Trying to Get Healthy

[pipestud]

I get up at 5:30 am or earlier 7 days a week and the first thing I do after getting out of bed is jog. It is a very fast jog and I go all the way at that pace from my bedroom to the kitchen coffee pot. After catching my breath for a minute or two I make coffee and smoke a bowl of my favorite tobacco. There's absolutely nothing like a steaming cup of coffee and that first bowl of the day after a hard workout.
And by the way, congrats to you for your change in lifestyle, Pipe Novelist. It'll stand you in good stead if you keep it up, pardner!
Best,

Pipestud

 

[foggymountain]

The third oldest documented person in the world, a 114 year old New York woman, has bacon and eggs for breakfast.

 

[gwtwdbss]

Foggy some of have a harder time than others. There are not too many of us with "fat" genes live to anywhere near 90 and that is a stretch.. :D

 

[matchstickman]

It's funny that some of you guys have said running is hard on the knees. My sister, who is one of the people that got me started on this train of thought, has been a serious runner for going on 5 years now. A light day for her is 8 miles, and she jogs the same roads I do and she has never had an issue with her knees. I blew out the bottom half of my right leg early in my teens, and as a result, I have always had various pains and aches in my knees and ankles, particularly my right one. After starting to jog, the pain in my knees and ankles is all but gone. I was talking to my aunt the other day and she said she had been told that every pound of weight you lose takes 4 pounds of pressure off your knees. I realize jogging on concrete probably isn't the best thing for the lower extremities, but then again, standing on the concrete floor at work for 7 hours at a time probably isn't all that great on the joints either.

 

[foggymountain]

It takes more than 5 years of running to mess up your knees. I ran mostly on an indoor track at the YMCA that was supposed to be soft, also a lot on the sidewalks and when in Los Angeles on the grass. It took about 12 years or more of 6 miles a day before I had to switch to fast walking. There was a guy in the neighborhood who was always running on the streets. He was addicted to it. After about 15 years or so he could barely walk. Maybe he would have had problems anyway, but running on the pavement or blacktop is not that good for you. Grass does less damage.

 

[mso489]

I think most people "over a certain age" can get all the exercise they need from serious walking. Anyone who

can walk four miles is getting pretty healthy, and you can go up from there. My wife bought me a little pedometer

with a chip called a Fit Bit. It tallies up steps taken, calories burned, miles walked, and gives you a little face on the

screen that smiles the more you move. Believe it or not, this is somewhat motivational, as idiotic as it may sound.

Anything that gets you up and moving. Get taps on your shoes and keep time to your fav music. Do more of your

own yard work. Etc. Breaking a sweat is good.

 

[cigrmaster]

PN, congrats on feeling better and changing your lifestyle. Eating healthy doesn't mean you have to starve. Salads and fruit are great fillers.

 

[allan]

PN
Congrats on your commitment and discipline
I am now down 35 pounds and need ten more to be in the range that's suggested
A tough thing to start and keep going but the advantages of loosing the extra weight are well documented
Allan

 

[matchstickman]

Overall the Mediterranean diet is best, with lots of garlic, tomato and olive oil. Tomatoes help prevent prostate trouble, even catsup and pizza. Have some tomato every day, and lots of olive oil.

After reading back through this post, at foggys suggestion I am going to make a little homemade picco de gallo and keep a big tub of it around, maybe eat it on some bruschetta or just eat it with a spoon straight out of the tub.

I eat various meats, nuts and cheeses, plus plenty of fruits and vegetables,

Like pitchfork said, one of the greatest tools that I have found in helping to watch what I eat is mixed nuts, peanuts, and trail mix. A couple of handfuls of peanuts or something similar along with some cottage cheese and a smattering of fresh fruit is an awesome way to start my day and helps give me plenty of energy for my morning jog. I generally eat a sensible lunch (usually some fresh veggies that I roast in an oven at work), and dinner is where I tend to cheat a little bit, maybe have some pizza or a cheeseburger every now and then.
I also want to let everyone know that I added an extra half mile on to my route this morning and almost broke the 3 mile mark. Felt good to achieve a new goal.

