Talk to me about being healthier

While all the exercises listed are fine and keeping up one's aerobic threshold is an admirable thing to do (the heart likes it).  For weight management and metabolic happiness, strength training is where it's at.  Build lean muscle and you'll burn more calories all the time.

I was a pretty high level athlete back in the day and while I don't work out much anymore, big shoulders and healthy thighs means that I'm stronger than most people my age and it's a part (the other being genetics) of why I can eat most anything I want.

Portion management, this is key.  You've noticed I'm sure that most restaurants give you a portion that is literally twice as much as you should eat.  Practice eating less.  Have an extra glass of water with your meal if needed to feel full and take half of your food home in a doggy bag.  Your stomach is an amazing thing and will rapidly get used to smaller portions. 

We westerners have gotten so accustomed to putting something into our bellies at the slightest hint of a hunger cue we've forgotten that the natural state for mankind is to be hungry most of the time. 

93EXCivic said:

I'd say my number one, two and three problems are portion sizes and then sugar. I love me some dark chocolate. Also I have a cup of hot tea every afternoon with a lump of sugar and milk but I have been doing that since I was probably 8 (my dad is British) and that is one thing (with the occasionally craft beer) that I won't give up. 

What about substituting honey for the sugar in your tea, or anywhere else that you'd be adding refined sugar?

Dark chocolate isn't so bad for you. I've been trending more toward a Paleo diet lately and cutting out baked goods/sweets, but I do allow myself some dark chocolate if fruit won't cut it for my sweet tooth.

My MIL has RA, and it's been very interesting for me to see the effects that food can have on inflammation in the body. If you want to feel better, reducing inflammation can reduce joint pain quite a bit. That means lots of fiber, fruits and veggies. And drink lots of water.

Also, it wouldn't be right if I replied to a wellness thread and didn't suggest weight lifting to somebody, so go pick up some heavy stuff. Adding muscle in the right areas will help support weak joints and reduce the likelihood of injury. You'll burn more calories, and sleep way better. Just make sure you don't overeat as a result of your new found hunger.

pres589 said:

I believe the one fruit juice that hasn't been roundly dismissed by modern dietitians has been tomato juice.  The problem with that one is how most of the time it's heavily salted.

Best way to get your fruit is to eat it, not drink it, basically.  

Depends on what you mean exactly here by "roundly dismissed". Most dietitians I know (including my wife--and there are about 5 RD's that I interact with regularly) have no problems with most juice when used in its intended serving sizes AND does not have added sugar. They also all say that it is better to eat the whole fruit. It is why smoothies are way better than juice; you don't loose the fiber and the phytonutrients that are usually bound to the fiber. We typically don't keep any juice in our house.

Oh, and the serving size for most juices is about 8 oz. 1 cup. Not much.

In reply to Robbie :

yeah, i ran out of dried cranberries a while ago and never replenished.   i will give the peanut butter a try as well.

Here is my take. For exercise, Try everything and see what you like. Switch it up some. Find things you like because at the end of the day, you will be the one to get going out the door everyday to do something. It could be cyclecross, Running, Swimming, Paddling, martial arts, circuits at the gym, or whatever. But what ever you do, stretch when you are done and if it's a repetitive motion exercise, a good foam roller/massage balls after the workout is always a good thing. 

At your age, my ankles were always sore and hurting and I thought there was no way in the world I'd ever run etc. Well, some exercise and daily stretching/rolling and man, they feel so much better. I'm running a 50K trail race this summer over some crazy terrain in Vancouver.  So don't discount something because of pain you currently have.  Muscle strengthening can usually help that. 

Cut processed sugar replace it with honey

Snacks I love dried cherries much better than most other dried fruit also eat a lot of nuts unsalted  both stay good in your desk for a long time

Meals Eat Fresh Foods stay away from cans and boxes a pork chop on a fire and some steamed vegetables do not take very long , microgreens are delicious and pack a serious bunch of nutrition

Exercise have a truckload of 8-foot logs delivered to your house buy a one-man cross-cut saw an axe and a splitting wedge. Even if you don't burn wood you can sell it for more than double what you have got into it once it is split

In reply to pilotbraden :

You're a genius about the exercise. Why pay to exercise? Make that exercise pay you!

