Your exercise plans for 2021 and how it went in 2020?

[Chuckanut]

Am curious what miscellaneous stuff you all do to supplement exercise at odd moments if you are also locked down like we are.

Not so much miscellaneious stuff. But, I find that since many of the things I would normally do during the day are either shut-down or not practical durinf the winter months. So, I simply go to my exercise room (AKA, my bedroom) and do a few more of my daily exercises. Sometimes I start on the next day's routine. This week I have started Youtube exercise routines that add more coordinated motion as mentioned earlier.

Whatever I do these days, it is far more than what I did years ago when I was still a working stiff. Lately, I noticed I am gaining a big of weight, yet my pants fit about the same. Could it be muscle? One can hope.

 

[Lsbcal]

...

Whatever I do these days, it is far more than what I did years ago when I was still a working stiff. Lately, I noticed I am gaining a big of weight, yet my pants fit about the same. Could it be muscle? One can hope.

Post pics of abs and biceps and we will take a vote.

 

[Old Microbiologist]

I have found that using the Oculus Quest2 provides some excellent opportunities for some serious exercise. I use AudioTrip, PowerBeats, Thrill of the Fight, and First Person Tennis. It is a lot of fun and these 4 programs (2 run on a PCVR using Virtual Desktop to stream to the Oculus) are way more than enough to stay in shape. I am burning more than 1,000 calories a day doing this and having a lot of fun doing it.

 

[bbqcoder]

I have been been gaining weight for years, even when I was eating salads for lunch 7 days per week and exercising 1 hour 6 days plus working full time- not a desk job either. It’s like my metabolism just died.

I have been at a plateau with my weight and just switched to using MyFitnessPal to track my food and caloric intake. It’s eye opening as it explains why my weight didn’t really change even when I exercised.

I was never one who poured salad dressing on my salad but it helped me realize that feta cheese, nuts, craisins will increase the caloric content of a salad.

I think if you want to lose weight, you need to track your calories and relearn your eating habits. Use exercise as a way to be healthier and stronger but not as a way to lose weight.

 

[Old Microbiologist]

meleana and bbqcoder - I also had a similar problem with weight gain despite exercising and watching my diet. I decided it was the fault of our diet (plus natural metabolism changes after age 65) and decided to do a drastic change to my diet and lifestyle. My wife had gone to Moscow for a medical exam and then got pneumonia (not COVID) so was there for 6 weeks instead of the planned 2. This was back last January. I decided to go complete keto and did the one meal a day (OMAD) while she was away. I also tracked literally everything with MyFitnessPal and put in every ingredient I ate and every bit of exercise. I didn't use the pre-formatted stuff as I live in Hungary and prepared foods are not really available. Everything here is cooked fresh and not factory food. It worked great and within 2 months I made it to my goal weight of 78 Kg from a high of 92 kg. I am not a believer that cholesterol has anything to do with cardiac disease but I do believe metabolic syndrome and insulinemia is a cause. To each their own and it is controversial to say the least. Keto works for me and my labs are great.

My wife returned and is not doing the keto diet but she does naturally do intermittent fasting. I do the majority of the cooking as she is a day trade so I cook keto only meals. She has lost 10 kg just through passive keto and she was pre-diabetic and that is gone now as well. She is unhappy though that losing weight her wrinkles are deeper. But, she is a lot healthier. Of course, she cooks on weekends and I have to be careful what I eat from her. She is not particularly happy about it but is more or less compliant enough. She cooks what she likes and I can eat it or not. If it has too many carbs I don't or I pick out the offending ingredients (like diced potatoes). I make spaghetti for her and I use sliced Chinese cabbage instead of noodles. So, far it is working out okay. I have more or less stuck with less than 20 grams a day of carbohydrate and plan to continue this the rest of my life. I did shift my fasting to 21:3 and eat a hard-boiled egg, some cheese, and almonds around 3:00PM and then eat dinner at 6:00 Pm then fast afterward until the next day at 3:00PM. It isn't all that hard to do. My wife goes to bed around 03:30 and gets up at 11:00 AM so she is intermittent fasting 16:8 and this is her normal lifestyle so nothing has changed for her.

I workout a lot more than before and I did lose a lot of muscle mass when I dropped weight. I have gained it back and at 80 kg but much more muscular and my body fat is around 10% which I am happy with. I could go lower but why be uncomfortable. All my old clothes are loose now and I am as fit as I have ever been in my life now. I have zero medical conditions as well.

