Health & Physical Fitness/Training Thread

Happy hour starts in 5 minutes
This morning I successfully overcame a pretty important hurdle in my return to the gym- leg day.

I would be lying if I told you that the thought of this workout was absent of any anxiety. This lower back ‘issue’ has been both concerning and difficult and I have been living in the fear that it might result in everlasting changes to something that has been a priority and a passion of mine since the age of 16.

Having a mostly stoic personality, I tend to live in the moment and only worry about things that are in my control. I never worry about what was and rarely get worked up about what could be. I see those things as a waste of time and energy. I try my best to ‘be where my feet are’. Sound familiar. 😉

Today’s plan was one of those rare exceptions but overall it was mission accomplished, and I am both thankful & pleased. My back may ultimately get me one day, but not today, baby. Not today.
 
I have been alternating light high rep barbell workouts (upper body) with bike rides and doing some daily walks with wife (not my fav activity but any activity is good activity) along with golf on weekends.

I have been eating only at dinner about half the time, using my lunch time to exercise instead, except for on days I am riding when I do eat a small lunch.

I am feeling a difference. I need to start incorporating some lower body and core work. I have cut back my alcohol intake some (not enough but some) with a goal of mostly eliminating beer at home. Been going to bed early.

My approach is mostly about subbing healthy habits for the non-healthy ones and not overdoing it.

Gonna keep grinding on it.
 
Boone said:
I have been alternating light high rep barbell workouts (upper body) with bike rides and doing some daily walks with wife (not my fav activity but any activity is good activity) along with golf on weekends.

I have been eating only at dinner about half the time, using my lunch time to exercise instead, except for on days I am riding when I do eat a small lunch.

I am feeling a difference. I need to start incorporating some lower body and core work. I have cut back my alcohol intake some (not enough but some) with a goal of mostly eliminating beer at home. Been going to bed early.

My approach is mostly about subbing healthy habits for the non-healthy ones and not overdoing it.

Gonna keep grinding on it.
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Keep stacking the positive chips ❤️
 
Congrats to all of you still working out. At my age, I'm only worried about cardio. I hate walking although my wife loves to speed walk. Walking is so boring to me. I'd rather do an activity like shooting hoops, tennis, pickleball, golf, etc. before I want to walk.

Never stop working out though, because it's almost impossible to start back up.
 
Rode about 15 miles this afternoon. It was hot and humid and not a lot of fun. But it's just gonna take awhile to get my legs and core and endurance back. I'm just going to keep showing up until I keel over or it gets better, lol...
 
I have been consistently using contrast therapy to speed up recovery from the gym, reduce DOMs when they appear, and to mitigate pain when needed.

For me the modality is the shower. Here in Finland the hot water is both unlimited (city provided/no home water heater involved) and without temperature restrictions common in the U.S. You can go as hot as you want or can stand for as long as desired. The cold water is cold. Cold with a capital C. 40° F.

The hot portion of the therapy is enjoyable. The cold portion is definitely a ‘come to Jesus’ moment at first but then becomes easier. Overall I have experienced some very positive results. Being one of neither a delicate nor tender age, this process is aiding me in my goal to not only stay in the game but to thrive.
 
I've been avoiding weight training for several years due to a hernia I didn't want to make worse and was nervous about getting repaired.

Six weeks ago I finally got it fixed. This week, I was cleared to lift whatever I wanted.

Monday I did what I thought would be a light workout in the garage with dumbells. Just 4 excercises with intentionally light weight done to form failure.

LOL - this just in...I'm not 35 anymore.

Things I learned:
1. My upper body is in pretty good shape.
2. My lower body is not in good shape at all.

If you see me limping around the forums, it's okay to laugh. Just please don't point while you do it.

ouch!
 
You’ve got this Bob. The most important thing is to commit. Do what you can. Keep pressing play. Do your best and forget the rest.

I am on the road to being fit and I feel great. Do what you can when you can as best you can. Do that and you will get there.
 
Thanks, John. I may have needed to hear that today.

I got in a second workout yesterday. I was still sore from Monday so may not have been overly smart but I was afraid if I waited until today I'd find an excuse to put it off until tomorrow.

I'm also trying to correct some mistakes/misconceptions from my youth. I've never consumed enough protein to support the weight training I've done and always avoided things like protein suppliments.

While I've always understood you couldn't out-excercise a bad diet, I didn't really understand until recently just how important getting enough protein is to getting the maximum out of an excercise plan.

For professional reasons, I can't give up beer. I have, however, cut back on red meat, pasta, and bread to some extent, increased the fish in my diet, reduced portion sizes across the board, and added suppliments to my diet like protein powder, creatine, and collagen.

One of the biggest and most impactful things I've done is to add a stretching routine to my early mornings. Now, I get up, feed the dogs and start the coffee, then go immediately to the garage to stretch for 10-15 minutes. It's made a huge difference in how I feel all day and if I skip it I feel it.
 
Investigate Tai Chi and Yoga
 
My workouts have changed as I've aged, (I'm in my early 60's) They're centered around cardio, (every day that I work), resistance training, (every other day) and not injuring myself. It takes a lot longer to bounce back when you're older. I look like a lunatic with the fast walking, swinging my arms wildly up and down, when weather permits. On bad weather days, I hit the the elliptical or rowing machine at the gym. I use resistance bands. In the cooler months I'll augment the resistance bands with light weights at the gym. I also do little things....like the steps instead of an elevator, or escalator, and not being a couch potato I also have a pretty healthy diet.
 
Chris said:
Circa 2019 @ 62 years old. I most likely will never be able to recreate that condition again but you have to have goals, dammit.

View attachment 12855
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Amazing, brother. Seriously.

I have go back to like 1987 (I was 20 and was part of a weight lifting club with access to the school's PE facilities) to find a photo where I look half this good, Chris.
 
Boone you still hitting the resistance training? Your chest and shoulders are looking strong in the latest pod.
 
I’m still doing barbell workouts 3 times a week. Upped the weight a little a week ago. Need to get going with cardio though. Thanks brother
 
It’s time for my annual birthday pic (actually about 2 weeks late). I’m quite confident that I am the oldest regular here…at least as far as the calendar is concerned.

IMG_0006.jpeg
 
Looking awesome brother :cheers:
 
This thread draws almost zero eyeballs (especially compared to the food and alcoholic beverage ones) but I will forge ahead nonetheless.

If there is anyone here that is concerned with sarcopenia (a type of muscle loss that occurs with aging and/or immobility characterized by the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle-mass, quality, and strength) and you should considering the average poster age here, below is a quick video with Dr. Peter Attia (MD) and Dr. Rhonda Patrick (Ph.D. in biomedical science) about the importance of protein intake-

 
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