Basic fitness minimums?
MegaMooseEsq
Posts: 3,118 Member
When it comes to weight loss, I'm all about the philosophy of "whoever eats the most and loses weight, wins!" I feel pretty good about how that's going (37 lbs down, 36 lbs to go!), so the last couple of months have started focusing on fitness. I'm trying to find a basic routine that meets that same "least amount of effort" philosophy - I like the idea of knowing I hit the bare minimum and anything on top of that is gravy. I know that I'm not going to become the fastest runner or heaviest lifter this way, and I probably won't ever look "toned," but that's okay because my goal is really just a basic, well-rounded level of physical health.
I try to meet the DHS recommendation of 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week or 150 minutes of moderate activity, with 30 minutes of activity a day (judged by my Apple watch) and two days of full-body strength training. Those seem like reasonable minimums, but I'd love to hear any thoughts on that from more experienced people. I get that there are generally no answers universal to everyone, and something is always better than nothing, but I'm curious to hear what people think, and if anyone else is going for the more laid-back approach.
Cardio: I aim for 15-25 minutes of "vigorous" cardio 4-6 days a week - I started off walking, but it got too easy and I wanted more of a challenge. When it's not icy outside I run, but not more than two days in a row. Otherwise I use a stationary bike. I also try for at least 10k steps a day, or 650 "move" calories (Apple thing).
Resistance: Gyms stress me out and seem like a big time commitment, so bodyweight it is (I'm thinking to invest in adjustable dumbbells and a bench, but we'll see). After some goofing around the two programs I like are the Nerdfitness beginner bodyweight circuit or the scientific seven minute workout. The former seems just the right amount of effort and time - right now I can do a warm-up and two circuits in about 25 minutes - but I am skeptical that I'm not pushing hard enough for the latter to be of much use. I aim for at least twice a week, but never two days in a row.
Balance: I'm trying to keep Saturday or Sunday as a rest day and do some sort of low-impact stretching/balance-type of exercise, but to be honest I'm struggling with this part. I was doing a Qi Gong video but have skipped out the last few weeks in a row. There are about a million yoga places by my house, but the idea of spending money and being around other people is discouraging. I feel like something like this would be a good addition to my week, but it's hard to make it feel like a priority. I know there are lots of free options online, I just haven't found anything that sticks yet.
I try to meet the DHS recommendation of 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week or 150 minutes of moderate activity, with 30 minutes of activity a day (judged by my Apple watch) and two days of full-body strength training. Those seem like reasonable minimums, but I'd love to hear any thoughts on that from more experienced people. I get that there are generally no answers universal to everyone, and something is always better than nothing, but I'm curious to hear what people think, and if anyone else is going for the more laid-back approach.
Cardio: I aim for 15-25 minutes of "vigorous" cardio 4-6 days a week - I started off walking, but it got too easy and I wanted more of a challenge. When it's not icy outside I run, but not more than two days in a row. Otherwise I use a stationary bike. I also try for at least 10k steps a day, or 650 "move" calories (Apple thing).
Resistance: Gyms stress me out and seem like a big time commitment, so bodyweight it is (I'm thinking to invest in adjustable dumbbells and a bench, but we'll see). After some goofing around the two programs I like are the Nerdfitness beginner bodyweight circuit or the scientific seven minute workout. The former seems just the right amount of effort and time - right now I can do a warm-up and two circuits in about 25 minutes - but I am skeptical that I'm not pushing hard enough for the latter to be of much use. I aim for at least twice a week, but never two days in a row.
Balance: I'm trying to keep Saturday or Sunday as a rest day and do some sort of low-impact stretching/balance-type of exercise, but to be honest I'm struggling with this part. I was doing a Qi Gong video but have skipped out the last few weeks in a row. There are about a million yoga places by my house, but the idea of spending money and being around other people is discouraging. I feel like something like this would be a good addition to my week, but it's hard to make it feel like a priority. I know there are lots of free options online, I just haven't found anything that sticks yet.
