Health and Fitness Thread

[vonn]

Went and got the results of my blood work yesterday at the VA ,good numbers but need to work on the blood sugar. My numbers are at the top of the OK range so I need a little more dedication and will power. Every thing else looking real good so just have to keep at it.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by vonn

Went and got the results of my blood work yesterday at the VA ,good numbers but need to work on the blood sugar. My numbers are at the top of the OK range so I need a little more dedication and will power. Every thing else looking real good so just have to keep at it.

Good to hear, thanks for the update.
I know it can be kinda tough to get a diet back together.
During the warmer part of the year, we've just been more concerned with mindful eating and not counting calories. The hiking and biking take care of any extra calories.
When it gets too cold to play outside, we're gonna havta get back to calorie counting, going to the Y 3 times a week instead of 2 and using our stationary bike and treadmill more at home. Don't want to gain back any of the fat we worked so hard to get rid of.

[snubbyfan]

Speaking of hiking and biking.
Yesterday, when my wife came home, we strapped on our boots and went for a quick 4.5 mile hike.
I cooked a coupla pork chops for supper and my wife fixed brussels sprouts in a butter garlic sauce.

Today was a beautiful warm sunny day and we got the bikes out. We rode the C&O Canal Towpath for a total of 21.8 miles.

Frankenbike was making an occasional clunking sound from the area of the bottom bracket/crankset.
Unacceptable!
Can't have frankenbike making any improper sounds. So I put him up on the bike stand, pulled the crank and removed the bottom bracket from the bottom bracket shell. Cleaned, oiled the threads and put it all back together. We'll find out on the next ride if that took care of it.
I'm so amazingly blessed to have a wife that'll let me turn our living room
into a bike repair shop:

[vonn]

When I was younger kept a BSA in my living room an entire winter. Got a few comments on my unusual decor. Built a couple of small block Chevy engines in the house when I didn't have a good clean room in my garage!

[snubbyfan]

Wonderful day today.
We went for a nice hike in the mountains for 7.31 miles. The temps topped out at 100 degrees and lotsa humidity.
That's the way I like it.
When we got home, I fired up a La Gloria Cubana Natural Toro cigar, opened a beer and fired up the grill.
We had a coupla chicken breasts marinading in the fridge in a white wine garlic and herb marinade for 3 days for the grill.
A friend stopped by and delayed the chicken a bit but it still came out juicy and yummy.

Tomorrow it's off to the Y.

[snubbyfan]

Really pushed it a spin class today. Overdid the workout a bit too.
I think we'll make tomorrow a rest day.
Finally started fixing the bathroom floor.
I'm thinking of grilling a coupla steaks for supper tomorrow.

[snubbyfan]

Beautiful day today, Spent some time in the backyard enjoying the sun, a beer and a cigar.


Fired up the grill and cooked a coupla steaks, they came out juicy, yummy and melt in your mouth tender.


Tomorrow, either a bike ride or a hike in the mountains. Not sure which just yet.

[snubbyfan]

The weather report said, 90's sunny and muggy today. That's hiking weather.
So we strapped on our boots and headed for the mountains.
Temps got up to 96 degrees. It wasn't as humid as I'd like and there was a light breeze.
We ended up going 7.83 miles.
Looks like the last sunny hot day for a while. Temps are supposed to drop down into the 70's starting tomorrow. The bikes'll get a good workout.
Speaking of a good workout, it's off to the Y tomorrow.

[snubbyfan]

Spin class was really fun today. Felt really good in the workout room too.

I'm thinking of getting Frankenbike out tomorrow and seeing if I took care of that occasional clunking sound in the bottom bracket/crankset area.

I'm kinda bummed because it looks like we won't be able to go back to the Y for a week.
Sometimes life interferes with the fun stuff.

[vonn]

The flood here has been getting in the way but hopefully about got it whipped. Will be getting in some cross country hiking as deer season opens Sat. for bow hunting!

[snubbyfan]

I'm feeling lazy today. That's okay though, I've got some design work to do.
I'll be scribblin' and erasing for a while.