Don't have a ton of time to post now, will try to do more later, but a few quick suggestions (I'm 45 years old and in very good physical shape, if I do say so myself).

First, the number on the scale shouldn't be your sole guide.  You can easily be 210lbs at your height and be extraordinarily healthy...in fact more healthy than you'd be at 190lbs. 

Don't turn into a cardio bunny...your exercise should not be all cardio (walking, running, biking, eliptical, etc...).  Unless you are very specifically feeding your body for that type of routine...which 99.9% of people don't, you'll wind up looking skinny but not be all that healthy.  Have a properly balanced nutrition of protein, fats, carbs, and your exercise should include some form of weight training.  No, you don't need to go full Hanz and Franz, but weight training will do FAR more for you than a stationary bike or a run.

I'm going through a similar deal right now. I just hit 36, and I haven't been close to healthy in a good 12-15 years. I've gained a ton of weight from being sedentary, lethargic, and apathetic toward exercise and health. 

Last year, I started to change my ways, and started by hitting the gym. The wife and I got a membership to the local YMCA and I started working out regularly. I did well for a few months, and then I had a freak kitchen accident which involved stabbing myself in the foot, both literally and figuratively, and that was my excuse to sit on my butt for another 6 months. And when I stopped going, so did the wife. I ballooned up even further. It became hard to get up in the morning and move around, and everything hurt all the time. 

About a month ago, we decided to get back onboard with the gym. So far, with just cutting back with the junk/fast food and working out every other day, I feel a lot better. I have only lost 6-7lbs so far, but I feel lighter on my feet than I have in a long time, and I feel like I gain strength every time I go, which makes it fun! I've avoided a true "diet" so far, and instead have cut back on the bad, shrunk portions, making sure to get enough fiber protein, and upped my water intake in lieu of other crap. From that alone, I also feel "cleaner" and healthier. 

Right now, I'm sitting at a disgusting 380lbs. I should be around 225. I WILL be at that weight again. I have a long road ahead of me, but I've got the pedal to the metal and I'm not letting up. You just have to decide to do it, and commit to it. 

Tony Sestito said:

I'm going through a similar deal right now. I just hit 36, and I haven't been close to healthy in a good 12-15 years. I've gained a ton of weight from being sedentary, lethargic, and apathetic toward exercise and health. 

Last year, I started to change my ways, and started by hitting the gym. The wife and I got a membership to the local YMCA and I started working out regularly. I did well for a few months, and then I had a freak kitchen accident which involved stabbing myself in the foot, both literally and figuratively, and that was my excuse to sit on my butt for another 6 months. And when I stopped going, so did the wife. I ballooned up even further. It became hard to get up in the morning and move around, and everything hurt all the time. 

About a month ago, we decided to get back onboard with the gym. So far, with just cutting back with the junk/fast food and working out every other day, I feel a lot better. I have only lost 6-7lbs so far, but I feel lighter on my feet than I have in a long time, and I feel like I gain strength every time I go, which makes it fun! I've avoided a true "diet" so far, and instead have cut back on the bad, shrunk portions, making sure to get enough fiber protein, and upped my water intake in lieu of other crap. From that alone, I also feel "cleaner" and healthier. 

Right now, I'm sitting at a disgusting 380lbs. I should be around 225. I WILL be at that weight again. I have a long road ahead of me, but I've got the pedal to the metal and I'm not letting up. You just have to decide to do it, and commit to it. 

 

I wish you the best of luck!  Stay motivated, stay committed.  I'm very happy to hear you say you're not doing a "diet".  I sort of hate that word because of all the negative things it can imply.  It takes discipline, but make sure you're eating the right foods, in the right portions.  It's all about getting the proper protein, carbs and fats, in the right balance.  Starving yourself, which is what a lof of people equate "diet" with, is NOT the answer.  It can get monotonous, trust me.  If I eat one more plain boneless, skinless chicken breast I think I'll start to E36 M3 feathers.  But it works. 