5
Replies
-
The least effort will bring the least results.11
-
I'm around the same place you are--30 pounds down, 25 to go, and time to get into fitness. I also do not want to go a gym. I was walking in the summer but the cold weather keeps me inside now.
The thing I've started doing is the 21 Day Fix workout on Beachbody on Demand. Yes, I paid $100 for a year subscription, no I don't drink the shakes. The workouts are hard--but not impossible. I don't like being uncomfortable. They are all 30 minutes, and I do them first thing in the morning, to get it out of the way. And I'm already noticing things, like butt muscles I didn't used to have. I can feel where my abs are, even though I can also still feel the fat hanging off them.
The program has cardio days, strength days, one Pilates and one yoga, so it seems pretty rounded to me. I figure I'll do another round of this, maybe try the Extreme version, and then move onto Focus T25 or PiYo or something.1 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »my goal is really just a basic, well-rounded level of physical health.
That's a bit different than than "fitness", but yes, your routine is decent to avoid the common health issues. Keep the strength sets challenging.
1 -
Cherimoose wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »my goal is really just a basic, well-rounded level of physical health.
That's a bit different than than "fitness", but yes, your routine is decent to avoid the common health issues. Keep the strength sets challenging.
How would you differentiate fitness vs. physical health here? What does one need to do to be "fit"?
The strength workout was something I've been trying to sort out for a while, but given how achy I felt after last week, I think I might have figured it out. Those circuits are actually kind of fun, so that's a bonus!0 -
The least effort will bring the least results.
Between your comment and the "woo" above, I'm wondering if I read the room wrong and this isn't the right place for this post. A lot of the reason I wanted to post in the first place was to find people to chat with who are around the same place as me - I figured there might be other people who want to improve their fitness but aren't looking to deadlift 300 pounds or run a marathon. I mean, even if I only jog for 15 minutes three times a week, I'm still feeling benefits. Should I feel bad about not doing more, or should I feel good about doing something?13 -
I think NerdFitness is a good place to start. I also think they have ways to increase the difficulty of the bodyweight circuits if they become too easy. I also think that there is more of an alignment with your philosophy- do just enough to achieve your goals (whatever they are) and then live life. I think the forums there are open to everyone and I think you might get good input there if you can post there. I signed up for their academy. It didn't resonate with me as much as the free blog articles, but it does provide a path to continually progress on the fitness front to whatever level you want to get to.
1 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »my goal is really just a basic, well-rounded level of physical health.
Nothing wrong w/this.
After losing 38# down to 158 from 196 and dropping my BF from +20% down to 10-12% starting 18 months ago, this has been my primary objective too.
I'm already as strong and fit as I care to be, which BTW is a very high level of health and fitness for someone my age, and, since I am in maintenance, I am only doing what I consider is minimally necessary to keep it that way.
However, what I do could be considered either far beyond (or not even begin to approach) what others consider minimally necessary to do.
We're all different and it's all relative. You just have to do what you think is best for you.
2 -
I started looking for a reasonable fitness level. I found it. Then incrementally increased it.
You will probably find, just like you did going from walking to running, that you will want to keep increasing what you can do. So though a programme like Nerdfitness is good now, and I always sing the praises of it, in 6 months, when you can no longer get the challenge, the weights and bench will push you further.
I totally get just wanting to get and maintain a good level of fitness and health. I love all the people that lift heavy, really heavy, things, do triathlons, race various events, etc etc, but know now that is not me, I don't have that drive and dedication. I am happy being a regular fit and healthy woman.
I had never exercised so did aqua fit 3 x week to start, then added walking, then 10 km races, then belly dancing, then core/aerobics, then Zumba, then swimming lessons, then Pilates, then Nerdfitness, then dumbells, now barbell.
This will have been a 10 year journey in January. I started off hating exercise, now I tolerate it by finding different and challenging things to do. Jack of all things, master of none- that's me.
Keep going at a rate that works for you.
I will say, if you have a pool near by aqua fit will be good for the balance and flexibility you are looking for.
Cheers, h.
ETA: I started all this at 54, I'm 64 now.11 -
middlehaitch wrote: »I started looking for a reasonable fitness level. I found it. Then incrementally increased it.
