The Fitness Thread

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TenaciousBe
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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by TenaciousBe »

Okay, so I had talked previously about the seizures thing, right? Well, as of today, I'm at 34 days without a (major) seizure. :) Previous record had been 31, so I'm into some uncharted territory here. And I don't want to jinx myself, but I'm generally feeling awesome, doing well, no major problems. Very little of the deja vu episodes I'd been having, and occasionally still having memory lapses but I feel like maybe not as much as before. Maybe the new medication is helping!
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TenaciousBe
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Re: The Fitness Thread

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Not to double-post, but I had to share my excitement - I'm now at 7 WEEKS seizure-free, 49 days, as of tonight! Haven't had another one since I started on the newer medication, so I'm betting that one is helping a lot. I've also been staying on top of taking my vitamins/supplements, so maybe that helps too? Just being more consistent with it.

The bad news is, I just found out that the neurologist I've been working with since all this started (nearly a year ago) no longer works at the clinic I've been going to, so I have to get transferred over to someone new. Going to do a video call with them on Tuesday to catch up on things and make sure that new medication gets refilled.

On the rest of the fitness tip... well, I haven't been SUPER consistent with my DDPYoga workouts, but I have been getting to do it 2 or 3 times most weeks recently. Which is better than the none times a week I was doing it before, right? And spring is definitely springing here, so once we get past this hump of 50-60 degree days and into the 60-70s, I want to get the family out at least to go walking around our local trail, hopefully get out biking. I've actually gotten to take my bike out a few times lately just around town to run errands with the boys, and it's like teasing a dog by letting it lick your meat-juice-covered fingers and getting it hungry for the rest!

Somehow, my weight still hasn't moved in more than a 5-pound range from 202-207 in about the last 6 months, though. It's good not to gain anything back, but I'm just sitting there dangling SO close to getting under 200 and just haven't gotten past that hump. I also haven't been real strict with myself as far as eating goes, so I know I need to buckle down there. My wife isn't happy with her weight either, so we just need to be strong together and keep each other on task, food and workout-wise. She likes doing yoga too (more traditional though), so we've been trying to alternate nights and make sure each other have a good 1-1.5 hours without the 3 year old running around the room and have a little peace and quiet for our various yogaing. Really just getting her back into it this week, aside from a couple one-off sessions over the past few weeks.

Anyway, I'm Brian, and thanks for coming to my TED talk.
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SHEAKENBAKEN
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Re: The Fitness Thread

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I've still managed to maintain going on a 4km run around my neighborhood 3-4 times a week since about July 2020 , But on July 1st of this year I started exercising again 3-4 times a week also (light weight lifting, some isometric exercises); alternating days between running and exercising; and I cut alcohol out of my diet for the last month or so (surprisingly dont even miss it all that much :eek :lol ). A couple months ago I also made a mental note to be drinking the daily recommended amount of water for men (3.7 Liters) and lately I'm not eating as much junk food. And while physically I'm not really noticing much changes, I do feel much better mentally about my physical health :) But I dont know if I can take that next step to go to an actual gym or have a personal trainer help guide me into actually achieving more physical results :lol :/ More than anything I want to focus on my abs strength and definition first and foremost.

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Ubik
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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by Ubik »

Good stuff Shea, I started running again recently after a solid 18 months doing nothing which was REALLY tough but am back up to 30 mins now, think I'm just gonna stick there and work on getting a bit faster. 3.7 litres seems a lot!

Also great to hear that, Be! Missed that post at the time and hope you're still going great.
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SHEAKENBAKEN
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Re: The Fitness Thread

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Ubik wrote: Wed Aug 18, 2021 9:37 am Good stuff Shea, I started running again recently after a solid 18 months doing nothing which was REALLY tough but am back up to 30 mins now, think I'm just gonna stick there and work on getting a bit faster. 3.7 litres seems a lot!
Thanks Ubik :) It is a lot of water :lol I have a 600ml water bottle I'm using and that means filling it up 6 times throughout the day :lol I also used to drink about four 300ish ml cups of coffee, whether it was decaf or normal, a day for a while there but I cut that down to 2 cups :lol I assume thats a healthy choice too :lol

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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by SHEAKENBAKEN »

Changed my exercise routine up to have it alternate between upper body and lower body days and I still run on upper body days now.

I've managed to get up to a 3 minute plank which feels good :lol

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Re: The Fitness Thread

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SHEAKENBAKEN wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 5:59 pm Changed my exercise routine up to have it alternate between upper body and lower body days and I still run on upper body days now.