Keep at it in the gym, don't let anything get in your way.  The hardest part is getting into the routine.  Once it's firmly entrenched in your daily/weekly routine, it becomes second nature.  Do weight training and throw some cardio in.  Stick with it, stick with it, stick with it.  About 4 years ago, I had pretty significant surgery on my hip.  The surgery was done on a Friday, I was back in the gym on Tuesday...yes, on crutches and only doing upper body stuff using all machines where I could sit, but I refused to let myself get out of the routine of working out.  If you stick with the proper nutrition and working hard at the gym, things will start to happen quick.  No, you won't drop 100lbs in 6 weeks, but day by day things will start to turn.

Klayfish said:

Don't have a ton of time to post now, will try to do more later, but a few quick suggestions (I'm 45 years old and in very good physical shape, if I do say so myself).

First, the number on the scale shouldn't be your sole guide.  You can easily be 210lbs at your height and be extraordinarily healthy...in fact more healthy than you'd be at 190lbs. 

Don't turn into a cardio bunny...your exercise should not be all cardio (walking, running, biking, eliptical, etc...).  Unless you are very specifically feeding your body for that type of routine...which 99.9% of people don't, you'll wind up looking skinny but not be all that healthy.  Have a properly balanced nutrition of protein, fats, carbs, and your exercise should include some form of weight training.  No, you don't need to go full Hanz and Franz, but weight training will do FAR more for you than a stationary bike or a run.

I am assuming yoga and pushups, situp, etc don't count as cardio. But either way cardio is going to a big focus for me because ultimate frisbee requires good cardio and right now that is really lacking for me.

MazdaFace said:

Cycling. Cycling cycling cycling. Contrary to what most bike shops will tell you, you don't need to spend 2k to get something nice enough to ride around on. I wouldn't recommend the walmart route either but 500-600 range is usually good reliable enough. then get yourself a nashbar trainer and start doing the GCN videos on youtube. problem solved. 

I bought the bike I used to commute to work on (a late-80's Fuji racing bike) for $40 at a yard sale 15 years ago, and then spent $100 getting the things on it that needed replacing fixed. I've likely spent $1000 in the intervening time on it (just had the whole 'drivetrain' replaced since it badly needed it), but every time I've had it in for work the shops have commented how solid of a bike it is and perfect for what I use it for, and I've gotten far more value out of it than any powered vehicle I've ever bought.

Klayfish said:

Tony Sestito said:

I'm going through a similar deal right now. I just hit 36, and I haven't been close to healthy in a good 12-15 years. I've gained a ton of weight from being sedentary, lethargic, and apathetic toward exercise and health. 

Last year, I started to change my ways, and started by hitting the gym. The wife and I got a membership to the local YMCA and I started working out regularly. I did well for a few months, and then I had a freak kitchen accident which involved stabbing myself in the foot, both literally and figuratively, and that was my excuse to sit on my butt for another 6 months. And when I stopped going, so did the wife. I ballooned up even further. It became hard to get up in the morning and move around, and everything hurt all the time. 

About a month ago, we decided to get back onboard with the gym. So far, with just cutting back with the junk/fast food and working out every other day, I feel a lot better. I have only lost 6-7lbs so far, but I feel lighter on my feet than I have in a long time, and I feel like I gain strength every time I go, which makes it fun! I've avoided a true "diet" so far, and instead have cut back on the bad, shrunk portions, making sure to get enough fiber protein, and upped my water intake in lieu of other crap. From that alone, I also feel "cleaner" and healthier. 

Right now, I'm sitting at a disgusting 380lbs. I should be around 225. I WILL be at that weight again. I have a long road ahead of me, but I've got the pedal to the metal and I'm not letting up. You just have to decide to do it, and commit to it. 

