Health + Fitness

[Mason 47 1,384]

Anyone else do the Only The Brave obstacle race near Thetford today?

My first in 3 years (which I could scarcely believe) and I am feeling it now.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

On 01/10/2022 at 16:23, Mason 47 said:

Anyone else do the Only The Brave obstacle race near Thetford today?

My first in 3 years (which I could scarcely believe) and I am feeling it now.

If you're feeling stiff/sore after workouts, liquid turmeric shots may be very useful. I get a bottle of the bio-fermented stuff (£20 a bottle, lasts a month), and absolutely swear by it.

Legs feeling lighter now, got the Dresden half-marathon in three weeks. Got an amusing bet on here - I will be visiting Dresden along with a friend from Jena. She's said if I get a personal best, she will treat me to a fillet steak - but if I don't, I'll have to eat kangaroo instead.

So I quipped we should call it #MooOrRoo. 

[The Raptor 1,211]

I entered the ballot for the London marathon. Does that count as exercise!?!

Have done for the last 10 or  11 years without any luck.

I'm probably the heaviest and unfitest  I've been for 5-6 years. Haven't run over 5k in the last 3 so you know what's going to happen don't you. Would be just my luck to get in!

[Mason 47 1,384]

On 06/10/2022 at 23:29, TheGunnShow said:

If you're feeling stiff/sore after workouts, liquid turmeric shots may be very useful. I get a bottle of the bio-fermented stuff (£20 a bottle, lasts a month), and absolutely swear by it.

Legs feeling lighter now, got the Dresden half-marathon in three weeks. Got an amusing bet on here - I will be visiting Dresden along with a friend from Jena. She's said if I get a personal best, she will treat me to a fillet steak - but if I don't, I'll have to eat kangaroo instead.

So I quipped we should call it #MooOrRoo. 

I've tried turmeric in the past but didn't find that it made much of a difference to me. But I'm willing to bet that it's more down to me being totally mechanically unsuitable for the level of exercise I put myself through.

That being said, I have an even longer, more difficult obstacle race tomorrow as a testament to never ever learning my lesson 

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

2 hours ago, Mason 47 said:

I've tried turmeric in the past but didn't find that it made much of a difference to me. But I'm willing to bet that it's more down to me being totally mechanically unsuitable for the level of exercise I put myself through.

That being said, I have an even longer, more difficult obstacle race tomorrow as a testament to never ever learning my lesson 

Were those the capsules/tablets or the bio-fermented shots? I didn't like the capsules too much, but found the liquid shots to be game-changers for me, personally speaking. Good luck tomorrow, by the way.
 

22 hours ago, The Raptor said:

I entered the ballot for the London marathon. Does that count as exercise!?!

Have done for the last 10 or  11 years without any luck.

I'm probably the heaviest and unfitest  I've been for 5-6 years. Haven't run over 5k in the last 3 so you know what's going to happen don't you. Would be just my luck to get in!

Good luck with the ballot. I refuse to sign up for London for partially that reason. My stance is pretty extreme and pretty brutal - if an event cannot do something as simple as confirm entry right away, it's not worth the steam off my urine. And when people say "it's because it gets so many entries" my response is always "then they can put the price up!"

But I paid two grand to run in one event in Greenland (it did, tbf, include accommodation, food, race entries, insurance, and flights between Copenhagen and Kangerlussuaq). London's one of the Abbott Marathon majors and is very much a bucket-list marathon for many.

Friendly tip, if you don't get in and want a flat one then Frankfurt should be very high up your list.

[The Raptor 1,211]

I enter the ballot every year but am not fussed about it either way. I've mainly got my eye on the Toronto marathon next autumn. Will be 10 years since I went to do the half there. That depends on finances mainly.

Thanks for the Frankfurt tip. May investigate that.  Hopefully Frankfurt will be at home that weekend!

