Dieting, execise, our health (Page 1 of 4)

I work out at least 3 times a week doing cardio with weights for about 40 minutes.  It's like killing two birds with one stone.  If I'm doing lunges or squats, I always do so with weights in my hands--usually only 3 or 5 lbs. though, I'm no body builder.  It's not easy but I'm happy with the results and feel better when I do.  I also watch my caloric and fat intake during my meals and select whole grains whenever possible and replace ground beef with ground turkey, etc.  I also try to drink at least 60 ounces of water a day, which during the winter months can be difficult.

Is that some kind of wig? I try to have my '5-a-day'. Supposed to be fresh fruit and veg but usually 5...and sometimes 4 too....are Peroni.

I regularly do:

Yoga on a Monday night for 1 1/2 hours (lots of stretching, muscle tone, breathing, balance, inverted postures - great for bad backs, release of tension and overall fitness/feeling of wellbieng) - if I could do no other excercise I would always do yoga

Tuesdays and Thursdays (2 hours each night):

Step aerobics (10 mins warm up, 40 mins step, 10 mins cool down/tone/weights)/20-20-20 (thats 20 cardio (sometimes step/sometimes aerobics), 20 weights, 20 toning)

I use 3lb weights for the 2 hour sessions, 5lb weights if I only do a one hour session, also 5lb leg weights when I feel like, sometimes use the pilates resistance bands but really hate the smell (rubber uuggh!) so tend to stick to weights

Ad hoc:

Gym (mainly a circuit or alternating cardio/weights) - when I can - though with study etc that has slipped a bit lately

I tend to go for higher weights here (10lbs - 30lbs upper body (arms), 30lbs - 45lbs lower body (legs))

I use the yoga sun-salutation and down dog/up dog and some stretches to warm up / cool down

As of two weeks ago I started the slim fast diet (as modified a bit by me)

This consists of:

shake for breakfast 220kcal (added fibre) - this can either be slim fast, generic brand or complan (its all the same stuff)
lots of water in between
apple for morning snack (feel the fat burning) say 50-60kcal
more water
Shake for lunch 220kcal (added fibre)
yet more water
Normal evening meal being circa 600kcal usually low fat, low carb, high protein
more water
fresh fruit salad with 1/2 pot of activia fat free yoghurt and pure fruit juice (to benefit the insides )
Water before bed to stop dehydration setting in

I do drink tea/black coffee which is very naughty as i'm undoing all the hard work with the water by drinking diuretics but youv'e got to or life gets really boring - also the odd 40kcal hot chocolate drink to pretend that i'm having something sweet

4lbs lost so far (now under the 11 stone mark) phew!
Aiming for around 9 1/2 stone (in increments) (i'm 5'4" so this is about right for my build (standard muscular))

My stats are circa 39, 30, 37
Aimed stats circa 36, 27, 36

I also got my other half involved in that he does weights at home (5lbs) mainly arm excercises, some yoga moves and stretching and stomach excercises that i've shown him

He is also on the same slim fast diet as me and has lost 6lbs in the last two weeks

He's aiming to impove his waist measurement and to get fitter (be able to breathe better)

He is contemplating getting a bicycle and giving up smoking as further steps towards better health

Vicky

"Stellar" a word used by Joe Bonamassa (also apt as a description of the man himself )

Wow, now you are getting serious!!...good for you Vicki...I do what my wife says are yoga exercises in the morning....I stretch every morning for about 15 minutes....I alternate push ups and arm execises during the week...and do bicycle pedals lying on my back for abs, they work very well for toning.....I actually stretched a forearm tendon with 20lb barbells!...now I know I'm getting old...I used to run with the dog at the park (50 to 70 yard sprints) barefoot on the long grass, but the city makes me keep my dog on a leash, so now I just walk him a couple of miles at night...my diet has been the most dramatic, I had very high blood sugar, so I quit drinking and watch what I eat, I thought it would be real difficult to change some unhealthy habits, but when the doctor says you can die like my dad did (miserable) I said enough is enough....if not for the 5 bulging disks, I'm doing pretty good I guess

Dave

Question for ReverendPaul - what is Zazen meditation? Sounds good

The most rewarding part about yoga is the de-stressing

You can start a class really wound up from a crappy day at work and finish it floating on air without a care in the world

I did tai chi for a while but its hard to memorise all of the moves especially if you miss classes and the physical benefits are not as pronounced as yoga - I did learn a lot about breathing correctly though (its a very measured disciplne and each move has an associated in / out breath)

Its hard to work out enough when you work full time and study as well so although I listed my "regular" regime this sometimes get disrupted e.g. when really busy at work and doing extra hours or when cramming for exams

I do try to stick to at least the three nights a week regime though even if it is a mad dash from work to home to the fitness centre - I gave Yoga a miss to see Joe in Liverpool but that just had to be done didn't it?

