Tried doing dragon flag negatives. They were pretty fun! If you're looking for a core workout, maybe give it a shot.
HalFitness
- Thread starter BananaHands
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BananaHands
Staff member
I've gotten myself down to 180! Promised myself a tattoo when I hit 175.
I'm down to the lowest weight my wife has ever seen me at 
Tried swimming in the ocean. The water is frelling COLD, it's been rainy, and the weather is chilly in the morning when I have time to swim.
Tried hitting the gym with my husband over the holidays. I hate lifting weights. so. much.
Tried Zumba. OMG. The instructor was way, way too happy to be there. I like enthusiasm, but she was cartoonish.
Tried spin. I liked spin class even if it made my lady parts numb and I had to sit on an ice pack when I got home. I went for a month and a half. Then the gym switched instructors. I couldn't get through the class anymore. I almost puked twice. Screw that.
So, I just bought a new ankle sleeve because I am going back to running. I don't care if my ankle and foot swell up like a hot air balloon and feel like I'm being stuck with a pitchfork sent from the bowels of hell. I have drugs, ice packs, compression socks, two thera-bands, a list of PT exercises and my own version of a roller (tennis ball or a frozen water bottle).
Tried hitting the gym with my husband over the holidays. I hate lifting weights. so. much.
Tried Zumba. OMG. The instructor was way, way too happy to be there. I like enthusiasm, but she was cartoonish.
Tried spin. I liked spin class even if it made my lady parts numb and I had to sit on an ice pack when I got home. I went for a month and a half. Then the gym switched instructors. I couldn't get through the class anymore. I almost puked twice. Screw that.
So, I just bought a new ankle sleeve because I am going back to running. I don't care if my ankle and foot swell up like a hot air balloon and feel like I'm being stuck with a pitchfork sent from the bowels of hell. I have drugs, ice packs, compression socks, two thera-bands, a list of PT exercises and my own version of a roller (tennis ball or a frozen water bottle).
So.... Halfitness.... seems like a perfectly good place to throw in a slightly different type of fitness.
I quit smoking.
Been two weeks, I'm not dying anymore, but I won't say the battle is over.
I have never had a problem with weight but I have gone through different phases of "healthiness" at different times, even so much as being in the gym twice a day five days a week and etc. But I don't run, never. Even before I picked up smoking (which lasted about 16 years) I didn't have good lungs.
But... with the quitting smoking I have gone back to a regular Tai Chi routine daily at the park and picking up the kettlebell again. Might as well do at least a little to stop some of these empty beer calories from taking hold.
I quit smoking.
Been two weeks, I'm not dying anymore, but I won't say the battle is over.
I have never had a problem with weight but I have gone through different phases of "healthiness" at different times, even so much as being in the gym twice a day five days a week and etc. But I don't run, never. Even before I picked up smoking (which lasted about 16 years) I didn't have good lungs.
But... with the quitting smoking I have gone back to a regular Tai Chi routine daily at the park and picking up the kettlebell again. Might as well do at least a little to stop some of these empty beer calories from taking hold.
BananaHands
Staff member
Have your gums bled at all? I hear that when you quit smoking the circulation comes back in your gums and you're prone to bleeding.
I originally lost 39 pounds and completely stopped when Leyla was born. Between August and January I gained nearly 18 pounds. Yeah, I went all out. Early parenthood is like that. Plus I had cravings and medical issues.
Now we're back on diet and it's been 10 days. Yes, my wife joined as well.
Just weigh-in, 5.3 pounds lost. Booyah.
Counting calories.
22 more pounds to go. I want a nice clean 200.
Now we're back on diet and it's been 10 days. Yes, my wife joined as well.
Just weigh-in, 5.3 pounds lost. Booyah.
Counting calories.
22 more pounds to go. I want a nice clean 200.
Six miles on the stationary bike since it's a blustery, rainy day. I rode for 27+ minutes including my cool down. I put the bike on a cardio program so I could keep track of my heart rate. I rode flat at 80-85 rpms for about 15 minutes. Then I did 5 - 10 minutes of "sprints" - a minute as fast as I can go, take the time to let my heart rate go back down, then ride as fast as I can for another minute. I got up around 115 rpms for the sprints. I had to stop about 10 minutes in because the foot wrap I have right now was way too tight. I had pains in my calf from it squeezing my foot so much. I had to take it off. Can't wait for the gel ankle sleeve to come in!
