Author Topic: The $%*! frustration thread  (Read 472978 times)

V_Translanka

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #30 on: August 04, 2007, 08:18:49 pm »
I hate that I'm so out of shape that riding a bike for 12 (residential) blocks totally winded me and wore out my legs...At least I get to rest here sitting at this damn comp, I guess...V_V

Lord J Esq

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #31 on: August 04, 2007, 09:10:26 pm »
I hate that I'm so out of shape that riding a bike for 12 (residential) blocks totally winded me and wore out my legs...At least I get to rest here sitting at this damn comp, I guess...V_V

Twelve residential blocks? On flat terrain? That's not "out of shape." That's "OMG you're at death's door."

"Out of shape" is me:

I love to bike--it's my favorite sport and the only sport I like more than backpacking. But I'm pretty unfit right now, and I've put on weight over the past year. So when I had the opportunity on a vacation earlier this year to take a long bike ride, I was dreading my performance. And it was bad. I couldn't handle the hills; had to slow down all the time; and my heart rate was usually closer to maximum than target.

But that was seven miles on a valley floor, and I could have gone further than that if the damned seat hadn't turned my butt into a throbbing pain factory.

You, my dear V, might consider getting some more exercise! Aim for...eighteen blocks! And go from there...


On topic, might I say how frustrating it is to clean a shower? Those damned discolorations do not come out.

V_Translanka

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #32 on: August 04, 2007, 09:20:22 pm »
Well, there's always the ride back...:lol: I wasn't really whiped out...but I was kind of out of breath pretty soon...and some of my leggy muscle things were a little tired afterwards...but still...pissed off.

ZeaLitY

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #33 on: August 05, 2007, 01:38:19 am »
Disclaimer: I'm not lecturing anyone here. As usual, my hatred of the complication of fitness as passed off by commercial businesses has led to a longer post than I intended...

The important thing is to challenge yourself. Walk for 30 seconds, jog for 30 seconds, and run your maximum for 30 seconds. See how many of those you can last, and give it 200%. When your legs rest up a couple days later, do it again. The objective is to work on your lungs.

There is so much idiocy in the fitness world that it's staggering. Here's a factoid: sit-ups are utterly, completely worthless unless part of a circuit training routine, and they're only good for cardio as part of that. We all have six or eight packs. But most of us have them obscured by a layer of fat. Sit-ups will do nothing but increase the overall endurance of your abs. They won't melt away the fat, and neither will they develop the muscles so that they somehow show through. Working a part of your body does NOT remove the fat there. When you work out, your body removes fat from all over in a balanced way. That's why you don't see utter blobs with perfect, washboard abs, or overflowing pear-people with perfect, chiseled legs from walking.

Health begins with your heart and lungs, and challenging yourself with hard sprints is the quickest way to health, even if you're well over your acceptable body weight. If you have developed cardiovascular health, you can live jollily overweight and still enjoy great performance (though not your maximum, by any means). Even in that scenario, you can eliminate risk of heart disease, some forms of cancer, and other causes of death almost as much as your thinner companions who are also in good health. Studies have shown that those who sprinted even for 30 seconds as part of a walking workout of a few minutes saw greater gains in well-being than their slower peers.

Weight loss begins with long work. If you want to lose weight, it's perfectly fine for you to walk 50 miles a day. But if you do not challenge yourself (being out of breath means it's working), your cardiovascular health won't improve much. To achieve both, develop your wind until you can jog freely. At that point, you can work off weight a lot faster than those who must still walk because their bodies simply can't handle going at a faster pace. The longer you work, the more cutaneous fat is burned.

All you need are a track and two feet (and a physical to make sure you don't have some kind of heart condition before working at your maximum). Nutrisystem, elaborate plans, wonder-machines, and paid trainers are all compensatory tools for a lack of will power. If the few articles I've read lately are right, at some point in the diet world the self-will was written off as an inadequate tool and restrictive, slavish plans were imported to keep one's habits in check. To those who wish to improve only as a passing desire, these mindless methods may work. But to those capable of visualizing success, seeking it logically, and unleashing their passionate will to improve themselves, self-will and some good cross-training shoes are all one needs. I pity people who pay small fortunes for diet plans and special treatment. Protein shakes are worthless; unless you live in the third world, chances are you consume enough daily! Gatorade and other energy drinks corrode your teeth and are meant for fast, transitory performance during athletic games, not overall health and endurance. And the other steroids are all not worth the health risks involved. Some of the fault lies with the companies who appeal to their ignorance with "easy plans" or proliferate misinformation about physiology. Science alone prevails!
« Last Edit: August 05, 2007, 01:42:18 am by ZeaLitY »

Glennleo

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #34 on: August 05, 2007, 01:58:55 am »
Zeality, that was a great read.

Once my damn wisdom teeth stop hurting I'm going to take your advice.

