Archives for 2008

I’m Back On The Wagon

Earlier this week my wife and I decided that we needed to finally start exercising again, and actually watching what we eat. We had slipped into a bit of a malaise where we didn’t care much what we were eating, or where we were eating.

So this weekend we made a pact with each other that we’re going to get back to exercising 5-6 days a week, and eating healthy.

Monday evening I re-started my fitness routine by doing the high-intensity cardio from a DVD put out by the TV show “The Biggest Loser”. Normally I can’t stand doing workout routines via DVD – but this one is actually not too bad. It features the trainer Bob from the hit TV show, along with contestants from season 2 or 3 of the show.

What does the workout consist of? It starts out with some back and forth skating motions followed by some tire runs (lifting your knees high running in place) and football runs (moving your feet as fast as you can). Then you do some shadow boxing and finish up with 1 knee lift and leg kicks.

Every time I do this workout I go in thinking its not going to be that bad, but every time I am finished I am drenched with sweat, and panting for breath. And it feels great!

Yesterday I re-started my weight lifting routine. I started with a lower body routine with some squats, followed by some hamstring dead lifts. I finished up with some calf exercises and some ab exercises. Once again the workout left me tired.

I’ve learned that if I haven’t lifted weights for a while I tend to get really sore the first 2 or 3 times I lift weights, and then the soreness isn’t as bad. As expected, I’m pretty sore this morning.

So I’m off to a good start this week, now I just have to stay motivated in the face of all the other stuff life is throwing at me this week. Transmission problems on my car, teaching a class, just being fatigued in general. Just another week!

What kind of workouts are you doing right now? Are they working? Do you feel like you need to try something different? Tell me about it in the comments!

How Much Should You Exercise If…

By Peter 3 Comments

photo credit: mikebaird

The government released some new guidelines for physical activity this past week, telling us how much we need to exercise in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and fend off problems like heart disease, stroke and diabetes. But what if you have other goals like buffing up, getting ready for a race or just slimming down?

MSNBC talked with fitness experts to get an idea of what kind of activity you’ll need to reach those goals. The first area they touched on – slimming down. So how much exercise do you need to drop a few pounds?

To lose significant weight and keep it off, many people will need more than 300 minutes a week of moderate activity, the guidelines note. Spread out over the course of a week, that amounts to at least an hour of exercise for five days, which is in line with other recommendations for weight control. If you’re sedentary, begin slowly and build up.

So it sounds like losing weight is no easy process, you’re going to have to put the time in and really make a goal and stick to it. 5 hours a week really isn’t that much, but it can be if you haven’t been working out at all. Take it slow and work up to it- and you’ll get there.

What if you want to bulk up like a weightlifter or sport a sculpted bod at the beach? Depending on what your goal is, you can expect to be exercising and doing strength training from 3-5 days a week:

If your goal is to look good in a swimsuit (toned but not overly pumped up), aim to strength train (using any available approach to overload the muscles, including free weights, machines and resistance bands) three to four times a week for 45 minutes to an hour each time, working all major muscle groups, Dawes says. Allow each muscle group to recover for at least 48 hours. You’ll also need to watch your diet and burn calories through cardio. Looking toned requires both boosting muscle and minimizing body fat.

If your goal is to sport a rock-hard bodybuilder bod, you’re in for some serious time in the gym – about five days a week, Dawes says. This can put you at risk for overuse injuries, so it’s a good idea to consult a personal trainer for advice on devising a safe routine that gives your muscles adequate recovery time.

How about if you’re training for a race? What kind of time input can you expect for that?

Not surprisingly, building aerobic endurance for competition in a 10K, marathon or triathlon requires much more effort than exercising to stay healthy.How much more? “It’s a continuum,” says James Pivarnik, president-elect of the American College of Sports Medicine and a professor of kinesiology and epidemiology at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

It all depends on where you start, Pivarnik explains. A hard workout for a mere mortal might actually decondition an elite athlete who’s accustomed to much more advanced training on most days of the week.

