The unofficial, official, Swingersboard exercise thread!!

[warrencouple]

Well, I was skimming some of the blog responses, and came once more unto the excersize god Chicups postings. So, I decided to start a new thread, instead!

Talk about what you're doing, how you're doing, or just crab about the fact that you can never get on the smith machine because the guy who uses every 50lb weight in the gym on his bar always keeps the thing tied up! Or not being able to get the treadmill next to the hot looking female personal trainer...

Post hints and tips for improving your workout, diet tips, whatever...

For me, I think I've finally gotten to the point of working out, where, it's either a habit, or I'm enjoying it. Not sure which. Not seeing a lot of improvement in my weight work, as far as lifting more, but considering I've not kept track of how much I lift from visit to visit...

Now, I just need to figure out why, recently, when on the treadmill, the front / top of my shins / feet start to almost hurt when doing a fast walk (4mph) Guess I'll ask my Dr when I go in for a checkup on Friday...

Now, as for my Mrs, she states shes not seen any improvement, but I think I have. I know her butts gotten tighter, and I think her abs are shedding some excess...
Going to (try) to repeat our pictures from when we started going to the gym, same outfit, same pose, same place in the house, and Photoshop them on top of each other. See if there's been any improvement for either of us...

Jason

[exploringRM]

What I do now, mountain bike, hike, run (sometimes), power yoga, pilates weight train in a circuit fashion. Also like fitness classes boot camp, step. I mostly like exercise that takes my mind off of exercising, so stationary work is not for me (treadmill, elliptical, rowing, etc). Unfortunately I like to cook and eat so it's hard to shed that extra 15 pounds.

Mrs Exploring is not so much the gym rat. She walks, hikes but rarely does a programmed workout. I've been trying to get her to do it, but she works 12 hours shifts and is typically exhausted on the days she is off. Being in better shape would help that but catch-22, too tired to work out, but working out would help her feel better. She recently sustained a pretty serious neck injury at work, tweaking her spinal cord and will need surgery soon. So not sure how to deal with that as far as keeping her active. She actually should be able to walk a lot so I'm hoping to ramp her up a bit as she recovers. She did find out that our scale at home is like 12 pounds off (the wrong way!) as part of the hospital stay for the injury so she was not happy.

[The Fuse]

There have been a few threads like this over the years. I made myself veeeerrrrryyy monotonous on one or two of them.

My big thing right now is that my weight has crept back up by about three or four pounds and I just can't seem to do what it takes to get it back off. Just a lack of that last bit of motivation to eat a salad instead of the "real" meal. And I keep snacking too much. My exercise routine is still good, but not as good as it was. I got sick of doing exercise videos. Anyway... I just have to find the wherewithal to do what I know it takes to strip these last few pounds back off. Even when I'm at my thinnest (around 145) I'm not thin, still a size 10, but I look good for me.

So, I'm jogging five miles twice a week, lifting weights once a week, trying to do yoga once a week, and some other exercise here and there.

[CXXC]

What I personally know about fittness and nutrition could fill volumes! I am not nor have I ever been one of those peopel to spend every free moment I have in the gym. I do not cook low cal, low fat, low carb meals for myself every day! HOWEVER, I was married to (first wife) a yo-yo dieter who tried every known diet sold. I am presently MARRIED to Mrs. CXXC (Dont ever plan on changing this situation) who was a fittness instructor for years.

That being said, I have learned a couple basic facts about human physiology and psychology that when put together can make or break a good program.

