Health and Fitness Thread

[snubbyfan]

Went for a nice hike with my wife today. We were delayed leaving the house and didn't go as far as we had intended. Still went 'bout 5.75 miles in a bit over 2 hours.
When we got home we got the grass cut and I fired up a Gran Habano Vintage 2002 Robusto cigar and the grill. I kept the temperature in my grill right around 250 degrees, added some hickory chunks and grilled a coupla large chicken breasts with my wife's barbecue sauce mix. The chicken came out tender enough to cut with the side of a fork, juicy and yummy.

Tomorrow we intend to get out a bit earlier and go for a nice long hike. I'm planning on cooking a nice chicken stir fry for supper after we get back.

[snubbyfan]

At the Y today, I was a bit surprised at how good I felt in spin class. On Thursday, we had a 5.75 mile hike on a different trail that was 'bout 1000 feet higher than we're used to, went to the Y on Friday, had a 5.5 mile hike on Saturday, an 8 mile hike on Sunday then back to the Y today for spin class and a workout.
Tomorrow, we're gonna do our grocery shopping right after another spin class at the Y.
I think we may take Wednesday off for a rest day then back to the Y again on Thursday for spin and a workout.

[susieqz]

um, i just sent you an email...

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by susieqz

um, i just sent you an email...

Got it, reply sent.
Hope ya got it.

[snubbyfan]

We're ready for a rest day tomorrow. My legs are getting tired and my knees are getting a bit sore.
We're supposed to have storms all day.
If the weather calms down enough, I may sit on my covered front porch and smoke a cigar.

[susieqz]

thanks, snub.
sure wish i had a covered porch.
everybody has decks now.
they are cheap, but not nice.

[Ranger514]

I've been taking short 3-5 mile hikes in the hills around Kalispell to get back in shape after surgery last winter. I started out walking on a level bike path last May, and have progressed fairly well. Recently, I started using an Inversion Platform for back issues I've been dealing with for some time. Seems to be helping. Wondering if anyone else uses one of these inversion platforms/beds, and if they have felt relief.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by susieqz

thanks, snub.
sure wish i had a covered porch.
everybody has decks now.
they are cheap, but not nice.

It's built into the front of our house.

[susieqz]

lovely trees too. i sure miss big trees, here on the plains.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by susieqz

lovely trees too. i sure miss big trees, here on the plains.

Yup, we have three big 'ol maple trees. Every year we have enough dead fall and prunings to use on my grill for smokin' chicken.
I let the maple dry for a year or so before using it.

[snubbyfan]

I think I didn't eat enough yesterday. I had a lite breakfast of a little left over stir fry and just a single egg roll for supper. Probably didn't go over 700 calories. I just wasn't hungry. I did smoke a good cigar, sometimes those act as an appetite supressant.
Today at the Y I felt kinda draggy. I just didn't have my usual energy. Still had a good time at spin class and followed that with a good workout, just didn't have my desired energy level.
I wanna go tomorrow for spin class again. The spin teacher said she has something planned that'll really test your fitness level. Starting tonight, I've been loading up on carbs and protein. I'm planning a high protein and carb breakfast for tomorrow. My plan is to pass their test and basically out spin all the other spinners.

[snubbyfan]

Today's spin class at the Y was Free Bird Friday and was lotsa fun. By the time class was over, I was dripping with sweat and feeling great.
Spin class in more than just exercise to me. It's an opportunity to release the frustrations of having a Degenerative peripheral motor nerve condition that's slowly taking my ability to move and nearly landed me in an electric scooty chair.
When I'm clipped into trusty spin bike number 6, It's just me and the bike and I can sing, clap my hands and spin to my hearts content. By the time class ends I'm drippping with sweat and I've got endorphins, serotonin, adrenalin and other feel good chemicals.
Also, the exercise helps to strengthen the muscles that still work in my legs, reduces body fat and helps me to keep my weight down. All of which help me to stay on my feet and helps to delay the day when I'll need assistance to get around.

[chopshopcop]

Tomorrow's a regular workout day for me, since joining the new gym the wife has been going with me on the weekends. The only complaint I have so far is that they don't have a heavy bag, so I have to wait till I get home to hit mine.

