Health and Physical Fitness

[quakeroatmeal]

(Prefacing this by saying most of this was written in a very tongue and cheek way, not 100% meant to be taken seriously)

My job basically entails sitting at my desk all day. I barely move much. I come into work, and my assistant has my iced coffee waiting for me at my desk. Lunch time comes and my assistant fetches it for me. Most of my work stuff is strategically placed within arms reach.

Now, I'm not the size of a house, but I have gotten thicker than I'd like, and I've always been blessed with a body type that mitigates my weight well, so I never looked overly "hefty".

But serious heart problems run in my family. Over the past 2 years I've noticed my BP has gone quite high which meant I needed to start seeing a cardiologist (I'm 31 years old). Over the past year I've lost some weight about 45 pounds. My cardiologist recommends exercising more, now this is where things get hairy...

I hate exercising, I hate moving. It makes me feel like I'm dying, and I hate sweating. Any form of movement makes me sweat, and very self conscious. So over the years I've minimized any movement from the car to wherever, AC every place I go!

I went to Hawaii last February, and in a cruel turn of events, my partner tricked me into hiking up Diamond Head. I was so out of breath, so winded, so tired. I hated them for the WHOLE WAY UP. But then I got to the top... and it was magical- all that hatred went away. But still, it was awful. And getting down was just as terrible!

Anyway, I've been doing weight watchers on and off, and I fell off the wagon really bad once summer came. I gained some weight back, but this time around I'm looking to focus on my diet, and exercising.

How the heck do you guys run? How the heck do you guys exercise without wishing death upon everyone mid workout? I did Hot Yoga once or twice because everyone said it was so "peaceful", but all it did was make me burn with hatred for the instructor making me contort into these ridiculous poses that were "easy", but not so easy when you're sweating bullets with a large tire around your waist.

I'm in NJ, and the fall is coming, maybe Hiking would be nice, but not sure if there are any decent trails that will have a nice view, without making me feel like I'm climbing Mt Everest.

Anyone else in a similar spot?

[Baco Noir]

Try riding a mtn bike on easy trails. Don't have to worry about knee impact from the extra weight and you control the pace.

Good luck on the journey.

[The Libertine]

You need to find a rhythm, or pattern that you are comfortable with for exercising.

Find an activity you like, whether walking, jogging, running, hiking, etc.; the intent is to be active. Even light weight lifting, or frequently climbing stairs. Just be active. Start doing a little exercise each day, recognizing that a little in abundance is a lot.

Find the motivation to get up and move. Personally, regardless of whether it is cold or hot outside, I feel better about myself if at the end of the day can look back and know that I was physically active.

[Dubshack]

If you’re competitive, sign yourself up for something that you know you’ll force yourself to achieve.

I have trouble self-motivating, but if I set a goal or sign myself up for something (1/2 marathon, 10k, 5k, whatever), I know I won’t allow myself to be unprepared come d-day.




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[locutus49]

I do pilates twice a week (private lessons) and lift weights the other days. I turn 70 next month.

[pickettt]

You've described what your routine IS. What would you LIKE IT TO BE?

[Jim Smyth]

Me and my wife are retired and have both put on too much weight over the years. We both started KETO on 6-11 of this year. There is not much working out on it but does require a fairly rigid change in food selection. Basically staying away from carbs and sugar. The weight will literally fall off. Once you get down a bit you will feel better and have more energy.

We also bought nice electric bikes. We got Magnium Ui6.

https://www.magnumbikes.com/product/magnum-ui6/

It will assist you as much or as little as you want and get you even more active. I started at 232# on June 11th and only weigh myself once a month and on September 11th I was 206#. My goal is to get to my senior high school weight of 190#.

Then I will modify the diet and really watch so its doesnt get carried away again.

[JasoninDenver]

Find a hobby.

Hiking, biking, golf, tennis - whatever.

Once you enjoy something, the workout is secondary to the fun.

Once you get used to sweating and getting strong, it will all fall into place.

