5:2 Exercise & Fitness Thread Number 2: Advice and information for those following 5:2 / IF (Intermittent Fasting)

[BigChocFrenzy]

Why Exercise ?

Maintaining a normal bodyweight and taking regular exercise are 2 major areas of life which we can address to improve our health.

Regular exercise helps reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, some cancers, osteoporosis, dementia, depression.

Increasing your % muscle and / or reducing your % body fat lowers the risk of death from all causes LowerRiskMuscle

Regular exercisers gain the greatest benefits over their lifetime and theyj can minimise biological aging, i.e. "Bend the Aging Curve BendAge

Fasted training

i.e. training on FDs, seems to increase the benefits of both training and IF.
Most experienced exercisers soon manage fasted training without loss of performance for session of up to 90 mins.

Hormesis

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger"
Hormesis Mattson , BlackSwan and Hormesis is cutting edge science for nutrition and fitness.

Its principles are that alternating between "extremes" of feast and fast (5:2 / IF) or intense training and rest (HIIT), makes the body more resilient.

The intermittent stress of lifting an extreme weight or performing at high speed for a short period pushes the body to overcompensate and prepare for an even greater future challenge HormesisTrain , Hormesis-Edge , and AntiFragile The following recovery period avoids damage from over-stressing.

INEFFICIENT: Low-Medium Intensity Steady state Cardio

Steady state cardio is NOT necessary for fitness and should only be a small part of your weekly cardio, unless it is all you can manage to do.

Walking outdoors is beneficial psychologically, is easy on the knee joints and has some physical benefits.

However, at speeds of 5mph or faster, running will burn more calories per mile than walking Ref

Also low-moderate or steady state exercise tends to increase appetite, whereas intense exercise can suppress appetite for up to 15 hours.

BEST TYPES of Exercise

HIIT cardio and resistance training / weight lifting are recommended to boost the effect of 5:2/IF, to increase weight loss, reduce body fat, retain muscle and maintain TDEE / BMR.

Anyone who is not specialising in a sport at a high level should aim to do both HIIT cardio and lifting / resistance training.

FAST Exercise

Dr Mosely developed a Fast Exercise program to complement his 5:2 WOE FastExercise

He lists many HIIT and strength routines that only take a few minutes, but can make significantly improve metabolism and fat-burning capability FastExercises

HOW to Exercise

The cardio machines and the girlie pink dumbbells that gyms push are NOT adequate to significantly improve fitness or burn fat.

Whether you join a gym or train at home or in the park:

• Train as intensively as your time, health and fitness level allow.
  
• Do not remain in your comfort zone, or you will not improve.
  
• You are supposed to drip sweat and pant heavily !
  

However, a brisk 30 mins daily walk plus 5 mins hoop is better than nothing and if done regularly will bring some health benefits.

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

HIIT is an exercise strategy which alternates brief intervals of high intensity exercise with less-intense recovery periods.
Examples:

• 20 seconds high intensity + 10 secs recovery
  
• 60 sec high + 30 sec low etc.
  

HIIT is very time-efficient, producing the greatest fitness benefit in the least time (the advantage of hormesis).

Scientists have proved that HIIT burns more fat than steady state lower intensity exercise and speeds up the metabolism, which helps burn more calories for up to 48 hrs.

HIIT also improves the insulin metabolism, which is very important for health.

HIIT reduces risk of heart problems more than doing lower intensity SteadyState , pp. 31-34.

HIIT increases both aerobic and anaerobic endurance

HIIT can be applied to cardio: e.g. cycling, running, skipping, jumping, mountain climbs or to bodyweight exercises, e.g. squatting, situps, burpees, pressups

Most gyms offer HIIT classes, e.g. spinning, circuit training, CrossFit, Tabata, Fartlek*(Fartlek = HIIT with irregular intervals)

RESISTANCE Training / LIFTING

Helps retain muscle mass during weight loss and hence to maintain TDEE.
You can lift at home, or in the gym weights area, or in a pump class.