Anyway, after the workout, we're headed to a friends house for a day of swimming and a cookout. Nothing elaborate, just burgers and hot dogs. But at the end of the day, I'll be toast. The last time we played water basketball for about three hours, great fun but between the exertion in the water and sunburn, I was wiped out.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by chopshopcop

Tomorrow's a regular workout day for me, since joining the new gym the wife has been going with me on the weekends. The only complaint I have so far is that they don't have a heavy bag, so I have to wait till I get home to hit mine.

Anyway, after the workout, we're headed to a friends house for a day of swimming and a cookout. Nothing elaborate, just burgers and hot dogs. But at the end of the day, I'll be toast. The last time we played water basketball for about three hours, great fun but between the exertion in the water and sunburn, I was wiped out.

Have a good time.
I've played water volleyball for hours at a time. Wore me out but I'm proud to say that I lasted the longest.

[snubbyfan]

Beautiful sunny warm day today. Temps hit a high of 95 degrees.
My wife and I laced up our boots and went for a nice hike in the mountains.
Ended up going 8.2 miles.

[snubbyfan]

It was a sunny hot and humid day today. got up to 96 degrees.
We went for another hike but went just 6.7 miles.
Tomorrow it's off to the Y.

Funny thing. I used to watch my calories to keep to a caloric deficit to lose weight and body fat. Now I'm watching my calories and macros to help ensure I have enough energy for my next workout.
Today we cooked up a big pot of chicken curry with rice and potatoes for supper for the protein and carbohydrates in preparation for tomorrow's visit to the Y for spin class and lifting in the workout room.

[susieqz]

you know, 3 big maples could give you 10 gallons of sap.
that would give you a gallpn pf syrup.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by susieqz

you know, 3 big maples could give you 10 gallons of sap.
that would give you a gallpn pf syrup.

Instead of buying the fake stuff that passes for syrup, we could be making our own. I didn't think of that.
Let's see, one gallon's 64 ounces so that'd make 6.4 ounces. That's enough for a stack of pancakes.

[snubbyfan]

Today's trip to the Y was lotsa fun. Since I made sure to get some calories in before we left I had lotsa energy and had a really good spin and workout.

For supper, I cooked salmon and asparagus and my wife baked us some home made whole wheat bannock bread. It was a delicious and nutritious supper.

Tomorrow, it's supposed to be warm and sunny. We'll probably go for a hike in the mountains and afterwards, I'm planning on grillin' some chicken and smoking a cigar.

[susieqz]

1 gal=128 0z
but, it takes a long time to boil sap down.
gotta do it outside

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by susieqz

1 gal=128 0z
but, it takes a long time to boil sap down.
gotta do it outside

Oops, that's right. A quart's 32 ounces and a gallon's 4 quarts.

[vonn]

Sugar maple is W.Va. State Tree and native Americans taught the Europeans how to make maple syrup.

[snubbyfan]

Yesterday was supposed to be a rainy, stormy day but it turned out hot and sunny.
My wife and I laced up our boots and went for a hike in the mountains. We went 'bout 6.5 miles.

Today we had planned on going to a local resort that has some very nice hiking trails, an outdoor pool, indoor pool, hot tubs, sauna and other fun stuff. They've been having half price Thursday's except for today.

So instead we headed out to the Y for spin class and a good workout.
We had planned on going to the resort today and the Y tomorrow.
After spin class and before everybody split, the spin instructor announced that she's having Free Bird Friday again.

Free Bird Friday is a brutal, nonstop, no rest solid 45 minutes of hard spinning. By the time class ends, I'm soaked with sweat, standing on rubbery legs and feeling great. I personally find it exhilarating.

[susieqz]

i don't think i could have done free bird when i was 20 .....

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by susieqz

i don't think i could have done free bird when i was 20 .....

Actually, between the cigarettes and booze, I don't think I coulda done it at 20 either.
I didn't really get bit by the fitness bug 'til I was in my 30's.
I was in my best shape ever when I was around 37. 'Bout a year after I quit smoking cigarettes. I still smoke an occasional cigar.
Geez, that was 18 years ago.
While I know I'll never be in that kinda shape again, I don't think I'm doing too bad for 55.

[dave holl]

Originally Posted by susieqz

you know, 3 big maples could give you 10 gallons of sap.
that would give you a gallpn pf syrup.

Hi Susie,

You've been away from maples too long!