I need to add that the earlier small meal is just to simply get enough to eat. I am not hungry (but you get hungry once you start easting as it does stimulate insulin which drives hunger) at all. I just wasn't getting enough in a single meal and get satiated quickly so the weight loss was continuing past where I wanted to be and your body will start converting muscle to glucose if it is starving. It is a balance and MyFitnessPal helps to keep the numbers correct. I was getting too skinny so increased consumption by adding a quick meal a few hours before dinner.

 

[audreyh1]

Am curious what miscellaneous stuff you all do to supplement exercise at odd moments if you are also locked down like we are.

I discovered that I could dance quite vigorously while cooking given the right music. When Apple Watch added a dance workout, I even got credit for it. Helps to have AirPods.

 

[REWahoo]

I discovered that I could dance quite vigorously while cooking given the right music.

This post is useless without pictures...

 

[audreyh1]

This post is useless without pictures...

Well, you would need video.

DH caught me doing a couple of 360s on our doorbell camera video feed as I returned from one of my walks. At his query I just told him “that was a really good song playing!”

 

[audreyh1]

Apple Fitness+ is awesome and quite inspiring!

It has me doing more workouts. So far I’ve done dance, yoga, rowing and cool down. Had me doing intervals on the rowing machine. The integration with the watch is just awesome. Very slick.

I’m even going to try some of the workouts I don’t normally do such as HIIT. They have some starter workouts.

It has workouts for indoor cycle and treadmill as well as rowing machine. Plus a bunch that need no equipment or minimal such as dumbbells and/or mat.

 

[audreyh1]

About once a week I cycle over to the small community gym in the hot blazing sun to do a treadmill workout. I have had the gym all to myself. Afterwards, I have to come home and shower because I’m a big melting ball of sweat.. The rest of the week I enjoy various exercises in the comfort of my own home.

All Apple Fitness+ workouts. It’s really been working for me. I’ve even been doing some of the longer workouts.

 

[RetireeRobert]

For 21 years I have maintained a routine of going to the gym 3 days a week, and getting in at least a good hour of aerobics, and then some stretching. For many years I also did a cycle of resistance strength training exercises.

For the last three years I have maintained a routine of 6 or 7 days a week of exercise, at least one hour, but many days 1-2/3 hours. And stretching routine. I dropped the resistance exercises a few years ago, but should really start doing some again, especially as I age and lose muscle strength soley to aging.

21 years ago I weighed in at 195 to 200 pounds. I dropped 25 pounds in three months and have never been more than 180 since, and usually low 170's or high 160's. I even got down to 163 for a month or two, but about 172 seems to be my new setpoint.

And I never have any trouble sleeping at night!

 

[aja8888]

I routinely walk 10,000 + steps per day, some of that with my dog.

Yesterday, I played golf with some friends and it was 94 F and very humid when we finished at 1.00 PM. We all were soaking wet. All of us who played are over 75 and we each have some kind of exercise routine, either walking or in the gym.

I hang out with a group of friends between 70 and 85 and we are all in pretty good physical shape. A couple of the guys are losing some memory functions though (LOL)!

2020 was just walking for me. Golf didn't start until September.

 

[Ronstar]

Started running again early May after 6 months off following foot/toe surgery. Doing a 3 mile HIIT run/walk every other day getting heart rate into the 160's. Either hike or bike on other days with occasional weight workouts.

Trying to get +10,000 steps per day, but I'm stagnant at around 9700.

 

[Rambler]

For about 12 years, I ran quite a bit. A couple years ago my ankles kind of gave up (collapsed). I still try to run once in a while but it seems like whenever I do, I hurt for a few days afterwards. Earlier this year I determined that I wanted to get back to running well enough to do half marathons again. Problem is that I gained some weight because of not running enough and not altering my diet to reflect the reduced running. Now, it seems that if I want to get back to it, I’m going to need to do something else to lose some weight first, otherwise it is just too painful, even with podiatrist prescribed orthotics and shoes.

I do walk at least 45-60 minutes every day, in addition to my “chores”. A typical day sees about 15,000 steps.