On another note, make sure you have a complete blood workup as well. Often guys can have something off that leads to lethargy.

[Brew]

Swimming is a whole lot less sweaty than running. But if you don't swim well, it presents other challenges . . . .

[BreguetRolex]

33204844_10211892321529391_5996507599212642304_n.jpg

148891_1417168800206_5787968_n.jpgIts 95% what goes in the mouth and all the rest is 5% no matter what anyone says. I am living proof of this as 10 years ago I was 265LB fat overweight beer drinking, garbage eating guy. I decided one day I was going to change my life and I did so going from 265 to 152lbs where I am today for the last 10 years. You got will power and a huge want to..? Well if so I can be done as if I could do it, anyone could.

[BreguetRolex]

Here are current pictures of me at 152lbs..


IMG_1899.JPG

[achenator]

the couch to 5k app did wonders for me

[~JJ]

You lost me at having your assistant get your morning ice coffee.

[PeqFB]

I get fidgety if I don’t exercise at least 4 times a week. I hate running to so I primarily row or jump rope. When I do run I trick my body by running 100 yards and then do push-ups...run another 100 yards...do some air squats...etc. Key is to do it early morning so no one sees you.

[Fat_ninja]

Originally Posted by ~JJ

You lost me at having your assistant get your morning ice coffee.

“Fetch” lol

[Headshrinker]

You don’t have to go overboard to lose weight. Take a mile walk a few hours after dinner, work up to a few miles at a time (no one will see you sweat). Take walks on the trail, it doesn’t have to have large mountains involved. There are many old railway lines in NJ that were converted to walking trails. Consistently is the key. From 7-8 PM I will walk. Lifting lighter weights with higher repetitions helps to lose weight as well. Good luck!

[locutus49]

Here are my two tips to losing weight like crazy:

1) exercise twice a day, even if it is just a brisk walk. You want to keep your metabolism up throughout the day.

2) Pass on the bread. You don't have to give up all carbs, but bread really adds weight to a person.

Give it a couple of weeks for your metabolism to reset, and the weight will really come off.

Whatever you do, do something.

Originally Posted by Headshrinker

You don’t have to go overboard to lose weight. Take a mile walk a few hours after dinner, work up to a few miles at a time (no one will see you sweat). Take walks on the trail, it doesn’t have to have large mountains involved. There are many old railway lines in NJ that were converted to walking trails. Consistently is the key. From 7-8 PM I will walk. Lifting lighter weights with higher repetitions helps to lose weight as well. Good luck!

[CamSLC]

Having a cardiologist discuss blood pressure would be a frightening thing that early in life.

An exercise regime to lose some pounds is a great idea, but also seriously checking into eating habits is just as important. If you're sedentary at work and don't like to move for recreation, you're fighting a very uphill battle. Do something now because it will be ten times harder in ten more years.

[Cryten]

Exercising or losing weight is like quitting smoking. Everyone and their dog can tell you why you should do it, but you have to have your own reason to actually succeed.

No one can make you get up at 6am and run 5 miles, it has to be in you.

You need to find your own reason to do it. That's what will drive you.

[othertbone]

Originally Posted by quakeroatmeal

(Prefacing this by saying most of this was written in a very tongue and cheek way, not 100% meant to be taken seriously)

My job basically entails sitting at my desk all day. I barely move much. I come into work, and my assistant has my iced coffee waiting for me at my desk. Lunch time comes and my assistant fetches it for me. Most of my work stuff is strategically placed within arms reach.

Now, I'm not the size of a house, but I have gotten thicker than I'd like, and I've always been blessed with a body type that mitigates my weight well, so I never looked overly "hefty".

But serious heart problems run in my family. Over the past 2 years I've noticed my BP has gone quite high which meant I needed to start seeing a cardiologist (I'm 31 years old). Over the past year I've lost some weight about 45 pounds. My cardiologist recommends exercising more, now this is where things get hairy...

