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benchwarmer

Anyone else learning a new skill?

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41 minutes ago, kick it off said:

That's a cracking effort buddy - especially with the exercise hiatus. I've not focussed too much on the nutrition side, I'm just making better food choices without killing myself on a diet that I can't stick to. If I want a burger, I'll have a burger, but I'm making sensible choices most of the time and have cut portion sizes pretty much in half which has been really positive for helping me to sort it out - massively upped the exercise too. If I try and stick to a full blown diet then I end up crashing and burning, so I've focussed more on changing my mindset into not wanting to eat junk.

It's a process but I'm hopeful that I can get down to my target weight or close to it by my birthday at the start of May. Target weight for me is back at what I weighed 10 years ago in my early 20s so I'll be pretty chuffed with that.... I've dropped one T-shirt size already. I was up at 15 and a half, but my last weigh in was 14 and a half so we'll see what the next one brings... as long as it keeps trending in the right direction I won't worry too much about it... 12 and a half is the goal for me.

Yeah I must admit I'm not a very good dieter, but the first month I did a lot of reading, was quite strict and stuck to it which helped break habits (Sausage roll for the way home from the supermarket, 66% of my daily fat intake 😲) which now makes for looser guidelines.

I'd be very happy with reaching your original 15 and a half!

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2 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

You guys are smashing it! I've been on a health kick too. Was north of 16st 7lbs stone at Christmas, and I'm now 15st 10lbs. I've been doing weights alongside the cardio, though, so a lot of fat has been converted to muscle. Jogging was the most difficult thing for me, and I still don't enjoy it, but at least I can keep going for a little while now.

Best thing I ever did was go up to Sportslink at Taverham and get my gait analysed for a tenner; they then recommended me the ideal pair of running shoes to match my gait. The shoes were about £90, but worth every penny.

Another thing that's really helped my jogging is calf-strengthening exercises - when you're carrying excess weight, the calves and shins take a huge amount of pressure. I do 30 'toe stands' every morning - up, stand on tiptoes for a second, down - and then 30 more standing on a stair, so as well as standing on tiptoes, you then lower the heel below the step, which stretches the other end of the calf muscles (if that makes sense?). Also, lean back against a wall with your feet together about a foot in front of you, and then raise your toes. This stretches the muscle on the front of your calf (tibialis anterior). Just squeeze in 10 or 20 any time you can, and the calves will become a lot more durable pretty quickly.

Oh, and one last thing - I massage my calves with oil before I go out, really give them a good knead and rub down until they're sore... I find this loosens them up no end.

Any other running tips would be gratefully received, as I'm still a complete novice and haven't even managed 5k yet!

I've specifically avoided doing weights for that exact reason FTW - I want to know a clear picture of exactly how much fat I've got rid of - going to start the weights when I get under 13 st... Feel like that will help keep me motivated whereas if I'm putting on muscle too, the scales won't be dropping as quickly.

You can get up to speed with jogging quite quickly if you just keep pushing and work out what works for you. It's a mindset. I don't really enjoy it, but I do feel some desire to do it because I know I'm getting fitter. I can ONLY run on a treadmill or outside if there's a football in front of me - otherwise I can't be bothered.... so I never go for a jog outside, because I know I won't push myself.  My sister is the reverse - she can't push herself on a treadmill but finds it really easy outside - it's whatever works for you. 

I also can't push myself as hard if the treadmill is displaying distance in miles. Kilometres are easy, manageable chucks, and I can keep setting mini-goals - eg. If I'm ****ed after 2km, I'll push on until I've done 2.5km and when I get to 2.5, I will go for 2.8 knowing that when I hit 2.8 I will be able to keep going until 3km as it's only a bit further - you can't really do that with miles so I find that something as simple as changing the distance setting has a huge impact on the way my mind works and how hard I push.

I've tried music, podcasts, and TV to try and distract me from jogging. I've found I can only watch stuff I'm not really bothered about watching because I don't focus on it properly. Went back to music this morning and the first bit was a breeze but then I was getting really bored towards the end, so maybe just need to alter my track selection a bit.

I do need to get some new running shoes but had never really thought about my gait, worth remembering and looking into at some point. One thing that has made a big difference is getting some decent quality insoles - not massively expensive, but find it's reduced the discomfort in my heel massively - Went for Scholl Activs.