We've been invited to a Birthday party at a local resort. There's a workout room, hot tubs, indoor pool, sauna and water aerobics twice.
Our day fees are gonna be paid for and all we gotta do is show up.

The Birthday boy smokes Native Cigarettes, so I'm gonna give him a Zippo style butane lighter for lighting his smokes.

We're planning on getting there nice and early. Water aerobics are at 11am and 3pm. Supper's at 6:30, the cake cutting's at the Birthday Party at 9pm and we'll probably be there 'til the wee hours of the morning.

[snubbyfan]

We got back shortly after midnight.
Had lotsa fun. The birthday boy likes his new lighter.

I've got some sore muscles today.
Got a pretty good workout doin' water aerobics twice and lifting in the workout room. The hot tub was at a good temperature but the sauna struggled to get close to 120 degrees.

I did kinda overeat and the 3 Rolling Rock beers weren't lite beers. Of course I had to have a big piece of Birthday cake with ice cream.

Today we're planning on a rest and recovery day.
I've got more scribblin' and erasing to do.

Whether or not our next Y day's on Tuesday or Thursday's still up in the air.

[CBus660R]

Howdy howdy. Been laying low for a few weeks. A 4 day weekend on the dirtbike the week before Labor Day followed up by a 3 day weekend the week after left me a bit sore. Jumped back into my routine today including a trip to my local mountain bike trails. According to Strava, I was only 1 minute slower than my best for the year over the 8 mile loop, so I took the right amount of time off for a little recovery without losing too much.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by CBus660R

Howdy howdy. Been laying low for a few weeks. A 4 day weekend on the dirtbike the week before Labor Day followed up by a 3 day weekend the week after left me a bit sore. Jumped back into my routine today including a trip to my local mountain bike trails. According to Strava, I was only 1 minute slower than my best for the year over the 8 mile loop, so I took the right amount of time off for a little recovery without losing too much.

I time myself hiking up a local mountain ridge.
Before my motor nerve condition, my fastest time to the top of the ridge in 18 minutes.
My best post gimpy time so far's 20 minutes.
Not too bad as far as I'm concerned.

[snubbyfan]

We made it to the Y today.
I was very tempted to really push it. We haven't been back since last Thursday.
Instead I managed to take it kinda easy.
We're going back on Thursday and I'll push it a bit further then.

[susieqz]

i guess it's fine, timing yourselves, if that's fun for you. but that means you don't get to stop n look around.
you are missing critters n stuff you might otherwise see.
i guess i'm more of a leisurely stroll kinda person.
seeing a new animal or bird makes my day.
fitness isn't everything.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by susieqz

i guess it's fine, timing yourselves, if that's fun for you. but that means you don't get to stop n look around.
you are missing critters n stuff you might otherwise see.
i guess i'm more of a leisurely stroll kinda person.
seeing a new animal or bird makes my day.
fitness isn't everything.

I don't time myself every time. Just occasionally as a fitness check.
A leisurely hike or bike ride is a really nice way to enjoy the great outdoors. Especially at this time of year with the trees turning all kinds of brilliant colors.

[CBus660R]

Originally Posted by susieqz

i guess it's fine, timing yourselves, if that's fun for you. but that means you don't get to stop n look around.
you are missing critters n stuff you might otherwise see.
i guess i'm more of a leisurely stroll kinda person.
seeing a new animal or bird makes my day.
fitness isn't everything.

I do have my leisure moments. I love a nice hike with plenty of stops to "smell the roses" so to speak. But day in and day out, I do push myself. My fitness is for my dirtbike racing. Even though I'm just an amateur doing it as a hobby, I still have that competitive side that want's to do as well as I can and when I'm in shape, I can still push in the 3rd and 4th hour.

[snubbyfan]

Although it was a warm sunny day today, we decided to take a day off anyway.
Fired up the grill and a Monte Cristo Texas Edition cigar. The cigar was kinda disappointing. I figured that if they're gonna call it a "Texas Edition" it'd have a big bold flavor profile. Instead it was very mild and weak.
I threw a bunch of maple chunks on the coals and cooked some chicken.
The chicken came out juicy and yummy.
My wife cut 'em up and put them in a salad with some lite Cesar dressing.
Yummy!

