Healthy Living and Exercise thread

[Minaku]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37601433@N04/3461352562/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37601433@N04/3461352838/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37601433@N04/3461352992/

I expect to look exactly the same in August. I don't actually think there's much I could do to change my body shape- I don't put on either muscle or fat easily. I'd like to not lose any weight between now and September (for an October marathon) and I plan to do that by eating a bowl of ice cream every day. So far, so good.

Damn you and your good genes!

Endurance athletes are athletes, period... and they have to push through a pain barrier a lot of the rest of us don't have to. I have the utmost respect for someone who can run 26 miles and change. Doesn't matter who does it. It's not something I could do, nor would I ever want to do (my knees scream just at the thought of pounding the pavement for more than a few miles).

[The White Wolf]

Damn Eponine, I thought I had good core. Keep that up, I've noticed that running while tired has gotten A LOT easier since I started my core workouts.

A couple from Columbus in October

A couple from Illinois in April

Not much has changed except the time (even my clothes are the same, besides the shoes). Although I thing my legs are gradually filling out.

[Eponine]

White Wolf, you look disturbingly happy finishing Columbus.

[BLU-RAY]

Damn Eponine, I thought I had good core. Keep that up, I've noticed that running while tired has gotten A LOT easier since I started my core workouts.

A couple from Columbus in October

A couple from Illinois in April

Not much has changed except the time (even my clothes are the same, besides the shoes). Although I thing my legs are gradually filling out.

Does the beard increase drag? :P

I think I will probably make it back to the gym Wednesday or Thursday; with luck, my lungs will be OK by that point. Christ, but it's been a while.

[The White Wolf]

White Wolf, you look disturbingly happy finishing Columbus.

Yeah, that was the first Marathon I ran intelligently instead of going out too fast. I felt great and all the last two miles I was thinking, "You know, I can do 15 minute miles and STILL PR." I went in trying for a 3:40 and ended up with 3:31 so I was a little ecstatic.

[Angalin]

Glucose > fructose, it seems.

[Stego]

Shocking. :P

I bet cigarettes are bad for us, too!

[Angalin]

It was the bit where the study subjects got 1/4 of their daily calories from sweetened beverages that really got me. :ack: I feel slightly ill just thinking about it.

[Stego]

I'm pretty sure I used to get more than that. :(

[lokisnow]

sleeping right has always been the bane of my existence and the primary thing preventing me from really going to next level, weight/fitness wise. If how tired I'm feeling right now is any indication, this new workout regime is going to break that particular bad habit. I'd have been asleep an hour and half ago except I was watching a movie and had to finish it. now if I can just break that other habit of late night movies...

[Lucky Pierre]

OK... back to the elliptical this morning... I'm going to slowly add cardio back. Today and Thursday. I don't think I'll go back to 3 days of cardio a week.

And surprise! I worked chest and back yesterday with the increased weight and my chest and back are sore today. Not as sore as I was expecting-but they are sore nonetheless...

[TheValyrianDragonlord]

I've been experiencing some slight wrist/hand pain recently. It hurts on right side of my right wrist (just right above the wrist joint, it's kind of on the lower right side of the hand) when I twist my hand in either direction in a corkscrew motion. It doesn't hurt when I touch or even squeeze the affected area. Neither does it hurt my wrist when I make an up and down motion.

It hurts more when I twist in a counterclockwise motion. Clockwise, the pain is only very slight.

Should I see a doctor about this? Take ibuprofen, ice it?

Thanks

edit: i don't workout with any gloves. Should I get gloves

[CiaranAnnrach]

Friend just threw this article at me, it's rather interesting. Thought I'd share it with the rest of the workout group, and get your thoughts on it.

Are Expensive Running Shoes a Waste of Money?

It's basically calling out running shoes, saying that by wearing running shoes you actually increase your chance of injury as opposed to just running barefoot or with thin soled shoes. According to the article, wearing shoes causes the foot to behave in a slightly unnatural fashion, as opposed to when you are running barefoot, and this action is the root cause of several injuries.

[lessthanluke]

I've been experiencing some slight wrist/hand pain recently. It hurts on right side of my right wrist (just right above the wrist joint, it's kind of on the lower right side of the hand) when I twist my hand in either direction in a corkscrew motion. It doesn't hurt when I touch or even squeeze the affected area. Neither does it hurt my wrist when I make an up and down motion.