 

[irishjedi]

PN, glad to hear the great news keep it up, and keep us posted.
Mike

 

[joeahearn]

Great post. I just wanted to add that the GREATEST tool for eating less is, IMHO, a little app for my Iphone that is called Lose It! It does everything that Weight Watchers and other diet apps do, and it's free. Very easy to use, you can even scan bar codes from foods rather than having to type things in. You set it up and it gives you a daily budget of calories. Then you log in what you eat and it automatically deducts calories from the daily budget. You can also record exercise. I spend maybe five minutes a day using this this app, and I am definitely eating less, and better, can can tell you for a fact that I am losing weight because I stay within my daily calorie budget.
I have no affiliation with this app or the people who make it. It works for me. Maybe it will help you.

 

[mp31guitar]

Congrats Pipe Novelist, nothing wrong with bettering ones self.

 

[allan]

I'm going to 2nd lose it.com
Helped me tremendously and was advised by my nutritionist as a excellent tool
Also corn syrup
So many foods have corn syrup and it is a weight killer. It immediately turns into fat. Don't know why, but check the ingredients on the food labels
Allan

 

[hobie1dog]

As in "Fight Club", self-improvement is Masturbation....lol

 

[yazamitaz]

I ran track and cross country in Middle and High School, ran a LOT in the Marine Corps, and then kept running after I got out. Now at 44 I don't like running. Three years ago I bought a Fuji Roubaix 3.0 bicycle and have been into cycling ever since. This Saturday I will be riding in a benefit ride and cycling 100 miles. No stress on the ankles or knees and you burn WAY more calories cycling than running. My in laws also have a vacation home in Vermont, so when the bike gets put away in the winter I slap on the skis. At the end of the day, an active lifestyle will make you feel better, you will inherently eat better (I know I don't feel like downing a dozen wings and three beers after a nice bike ride)and in the long run will just make everything in your life more enjoyable, including a nice bowl of your favorite mixture and an adult beverage (if that is your thing)every now and then.

 

[brdavidson]

I finally got off my a@@ last week and started walking. I made 7.5km last week before my knee gave out on me. I'll be starting out again tonight with a goal of 10km this week. I need 2 knee replacements after 20 years of the highest level minor/junior hockey in this country. I tore up my body and I'm paying for it now at 39. Time to get moving again as it is becoming a problem being this much of a couch potato. Also, I don't feel guilty at all if I decide to sit and smoke a bowl in the evening if I've made my walk for the day.

 

[yazamitaz]

WOW Bri, I didn't know you played on that high of a level. I can only imagine the mileage you have put on your body. As I am sure you know knees are no joke. If you are feeling pain (not that hockey players feel pain) don't push it. You don't want to extend the damage to your knees.

 

[pruss]

I know I don't feel like downing a dozen wings and three beers after a nice bike ride

Strangely, I ALWAYS feel like downing a dozen wings and three beers... particularly after a long run. I hear that if you skip the blue cheese dressing, and drink Guinness (low cal), it's not AS bad for you.
Seriously... In 2011 I started running, using a program called "Learn to Run" through a local chain of running stores called "The Running Room". This program is designed to, over the course of 11 weeks, take folks who have NEVER run before to being able to run for 10 minutes, and walk for 1 minute, indefinitely. From this class, through the rest of the year, I moved up to completing my first 10k races. I also dropped 70lbs.
Late 2012 - now has been tough, and I fell off the training wagon. I'm back up in weight, and now back to running three times a week. I'll keep you guys posted as I work this out.
Getting healthy is a continuum, for me anyway, I have good days and bad days, but I know that I can lose some of these pounds and live a healthier life.
-- Pat

 

[brdavidson]

The body is definitely not happy with me right now, bad shoulder, back and two knees! I played against Eric Lindros when we were in our early teens, he scared the bejeezus outta me!!! I went three consecutive nights walking 2.5km at a brisk pace and then on the 4th night I just couldn't do it. However, my knees felt good after each walk so if I continue to be consistent I think it will only help.

 

[politicalmonster]

@yazamitaz - I'm with ya brother on the Marin Corps making me never want to run again!

PN - Good job on getting healthy, I know you must be so much happier. I posted my story in the weight loss post earlier this year, and so far, I've managed to keep off the 90 lbs I lost.

It makes your life better in every conceivable way.

-PM