Swimming can be great for building muscles. For example, that young swimmer guy, the one who got all those gold medals and then drove drunk: I heard him say in an interview that he doesn't lift weights; he just gets his muscles from swimming. And the sauna might be nice on those really hard days. I'd say just keep doing what you're doing if it makes you feel good, keep getting as pumped as you can, and then use the sauna to relax if you feel like you had a tough workout and need to sit in steam for a bit.
Well another week gone by and I hope the entire group is healthier, happier, and looking good.
I do not claim to be a physical fitness expert even though I headed an agency that was, in part, in that business for awhile--I hired experts though and they taught me a lot.
Diet is extremely important even if your food doesn't kick back on you much in your 20's, 30's, 40'. It really is important to get those requisite servings of fruit, dark green leafy veggies, yellow veggies, along with sufficient protein and enough fat so that you don't feel starved and/or deprived. Supplements are good too but there are a LOT of scams out there to collect your money for minimal or no benefit in the stuff they're peddling.
So far as exercise, strength drills (weights, etc.) will build muscle and the more muscle, the more efficient your body will be at metabolizing and using your calorie intake rather than converting it to fat. However, I firmly believe that exercise does NOT have to hurt in order to be efficient and effective to achieve physical fitness. In fact, if you excessively stress your body too much and too often when young, you will be much more susceptible to orthopaedic problems, arthritis, and other annoyances as you age. Thirty minutes of dedicated aerobic activity sufficient to get your heart rate up and sustain it for 20 minutes or so is plenty to e physically fit and will cause your body to continue to burn calories for many hours after you cease the activity. Some weight training is good too to tone and condition muscle. But it doesn't have to hurt and in fact shouldn't once your body becomes conditioned.
Swimming, power walking (treadmill etc.), rowing, cycling and other low impact aerobic activities are just fine and are something you can do your entire life to keep fit.
Gold stars for everybody who earned them this week. I don't get one. I've been bad. We went to Texas this past week for my mother-in-law's 100th birthday party and she died right after the party held in her honor. Though that was a blessing, making hasty funeral arrangements, loss of sleep etc. helped me catch a dandy of a miserable cold so I haven't been on the treadmill in the last 8 days. This too shall pass.
Welcome back Foxy and sorry to hear about your loss. 100 is a hell of a run though so it isn't hard to imagine you're right about it being a blessing either.
Thanks for the advice... but no Gold Star for me this week.
I blew off a week already?
Damn, exercise is an easy habit to break... redoubling my efforts tomorrow. Interestingly, the little while I did spend being good is still very apparent so at least I know it's real progress I was making!
Thanks Bill and here's hoping we both merit a gold star come next weekend.
You know what's frustrating about my mother-in-law though? Unless there is a major medical breakthrough in the next few decades, it is probable that few of us here on A2K will get to 100 years of age no matter how carefully we eat, how physically fit we are, and how we avoid all bad habits. My mother-in-law worked in the cotton fields when she was younger, raised four kids, and did all her own cooking, washing, housework without benefit of vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, or electric washing machines for much of her life, but she was a homebody, never really exercised, and her diet consisted of bacon, salt pork, potatoes, often fried, pies made with lard, and home grown canned veggies liberally laced with bacon grease.
Do you sometimes think we make this harder than it has to be?
Foxy, Bill & Co...
Glad to hear that things are going well, even if y'all fell off the fitness wagon for a week...
Foxy sorry to hear about your mother in law - 100 is a good go of things though, I must say.
Regarding your comment
foxy wrote:Do you sometimes think we make this harder than it has to be?
Sometimes I do think that we make things much harder than they need to be - trying to live for when we're 80 instead of for today. I read a good book with my girlfriend the other day that addresses this issue:
The Hedonism Handbook
It's a beauty of a read!
All the best
Foxfyre wrote:Do you sometimes think we make this harder than it has to be?
No question about it. My favorite Russian used to scoff at Amercan's silly impression of health as she did her morning stretching excises facing the sun as it rises. She told me the Yogis lived longer than anyone and usually had thin arms and big bellies (men). I think there may be some quality of life improvements with increased physical fitness but none of us can outrun the reaper. Not a very encouraging thought for the gym, that. :wink: Not smoking is still an undeniable way to put a little extra distance between us and forever, though, eh?