It takes 40-50 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup. That's why it's so expensive.

Dave

[snubbyfan]

Free Bird Friday was a lot of fun and just as brutal as expected. By the time we were done there was a puddle of my sweat on the floor under my spin bike and I looked like I had jumped in the pool with my spin clothes on.
Fortunately, I brought dry clothes to change into after a good shower.
I felt great!


When we got home, I fired up the grill, added some hickory to the coals and lit a Cuban Rounds toro cigar. I set the grill temp at 250 and cooked a coupla plump chicken breasts in hickory smoke. They came out juicy and yummy. My wife fixed some broccoli in a garlic butter sauce.

[snubbyfan]

It was supposed to be a cloudy, rainy, stormy day today but when we got up this morning, it was blue skies and sunny.
After breakfast it was still warm and sunny so my wife and I laced on our boots and headed out for a hike up our favorite mountain ridge.
By the time we got to the top of the ridge, the dark clouds had rolled in and we could hear the thunder.
Okay, time to go home.
On our way back, it started sprinkling but it never got any worse than that.
We went only about two and a half miles.
When we got home my wife did half an hour on the treadmill and I did a half hour fast spin on our home spin bike.
Tomorrow they're calling for 82 degrees and partly sunny. I'm thinking of a nice long hike and bison steaks for supper.

[snubbyfan]

We got out for a 6.8 mile hike today. When we got back to the truck, it started sprinkling. Just made it before the rain started.
Tomorrow, we're heading to the Y.

[snubbyfan]

Kind of a mellow mix at spin class at the Y today. Still worked up a good sweat though.
I've been bumping up my calories and protein a bit for this month and I felt strong in the workout room. Did my 10 pullups then after a coupla minutes I did a second set of 9 then 3 drop sets at the lat bar. The rest of my workout went well.
They did close the pool, sauna and steam room for a coupla hours after somebody heard thunder. That's okay though, we just got a shower and went on home.
I cooked a coupla Mahi Mahi filets and asparagus for supper.
Tomorrow we're planning on a rest day.

[snubbyfan]

We decide to make today a rest day. My wife had a doctors appointment a bit of a ways from town and while we were out, we picked up some stuff from Walmart and stopped for dinner at The Olive Garden.

Fortunately, after all the carbs my wife and I ate, it's supposed to be 90 degrees and sunny tomorrow. Good day for a nice long hike.

[snubbyfan]

We ended up hiking 'bout 6.8 miles today. It was warm and sunny. Temps got up to 90 degrees.
After my wife got a clean bill of health from her new doctor, she's putting forth an all out effort on improving her health and fitness starting today.
Yeah we'd go hiking and biking together as well as trips to the Y but it was usually to benefit me in my battle against my motor nerve condition, now it's her turn.
Tomorrow, if the weather cooperates and if they still have half price Thursdays, there's a local resort with some very nice hiking trails, pools, hot tubs, sauna and other fun stuff that we want to visit.

[susieqz]

what made her decide?

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by susieqz

what made her decide?

She's been trying to lose weight and get in shape by doing what used to work. 'Cept it wasn't working this time.
She went online and researched it.
Apparently post menopausal woman have a harder time reducing body fat and getting weight off. The only real advice she could find was to either have hormone treatment or try harder at exercise and diet. Since she's a breast cancer survivor, estrogen treatment was not recommended.
Since she's seen me transform myself over the last few years, she asked me to help her with her workouts.
First of all, we wanted to get the doctor's advice and check on her overall health. According to him, she's very healthy for a woman of her age.

Today at the Y, we started with spin class and my wife pushed herself harder than ever. At the workout room. I showed her the exercises I do and how to do them correctly. We traded off doing sets. I'd do a set, showing her the proper form then she'd do a set. We'd do that for a total of 4 sets per exercise keeping our rep range between 8 and 12 to failure.
There were other people doing the exercises incorrectly. Such things as half reps, swinging weights to make it easier and other such things that people do to ego lift by using more weight than they should then cheating the weight up. They were good for showing her how not to do it. We're not there to stroke our egos but to get a good workout.
Having her watch me helps me to keep my form correct too. She says she has no problem watching me and that watching my muscles flex when I exercise is almost like watching an adult film.
We're also watching out protein, fat and carbohydrate intake to keep our macros balanced while keeping our calories in a favorable range.
Our next Y visit's on Monday so she has three days to heal. We just gotta make sure to get plenty of protein.
I did warn her about muscle soreness and newbie gains.