Kyronea

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #35 on: August 05, 2007, 04:41:42 am »
Thank you, Zeality. That'll certainly help me.

MsBlack

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #36 on: August 05, 2007, 01:40:42 pm »
Zeality hits the nail on the head again. I see too many people coming into the gym and going straight to the weights. These people do literally nothing on any of the cardiovascular equipment nor any flexibility training. Now, admittedly, they may go walking, jogging, running or cycling outside the gym, but I'm pretty sure a majority of these people don't. Kids go on each piece of cardiovascular equipment for perhaps five minutes then stop. It's obvious who is in better shape: the twenty-somethings with all their muscles toned who spend all their time on weights or the fifty-somethings with little body fat, toned muscles, who go pretty much exclusively on CV and last an hour on the cross-trainers and will probably live over a century. There is truth to 'No pain, no gain': my mother is at least morbidly obese if not super morbidly obese because she has a pain-free routine that she scarcely follows. She claims to have 'little time' but sits in front of the TV for hours, orders in take-away regularly and over-eats. Zeality's right. A personal trainer can not be on-hand 16 hours a day to tell you to get your ass of the couch, stop eating and start exercising; a baseline level of willpower is needed.

In my case, it seems unfeasible to go to a track, but when I do jog and run, I can simply go to the park. Did prehistoric man have tracks, treadmills or personal trainers? No. Exercise was simply part of their life, and unintentional, as it was required for survival. If we can exercise with personal trainers, gym equipment  and technology, why is our health going down the tubes? Because of all the junk we eat. People sue McDonalds for making them fat when it's their own fault. People need to stop palming off responsibility on other people and face up for their own actions' detrimental effects on their health, then act on it. Pontification doesn't suffice.

Here's a few tips:

  • Drink water. A vast majority of your body is made up of water. Keep a bottle with you by the computer, at work, at school, during exercise, pretty much where possible. Aim to drink at least 2 litres on days you don't exercise. When exercising, drink water after each exertion. For example, after 10 chin ups, sip some water. You'll be amazed how much better you feel and how little water you drank before. Whenever you crave something to eat but aren't hungry, drink water.
  • Cut the crap. If you don't possess the willpower, ween yourself off of problem foods, e.g. fast food, ice cream, fried food, sweets, coke etc. e suspicious of any drinks other than water and 100% fruit juices, smoothies etc. or some combination thereof. If unsure, don't drink/eat it. In a good diet, one shouldn't need anything other than water to drink. Which brings me on to my next point:
  • Eat fruit and vegetables. They contain many necessary nutrients such as various vitamins. Fibre helps you excrete waste. On this front, unless it has 'bits', juice isn't as good as the actual fruit. Potatoes are an exception. You can probably cut them out altogether. If you're feeling particularly bold, consider taking up a near-vegetarian diet, but make sure to have fish at least once a week and land meat once a week.  Avoid fried foods.
  • Don't add sugar to your food. Only add extraneous salt to food if you want diabetes. Many ketchups are predominantly sugar.
  • Contrary to popular belief, milk (not milk-based products) is not necessarily bad. Some studies have shown milk is only fattening in conjunction with other particular foods. If you do weight training or run on hard surfaces, milk will probably help by strengthening your bones. However, cheese, cream and butter are no-nos. A vast majority of butter is fat. Margarine is only slightly better than butter. White bread is hard for your body to digest, aiding indigestion.
  • Fish, garlic and onions thin your blood (which is generally considered good). Avoid if you're planning on getting stabbed any time soon.
  • With many foods, simply thinking about how natural something is can aid in avoiding problematic foods. For example, would a caveman have eaten reconstituted 'Chicken Nuggets'? I don't freakin' think so. However, don't be scared away from supplements. Even Bruce Lee used supplements as part of his diet, but don't take supplements you're unsure of the authenticity of or that can be obtained through more natural methods (e.g. Vitamin C from an orange).
  • Do occasionally indulge. Having a chocolate bar once a fortnight or take-away once a month or so won't kill you, and, if anything, may make you happier. The points I've made here are guidelines. Often your body will be able to tell you what's right and what's wrong. This means in the long-term, not your body saying "This chocolate bar sure is delicious!".
  • Check the ingredients and nutritional information. In Coke, for example, there are teaspoons of sugar and there's aspartme, which has been linked to conditions such as Alzheimer's, lymphoma, brain tumours and lesions and a plethora of other long-term conditions.
  • Consider joining a Pilates and/or Yoga class. The two can improve respiration, flexibility and mental wellbeing. Additionally, sports are a great way to improve strength and fitness: having someone else motivates you and the competitive element also encourages one to give it '110%'.
  • Consider investing in a bicycle. Bikes can increase fitness, stamina, strength and burn fat. Swimming is also a great all-round exercise for people of all abilities, and is often part of the package with leisure centre memberships along with the gym. Dancing can also be a fun and challenging exercise as well as improving coordination. Ballet, Ballroom, Salsa... whatever, give it a shot. If necessary, save up. Your body will thank you in half a century.
  • Don't smoke. Avoid smokey environments, especially pubs and seedy joints. For the few that don't know, smoking leads to a variety of complications, including, most notably, dozens of forms of caner. Again, pontificating isn't good enough. Don't just complain that people shouldn't smoke and tolerate it, remove yourself from the situation. Similarly, avoid drinking alcohol. It has many negative short- and long-term effects.
  • Wear sunglasses and sun cream when necessary.

