Exercise (not that it’s different for herbivores)
henridw2095
Posts: 1,179 Member
@hyper__heart and everyone
New discussion to reserve the introduction thread for intros and keep it readable. Although I don’t think exercise routines are any different for non-meat eaters, eating to support an active lifestyle may well be.
I love to be active, but often don’t have a lot of time to fit exercise in. Previously I enjoyed running, yoga, and some bodybuilding at times but had stopped working out until I restarted at the end of July 2023.
I currently head to the gym three times a week for a pretty basic full body routine with some cardio and stretching. Essentially lifting weights (deadlifts, some squats, leg press, assisted pull-ups…and so on and so forth). One of my big goals is to be able to do regular pull-ups. I don’t lift very heavy weights, but currently focus on mind muscle connection (making sure I use the muscles I need to use) and building up butt and tricep strength with low weight focused exercises, like glute bridges. For me, weak glutes and triceps lead to injury when running/squatting or doing things like pushups…so I‘m sort of still readjusting my body to working out without injury.
For cardio it’s usually the rower and the stationary bike. Unfortunately I‘m pretty busy, so that’s it for now. I sometimes fit in a Yoga class or an HIIT video.
Next spring, I plan to get back into jogging. I used to jog 3-6 miles 3-4 times a week, but would like to lose a bit more weight before I get back into it to preserve my knee health.
We live in downtown Chicago and don’t have a car, so I also get a lot of walking in.
New discussion to reserve the introduction thread for intros and keep it readable. Although I don’t think exercise routines are any different for non-meat eaters, eating to support an active lifestyle may well be.
I love to be active, but often don’t have a lot of time to fit exercise in. Previously I enjoyed running, yoga, and some bodybuilding at times but had stopped working out until I restarted at the end of July 2023.
I currently head to the gym three times a week for a pretty basic full body routine with some cardio and stretching. Essentially lifting weights (deadlifts, some squats, leg press, assisted pull-ups…and so on and so forth). One of my big goals is to be able to do regular pull-ups. I don’t lift very heavy weights, but currently focus on mind muscle connection (making sure I use the muscles I need to use) and building up butt and tricep strength with low weight focused exercises, like glute bridges. For me, weak glutes and triceps lead to injury when running/squatting or doing things like pushups…so I‘m sort of still readjusting my body to working out without injury.
For cardio it’s usually the rower and the stationary bike. Unfortunately I‘m pretty busy, so that’s it for now. I sometimes fit in a Yoga class or an HIIT video.
Next spring, I plan to get back into jogging. I used to jog 3-6 miles 3-4 times a week, but would like to lose a bit more weight before I get back into it to preserve my knee health.
We live in downtown Chicago and don’t have a car, so I also get a lot of walking in.
1
Replies
-
I'm retired, which helps with flexibility in being active.
I'm in my shoulder season right now, so sort of slacking off . . . which I do every Fall, and have for nearly 20 years. It's a form of denial that my more-loved outdoor activities need to be curtailed, and I need to get on with a Winter routine.
Summer, I row on water 4 days a week, weather permitting, and sometimes more. In June I help with our club's learn-to-row class, which usually entails some rowing with new rowers; and after that I'm a frequent volunteer at club "open rowing" sessions, where we experience rowers help the new folks. We also have some group rowing social events, or coached-row opportunities. Most of that is an add-on to the usual 4 days.
Depending on how the chores are going, in Summer I usually add in some cycling on the trail system, up to a couple of days a week (usually the non-rowing days), and do some intentional walking but not a lot (my knees are already cr*p, at age 67, partly because of decades as an overweight/obese and very unfit woman).
Here (mid-Michigan, USA) we get actual Winter: Frozen river, snow/ice on trails and roads - not outdoor rowing or biking weather. Sometimes I walk a little, but only if the roads aren't snowy/slippery, since my routes from home are roadside, no sidewalks.