I hate exercising, I hate moving. It makes me feel like I'm dying, and I hate sweating. Any form of movement makes me sweat, and very self conscious. So over the years I've minimized any movement from the car to wherever, AC every place I go!

I went to Hawaii last February, and in a cruel turn of events, my partner tricked me into hiking up Diamond Head. I was so out of breath, so winded, so tired. I hated them for the WHOLE WAY UP. But then I got to the top... and it was magical- all that hatred went away. But still, it was awful. And getting down was just as terrible!

Anyway, I've been doing weight watchers on and off, and I fell off the wagon really bad once summer came. I gained some weight back, but this time around I'm looking to focus on my diet, and exercising.

How the heck do you guys run? How the heck do you guys exercise without wishing death upon everyone mid workout? I did Hot Yoga once or twice because everyone said it was so "peaceful", but all it did was make me burn with hatred for the instructor making me contort into these ridiculous poses that were "easy", but not so easy when you're sweating bullets with a large tire around your waist.

I'm in NJ, and the fall is coming, maybe Hiking would be nice, but not sure if there are any decent trails that will have a nice view, without making me feel like I'm climbing Mt Everest.

Anyone else in a similar spot?

The trick is starting out slowly, then making exercising part of your lifestyle.

Don't start with a long hike or a one hour walk. Start with a 15 minute walk, 3 times a week. Then after two weeks go to 20 minutes, etc, until you can comfortably go for 30-60 minutes. Then add another day, or go every other day.

Next don't make it so after work you have to figure out IF you are going to walk. Commit to M, W, F and just do it. It becomes a habit like any other habit.

Then you can eventually move on to running only if you want to when you body is primed for it. And you would start running the same way. Very slowing increasing your time.

Most important thing is developing a habit, and any habit takes several weeks to make. So make yourself walk for a few weeks and habits will take over. Good luck!

[dtwer]

If you want to lose fat and gain muscle through habit change without lots of back breaking workout, look up time restricted feeding.

Joe Rogan has an interesting segment with Dr. Rhonda Patrick. Totally worth the time to watch:

https://youtu.be/XW7g_KD52PA

I have been on the feeding routine for a little over 2 years now, the change is noticeable. I can maintain muscle mass longer between workout and control my weight REGARDLESS of what I eat and how much I eat. It is really liberating in that I can eat however and whatever I want as long as I do it within the feeding time. Several of my colleagues tried it and now are swearing by it, especially women.

There are more extreme forms of fasting methods out there but I think this one is the best because it doesn’t make fasting feel like torture.

[SearChart]

Don't start with running unless you already like exercise and have a good baseline, you'll end up very demotivated otherwise.

Honestly though, get moving and push through that mental barrier, you're not too late to get started and you have to do hard physical exercise at least a few times a week.
Once you have some stamina and are used to it you will find you feel much better during your day to day life and also sweat much less from small things.

Exercise isn't always fun, even for people addicted to it like me. You'll definitely get days where you just don't want to go, but you still go. Discipline is everything and don't ever feel sorry for yourself.

[JasoninDenver]

Originally Posted by BreguetRolex

Here are current pictures of me at 152lbs..


Attachment 1071256

If you are ever in Colorado, I’ll take ya out for a great bike ride and then force feed you a couple of cheeseburgers.

[ludetuner]

What???? Assistants still “fetch” lunch for people? Man, need to have a word with my assistant. As for the sweating, no reason to be self conscious if you’re in a gym...hopefully most of the other people there are sweating too

[BreguetRolex]

Originally Posted by JasoninDenver

If you are ever in Colorado, I’ll take ya out for a great bike ride and then force feed you a couple of cheeseburgers.

Meat free for over 10 years now but i do drink beer..:) Riding a bike is my life as i do ride close to 6000 miles every year and 6-7 days a week like clock work..

