What is your fitness routine like?

[Ahsan Bagwan]

This is the concern that I've been really trying to deal with for some time now. Given how pervasive sedentary lifestyle is it definitely takes a discipline to achieve a minimum fitness level. For me, I'm taking charge of my daily fitness routine and my overall well-being in terms of health.

So with that out of the way, and if you don't mind how do you plan and act on your fitness schedule? How many days do you work out?

Coming to diet, how hard it is to be strict on what one eats? Does everything come down to self-control and will power? I couldn't find any other forum where this would fit in. So if you think this isn't the appropriate place to ask such a question please move it elsewhere.

[Eric Pascarello]

Does everything come down to self-control and will power?

Of course just like everything else in life. What makes things easier is do not put the temptations in front of you and prepare healthy things ahead of time so you can not use the excuse that it takes too long to make XYZ when this is right here.



My fitness is I normally run 60+ miles a week with core workouts once or twice a week. Nice thing about running is all you need is some shoes (some people say you do not even need that) and some free time. Check out http://www.c25k.com/ if you want to look into running.

[Jesper de Jong]

I used to go to the gym two times per week, where I often joined the Body Pump class. It's a good workout for your whole body, and by varying the weights you can make it as light or heavy as you want.

However, I moved about 1,5 years ago, and now I haven't been to the gym for about 1 year. The gym was only 5 minutes walking from my old home, but from where I live now it's further. And I guess by the change of surroundings and other changes in life, I haven't gotten myself to go there again.

[Chan Ag]

I've been playing badminton for the last few days. Before that it was daily morning walks, and running and hiking sometimes. Dance is a regular thing I do.

My way -- Do whatever you like. The best time is now. And listen to your body.


If you don't have the right running shoes now, don't wait for the weekend -- it may come after 5 days. Go for a walk in your walking shoes now. And for yoga, you don't need even the walking shoes. Yoga mat is good, but not a thing you absolutely require. The point is you must start now. Starting is the most difficult part. Once you have done that, the rest is easy.

There are times when you have not been able to exercise for like months. And then when you want to start, your brain decides it's better to start on a weekend because you don't have X or a Y. So you need to shop first on a weekend. And that weekend may never come. So starting now is extremely important I think, even if it is just for a few minutes. I don't know about others, but it has happened with me a few times. So now a days I know that the weekend excuse does not work with me. All I'm saying is applicable only to people like me who love to make the weekend excuse.

Start slow with what you enjoy doing. And you will want to do it the next day also. Gradually you will include the not so easy exercises also into your workout routine. That will happen some day. You will not have to plan for it.

I think morning walks are amazing. And if you have a partner or a friend who can accompany you, there is nothing like it. :-)

I have never really created exercise goals for myself. I think they can make me stressed. But there are people who like rules, goals, challenging your limits etc etc. And it works for them.

Keeping yourself well hydrated while you are working out is very important.
I think that we must listen to our body even while you're working out. If our body signals that we must stop, we must stop. Running excessively or doing any other exercise excessively is not good. I think running without the right shoes is not good for our knees.

Resistance training is extremely important -- both for men and women. And buying some weights/other equipment can really help.

Is there a sport or a specific activity you enjoy doing -- like playing badminton or tennis etc, or even dancing, swimming, diving.... I think they are great too.

Try not to skip meals. I think eating healthy food ( You are not cutting down on the amount of food you eat -- unless you eat too much -- you are just choosing what to eat) is extremely important. It's good to also eliminate those sugar substitutes ( I didn't say sugars ) from our diet. Most of those canned and packed food items are just the bad fats or something that will convert into the bad fat in one way or the other. It helps to start cooking for ourselves. Foods rich in vitamin C -- kiwis ( kiwis are a must on my breakfast table), oranges etc are good for our body. Nuts are good. I think it is good to keep changing what we eat and to experiment more. It does help to know our body. I also think that it is good to not eliminate specific food items from our diet completely. And it is ok to give in to the temptations sometimes -- you want to eat that thing, go eat it.

I think a little discipline is important. It can go a long way in keeping us fit and healthy and in boosting our immune system. But after a few days, it comes naturally. And you realize that you are eating the healthy foods naturally... that you are keeping away from the unhealthy foods naturally. Exercising starts to seem like another simple and fun activity. There is less stress, magically more time for everything, more happiness, and good things are happening into our lives.

That is how it has always been for me.

[Ryan McGuire]

Chan Ag wrote:My way -- Do whatever you like. The best time is now. And listen to your body.

If you don't have the right running shoes now, don't wait for the weekend -- it may come after 5 days. Go for a walk in your walking shoes now. ...

Indeed. As the saying goes, "The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago; the second best time is now."

I know some people who have been starting their new diet and exercise routine "next week" for five years now.

[Ahsan Bagwan]

Bit late to the thread but anyway. Thanks everyone who contributed to the thread. Walking/brisk walking is something that I am doing regularly. And besides the health aspect it feels good and calms the mind like no other thing.

Another thing that I realized after introspection was that my diet was the culprit. So I cut down on the quantity I am consuming and Voila! So yeah the advice on diet is spot on. Joining a gym wasn't that helpful. It only lead to eating more and more after working out somehow.