 

I wish you the best of luck!  Stay motivated, stay committed.  I'm very happy to hear you say you're not doing a "diet".  I sort of hate that word because of all the negative things it can imply.  It takes discipline, but make sure you're eating the right foods, in the right portions.  It's all about getting the proper protein, carbs and fats, in the right balance.  Starving yourself, which is what a lof of people equate "diet" with, is NOT the answer.  It can get monotonous, trust me.  If I eat one more plain boneless, skinless chicken breast I think I'll start to E36 M3 feathers.  But it works. 

Keep at it in the gym, don't let anything get in your way.  The hardest part is getting into the routine.  Once it's firmly entrenched in your daily/weekly routine, it becomes second nature.  Do weight training and throw some cardio in.  Stick with it, stick with it, stick with it.  About 4 years ago, I had pretty significant surgery on my hip.  The surgery was done on a Friday, I was back in the gym on Tuesday...yes, on crutches and only doing upper body stuff using all machines where I could sit, but I refused to let myself get out of the routine of working out.  If you stick with the proper nutrition and working hard at the gym, things will start to happen quick.  No, you won't drop 100lbs in 6 weeks, but day by day things will start to turn.

I've tried "diets" before. Every time, I lost weight, but got bored, and gained it back plus more. I've also seen others try the trendy ones and fail HARD. For instance, some lady I used to work with made a big deal about the Paleo diet and tried to get everyone in our group to try it. No one bit. She lost a ton of weight, right away. She left the team for another position, and we didn't see her for about 6 months. When we did, all of the weight was back plus another 30+lbs, and was onto the next trendy diet, trying to lose it again.

I keep it simple: I just cut back. I cut back on soda, beer (yes, beer), and fast food. I don't deprive myself of them completely, because that's how you relapse. It's almost like an addiction, in a way. 

As far as the gym goes, here's my routine: I go for about an hour, every other day or at least 3 times a week. I start off with a mile on the treadmill, walking fast (I can't run, my knees suck). That takes me about 17min right now. Then, I hit the machines. I mix it up every time, but I'll do some of the following: back extensions, torso twists, ab crunches, leg presses, leg curls and pullbacks, the rowing machine, shoulder presses, bicep curls, tricep pulldowns, and more. I sometimes use the elliptical too, but usually stick to the treadmill. So far, the mix of cardio and focused training has helped, and it doesn't hurt as much just to move around like it did before. 

In reply to Tony Sestito :

Try to keep your sugar under 36 grams each day. It's not a diet, it's a "change to your diet".

93EXCivic said:

Klayfish said:

Don't have a ton of time to post now, will try to do more later, but a few quick suggestions (I'm 45 years old and in very good physical shape, if I do say so myself).

First, the number on the scale shouldn't be your sole guide.  You can easily be 210lbs at your height and be extraordinarily healthy...in fact more healthy than you'd be at 190lbs. 

Don't turn into a cardio bunny...your exercise should not be all cardio (walking, running, biking, eliptical, etc...).  Unless you are very specifically feeding your body for that type of routine...which 99.9% of people don't, you'll wind up looking skinny but not be all that healthy.  Have a properly balanced nutrition of protein, fats, carbs, and your exercise should include some form of weight training.  No, you don't need to go full Hanz and Franz, but weight training will do FAR more for you than a stationary bike or a run.

I am assuming yoga and pushups, situp, etc don't count as cardio. But either way cardio is going to a big focus for me because ultimate frisbee requires good cardio and right now that is really lacking for me.

Nothing wrong with training for endurance, a lot of people do.  I'm no professional by any stretch, just someone who enjoys working out and nutrition.  There are many different ways to accomplish it, depending on your goals.  I train more for muscle/strength than I do endurance.  If you're doing endurance, go for it, just make sure you feed yourself right.  When I say "cardio bunny", what I'm referring to is the stereotype of someone who comes in and does nothing but the treadmill for an hour, then goes home and eats nothing but a salad.  That's not really a great way to go about it.

In reply to Tony Sestito :

Yes, fad diets can end in epic failure, at least from everything I've heard and know about them.  Not a fan.  Just solid, basic nutrition (barring medical issues).