[vonn]

Been so hot here that any level of exertion and I am soaking wet and my work level is suffering. I am outside in my shop(big metal building) 9-10 hours a day so I have to pace myself and suck down water by the gallon and still can’t get enough. Pretty amazing how much weight change you see from hydration levels. Don’t have much energy left at the end of the day after I get home so I tend to couch potato all evening .

[snubbyfan]

I've lost around 5 pounds from sweating before.
I actually haven't weighed myself in a while now. I've been going more on how I feel, look and how my clothes fit.
For the last coupla days, it's been stormy so I've been riding our home spin bike and my wife's been using our home treadmill.
We've been careful with our caloric intake.

[snubbyfan]

Couldn't have planned today's trip to the Y any better.
Last time we went, there were lotsa examples of ego lifters showing poor form and trying to lift way too much weight so I could show my wife how not to do it.
After spin class, we went to the workout room and there were lotsa people using perfect form and lifting the proper amount of weight so I could show her how to do it right.
We did the same workout as last time. I'm thinking of introducing variations after the next coupla weeks or so.
The pools, steam room and sauna are all closed 'til the end of the month for yearly cleaning and maintenance.

[snubbyfan]

Due to how humid it's been, we've been having some pretty enthusiastic thunder storms here lately.
Today the sun was shining so my wife and I thought we'd try going for a hike. As we got to the top of the first mountain ridge, dark clouds started rolling in and we could hear approaching thunder. We turned around and by the time we got back to the truck it was warm and sunny again.
We ended up going just 2 1/2 miles.
It was just as well we headed home though, we've been meaning to cut the grass and it seemed like we'll have the time to do it now.
From all the rain we've been having, our grass was very thick and wet. Our push mower as well as ourselves got a good workout.
And I had time for a Montecristo Petit Corona cigar before supper.
Tomorrow it's off to the Y.

[susieqz]

the new pics you posted on the kitty thread are still there , but all the older ones you posted for me have vanished.
once you clean them i save them on my comp so i still have them but it's odd that they are gone here.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by susieqz

the new pics you posted on the kitty thread are still there , but all the older ones you posted for me have vanished.
once you clean them i save them on my comp so i still have them but it's odd that they are gone here.

That is odd, I have no idea why that is. I still have the pictures on postimage.org same place I keep my pictures.

[snubbyfan]

For the last 2 visits to the Y, I've been trying to spin like a "normal" person. Usually, I'm singing with the music, clapping my hands and keeping a fast spin. I don't usually slow down 'til class is over and then I'm soaked with sweat and feeling great.
Today, I kept with the "normal" person pace and barely broke a sweat. In fact I almost felt like I should cut back on my calories today 'cause I didn't really feel like I did anything.
My wife and I did get a good workout afterwards.
After we got home, I rode a vigorous 40 minutes on our home spin bike just to get some endorphins going.

[snubbyfan]

Today was a beautiful upper 70's mostly sunny day. We've been wanting to get the bikes out but with all the rain, the C&O Canal Towpath's been kinda sloppy and muddy.
Today we loaded the bikes onto the back of the truck and took 'em out to Canal Place in Cumberland MD and headed on out to the GAP trail.
We ended up going 17.74 miles and had supper at a cafe once we got back to Canal Place.
I took a video of the trip and once it's uploaded it, I'll post it on it's own thread.

[snubbyfan]

My wife and I strapped on our boots and went for a hike today. It was another beautiful day. Mostly sunny with temps in the low 80's.
We ended up going 8.8 miles.
Interesting thing. I'm in the kinda shape that I just consider it to be basically a nice walk in the park, even though it's up and down a mountain ridge, on a beautiful day. My wife considers it as a high intensity interval training fat burning exercise.
Checking it out online, I burned 1498 calories.
I'm probably gonna end the day taking in around 1600 calories or so.
My maintenance caloric level for my height, weight and activity level's supposed to be 2214 calories.
So that puts me in a 2,112 calorie deficit for the day.

Tomorrow, we're planning on exploring some trails we found a coupla years ago. One goes to a long abandoned trail trestle bridge and the other goes to a long abandoned train tunnel.