“If you want to get fitter today, you have to somehow overload where you are now,” he says, and then build on that program.

Comana recommends that people start off using the “talk test” to gauge how hard to push themselves. This means that you should be able to talk continuously for 30 seconds while exercising, he says. If you can’t, it’s too difficult. Build your program from three days a week to five, he recommends.

Whatever you’re doing, what’s most important is to make a commitment and get started today. The gains you’ll make will happen one day, and one rep at a time. Good luck!

Back from the trip, and recovering from being sick

By Peter 1 Comment

photo credit: Bob Jagendorf

Well I’ve been back from our cruise for about a week now. The trip was amazing, we had a wonderful time, and we saw some of the most beautiful places in the world during our 2 week cruise.

I also ate some of the most amazing food while we were gone. The cruise ship that we were on served food almost 24 hours a day – and the food wasn’t half bad either. There was a cafeteria that had 3 meals a day, plus a pizza bar and ice cream stand that was open most of the day. There was also several restaurants on board serving delicious meals every night. I took advantage of all of these places. I ate – and I ate a lot. I think I gained a few pounds back that I’ve lost over the past few months, so it’s going to be time to get back on the wagon – as soon as I can kick this flu that I’ve had for the past week or so.

On the last day of our cruise in Venice I started getting sick. Ever since then I’ve been all stuffed up with headaches, off and on fevers, and just an overall feeling of achiness. It’s not a fun feeling. I’m finally starting to feel better, and I think I’ll probably be able to start working out again near the end of the week.

Boy do I need it!

So stay tuned for a renewed sense of purpose, and new workout updates coming soon. Maybe not today or tomorrow – but soon and for the rest of the year!

Exercise Video: Lying Dumbbell Tricep Extension

By Peter 1 Comment

As I ramp back up to getting back on my fitness program after my 2 week cruise, (boy do I need it) I decided to include a new regular feature on the site – An exercise video of the day/week.

Since I’ll be starting out with some upper body exercises once I get over the flu I currently have, I decided to start out today with a video of a lying dumbbell tricep extension:

We’re Going on a Trip!

By Peter 3 Comments

I know I haven’t been posting much on this blog lately, but I have a good reason! We’ve been planning a 2 week European cruise from Barcelona to Venice over the past couple weeks, and now we’re finally leaving!

photo credit: etrusco74

There won’t be much posting on here for a couple of weeks. Regular posting will continue on our sister site Bible Money Matters.

When I return I’ll be picking it up where I left off, resuming my normal workouts, and getting back into shape! Stay tuned – I might even share a few photos from our trip!

What fuels your workouts?

By Peter 8 Comments

Something that I think about all the time is what types of foods I should be eating in order to better fuel my workouts, and to aid in recovery once the exercise is done.

In an article titled “Best fuel for your workout” at MSNBC.com the fitness experts give a quick run-down of what types of foods you should look to eat before and after your reps.

Good food choices to fuel your workout include high-carbohydrate, low-fat snacks such as:

a banana with yogurt;

a whole-wheat toasted bagel with fruit spread; or

a quick bowl of instant oatmeal.

After your workout, it’s essential to refuel your body with a carbohydrate-protein blend, such as:

a peanut butter sandwich;

a small handful of walnuts or almonds; or

a fruit smoothie with some protein powder.

So there are some quick and easy suggestions to keep your diet on track, and your body fueled like it needs to be.

photo credit: Darwin Bell

Don’t forget to not overdo it though!

You don’t want to eat too much food before exercising, because if you become sluggish, nauseated or throw up, you’ve lost that workout.

One last thing. Drink water and eat healthy!

Of course, don’t forget to drink water before, during and after your workout to avoid dehydration.

And remember that eating a low-fat, well-balanced diet the rest of the day will help ensure that your motor is running efficiently both during exercise and at rest.

