WGOM Fitness

WGOM Fitness: 22 January 2013, Prepping for the Trip

35 Comments

I am heading off to ND tomorrow and I'm prepping for the trip. By that, I'm preparing mentally to get workouts done in a less inviting environment.

Actually, my parents are pretty supportive of my weight loss program, although I have heard them say, "No more!" a few times, starting about when I still weighed 240. They sometimes act like I'm anorexic when I'm still carrying 25% body fat. The fact that I'm now doing strength classes has calmed their fears (apparently, they thought that their 48 year old son was in full Twiggy mode). The problem there is that riding the AirDyne is so uncomfortable for me that I'm going to have to do something else or at least figure out a way to make that more comfortable. (I am not going to go running, and especially, I'm not going to go running in ND in January.)

Eventually, I hope to add some strength training in ND. I've learned through the strength class that a lot can be done through minimal weights and using your own body weight to exercise. Plus, some dumbbells can be easily used to work on biceps, triceps, chest and shoulders, the areas where I want the most improvement. Oh and abs, too. Really, any muscle group above my waist needs the work and I can do that pretty easily on my own. I just have to commit to it.

I don't know about tonight. Time is tight, but I really want to make Tuesday night a workout night.

35 thoughts on “WGOM Fitness: 22 January 2013, Prepping for the Trip”

  1. I have one of these home gym sets. It's got a pull-up bar, push-up things, and an ab-roller. And the pull-up bar doubles as a tricep dip apparatus when it's on the ground. Just make sure your door frame doesn't have very large moulding. I haven't been able to use mine in awhile because my parents' and now my Buffalo place have moulding that's too big and the pull-up bar can't fit in the door frame. Other than that, you can get a pretty well rounded workout with it, especially if you add a small dumbell set.

  2. Went to the gym with my wife and daughter for the first time in more than a year.* 35 minutes on the treadmill (warm-up, interval workout, cool-down) and 15 minutes of stretching...that's it. My legs are a little sore as I haven't run in earnest in more than a year, but it felt good to go and I'm looking forward to another visit.

    *for me - my wife's been going for the past few months: mental health breaks from our toddler.

  3. Dr. Chop and I did some yoga yesterday and it kicked my ass. Tomorrow morning we'll be at it again.

    1. Great. My wife loves yoga and I'd like to add it to my routine (maybe on Tuesdays? The gym has really been pushing yoga this month.) Right after we got married, she took me to a yoga-lates class (half yoga, half pilates) and it almost killed me. I might be able to handle it now. One thing I've noticed in post workout stretching is that my flexibility has really improved.

      1. I've always been a fan of yoga because it uses your own body weight as resistance. Not only am I out of shape, but I also have no flexibility at all. Awesome.

      2. One thing I've noticed in post workout stretching is that my flexibility has really improved.

        That is awesome. Flexibility as we age is really underappreciated. But it is friggin' important. Plus, I'm guessing that the yoga also works the balance a bit, which is also huge.

        A lot of medical expenses (and premature deaths) could be avoided, or at least pushed back for years, if our elderly would just do maintenance work on their balance and flexibility. Now's the time to start.

  4. Dug three post holes through f-ing concrete and hardpan, installed three fence posts. My hands are still shaking and I can barely move my right arm. w00t. on the brighter side, grampaS did not have a heart attack helping (he did more than his share of digging and pounding).

    We started at about 9:30 in the morning and finished at about 5:30 in the evening. Quickcrete my ass.

    Don't get me started bitching about the developers who installed the shared fences in our development. there is just no excuse for cementing in fenceposts around here (these were 4X4 redwood posts, with 3 feet below ground level, and what seemed like 2 feet of concrete on each).

  5. I managed an all-lifting workout over the weekend (last night... barely got it in). It was a pretty pathetic routine (3 sets each of biceps/triceps/pushups/situps) but it totaled me for the rest of the evening. I probably hadn't done a pushup in >year, so it turned into a huge challenge.

    I'm discouraged by how out of shape I am. But I'm encouraged because after last night I feel like I can call lifting alone a real workout, which will make working out at home easier (cardio is nearly impossible during the winter, given our living quarters).

    I'm at 4/7 for my goal, but a run a little later today will make it 5/8, which feels a lot better.

    1. I'm discouraged by how out of shape I am.

      In a week, two weeks, a month, two months, and five months, you can look back at this baseline and marvel at your progress.

      1. I'm considering getting out the camera and taking a picture of the fatness.

        Made it 2 miles on the treadmill today, of which nearly all was actual running. The aerobic seems to be coming back quicker than I anticipated. Of course, I can't do anything intense (like sprints) at all, without dying completely. This will probably be something I look to work on when it gets warmer.

        1. I did take a picture of the fatness. I also have a belt that I wear that had five holes and I was out to the 2nd biggest hole. I've moved in from there the other three holes and six more that I have added. The belt now goes through the second loop on my pants and is headed to the third. It is a daily reminder of the progress. It now needs a seventh added hole. I'd like to trim off a couple more or maybe three more (each hole is an inch).

  6. I only ran a mile this morning. I wasn't all that cold other than my eyes. The problem was wearing the facemask over my nose and mouth. I used it yesterday to walk but I breath too heavy while I run to use it.

    Next time I run in -10, I will wear ski goggles but leave my mouth and nose uncovered. I have really good long underwear, wool hiking socks, and expensive mittens. They really work as long as you are moving.

    2. I try to do the hat plus neck warmer thing that I can pull up and down over my face. I have yet to find a great solution for covering your face in winter.

                  1. I'm with you there. I recently had to pick up some new blades to shave my neck and holy crap! I'm glad I only have to buy them once every 5 years.

                    1. I'm a "once a week' kind of guy fortunately. I don't have the option of growing facial hair, but I also don't have to shave often.

                    2. Price of blades is probably the reason I do what I do. Everyday = no fun. Funny you should say that; I looked at the blades I generally used this morning at the store and couldn't bring myself to make the plunge.

                    3. I'm on Phyllo's end of the distribution. I'm blonde on top to begin with. The beard is increasingly salt-n-pepper and sparse. Unless it's thick, blonde beard just looks crappy.

                    6. I bought a really nice Norelco while enlisted - grooming requirements made daily shaving necessary...especially for the really hairy guys. I figured spending $130 on a tool that won't tear up my face with daily use and will last 10 years would be better than spending $15 every 6-8 weeks on blades. When I got out, I grew out the beard and only shave my neck 1-2 times per week.
                      Sometimes (maybe once per year), I get tired of the beard and shave, only to be horrified by the maintenance effort and face waiting underneath, so I grow it back. Haven't used the Norelco in probably 4 years and only buy new blades about once a year.

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