2019 Health & Fitness Thread

Jaddie- Welcome to the thread :D

Yes indeed, the heat down there in GA can be brutal!

Heh heh, I bet that Life Expectancy Calculator got your attention! Hey, starting at 50 while you`re still doing OK is a lot better than trying to start later after you`ve developed problems.

I`ve never used any kind of Fitness Tracker, but I sure think they`re great for the vast majority of people. It sounds like you need some way to boost your overall activity level to basically ease into the whole "Athletically Active Lifestyle".

And, heh heh...I`d quit using food for anything other than fueling the machine ;) Just losing the "eat for psych reasons" would probably make a huge difference in all sorts of ways, both physical and mental.
 
jrock645- That`s one *VERY* admirable resting heartrate you have there! Heh heh, guess I`d better just shut up about you doing cardio :D I`ll also shut up about the volume/frequency..well, after this one last plea that you be *so* careful to not incur injury or otherwise overtrain yourself. Heh heh, hey..I was doing as much as you when I was your age :o

What about tweaking that "200 calorie surplus"? My threshold is roughly similar- eat a bit too much and I`ll start to lose some definition (when that happens I immediately try to tweak things before the fat-gain is anything significant).

Part of what I find interesting is that your weight varies so much Mine used to go up a few pounds during the Holidays but that hasn`t happened for a while, or at least not so much that I have to give it any thought after those Holidays are over.

The whole Keto procedure would`ve been too much for me even if I could enjoy a diet like that..planning, having the right stuff on-hand, just too involved for me. And I`m not giving up the waffle in my Denny`s bfast anyhow ;)

Thinking how I haven`t had my Body Composition tested since forever (the `90s), I`m curious how you`re gauging yours. Are you having it tested or going by how you look (that`s still what I do) or what you weigh, or how your clothes fit, or...what?
 
Heh heh...if I have everything so figured out, then why am I behind schedule for my "even more Fit at 60"?!? It`s not like I don`t have room for improvement; Clarence Bass was great at 60. But he did a rigorous 11 month Contest Prep cycle for it too.
 
jrock645- That`s one *VERY* admirable resting heartrate you have there! Heh heh, guess I`d better just shut up about you doing cardio :D I`ll also shut up about the volume/frequency..well, after this one last plea that you be *so* careful to not incur injury or otherwise overtrain yourself. Heh heh, hey..I was doing as much as you when I was your age :o

What about tweaking that "200 calorie surplus"? My threshold is roughly similar- eat a bit too much and I`ll start to lose some definition (when that happens I immediately try to tweak things before the fat-gain is anything significant).

Part of what I find interesting is that your weight varies so much Mine used to go up a few pounds during the Holidays but that hasn`t happened for a while, or at least not so much that I have to give it any thought after those Holidays are over.

The whole Keto procedure would`ve been too much for me even if I could enjoy a diet like that..planning, having the right stuff on-hand, just too involved for me. And I`m not giving up the waffle in my Denny`s bfast anyhow ;)

Thinking how I haven`t had my Body Composition tested since forever (the `90s), I`m curious how you`re gauging yours. Are you having it tested or going by how you look (that`s still what I do) or what you weigh, or how your clothes fit, or...what?

Actually had and InBody scan done at a men’s clinic on Monday. My method of guessing based on what I was seeing in the mirror was within 2-3% of where I figured I was, but the scan had me a bit higher. Had a consult and turns out I have low testosterone and the doc prescribed trt. Explains why I feel like I’ve been spinning my wheels a bit. Started trt this week, so looking forward to seeing how that improves things.
 
jrock645- Ah, maybe that`s it! Wouldn`t it be great if the TRT got you better on-track?!? Wouldn`t surprise me in the least, so I`m really optimistic. I trust they`ve read you the "What to Watch Out For" lecture with regard to side-effects.

Heh heh, I bet that most of us (who *are* trying to be realistic) underestimate our bodyfat levels :o But coming within 2-3% is awfully close IMO...at least if you`re not already in the single digits.
 
jrock645- Ah, maybe that`s it! Wouldn`t it be great if the TRT got you better on-track?!? Wouldn`t surprise me in the least, so I`m really optimistic. I trust they`ve read you the "What to Watch Out For" lecture with regard to side-effects.

Heh heh, I bet that most of us (who *are* trying to be realistic) underestimate our bodyfat levels :o But coming within 2-3% is awfully close IMO...at least if you`re not already in the single digits.