[uscmatt99]

OP I can empathize with your disdain for working out, and like you my time at work is predominantly sitting at a desk. I can't stand going to a gym, and generally don't like exercising on machines. However, I've managed to find a routine I can live with. I either use a treadmill or my road bike on a trainer in the privacy of my own home. If the weather is nice, I take a jog around the neighborhood, or a long walk with my wife. If I'm alone, I use that as my time to watch some of my favorite streaming shows, otherwise exercising in place bores me to tears.

If you want to try running, you don't have to model yourself after the lean folks that run 10 miles per day. Start slow and build up. I personally subscribe to running with a forefoot strike either barefoot (rarely) or in zero drop shoes. You can go slower, longer, with less impact on your spine this way. Go on YouTube and watch some videos with Chris McDougall.

My coworker tried something different. He set his alarm on his phone to go off at work every 30 minutes and did 30 squat thrusts at a time. Then he tried the keto diet and actually stuck to it. He's more fit at 50 that he was at 40 by a long shot. Of course this leaves you sweaty at work.... But there are many options other than being a gym rat.

While your weight may be what concerns you right now, it is your cardiovascular fitness that is of the utmost importance to address given your uncontrolled hypertension and family history of heart disease. In addition to a heart attack, you are at a big risk for stroke. With hypertension at your age, you are at particularly greater risk for the cumulative effects of mini-strokes as well as microbleeds in the brain. A healthy diet will have some mitigating effect, but exercise and weight loss are very important, with a proper medication regimen for the last bit that can't be controlled with lifestyle modification. No magic bullet here, but you have many options, you just need to take the leap of faith. Good luck

[Chester01]

Originally Posted by quakeroatmeal

(Prefacing this by saying most of this was written in a very tongue and cheek way, not 100% meant to be taken seriously)

My job basically entails sitting at my desk all day. I barely move much. I come into work, and my assistant has my iced coffee waiting for me at my desk. Lunch time comes and my assistant fetches it for me. Most of my work stuff is strategically placed within arms reach.

Now, I'm not the size of a house, but I have gotten thicker than I'd like, and I've always been blessed with a body type that mitigates my weight well, so I never looked overly "hefty".

But serious heart problems run in my family. Over the past 2 years I've noticed my BP has gone quite high which meant I needed to start seeing a cardiologist (I'm 31 years old). Over the past year I've lost some weight about 45 pounds. My cardiologist recommends exercising more, now this is where things get hairy...

I hate exercising, I hate moving. It makes me feel like I'm dying, and I hate sweating. Any form of movement makes me sweat, and very self conscious. So over the years I've minimized any movement from the car to wherever, AC every place I go!

I went to Hawaii last February, and in a cruel turn of events, my partner tricked me into hiking up Diamond Head. I was so out of breath, so winded, so tired. I hated them for the WHOLE WAY UP. But then I got to the top... and it was magical- all that hatred went away. But still, it was awful. And getting down was just as terrible!

Anyway, I've been doing weight watchers on and off, and I fell off the wagon really bad once summer came. I gained some weight back, but this time around I'm looking to focus on my diet, and exercising.

How the heck do you guys run? How the heck do you guys exercise without wishing death upon everyone mid workout? I did Hot Yoga once or twice because everyone said it was so "peaceful", but all it did was make me burn with hatred for the instructor making me contort into these ridiculous poses that were "easy", but not so easy when you're sweating bullets with a large tire around your waist.

I'm in NJ, and the fall is coming, maybe Hiking would be nice, but not sure if there are any decent trails that will have a nice view, without making me feel like I'm climbing Mt Everest.

Anyone else in a similar spot?

What I have learned is this. It’s gotta be fun, and for me it’s cycling is that (plus it’s exercise sitting down lol) or tennis. But when people say it’s a lifestyle, it is. I don’t watch tv and spend most of my time out of doors. Like you, I basically get paid to sit down for a living. While I do run occasionally, I did it just for the challenge as I hate it. Once you push past the couple weeks where it feels like you are going to die, you get through to the other side and it really does become
Tolerable. Lastly, having a spouse or friend involved is key.