You will probably find, just like you did going from walking to running, that you will want to keep increasing what you can do. So though a programme like Nerdfitness is good now, and I always sing the praises of it, in 6 months, when you can no longer get the challenge, the weights and bench will push you further.
I totally get just wanting to get and maintain a good level of fitness and health. I love all the people that lift heavy, really heavy, things, do triathlons, race various events, etc etc, but know now that is not me, I don't have that drive and dedication. I am happy being a regular fit and healthy woman.
I had never exercised so did aqua fit 3 x week to start, then added walking, then 10 km races, then belly dancing, then core/aerobics, then Zumba, then swimming lessons, then Pilates, then Nerdfitness, then dumbells, now barbell.
This will have been a 10 year journey in January. I started off hating exercise, now I tolerate it by finding different and challenging things to do. Jack of all things, master of none- that's me.
Keep going at a rate that works for you.
I will say, if you have a pool near by aqua fit will be good for the balance and flexibility you are looking for.
Cheers, h.
ETA: I started all this at 54, I'm 64 now.
I definitely want to keep pushing myself, but just regular fit and healthy sounds like a great goal for me - I think I’ve struggled a little with the concept because it seems like people around me are either very athletic or don’t exercise at all (except maybe in January). I was the latter for most of my life, but I don’t feel like I fit in with the former very well either. Maybe I was hoping for confirmation that it’s okay to just aim for healthy.
Also, I love the idea of a swim-based option for balance and flexibility. I largely though of swimming as a cardio option and too much of a time commitment to do regularly, but once a week, especially over the winter, sounds kind of fun!6 -
That philosophy really doesn't make sense, because the people who eat the most and lose weight are either people who are spending many hours a day exercising or they are people who have health problems that prevent them from metabolizing food properly. It is better to exercise a moderate amount and eat a quantity of food appropriate for how much you exercise.3
-
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »I definitely want to keep pushing myself, but just regular fit and healthy sounds like a great goal for me - I think I’ve struggled a little with the concept because it seems like people around me are either very athletic or don’t exercise at all (except maybe in January). I was the latter for most of my life, but I don’t feel like I fit in with the former very well either. Maybe I was hoping for confirmation that it’s okay to just aim for healthy.
You already got confirmation from me and others that it's "okay to just aim for healthy."
You don't have to buy into the push yourself mentality. From where you are, just doing what's necessary for you to lose weight to meet your objective and to get healthy and fit will be a great accomplishment.
You can be satisfied with that. Good luck!2 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »The least effort will bring the least results.
Between your comment and the "woo" above, I'm wondering if I read the room wrong and this isn't the right place for this post. A lot of the reason I wanted to post in the first place was to find people to chat with who are around the same place as me - I figured there might be other people who want to improve their fitness but aren't looking to deadlift 300 pounds or run a marathon. I mean, even if I only jog for 15 minutes three times a week, I'm still feeling benefits. Should I feel bad about not doing more, or should I feel good about doing something?
The original title of the post, which you changed 25 minutes after I posted, said something like "Best exercise for least effort".4 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »The least effort will bring the least results.
Between your comment and the "woo" above, I'm wondering if I read the room wrong and this isn't the right place for this post. A lot of the reason I wanted to post in the first place was to find people to chat with who are around the same place as me - I figured there might be other people who want to improve their fitness but aren't looking to deadlift 300 pounds or run a marathon. I mean, even if I only jog for 15 minutes three times a week, I'm still feeling benefits. Should I feel bad about not doing more, or should I feel good about doing something?
IMO, you should feel good about working toward your goals, and general health and basic fitness are perfectly reasonable goals.
That clarity about goals - not getting sucked into what "everybody does" or "everybody thinks you should do" - is a wonderful trait: Mature perspective on the march, as it were.
As far as activity goals, I'm pretty much at the same spot these days in a practical sense, though without your discipline and consistency
.
