Getting into shape

[JackofDiamonds]

For spin - wrap a towel around the handlebar and use that as a cushion and a wider grip. You should alleviate a lot of the pressure on your wrist that way.

I 100% recommend buying a set of Fat Gripz (the z shows how extreme they are). You'll have to go down in weight, but the wider grip will decrease the joint strain.

[Gashouse]

Started doing Daily Burn a week or two ago after being a turd all winter. I like it so far. Lots of different programs to choose from.

[IMADreamer]

Why does getting in shape hurt so much? My knee is killing me. I could barely walk yesterday. Also I want to try spin so bad but stupid small town.

[jim]

I spin quite a bit in the winter, the health club I go to is one of those all inclusive deals where all of the classes are included in the price and there are a gazillion classes of you name it going on all of the time:

http://wheatonsportcenter.com/twc/pdf/G ... HEDULE.pdf

In the nice weather months I only spin 1x per week, just because I get sick of it. Winter I'll go 3x per week. I've tried various classes but have settled in on spin and yoga as the classes I take advantage of. They even took a picture of me in one of my yoga classes:

[SHOW]

I LOVE yoga. I can not recommend this enough.

[stlouie_lipp]

I'm sitting here with an icepack on my wrist, a weird injury that at once I thought was carpal tunnel and finally realized yesterday is being caused/aggravated by bench press. I suspected that was the culprit, but yesterday made it clear. Wrist felt ok, did some bench for the first time in 2 weeks - nothing over the top just some sets with 185. Felt fine, last night at dinner I noticed it a bit, and before I went to bed I was in pain with certain movements. Now it's ice and wrist braces. What is weird is some things I can do that are fine - barbell work on an incline, pushups with fists (not palm down) etc..

I think bench press messed up my shoulder several years ago(playing baseball made it worse, but it started there). I turned 51 yesterday, and the sad fact is that things I used to be able to do I just can't. I'm in good shape right now, but I really wonder some day if I'll just be so broken down that I won't be able to do what I need to do to stay in this kind of shape.

Good luck lombard

I just read something in Men's health about this. They recommended using dumbbells.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

I drank 6 beers watching the game last night, which is alot for me. I woke up this morning and wasn't hung over, but could feel it a little bit. Went out for a run, have only ran outside one time the entire year, and it is actually warm enough to sweat. The combination of all of that I guess, about 1/2 way into a pretty short run (3 miles) all I could think about was the chocolate cake still left at the house. I bonked on the way back, and by the time I got home I felt like my blood sugar was really low. The second I got in the house, I cut a giant hunk of cake, poured a big glass of milk, and wolfed it down.

I'm not sure what benefit I got out of the run today.

Your liver constantly produces glucose or sugar or whatever it is called, and your body uses that. If you drink enough, your liver quits producing sugar as it focuses on removing alcohol from the blood. For whatever reason, I've always found this happens the next day instead of during the middle of the night which is odd but happens nearly every single time.

Sweating seemingly takes more energy and/or sugar as well.....No clue why.

[Gashouse]

I've definitely reached the age where I can't be a total turd for months at a time and then get back into shape. I've been easing in more than I ever have in the past, and I'm astonished at how sore I am. I'm not quite 40, so I suppose this is a good time to make this be a habit for some long term health benefits.

[IMADreamer]

Here's my situation, not that you care. I promised Nic before she passed away I'd take better care of myself. I'm pretty hard on my body. I sleep about four hours a night. My diet consists of BBQ and things in a can or box. When I was younger I worked out all the time. At one point I really was a force to reckon with. Now most of that force has turned to goo.

Last year I lost 30 lbs. Not that anyone could notice because I'm a total fat ass. Looking back I think 30lbs is pretty pathetic and I should be able to do twice that this year if not more. I'm doing better in the eating area with the exception of BBQ, but after a day at the farm my legs, particularly knees just kill me. Which means I'm not heading out for a jog. However I have new incentive to get back into shape. I can not keep up with Michelle Obama who is just a ball of energy. That's good for me though it gets me moving. While Nic worked out and was in great shape our time together was largely spent hanging out reading, watching movies, etc. Michelle Obama wants to hike, bike, jog, whatever. Much more outdoorsy and I just can't do it.

Anyway, I want to be more active in this thread this year. I really want to fulfill my promise to Nic. I have done everything she wanted me to do except take better care of myself and settle down and have a family. One, probably leads to the other.

[jim]

I drank 6 beers watching the game last night, which is alot for me. I woke up this morning and wasn't hung over, but could feel it a little bit. Went out for a run, have only ran outside one time the entire year, and it is actually warm enough to sweat. The combination of all of that I guess, about 1/2 way into a pretty short run (3 miles) all I could think about was the chocolate cake still left at the house. I bonked on the way back, and by the time I got home I felt like my blood sugar was really low. The second I got in the house, I cut a giant hunk of cake, poured a big glass of milk, and wolfed it down.

I'm not sure what benefit I got out of the run today.

Your liver constantly produces glucose or sugar or whatever it is called, and your body uses that. If you drink enough, your liver quits producing sugar as it focuses on removing alcohol from the blood. For whatever reason, I've always found this happens the next day instead of during the middle of the night which is odd but happens nearly every single time.

Sweating seemingly takes more energy and/or sugar as well.....No clue why.

Well I can tell you chocolate cake fixed it.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Dude, I don't know what to tell you. I can't imagine how hard it must be to deal with what I presume to be guilt along with the physical limitations.

But, it starts with diet. And, at the same time increased physical activity. You watch those shows on TV about weight loss, and from my point of view, they're really stupid. It's like the forest gets lost for the trees. People are so worried about a pound or two they're missing the point that what they're doing needs to be a lifestyle change. And, no, not a single person on those shows is going to be able to have a personal trainer pushing them 24/7 365. Anyway, I digress.

Back to diet and increased physical activity. If you can get to a point where Calories In<Calories Out, you're on the right path. I think that's a tough thing for anybody that isn't used to it. People usually gain weight from the time they're born until their teeth fall out. As you start losing weight, according to MRs. AW - I don't know - the fat cells shrinking can actually decrease hunger and your stomach can shrink making you less hungry. But, this takes time. And, it's super hard to increase physical exercise while decreasing food intake because [expletive] working out makes you hungry.

Going forward, I am not the best person to help as I'm not a kinesiologist, doctor, trainer or anything, but doing the long slow distance training always seemed like it would be a great first step. For 2-3 hours or so, ride a bike, swim, do weight training at a lightweight increased pace, climb stairs, hike, etc etc etc. Then increase the time as you get better at it.

Then, start getting into higher intensity cardio when your body can handle it.

Anyway, if you're serious, there are probably qualified people to help. And, I'm sorry I can't offer more help. But, I do hope you look into it more and take care of yourself. In the grand scheme of things, your body is your biggest asset.