1. If it bores you, you will not see progress. You must make it exciting or at the very least enjoyable.
2. You must visualize the end results well before you get there. shooting for a non-specific goal will do you little good as you have no real progress to speak of.
3. You have to eat in order to lose. starvation only keeps the fat cells on.
4. 64 ounces of water is a necessity.
5. Sleep is required! No sleep, the body is not functioning at its optimum.
6. Vitamins and suppliments are very useful in getting to where you want to go.
7. If you cant pick it out of the ground, kill it yourself or prepare it without additives, DON'T EAT IT! (Corn sugar is simply not digested by the body correctly and causes the body to retain fat.)
8. Having a partner is more inportant than you think. someone to share in the workouts, diets and accomplishmets/competition makes the journey so much easier.
9. Knowing your fat%, BMI (as related to your body type) calorie requirements based upon age, activity level, goal and physique are crucial!
10. Eating many small meals a day is far better than just 3.
11. 20 minuts of AEROBIC activity a day will help you shed your extra pounds faster than working out in the gym 3X a week for an hour.
12. Women can lift wieghts and not end up looking like the Hulk!
13. If you smoke, STOP!
14. SWIMMING is the most non-impact, calorie burning exercise you can do.
15. High protine foods like fish, lean meats and foul should be the size of a deck of cards. Remember, eating 6 small meals a day wil keep you from being hungry or going into starvation mode.
16. Stay away form Fast food joints. No matter what they say, they are still bad for you!
17. Treat yourself once a week to sweets. If you are too rigid in your diet or exercize program, you will fail. No one is a machine.
18. Keep a record of your exercises, diets and activities. Record your losses and gains. You may even want to photograph your progress weekly. You will be surprised what just 4 weeks looks like. Not tracking these things will cause you to wander in the program.
19. Alcohol is pure sugar. Shugar is a carb. Keep drinking to a minimum.
20. The fall is upon us. It is a natural state for the body to begin to store fat in order to keep us warm and to prevent starvation durring the lean hunting season (Cave man days). Remember, it is also a great time to get outside, work in the yard and take in nature. The heat of the summer is gone and makes a little exercise less uncomfortable.

If there are any other questions, I will ask Mrs. CXXC what she knows as well as dig out my old cook books for food answers!

I wish you all a good and prosperous journey!

[SoFlaCp]

Until I had neck surgery my wife and I were on P90x and the routine + diet changes worked great. It is fun to work out together and we could do in our own home. We both have worked out our whole lives, and both scoffed at following a DVD...BUT after too many folks saying it worked we tried.

It worked really really well and I can't wait to get clearance to start up again. My wife dropped 10 lbs to 110 and I dropped from 174 to 160...while building up muscle. If the program is a bit much, they have other "prep" programs that might work.

That + 2 kids + job worked wonders.

[TheLorax]

The three of us get a lot of activity in our day to day lives. Liz can exercise all she wants but she's fighting genetics. Jen gets far less exercise but her genetics are better. My genetics would give me a pot-belly right now but not a lot of excess elsewhere.

When I was 25 I made a conscious decision to eat better since my weight was creeping up. I knew it would be an ongoing life process not a one-time diet. Now, many years later my eating habits are much much better and I am fighting a holding pattern with my weight. Three years ago I decided my day to day activities wasn't enough exercise and my 1-2 times a week regular exercise wasn't enough, so I decided to ride the bike for 30 minutes 2-3 times a week. Works great for 8-9 months out of the year. I saw some improvement in my cardio since that was what was always weak for me. Six months ago I got disgusted at the fact that I was creeping up weight wise and so I decided it wasn't enough, so I went on 2500 calories a day with a one day a week day for weakness (I can eat whatever I want within reason that day) and I started hiking to the top of the ridge on our property (mile round trip, 200' elevation gain carrying my hiking pack (started about 25lbs) and biking 30 minutes almost every day.

I have hit a plateau with my cardio, though my resting pulse is now in the low 60s, where it had never been before, I am up to about 55lbs in the pack, and I dropped 15lbs and more of that in fat since I have gained muscle.

All three of us were in good enough shape to do most of the activities we enjoy. When we went hiking in the Grand Canyon last year we didn't feel the need for extra training and we did it no problem, but I can say that the extra conditioning I've gotten has really paid off in terms of my body image. It's also nice to not get winded during vigorous sex I also enjoy the fact that I can climb 4-5 flights of stairs at a near run and not even start breathing hard. But that last 15lbs of flab is eluding me. We're doing rim to rim at the Grand Canyon next year and I can hardly wait to see how much better I feel compared to last year.

ETA: As far as water goes, there is no set amount, but you should be drinking enough to be peeing regularly and the color should be clear to slightly yellow. If it's dark yellow or orange, you aren't drinking enough.

[fun4Ds]

Count me in

We're eating better...... rabbit food.

Not vegetarians, but eating enough to call it, rabbit food.

We have a community center on our block, that kinda goes back through Purdue BM history. A really nice place, but you know how I feel about the civilians. Mrs fun is all up in the community but.... Well, what can I say, I need swingers motivation, Not new friends on the block.