[littleyellowbirdie 2,555]

I got quite into running after I stopped smoking; I did a 5k in 23 minutes and a 10k in 54 minutes, but have never actually entered a competition. 

I'm fairly stocky though and I've met so many runners with totally shot knees that I tend to just do treadmill running or elliptical during the week with the odd road outing at a weekend now. 

Edited October 9, 2022 by littleyellowbirdie

[Mason 47 1,384]

On 08/10/2022 at 14:09, TheGunnShow said:

Were those the capsules/tablets or the bio-fermented shots? I didn't like the capsules too much, but found the liquid shots to be game-changers for me, personally speaking. Good luck tomorrow, by the way.

It was actually a little homemade cocktail recommend in a book by the trainer for Daniel Craig's James Bond. Ground turmeric, black pepper, lemon juice and a bit of water. I can't say I really saw any difference aside from a quite yellow tumbler glass, but I'll have to look into the shots you talk about.

Race went well, big step up from 'friendly' last weekend to very much 'aggressive' this time. Heavy mud, swamps, double the distance and they saved the shuttle runs up and down forest hills for the final 3 miles. Not sure why I didn't book tomorrow off 😮‍💨

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

1 hour ago, Mason 47 said:

It was actually a little homemade cocktail recommend in a book by the trainer for Daniel Craig's James Bond. Ground turmeric, black pepper, lemon juice and a bit of water. I can't say I really saw any difference aside from a quite yellow tumbler glass, but I'll have to look into the shots you talk about.

Race went well, big step up from 'friendly' last weekend to very much 'aggressive' this time. Heavy mud, swamps, double the distance and they saved the shuttle runs up and down forest hills for the final 3 miles. Not sure why I didn't book tomorrow off 😮‍💨

Black pepper is usually needed for absorption. If you're in a gym they may offer single shots from a company called The Turmeric Company, indeed the DL gym I train at has them in stock. They're pricey for the one shot, and indeed it is a company founded by former Welsh international Hal Robson-Kanu.

Personally, I rate this stuff - at least it works well for me.

Turmeric Vitality Bio-Fermented Turmeric Liquid Forest Berry Flavour 500ml | Holland & Barrett (hollandandbarrett.com)

Edited October 9, 2022 by TheGunnShow

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

2 hours ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

I got quite into running after I stopped smoking; I did a 5k in 23 minutes and a 10k in 54 minutes, but have never actually entered a competition. 

I'm fairly stocky though and I've met so many runners with totally shot knees that I tend to just do treadmill running or elliptical during the week with the odd road outing at a weekend now. 

I do most of my training on the treadmill and in older trainers, and if it's a race then the Adizeros come out. Road running isn't necessarily bad on the knees per se (I speak as someone with close to 60 half-marathons in 16 different countries in the books, and hopefully a screaming epic f*ckton more to come with four booked for next year already, waiting for my favourite event to open so I can sign up for that too), but I would hazard that a lot of runners don't get trainers that are best suited to their gait, and that this is a root cause of a lot of knee-related problems.

I'd also surmise a lot of runners put too many running miles into their trainers before replacing them. I'd say get into the habit of buying two pairs at once - and if you're training regularly, alternate the shoes so they have more time for the foam to "recuperate" and maintain support for longer.

[The Raptor 1,211]

On 07/10/2022 at 15:18, The Raptor said:

I entered the ballot for the London marathon. Does that count as exercise!?!

Have done for the last 10 or  11 years without any luck.

I'm probably the heaviest and unfitest  I've been for 5-6 years. Haven't run over 5k in the last 3 so you know what's going to happen don't you. Would be just my luck to get in!

Wahoo! I didn't get in. I can concentrate on shouting at runners as they go past Instead!

[Van wink 2,994]

Avoid the bath if you want to live a long healthy life!