It is best not to train the same muscle groups 2 days in succession, so have rest days, or cardio, or train different muscle groups on different days.
Try to build up to weight training for 30-60 mins twice per week.

Reps = the number of repetitions in a set of a particular lifting exercise
Sets are normally separated by brief rests E.g. you might do 3 sets each of 12 reps all of the same exercise.

WARNING
Do not lift massively heavy barbells, more than bodyweight, unless you are really fit with good technique.
Women who have given birth and / or are aged 40+ have a higher risk of pelvic floor / prolapse injuries when lifting heavy than young non-mums.

Press ups

• By far the best upper body exercise
  
• Keep attempting one full pressup rather than doing several dozen girlie ones with your knees on the floor.
  
• Once you can do one pressup, you will soon be able to build up to 5, then 10 etc.
  
• Tip: keep the abs rigid, so strong abs are as important as strong shoulders & arms
  
• Hand Release Pressups are good to build up strength for full ones
  
• Also build up via inclined pressups InclinedPress , see bottom of wiki page
  
• To increase the number of pushups IncreaseNum
  

ATG Arse To Grass bodyweight squat

• The best exercise for the large muscle group in bum and thighs.
  
• Basic principle: It is like having a pee on a public loo - get your bum down low and pointing to the rear, but not actually touching the seat.
  

-Lean back on your heels, so that weight is on them, not on your toes.
-bring your arms forward

• keep your back straight, but angled slightly forward, not vertical.
  
• Go down as far as you can without knee pain.
  

Pullups

• Very few women can do full ones, but assisted ones build excellent muscle
  
• Work the same muscles with the much easier Australian pullup or imverted row InvertedRow
  

If you have access to dumbbells / barbells, then for maximum effect, work the large muscle groups:
squats bent-over rows (press button "female") Behind neckPress (press button "female") dead lift

To increase Strength Rather than Muscle Mass
Lift as heavy as you can, low reps, with 1 minute rest between sets e.g. 5 sets x 5 reps each, i.e. totalling 25 lifts.

To Build More Muscle
Lift lower (NOT Girlie) weight, do 3 sets x 8-20 reps, i.e. totalling 24-60 lifts.

AVOID OSTEOPOROSIS

To retain bone strength and avoid a painfully disabled old age, start now:
Ideally weight-bearing exercises that load the bone along its length of these types:

Impact exercise E.g. walking, running, jumping, skipping rope, step class, hitting a heavy punch bag.

Lifting: squats, press-ups, bench press, overhead press etc.

Squats are much better for osteoporosis than lunges, also for knees:
The weight in a squat is transmitted down along the spine, through the hip, and down along the bones of the leg, whereas in a lunge, it is transmitted across the shinbone and puts pressure on the knee joint.

Note: Cycling normally does NOT increase bone density, as it does not load bones along their length. Osteo

KETTLEBELLS Kettle
Beginners:
. Two-handed swing
. Sumo Deadlift
. Turkish Getup
. Swing
. Clean and Jerk
. Press

Improve your GRIP STRENGTH GripMen , BodyBuild

CALCULATORS:
Fast Fitness Calculators: 52FastExercise
Estimate your fitness age: FitAge
Estimate Vo2Max iTunes App: Vo2APP
Body Fat Calculator:BF
Healthy Body Fat Percentages at Different Ages: HealthyBF
TDEE with detailed activity times: TDEE

[BigChocFrenzy]

< tries not to think of Errol exercising with norks cupped in her hands >

[Breadandwine]

stripey, I've been kettlebelling for the past 16 months, beginning with 3kg - and I'm just now transitioning to a 12kg kb. All this with BCs encouragement.

My routine is kb exercises three times a week, alternating with bodyweight (press ups, etc) on the other three days. I wanted a series of home-based exercises that I could do whilst watching my favourite TV programmes - and that's what I've got.

I like the fact that I can see progress being made, on a regular basis. And I've actually grown some muscles - for the first time in my fairly long life!

