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March 28, 2024, 11:04:36 AM

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Anyone else getting fit in Covid?

Started by Johnny Textface, November 07, 2020, 01:13:03 AM

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bgmnts

I thought you were an egg chaser SC? Aren't you pretty fit anyway? Never played rugby proper but in school the amount of strength needed was much more than football because of the wide range of movement in rucking, scrumming, tackling etc but unsure if that means you'd need a high cardio level but assume so.

jobotic

Quote from: Schrodingers Cat on March 27, 2021, 10:55:13 AM
Just ran my first ever (unofficial) half marathon this morning (21.2km). At 6:16 per km the pace was (and let's be fair to me) piss-poor. But given that at the start of February I couldn't run the 3.5km to the next village, I'm pretty pleased with myself. Well, I will be soon. Right now everything hurts and I want to die.

The barely slower than I run 10km. Couple of friends have entered a half-marathon in June. Tempted but I'll be miles behind them.

Mr_Simnock

Quote from: Schrodingers Cat on March 27, 2021, 10:55:13 AM
Just ran my first ever (unofficial) half marathon this morning (21.2km). At 6:16 per km the pace was (and let's be fair to me) piss-poor. But given that at the start of February I couldn't run the 3.5km to the next village, I'm pretty pleased with myself. Well, I will be soon. Right now everything hurts and I want to die.

Would love to know the training regime for this rather rapid increase in distance for just about 7 weeks. Most half marathon courses require about 6 months at least and that your already a runner.

Blue Jam

I seem to recall SC had some kind of injury or illness a while back. Could be like how I had a chest infection in January and have gone from being unable to walk to the shops without wheezing to running 3.33K just now. My physical crapness wasn't entirely down to lack of fitness.

JamesTC

I ran to Anfield and back a couple of weeks ago. It is just under three miles there and then I took a detour so it was a little over three miles back. The day after, I pulled up and had completely fucked my right calf. I knew Sleepers Hill was steep but not that bad.

Been working on stretching and recovering these last couple of weeks to get back up to speed and fully recovered. I'm running five miles a day now but I'm stopping four miles in to walk up a steep hill and then stopping again a half a mile later for another hill. Basically just trying to avoid any steep hills while I am recovering (and maybe long term). Two of the three times I have pulled up with an injury, it has come right after a steep hill.

Also considering buying a bike. I'm thinking maybe riding for two days a week instead of running might allow myself some recovery time whilst still exercising. Seen one that is £220 on Halfords which looks tempting.

Mr_Simnock

Quote from: JamesTC on March 29, 2021, 07:40:22 PM
I ran to Anfield and back a couple of weeks ago. It is just under three miles there and then I took a detour so it was a little over three miles back. The day after, I pulled up and had completely fucked my right calf. I knew Sleepers Hill was steep but not that bad.

Been working on stretching and recovering these last couple of weeks to get back up to speed and fully recovered. I'm running five miles a day now but I'm stopping four miles in to walk up a steep hill and then stopping again a half a mile later for another hill. Basically just trying to avoid any steep hills while I am recovering (and maybe long term). Two of the three times I have pulled up with an injury, it has come right after a steep hill.

Also considering buying a bike. I'm thinking maybe riding for two days a week instead of running might allow myself some recovery time whilst still exercising. Seen one that is £220 on Halfords which looks tempting.

If you don't stop exercising everyday your injuries will never go away, over training/exercising is so easily done. Great to see your doing stretching etc but give your bod a rest once a week, don't worry about stopping to walk if its a steep/big hill, even the very best hill runners do that in a race if it's steep.

bgmnts

Went out for a walk after a week in the depressed trough and it was great. I just wish it were empty. Passing hundreds of people gabbing and letting their dogs wander and shit everywhere and taking up the path with their prams and in groups makes me so anxious and irritable. I just want to listen to the river and birds and get some steps in without waking up at silly o clock or getting mugged in the dark.

JamesTC

Quote from: Mr_Simnock on March 29, 2021, 07:53:23 PM
If you don't stop exercising everyday your injuries will never go away, over training/exercising is so easily done. Great to see your doing stretching etc but give your bod a rest once a week, don't worry about stopping to walk if its a steep/big hill, even the very best hill runners do that in a race if it's steep.

Oh I did rest to recover. Between the 18th through to the 22nd, I only ran around 2 miles and that was just to see how I was feeling.

Schrodingers Cat

Quote from: bgmnts on March 29, 2021, 03:31:05 PM
I thought you were an egg chaser SC? Aren't you pretty fit anyway? Never played rugby proper but in school the amount of strength needed was much more than football because of the wide range of movement in rucking, scrumming, tackling etc but unsure if that means you'd need a high cardio level but assume so.