[iliketime]

Due to your weight, I would not recommend you running as the impact on your knees at this age will likely destroy them. You will be in considerable pain down the line. Fitness is about life style changes. You slowly adapt into it. When I first started at the hospital and clinic, I gave myself about 6 months to the first year to adjust before rejoining a gym. I had worked out in college but not as well as I should have. Even now as I go to the gym everyday after the clinic, I am always learning about how to work out, how to improve my work outs, and eating better. I am limited by my genetics but the gains come slowly but surely. You do not have to be completely ascetic but once you see the changes in yourself, you will begin to enjoy workouts. It is a marathon and not a sprint. You have begun taking the first steps into transforming and recovering your conditioning. Working with a trainer is a good first start! Keep it up!

I see folks very similar to your description of yourself work with trainers and over time, they have made successful changes and eventually graduate from the crutch of a trainer. A good trainer is a wealth of fitness knowledge and can help you build a steady regimen to recovering and improving your conditioning.

The key is to find something you like. Some folks workout cause it brings them more attention from the opposite sex. Some workout cause they like getting stronger. Some workout because they want to improve their looks for their own sake. Whatever the reason may be, find one that helps you.

I remember one poignant patient who came in to the clinic at age 29 and described not feeling well. But by all accounts, he appeared as a healthy well fed 29 year old man. But his story was that he lived a sedentary life style. Rides public transportation, works in tech, groceries delivered and binges youtube/netflix in his down time. There was nothing wrong with him physically. He was feeling unwell due to his deconditioning. His shortness of breath was because of that tire he was carrying around in his midsection. It was taking up breathing real estate. He was sent away with no medications but advice to making life style changes.

[Terrakot]

Hmm..This lifestyle means no sex

[ecdc]

It gets easier over time. No one likes to start working out when out of shape. But after a few months, you'll feel better and look better and even look forward to working out. I get a endorphin high from running; I do 4 10Ks a week, on average, early in the morning and I love doing it now.

Originally Posted by quakeroatmeal

(Prefacing this by saying most of this was written in a very tongue and cheek way, not 100% meant to be taken seriously)

My job basically entails sitting at my desk all day. I barely move much. I come into work, and my assistant has my iced coffee waiting for me at my desk. Lunch time comes and my assistant fetches it for me. Most of my work stuff is strategically placed within arms reach.

Now, I'm not the size of a house, but I have gotten thicker than I'd like, and I've always been blessed with a body type that mitigates my weight well, so I never looked overly "hefty".

But serious heart problems run in my family. Over the past 2 years I've noticed my BP has gone quite high which meant I needed to start seeing a cardiologist (I'm 31 years old). Over the past year I've lost some weight about 45 pounds. My cardiologist recommends exercising more, now this is where things get hairy...

I hate exercising, I hate moving. It makes me feel like I'm dying, and I hate sweating. Any form of movement makes me sweat, and very self conscious. So over the years I've minimized any movement from the car to wherever, AC every place I go!

I went to Hawaii last February, and in a cruel turn of events, my partner tricked me into hiking up Diamond Head. I was so out of breath, so winded, so tired. I hated them for the WHOLE WAY UP. But then I got to the top... and it was magical- all that hatred went away. But still, it was awful. And getting down was just as terrible!

Anyway, I've been doing weight watchers on and off, and I fell off the wagon really bad once summer came. I gained some weight back, but this time around I'm looking to focus on my diet, and exercising.

How the heck do you guys run? How the heck do you guys exercise without wishing death upon everyone mid workout? I did Hot Yoga once or twice because everyone said it was so "peaceful", but all it did was make me burn with hatred for the instructor making me contort into these ridiculous poses that were "easy", but not so easy when you're sweating bullets with a large tire around your waist.

I'm in NJ, and the fall is coming, maybe Hiking would be nice, but not sure if there are any decent trails that will have a nice view, without making me feel like I'm climbing Mt Everest.

Anyone else in a similar spot?