How do you get your movement in?

Hello there, I’ve started this weight loss a couple of months now, other than logging my food and trying to cut it back I have been trying to walk differently at work, what I have been doing different is trying my hardest to move faster than I would have done in the past, this I have found really has helped me burn more calories, of course this isn’t suitable for everyone because of there job roles, but doing things like moving around the house a bit quicker should help. Yes they are small changes for me they have really helped me loose a surprising amount of weight for just small changes, I’m also a big guy which I think is an advantage as we burn more moving our extra weight about, just remember as you loose the weight the slower it comes off so don’t allow this to disappoint you. Good luck and I hope you reach you goal.

UntilProud wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

This, when the seasons permit (it's Winter now) - that's me in yellow.



Also riding my bike on the local trail system, also when seasonal weather permits. In Winter, I do things that aren't as much fun, motivated partly by not wanting to start conditioning from near zero when Spring comes and rowing/cycling gets viable again. (Mostly do stationary biking & machine rowing in Winter, mixing in some strength training usually, yoga sometimes. If I don't do it, I get stiff, moody/cranky, and worse - that keeps voluntary breaks short. Even though the workouts are less fun, I'm a less happy person when I do none.)

This is not for weight loss/calories. I've been rowing for around 20 years, for example - during the first 12-13 of which I was class 1 obese. I even competed while obese, not always unsuccessfully. Rowing can be anything from a leisurely outing to enjoy the sun, the river and the wildlife, to a very intense, very technical workout - it's quite achievable to hit HRmax, even a tested HRmax not just age-estimated. Good stuff, in my book.

(BTW, in that photo I'm around 65 (67 now) and the woman in pink is around 74, now 76. We're both still rowing regularly, usually 4x a week in Summer, when weather permits.)

Incidental movement? There's a big thread about that here, with lots of people's ideas, including mine.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

Very Exciting to hear about how your attacking your health journey.

I love rowing, I'm excited to get to a weight appropriate to the machines that allow me to row.

I think Im going to start off by using kettlebells. Due to my size, I think that body weight exercises are the best options for me at the moment.

When did you and your wife begin your journey with rowing and yoga? What's your favorite health improvement you like to talk about when speaking to your journey!

Great work

Actually, I'm a li'l ol' lady: Female, age 67. (The other woman in the boat is my rowing buddy. I'm a widow as of 1998, used to have a husband.)

I started rowing around 20 years ago, a bit after completing treatment for stage III breast cancer - surgery, chemotherapy, radiation - over the better part of a year. I was pretty wiped out after treatment, realized I needed to be more active if I ever wanted to feel strong, energetic, even happy ever again. I started with yoga classes, very mild (though I'd actually had a regular yoga practice for a year or two in my college years). I moved on from there, adding new things as I got stronger. That included regular weight lifting for a couple of years, though I've gotten more lackadaisical/seasonal about that since.

A couple of years into that process, I joined a breast cancer survivor rowing team, when one was newly forming in my area. That was completely transformational, for me.

I got addicted to rowing, and was doing it several times a week (plus other exercise to get in better shape for the rowing), even competing in races (boats and machines).

I was still class 1 obese throughout all that exercise, though, and stayed fat for another dozen years, until 2015-16 (when I was 59-60). Finally I had to admit to myself that just being a pretty-fit fat person wasn't enough to give me decent odds of long-term good health and thriving. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol/triglycerides. My doctor wanted me to go on a statin, but I didn't want to: I thought I'd already given up enough cognitive bandwidth to chemotherapy, and I didn't want more brain fog (which statins have as a reputation).

Finally, I committed to lose weight. That was reinforced by developing a gallbladder condition. It wasn't stones/sludge, it was adenomyomatosis. When they took my gallbladder out, it was an ugly cholesterolized thing, thickened walls, actual holes in it! That sealed the deal, for me.

I rough-counted calories for a while, then when weight loss started leveling off, I joined MFP in 2015 to start counting more accurately. By early 2016, I was at a healthy weight, and have stayed at a healthy weight since, with some minor ups and downs (BMI 20-22 kind of zone, all in the same jeans size).

These days, my blood pressure is normal, my cholesterol/triglycerides are always solidly in the normal zone (pretty excellent, actually), my joints hurt way less often/less severely (arthritis and torn meniscus still with me), and my overall quality of life is So. Much. Better.

You're doing great: I encourage you to keep going, just keep gradually challenging yourself. I predict you'll surprise yourself with what you can achieve!

I looooooove running. I do it first thing in the morning. The pounds have melted off me.

I park car at farthest point in work parking lot which is .25 mile. If I get in early enough I’ll walk the whole perimeter of the buildings parking lot. 1 mile workout. Neither of these get me going sweat wise but it’s a nice way to warm up the bones in the morning and shake off the cobwebs after staring at a monitor for a few hrs. I go to lunch and coffee in afternoon so multiple .25 miles a day. As an example today I’ve done 28/30 mins I have the Apple Watch set as minimum. So far I’ve moved 3.3 miles. Getting ready for a 45 min of cross training. 2 mins into the workout I’ll be done with default exercise for the day. Move calories and 10k steps should be in the bag. Walk is what I recommend to everyone.

I took up Tai Chi at my local VA hospital. It doesn't exactly get my heart pumping, but I find it helps greatly with anxiety. Since a lot of my eating is stress eating, this really helps.

Trail walking. Even when I feel like crap, if I take a walk with my trail running shows on I eventually end up just naturally wanting to push it a bit and start jogging in small bursts. It’s my alone time, my escape, and my thinking time. Being naturally introverted, this helps reset me. I absolutely love being in nature, as well.