I apologise in advance if there are any grammatical, punctuation etc. errors. I apologise in advance if (though I doubt it) any of this post is incorrect factually or misleading.

@Glennleo: Why wait? Your teeth hurting doesn't prevent you from swimming, running, cycling, calisthenics... it pretty much doesn't prevent you from any exercise. Perhaps you just need some more willpower.

Kyronea

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #37 on: August 05, 2007, 02:02:33 pm »
Oh I am really, REALLY mad now. The water pump for our house has broken, and so we will have no water for the next few days at the least. ARGH!

Radical_Dreamer

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #38 on: August 05, 2007, 02:38:16 pm »
MsBlack, you've given a lot of good information, but there's a bit of an inconsistency. You say avoid alcohol, then provide a link that suggests that for health, you should drink in moderation. Which do you actually advocate, abstinence, or moderation? For my part, the information I've seen suggests that moderate alcohol consumption is healthy, and thus, I drink in moderation. That said, I've cut out soda almost entirely from my diet. I did this at the same time I started taking long walks, and the way my body felt was much better. Soda is crap. If you want to drink something sweet and flavorful, drink orange juice.

MsBlack

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #39 on: August 05, 2007, 03:05:23 pm »
You make a good point, do point out any other inconsistencies if you see them.

I can't prescribe a specific plan unilaterally. It depends on one's situation and willpower. If one thinks that overall drinking a moderate amount of alcohol is beneficial and one can resist the temptation to drink excessively, by all means go ahead. However, some people become inebriated after consuming what, for most of us, is a miniscule amount of alcohol or suffer from other detrimental effects. I suppose when I wrote that, I mainly had in mind the kind of people who get totally drunk on beer every weekend. Personally, I abstain.

EDIT:
From http://www.makeupyourownmind.co.uk/questions/how-do-you-operate/opening-times/
Quote
Who do your town centre restaurants close at 11pm? When I roll out of the local boozer totally trolleyed at 11.20pm, I want burgers!! And not kebab shop burgers
It's that kind of mentality I refer to.
« Last Edit: August 05, 2007, 03:10:01 pm by MsBlack »

ZeaLitY

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #40 on: August 05, 2007, 03:52:27 pm »
I guess I'll throw in one last thing:

Don't worry about the all-or-nothing mentality. Too many people start working out and try to launch themselves into complete dietary changes and workout regimens right off the bat, and end up getting exhausted. Rome wasn't built in a day. I take in more soda than I should (eheh, Radical_Dreamer knows that gourmet soda rules), but I'm still working out. Eventually, I'll improve my diet and other parts as well.

Glennleo

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #41 on: August 05, 2007, 04:05:46 pm »
@Glennleo: Why wait? Your teeth hurting doesn't prevent you from swimming, running, cycling, calisthenics... it pretty much doesn't prevent you from any exercise. Perhaps you just need some more willpower.

Eh, your definitely right. Will power is something I lack for sure.
I just don't feel 100% while I'm on these pain meds. Once I get my tooth fixed tomorrow, supposedly there is an air pocket in my right bottom one, I'm hoping I feel better.
But you are right. I have to work though pain. Otherwise how would I continue to work out after I get sore? I wouldn't.

It's all motivation, and at the moment I don't possess much at all. Something to work on, that's for sure.

ZeaLitY

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #42 on: August 05, 2007, 04:18:04 pm »
...exercise floods your entire body with blood. If you have some kind of open wound like that, the sheer motion and blood pressure might agitate it.

Glennleo

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #43 on: August 05, 2007, 04:28:30 pm »
...exercise floods your entire body with blood. If you have some kind of open wound like that, the sheer motion and blood pressure might agitate it.

I know. That's half the reason I didn't go tubing yesterday. If I smacked my cheek on the side of the tube, that could have been a bloody mess. Plus the doctor said tot take it easy for awhile, so I'm in no hurry to do something stupid.

Thanks for looking out though.

Kyronea

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Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« Reply #44 on: August 05, 2007, 05:00:30 pm »
We still don't have water.

Glennleo, I sympathize...my father has similar teeth issues.

Also, I managed to get myself lost on my "short" walk and ended up walking an hour and a half longer than I had intended, and this was supposed to be my day of rest from the gym. (Six days a week, then one day of rest. Repeat.)