Jer- good to see you... and I'll check that out!
Yes, being healthier today is a wonderful thing. And while I agree it is foolish to neglect the present and live life to the fullest always, I have a few more years on me than the rest of you. And I can tell you that food and life and sex and all the good things are still great in your 40's, 50's, and 60's and (so they tell me) 70's and on IF you feel good and have the abjility and energy to get out and do stuff. So a little attention to not racking up your back and knees or clogging your arteries, etc. or wrecking your systems with drugs now pays off big dividends. The world has progressed to the point that you spend more of your life as a middle-ager and in seasoned citizen status than you spend as a young-un. And it's all good.
Anyhow, I'm giving Jer his gold star.
urs53 wrote:bigdice67 wrote:O'Bill: I figger my last day will be on the day my sister's kid'll get me as his/her godfather. How's that? Sound good? I think so!
What? Last day of WHAT? Well, well... Does that mean we will buy the Mustang then?
So what up Big D? Did you guys trade your smokes in for a Mustang or no?
It has been three weeks--my how time flies--since the last post on this thread? Let's don't let it die guys--it has been too good to too many of us.
Foxfyre doesn't merit a gold star yet, but I am at last over that bug--took a full month-- and am back on the treadmill as of today. (Tried several times earlier but just couldn't work up a sweat without triggering a violent coughing attack.) I'm also back to eating sensibly after not caring what I ate while feeling crappy.
So who does get gold stars this week? Everybody is well, happy, healthy, getting healthier?
Glad you're feeling better Foxy. Sick sucks.
No stars for me, though. I'm down to exercising like once per week... but I'll try again today! (Once per week is actually a serious improvement and is still yielding some result.)
Some evil-doer put Girl-Scout Cookies in Ice-cream, leaving me little choice but to take a hiatus from my Ice-cream moratorium... but gratefully it wasn't as good as it sounded. :wink:
Sheesh no need to take a moratorium from Ice Cream--Dreyers, Breyers, Blue Bunny and other top brands feature wonderful no-sugar-added, low fat or fat free ice creams that taste like the real deal and are quite acceptable, in moderation of course, for any diet regime.
I have a hard time keeping bread in the moderate range though and I still love fried chicken and bar-b-qued spare ribs and refuse to eliminate them totally.
I figure what good is it to do everything exactly right and feel deprived all the time? Anyhow, what will St. Peter say to all those folks arriving at the pearly gates after having died of nothing at all?
If I ever encounter St. Peter I don't think my Ice-cream moratorium will top his list of questions. :wink:
It has been two weeks guys. Who gets gold stars?
LOL Eva, thanks, but I honestly don't merit a gold star right now. I'm having a hell of a time getting affairs in order, getting schedules back on track. Do you ever have one of those times you just can't get your s**t together? I want to have my house in order, work caught up, everything organized and tidy, and back on track with exercise and diet routines, etc. I'm not getting it done and it's frustrating as hell.
But I'm stubborn as well as opinionated, so I have every confidence it's do-able.
Did I ever have one of those times? Are you kidding?! Take a look at my last couple of posts on the "Questions About Hearing Aids" thread. I'm going thru the same thing. Not smoking, but still...definitely off track.
Aw Eva, bless your heart. A true soul sister you are. But good job on not smoking and lets get this thread active for venting purposes if nothing else.
And here's your gold star. You've earned it.
Foxfyre wrote:...I'm having a hell of a time getting affairs in order, getting schedules back on track. Do you ever have one of those times you just can't get your s**t together? I want to have my house in order, work caught up, everything organized and tidy, and back on track with exercise and diet routines, etc. I'm not getting it done and it's frustrating as hell....
Oh, wait! I phrased that last message wrong....what I meant was that my problem wasn't smoking, but I still can't get my **** together these days as you described above. I've always been a nonsmoker. My parents were both 2-3 pack a day smokers who made me clean out their ashtrays from the time I was 10. If that won't turn someone against smoking, I don't know what will. Anyway, I'm certainly not holier-than-thou about it...I know it can be damn tough to quit and I think you deserve a big pat on the back. We all have different demons to fight, that's all. Right?