It hurts more when I twist in a counterclockwise motion. Clockwise, the pain is only very slight.

Should I see a doctor about this? Take ibuprofen, ice it?

Thanks

edit: i don't workout with any gloves. Should I get gloves

No don't get gloves. They won't do anything for your wrist and they only hinder your grip. If you want something to protect your wrist while lifting, get wrist wraps.

[Red Sun]

Friend just threw this article at me, it's rather interesting. Thought I'd share it with the rest of the workout group, and get your thoughts on it.

Are Expensive Running Shoes a Waste of Money?

It's basically calling out running shoes, saying that by wearing running shoes you actually increase your chance of injury as opposed to just running barefoot or with thin soled shoes. According to the article, wearing shoes causes the foot to behave in a slightly unnatural fashion, as opposed to when you are running barefoot, and this action is the root cause of several injuries.

I'm no connaisseur of running shoes, but the most important point about wearing running shoes is that you soften the impact on your joints, especially your knees. Running barefoot is probably better, but you should be used to walk barefoot a lot (if not you will get blisters soon enough), and you shouldn't run on a hard ground.

Most running shoes are too heavy for me, though, and I have a heard time finding a replacement for the shoes I used for the last ten years and which are close to self-destruction.

Yesterday, I was bad and did no exercise, except from using the bike to go from my house to the university and from university to the library and back home (10-15 min each way), because I was a bit exhausted. Later today, I plan to go running/walking for an hour to build up my endurance and do my exercises.

[Lucky Pierre]

Arthritis in my feets means no running for me... That's why the elliptical works for me.

[Stego]

I've found that there is ALWAYS a new article out there on fitness. A new plan. A new diet.

If it seems unreasonable, it probably is.

[Eponine]

Are Expensive Running Shoes a Waste of Money?

It's basically calling out running shoes, saying that by wearing running shoes you actually increase your chance of injury as opposed to just running barefoot or with thin soled shoes. According to the article, wearing shoes causes the foot to behave in a slightly unnatural fashion, as opposed to when you are running barefoot, and this action is the root cause of several injuries.

Heh, minimalism. It's a whole other can of worms that I'm not going to get very deeply into!

A lot of people have had success with it, and obviously there are African runners who have run well while never having good shoes. Of course, once they get some success and are sponsored by a shoe company, they usually wear lightweight trainers made by that company and don't seem to have problems adjusting.

I do dislike how built up the heels are on most running shoes, and I wear the most neutral cushioned types. I think the women's are worse than the men's. I have a pair now that were supposed to be a bit longer lasting, and I do find it harder to get up on my toes. I don't land on my heels anyway though, and were I training for shorter races, I'd have a pair of neutral trainers for easy runs and a pair of thin soled, lightweight flats for workouts. I've run in rubber soled Pumas, which many minimalists swear by, and didn't find them responsive enough. I don't think it's practical for most Americans or people who grew up with shoes to make a complete switch to barefoot. Doing drills and strides barefoot on grass and avoiding shoes with built up heels is what a lot of runners do.

I don't know what the article meant about expensive shoes but I think I disagree. If you're going to be running in shoes, it's better to be running in shoes with some running specific support, not in basketball shoes or $30 shoes from Walmart. Although I'm sure someone somewhere has had success with it, everyone I know who has done so has had knee problems. If they mean that the $80 name brand flats are better than the $150 name brand stability trainers, they should have said that more clearly than just "cheap shoes".

[Greywolf2375]

I've found that there is ALWAYS a new article out there on fitness. A new plan. A new diet.

If it seems unreasonable, it probably is.

yep...it's kinda like how Cosmo each month finds 97 new ways to please your man.

And most of those seem unreasonable too. :)

[CiaranAnnrach]

The article isn't that unreasonable. Definitely not worth a Cosmo simile.

Yeah, I think I agree with you, Eponine. I think it'll be interesting to try some very minimalistic shoes, just to see how they feel and function, but going straight to barefoot from shoes isn't a good idea. When I'm doing martial arts, we're practicing practically barefoot, (wearing thin cloth tabi), so I think that'll make the transition easier. This is, of course, opposed to thick heeled cross trainers.