I seem to have gotten competition mostly out of my system (after having dived into a competitive sport for 10 years or so at age 46 after a prior life of sedentary lassitude), and have some physical issues (torn meniscus chief among them) that have me unwilling to train the same physical thing hard every day.
My main overall goal is to stay physically capable, healthy and strong - this seems particularly important to me as a widowed, orphaned, childless only child! As a solo 62-year-old, whatever needs doing, I need to do. Besides, I'd like to avoid a permanent move to the assisted living facility for as long as possible.
Because I'm basically an undisciplined hedonist, I put a priority on finding activities I think are enjoyable in themselves, and keeping friends who encourage me in that direction. I need there to be some form of continuing technical challenge, so that I'll stay interested.
In season, I usually row (on water) 4 times a week, hour to hour and a half.. Happily, I mysteriously enjoy a sweaty challenge, so I think spin class is fun, and do that twice a week. Some years I go to rowing camp for a few days. Throw in some other random active fun - bike, canoe, walk, garden, etc. - and that's Spring through Fall.
Winter is harder. I keep up the spin class, but there's always a short period of denial/cocooning before I settle into a routine. Mostly, I do things I can convince myself to do in order to stay in shape for next rowing season. Last year, it was swimming around once a week, machine rowing a couple of times or so weekly, weight training 2-3 times/week. In the past couple of years before that, it was some of that, but no swimming, instead regular core work and (near) daily yoga and/or Pilates. If I do little/nothing for too long, I get tense, cranky, mildly depressive, so that eventually spurs me out of the denial/cocooning phase.
TL; DR: Gee, I'm not sure there really was a point in there . . . . 5 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »The least effort will bring the least results.
Between your comment and the "woo" above, I'm wondering if I read the room wrong and this isn't the right place for this post. A lot of the reason I wanted to post in the first place was to find people to chat with who are around the same place as me - I figured there might be other people who want to improve their fitness but aren't looking to deadlift 300 pounds or run a marathon. I mean, even if I only jog for 15 minutes three times a week, I'm still feeling benefits. Should I feel bad about not doing more, or should I feel good about doing something?
The original title of the post, which you changed 25 minutes after I posted, said something like "Best exercise for least effort".
I’m sorry. I changed the title of the post because it seemed like you were responding to something I didn’t mean to communicate. I apologize for the confusion. I’d been trying for a tongue in cheek tone and immediately got what seemed to be a negative response, so I tried to clarify. Again, my apologies. I have a bad habit of overediting.MegaMooseEsq wrote: »I definitely want to keep pushing myself, but just regular fit and healthy sounds like a great goal for me - I think I’ve struggled a little with the concept because it seems like people around me are either very athletic or don’t exercise at all (except maybe in January). I was the latter for most of my life, but I don’t feel like I fit in with the former very well either. Maybe I was hoping for confirmation that it’s okay to just aim for healthy.
You already got confirmation from me and others that it's "okay to just aim for healthy."
You don't have to buy into the push yourself mentality. From where you are, just doing what's necessary for you to lose weight to meet your objective and to get healthy and fit will be a great accomplishment.
You can be satisfied with that. Good luck!
And I also apologize if I sounded like I didn’t appreciate your and those other encouraging posts. I absolutely do! I was very intimidated about the prospect of posting this and was chagrined that it seemed not to effectively communicate what I meant to communicate.3 -
TimothyFish wrote: »That philosophy really doesn't make sense, because the people who eat the most and lose weight are either people who are spending many hours a day exercising or they are people who have health problems that prevent them from metabolizing food properly. It is better to exercise a moderate amount and eat a quantity of food appropriate for how much you exercise.