Our daughter just got a job in a nice apartment complexes office. I think, we can get the weight room to ourselves after 9 pm. Its got a great equipment, it's pretty private with locked doors...Now that, sounds like a better idea to me.

Mrsfun is always two steps ahead of me, even in our walks. Maybe it's her hot ass I like in front of me, maybe its a cardio thing. I know I like watching her butt, but I haven't researched all this "exercise stuff". I don't have a clue about all this body mass stuff you are talking about. I have always been a wall flower in these threads, I just kinda read them and didn't really ask the right questions. Like I say I haven't resurched...... anything. I really don't have a clue what the hell a calorie is, other than I'm guessing I could have a couple thousand per day. My doctor hasn't really said anything negative about me, but maybe I didn't listen either. We were working on my smoking issues, the last visit. Mrsfun knows about allot of this stuff of which you speak, so its not like I wouldn't have someone to relate with.


We're riding bikes every evening...

Naaaaa, I better fess up now. Mrsfun rides every evening, I get in about 3 rides a week, sometimes less.... The last one, I decided to reward myself with a beer when we got downtown. Thats why they call it "down town" by the way. Its a gleeful ride, not much peddling all the way there.

3 beers later though, and its all the fucking way back UP, to our house. I get left behind alot.......

I got a cab driver on speed dial, now he's pretty cool. He let me put the bike in the trunk. And no, I'm wasn't stupid enough to have him drive past Mrsfun, and wave as we were going past her... We went a different way. She did leave me behind, it was a survival issue. I am being honest now, not for the sake of redemption, but rather a better understanding.

I am smart enough to be honest here, if I'm really going to gain anything..... Well, actually lose would be a better word. Might as well face my own demons. You'll probably hear more of my failure and non conformations than anything. Go ahead rip on me if ya feel I need it at times. I can take it, it might be exactly what I do need...

I guess this is the time for the : Hi, I'm fun4ds I'm fat. If I keep going like I am this winter, next spring Mrsfun might be reluctant to fuck me..... I can't blame her.

Hunting season is near and that is allot of exercise, at least as far as I'm concerned. You'd have to go with me though,.. to understand the potential benefits.

I cover allot of ground in the pre season.

So this morning, I'm going to ride my bike half way down town.... Maybe

It might be better if I wait till Mrsfun gets up.

[warrencouple]

Originally Posted by CXXC

11. 20 minuts of AEROBIC activity a day will help you shed your extra pounds faster than working out in the gym 3X a week for an hour.
12. Women can lift wieghts and not end up looking like the Hulk!
18. Keep a record of your exercises, diets and activities. Record your losses and gains. You may even want to photograph your progress weekly. You will be surprised what just 4 weeks looks like. Not tracking these things will cause you to wander in the program.

Well, I think we're going to (again) change up our exercise plan a bit. Currently, we've being doing weights 3 days a week, and treadmill (moderate walking pace) 2-3 times a week. I think maybe, we'll add in hitting the elliptical machines at the end of each workout, and do 20 minutes on those, get more cardio in.

Yes, women can lift weights and not look like the hulk, but look DAMN sexy!

Time to get a cheap little notebook, and start logging what we're lifting, and how many reps. Today, we're going to shoot a couple pics, to compare to the ones we took in April...

Originally Posted by The Fuse

My big thing right now is that my weight has crept back up by about three or four pounds and I just can't seem to do what it takes to get it back off. Just a lack of that last bit of motivation to eat a salad instead of the "real" meal. And I keep snacking too much. My exercise routine is still good, but not as good as it was. I got sick of doing exercise videos. Anyway... I just have to find the wherewithal to do what I know it takes to strip these last few pounds back off. Even when I'm at my thinnest (around 145) I'm not thin, still a size 10, but I look good for me.

So, I'm jogging five miles twice a week, lifting weights once a week, trying to do yoga once a week, and some other exercise here and there.

Fuse, if that's you in your avatar, YOU LOOK WONDERFUL! I wouldn't worry about a handful of pounds, it's not worth the stress.

Jason

[fun4Ds]

Originally Posted by warrencouple

I wouldn't worry about a handful of pounds, it's not worth the stress.

Hummmm, not the brightest bulb here.

I would have thought the last pound lost would be even as important, if not more, as the very first pound lost.



Your messin with my whole goal thing now...