I've managed to get up to a 3 minute plank which feels good :lol
3 minutes is great! We had this challenge before to plank to Metallica’s Orion! It’s pretty intense and I only made it halfway! I’m willing to go all the way if you want a little competition! It’s 8:27! ;)


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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by SHEAKENBAKEN »

Just wanted to give a quick update on my planking journey :lol

When I first started planking again this year I was getting an average of about 1:20 and now after continuing to practice planking every other day, I managed to build up my time gradually to 3mins, then 4 mins, then 5 mins (sept 3rd) then 6 mins (sept 5th) , 7 mins (sept 7th), and now my new record today is 8mins30 seconds! (Sept 9th) Feeling quite proud of myself these days tbh! Listening to one long song really does help motivate your endurance to try and beat it or match it :lol

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gbruin
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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by gbruin »

That's seriously damn impressive, Shea.
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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by SHEAKENBAKEN »

gbruin wrote: Fri Sep 10, 2021 12:13 pm That's seriously damn impressive, Shea.
Thanks, Greg! The more planks I do the more I look at as a mental game vs a physical one :lol Obviously its still a daunting task physically once your abs, legs, or arms start to burn but the ability to tune it out or power through it mentally is really what extends the time, IMO. :lol So listening to long songs or keeping a PR in mind really helps alleviate some of the pain :lol At the tail end of my times once the arms and legs start to really get going, I will alternate lifting one leg or one arm off the ground for even 15-20 seconds at a time and somehow that makes the plank easier to manage :lol

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Re: Unless I got a planking desk... hmmm....

Post by zazthespaz »

Anyone have experience with resistance training? I was talking with a buddy who was starting to do it and thought it might be worth exploring myself as I'm coming to the end of 3 months of my current routine and should switch things up. Naturally, I decided TABN was the place to start my research... :headscratch

Also, Shea, that's real impressive. I do 4 planks for a minute each and I can't imagine doing them longer than that :lol
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Oh well. Deal with it.
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Go reread what zaz says

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Re: Unless I got a planking desk... hmmm....

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zazthespaz wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 3:24 pm Anyone have experience with resistance training? I was talking with a buddy who was starting to do it and thought it might be worth exploring myself as I'm coming to the end of 3 months of my current routine and should switch things up. Naturally, I decided TABN was the place to start my research... :headscratch

Also, Shea, that's real impressive. I do 4 planks for a minute each and I can't imagine doing them longer than that :lol
I don't have any experience with resistance training so I cant help you there :lol

Thanks, Cam. :) I dont know how I did them though because these last few weeks I seem to only be able to last 5 minutes before I dont want to continue them but I'm doing my best to at least maintain the 5 min average. :lol :/ It always gets tough around the 3:30-4min mark and everything after that is pain and determination :lol

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gbruin
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And you can play bass scales while you work out.

Post by gbruin »

zazthespaz wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 3:24 pm Anyone have experience with resistance training? I was talking with a buddy who was starting to do it and thought it might be worth exploring myself as I'm coming to the end of 3 months of my current routine and should switch things up. Naturally, I decided TABN was the place to start my research... :headscratch

Also, Shea, that's real impressive. I do 4 planks for a minute each and I can't imagine doing them longer than that :lol
Like working with resistance bands? I got into this a few years back (well, damn, like 15 years back) when I developed a tear in the labrum of my right shoulder (google SLAP lesion for fun) from years of hitting volleyballs and overthrowing baseballs. The ortho guys I went to said I could either get surgery or try resistance training to strengthen the rotator cuff, and that turned out to be a much better option. Bands are great because the resistance increases steadily over the exercise (little resistance with little motion, more resistance with more motion) so you can tailor the workout to the health and strength of whatever you are exercising. Plus the bands are super versatile and portable so they offer a lot of convenience for working out whenever and wherever you want. Bands got my shoulder rehabbed well enough with bands that I could go back to weights and now it's nice to be able to mix and match depending on time, place, motivation, etc.
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Re: Can't play bass this way :(

Post by zazthespaz »

gbruin wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 5:07 pm
zazthespaz wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 3:24 pm Anyone have experience with resistance training? I was talking with a buddy who was starting to do it and thought it might be worth exploring myself as I'm coming to the end of 3 months of my current routine and should switch things up. Naturally, I decided TABN was the place to start my research... :headscratch