[susieqz]

do you want that? seems a bit much.
by the way, i didn;t know sandy's full name is sandy cuddles.
that makes 2 names i stole from you.

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by susieqz

do you want that? seems a bit much.

It actually isn't. I haven't really checked to see how many calories I burn vs. how many calories I take in vs. how many calories I need to maintain before. My weight was a guess, I haven't weighed myself in a while. I do try to eat mindfully, making sure I have a well balanced diet.
It's no wonder all of my clothes are getting loose.

Originally Posted by susieqz

by the way, i didn;t know sandy's full name is sandy cuddles.
that makes 2 names i stole from you.

She earned that name, she's our little cuddle cat.

[snubbyfan]

Another hike on another beautiful day. This time we explored some old trails that we found up in the mountains a few years ago.
Actually, it's a ceturies old abandoned railway. The tracks and most of the cross ties have been removed and the trail that goes to it looks like a long abandoned service road. It's very overgrown and difficult going in places where the train track usta run. It's pretty cool trying to imagine what it must have been like back in the day.
If you go one direction it leads to a train trestle that goes over the Potomac river. The other direction leads to an old train tunnel. At the tunnel end you can still smell burnt coal before you come in sight of the tunnel.
We hiked to where we could see the tunnel today. The grounds too swampy to actually walk to the tunnel.
We ended up going 7.2 miles in 'bout 3 hours.
Tomorrow it's off to the Y.

[snubbyfan]

Today's trip to the Y went pretty well. The spin instructor had a pretty energetic spin music mix and I worked up a pretty good sweat.
In the workout room, I felt pretty strong. I'm up to 11 clean pullups.
After all the extra calories I burned over the last 3 days and going into a few thousand caloric deficit, I wasn't too sure of how I'd feel.
By the end of our workout I did feel kinda tired though.

The next 2 days are supposed to be sunny, humid and in the 90's. We're planning on loading up the truck and driving up into the mountains for a camping trip.

[moosedog]

A camping trip sounds good. Here in Michigan the humidity has been high with high temps, so I have been getting up around 5-6am and getting my chores done, then hit the gym around 1030am. Thank God they have AC.

[CBus660R]

Hey guys, been a while since my last update. 3 races have gone done since then. The first race of the 3 went OK, felt like I rode well, but it was a shorter race where it was about wicking it up and sprinting hard for 9 or 10 minutes, which is not my forte, and I wound up 3rd, just off the pace of the top 2. The 2nd race was more in line with what I like, longer and more technical. I was doing pretty well until the 5th test of 6 when a stupid little mistake caused me to shear my hydraulic clutch line. Anyone who's ridden a dirtbike off road knows that a non functioning clutch is a no go. I was able to limp it out of the woods and get back to my truck without needing assistance, but a DNF is certainly not what I wanted.

The 3rd race was my club's race that I work rather than participate. Since it was part of the National series this year, we had close to 500 entries and over 400 actually show up and race. It was a great success. All of the Pros were really happy with the course, many of them saying that it was the best race of the year so far and one of them even said that test 6 was his favorite test he's ever raced. I was really happy to hear that. A lot of sweat and time went into making the race go off, so when the riders are happy, I'm happy. BTW, the speed that the Pros go through the woods is unbelievable. In sections where I'm lucky to average 13 or 14 MPH, they're averaging 18 or 19 MPH. Our signature test (test 6) where we really make it technical is 11 miles long and my best time through there is 47 minutes. The winner did it in 32 minutes!

We have 2 races left in the series and I am solidly in 3rd in points with a chance at 2nd. First place is pretty much locked up by my buddy John, he'd have to miss the last 2 races for me to have a chance to catch him and I certainly don't want to win anything that way.

Here's a cool highlight video from my club's race, Grassman National Enduro Highlights Video — NEPG

[snubbyfan]

Originally Posted by moosedog

A camping trip sounds good. Here in Michigan the humidity has been high with high temps, so I have been getting up around 5-6am and getting my chores done, then hit the gym around 1030am. Thank God they have AC.

Had a great time camping. Got a bit warm according to my Garmin temperature sensor.

Felt like it too.

Tomorrow, we're planning on a nice hike. The weather's supposed to be in the mid 80's and cloudy.