The getting back in shape thread

[Rapscallion]

Raps is right

Quoted for truth.

Rapscallion

[Rapscallion]

Went to work for a sedentary shift in sales, and spent an hour and a half unloading a container of canned beans. I suspect abotu 600 calories in that, since I didn't have my HRM with me. Ate a bit too much at breakfast immediately after, though. Blowing hard and showery rain, so couldn't go on the hill tonight (steady rain I can cope with, can't be bothered with showers). Gatekeeper's suggestion of Wii Boxing made sense, so I hit it for nearly 400 calories. Roughly one thousand for the day, and I can hit the hill tomorrow. Maybe.

On the fun side, I hadn't brought a change of shirt, since I hadn't expected to be helping on the container. I was ... a touch whiffy by the end of it. We sell our own-label T-shirts (as in shirts with our logo and name on), so I bought one on my staff account and I was pleased to be able to fit into a large instead of XL, especially as it was the largest size we have.

As I was on the mezz getting one, I held it up to my chest and asked Daz if he reckoned it would fit. He thought so, but the test he said was in actually putting it on. I quickly pulled the sweaty article off and heard him say: "*femalename* - have you seen this?"

I'm going to assume the shriek was of delight, and that her hurried departure was to call to others of her gender to share the wealth.

I hadn't even known she was nearby in the racking

A bit later, I passed one of our dudes in a corridor in my new shirt (slightly snugger than my others). "Are you losing weight?" he asked.

I keep forgetting my intended reply of, "Meth, it's a hell of a drug," and told him about the wake-up call I had in Canadalandialand. He seemed visibly impressed.

I suppose the sit-ups I'm doing (most nights fifty) are helping in reining in the gut and toning me up, and the slimcerciser thingy I'm using to work the pectorals is helping. Nice to see the effort noted.

Rapscallion

[One-Fang]

Yay - well done

May I offer some advice on that ab work? High reps of anything don't help you do anything but build endurance, which most of us aren't after. Sit-ups are also dangerous for your back. It would be more healthful to switch to crunches, throw a 20lb weight on your chest if you need to, and do 2 sets of 12-15 of them. If you can manage that number too easily make them harder. Look up various ways to work abs, there are all kinds of crunches you can do and ways to modify them to be harder.

Are you working any of the rest of your body? Your legs are probably almost getting enough from the hill, although I'd incorporate strength work there anyway just in case, and your back and arms also need focus as well as just abs and chest. Try adding pushups to your routine. Do less cruches (not situps) and use that time to do some pushups.

As for me lately? Planned to do a strength routine after circuit class, which is not challenging enough. Actually managed to talk myself into it. Did a few single arm bench press and a few squats/lunges with weight. Tonight's scheduled for a 7k or so run, but the weather is awful and it's supposed to rain. Not sure whether I'll go out in the rain anyway or hit the gym.

[crazylegs]

In addition to what one-fang said you also need to make sure that you exercise your muscles in pair, and this includes the opposite of what you would do for sit ups, else what you can end up with is a very 'tight' set of muscles on the front of your body and loose muscles on the back, leading to poor posture, injuries and aches etc.

[Rapscallion]

How do you do a crunch? What is the opposite of a sit up? Details, folks! I'm sure that more than me want to know.

Rapscallion

[crazylegs]

A crunch can be done one of two ways.

Like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2B0k68tTNY but never EVER put your hands behind your head, hands next to ears only

Better method

2) Using a half swiss ball (available reasonably cheaply) put said article in the small of your back and this raises it off the floor. Plant feet flat on floor and then lift shoulders off floor until body at 40 degrees max. like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wLlz...eature=related

Option 2 is better because it's a more realistic exercise for your muscles.

Unfortunately I don't have a home method for the opposite of sit ups, you're aiming to make the two big tendons/muscles at the base of your spine work and increase their strength, but BE CAREFUL don't want anyone pulling muscles.

I'm pretty sure that you can exercise this part of your body by lying face down on the floor, jamming feet under something immobile and arching your back to lift your shoulders, you're not looking to heave yourself totally off the floor but to lift your chest only.

Yep, you can! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FviYgIXvVaY

Might be best to a bit of a research on this first though!