BananaHands
Staff member
I've been pretty solid with a morning routine that's been keeping me in check. Wake up, eat breakfast, stretch for thirty minutes while watching the news then right after work go straight to the gym. Occasionally I'll take a day off because of being sore (this week, being sick). I've also given up fast food or restaurants. I did that mint.com thing and realized I spent around $2,000 last year on going out to eat for lunch or dinner and that's NOT including bars.
Every Monday I make a big pile of scrambled tofu:
And then use that for breakfast the rest of the week. It's helping me ween of how much coffee I've been drinking too because I feel all energized.
Every Monday I make a big pile of scrambled tofu:
And then use that for breakfast the rest of the week. It's helping me ween of how much coffee I've been drinking too because I feel all energized.
How do you figure out what a good set of stretches are? In particular I have some pretty bad upper back pain (possibly suffering a winged scapula), so I don't want to exacerbate that.
BananaHands
Staff member
I literally do the same set of stretches I did before soccer practice in high school. I also don't know the names of the stretches... I was just thinking this morning that I should research a better stretching ritual.
Hold on, I'll try and look up the names.[DOUBLEPOST=1390505447,1390505149][/DOUBLEPOST]All I can find are yoga stretch names.
If the pain is due to a winged scapula, you probably want to straighten that out before anything else. You may want to strengthen your muscles with something like scapular push-ups (serratus) and scapular pull-ups (trapezius).
If you want something to stretch out your upper back, give this a try.
I've mentioned it before, but Starting Stretching and Molding Mobility is probably a good place to start.
Also, lately I've been doing thoracic bridges; nice bang-for-your-buck stretch/warm-up, although I'm not sure if it would cause you problems with your back or not.
Thanks, this is great. Interesting that they have exercises just for winged scapula...
Walked 1.6 miles in the hopes that I would transform into a rational thinking being. Started getting a shin splint in my left leg, but a few stretches and a walk up a steep hill took care of it.
BananaHands
Staff member
Weighed in at 177 this morning, which was swell.
Walked outside into the 'polar vortex', which was not swell.
Walked outside into the 'polar vortex', which was not swell.
5 miles of hills on the stationary bike. I really should have done some weights, too, but I let myself be intimidated by that prospect. I hate feeling so self-conscious for absolutely no reason other than my head working against me.
Only got 10 minutes on the elliptical before my hips were screaming. I did another 20 minutes of hills on the bike after that, though.
Status update, worked off 8 of that in the past month. Here's to the next one.Well, over the months of November and December, I gained about 5-10 pounds. That's means I'm winning right? Bigger numbers = better?
...No?
NYC got snowed in yesterday, so I took the working-from-home-opportunity to go to a morning kickboxing class around the block that I'm normally not around to go to. Went back home, got some more work done throughout the day, and then figured, "fuck it, I don't have anything better to do..." and went back to the kickboxing gym for an evening class.
I'm exceptionally sore today, but this is the first week in a while I've managed to go to more than one class in a week (up to 4 in the last week).
I'm exceptionally sore today, but this is the first week in a while I've managed to go to more than one class in a week (up to 4 in the last week).
I started derby 10 months ago. I have only lost about 2 pounds in that time. But my legs and butt seem to be more muscle than fat and if I could find pants that fit around my ass and my waist at the same time I'd be a size smaller than I was a year ago. I feel skinnier now and am more comfortable wearing shorts in public than I was when I weighed 15 pounds less. So yay me. I feel like my weight will probably go up with muscle mass instead of going down, since most of my weight just flat out converted from one to the other instead of going down, and I am ok with that, and now have a fabulously large butt, instead of a chubby large butt. 
There are two YouTubers that I enjoy doing their workouts and sometimes I'll follow multiple videos in a day. I've already exercised today, but thought I would do an ab specific work out.
Watched it first and this is how I feel:
Watched it first and this is how I feel:
My work out for today I finished part B in 11 minutes
BananaHands
Staff member
Got down to around 173. Awww yeah.
Can't wait for it to get a bit warmer so I can start doing the running thing again.
Can't wait for it to get a bit warmer so I can start doing the running thing again.
B
BErt
Prepping for my first ever half-marathon next week, PR'd a 5K that ended on the field of Michigan Stadium
