Exercise and Fitness!

[DanteGabriel]

Okay, a question for all you knowledgeable people... How much harm am I doing to my fitness/weight loss regimen by smoking weed? I smoke on weekends and one or two nights a week. What does weed do to you? Slow down the metabolism? Reduce testosterone?

[Lucky Pierre]

Does it cause you to eat more or does the lethargy cause you to miss work outs or not work out as hard as you might?

:dunno:

[DanteGabriel]

Does it cause you to eat more or does the lethargy cause you to miss work outs or not work out as hard as you might?

:dunno:

I'm pretty good about stifling my munchies, or at least munching on carrot sticks and other healthful things. It affects my motivation to work out the next day. Ideally weekends are when I'd be doing the most active stuff, but weed definitely saps my will to work out. But I know that. ;) I'm just wondering what the chemical/biological/metabolic effects are.

[Lucky Pierre]

Oh and I just got the results of my cholesterol test and with diet and exercise I was able to drop my total down 101 points. So no medication for me.

[The Wedge]

I'm working my way toward a weeklong 550 mile bike tour in Colorado in June.

A nice goal like that is all the motivation I need to keep in shape. Most of the time the goal is to keep in shape to the point where I can keep up with the local friends of mine who race. I don't have it in me to be that fast, but it sure helps to try hanging on.

[Xray the Enforcer]

Seastarr/GW -- thanks for the tips. I've been lucky in that I am not prone to migraines, and this particular headache is definitely a tension headache. It was just not responding to any normal drugs I could get OTC. So now I'm groggy as hell because of the muscle relaxants, but I also didn't wake up with a headache this morning. :)

I am definitely going to look into the yoga and also on some other low-impact stuff. I already emailed to reschedule my next session with my trainer -- it'd be a waste of his time and mine to attempt anything interesting right now, so I'm going to hold off on that until next week.

[Eponine]

Migraine sufferers, do you happen to grind your teeth? Although I don't get migraines, I had to get a small nightguard for grinding/TMJ, and I noticed that it was considered a migraine preventative. Apparently the grinding can build up head pressure.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

DG,

I'm pretty good about stifling my munchies, or at least munching on carrot sticks and other healthful things. It affects my motivation to work out the next day. Ideally weekends are when I'd be doing the most active stuff, but weed definitely saps my will to work out. But I know that. ;) I'm just wondering what the chemical/biological/metabolic effects are.

I'd love to snack on healther foods. My problem is that most healther food needs to be refrigerated and I don't have a fridge in my office.

[LugaJetboyGirl]

LP - Hell yeah on the cholesteral level.

Wedge - That sounds like something really fun to look forward to. This is what I'm training for, which starts next week. Apparently there is like a 30 minute record for running from the building in the foreground all the way to the top. I'm just hoping to walk up there without dying.

Xray - I was having headaches a few months ago, but I started getting massages that focused on my back, neck and head. It made a huge difference and now I don't get them any more.

I had a good jog this morning. Day 2 of the Pushup Plan did not go as spectacularly as I thought it would, though.

[Stego]

DG,

I'd love to snack on healther foods. My problem is that most healther food needs to be refrigerated and I don't have a fridge in my office.

That's absurd.

-Protein bars

-Protein shakes

-sunflower seeds

-oatmeal packets

-Almost any fruit or vegetable, in a limited quantity.

(And how does a Law office not have a fridge?)

[Whitestripe]

Walking around airports on crutches is like doing hundreds of partial dips. I got an extra little workout right there.

Agreed. My arms looked *fabu* after six weeks in a non-weight bearing cast. After willingly subjecting myself to crutches for six weeks at a time (twice,even!) I never want to be on them again. Never ever.

My problem: I want to shape up my core. I'm pretty slim, but have noticed that two kids in two years has really slowed down my metabolism. For the most part, I eat healthy (I will admit to ice cream on occassion). Basically, I want to be buff, but I've got a severe motivation problem. Not to mention the fact that those little kids plus a full time job leaves me very tired with almost no time for myself. Suggestions?

[DanteGabriel]

I'd love to snack on healther foods. My problem is that most healther food needs to be refrigerated and I don't have a fridge in my office.

I keep peanuts and a bunch of bananas at my desk. In the mini fridge that my team shares, I keep carrots, celery, and hummus.