'World's dirtiest man' dies at 94 shortly after taking first bath in decades

Iranian Amou Haji had for decades avoided eating fresh food and showering over fears of getting sick

By Campbell MacDiarmid 25 October 2022 • 2:24pm

 

Amou Haji's skin and clothes were black with filth after refusing to wash for decades Credit: AFP

An Iranian man nicknamed the "dirtiest man in the world" for living in filth and not washing for decades has died at the age of 94, state media reported on Tuesday.

Amou Haji, who did not wash for more than half a century, died on Sunday in the village of Dejgah in the southern province of Fars, IRNA news agency reported.

For decades he had avoided eating fresh food and showering over fears of getting sick, the agency quoted a local official as saying.

Mr Haji had been taken to a bath by some villagers to wash himself just a few months before his deathCredit: AFP

But "for the first time a few months ago, villagers had taken him to a bathroom to wash," IRNA reported.

“Not long after, he fell ill and finally, on Sunday… he gave up his life,” it reported.

Though Amou Hajji had never married and apparently had no family, the eccentric was viewed with some affection by local villagers, who reportedly built him a cinderblock shack so he would stop sleeping in a hole in the ground.

He became an object of curiosity in recent years, with people posting video of his strange behaviour, which included smoking up to five cigarettes at once, or smoking dung from a metal plumbing joint.

[The Raptor 1,211]

I'm reading this in the bath. I'm worried now!!

[Van wink 2,994]

14 hours ago, The Raptor said:

I'm reading this in the bath. I'm worried now!!

It’s the Navy shower for me, much better in so many ways and maybe lower risk😉

[GodlyOtsemobor 2,327]

Maybe all the crap was holding the poor fella together 🤣

[Van wink 2,994]

9 hours ago, GodlyOtsemobor said:

Maybe all the crap was holding the poor fella together 🤣

A bit like Dean Smith

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

Dresden half-marathon last weekend. Was going for a PB and the friend I was seeing made it more entertaining by proposing a bet. If I clocked up a PB she'd treat me to a fillet steak in one of Dresden's top eateries, an Australian-themed place called Ayers Rock. And if I didn't, she'd serve me kangaroo meat.

Anyway, I crossed the starting line, hit the Garmin, and ... nothing worked. Faffed around with it on the run for the first kilometre, nothing. Basically, I had to go totally old-school with the half-mara, running on gut instinct. Missed a PB by 3 mins and 40 seconds.

Skippy tasted good though with buttered broccoli.

EDIT: Might as well lob a couple of pics in - the soup was kangaroo goulash soup, and then the main course was a kangaroo steak. Taste was initially similar to beef, became quite grainy mid-bite/chew, and finished towards venison and was ultimately an intriguing blend of the two.

Edited November 6, 2022 by TheGunnShow

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

Bumping back up as preparations for Verona get moving. First time I've ran over 11km on the treadmill since the Dresden half-marathon at the end of October. Did 14km in a bit under 80 minutes, so wasn't trying very hard. All about getting the fairly leisurely mileage in there without draining the tank too much. Got six weeks to be ready for the race so I'll aim to get the half-mara distance done at least twice beforehand, and preferably nearer two weeks beforehand with the second one.

Need a shorter race. There's a flat 5K in Lancaster and I have some vouchers for Lancaster Race Series events anyway, so might chuck them in for that.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

Anyone using the NHS Tracker on BBC News Homepage? Gives some information on how your NHS Trust is performing.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

Had the good fortune to wreck my half-marathon personal best in Verona today. Old PB was 1:42:20, did this in 1:40:46.

And it caught me flying past the Roman-era Arena di Verona and I was going really well here with 3km left. Apologies for wearing blue, it was merely a nod to Italy and its usual colour.

[The Raptor 1,211]

I rarely get a Saturday morning off Work so I've made the most of it. Did parkrun for the first time since 2019 this morning. I managed to run about 75% of it. The furthest I've run in years! Quick McDonalds breakfast afterwards. Typing this on an exercise bike at the gym.