I do 9 kb exercise routines - up to 4 x 20 of each, when I start thinking about a heavier weight - starting with the most challenging. So when I've done my right and left dead weights, that's the hard bit done - it all gets easier after that.

If you've got DCs, why not take them out running. Fit parents can help develop fit kids by example.

Yes, yes, to this! In my experience, kids gravitate naturally from learning to walk to running - and it's just that parents/carers don't realise this and give them the opportunity. It's only since I became a grandparent that I became aware of this myself.

Kids love to run! And should be given every opportunity to do so!

[vvviola]

Ok, it's time to slot some exercise in, and I need a bit of help to override my excuses.

I'm out of the house from 7:30 to 6:30pm every day. 30 minutes for lunch with no option to exercise other than a walk around town. Between walking to and from train every day I probably just about hit the 10,000 steps a day thing.

By the time kids are in bed and I've had my dinner and done the few jobs I need to do it's usually approaching 9:30 or 10pm. At which point all I want to do is collapse in front of the tv for an hour before going to bed.

We have an exercise bike, rowing machine and cross trainer in the garage currently gathering dust. We have a smart tv so I could conceivably do exercise videos. But I'm struggling to A) see where I could get the time, and B) find something suitable.

I have absolutely no flexibility or stamina, and two left feet. I am also in possession of no stomach muscles and no upper body strength.

I'm hoping by September I might be able to work in some evening classes or swimming (which I love), but at the moment, with DH's shift schedule, leaving the house in the evening is out of the question.

I'm going to add some extra walking to my lunch break when I'm not working through lunch, but I get the feeling I need something a bit more intensive.

Any ideas?

[ErrolTheDragon]

vvv - those are long days... while there certainly are short sharp options (see upthread), would you have any time on one of the weekend days to do something? (with or without any of the family - I'm afraid I've forgotten what ages).

[BigChocFrenzy]

vvv I suggest you try to squeeze in 5-10 mins most days to do one HIIT or Fitness Blast from my post Fri 17-Apr-15 09:57:42
You have a busy life, but I think you can get into that habit.

[Breadandwine]

BC, unfortunately I've been diagnosed with an inguinal hernia (left side), and I've been referred to a specialist. Gawd knows how long it will take to get it fixed!

I know I probably shouldn't do some kettlebell exercises but are there some I can do? And what about press ups and pull ups?

I guess I can continue with my HIIT routine for the moment.

I'd appreciate any suggestions you may have.

BTW, I ran about 300 yards for a bus this morning - and was hardly out of breath! (And my knee joints weren't troubled at all!)

Viola

Exercises in transit:
Pelvic floor exercises - clench for 5+ secs each time for at least 20 mins a day
Titanium ankles (google it)
Holding your breath - I can now hold mine for over two minutes
Get a hand gripper (£4 or so from a sports shop) and do 4 sets x 20 reps every other day.

[BigChocFrenzy]

B&W Really sorry to hear about your hernia. That's rotten luck.

Don't risk your health
Did you receive exercise advice on being given your diagnosis ?
You absolutely must ask your doctor specifically what kind of exercise is safe for you.

My advice until then is to avoid lifting, pulling, pushing, twisting or any significant straining, because they all raise abdominal pressure.
So, swinging kettlebells, pressups, pullups etc might worsen the hernia.
I don't know if even HIT might pull at the wrong area - most intense exercise causes you to utilise or stiffen many areas of your body that are not the direct target.

Until the doctor can give specific advice, stick to walking and gentle swimming, no racing or HIT

I see some online sites recommending various abs and stretching exercises, but I would NOT attempt them unless your doctor says they are suitable in your individual case. Collect all your exercise questions before you visit him/her.

It's better to be cautious - you will have muscle memory and should regain your current fitness level after the op. But it will take much longer if you worsen the hernia.

If you possibly can, I would recommend going private to cut out the wait. Your health and quality of life for a few months, maybe several months for a nonurgent op, are far more important than keeping that money for your GC.
It also avoids the danger of the hernia becoming larger, which would increase recovery time.