[ztemhead]

re: lack of refrigeration, what I do is before bed I fill my water bottle about 1/3 full an put it in the freezer. then in the morning pre workout I make a protein shake, but a little thicker than normal to account for the melting ice. this being 2 scoops protein powder, a little yogurt, a little milk, frozen blueberries/ raspberries/ strawberries tossed in a blender and then poured into the 1/3 frozen water bottle. It lasts about three hours at room temperature before getting warm and funky. the above mix is a little heavy on calories, (I use it as post workout supplement for muscle repair after lifting) so adjust to suit, and/ or use in place of a meal. Other danger of it is it's a little heavy on simple carbs and so will only make you feel full for a couple hours. Just a thought anyway. :dunno:

I did the pushup plan test and was able to bang out 35 right off the bat, which I consider to be just fine. I'd love to be able to do 100, but I'm not ready to devote the time necessary, or subtract the time I'm spending doing other stuff. Maybe when I get totally bored with everything else I'll give it a go. Also, to put this... delicately because I know so many people here are into it, the 100 pushup plan seems rather intuitive. Four sets, high reps, increase the number as you get stronger.

today is legs day, woo hoo! Legs day always makes me feel good, despite limping around with soreness afterwards.

[Lucky Pierre]

My quads are starting to complain as I'm just walking around the house...

[Kat]

Kat, how far do you always need to drive to get to all those awesome hiking places? Anyway, California seems like an awesome place, because you have the ocean and the mountains in close distance. :envy:

California is, unfortunately(?), quite a large place. When I was driving to/from Death Valley earlier in the year, it was about a 550 mile/9 hour drive. Driving to middle of nowhere places like that has made me immune to shorter drives. Big Sur is 2.5-3 hours away, but someone else to driving--yay! I am so sick of driving, even in scenic places. There are other places to hike nearby, and I think I'm going to keep most of my other hiking trips within a smaller radius for a while. (Except there's so many cool places I want to go to, and they're all several hours away. :|)

[LugaJetboyGirl]

Also, to put this... delicately because I know so many people here are into it, the 100 pushup plan seems rather intuitive. Four sets, high reps, increase the number as you get stronger.

Well, it's not intuitive for people who don't know anything about exercise, like me. I think it is especially designed for people who can do less than ten push ups on the first go round, since for them (e.g., me) it would not even seem conceivable to EVER be able to do 100.

Also, it's mostly nice to have a little website tell me what to do everyday and to keep me on track, as well as a little fancy log in which to track my progress. For me, motivation is a factor, so whatever I can do to keep myself excited works.

[Eponine]

Also, to put this... delicately because I know so many people here are into it, the 100 pushup plan seems rather intuitive. Four sets, high reps, increase the number as you get stronger.

If you don't have exact daily goals defined, it's really easy to plateau.

[Angalin]

Oh and I just got the results of my cholesterol test and with diet and exercise I was able to drop my total down 101 points. So no medication for me.

Yay! :cheers:

[Stego]

I was curious about the pushup program, as I have not done pushups heavily in years. I got to 120 before a pause, which impressed me a lot. (I suppose the heavy bench pressing helped a lot.)

[seastarr]

Agreed. My arms looked *fabu* after six weeks in a non-weight bearing cast. After willingly subjecting myself to crutches for six weeks at a time (twice,even!) I never want to be on them again. Never ever.

My problem: I want to shape up my core. I'm pretty slim, but have noticed that two kids in two years has really slowed down my metabolism. For the most part, I eat healthy (I will admit to ice cream on occassion). Basically, I want to be buff, but I've got a severe motivation problem. Not to mention the fact that those little kids plus a full time job leaves me very tired with almost no time for myself. Suggestions?

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I suggest Pilates. Having some private lessons would be a good way to start, because you have your trainer there to get you motivated and you have an appointment you have to keep. I know people think Pilates is expensive, but it's completely worth it. Besides, you might get lucky and find a teacher who is willing to do a trade or something. I have been known to trade sessions for African stew, massage, a salmon dinner, paintings, studio cleaning, and all kinds of other stuff. Also, lots of studios have training programs where you can work with a student for heavy discounts and still get the benefits of a private lesson.