Hahahahah. Ahahahahah. Ha. No. You'd think so wouldn't you? I think you may well be overestimating the level of rugby I play at. My complete lack of fitness is the usual given reason for why I play at a second team level not first team. It will be interesting to see if/how that changes now I can probably match most other players physically. If nothing else after losing so much weight I will have to adapt how I play as I can no longer get away with just being bigger than my opposite number. I'm tons fitter and lighter than I was - just how that translates to pace/mobility/acceleration/etc remains to be seen. As does how I will cope in the contact area. Look forward to finding out though soon!

Quote from: Mr_Simnock on March 29, 2021, 05:21:40 PM
Would love to know the training regime for this rather rapid increase in distance for just about 7 weeks. Most half marathon courses require about 6 months at least and that your already a runner.

Run. And run and run and run. Are you running right now? No? Go running. Plus weight loss. Turns out running is so much easier at 86kg than 110kg. Who knew?! Being a rugby player probably does help. I have the base fitness just below the surface. In all honesty I probably tried the half marathon a bit early all thing considered. I needed to walk some of the uphill sections towards the end after running into a strong headwind for about 6k, which nearly killed me. But still got round in about 2h13 (6:13/km) so clearly didn't walk too much as my usual 15k pace is around 5:30/km. I remember Eddie Izzard when she 1st started doing her running stuff saying there was a point where your brain seems to realise you can actually run more than you think. Like you are suddenly aware we have evolved for millions of years to be able to run, not just sit around all day. I think that happened for me when I went from struggling to run 4K, to the 1st time running 10k without stopping in one leap. I completed my 7k circuit for the 1st time and just decided to keep going! :)

Quote from: Blue Jam on March 29, 2021, 06:07:23 PM
I seem to recall SC had some kind of injury or illness a while back. Could be like how I had a chest infection in January and have gone from being unable to walk to the shops without wheezing to running 3.33K just now. My physical crapness wasn't entirely down to lack of fitness.

Not that I can remember? I started running because I'd injured my shoulder (still not recovered btw!) and couldn't lift weights anymore. Unless by "illness" you are referring to my homosexuality? You monster. :)

In all honesty, the biggest thing has just been going from looking like this:
That's me on the left)

To this:


Still not a looker, but can't have everything, eh?

Anyone else prepared to share progress pics? ;)

Rich Uncle Skeleton


Blue Jam

Quote from: Schrodingers Cat on March 29, 2021, 10:33:07 PMNot that I can remember? I started running because I'd injured my shoulder (still not recovered btw!) and couldn't lift weights anymore. Unless by "illness" you are referring to my homosexuality? You monster. :)

Ah yes, it was the shoulder. Think I had that in mind when I was reading the discussions of how running with a phone or water bottle in your hand can unbalance you and cause shoulder problems. I wasn't referring to your gaiety, unless you were running with a copy of Gay Times or a Lady Gaga CD in your hand ;)

Struggling with injury a bit myself here. Had a flare-up of the ol' hip bursitis and when I'm running it's slowing me down. Feeling like a right old woman now. Just tried lying down with a hot water bottle under my hip until I consulted Dr Google and read that you really shouldn't do that and you should get an ice pack instead, so I've ordered some of those reusable gel pack things. Also got some Deep Freeze spray which is surprisingly effective but the mint aroma is distractingly strong. Might just try using that before a run and definitely not before bed, don't want a minty bed.

Bursitis is a fucker. Resting doesn't really help and somehow makes it worse, got to keep moving but not too much. As you suggest losing weight would probably help. Been trying to get a bit less Bargearse but the scales are shifting very slowly. My clothes feel looser though so I guess that's something!

Nice one on the weight loss yourself, you're looking great, well done!

thugler

Quote from: Mr_Simnock on March 29, 2021, 05:21:40 PM
Would love to know the training regime for this rather rapid increase in distance for just about 7 weeks. Most half marathon courses require about 6 months at least and that your already a runner.

I'd say if you're not completely new to exercise, 6 months is about twice as long as you would need. Once you can run 10 miles you can definitely do the half, even if not at a good pace.

Ooh, and anyone suffering with injuries should definitely invest in a foam roller. Super effective for back/neck/legs/hips whatever really.

Blue Jam

Quote from: thugler on March 30, 2021, 12:02:09 PM
Ooh, and anyone suffering with injuries should definitely invest in a foam roller. Super effective for back/neck/legs/hips whatever really.

Clean forgot I had a foam roller right here! Will get it out and have a roll about on it now. Cheers!

Yes, foam rollers are bloody lovely, especially on sore thighs.