[ErrolTheDragon]

Oh, bad luck B&W.
BC is right, don't risk your recovery. I guess the hand gripper should be safe! (and I've not looked at your titanium ankles yet ...sounds intriguing).

[Breadandwine]

Thanks, BC and Errol. It is a bit of a bummer, that's for sure!

I'd prefer not to have any truck with private medicine, BC. If it was life-threatening, I wouldn't hesitate, but I can live with this for however long it takes.

I know it won't take long to build up my strength again, after the op - I have all the techniques, thanks to you!

I foolishly forgot to ask about exercise in relation to my hernia, so I need to go back and see him again. However, because I also presented with a stubborn cough, I did get advice about exercising in regard to that. Basically he said that as long as I felt comfortable, and had no chest pains, I could exercise as much as I liked.

[Anglaise1]

B&W I'm so sorry about your hernia. Have you returned to the doctor yet to ask about exercise? I hope you will still manage to stay active.
BigChoc regarding my GI issues, I ran for the last 2 mornings with no breakfast first (just a cup of tea with skimmed milk)...and had no problems at all. I wonder if breakfast could be my problem? Or what I eat for breakfast (bread). Not sure I would fancy running a marathon on an empty stomach but maybe that is the answer.

[BigChocFrenzy]

Anglaise There is considerably less stress to your entire system from an ordinary training run, than for a marathon when you are going all out for your best time: for the marathons, you run much further and for a longer time. So your stress is higher and longer. The digestive problems are an indicator that you are pushing your body too hard, imo. I think you would do better wrt longterm health and performance as a middle distance runner.

I'd firmly recommend against attempting a marathon fasted: I expect running a marathon on empty would damage your performance and could make you feel physically worse than ever: your body would be desperately hunting fuel, but because you are so lean won’t be able to access body fat stores sufficiently.
In your particular case, your 14% body fat is around the essential fat level so very difficult to access much fat to burn. Hence, you might experience catabolism, where some muscle is used for fuel – bad for health as well as future performance.
For a marathon, you would need carbs, maybe better ones than bread, but I expect modifying the type of breakfast would only have v minor effects: it won't solve the problem of the marathon overstressing your system beyond what it can handle.

As I’ve posted before, many studies showed that after a run of more than 90 mins – not in a race - the immune system typically takes 3 days to recover. The elite runners are those whose immune system can cope with repeated training and runs for their distance range.
I recommend you concentrate on races and training runs around the 1 hr mark. You could optimise your performance for this distance range and probably score very well in races. More importantly, it would help optimise your health.

[Anglaise1]

Hi BigChoc, thanks for your very detailed reply! Yes, you are right, there is a lot more stress on the body during a race. It is just that on morning runs I nearly always have to have a pitstop too, no pain but something happens to my intestines after eating breakfast. Maybe I'll try with porridge instead and see if that has a different effect. And stick to doing shorter runs!

[BigChocFrenzy]

Anglaise A fasted training run before breakfast is fine for most folk and is the best time to burn fat - if you have any left !
I suggest you try first for 30 mins, then if ok gradually increase to 60 mins.

[Breadandwine]

Thanks, Anglaise - not been back to the doc yet - will do so early next week.

I've found a technique that enables me to do a sort of HIIT. In that I swim on my back with my knees drawn up into the fetal position, which protects my hernia. Just using my arms I do a very fast breaststroke, 20 seconds on 20 seconds off. After 3 sets of this yesterday I was out of breath - so I'll work on that.

This bad cough of mine has really ramped up and I'm feeling pretty rough - so I retired to bed a couple of hours ago. One thing that does help the cough is - dark chocolate. A tiny piece every now and again does dampen it down for a while.