Definitely going to try your stretching tips - one thing that really helps my heel pain is to constantly flex my toes towards my shin, so doing proper exercises for it might alleviate some discomfort.

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11 minutes ago, Mason 47 said:

Yeah I must admit I'm not a very good dieter, but the first month I did a lot of reading, was quite strict and stuck to it which helped break habits (Sausage roll for the way home from the supermarket, 66% of my daily fat intake 😲) which now makes for looser guidelines.

I'd be very happy with reaching your original 15 and a half!

I'm only short though - 5'7/5'8ish and although I have a wide frame naturally, it doesn't carry well.

I don't snack at all between meals now, I only eat what's on my plate and don't have second helpings of anything and I avoid sweets and chocolate, in favour of a yoghurt or fruit. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's massively cut my calorie intake, without life-altering dieting and I can stick to it easily, so when I do have the odd treat or non-healthy meal, I don't feel bad about it... I have also never really bothered with breakfast before so started getting a small portion of muesli in the morning which I then burn off on the treadmill so my metabolism is fired up early, which I actually think has probably been pretty unhelpful with my weight over the years.

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42 minutes ago, FenwayFrank said:

Apparently I need to learn how to use one of these

87B0D56D-DA86-4FE3-A074-07260B39F55A.jpeg

It's a skateboard for people with extremely long legs.....Unfortunately, it looks like some thieving bugga has had the wheels away.....

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3 hours ago, Herman said:

It was a quail today. They make pheasants look like potential Mastermind contestants. 😀

Now that would be an episode to watch, I wonder  what a pigeons specialist subject is? Cooing maybe. So we have pheasant,  pigeon quail and......maybe chicken as the fourth contestant. Despite having a  perfectly warm and dry house our chickens used to hang out on the house doorstep,  that very cold winter with lots of snow , maybe 86/87 we got up to find three of our chickens  frozen to the  doorstep looking very sorry for themselves. A little salt round their feet and they were soon able to move. We had to lead them to their warm dry quarters every evening after that , dumb feckers.

Edited by wcorkcanary
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Today I’ve taken a few pieces of wood and bamboo cane and made a bug hotel, now hanging on the side of my green house 

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29 minutes ago, FenwayFrank said:

Today I’ve taken a few pieces of wood and bamboo cane and made a bug hotel, now hanging on the side of my green house 

Does it make it look a bit grubby?......

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1 hour ago, FenwayFrank said:

Today I’ve taken a few pieces of wood and bamboo cane and made a bug hotel, now hanging on the side of my green house 

Good Man Franko, the world needs more bugs. 👍

 

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6 hours ago, kick it off said:

I've specifically avoided doing weights for that exact reason FTW - I want to know a clear picture of exactly how much fat I've got rid of - going to start the weights when I get under 13 st... Feel like that will help keep me motivated whereas if I'm putting on muscle too, the scales won't be dropping as quickly.

Weight training is very important, if not essential for burning fat. The body continues to burn fat for several hours after weight training, whereas it doesn't for cardio. You'll see results a lot faster, and besides, the scales aren't what you should be judging yourself on, it should be what you see in the mirror. Also, by just doing cardio, you'll lose weight and mass all over, and you'll just end up a smaller version of the same shape. By doing weight training, you'll at least retain mass on the shoulders, legs etc.

 

I too am making sure I keep in shape during the quarantine. I've been housebound for over a fortnight now (bar the supermarket and one day at work) and I think it's going well. My initial plan was just to not be too far behind when the gym reopens, but I've noticed that without being allowed out of the house my diet has improved as I'm not going out twice a week for pizza, burgers and beer. At home I've always cooked 'clean' and I'm continuing to do so during the quarantine.

I've got an exercise bike, a pair of dumbbells and a bench in the garage and I'm using them basically every day. The exercise bike is boring on its own, so I actually spend most of my Pinkun message board time on the bike, as time seems to fly. I've been on the bike for 32 minutes as it stands but it feels like ten because I'm occupied doing something else.

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1 hour ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

Weight training is very important, if not essential for burning fat. The body continues to burn fat for several hours after weight training, whereas it doesn't for cardio. You'll see results a lot faster, and besides, the scales aren't what you should be judging yourself on, it should be what you see in the mirror. Also, by just doing cardio, you'll lose weight and mass all over, and you'll just end up a smaller version of the same shape. By doing weight training, you'll at least retain mass on the shoulders, legs etc.