Is Exercise Sometimes Not Worth the Time You Put In?

By Peter 4 Comments

I’ll sometimes talk with people I know about their weight loss plans, and how they expect to lose weight. When I ask them what they’re doing they’ll give me a report of drastically reduced calories, and a workout plan that involves a few situps and walking once or twice a week. In most cases I don’t think that type of a plan is going to be successful, just for the small amount of exercise they’re doing, and because their diet will cause their metabolism to shut down, and harm their prospects for weight loss.

In an article I was reading today people were having a different issue. They were exercising for too long, using a exercise that wasn’t as beneficial as they thought. One reader of the MSNBC site emailed in:

I exercise every weekday morning in my hot tub, doing 2,000 forward bicycles, 2,000 reverse bicycles, 2,000 frog kicks and 2,000 reverse frog kicks. It takes me almost three hours. Am I doing too much exercise? I’m trying to lose weight this way because I have leg problems that keep me from doing any other type of exercise.

doing leg kicks in a hot tub for 3 hours? Are you kidding me? Who does that? I know some people do have some physical limitations that preclude them from performing some normal exercises, but there has got to be something better out there for this person to do. I seriously doubt they are getting much actual impact from their bicycle and frog kicks!

photo credit: Tigerzeye

The fitness expert answers the question:

There’s a lingering misperception in fitness that if 20 repetitions of an exercise are good, then 200 — or 2,000 — must be better. But sometimes — such as when doing 4,000 frog kicks and another 4,000 bicycles consumes your entire morning — exercise may just not be worth that much time and effort. In fact, you may be pleasantly surprised to know you can restructure your program so that you actually work out for less time and get more bang for your buck.

The person writing in probably needs to look at some other options for their workout plan. Some low impact whole body workouts like swimming in a pool, riding a stationary bike, or something along those lines. Even though they’re exercising quite a bit currently, the exercise that they’re getting really isn’t that helpful – especially since it takes so long to complete.

Sometimes we all need to take a look at our workout plans, and decide for ourselves if the work we’re putting in is worth it. Is our plan well thought out? Will it actually have the result we’re looking for? If not, it may be time to sit down and come up with a new plan of action with someone who knows what they’re doing like a personal trainer at a local gym, or a friend who is a fitness guru.

Set goals, make a plan of attack, and carry out the plan in such a way as to attain positive results.

Have you ever had a workout plan that didn’t work? What was the reason for the plan’s failure?

[ad#468x60_pj_totalgym]

100 Pushup Challenge: Week 3(x3), Day 1 (again)

By Peter 4 Comments

Week 3 once again

Today I restarted week 3 of the 100 pushup challenge – again. Lately it seems that every time I try to restart this whole thing we get busy, have nights out and I just can’t find the time to get my workouts in. I think I may start having to get up earlier so that I can exercise in the A.M.

Week 3 day 1 Column 2

Once again I started with 20. No problem. Powered through.

the two sets of 15 weren’t too bad, maybe the rest I’ve had actually helped? The 13 and was harder, but overly hard.

For the last set I made it to 20, and it wasn’t as much of a struggle as it was last time. So Wedensday I move on to day two again.

Looks to be a little harder, but do-able.

How’s your pushup challenge going? Have you given up yet? Still giving it your all? Doing it half-way? Let me know in the comments!

100 pushup challenge for Ipod

If you haven’t downloaded the 100 pushup challenge for your Ipod (or other portable device) yet, you can still do so by subscribing to our RSS feed. The download link will appear in the RSS feed. If you have trouble finding it, please email me through our contact page, and I’ll be happy to help.

If you have already downloaded the file you may want to re-download it as I have corrected some mistakes, and made some updates. Thanks!

Joggers Live Longer?

By Peter 5 Comments

Just when I was looking for an excuse not to go running anymore I stumbled on an article in Time Magazine titled “Runner’s High: Joggers Live Longer“. Ugh.. So – what’s this all about?

