Carry on exercising - the August 2022 edition

Yoga done. Tough core practice and now my wrists are sore.

I feel your pain, Motherforkin. Here it was the cat yowling at the window at daybreak.

I’ve ordered something called Focus T25, purely because it promises each workout is 25 minutes and I just can’t bear to commit more than half an hour. I may regret this.

Days exercised 142.

I hear you, everykindofcat, I'm really tired today. My reason is more prosaic, the bloody dog woke up at 6 because he was cold and then needed a pee and while he was at it decided to sniff every bloody blade of grass we have. I don't do well if I'm up before 7am. So I'm posting now to make myself go swimming at lunchtime.

Says exercised 126.

Roonetta, in girvan's last Q&A she did say at the end that she was in the middle of planning something so I do expect something new to come out at some point. Maybe she is waiting to get to 2m followers on You Tube? She is almost there.

Pyramid series day 3 (glutes and hamstrings) plus a 5 min Krista chela abs and core workout.

Days exercised 171

I'm knackered today 😂. Its partly mental though, I've got a week off work at the start of October and I need it. Just going to do some yoga I think. I have a lot of cleaning to do anyway. Will hopefully be back at gym tomorrow.

That sounds really frustrating @PeloFondo.

Protein is the only macro I pay attention to. That’s more to do with being vegetarian and struggling to get enough if I don’t pay attention to it than a desire to get ripped..that’s never going to happen here either.

Today’s exercise: Another slow & steady row, 12 km this time with no breaks. I couldn’t face it first thing this morning, so postponed it to after work. I’m glad I did as it felt like such a long, hard slog. I don’t think I would have had the patience for it earlier today 😄

I don't do much with macros
Mostly try and eat more protein, take a multivitamin and vitamin D and fast pretty much daily
Try not to bring it onto this thread as I want exercise to = health for me but I'm v sick of being obese and not being able to shift any weight. Calories in/out etc, I can cut to 1 meal a day of 600 cals and lose 1lb in 2 weeks

I went. I'm back. Deceased. Writing this beyond from the afterlife.

Seriously though I don't count all my macros, just try to ensure I get enough protein and enough calories plus I take a B-vitamin. Yeah I know, nice problem to have, but actually having a fast metabolism can be a pain in too - Lots of 'Wow you're so tiny but you sure eat a lot' commentary, especially in public. Embarassing. And having interrupt work to get food and so on. Plus if there's ever a famine I probably have about 2 weeks to live. Anyway, I picked up some heavier weights today and I definitely felt it. Tomorrow will be a lot easier, just some gentler yoga and housework I think.

I'm with you Sophie, I can just about keep on top of eating and moving, I can't manage macros at all! When I'm really trying hard I do count calories, but that's just to keep me from diving headlong into cake.

Unplanned rest day yesterday but pump class today. I'll be sore tomorrow. The instructors usually do it 45 seconds of work, 15 rest, but today it was straight through each block then a 30 second reset before repeating.

Days exercised 125

Platinum for week 2 of the challenge
Week 3 started!

@SophieLion no it might be something to look into though!

I have to say that all the nutrition side of sports and macros and weighing out protein etc sounds very overwhelming to me. I'm not sure I could ever manage to do that.

My DH has feet like that Cat. He has had special insoles made for him and runs very well. Have you tried insoles?

I also have to work my core a lot as I got diastasis recti after my last pregnancy.

Today Pyramid series day 2 upper body - didn't do day 1 as didn't fancy legs again today. Plus a short Krissy Chela abs and core workout - I like the way she explains things throughout the workout. And no babbling!

Days exercised 170

@PeloFondo good idea, you have a nice big screen there. Well, I'm going to an actual gym this morning. Alright, it's a leisure centre that has a gym. I grew up in pools but this is a bit outside my comfort zone. Still, there's only one way to get a bit stronger and I'm not buying weights for my house, so we'll see. I do like the improvements I've seen in my body, by my primary motivation is to feel more confident and get a strong core. I'm really hypermobile so if I have a weak core I get a lot of back pain.