That's a perspective I hadn't really considered - problem is, I don't really have any weights at home - Need to get some more really - Think we have a set of 3kg dumbbells and an 8kg kettle bell.... any recommendations for stuff I could be doing with those? I've got broad shoulders and big arms/legs anyway so not especially worried about losing mass there - I build muscle in those areas really easily too - I'm naturally really stocky, the bits I need to get rid of are pretty much exclusively belly fat and "love handles"...

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1 hour ago, kick it off said:

That's a perspective I hadn't really considered - problem is, I don't really have any weights at home - Need to get some more really - Think we have a set of 3kg dumbbells and an 8kg kettle bell.... any recommendations for stuff I could be doing with those? I've got broad shoulders and big arms/legs anyway so not especially worried about losing mass there - I build muscle in those areas really easily too - I'm naturally really stocky, the bits I need to get rid of are pretty much exclusively belly fat and "love handles"...

3kg dumbbells won't do too much, to be honest. Maybe you could do the sort of exercises that require lighter dumbbells anyway, such as lateral/front raises. I guess the kettle bell is a bit more useful. You could probably do some raises or curls with it, maybe even lunges, but I've never really been a huge fan of kettle bells personally. I'd recommend getting a pair of dumbbells and some plates that you can add and remove depending on the exercise as a starting point.

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8 hours ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

3kg dumbbells won't do too much, to be honest. Maybe you could do the sort of exercises that require lighter dumbbells anyway, such as lateral/front raises. I guess the kettle bell is a bit more useful. You could probably do some raises or curls with it, maybe even lunges, but I've never really been a huge fan of kettle bells personally. I'd recommend getting a pair of dumbbells and some plates that you can add and remove depending on the exercise as a starting point.

Thanks - that's what I thought re: the weights I have - the dumbbells are the missus' - I'll have to grab some heavier dumbbells - thanks for highlighting the error of my process by the way - started looking into the science type bits of fat burning and can see that actually my strategy wasn't going to be effective long term but I can make changes now to speed up my process and ensure that I'm targetting the right types of fat. Massively helpful as otherwise I'd have ended up doing it all wrong.

Edited by kick it off
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I'm learning to make soap and lotions. I've tried before, but I didn't make it, now it's a time for a second try. It's pretty much calming, all these oils, waxes, scents. Maybe I could make money selling it eventually.

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On 25/03/2020 at 19:06, Block Y Seat 176 said:

Paradiddle and it’s variations for drums........

Paradiddle Variations

These exercises show the Single Paradiddle and it's varia;ons (#1-3). 

Each varia;on is created by beginning the paradiddle a division later. 

Firstly on the "ra", then the "did", and finally the "dle".

#Single Paradiddle

pa- ra- did- dle pa- ra- did- dle

RLRRLRLL


     ra- did- dle- pa ra- did- dle pa
    

LRRLRLLR


     did- dle- pa- ra did- dle- pa- ra
    
RRLRLLRL


      dle- pa- ra- did dle- pa- ra- did
    
RLRLLRLR

 


     

How did I miss this? That's my afternoon sorted. I suspect it will be fun than swearing at ifollow/radio Norfolk!

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On 27/03/2020 at 07:54, kick it off said:

Thanks - that's what I thought re: the weights I have - the dumbbells are the missus' - I'll have to grab some heavier dumbbells - thanks for highlighting the error of my process by the way - started looking into the science type bits of fat burning and can see that actually my strategy wasn't going to be effective long term but I can make changes now to speed up my process and ensure that I'm targetting the right types of fat. Massively helpful as otherwise I'd have ended up doing it all wrong.

Weight training/lifting is also important when you reach 60+ and you start losing muscle. I’ve started back at a gym with excellent health and safety measures in place re Covid including everyone cleaning down after them. It’s definitely lifted my mood etc as well.😂

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I’ve got myself into the best physical shape I’ve probably ever been in. Nutritions on point as well. Ditch simple carbohydrates folks you’ll appreciate it.

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32 minutes ago, Block Y Seat 176 said:

Weight training/lifting is also important when you reach 60+ and you start losing muscle.

What about if you’ve never had muscle ? 😁

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23 minutes ago, Block Y Seat 176 said:

I think you would be classified as a sponge or a blobfish in that case😬

I’ve been called worse on here 😉

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