[warrencouple]

Originally Posted by fun4Ds

Hummmm, not the brightest bulb here.

I would have thought the last pound lost would be even as important, if not more, as the very first pound lost.



Your messin with my whole goal thing now...

Nah, my take has been pretty much, set a target, but don't stree if you can't quite get there. For example, if I set a goal weight for myself (currently 6-1 @ 180lbs) of 130lbs, I'm never going to make it, without starvation. Even a realistic goal, of say, 160, if I'm within a couple pounds, that's not a big deal.

Maybe I shouldn't have had that burger on lunch, and it pushed me over a bit.

I guess, it's what you're comfortable with. I doubt I'm actually going to *LOSE* much weight, but only because the fat I get rid of, should get converted over to muscle. I'll probably put some weight on, actually, muscle is more dense than flab.

Maybe what people should look at doing, is not set a hard-and-fast goal weight, but set a range they want to get within, and stay within. This would allow for your normal day-to-day variations, as well as the occasional fall from the wagon.

Again, using me as an example, a goal range of say, 165-175lbs.

Can I hit this? Probably, just need to clean up the diet.
Can I then stay within it? Almost certainly.

Jason

[fun4Ds]

Originally Posted by warrencouple

(currently 6-1 @ 180lbs)

Your that good looking guy I fear running into, at the gym

Even a realistic goal, of say, 160,

I hate you, I hate you, I hate you

I did ride my bike, I'm feeling pretty goooooddddd.

[TheLorax]

Originally Posted by warrencouple

Maybe what people should look at doing, is not set a hard-and-fast goal weight, but set a range they want to get within, and stay within. Jason

Actually, for me it wasn't so much an absolute weight, but a size issue. I need to be able to fit in very small places and I was losing my ability to do so.

The absolute weight is a secondary concern because of how much I have to carry around when I'm moving, but not as much as how big I was getting. We're only talking about 20-25lbs here extra padding, of which 10 or so is now gone.

Another concern is just excess body fat in general. Some fat cells produce hormones that are not good for your health and the more of them you have and the longer you have them the worse it is. Gotta keep active so I can still be active when I'm in my 70s and 80s.

[warrencouple]

Originally Posted by fun4Ds

Your that good looking guy I fear running into, at the gym

While the wofe will undoubtedly disagree, I don't consider myself "the good looking guy." I'm not overweight, but I am near the upper end of the BMI charts for my height for an "average" weight.

I've got a bit of flab in the ab, and small love handles. I'm not very toned, my muscle definition (right now) isn't very good.

I wouldn't fear me in the gym.

OK, looking at the BMI tables, 160 would still put me in the normal weight range. But, I don't think I'd enjoy things so much, if I were trying to get down there. Truthfully, I got lucky when it came to the genetic dice roll, my Moms side of the family doesn't really put on weight, while my Dads side does, but not badly (none of my uncles are obese, some are overweight, yes) I went through high school as the 135lb guy who can eat anything and everything. That, obviously, has changed...

Lorax, I can understand needing to go for a lower weight, especially if you've got to get into tight spaces. I guess, as with anything, there are always exceptions. Having toured the USS Missouri last winter, I KNOW there are places on a ship (for example) that I just couldn't fit, as I am. The bunks come to mind. The escape trunks between decks also come to mind. Being a computer jockey, the tightest places I need to get into are under peoples desks...

Jason

[SecretAsianMan]

My current diet plan consists of:

Step 1: Eat Less
Step 2: Move More

... repeat as necessary.

So far, I'm down about 14-lbs in the past three months

[Chicup]

Originally Posted by warrencouple

Well, I was skimming some of the blog responses, and came once more unto the excersize god Chicups postings. So, I decided to start a new thread, instead!

I'm more of a exercise prodigal son. I've got a long way to go to reach even sainthood.

CXXC's list is very good.

I did 150 crunches today watching football, and I'll most likely do another 50 watching the kids. When I started 15 was my 'burn' point on a set, now its 25.

My weight program which kicked my ass a month ago no longer is, and my tight clothes are now my comfortable clothes.

My major weakness is leg work right now. I think the pain I put myself in after my first workout has me gun shy and I really gotta do it.

On the effect side, I could tell how much better shape I was in on our vacation. We had been there before and things were just 'easier'.

Still though I've got a ways to go before I get to hard body.