[snubbyfan]

My wife has come up with another diet plan. It's called "intermittent fasting."
Basically, you don't eat from 14-20 hours a day and when you do eat in the 4-10 hour window, you eat a well balanced diet keeping to a caloric deficit or a manitenance diet.
This is one I can actually get behind.
We're doing the 14 hour fast. That means we stop eating at 8pm and have breakfast after 10am.
It's supposed to trigger your body to burn more fat and stimulate the release of growth hormone.
Supposedly that means a person's body'll lose fat and gain muscle.
I can get behind it because it's pretty much what I've been doing all along without giving it a name.

[oneounceload]

Keep your house as cold as you can stand it - your body burns more fat that way, especially while you sleep

[snubbyfan]

Tomorrow's a Y day. I'm intending to push myself pretty hard.

[CBus660R]

Originally Posted by snubbyfan

My wife has come up with another diet plan. It's called "intermittent fasting."
Basically, you don't eat from 14-20 hours a day and when you do eat in the 4-10 hour window, you eat a well balanced diet keeping to a caloric deficit or a manitenance diet.
This is one I can actually get behind.
We're doing the 14 hour fast. That means we stop eating at 8pm and have breakfast after 10am.
It's supposed to trigger your body to burn more fat and stimulate the release of growth hormone.
Supposedly that means a person's body'll lose fat and gain muscle.
I can get behind it because it's pretty much what I've been doing all along without giving it a name.

I've been doing that, but not long enough to determine if it works for me. A friend of mine swears by it.

[oneounceload]

When I was growing up in the 50s and 60s, my old Scottish grandmother always said that you are supposed to eat like a King at breakfast, a Prince at lunch and a Pauper at dinner. Here in the US, we seem to do it in reverse with a lot of heavy foods filled with salts and sugars in the latter part of the day.

Except for some water, you should not be eating with 3 hours of going to bed - those little midnight snacks can really add on the weight over time (as does drinking the wine than made you hungry to go get the snack! )

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by CBus660R

I've been doing that, but not long enough to determine if it works for me. A friend of mine swears by it.

We started less than a week ago.
Time will tell.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by oneounceload

When I was growing up in the 50s and 60s, my old Scottish grandmother always said that you are supposed to eat like a King at breakfast, a Prince at lunch and a Pauper at dinner. Here in the US, we seem to do it in reverse with a lot of heavy foods filled with salts and sugars in the latter part of the day.

Except for some water, you should not be eating with 3 hours of going to bed - those little midnight snacks can really add on the weight over time (as does drinking the wine than made you hungry to go get the snack! )

Yup, I figure that if nothing else, it'll stop the late night snacking.

[snubbyfan]

Went to the Y today and really pushed it in spin class.
Beat myself up pretty bad in the workout room too. I'm pretty sure I'll be feeling this tomorrow.

We have an appointment with a veterinary surgeon in Lavale MD. next Monday. While we were at the Vets. office in Alexandria last Monday, she found a polyp in little Sandy's right ear that needs to be removed.

If she's doing okay afterwards, we'll go to the Y on Tuesday.

[snubbyfan]

Went for a hike while my wife was at work today. Figured I'd see if I can still make it to the top of the ridge in 20 minutes.
Made it in 20:12.
I intended to take a casual hike with my wife when she came home.
Well, she had another thing in mind. She wanted to see how fast she could make it to the top of the ridge. Her time was 24:25 which is 3 seconds faster than here former best.

[johngalt]

I've been trying to get as much biking in as I can before the weather turns too cold. Bought a new bike a couple months ago (Specialized Roubaix) with compact gearing. It is different gearing than my old bike, at first I hated it - felt like I was dragging a boat anchor everyplace. I'm finally getting used to the new gears! I think I must have been trying to push bigger gears than I was used to.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by johngalt

I've been trying to get as much biking in as I can before the weather turns too cold. Bought a new bike a couple months ago (Specialized Roubaix) with compact gearing. It is different gearing than my old bike, at first I hated it - felt like I was dragging a boat anchor everyplace. I'm finally getting used to the new gears! I think I must have been trying to push bigger gears than I was used to.

