chapf
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Post by chapf on Feb 18, 2013 12:45:49 GMT -5
Monday - Chop down a tree  |
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Post by rihannsu on Feb 18, 2013 23:32:17 GMT -5
I went ahead and got a fitbit one yesterday. Found out I could get it at Best Buy so I was able to use my card. I also had some rewards certificates and didn't know that I could use more than one at a time. I had $50 dollars worth total and was able to use all of them so that ended up being great. So I'm being really lazy today because I want a baseline of a low activity day to see what it figures for me then can compare that to a work day tomorrow. Hopefully that will give me an idea of how much of my grooming activity the fitbit will account for. Ok, you'll have to explain this a bit more for me. I did look it up and it's a fancy pedometer? Regular pedometers never seemed to track my steps very well but maybe this thing has a lot better motion detector. Now did you get the one that tracks your sleep too? You'll have to report. Yes it does more than just count steps. It give you steps, distance (calculated based on stride), calories burned (includes BMR), floors (only counts going up and must be full flight), and sleep/activities. There is a stopwatch function which you use for sleep or specific activities. When you go to bed you wear it in a wrist cuff that is very soft and comfortable. You start the stopwatch and when you wake up you stop it. It gives you a report on how long it took you to fall asleep, how often you woke up and rates your sleep efficiency. It usually can tell the difference between using the stopwatch for sleep or for other activities but if it labels it a sleep session you can just edit it on the website to change what the activity was. It also links with the MyFitnessPal website I am using. The fitbit site also has food tracking available but it is not as extensive as MFP. With the sites linked I just track everything on MFP and fitbit reports its data and the MFP site makes whatever adjustments are necessary. I'm just figuring it all out but basically you wear the fitbit 24/7 and it gives a pretty accurate calorie burn assessment as well as the steps and you only have to adjust for things like static exercises or cycling, swimming, etc. It is water resistant but not water proof so you obviously can't wear it swimming. The calorie burn figure that it reports is activity plus Basal Metabolic Rate. This spring they are supposed to be coming out with a new model called the Fitbit Flex that is housed in a rubber wristband. I decided not to wait for that one since there isn't a firm release date yet. My roommate's sister has had a fitbit ultra (previous model) for over a year now and she was really happy with the info it gives. Eating healthy is one thing but it is important to know what you are burning as well. More and more I am seeing info that low calorie diets can actually screw up your metabolic function and that in many cases people having trouble loosing weight are actually not eating enough. It is important to know what your Basal Metabolic Rate is and definitely not eat below that but you do want to eat less than what you are burning. The problem seems to be though that if you are eating below you BMR the body tries to adjust by slowing your metabolism and also you end up loosing muscle as well as fat. So you have to eat above your BMR so that you keep your metabolic rate up but you don't want a huge calorie deficit because that causes other problems. So really the more you exercise the more you need to eat. |
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Post by Jablea on Feb 19, 2013 0:26:22 GMT -5
Monday - Chop down a tree lol, I'm trying to figure out what everyone is doing at the funeral, good one chappy. |
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Post by Jablea on Feb 19, 2013 0:38:59 GMT -5
Tuesday - Ankle weights
Strap on a pair of ankle weights to do your leg exercises. I bought a velcro pair that has little metal bars that you can place in pockets to make it weigh more. When I was in therapy for my knee they loved strapping on a pair.
Try them out for those side leg lifts I talked about the other day. You can make your own out of sand and a tube sock or bicycle inner tube. Be careful about doing things other than specific exercises. These will do more harm than good if you decide to go jogging for instance.
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Post by momtomany on Feb 19, 2013 15:43:57 GMT -5
Hello!
I think I posted on this part of the thread just once, about 2 years ago . . . but I want to share with you this little exercise plan I've started! I'm terrible at sticking to a program; but I hope the added musical incentive will inspire me.
What's neat is that you can do this while you listen to the 7-minute version of "Stay/Underneath" from Seoul or Tokyo!
Way back in 2011 I cut out an article called "The 7-Minute Solution" from my weekend newspaper.
It's called the 'flat-ab workout for men and women'.
I'll describe each position, which you attempt to hold for 1 minute, before moving to the next. I've timed the music to let you know when to 'switch'.
Minute 1: PLANK
Lie on your stomach and come up onto your forearms and knees. Straight back. More advanced exercisers - come onto your toes. Your elbows should be bent directly under your shoulders. Weight should be on your knees and bent elbows. Hold this position for one minute.
Music: 1 minute ends at the end of the first 'around and around and around and around we go ..."