MojoJojo

Hmmm, I didn't remember the music getting a bit odd in week 6 of C25K

(it's really only the starts that are a bit less bland).

Oops! After patting myself on the back last week, thinking I was still pushing some reasonable weight for a man of my advanced years, I very nearly got pinned under the bar this evening - something that hasn't happened since I was in my early twenties and still prone to trying to impress my mates. The thing is, I train on my own and wasn't trying to prove anything.

That's it then: the not-so-slow slide into decrepitude. :(

mothman

So at the start of last year I was feeling pretty rubbish. Overweight - 17.5 stone - with a resting heart rate in the 80s most of the time. So I went on a diet. I calorie controlled and walked everywhere, and lost more than a stone and a half.

And then lockdown happened. The strict calorie counting went out the window - just making sure we had food in the house was the main thing. But I started walking more to allow for that, usually going out at night when it was quiet and dark and still, nobody out there but me and the foxes. I probably still put on some weight, but I wasn't really watching what I ate at all.

And then I had a gout attack. The walking went out the window with it being autumn also a factor. And then Christmas, you know the score...

So here I was again a year later, feeling rubbish. So as soon as the new year was past, back on the wagon. About 1200 calories a day max, and at least 30mins walking a day (more often, 20mins at lunchtime 20 at night). I don't know how much I weighed at the start (I couldn't face it) but now, after 3 months, I'm 15 stone 3, 4lbs away from my step goal (14 11, or 95kg, chosen because it's halfway between my last target of 100kg and my ultimate - for now - goal of 90kg).

And I feel great. I hope to start using the rowing machine soon but we have builders in and there's no room to set it up. I'm down to a 34" waist and might be looking at 32" as soon as I can get into a clothes shop and try some on. I'm just... thinner. Than I have been in decades. My neck is thinner. Before I was straining the buttons on 17.5" collar dress shirts (granted they were tailored fit), I must be a 17 now or maybe even a 16.5. Can I keep this up? I hope so. 90kg would take me out of the obese BMI to being merely overweight. To not be in the overweight BMI, for my height I'd need to get down to 78kg. That'd be like losing a third of my body weight from my high point (which was the best part of a decade ago, but still). I'll have to see how it goes...

bgmnts

1200 calories a day? Wouldnt you go into starvation mode there?

mothman

I don't know. For one thing I'm not convinced by either how many calories FitBit says I'm burning, nor by how accurately I'm recording my intake (however accurate *and honest* I try to be). So realistically it's probably more like 1500 to 1800. I don't know for certain, so I use the 1200 as a guideline.

popcorn

#318
Quote from: mothman on April 01, 2021, 03:15:08 PM
So here I was again a year later, feeling rubbish. So as soon as the new year was past, back on the wagon. About 1200 calories a day max, and at least 30mins walking a day (more often, 20mins at lunchtime 20 at night). I don't know how much I weighed at the start (I couldn't face it) but now, after 3 months, I'm 15 stone 3, 4lbs away from my step goal (14 11, or 95kg, chosen because it's halfway between my last target of 100kg and my ultimate - for now - goal of 90kg).

A few years ago, I lost loads of weight (by mistake!) and looked completely different, but over the 2020 lockdown I gained some of it back.

I've been calorie counting for 2 months - 1700 a day, as recommended by apps based on my age, weight, height etc - and have lost 7.5kg so far. I'd recommend calorie counting to anyone - it's surprisingly easy to do these days, with phone apps, and even more surprisingly it hasn't required me making much sacrifice. It's just made me pay more attention to what I eat. I rarely end the day feeling hungry, and I still get to scoff chocolate every day. It becomes a game of strategising, like deciding what to pack in your suitcase.

On top of that, I've been walking for about 2 hours every day. I'm lucky in that I enjoy walking anyway, and as previously documented in this thread to everyone's horror I have scheduled regular calls with friends, which makes the strolls fly by. According to my Apple Watch I burn around 400 calories on a typical walk, which then gets added to my calorie budget (so I'm really eating around 2100 calories a day).

I'm not too concerned about how accurate all this is - every day the scale goes up a bit or down a bit, but it has added up to a good rate of weight loss overall so far and I intend to keep it up. As I said earlier in the thread, collecting data on your weight each day is a really good thing to do, because after only a few weeks you start to get a clear picture about whether it's working. If you don't do that, you're still in the dark.

I'll agree with others that 1200 sounds very low to me, and if you read the weight loss Reddit subreddit, the conventional wisdom is that this is too low. Try not to be too hard on yourself - if you create a calorie deficit, even a small one, you will lose weight.