 

[audreyh1]

Started running again early May after 6 months off following foot/toe surgery. Doing a 3 mile HIIT run/walk every other day getting heart rate into the 160's. Either hike or bike on other days with occasional weight workouts.

Trying to get +10,000 steps per day, but I'm stagnant at around 9700.

Are you familiar with research that indicates limiting HIIT to no more than two 30 min sessions a week protects your health? More than that can be detrimental.

 

[Ronstar]

^ Thanks - I'll look into it.

 

[audreyh1]

^ Thanks - I'll look into it.

A rescent search - https://www.google.com/search?q=am+i+doing+too+much+HIIT&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

 

[Ronstar]

^ lots of good info. Think I’ll back off HIIT to twice a week. Many of these articles recommend weight training on non HIIT days. Sounds like good advice.

 

[audreyh1]

Yeah, I had heard of this, but only started doing HIIT this year as the Apple Fitness+ Rowing workouts do several “all-out” intervals.

My heart rate can get way up there, I back off the effort a bit if my heart rate starts approaching or exceeds 170. I figure I’m working hard enough already. My heart rate recovery is pretty fast though which is reassuring. 10 seconds or so rowing slower will get me back down into the 150s.

Otherwise I’m doing strength training including core, and a whole lot of yoga. When weather permits I go on long bicycle rides.

 

[Lsbcal]

Regarding heart rate, I run up some pretty steep hills but rarely get my heart rate up into the 140's. I really don't want to push it. Am a bit suspicious of the BPM readings on my Apple watch but on a relative basis it should be fine. My resting rate is around 50 BPM.

I've given up on my Olympic dreams and now at 73 just want to stay in shape. In it for the long haul.

P.S. Many people have complained about getting consistent BPM reading while running with the Apple watch. After some years of trying all manner of things I finally found that switching my watch to the right wrist works for me. It might be that since I am right handed the arteries are more developed there and the watch can get consistent readings throughout the workout.

 

[Chuckanut]

Lately, I discovered some step leading from an apartment complex up to a park in another neighborhood. About 160 steps up and another 160 down. A half dozen trips really gets the heart going. I've had to back off a bit, since my aging muscles need a more time to recover these days. A few years ago, I could do the steps every other day. Now it's twice a week. I am simply glad I can do them. Most of those who I see doing the steps have to be a good 20 or more years younger than I. And they go a lot faster.

 

[audreyh1]

Regarding heart rate, I run up some pretty steep hills but rarely get my heart rate up into the 140's. I really don't want to push it. Am a bit suspicious of the BPM readings on my Apple watch but on a relative basis it should be fine. My resting rate is around 50 BPM.

I've given up on my Olympic dreams and now at 73 just want to stay in shape. In it for the long haul.

P.S. Many people have complained about getting consistent BPM reading while running with the Apple watch. After some years of trying all manner of things I finally found that switching my watch to the right wrist works for me. It might be that since I am right handed the arteries are more developed there and the watch can get consistent readings throughout the workout.

My heart rate readings on Apple Watch have been extremely reliable. I row with two heart rate monitors as my rowing machine accepts a chest strap signal. They match exactly.

Years ago I had some difficulty with consistent heart rate readings on the original watch, sometimes not picking up, sometimes just completely off. But this has been resolved for years and my newer watch has been completely reliable.

 

[audreyh1]

About overtraining/overtaxing:

I also read that your resting heart rate is a measure of whether you need more time to recover. Monitor it every morning. If it’s elevated one morning you need to take it easy. Something like that anyway.

 

[Lsbcal]

My heart rate readings on Apple Watch have been extremely reliable. I row with two heart rate monitors as my rowing machine accepts a chest strap signal. They match exactly.

Years ago I had some difficulty with consistent heart rate readings on the original watch, sometimes not picking up, sometimes just completely off. But this has been resolved for years and my newer watch has been completely reliable.

From reports I have seen some people experience my sort of problems while running even with the new watch (series 6?). So for some the running issue is still there. I am guessing it is a physical issue that not all people share ... or there could be some running dead zombies.

I have a series 4 watch. I am not sure what I would gain with the series 6 other then to be able to have it always visible. Is there another reason to upgrade?

 

[Dd852]

In terms of getting a good beat reading on the watch key for me has been position. When running be sure to have it about an inch and a half up fron the wrist and relatively snug. That’s higher than I normally wear a watch but changing for the run makes a difference