I built Frankenbike back in the 90's. Since I don't ride him like I used to, that is jumping flights of steps, falling off mountains and getting what we usta call "scary air." I was thinking of putting him on a diet.
Lighter wheel set and fork but I kinda like him the way he is.
Yeah he's an overbuilt beast but I like him.

[snubbyfan]

Sunny warm day today and my wife and I decided to play tourist.
We headed out to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia for the annual Apple Butter Festival.
On our way there we stopped at a few yard sales. You never know, you might find something you can't possibly live without
We had to park 'bout a mile or so away from the festival but that's okay. It's a sunny warm day and we don't mind walking.
The place was packed and we had our standard tourist breakfast. I had a hotdog and my wife had a donut with chocolate topping. We shared a Diet Coke.
To me the highlight of the festival was finding a booth where they sold hand rolled cigars. I got a couple and they're now resting in my humidor. I'll leave 'em there for a week or so then put one in my dry box for a coupla days and light it up.
After we left there we stopped at Cacapon State Resort Park, also in West Virginia. We did some sight seein', checking out the lodge, lake, paddle boats, the horse stables, golf course and anything else we could find there.
We then headed out to a trail head called "Ziller Trail". According to their trail map it's a strenuous trail and we wanted to check it out.
We only hiked a bit over a mile in before turning around. There were a lot of uphills but nothing more severe than we've found on our local trails. We figured that after all the hiking yesterday and all the walking we did today, we were just worn out.
I had my Garmin watch with me and the elevation where we turned around was just short of 1800 feet above sea level.
I checked online and found that our usual trail tops out at 761 feet above sea level. Would about 1000 feet of elevation make that much of a difference?
Anyway, we're planning to come back just for the trail one day and see how it goes.
Tomorrow, we're planning on a day of rest. It's supposed to be rainy and there's some stuff we gotta get done at home.

[snubbyfan]

Today started out rainy but the rain stopped long enough for me to fire up the grill and a Sons of Anarchy by Black Crown cigar.
I threw some hickory chunks on the coals and grilled a coupla butterflied pork chops.
Kept the temp low and the smoke high.
They came out juicy and delicious.

I'm looking forward to Tuesday. That's the next Y day.

Tomorrow it's off to the veterinary surgeon to get our little cat Sandy's ear looked at and to set an appointment to get a polyp removed.

[vonn]

Made a trip to my hunting lease Friday toSunday,long drive and lots of work outside in the heat. The Hill country has had a lot of rain and looks very green and I have never seen a heavier acorn crop. The deer will be in good shape when rifle season starts next month ! One of my hunting buddies grabbed at a falling bow and cut his finger on the broadhead of an arrow that required a hand surgeon to fix the tendon and artery that got cut. all night emergency run over to closest small hospital 30 plus miles away and then he was sent by ambulance to Austin another 100 + miles. Long story short we need a better equipped first aid kit and need to study up on where to get medical care in emergencies of all types.

[kwselke]

I needed a few things at the grocery store this morning, so I walked. It's a 3.5 mile round trip. They were out of the brand of tortillas I like, so I went to their bakery area to get a package of in store made tortillas. It was shortly after 7:00 AM and they had just stocked their donut bar. Walking that distance burns over 400 calories. Out of concern of running out of energy on the walk home I decided to purchase a glazed croissant donut. It was clearly marked as only containing 250 calories compared to 270 for a regular glazed round fried donut. It was good.

[vonn]

Thanks for the info kwselke that is handy to know.

[snubbyfan]

My wife and I dropped our cat Sandy off at the vet's a little bit before 10am then we headed on out to the YMCA for a good workout, spin class and some time in the warm pool and sauna.
Even though I felt strong and increased my workout weight on a few exercises, both my wife and I were kinda distracted thinkin' 'bout our little cuddle cat.
It was 4 days since our last visit to the Y so I didn't push it too hard.
We're going back on Thursday and I'm intending to push it a bit harder.