[BigChocFrenzy]

I hope your cough goes soon, B&W
You are right about dark choc; it is actually more effective at soothing sore throats than any over-the-counter meds, without their nasty side effects Nice list of choc benefits

[BigChocFrenzy]

Anglaise You could also breakfast on a low carb protein shake (powder with less than 2g carbs per serving) made with almond milk (dairy can be upsetting during exercise), no fruit, oats, bran or anything else to fancy it up or trigger problems

I can drink a shake 30 mins before training, but after even a small meal of solid food, I don't train for 3 hours, with 5 hours space after a main meal.

[igivein]

Hi BigChoc
Well, you said to pop over to the exercise thread and you'd fix me up with a body like Elle MacPherson, so here I am.
The 3 stone plus weight loss has left me feeling a lot more energetic than I was, but I'd like to get fitter as I continue to shrink.
At the moment I'm trying to make sure I religiously do my 10 thousand steps a day and I swim for 45 mins up to three times a week.
Limiting factors for me are: I work full time and have a 1 hour commute at each end. I have a DS (8) who requires tending (and a DH who requires a certain amount of attention too!).
I live in a rural area with very few sports facilities - the Olympic legacy in my nearest town was that the sports centre got demolished! You'd think being rural would be conducive to getting fit, but it's not really - it's fantastic if you've got a good junk of time, fine weather and daylight (been for a lovely 5 mile walk in the forest this morning), but in the winter dark nights, no lighting, no pavements and narrow national speed-limit roads make things a bit 'interesting'.
What do you suggest?

[BigChocFrenzy]

Welcome, igivein
I suggest you try the Fast Fitness Blasts I reposted here Fri 17-Apr-15 09:57
You just need 5-10 mins most days. You can choose exercises to do indoors.
Although such a short exercise period is not long enough to burn many cals, it will boost your fitness level. Scientific studies also showed it can improve the insulin metabolism, which may improve your ability to burn fat.

[OctonautsAgain]

BigChoc and any other gurus, could I ask some advice please? I lurk on the main 5:2 thread and have posted occasionally.

I've lost about 15kg and gone down several sizes- am obviously delighted, but have been left with lots of saggy skin around my tummy. No stretch marks, but it hangs down like a pouch when I'm on hands and knees. Is there anything I can do to improve it? My abs underneath are pretty taut. I guess I just have to learn to love it as a badge of honour?

[MrsStevenPatrickMorrissey]

Hi everyone, I came on to have a look for the fitness blasts that Bigchoc had posted a while back and just wanted to say hello

Wow octonauts well done on your weight loss, that's excellent, do post about it on the main thread, reading about your loss will really inspire the rest of us....and I just want to mark my place here as I have the same problem as you and would love to know if there's anything to be done to change it....

B&W so sorry to hear about your hernia, my dh was diagnosed with one last year, and a second one a few months ago, he had just recently taken up doing weights, and his gp told him it was ok as long as he was in a seated position, that way he could still work on his upper body...he still plays football and occassionaly runs, but he finds the running would leave him in a bit of pain. He has T2 diabetes and really needs to keep up his exercise so hopefully he (and you) will be called up for surgery soon, take care of yourself ....now I'm off to find thses fitness blasts....

[MrsStevenPatrickMorrissey]

Can I just ask what 'spotty dog' is??? In relation to the fitness blasts....I know what an actual spotty dog is

[BigChocFrenzy]

Congrats on your SV and dress sizes, Octagon

Great to hear from you again. Yes, do post your stats too on the main
52Thread52
Strut your stuff there and get some well-deserved compliments
I've just posted there about loose skin, since this is an important topic for many folk who don't venture onto the exercise thread

[BigChocFrenzy]

MrsSteven Spotty Dog is a good cardio exercise, like This often used for warmup

[ErrolTheDragon]

It's what JM does in Ripped in 30 and calls 'running man'. I suspect that 'spotty dog' only makes sense to >50yo brits! , Spotty makes his appearance ~6.5 mins in.

My PhD supervisor, who wasn't much taller than me habitually walked like Spotty Dog.

[OctonautsAgain]

Thanks BC and MrsS, I've posted on main thread. I read it every few days but never get round to posting!