I’m sorry I was unclear - I did not mean that “philosophy” literally. If I have a philosophy, I guess it’s “don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good” or something along those lines. I meant to communicate that I’m not one for extremes - I’m not on a restrictive diet, I’ve been taking things slow so I can continue to enjoy the things I enjoy, and along those lines, I’m trying to find a niche for myself in the fitness world somewhere in the grey area between couch potato and athlete. I don't have anyone to talk to about fitness and exercise in my life who doesn’t either act like I’m a superhero or conversely try to convince me that I should be doing a lot more. I was having an achy Monday and thought it might be nice to chat about what “casual” fitness can look like.3 -
I'm the same. I don't want to be super fit just healthy and able to maintain a happy lifestyle. I love Fitness Blender. It's a YouTube channel (and website) and it's all free. On their website you can find body weight workouts, strength, HIIT, short or long workouts, etc. I also walk when it's nice and bike. I think Kelly on Fitness Blender looks very toned and healthy. I can't run due to a nerve injury and the gym was just an expensive monthly bill that didn't get used. I'm going to buy some adjustable dumbbells too because I like lifting. I have no desire to run a marathon or lift 300 lbs. I did some triathlons before kids and they were fun but exhausting and I got injured. You donyou and as as long as your happy and feel healthy and your doctor says your healthy then you're doing fine.4
-
I'd call it the most bang for your buck approach - where the bang is not some high level of fitness, be that cardio endurance ability, or power lifting ability, ect.
Perhaps your bang is some ability to go upstairs quickly and not be dying after 1/2 floor, to lift that bag of dog food and not hurt yourself for couple days, to be agile enough to reach what fell behind the couch without locking up your back.
Your buck is your time and level of effort - not that you don't want to spend any, but what is most efficient thing for best results. Because yes, people are full of extremes. Every new year. Until about March. Then back to the other extreme.
The Tabata routine has been shown to improve the aerobic fitness level for minimal time spent - but it's hard.
Always a trade off between frequency, intensity, and duration, to obtain certain results.
A combo of strength (adjustable dumbbells and bench are great idea) and flexibility for the rest, same mix of 3 things.
And then you can indeed hit maintenance level at whatever point you feel you've got what you want. If you want more of something, then slowly making it harder is needed. If not, then you do maintenance level workouts.5 -
For an average-sized average-genetics average-age woman:
Bench 1xx
Squat 2xx
Deadlift 3xx
Pretty reasonable.3 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »The least effort will bring the least results.
Between your comment and the "woo" above, I'm wondering if I read the room wrong and this isn't the right place for this post. A lot of the reason I wanted to post in the first place was to find people to chat with who are around the same place as me - I figured there might be other people who want to improve their fitness but aren't looking to deadlift 300 pounds or run a marathon. I mean, even if I only jog for 15 minutes three times a week, I'm still feeling benefits. Should I feel bad about not doing more, or should I feel good about doing something?
It's entirely up to you how you feel about it? We can't tell you to feel good or bad.
Set your goals, smash them, be happy... simple!3 -
I started running because I realised I was waking up and staring at social media, when i could be doing something better for my health. Actually I started walking first, then figured I might as well try running.
I already enjoyed walking the countryside with a friend, but as time has gone by and I've got fitter through running a bit more, my targets have changed. As I see and can physically FEEL my fitness improving (not to mention my body) my goals are constantly evolving.
@AnnPT77 put it nicely - Because I'm basically an undisciplined hedonist, I put a priority on finding activities I think are enjoyable in themselves, and keeping friends who encourage me in that direction. I need there to be some form of continuing technical challenge, so that I'll stay interested.
I won't go to the gym just to thrash out an hour of something. I WILL go to the gym to do an activity that gets me better at something else. So currently I'm targeting strength training to make me a better runner. I also swing dance , which is fun, challenging, and very social. Swing dancing also takes me to festivals all over the world.
This morning I didn't much want to run. It was cold and dark. But I also really wanted a muffin slathered in butter. So I ran.
I hate the term 'exercise' To me that denotes something like a chore. 'Activity' is something that is fun to do or gets you to a place you want to be physically. I think your target is a good one, but be flexible, don't be surprised if it changes, it did for me....4 -
Fitness Blender on YouTube. Totally free videos 24/7 from home. The only investment I suggest is a good set of adjustable dumbbells or at least a challenging range of dumbbells.
Fitness Blender also sells multiple workout plans to follow on their website. They’re all 8 weeks long with lots of structure, and only like $15 a pop. It helps to support what they do and keeps their workout videos free.