Winter routine in recent years, once I get down to it, is alternating machine rowing and stationary bike totaling 6 days a week, anything from half an hour to an hour per session usually. Part of what gets me past the doldrums and into my Winter routine is the Concept 2 Holiday Challenge. That involves machine rowing 200k or stationary biking 400k (on Concept 2 machines), or some combination, between US Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. For that, I need to stick with 6 days a week, or I get behind in needed meters, and catch-up is . . . hard.
Once that Challenge is over, I usually add some strength training to my Winter routine, exactly what varies (lifting, kettlebell, bodyweight . . .). I got a new TRX-type suspension training setup that I plan to play with this year.
Yoga/stretching and explicit core work drop in and out of my routine all year, and I'd be better off making it more in than it has been lately.
Pretty much always, I take one day a week as a rest day, with maybe a little walk or mild stretching, but nothing serious. I do better overall, with that in my routine.
ETA: I routinely add some random exercise into my daily routine, like squat-holds while waiting for the microwave, side leg lifts while using my little electric coffee-grinder, dead hangs near bed-time, etc.2 -
Omg @AnnPT77
you are practically superwoman! What an inspiration!
Like @henridw2095 it's the busyness thats holding me back currently. I'm so desk tied at the moment, then school runs, housework & cooking that some days I feel the only time I have for exercise is bedtime 😄 To be fair, when I lost weight and exercised daily about 5-6 yrs ago, this is exactly what I did to fit it in. 10pm was my time, house/work done & kids in bed. I used to love it!
Not sure I've the energy to do that anymore! Plus my joints are not great (I'm hoping thats a temporary perimenopause symptom) so my beloved yoga is difficult as flexing joints and weight bearing, like downward dog, my wrists and toe joints really hurt. It's so annoying!
I am just trying to get home workouts/swim/walks in where I can. Doing something rather than nothing helps, like Ann says, I often do a leg/arm exercise when waiting for the kettle to boil, or when folding laundry.
I know I'm only just getting back into diet/exercise so I'm sure things will improve as I get stronger. Also reading how you all squeeze fitness into your day is good for ideas. You're all amazing!2 -
@henridw2095 I have a goal to do unassisted pull-ups too! Do you use the assist machine or bands? I'm nowhere near being able to use just the bands yet.
@AnnPT77 I'm also retired and find that I usually enjoy being at the gym. I Iive in SC now, but spent most of my life in NJ, so I know what you mean by indoor workouts due to snow and ice. We had sidewalks in all of the neighborhoods I lived in back in Jersey, and the black ice can get on them too - I know because I slid on it going down my stairs to work one morning, the rail was also covered with a thin layer of ice so as my hand slid down the rail I pretty much bounced down all six stairs on my butt. Luckily I had on a fairly heavy and long coat and a heavy sweater under it, so I had a huge bruise on my tailbone for a while, but no broken bones or other injuries.
@Curvykinkycurls I'm impressed by the working out 10pm, if I don't get my exercise in during morning hours, I just blow it off for the day. You'll definitely improve and get stronger, just be sure to listen to your body and don't try to overdo things; slow and steady wins the race.
I belong to the City's Recreation Center, it's really inexpensive and everything other than special events is included: lots of cardio classes (cycling, step, zumba, etc), yoga and tai chi classes, a nice sized weight room with machines and free weights and an olympic sized pool (at least I think it's olympic size). There's also a walking track upstairs, pickleball and basketball courts that can be utilized when the City is not running the youth basketball season and a bunch of treadmills, ellipticals, rowing machines, etc.
When I'm in a good exercise routine I do yoga classes 3-4 days a week, tai chi 2x weekly (I would do this more but it's only offered 2x/wk). I try to get in 2 step classes a week, but they fill up fast so if I don't register first thing Saturday morning, they'll be full.
Then I do 2 days of ST on the machines upstairs. I can generally group the ST and treadmill around the classes, so I'll end up being in the gym 5 days a week. I'm retired so I can spend a lot of my morning at the gym and then home, shower and have the rest of my day free.
