someidiot- Right on the Niacin-induced tweaks possibly not producing functional results. I might drop it and see what that does to the HDL numbers..

I bet just getting to your proper weight and getting in-shape will do a lot.

Do you have a target dosage for the Fish Oil? I get at least 7.2g/day of EPA + DHA, plus whatever my diet contributes (I figure the ~thrice weekly salmon adds something significant but not my near-daily tuna meals). The squalene in the (extra virgin) Olive Oil oughta mitigate any oxidative issues from that much Fish Oil if you`re not taking vitamin E.

One of my pet peeves is that (IMO) most people, even the subjects in many studies, use little placebo-doses that can`t be expected to do anything significant.
 
I hadn`t thought much about it. The pills I bought are 1050mg in 2 pills. That seems about the same or maybe a little more than in the prescription fish oil pills.

Are you supposed to take in way more?
 
someidiot- Check out the levels of (specifically) EPA and DHA, those are the Omega3s that matter. A "Therapeutic Dose" starts at 5g (EPA + DHA).

The reason so many "Studies" (scare-quotes intentional!) say "it doesn`t work" is because they don`t do the EPA : DHA ratio right and/or don`t use enough for the Therapeutic Dosage. The whole thing gets suspicious IMO; it`s almost like they`re trying to set it up for a "fail"...the studies are so amateurishly awful that I don`t understand how they pass peer-review and get published.

There are tests to determine the right/specific dosage but I never bothered with them. I basically go by the general guidelines in Barry Sears` The OmegaRx Zone.

Yes, I was *VERY* skeptical about Sears` stuff because he`s in the "buy my supplements" business and I made the obvious assumptions and scoffed at my wife`s taking Fish Oil for years. BUT, her Chol/TG numbers sure got a lot better so I read Sears` stuff...when I finally started taking it (and his PoylphenolRx stuff too), *in sufficiently high doses*, my results were literally "change your life"-beneficial. Maybe I`m some outlier/miracle responder, but if it weren`t really *all that* for me I wouldn`t belabor the topic the way I do.

Funny, I can`t seem to get others to take it in the doses I do. Guess they`d rather waste x¢ a day than spend x$ with something to show for it.
 
Got to try out cryotherapy before my workout today. Got 3 sessions as part of an intro deal. Supposed to help with recovery, we’ll see.

Trying to push hard for two more weeks with current stack and training targets. Joints are a hey and I feel lethargic but things are trending the right way. Down 23lbs and 5” on my waist in 10 weeks.
 
Don`t want the following to come across wrong/badly, but some very common/popular things make me wonder.

jrock645- In what way does the Cyrotherapy help with recovery?

I basically just let the recovery take care of itself, wondering what people want to tweak.

I often wonder how externally sourced "Training Targets" work...isn`t it one of those things where nobody can predict/dictate what`ll happen to somebody else? I mean...getting another rep, or adding any weight or...whatever...might take me six days or six months and no program/trainer could predict, let alone change, that (anything to help would need to come from *me*). When I coach my wife, I`m always thinking to myself that there`s only so much somebody else can contribute.
 
jrock645 said:
Joints are a hey and I feel lethargic but things are trending the right way..
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IMO your joints shouldn`t bother you and you shouldn`t feel lethargic. Those negative outcomes aren`t what oughta be happening; exercise should result in *positive* outcomes, exclusively (noting that I conside DOMS to be a positive outcome).
 
Accumulator said:
IMO your joints shouldn`t bother you and you shouldn`t feel lethargic. Those negative outcomes aren`t what oughta be happening; exercise should result in *positive* outcomes, exclusively (noting that I conside DOMS to be a positive outcome).
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Im using supplements that suppress cortisol and estrogen. Tapering the dose back because it’s gone a bit further than desirable. Sore joints and feeling tired are pretty standard side effects of going too low on those potentially destructive yet necessary hormones.

As for training targets, I’ll periodically try to push for 4-6 weeks at a time before going back to standard volume. Doing my usual but adding some additional LISS cardio sessions. It’s not sustainable long term, but the added cardio does accelerate the fat loss for me. Just like with calories, I cycle training volume up and down over time.

As for the cryotherapy, it’s supposed to improve blood flow. The jury may still be out but a lot of athletes are buying into it. I doubt I’ll do it long term- it’s pricy- but I’ve been intrigued by it and the intro deal is 3 sessions for the price of 1 so I figured I’d try it.
 
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