During spin class, at around 12:50 pm our cell phone rang.
They said, "She's just out of surgery, she's waking up, pick her up anytime after 2:30."

We spent some time in the warm pool and sauna, got a shower and picked her up at around 2:45.

The vet. said no food and she can lick some ice cubes if she's thirsty.

When we got her home, our other two cats greeted her in turn.

She's napping at my feet right now, under my little foot stool.


She looks like she's feeling kinda rough, I'm hoping she perks up a bit tomorrow. That's also when the oral antibiotics start.

[susieqz]

i guess i missed something
why was sandy under the knife?
she looks like drifter.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by susieqz

i guess i missed something
why was sandy under the knife?
she looks like drifter.

It's a bit of a story, I'll just post the link.

Our Little Cat Sandy Goes In For Surgery Tomorrow, Update Post #26

[susieqz]

thanks. polyp is good, if that's what it is.

[1950jcb]

The streak is alive and stands at 210 days straight. Rode through some nasty wind and a rain squall today to crash through the 8000 mile mark--total for this year stands at 8018--hope I can add more to that, but don't think I'll double last year's mark of 4865. I fear Fall is upon us.

[Tom S.]

Been a while since I posted in this thread. After my wife died in 2015, I ballooned out gaining over 50 pounds, the last ten coming after being sidelined from foot surgery. Even though I work out almost daily, it wasn't enough to keep up with the calories. Towards the end of July, I started dieting, and have shed 31 of those gained pounds. The older we get, the harder it is to lose weight because we typically aren't as active as we were when younger, especially if we are now retired. I work out at a local Planet Fitness. They typically run a special for $99 for a year, which is hard to beat. I find that I'm more likely to work out if I have to pay for it - probably the scrooge in me. I average going 6 times a week and many of the staff know me by name.

One anecdotal note: I've been going to Planet Fitness for several years and get a kick out of the time period from mid December to early March. That's what I refer to as "Rezzie Season". All these people joining to meet their New Year's resolutions, and by March pretty much all of them are gone. It makes parking more difficult and occasionally you have to wait for a specific machine to become available. I always wondered how many of them continue to pay their monthly fee thinking they will return someday. Probably what keeps the place open, because sometimes in the summer, I can walk in and there won't be 10 people in the place.

[BigCityChief]

Been away for a while - crazy busy with work! Still holding at 180 lbs. and walking 70+ miles every week. You guys are awesome - this is one of my favorite threads across the gun forums I visit. Keep up the great work.

kw, I've got a couple of trade shows coming up soon and will be soliciting your advice on local brews.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by 1950jcb

The streak is alive and stands at 210 days straight. Rode through some nasty wind and a rain squall today to crash through the 8000 mile mark--total for this year stands at 8018--hope I can add more to that, but don't think I'll double last year's mark of 4865. I fear Fall is upon us.

For us Fall's bike weather. Summertime's hiking weather.
October 21st's supposed to be the best time to view Fall foliage in West Virginia and I'm planning on making a "Fall Foliage Bike Ride" video.

[Backlighting]

Originally Posted by BigCityChief

Been away for a while - crazy busy with work! Still holding at 180 lbs. and walking 70+ miles every week. You guys are awesome - this is one of my favorite threads across the gun forums I visit. Keep up the great work.

kw, I've got a couple of trade shows coming up soon and will be soliciting your advice on local brews.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you can stay away from sugar & carbs you'll see more weight reduction. Try it for 2 weeks. Eat only meat, fish, eggs & vegetables. I did it for 2 months a couple of yrs. ago and dropped 2 belt sizes. Still the same but I now have 1 cheat day per week...whereby I eat anything I want.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by Tom S.