[Guillermo Ishi]

I've been 5'10" 150 lbs my whole life. I walk places I can walk to instead of driving. I think of food an expensive necessary evil, like gasoline. Fat people seem to think of food as more than that. I avoid a lot of fat and sugar. I try to do chinups and pushups every day. This winter I'm going to join a fighting gym which I haven't done that in almost 40 years. No one there will be my age, but I think I will be able to whip lots of kids in my weight class I think I still have good bone density...

[Giovanni Montano]

Ahsan Bagwan wrote:This is the concern that I've been really trying to deal with for some time now. Given how pervasive sedentary lifestyle is it definitely takes a discipline to achieve a minimum fitness level. For me, I'm taking charge of my daily fitness routine and my overall well-being in terms of health.

So with that out of the way, and if you don't mind how do you plan and act on your fitness schedule? How many days do you work out?

Coming to diet, how hard it is to be strict on what one eats? Does everything come down to self-control and will power? I couldn't find any other forum where this would fit in. So if you think this isn't the appropriate place to ask such a question please move it elsewhere.

Eat and enjoy food especially pasta, we need glicogen. A famous psychologist in XX century said that imagination and will power if in conflict always make imagination win.
example: i have to run( will) and eating well( will), mmh is so cold outside( imagination), mmh chocolate is really luscious and yummy-uuful.
Will will lose so...
My secret is: enjoy the workout no force it. Running is the easiest way to lose weight and is quite fun and for every age, if one is smart enough to hear music, podcasts, make plans, changing the rhythm without never overdo.
Eating? just smart knowing your stuff, but without counting calories. If an evening I eat a lot the day after will skip the breakfast or have a small bite and have a sober lunch.

[Jim Venolia]

I enjoy a brisk walk to the refrigerator.

Seriously, now that it's cooling off I walk 20-30 minutes 3-4 times a week. When it's warmer I ride my bike 20-40 minutes several times a week.

Still fat tho

[Andrew Polansky]

I am usually going for a run 3 or 4 times a week. On weekdays usually I do 5km, while on weekends I go for 10km. Rarely, if I have time and energy, I am doing around 15-20km. I work remotely for US company, from Europe, so it affects my running hours. On weekdays I run either about an hour before work (1pm) or after work (11pm-12am). I wasn't running for the last week at all. Last time I went out for a run and got my ass literally frozen. Running with temperatures close to 0°C (the freezing point) is not for me. Probably I will switch for running in gym for the winter time.

By the way, I started to run just a few months ago. I still remember how 5km distance was enormous distance for me, and today I do it like I would walk to a local grocery store. I got myself a good pair of Adidas running shoes and running wear, and got this app for my phone: 5km runner (it's available for Android too, I use it). The app provides you with a training plan, where you start with small steps (like 1.5 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, repeat 8 times) and gradually increase intensity of the training (the last stage is 35 minutes of run I believe). The right gear and the app really got me deep into running, I truly recommend it to anybody who want to start running.

Sorry for a little chaotic construction of the post, I am very sleepy!

[Jan de Boer]

I run two times a week. But it's actually one and a half. I am getting training on Saturday. I am giving training on Wednesday. The Wednesday training is just half a training, since I am training the slower runners, and I am mostly occupied with giving them training, for me there is not that much physical exercise in it.

Anyway, my record on the 400 is 1.16, does that impress anyone? Mmmm, might not. Right?

[Tom Nielson]

Ahsan Bagwan wrote:This is the concern that I've been really trying to deal with for some time now. Given how pervasive sedentary lifestyle is it definitely takes a discipline to achieve a minimum fitness level. For me, I'm taking charge of my daily fitness routine and my overall well-being in terms of health.

So with that out of the way, and if you don't mind how do you plan and act on your fitness schedule? How many days do you work out?

Coming to diet, how hard it is to be strict on what one eats? Does everything come down to self-control and will power? I couldn't find any other forum where this would fit in. So if you think this isn't the appropriate place to ask such a question please move it elsewhere.

I don't know how much space you have. I live alone and own a 3-bedroom house. I set aside one bedroom and make it my "sacred workout room". I find it much easier to drag myself in there than go to the gym, and I always leave it closed off so it never gets cluttered. I recently picked up the Insanity home program, and in a few weeks I already started shedding quite a bit of the hacker's physique. I tried to do P90X but it was just too dang long.

One day when I have serious money to burn I will definitely get me one of these desk treadmills when I do late-night programming.
http://www.treaddesk.com/

With diet, I went paleo and have had some great results with it. Although I'm not ripped with a six pack because I sit a lot on a computer (I'm working on that), I am at least not overweight beyond 10-15 lbs anymore. I find if I eat lots of vegetables with a smaller portion of chicken or grassfed beef, I have a lot of energy and look and feel better. Sodium, gluten, sugar, grains, and cheap carbohydrates automatically make me feel crappy, and the weird part is they are very addicting! If I eat something sugary, salty, or starchy I crave it. But if you avoid them your appetite is significantly curbed.