Minute 2: SIDE PLANK
Lie on your right side with your legs stacked on top of each other. Bend your right knee for support and push up on your right elbow, lifting your hip up off the floor in a straight line from knee to shoulder. Hold for one minute.
Music: this minute ends at the end of the second 'around and around and around we go ..."
Minute 3: OTHER SIDE PLANK
Turn over to your left side; legs stacked on top of each other. Bend your left knee for support and push up on your left elbow, lifting your hip up off the floor in a straight line. Hold for one minute.
Music: this minute ends after Adam sings " ... I'm the only one who needed saving"
Minute 4: CRUNCH
Quickly, change position to lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on floor, hands behind your head for support. Exhale as you lift your shoulder blades off the floor. Don't worry about how high you come up; it's more important to hold your stomach in as deeply as you can. Hold for one minute.
Music: Hold until the 'OOOs' at the start of 'Underneath'
Minute 5: BICYCLE
Come to crunch position but with feet and shoulder blades lifted off the floor. Rotate your left shoulder toward your right knee as you pull the knee into your chest and extend your left leg. Switch to right shoulder and left knee; repeat for one minute.
Music: Continue until the end of the phrase "still not that easy for me, Underneath"
Minute 6: SUPERMAN (I like this one!)
Turn facedown and extend arms straight out in front of you; legs straight behind you. With forehead an inch off the floor, lift the opposite arm and leg (i.e. left arm, right leg) and hold. Alternate sides, repeating for one minute.
Music: Minute ends with the phrase "you inside of me"
Minute 7: STRETCH
Still lying face down, bring your hands underneath (!) your shoulders, right at your armpits. Lift your shoulders halfway up. You should feel the stretch in your abs. Hold, relax, repeat for one minute - until the music finishes to applause for you!
I've done this a couple of times a day, for only a couple of days . . . so I don't see a real 'difference' in my ampleness yet! But I do feel the work my muscles are doing, and it's amazing how much longer Adam's performance feels when I'm trying to hold a pose!
I have a terrible time with exercise routines, especially when I do them alone. With Adam filling the room, this is quick, I feel like I've done something healthy, and I hear the most beautiful voice in the Universe as I grunt and writhe! My reward comes to me as I exercise.
Enough for now. Think I may be off to check out a 'fitbit'.
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chapf
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Post by chapf on Feb 19, 2013 16:55:10 GMT -5
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Post by rihannsu on Feb 20, 2013 6:29:52 GMT -5
Ok, checking in. I am down 1.1 lbs from last Wednesday. It is funny that even though my weight is fluctuating up and down somehow so far on Wednesday and Saturday, which is when I weigh in for the MFP website I manage to be always be down from the previous weeks weight. But I can clearly see why weighing in daily would be incredibly frustrating for some people. Bottom line is, if your the type that avoids the numbers thread during radio play cycles for Adam's songs to keep from angsting about the numbers you probably would not be well suited to weighing yourself daily. Keep it to once a week.
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Post by Jablea on Feb 20, 2013 7:29:05 GMT -5
Wednesday - Check in Day
Not my favorite day of the week anymore, lol. But we are going to keep at it.
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Post by fiercelier on Feb 20, 2013 11:05:40 GMT -5
Checking in before I head out of town on a family visit for 5 days. Had a good week, losing 2-3 lbs this week! Even though we went out for dinner on the weekend and I'm allowing myself a few things, I'm really trying to be eating less the rest of the time. Might be a challenge this week as I won't be at home.
And I now have an appointment in mid-March with an orthopedic specialist for my ankle.
Hope everyone else is doing good! Gotta run!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2013 11:51:08 GMT -5
Wow, fiercelier!  rihannsu, the Fitbit makes me feel exhausted just reading about it. LOL. But I liked what you wrote about how it just isn't that simple to cut calories. My sister lost a bunch of weight with Weight Watchers and her metabolism totally got screwed up. She gained it all back and then some and it defeated her. That is why I am trying just to eat more healthy food and exercise faithfully if moderately. She is older than myself and going into retirement very overweight and with some health problems. I want to do a bit better by myself and so my goal is to change habits, not pants. I did OK this week. I got in my 5x of exercise, yay! I am not sure whether I am going to continue the tai chi, though. I felt very clumsy and lost in last week's class. Fortunately it is just a free workplace offering so no big deal either way. I did OK on my healthy eating, which is my main initiative. I have been eating nice salads, and I incorporated some spinach into migas (good). I've also been doing the breakfast smoothies a couple of times a week. The best thing I made was a really nice salad with shredded carrots, chopped celery, and peanuts! Yum. Very satisfying and good. I agree with everyone else that it's time of year when reality sets in. |
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