JamesTC

Quote from: popcorn on April 01, 2021, 05:27:32 PM
I've been calorie counting for 2 months - 1800 a day, as recommended by apps based on my age, weight, height etc - and have lost 7.5kg so far. I'd recommend calorie counting to anyone - it's surprisingly easy to do these days, with phone apps, and even more surprisingly it hasn't required me making much sacrifice. It's just made me pay more attention to what I eat. I rarely end the day feeling hungry, and I still get to scoff chocolate every day. It becomes a game of strategising, like deciding what to pack in your suitcase.

Absolutely. I started a bit too low (1250 initially which is bad for a man) but I guess I had a lot of weight to lose at the start of 2020. Your body then becomes very adept at working on lower calories. Even on days you feel a little bit extra hungry, an extra 100 calories won't be the end of the world and it really works (usually a packet of low calorie crisps or two muesli bars).

I need to get back in the swing of things. I've just let everything go these past couple of months and have probably put on a fair bit of weight. If it wasn't for the large amount of exercise that I do most days, I'd really have piled on badly. What I've found more than anything is that when I've eaten a large amount in a day, it doesn't satiate me the way it would when I was mostly on a lower calorie (1500-2000) diet. Four months ago, I would eat a huge pizza and not be hungry till the same time the next day whereas now I can find myself getting hungry within a few hours after eating.

Hoping work settles down a bit and I can feel a little less stressed so I can get back to calorie counting. I'm hoping to be down to a reasonable BMI for my trip in September.

mothman

Thanks both. Food for thought! Like I say, I do take some of the calorific values with a pinch of (low sodium) salt; I just assume that if it's wrong, then at least it's consistently wrong! For example: I find that when I scan a barcode with the FitBit app, quite often it'll recognise the item but contradict the calorie count for the given portion size - usually under, oddly. So I'll find myself increasing the portion size to bring the app count in line with the packaging's. Like, putting in "1.25 servings" when actually I only had one.

I presume nutritional content can change over time as ingredients change, hence the disparity. Maybe I just need to use a better app! But right now this one is working for me, so why bother?

And as popcorn says, calorie counting IS easy and IT WORKS! I eat so much more fruit & veg. And thus less meat. I tend to avoid bread and potatoes altogether; very little rice (and in carefully measured amounts). When I was being really strict, I ate a lot of courgetti; now, I've found that a mix of courgetti with (again, a measured amount of) spaghetti works really well - it's nice, and it's filling. I eat a lot of stir-fry veg, and my go-to bulk food item is cabbage (savoy or white) stir-fried with some chilli flakes. I'll have it with almost anything.

And, a KFC Zinger ricebox? 510 cals. I'm having one tonight, I've worked hard moving stuff around at home and, gosh darn it, I deserve it! 👍

popcorn

Quote from: mothman on April 01, 2021, 06:25:58 PM

And, a KFC Zinger ricebox? 510 cals. I'm having one tonight, I've worked hard moving stuff around at home and, gosh darn it, I deserve it! 👍

Fucking hell, there's a KFC round the corner from me. That's dinner sorted.

mothman

It will transform your (dieting) life! In fact, I allowed myself a regular popcorn chicken with it. Because I could.

Ray Travez

Quote from: bgmnts on April 01, 2021, 03:25:27 PM
1200 calories a day? Wouldnt you go into starvation mode there?

There's a lot of myths/ misinformation about 'starvation mode'. Starvation is serious. Your body is consuming its organs for food (having exhausted all supplies of energy from fat and muscle), and you are about to die.

Going a few days or weeks without food, or below the amount of calories you need will put you into ketosis, not starvation. Your body burns some muscle at first, then transitions to mostly burning fat for energy (protein-sparing phase). Internal organs are not affected; the heart muscle is not at risk.

Most people can go at least forty days without food, and not enter 'starvation mode.' Obviously I'm not recommending this. There's a documented case of a very overweight man who went a full year without eating.


bgmnts

Sorry yeah by starvation mode I mean you are losing muscle instead of fat and dont have the energy to function. And that the more muscle you have the more calories you burn so you should try and keep a 500 calorie deficit.

I may give fasting another go though for a few days.

mothman

Yeah I've never felt like I was wasting away or couldn't function.

JamesTC

Even when I was eating 1250 calories a day, I never felt lacking in energy. I didn't do any exercise at the time aside from walking though.

bgmnts

Well I suppose I'm going to try 1200 a day then and see what happens.

JamesTC

I wouldn't recommend it. Do 1500 and a little exercise if you want to go to the very bottom of what you can.

If you must do 1200, then try and be very careful about the nutrition. I tried to maximise the amount of protein I had which included a protein shake per day.

popcorn

Yeah it just sounds like a recipe for misery really, and totally unnecessary unless you're going for one of those body-transformation roles and hoping for an Oscar.