Also, Shea, that's real impressive. I do 4 planks for a minute each and I can't imagine doing them longer than that :lol
Like working with resistance bands? I got into this a few years back (well, damn, like 15 years back) when I developed a tear in the labrum of my right shoulder (google SLAP lesion for fun) from years of hitting volleyballs and overthrowing baseballs. The ortho guys I went to said I could either get surgery or try resistance training to strengthen the rotator cuff, and that turned out to be a much better option. Bands are great because the resistance increases steadily over the exercise (little resistance with little motion, more resistance with more motion) so you can tailor the workout to the health and strength of whatever you are exercising. Plus the bands are super versatile and portable so they offer a lot of convenience for working out whenever and wherever you want. Bands got my shoulder rehabbed well enough with bands that I could go back to weights and now it's nice to be able to mix and match depending on time, place, motivation, etc.
No, but that's what I thought too! Thanks for the input though! I'm referring to slow movements, like counting to 5 as you do a bench press. Supposed to work the muscles a little harder, but I think you do less weight with them. Looking to see if anyone has had experience with it.
anguyen92 wrote:
Oh well. Deal with it.
gbruin wrote:
Go reread what zaz says

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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by MaraCarr »

I have lost 20 lbs with Nita’s body Shred competitions. It’s been a few months since Shred 4 and I really miss the competition. The last part that I really loved was planking to Orion. We had to work our way up every day. I did not make it thru the whole song but I got to the halfway point. Nita gives a guitar to the overall winner, the one with the most physical transformation. The latest winner had phenomenal results. Incredible job! We all put in anywhere from $20 to $100 to participate. It’s worth every cent!

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3 ... &source=42

Here he is… the one who never missed a day at the gym. Shred 4 winner! Well deserved!

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TenaciousBe
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Re: The Fitness Thread

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GUYS! Guys. Holy shit. I stepped on the scale yesterday, and it said 200.7. I am SO INCREDIBLY CLOSE to seeing the underside of 200 for the first time since I was 21, in the year 2000! For those who don't know my history, here's the short version - used to be a colossal fatass. At the end of 2013, I weighed in at 340 pounds, I had such a hard time finding clothes that fit me, I felt like hell and looked even worse when I saw myself in pictures -- and knew I needed to make a change. So I made that good ol' New Years Resolution to take care of myself, and it stuck. By July, I was down to 270, thanks to better eating habits and increased activity (even just walking the track at the gym is better than sitting on the couch). Sort of stabilized there, bounced around from 270-240 for a good number of years. Up until a couple of years ago, when I inexplicably started losing weight again - down to the 205ish area. I've managed to hold there for close to 2 years, until this past month. I started a new shift at work, going back to nights (which has always been my forte), but only 10 hours a day rather than 12. Those 2 extra hours off at home have made a HUGE difference. It's so much easier to feel better and live right when you're able to sleep a proper amount (closer to 7-8 hours rather than the 5-6 I was getting most nights before), and still get up with a few hours to properly wake up, coffee, lunch, get errands done, etc. Anyway... Jan 1, I was 210.9. Yesterday, 4 weeks later, 200.7. My big, hairy, audacious goal when I started working on my health 8 years ago was to get under 200, as that was the lowest weight of my adult life. Weighing in once a week, I'm almost certain I'll see that 199 (or less) number next weekend.

Not only that, next Saturday, Feb 5, will be one full year with no seizures! Gonna be a big day. :D
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Re: The Fitness Thread

Post by SHEAKENBAKEN »

Congrats on the progress of your weight loss journey, TB! Truly an amazing feat you're accomplishing that not many people would have the drive or determination to stick with for as long as you have! Hope it continues to be a positive experience and that your one year of being seizure-free becomes permanent! :peace :D

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Re: The Fitness Thread

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Woo TB! Looks like you've been at a good place for a while but very awesome you're breaking through that barrier.

I'm apparently incapable of exercising in the winter, I think I have a recessive hibernation gene or something.
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Re: The Fitness Thread

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Tomorrow's the big day, but I'm not holding out hope for the 199 - been a little less active this week, and probably ate crappier, but who knows. Either way, it'll be the seizureversary so it's gonna be a great day either way!
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Love from the TenaciousBe Fan club!

Post by gbruin »

TenaciousBe wrote: Fri Feb 04, 2022 5:44 pm Tomorrow's the big day, but I'm not holding out hope for the 199 - been a little less active this week, and probably ate crappier, but who knows. Either way, it'll be the seizureversary so it's gonna be a great day either way!
:hug
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