[Kiwi]

did just over 800 calories on the elliptical yesterday then a 6k walk that night

[Rapscallion]

Think I may hit Argos for a ball tomorrow and get some of those back extensions in as part of the nightly routine. Thanks!

Rapscallion

[crazylegs]

You can get either a full, or a half (which is, as the name suggests, half a ball ie it has a flat bottom). The half is for those of us not naturally graced with balance and co-ordination.

[lupo pazzesco]

You can get either a full, or a half (which is, as the name suggests, half a ball ie it has a flat bottom). The half is for those of us not naturally graced with balance and co-ordination.

Wish I'd known that! I have a full stability ball (or swiss ball/exercise ball/whichever you want to call it!) Although, I'm getting better at NOT falling off while attempting exercises, so maybe it is helping my balance some!

i've been dragging my feet lately on working out. I haven't yet today, and know I need to. I have an hour's worth of DVDs cued up, all I have to do is change clothes and hit play. And I haven't. Going to drag myself off now, but this isn't the happiest of weeks for me, if'n you know what I mean... Bah, here I go! I'm also fiddling with my HRM to try and figure out how to make it give me an accurate reading of calories burned, since it seems so low for the activity I do.

[One-Fang]

Like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2B0k68tTNY but never EVER put your hands behind your head, hands next to ears only

He's actually moving way too far, and too fast. Check out this guy. Still has his hands behind his head (that'll make you strain your neck) but otherwise a much better form for the actual movement.

Plant feet flat on floor and then lift shoulders off floor until body at 40 degrees max. like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wLlz...eature=related

Except don't roll on the ball. You should have the ball remain in place on the floor. Your back comes up towards the ceiling but it's a lift, not the roll that is shown here.

When crunching either way, try to remember that you're looking for an aiming at the ceiling, not your knees. Traditional situps have you looking to pull your upper body up and forwards. Good crunches you only just raise your shoulder blades off the floor and nothing more. You can really even see the abs on the guy I linked showing when he does it!

The back exercise Crazylegs linked to is great, and you can do it on a swiss ball as well.

While a half ball (bosu) seems better for the imbalanced amongst us, better to buy the full ball and work on that balance! You utilise all the side ab muscles in holding you stable while you concentrate on the main abs and back with the crunching.

I have started putting my runs on my Facebook. If anyone cares, PM me your name for a friend request. Today 6.5km. Did an average of 8.7 kph which is faster than the 8.3kph I did the 10k run in.

[Rapscallion]

Hit the hill four times for a total of 728 calories, 59 minutes, max heart rate 172. Going shopping for ball and probably exercise mat this morning.

Funny attitude shift - for quite some time, the exercise is something I've had to make time for because I needed to do it. Now it's just something I do.

Tried the crunches last night. Is it me or do they use more effort?

Rapscallion

EDITNOTE - sod, I checked online and they're out of stock. Try later.

[lupo pazzesco]

Got up far earlier than necessary before work to fit in a 20 minute workout with my 30 DAy Shred DVD. After work, I plan on walking for aobut 30 minutes. See if I got the HRM issue figured out.

[KiaKat]

I've not been running much lately, combination of stress over the car and having to run at a local path rather than in the park (have to drive to the park), which I don't like as much, since it's a straight path next to a main parkway-like road, rather than a loop with no cars.

Went this morning, however. Wanted to do a three-mile, 30 minute run, ended up doing two miles at 17:38 instead. I just left too late to do a full 30 minutes, plus stretching and having to walk to and from the path.

Diet has been miserable lately, too. Again, mostly because of stress and lack of time to actually make food. But, I have seriously cut back on the sweets, to the point where my usual chocolate mix for chocolate milk tasted far too sweet - I'll have to cut down the sugar again.

I need recipes for really fast, easy, mostly vegetarian meals that won't destroy my grocery budget. I have a few, but a lot of the ones I have require specific spices or veggies that I can't get at my local market, and I can't get to the good produce market without the car.

[Reyneth]

I've fallen back a bit - allergies, major headaches, motivation and now lack of sleep. But I did go today! Only 25 min on the elliptical and 3 different weight machines for the legs, but it was something.

Besides *ahem* my "friends with benefits" from across the country will be in this weekend and that can burn some calories!