One option you can look into for your workout is doing body sections/parts in isolation, instead of doing all body parts each time you're in the gym.  If you go 3x per week, you don't need to do arms, back, legs, shoulders, chest, etc...each time.  For example, do legs and abs every Monday, back and shoulders every Wednesday, chest and arms every Friday.  That will give each muscle group a hard workout, and then give them adequate time to rest/recover before you do it again.  As for the treadmill, don't sweat it.  You may only walk now, but as you get stronger and build muscle in your legs, you may be able to do more.  My knees are crap too, had both operated on many years ago, etc...  When I first started training (about 12-15 years ago), for cardio I literally did nothing but walk.  Then the next week, I did all walking and ran the last 30 seconds...literally.  The next week was 45 seconds, then a minute, etc...  Within a few months, I ran a 5k.  You may not progress that fast, but you get the concept.  Cardio is only a small part of my routine, I'm probably 75-80% lifting, and top it off with some cardio, but my knees are better now than they were 15 years ago.

there's a lot of good info in this thread. 

Tony, best of luck man.   No more foot stabbings!  One of the best take-aways IMO is you're not "dieting", you're "improving your caloric intake."

5'9" and 190 lbs and 46 years old.  It's almost entirely hereditary but like I said before, strength training.  Muscles are where it's at.

 

Thanks for the suggestions on smoothies. Do I need to add protein powder? 

I have hiking trails about a half mile walk from my house and we hike usually any weekend it is nice enough to.

Protein powder entirely optional. Smoothies are kind of like pizza, not really a wrong way to make them just put in what you like.

Set a goal that isn't  solely based on how much you weigh. What do you want to look like? How do you want to perform? 

Ill be 29 tomorrow and over weight for my height. 5'8" 190lbs but I'm in amazing shape both visually and performance. I don't follow any diet fads or particular workout programs (commercial types).

At around 15 years old I was already in amazing shape because of wrestling and martial arts but I decided to give up fast food, soda, juice, snack cakes, pasta, and fried food. Never had alcohol or smoked. I felt a lot healthier and energetic shortly after. I don't miss those things and don't even think about eating them. I do eat a lot veggies, beef rarely, chicken,and fish. I dont take supplements but eat yogurt regularly.

 It's a lifestyle change that's mostly in your mind. Find out the things that trigger those cravings and desires. Also, get better sleep, stay around positive people, and strengthen your mind and gain knowledge. Being healthy is a whole person ordeal not just physical. I've had many things that made it very hard like having a kid, deployments, ridiculous work hours, crippling injuries. 

As far as losing the weight dont count out running just because of bad knees. You might want to do a running clinic that'll teach you the appropriate mechanics and footwear. Sprints does wonders for increasing your cardio endurance. Biking and swimming are great too. Please add in lifting/strength training, you don't have to be a gym bro rack slammer to get the benefits. It's great for weight management and it'll make your joints happy too. Yoga keeps your muscles and body happy as well as help build those tiny muscles that get skipped during typical exercise routines. 

Once you reach your goal, try your best to maintain it which means you shouldn't slack on what you've been doing. Instead, find more to do and remain active. 

In reply to 93EXCivic :

For Ultimate cardio, run 200s, 400s, and 800s. 

Easy 800 warmup, stretch, do some plyos, then 2x200, 4x400, 2x800, 2x200 and a 100. Do not manage energy, all should be flat-out. 

93EXCivic said:

 

As far as exercise, I have added a step tracking app to my phone and I am pushing myself to get in about an extra 2000 steps a day over what I did previously (from 6000-7000 to 8000-9000). I am also trying to add calisthenics every other day and yoga the other day. I am hoping to add a decent amount of biking (particularly mountain biking) in the near future. I hate with an the burning passion of a thousand suns gyms. Anyone have any suggestions on the exercise front? Either exercises, exercise programs, tips, etc.   