I took the plunge and started one 10 days ago. 30-40 mins of work 6 days a week with one of those being an active stretch day...I am 100% in love. It takes the stress from organizing a workout plan and they’re very challenging for as short of an amount of time as possible. I’m sore in a new place every day and I really feel like I’m getting in an effective workout without having to spend hours in the gym doing it!2 -
I’m going to have to try out this Fitness Blender site - it sounds like fun! I think that @heybales got what I was going for with my post much better than I put it, which is why I was frustrated yesterday (also yesterday sucked for other reasons) - it’s not that I want to do the absolute bare minimum and nothing else, but I’m looking for the best bang for my buck. Over the last few months, I’ve found that 20 minutes of cardio in the morning gives me a boost of energy to start the day, maybe 100 or so extra calories for a snack or extra weight loss, and I can feel that I’m less out of breath climbing stairs or sprinting brief distances. It’s great! I imagine that to maintain those benefits, I’ll want to keep pushing a bit - that’s exactly what happened when I switched from walking to running, and maybe I’ll need to add speed or distance if my current plan gets too easy. But that’s okay!
I love hearing from @middlehaitch and @AnnPT77 - my two mother figures were the kind of opposite extremes I mentioned earlier - one (my mother) has been obese much of my life and largely seems to have given up on living long enough to see grandkids grow up. I still hope that will change, but I don’t know how to do it. My stepmom, on the other hand, is the type to do yoga every morning, weights every afternoon, and a two hour jog after dinner. I got a concerned lecture the last time she saw me eating cheezits. In a way, her example seemed so unreachable that I didn’t try to get healthier for a long time (I’m in my mid 30s now). Unlike her and my dad, I don’t see fitness as central to my life - I see it as a tool to make the rest of my life longer and more pleasant. But that means I want to save time for watching movies and hours curled up with a good book and so forth!1 -
Hmmm... this is a really interesting topic.
First off, let me start by saying that I have no idea what would give you the most bang for your effort's buck, i.e. the most benefit for the least amount of time/effort. My guess is that most cardio-based activities will translate pretty equally to overall fitness. If I wanted something fairly well rounded that I could follow without much thought and do at home... I'd probably do something like P90X.
The idea of a basic level of fitness is more what caught my, um, eye.
Personally --- I think I'd want to be able to jog/trot/walk a 5k. There are so many charity events, and 5ks are good family events, that this would be fairly important to me.
- I'd also want to be able to enjoy my dogs, and that would mean a fair bit of walking/hiking. Ultimately though, I don't think that would end up being stressful enough to warrant its own training.
- I want good control over my body... so I'd probably lean towards bodyweight work and plyometrics. I love my gymnastics rings and would probably build a strength routine around using them. I'd add in some jumping and maybe some throwing work to round out the routine.
- Like you, I'd also probably want to do some balance/flexibility stuff... but probably wouldn't do it regularly enough to matter. I've been saying I should do more of it for years now, but I'm yet to do more than just talk about it.
1 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »How would you differentiate fitness vs. physical health here? What does one need to do to be "fit"?
Exercising for health usually means avoiding the common diseases of inactivity (heart, joints, etc). Fitness includes that plus it is a readiness for life's challenges, including work (lifting boxes, etc), leisure (hikes, sports), and emergencies (running from a mass shooter, heheh). Strength training usually should be added, and if one doesn't have a strenuous job or lifestyle, it's good to include freeweight exercises unsupported by a bench (simulates the demands of real-world situations better). Speed & agility are useful skills to train too each week.
1 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »The least effort will bring the least results.
Between your comment and the "woo" above, I'm wondering if I read the room wrong and this isn't the right place for this post. A lot of the reason I wanted to post in the first place was to find people to chat with who are around the same place as me - I figured there might be other people who want to improve their fitness but aren't looking to deadlift 300 pounds or run a marathon. I mean, even if I only jog for 15 minutes three times a week, I'm still feeling benefits. Should I feel bad about not doing more, or should I feel good about doing something?
The original title of the post, which you changed 25 minutes after I posted, said something like "Best exercise for least effort".