Been a while since I posted in this thread. After my wife died in 2015, I ballooned out gaining over 50 pounds, the last ten coming after being sidelined from foot surgery. Even though I work out almost daily, it wasn't enough to keep up with the calories. Towards the end of July, I started dieting, and have shed 31 of those gained pounds. The older we get, the harder it is to lose weight because we typically aren't as active as we were when younger, especially if we are now retired. I work out at a local Planet Fitness. They typically run a special for $99 for a year, which is hard to beat. I find that I'm more likely to work out if I have to pay for it - probably the scrooge in me. I average going 6 times a week and many of the staff know me by name.

One anecdotal note: I've been going to Planet Fitness for several years and get a kick out of the time period from mid December to early March. That's what I refer to as "Rezzie Season". All these people joining to meet their New Year's resolutions, and by March pretty much all of them are gone. It makes parking more difficult and occasionally you have to wait for a specific machine to become available. I always wondered how many of them continue to pay their monthly fee thinking they will return someday. Probably what keeps the place open, because sometimes in the summer, I can walk in and there won't be 10 people in the place.

When my degenerative peripheral motor nerve condition started, I ended up gaining 60 pounds. I was always very active and when walking got difficult my activity level decreased dramatically.
It's taken me years, including relearning to walk, but I got the weight back off plus some. I'm about 75 pounds down. Now it's more what the weight's composed of.

We have the same thing at the YMCA. A sudden influx of people in January that lasts just a week or two.
It's too bad, the ones who join know they need to do something to improve their health but then they just slide back into their old habits.
Some hang in there though.

[BigCityChief]

Originally Posted by Backlighting

If you can stay away from sugar & carbs you'll see more weight reduction. Try it for 2 weeks. Eat only meat, fish, eggs & vegetables. I did it for 2 months a couple of yrs. ago and dropped 2 belt sizes. Still the same but I now have 1 cheat day per week...whereby I eat anything I want.

10-4 - Don't want to go much below 175. My BMI is where I want it to be but I would like to pick up my protein intake. Thanks again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[snubbyfan]

Had a really good day at the Y today. Spin class was a lot of fun and I was soaked with sweat by the time I was done. It's been humid and rainy out here the past coupla days.
In the workout room I double checked my weights on a coupla exercises. I seemed to remember the same amount of weight feeling a bit heavier last time.
I guess somebody musta reduced the gravity in those areas.
I pushed myself a bit harder today. The next Y day's Monday. I'll have 3 days to heal before doing it all over again.
Gonna rest tomorrow and get some leatherwork done.
Saturday, we're planning on getting the bikes out and Sunday looks like a good hiking/grilling/beer drinking/cigar smoking day.

[Tom S.]

Originally Posted by snubbyfan

When my degenerative peripheral motor nerve condition started, I ended up gaining 60 pounds. I was always very active and when walking got difficult my activity level decreased dramatically.
It's taken me years, including relearning to walk, but I got the weight back off plus some. I'm about 75 pounds down. Now it's more what the weight's composed of.

We have the same thing at the YMCA. A sudden influx of people in January that lasts just a week or two.
It's too bad, the ones who join know they need to do something to improve their health but then they just slide back into their old habits.
Some hang in there though.

The ones that truly make me sad are the people who are morbidly obese. Each time I see one join, I say a little prayer hoping they will stick with it, but it never happens. I have a friend who is morbidly obese and I've tried almost to the point of nagging to encourage him to lose weight, but he flat out refuses so I let it go. It's a shame because he can hardly walk or do any of the things he used to enjoy doing like hunting and shooting.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by Tom S.

The ones that truly make me sad are the people who are morbidly obese. Each time I see one join, I say a little prayer hoping they will stick with it, but it never happens. I have a friend who is morbidly obese and I've tried almost to the point of nagging to encourage him to lose weight, but he flat out refuses so I let it go. It's a shame because he can hardly walk or do any of the things he used to enjoy doing like hunting and shooting.

As Kwselke has pointed out, it takes a commitment to a lifestyle change and not everyone's willing to do that.

[snubbyfan]

It's Friday the 13th and a dreary rainy day out here in the mountains of West Virginia.
That's okay though, I can use some rest after yesterday's workout.
Tomorrow's supposed to be a pleasant warm sunny day. We'll probably get the bikes out for a nice ride and picnic surrounded by fall colors.