Then it's home for a long bath then an afternoon building Lego, drinking beer and listening to radio Norfolk!

[Nuff Said 5,146]

Anyone tried the Zoe program? I’ve been reading for a while now about how important a healthy microbiome is, and I like to think mine must be up there. But I’m still curious to take the tests, which are much wider than just gut health, and see the results. A colleague raves about the difference it’s made to him, although from what he’s said, it’s mainly because it’s spurred him to eat better/more appropriately and treat sleep with more respect.

[littleyellowbirdie 2,555]

1 hour ago, Nuff Said said:

Anyone tried the Zoe program? I’ve been reading for a while now about how important a healthy microbiome is, and I like to think mine must be up there. But I’m still curious to take the tests, which are much wider than just gut health, and see the results. A colleague raves about the difference it’s made to him, although from what he’s said, it’s mainly because it’s spurred him to eat better/more appropriately and treat sleep with more respect.

Haven't come across that specifically,   but for the last few months, I've taken to having kefir in the morning blended with red fruit, apple, and honey, mixing part of it in with oats to  make it a bit filling and drinking the rest. I'm pretty sure my digestive system is working much better. I definitely have less indigestion.

[Nuff Said 5,146]

12 hours ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

Haven't come across that specifically,   but for the last few months, I've taken to having kefir in the morning blended with red fruit, apple, and honey, mixing part of it in with oats to  make it a bit filling and drinking the rest. I'm pretty sure my digestive system is working much better. I definitely have less indigestion.

I’ve been making my own kefir for a few years, it’s a little bit and miss but just around how long to let it ferment for and how much of the grains you use. I was suffering with mild IBS-type symptoms and it totally cleared it up.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

25km knocked out on the treadmill this morning. First time in ages where I've gone that far in one shot. Best of all, there still felt, odd muscle tweaks and twinges notwithstanding when building up distance, like there was a heck of a lot in the tank. Did that in 2:19:30 or thereabouts.

5-min cool down, and deliberately had a 3-mile walk home with the rucksack of kit (I live a mile from my gym, but will always walk a far longer route to shake a workout out of my limbs). Looking good with Prague coming up in just under 4 weeks, and with a PB from Verona 3 weeks ago.

[The Raptor 1,211]

Most pointless thing ever. Walking on a treadmill in the gym. Go outside and save yourself £18 a month!

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

1 hour ago, The Raptor said:

Most pointless thing ever. Walking on a treadmill in the gym. Go outside and save yourself £18 a month!

Depends, if it's part of a cooldown or an active recovery session between intervals, it makes perfect sense.

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

On 06/10/2022 at 23:29, TheGunnShow said:

She's said if I get a personal best, she will treat me to a fillet steak - but if I don't, I'll have to eat kangaroo instead.

Win-win. Kangaroo is tasty.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

3 minutes ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

Win-win. Kangaroo is tasty.

Funny taste though when I had it. Initial bite was very similar to beef steak, then I found it was quite grainy in the mid-bite and later tastes were much more like a fairly mild venison. Quite liked it as roo steak, but it was excellent in soup.

Whale's possibly the oddest thing I've eaten. Hardly "fishy" in terms of smell or taste, even though we had it off an open grill sailing around Svalbard. Can safely say I'm not in a hurry to try it again, even with next January's trip to Tromso lined up. 

Now reindeer, on the other hand.... Miss TGS has already been told of the little restaurant/viewing platform at Storsteinen and the reindeer soup served there...

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

Just now, TheGunnShow said:

Whale's possibly the oddest thing I've eaten. Hardly "fishy" in terms of smell or taste, even though we had it off an open grill sailing around Svalbard. Can safely say I'm not in a hurry to try it again, even with next January's trip to Tromso lined up. 

Sounds similar to the shark steak I ate in the much less impressive surroundings of Lowestoft. Really chewy as well. Chewy fish. Not in a rush to eat again.