For eating, my wife and I eat out probably 2-3 times a week and probably have frozen processed quick meals one more time a week. I end up going out to eat lunch at work 1-2 times a week. We also probably eat to much processed foods. I enjoy cooking but time is a major factor. My wife and I seem to both be home in the evenings like once or twice a week during the week so finding time can be a problem for us. I want to cut our eating out together down to twice a week max. We enjoy going out to eat so I don't want to completely remove that and try to remove frozen processed meals completely. I am going to cut my going out to eat at work down. Also my wife is pretty picky eater. Tracking my calories over the past several days as shown me 1. that I get to much sodium and 2. I don't get enough fruits and veggies. Currently my breakfast is either a breakfast bar (not filling enough) or a "light" microwavable breakfast sandwich. I want to try replace these with smoothies. Anyway I would love advice on smoothies, on healthy low sodium snacks that I can just shove in my desk at work (other then just fruit), on recipes that are good at hiding veggies and recipes that are super super quick to make. Any of tips, tricks or anything would be awesome? 

And finally how do you make changes like these stick and become a habit?

Stop eating out immediately, even if you only do it for a month. Just about everything you eat in a restaurant, as well as your prepackaged meals is sabotaging your progress. It's too easy to negate several days of hard work just by eating a bad/large/processed meal.

Breakfast bars, protein bars, and any other bars are junk food. You may as well be eating a chocolate bar because that's pretty much what most of them are. You need to eat real food - and not frozen/processed meals.

Smoothies are really popular and mostly bad.  It's really good to eat fruit. It's really bad to drink fruit. You're ingesting too much sugar without the fibre. One of the most important rules of losing and managing weight is to NEVER  drink your calories. In theory a smoothie is good. In practice it won't fill you up sufficiently and you'll end up either snacking or eating another meal and in the end just adding more calories and sugar to your diet. A protein shake is ok if you do it right. Not too much fruit, sugar, milk or calories, but ONLY if it's truly a meal replacement and not a snack.

There is no magic in dieting and they (diets) all work for the same reason, caloric deficit. Some are healthier than others, but in the long run few are sustainable and most people just gain the weight back. Lifestyle change is the only way to do it in a sustainable way.

From a weight management, health and conditioning perspective cardio is a waste of time. You don't have the time to invest to make it work. Weight training or some sort of high intensity program is the way to go.
 

In reply to Suprf1y :

Not necessarily.  Sure, if your goal is to get on stage in a bodybuilding competition, maybe.  But for real life, not so much.

There's nothing wrong with a cheat meal.  As I've posted many times, I do it weekly...every Friday night.  And man, is it a big one.  This past Friday, I had 2 store bought frozen egg rolls, 2 slices of sausage pizza and a bunch of those rectangular shaped hash brown patties...again the frozen store bought kind.  Mmmmmmm....food coma.  I do it every week and very much look forward to it.  But the key is that I have very sharp control over the rest of my weekly nutrition.

I also use protein bars about 2x/week, usually on the weekend.  I buy bars that have about 20g protein and a lot of fiber, so the net carb intake is about 5g. 

I also drink 4 scoops of protein shake per day, every day, seven days a week.

I'm 45, going on 46, just under 5'9" and hover between 172 and 178lbs...depending on if I'm cutting or feeding.  And that's mostly muscle. Sure, if I wanted to get the complete washboard ab, I'd have to give up the cheat meal, but I'm not trying to get on stage.  I'm in far better shape than 98% of men my age.

I do much the same, except the candy bars and milkshakes   but because we can get away with it doesn't make it OK. The cardio thing I say because most people won't work out more than about an hour a day, 3 days a week on average. That much cardio will do roughly nothing for your weight or conditioning, but 3 hrs a week of HIT, or weight training will. I don't expect him to follow all that stuff, but it's all true.

I'm 10 years older than you and in better shape than 99% of people of any age.

Re smoothies: you don't lose the fiber. You're thinking of juicing. And, if you make the most right, you can get even more fiber. 

Yes, you are getting a lot of calories at once. No, it isn't inherently a bad thing.