Vicky

"Stellar" a word used by Joe Bonamassa (also apt as a description of the man himself )

I was going to the gym 3 days a week...alternated between the treadmill, the elliptical machine and the bike, usually 20 to 30 minutes total.
Then I'd hit the weights for a half hour or so: eight or nine various machines, 3 sets of 10 each.
God, I've got a long road back. I haven't done much since shoulder surgery in April. PT has been lots of range of motion stuff and recently very light weights (I'm up to 3 pounds...woohooo!) and therabands.
The good news is I'm ahead of my rehab schedule by a month and should be back to a normal routine by mid September.
The bad news is I've gotten a little soft from 8 months of inactivity. I'm gonna ache for awhile after starting back.

Eventually...nevertheless I'm adding life to my years. 

cheateddeathtwicenow
Iamtheprodigalson

Geoff

I do the form "Hatha" yoga

There are different types or forms of yoga but this is the form most widely practiced in the west

Hatha yoga includes moral teaching, physical excercise (including asanas (postures)), breath control (pranayama) and meditation

Most classes focus on excerise and postures (my yoga teacher incorporates a small amount of the other disciplines into the class and I personally find that these provide a more balanced session - the breathing and meditation are especially therapeutic and the moral "lectures" usually in the form of a reading during the "relaxation" stage of the class provide food for thought)

The class itself usually consists of an initial clearing of the mind to prepare for the yoga practice, followed by warm up excercises (a lot of stretching, movement of the joints etc (usually accompanied by specific breathing exercises - inhalation ,holding of the breath and exhalation)), then postures (a mix of standing postures like warrior, triangle etc, balances like the dancer, eagle etc floor postures such a the pigeon, the boat, the plank, forward bends etc including inverted postures (basically upside down) like the shoulder stand, plough etc)) , then further stretching, maybe meditation, then relaxation

Sometimes my teacher chooses specific areas of focus like the chakras (spinig wheels of energy stemming from the spinal column (energy centres)) of which there are seven (lower body, reproductive organs, naval, heart, throat, foreheaad and the top of the head) each chakra having its own associated characteristics e.g. the throat chakra is associated with communication and growth, while the heart chakra is associated with love, compassion, equilibrium and wellbeing

Focus is on how the body is feeling, clearing the mind, focusing on the yoga practice, leaving behind the day and not looking beyond the end of the class, just emmersing yourself in the practice

The postures are meant to cleanse the body and remove toxins, the breath is meant to do the same for the mind

Hatha yoga is a preparation for meditation but only lightly touches on it

I am no expert having practiced only once a week for the past couple of years but find the physical benefits to be no backache, no tension headache, better breathing when doing cardio providing more oxygen to the muscles, better digestive transit, balance, co-ordination, core strength (strengthening of back, stomach, gluteal, thigh, hamstring, chest etc), flexibility (I can now touch my nose with my toe) etc, the mental benefits are in my opinion infinite and I would say personal to each individual practicing yoga - suffice it to say that it de-stresses, aids concentration, gives a general sense of well-bieng and balance

Does this help?

P.S. My class only has two male participants but I beleive that this is not necessarily the "norm", there is an even mix of male and female teachers (yogis/yoginis) and I believe that the discipline is followed equally by men and women

All you really need initially is a yoga mat although some health centres do provide these

There are several yoga "tools" like straps, blocks etc and these can be quite useful especially when first starting out (for instance the straps can assist you to stretch further, whilst the blocks can be used to open the chest in relaxation or to support the back in sitting positions or as a prop when you find it difficult to reach the floor in some of the psoture work)

Again hope this helps

Vicky

"Stellar" a word used by Joe Bonamassa (also apt as a description of the man himself )