Yeah, Im excited about it!

And trt/anabolics are a subject ive done literally hundreds of hours of reading about, because i find it fascinating. Ive been interested in it but wasnt expecting it this soon. Had a good conversation with the doc and he was impressed with my questions and knowledge, and everything i knew checked out with him. Ive read a lot, and talk to a lot of guys on another board on trt, plus follow some really good social media channels that talk really in depth about this stuff. I feel comfortable and really well prepared to deal with it at this point. So, yeah, im definitely excited to see how this changes things.
 
jrock645- Man, that`s great, sounds like you`re all dialed-in on the subject.

I`m guessing that you`re young enough that they weren`t tracking your T levels at your annual physicals; I only had mine done because of all the years of not making progress, trying to figure out what was wrong that I wasn`t turning into Arnold ;)
 
jrock645- Man, that`s great, sounds like you`re all dialed-in on the subject.

I`m guessing that you`re young enough that they weren`t tracking your T levels at your annual physicals; I only had mine done because of all the years of not making progress, trying to figure out what was wrong that I wasn`t turning into Arnold ;)

Yeah they dont check it at physicals. I had it checked 6 months ago and it was identical to the number on monday. Technically in normal range but very low for my age. Im 34 and have the test of a healthy 55 year old, according to their scale.

Im a bit relieved. Nutrition and calorie intake on point and training very solid, getting enough sleep and not doing a whole lot of drinking and felt like i could barely make marginal improvement. Always holding belly fat no matter what. Seemed like it shouldnt be this difficult, but i couldnt figure out what it was. Now at least i know there was a reason, and presumably its being fixed. Will probably take a month to start seeing anything, as thats how long it takes to get to peak blood levels of test.
 
I wonder what a Fitness Tracker considers "Exercise"?

Like...when doing my daily chores, I`ll typically do countless Deep Knee Bends (e.g., picking up sticks and pulling weeds for a few hours, and yeah I do stuff like that pretty much every day) and I jog up/down multi-level flights of stairs countless times throughout the day without even thinking about it.

BUT..most people I know IRL don`t do much like that on a regular basis, let alone all the time. For them, those activities might indeed be exercise.
 
No idea what my apple watch counts as exercise. Onviously, if i tell it im on the elliptical it counts that. But it doesnt count when im lifting. But it seems to count a lot of walking around at work. I dont really pay too much attention anymore. Those things are rarely all that accurate anyway.
 
Yeah they dont check it at physicals. I had it checked 6 months ago and it was identical to the number on monday. Technically in normal range but very low for my age. Im 34 and have the test of a healthy 55 year old, according to their scale...

Heh heh, "healthy 55YO" gets the attention of this 59YO! But I gather that like a lot of things, it`s *expected* for the T levels to drop due solely to age.

On the Annual Bloodwork, I had to give `em a list with things like that, stuff that they wouldn`t normally look at.

Im a bit relieved. Nutrition and calorie intake on point and training very solid, getting enough sleep and not doing a whole lot of drinking and felt like i could barely make marginal improvement...

Yeah, especially with the volume/frequency that you do, having low T could really be handicapping you.

I bet that drinking less and getting better sleep go hand-in-hand. They do for me, I just sleep worse when I`ve been drinking despite never having hangovers/etc. from it..not that I don`t still indulge a couple nights/week. (gee, that reminds me that I haven`t had a beer for nearly two years!)

Always holding belly fat no matter what. Seemed like it shouldnt be this difficult, but i couldnt figure out what it was...

Heh heh, I bet we all think that at one time or another, but at least you have an *answer* to it!

Will probably take a month to start seeing anything, as thats how long it takes to get to peak blood levels of test.

It`ll sure be interesting to see how it goes!
 
jrock645- Ah, that`s interesting about the Apple Watch! Gee, when I`m collapsed on the floor after a set of squats I`d be a bit [ticked] if it didn`t count that as "exercise"!

And I guess I`m not surprised that it`s not all that accurate; I`ve never had a HR monitor that really worked *consistently right* when I was maxing out, finally just quit trying to monitor things and decided to just go by Perceived Exertion.
 
Well, I wore out a Pedal Return Spring on the StairMaster...snapped while I was going full-tilt, which did get my attention. Oughta be a simple DIY fix, and I can get the parts for about half of what the repair place said they`d cost (never mind the service charges).

That`s only the third time it`s needed service in over 30 years, and only one of those required Pro attention...best [darn] wedding present ever :D
 
It`ll soon be time to start a 2020 version of this...just wondering how people`s end-of-year is going.