Day off today
I've fitted a pivot to my bike screen so I can swivel it for yoga/weight classes etc

Yoga done. Very impressed by everyone else’s efforts! My knee is still sore, but I think getting better slowly.

Alas, no help on the skinnyfat problem, I’m just fat. Or rather, I’m dumpy with short legs. I exercise for health, the looks are a lost cause.

Days exercised 141.

@CrimsonAlligator thank you! I do get that. With help from a protein shake. Anyway I took the plunge and signed up for the gym whilst its 2 weeks free. Let's see how I do. I'm very impressed by anyone who can run btw. I'm horrible at running. Partly cos I don't do it, but also cos I do have genuinely weird feet. Almost no arches.

I’ve just checked the book @iloveeverykindofcat and the recommendation for people trying to build muscle through lifting weights etc is to aim for 1.3-1.7 grams of protein per kg of weight. That’s if you’re doing a “normal” amount of exercise. If you’re exercising multiple times a day, or have particularly gruelling daily sessions, you may want to increase it a bit.

For cardio, 1.2-1.4 grams of protein per kg of weight is enough, but the recommendation is to have more if you’re also trying to lose weight. As you’re not doing that, these figures should be enough for you.

I’m vegetarian and do struggle a bit with my protein intake. I’ve started to aim for 25 grams per meal and 25 grams for snacks. I found that a really useful to break it down and make sure I get enough 💪

@PeloFondo oh I believe you, its probably me that's the anamoly. But I don't put too much stock in BMI as applied to individuals to be honest. That's not even what it was designed for.

I fast for 16-20hrs a day and eat one meal (usually lunch) and a snack. Obese still

@CrimsonAlligator That's what I think too. Especially considering that until a few months ago my two main food groups were sugar and caffeine. No I'm not cutting calories, I'm skinny already and have a high metabolism. I'm actually underweight by BMI but I certainly don't diet for it, I eat at least 2k calories a day. (Feel like an alien on this site sometimes when people swear they maintain a BMI of 23 on 1200 calories a day....I would die). I've now gone from classic skinnyfat to having a bit of definition. Thank you for the book rec!

This is the book. It’s very thorough and based on the latest research in this area:

www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Guide-Sports-Nutrition-Guides-dp-1472976940/dp/1472976940/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

I’ve just finished reading a book about sports nutrition @iloveeverykindofcat . Based on that, I’d say that as long as you get enough protein (vegan or otherwise) you should be ok. Iron is important too, as is B12, but as a vegan I’m sure you’re already well aware of all of that.

The only other thing to be aware of is that it’s hard to build muscle on a calorie deficit, so if you’re cutting calories to reach your goal, don’t cut them too hard (no more than 15%). If you have days where you train particularly hard, it’s better to eat maintenance calories on those days and cut the calories a bit more on rest days.

Today’s exercise: 2x6 km steady row

Complex series day 5 (HIIT) - that's the complex series week finished now. Plus a couple of short abs workouts.

Days exercised 169

Think I'm about to try joining a gym. Haven't been happy with the prices at the local pool for a while and there's a gym 10 mins train ride from me that opens at 7am, meaning I could still be back in the morning for the same time. I can't drive because I have visual processing disorder called object blindness (it's not actually blindness, I can see fine, it affects my perception of where objects are in relation to each other and to me, especially if they are moving. So I could never navigate a roundabout safely, for example). I need access to more equipment if I'm actually going to get stronger and leaner now. It's free till October so I'll ring them this morning to check a few things out and then take the plunge I guess!

Had a chat with a fairly helpful guy on a fitness forum last night who I have to say is in amazing shape, but tried to convince me I won't reach my goals without meat. I'm an ethical vegan, more or less. He was nice about it and didn't dismiss my concerns - actually he used to be a vegan himself - but I don't think he's right, I've seen vegans who are absolutely shredded. Not that my goal is to be shredded or anything! I'd like to get my bodyfat comfortably in the low 20s and be stronger and faster.