That runner’s high may translate into a lot of other long-lasting health benefits, a new report from an ongoing study suggests. Researchers have found that regular jogging, or any consistent aerobic exercise, in middle age and late in life may reduce people’s risk of disabilities and help them live longer and healthier.

The study looked at two groups of people, those who run regularly, and those that never do. Other than that indicator the two groups were relatively similar in their makeup.

photo credit: mikebaird

The two groups were looked at over a 20 year period, and here is what they found:

Researchers analyzed the accumulated data at 8 years, 13 years and, most recently in 2005, the 21-year mark. Not surprisingly, the data showed that exercise was a boon to health. Over the years, compared with the never-exercisers, people who exercised regularly — in addition to running, activities included biking, aerobic dance and swimming — showed improved aerobic capacity, better cardiovascular fitness, increased bone mass, fewer inflammatory markers, less physical disability, better response to vaccinations and even improved thinking, learning and memory. They also lived significantly longer.

The article continued:

By year 19 of the study, 15% of the runners had died, compared with 34% of the non-running control group. Not only did fewer runners die of cardiovascular causes, but fewer died of other causes such as neurological and infectious disorders. At 21 years into the study, the authors reported, the running group experienced fewer disabilities in eight basic daily functions, including walking, eating, dressing, grip strength and routine physical activities — reporting, on average, one mild disability out of the eight. Never-runners recorded one to two disabilities on average, and were more likely to have a complete disability in one of those daily functions. Even as participants approach their 90s, the groups’ disability and survival curves continue to diverge.

So, if you’re not already running, biking, dancing or swimming (or other aerobic activity), it’s time to start. It’s never too late! So get moving!

It’s been a few days without a post

By Peter 4 Comments

I’ve been lazy

It’s been a few days since I posted here on Quick To Fit. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks, and my fitness goals have pretty much gone by the wayside. I know that sucks, but sometimes that happens.

At the beginning of last week I got an infection in my eye that caused my eyelid to swell up to several times its normal size. On Monday I couldn’t even see out of my eye. I went to the doctor and they gave me some antibiotics to help kill the infection. That seems to have helped, but I still had a buildup in my eyelid that needed to be drained (ewww.. i know). This morning I went in and they cut my eyelid open and removed it. I now have 2 stitches in my eyelid. Because of the infection, I haven’t felt much like exercising – even though I could have.

photo credit: Luis Fabres

From the middle of the week last week I was dealing with a problem with our house’s foundation. We discovered some mold in our basement a few weeks ago which seemed to be the result of a crack in our foundation. After several weeks of going back and forth with our builder, they stepped up to the plate and fixed the issue. We were happy with that, but it also meant I had to take off work several times in order to be there while they fixed the problem and replaced the drywall. Once again, being there while they fixed the problems took away from time I could have been exercising, and stole my motivation.

Within the past couple of weeks I also had my car broken into and a bunch of stuff stolen, including a digital camera and my Ipod that had my 100 pushups workout on it. Luckily my friends in the blogsphere have stepped up to the plate and provided me with a new Ipod shuffle, and a new camera, however, I just haven’t gotten around to going to the 100 pushups website and downloading the workouts yet. Lame excuse, I know – but there you go.

Over the weekend I went to a retreat with my family at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN. While we were there I had planned on going out running, and getting some exercise, but besides a canoe ride with my wife – all I did was exercise my jaw eating at the all you can eat buffet in the college’s dining center. Ugh.

I’m a bit afraid to see if my weight has gone up over the past couple bad weeks – but I suppose I’ll have to get on that scale tonight to see. Here’s to hoping I can muster up some motivation to get back on the exercise wagon!

Have you had a bad stretch in your exercise regimen, and how did you get RE-motivated to exercise?

[ad#468x60_pj_totalgym]