I want to get back on the treadmill next year and work up to running a 5k by the end of the year - the gym sponsors one Oct and one in Dec.1 -
@SparkSpringtime69 I use either the selector machine, gradually decreasing assistance. Sometimes I use a band (at the gym in our building), but prefer to use the machine (in my proper gym). I'm also not close to being able to do one without assistance, but improving. I also train my lats doing lat pulldowns and seated rows.
I do full body weight training 3x a week, and may run a few times eventually, but have to figure out a schedule for that. Sometimes I do some yoga, but mostly for stretching. I don't have that much time
1 -
Perhaps I should have posted my workout plan in here instead of the intro thread, oops!
What kind of exercise do you wonderful people enjoy? Do you force yourself to also do workouts you don't like but are good for your health, or do you stick to your "comfort zone" for motivational purposes?
I would really like to get into some sort of weight training, but I only enjoy that when I do it with my partner. We only see each other on the weekends, and we registered for a 5k in June, so running season is starting up for us.0 -
- I love to hike.
- I love to paddle canoes and kayaks.
- I love to row my raft.
- I enjoy going for walks and using them to do short errands.
- I love riding my bike, and again, it's a great way to get around. I'm considering buying a bike more for recreation than for commuting.
- I have re-started running. I prefer trail running, but I bought some road shoes too. I am a bit amazed that I'm actually enjoying it.
- I have started to enjoy swimming. My gym has a nice salt pool. It's a great workout on its own, and it's a great short exercise to get muscles stretched out after a strength training session.
- I am still working on learning to enjoy my strength training. I'm sort of there, but only when the weather is not so inviting for outdoor activities. I know I need to do it year-round, but I usually quit in the summer.
How about you?0 -
I‘m pretty time poor unfortunately. My priority is strength training. It’s also what I enjoy most. I started with pretty traditional weight training 8 months ago (deadlifts, assisted pullups, pushups, squats, leg press etcetc)…I had some experience already and also did a bit of research online and using books. I try to go 2-3 times a week for about an hour (full body each time) and generally need 2 days of recovery in between.
More recently I started working with a coach once a week, in part to check my form during lifting, my routine has since changed to more single leg/side exercises (eg single leg deadlifts etc) and stability exercises that strengthen the core and butt. I still lift weights as well, but am incorporating the other stuff too. I can tell a difference even walking, somehow the body works better (more stable I guess).
I also try to get in maybe 2 x 30 minute jogs per week. But I still struggle finding the time and picking days I‘m not sore (I try to run the day after weights…before any DOMS sets in). Once the days get brighter and warmer, it should be easier to get out in the morning. I also like to do interval sprints on the treadmill or the rower to really get the heart rate up.
I love yoga, but sadly can’t add it, because I don’t have the time and I think it would be too much if I did it for anything other than stretching.0 -
@mtaratoot
- I have re-started running. I prefer trail running, but I bought some road shoes too. I am a bit amazed that I'm actually enjoying it.
Same, so much! I always thought running would be boring but when I tried to "train" for a 5k a few years ago, I found out that I actually love it. When I run on my own, I bring music, but nowadays, I mostly run with my girlfriend, and we chat. We run quite slowly.
@henridw2095 You are busy and super active!! I'm impressed.
For my own accountability - here's what I managed lately in terms of working out:
Ballet on Monday (3/11)
Back health/strength training on Wednesday (3/13)
Spinning on Friday (3/15)
Running on Saturday (3/16) + teaching yoga
Ballet on Monday (3/18)
Back health/strength training on Wednesday (3/20)
Not sure I can actually fit a workout today but for tomorrow, I am planning on spinning again and joining a yoga session with my favorite teacher.
2 -
@mtaratoot
- I have re-started running. I prefer trail running, but I bought some road shoes too. I am a bit amazed that I'm actually enjoying it.
Same, so much! I always thought running would be boring but when I tried to "train" for a 5k a few years ago, I found out that I actually love it. When I run on my own, I bring music, but nowadays, I mostly run with my girlfriend, and we chat. We run quite slowly.
If you run slowly, you might be doing it right:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10908052/do-you-run-slow-then-you-might-be-doing-it-right1