I’m sorry. I changed the title of the post because it seemed like you were responding to something I didn’t mean to communicate. I apologize for the confusion. I’d been trying for a tongue in cheek tone and immediately got what seemed to be a negative response, so I tried to clarify. Again, my apologies. I have a bad habit of overediting.MegaMooseEsq wrote: »I definitely want to keep pushing myself, but just regular fit and healthy sounds like a great goal for me - I think I’ve struggled a little with the concept because it seems like people around me are either very athletic or don’t exercise at all (except maybe in January). I was the latter for most of my life, but I don’t feel like I fit in with the former very well either. Maybe I was hoping for confirmation that it’s okay to just aim for healthy.
You already got confirmation from me and others that it's "okay to just aim for healthy."
You don't have to buy into the push yourself mentality. From where you are, just doing what's necessary for you to lose weight to meet your objective and to get healthy and fit will be a great accomplishment.
You can be satisfied with that. Good luck!
And I also apologize if I sounded like I didn’t appreciate your and those other encouraging posts. I absolutely do! I was very intimidated about the prospect of posting this and was chagrined that it seemed not to effectively communicate what I meant to communicate.
My god. Stop apologising and tell her to get back in the kitchen....you know, where all women belong 1 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »Cherimoose wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »my goal is really just a basic, well-rounded level of physical health.
That's a bit different than than "fitness", but yes, your routine is decent to avoid the common health issues. Keep the strength sets challenging.
How would you differentiate fitness vs. physical health here? What does one need to do to be "fit"?
The strength workout was something I've been trying to sort out for a while, but given how achy I felt after last week, I think I might have figured it out. Those circuits are actually kind of fun, so that's a bonus!
Lance Armstrong was one of the fittest individuals on the planet but got testicular cancer, i.e, not healthy as an example
One can be extremely fit, but have a health issue. As mentioned above being fit can help one be healthier but some things can get you no matter what.0 -
Cherimoose wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »How would you differentiate fitness vs. physical health here? What does one need to do to be "fit"?
Exercising for health usually means avoiding the common diseases of inactivity (heart, joints, etc). Fitness includes that plus it is a readiness for life's challenges, including work (lifting boxes, etc), leisure (hikes, sports), and emergencies (running from a mass shooter, heheh). Strength training usually should be added, and if one doesn't have a strenuous job or lifestyle, it's good to include freeweight exercises unsupported by a bench (simulates the demands of real-world situations better). Speed & agility are useful skills to train too each week.
When I think of fitness minimums I think:
Walking up 2-3 flights of stairs
Walking 30 minutes
Running(really running) 100 meters
Lifting BW from the ground
Lifting Half BW overhead
Just as some examples.3 -
Cherimoose wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »How would you differentiate fitness vs. physical health here? What does one need to do to be "fit"?
Exercising for health usually means avoiding the common diseases of inactivity (heart, joints, etc). Fitness includes that plus it is a readiness for life's challenges, including work (lifting boxes, etc), leisure (hikes, sports), and emergencies (running from a mass shooter, heheh). Strength training usually should be added, and if one doesn't have a strenuous job or lifestyle, it's good to include freeweight exercises unsupported by a bench (simulates the demands of real-world situations better). Speed & agility are useful skills to train too each week.
Oh that's interesting, thank you! I love the idea of targeting my fitness for life's challenges - I think I've got a decent start on cardio and strength, but I'll have to look into speed and agility. Maybe some fartlek when I'm a little further along in my cardio? I'm not 100% opposed to gym classes, but I know it's got to be fun or I won't do it.
On the strength point, I googled "free weight exercises" because I genuinely did not know what you meant by that, and came across this article: https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/free-weight-exercises-vs-body-weight-exercises-vs-machines/. It seems like free weight and body weight exercises have pretty similar benefits, while machine exercises seem the least beneficial except maybe ease of getting started, and would require going to the gym or being independently wealthy. I'm hoping to pick up some adjustable dumbbells when I can free up a little cash (there seem to be good options around $40-50?) and mixing that in with the bodyweight work.0 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »The least effort will bring the least results.