Since replacing those Pedal Return Springs on the Stair it`s a lot easier than it had been (NOT good news), guess they`d weakened quite a bit. It`s now kinda challenging to get a good demanding workout in without spending more time at it.. I want it to be barely-doable in ~60 second work intervals, and now it`s just *not*. Sigh..the Stair is too easy, the AirDyne is too hard...no Goldilocks Cardio for me :(

I`m now doing some of my Incline Hiking on the Tread at 4.2mph. Gee, a year ago I would`ve said that wasn`t doable, period.

I`m *SO* glad I started augmenting my Resistance Training with the Elastic Bands! For everything except abs (not sure how I`d do it) and delts & hams (opposite strength curves) the progressive resistance has proven incredibly beneficial. The Nautilus Cams/Hammer Strength units never really worked right for me, but adding a very light Elastic Band *does* work for me, just wonderfully. I might try some other styles of `em and see if I can improve things even more...
 
Finishing the year strong here. Was a bit inconsistent for about 3 weeks due to some travel and getting a sinus infection but did tye beat i could and kept it from coming off the rails and kept making some perceivable progress. Overall, weight is hanging steady at 205 but im recompositioning really, really well. A few more weeks of cutting and i should be able to transition into looking for a bit of size.
 
jrock645- Glad to hear it`s going well! Are you still planning to do the T replacement in...when was it...Feb.?

People I know IRL are simply going to [Perdition] in a handbasket fitness-wise :( Plenty of excuses/rationalizations, but the bottom line is still that they`re functionally compromised when they don`t need to be. While I`m basically OK with "eh, not my problem..", it sometimes bugs me to hear "well, now that I`m older.." often from people who are *younger* than I am.

I know some people who ride their bicycles all the time...I gather that distance cycling is often something solidly on the O-C spectrum...people tell me they simply *MUST* do it, and they go nuts when OVERdoing it requires them to stop..even for just a little while. They all have lots of fat, very little muscle too...."how`s that working for ya?" always comes to mind, reminds me of all the joggers I`ve known (none of which still does it, all of which are now out of shape).
 
jrock645- Glad to hear it`s going well! Are you still planning to do the T replacement in...when was it...Feb.?

People I know IRL are simply going to [Perdition] in a handbasket fitness-wise :( Plenty of excuses/rationalizations, but the bottom line is still that they`re functionally compromised when they don`t need to be. While I`m basically OK with "eh, not my problem..", it sometimes bugs me to hear "well, now that I`m older.." often from people who are *younger* than I am.

I know some people who ride their bicycles all the time...I gather that distance cycling is often something solidly on the O-C spectrum...people tell me they simply *MUST* do it, and they go nuts when OVERdoing it requires them to stop..even for just a little while. They all have lots of fat, very little muscle too...."how`s that working for ya?" always comes to mind, reminds me of all the joggers I`ve known (none of which still does it, all of which are now out of shape).

T replacement already started. Im almost 3 months in. I start with the coach in February.
 
T replacement already started. Im almost 3 months in. I start with the coach in February.

THAT`S right :o I realized I got those mixed up about an hour after I posted...suddenly came to me in a "oh [snap].." moment.

Are you discernibly benefiting from the T (yet)? I find that bit *really* interesting since I`m in that "older guy" demographic yet not apparently suffering any downsides yet.

Oh, and I misspoke...the guy who does my wife`s Neuromuscular Therapy does stay in fairly good shape overall, though he still messes himself up doing stuff he always *admits* was irrational. "Why`d you try a max single Dead in the first place?" "Uh, I dunno...just felt I had to do it." "Why?" "I dunno.."
 
THAT`S right :o I realized I got those mixed up about an hour after I posted...suddenly came to me in a "oh [snap].." moment.

Are you discernibly benefiting from the T (yet)? I find that bit *really* interesting since I`m in that "older guy" demographic yet not apparently suffering any downsides yet.

Oh, and I misspoke...the guy who does my wife`s Neuromuscular Therapy does stay in fairly good shape overall, though he still messes himself up doing stuff he always *admits* was irrational. "Why`d you try a max single Dead in the first place?" "Uh, I dunno...just felt I had to do it." "Why?" "I dunno.."


yeah, def losing fat a lot easier than before. I’ve basically been gaining muscle at the same rate as I’ve lost fat. Waist gets smaller, weight doesn’t really change.
 
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