Between your comment and the "woo" above, I'm wondering if I read the room wrong and this isn't the right place for this post. A lot of the reason I wanted to post in the first place was to find people to chat with who are around the same place as me - I figured there might be other people who want to improve their fitness but aren't looking to deadlift 300 pounds or run a marathon. I mean, even if I only jog for 15 minutes three times a week, I'm still feeling benefits. Should I feel bad about not doing more, or should I feel good about doing something?
The original title of the post, which you changed 25 minutes after I posted, said something like "Best exercise for least effort".
I’m sorry. I changed the title of the post because it seemed like you were responding to something I didn’t mean to communicate. I apologize for the confusion. I’d been trying for a tongue in cheek tone and immediately got what seemed to be a negative response, so I tried to clarify. Again, my apologies. I have a bad habit of overediting.MegaMooseEsq wrote: »I definitely want to keep pushing myself, but just regular fit and healthy sounds like a great goal for me - I think I’ve struggled a little with the concept because it seems like people around me are either very athletic or don’t exercise at all (except maybe in January). I was the latter for most of my life, but I don’t feel like I fit in with the former very well either. Maybe I was hoping for confirmation that it’s okay to just aim for healthy.
You already got confirmation from me and others that it's "okay to just aim for healthy."
You don't have to buy into the push yourself mentality. From where you are, just doing what's necessary for you to lose weight to meet your objective and to get healthy and fit will be a great accomplishment.
You can be satisfied with that. Good luck!
And I also apologize if I sounded like I didn’t appreciate your and those other encouraging posts. I absolutely do! I was very intimidated about the prospect of posting this and was chagrined that it seemed not to effectively communicate what I meant to communicate.
My god. Stop apologising and tell her to get back in the kitchen....you know, where all women belong
Well I'm not going to do that, but I was clearly really loopy last night when I posted three apologies in a row. Woops.1 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »The least effort will bring the least results.
Between your comment and the "woo" above, I'm wondering if I read the room wrong and this isn't the right place for this post. A lot of the reason I wanted to post in the first place was to find people to chat with who are around the same place as me - I figured there might be other people who want to improve their fitness but aren't looking to deadlift 300 pounds or run a marathon. I mean, even if I only jog for 15 minutes three times a week, I'm still feeling benefits. Should I feel bad about not doing more, or should I feel good about doing something?
The original title of the post, which you changed 25 minutes after I posted, said something like "Best exercise for least effort".
I’m sorry. I changed the title of the post because it seemed like you were responding to something I didn’t mean to communicate. I apologize for the confusion. I’d been trying for a tongue in cheek tone and immediately got what seemed to be a negative response, so I tried to clarify. Again, my apologies. I have a bad habit of overediting.MegaMooseEsq wrote: »I definitely want to keep pushing myself, but just regular fit and healthy sounds like a great goal for me - I think I’ve struggled a little with the concept because it seems like people around me are either very athletic or don’t exercise at all (except maybe in January). I was the latter for most of my life, but I don’t feel like I fit in with the former very well either. Maybe I was hoping for confirmation that it’s okay to just aim for healthy.
You already got confirmation from me and others that it's "okay to just aim for healthy."
You don't have to buy into the push yourself mentality. From where you are, just doing what's necessary for you to lose weight to meet your objective and to get healthy and fit will be a great accomplishment.
You can be satisfied with that. Good luck!
And I also apologize if I sounded like I didn’t appreciate your and those other encouraging posts. I absolutely do! I was very intimidated about the prospect of posting this and was chagrined that it seemed not to effectively communicate what I meant to communicate.
My god. Stop apologising and tell her to get back in the kitchen....you know, where all women belong
Well I'm not going to do that, but I was clearly really loopy last night when I posted three apologies in a row. Woops.
To counteract this beat your chest and grunt three times1
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 394.1K Introduce Yourself
- 43.9K Getting Started
- 260.4K Health and Weight Loss
- 176.1K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 436 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.1K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.9K MyFitnessPal Information
- 15 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.7K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions