Emi inspired running/workout

[Althamus]

I've decided to try exercising instead.

Welcome aboard

Any other exercises I should try to focus on these?

Cycling would be a good one IMHO. Most of your weight is on your butt so there's no knee strain, but you still use your legs a lot, which are the biggest muscles in your body and will burn the most energy/have the biggest effect.

I find myself often stopping mid-walk, shifting weight from one foot to the other to ease them a bit before continuing, and sometimes I'll stop partway through the walk entirely to sit down for a little bit. Are these things a good idea, or are they more harm than good?

That's no problem at all. As you get more used to walking, you'll find your feet get more used to exercise. I should stress though that any exercise that you feel challenges your body should have a day's rest for the body part after that. If you feel sore or tired after it, day's rest, no matter whether the exercise that caused the soreness was a 20 mile run or a half mile walk around the block.

--What's the best time of day to work out? Some people seem to think early morning, others seem to point to later at night before bedtime.

Whenever fits into your lifestyle best. Some people hate getting up early for running, others want to get it out of the way quickly. Pretty much everyone agrees with you that exercise RIGHT before bed usually results in much ceiling examination while in bed though.

I want to start, but I'm really worried about it. I'm underweight despite being mostly sedentary as it is, while struggling to eat enough to maintain my weight. On top of that, I'm a coeliac, massively restricting my carb intake, and don't enjoy sweet tastes... Further, I'm moving out at the end of September, and am not sure about being able to afford food, as I can't eat most of the cheaper options

I'm in a very similar boat to you. I'm very underweight as well, I stand 6' tall, but weigh 8 st 2lbs ish, and have a body fat percentage of about 3-5% depending on which machines I test on. I'm lactose intolerant, and need to constantly monitor my energy, because just plain running out of energy has and does happen to me

What I have done is started on the 100 Pushup challenge, because doing a few pushups uses up less energy than running for a few kilometers, but will still raise your heart rate and improve your body. I'm aiming to start running soon as well again though, but before I go out, I will make sure I eat something with a chunk of readily-available energy in it (fruit ftw normally), and eat something when I come back as well, which will curb the worst of the energy deficit I'll get from the exercise.

I would strongly suggest starting with things like the 100PU challenge, or the situp challenge or something, as I found they didn't massively impact my energy levels, and you can do them for free in your house on your floor.


Anyways, about -me- now. I've had the most stressful and exhausting 3 days in the history of history. Thursday morning, I had a phone call int he morning, asking if I would like a job interview on the Friday, and a briefing about the job beforehand on the Thursday afternoon. Then went to another non-related appointment, before going to the briefing. I was basically running around from 10am until 5pm when I got home, and got home absolutely flaked out. My evening consisted of eating, resting, filling in application forms and going to bed.
Friday I was up at 6:15 (ouch for me) to do some background info on the company, before leaving at 7:30 for a 9:00 interview. Despite having a 30 min briefing about the job the day BEFORE, no one thought to tell me that it was a 6 hour interview, so I staggered out at 3:00, having had no food and only 2x 10 min breaks inbetween. I did quite well, and got through to the final stage, and will hear back from them next week, but again got home at about 5:00 exhausted, ate, rested and went to bed.
Saturday me and a few friends went out, because a couple I know are going away for 3 months, so pre-going away time. We went and played some golf, then played laser tag, which KILLED MY LEGS. The partitions are about mid-chest height for me, so either you stand behind them and get shot, or you crouch behind them and are in cover, so I spent 20 mins crouching and running around and my POOR RUINED LEGS afterwards >.< We then went bowling, and all finally returned home at 11pm, after having gone out at 1pm. I collapse into bed... again.
I'm kinda looking forward to just relaxing, eating and replenishing my energy levels today. I really feel kinda surreal. But W6D1 for 100PUs coming tomorrow! Woo!

[dwarduk]

I want to start, but I'm really worried about it. I'm underweight despite being mostly sedentary as it is, while struggling to eat enough to maintain my weight. On top of that, I'm a coeliac, massively restricting my carb intake, and don't enjoy sweet tastes... Further, I'm moving out at the end of September, and am not sure about being able to afford food, as I can't eat most of the cheaper options

I'm in a very similar boat to you. I'm very underweight as well, I stand 6' tall, but weigh 8 st 2lbs ish, and have a body fat percentage of about 3-5% depending on which machines I test on. I'm lactose intolerant, and need to constantly monitor my energy, because just plain running out of energy has and does happen to me

What I have done is started on the 100 Pushup challenge, because doing a few pushups uses up less energy than running for a few kilometers, but will still raise your heart rate and improve your body. I'm aiming to start running soon as well again though, but before I go out, I will make sure I eat something with a chunk of readily-available energy in it (fruit ftw normally), and eat something when I come back as well, which will curb the worst of the energy deficit I'll get from the exercise.

I would strongly suggest starting with things like the 100PU challenge, or the situp challenge or something, as I found they didn't massively impact my energy levels, and you can do them for free in your house on your floor.

Haha, puny weakling me. No upper body strength to speak of . I'll definitely give it a go, though I'll probably have to start on an alternate form of pushup Thanks for the great-sounding suggestion!

Edit: just tried normal pushups. Managed 3 before the dog came and slobbered all over me and I had to get up I'll try to do the full initial test later this evening, with the door more securely shut ^^

[Althamus]

Haha, puny weakling me. No upper body strength to speak of . I'll definitely give it a go, though I'll probably have to start on an alternate form of pushup Thanks for the great-sounding suggestion!

Easiest type of pushup -
Slightly harder -

And you'd be surprised how quickly your upper body strength will build up. Just make sure you eat and rest properly.

Also, I suggest pushups because that's how I've progressed. It ain't the only way forward, situps, dips, squats etc etc can all be done at home for free relatively easily. Just... 100 pushups sounds pro 8D

[dwarduk]

Haha, puny weakling me. No upper body strength to speak of . I'll definitely give it a go, though I'll probably have to start on an alternate form of pushup Thanks for the great-sounding suggestion!

Easiest type of pushup -
Slightly harder -

And you'd be surprised how quickly your upper body strength will build up. Just make sure you eat and rest properly.

Also, I suggest pushups because that's how I've progressed. It ain't the only way forward, situps, dips, squats etc etc can all be done at home for free relatively easily. Just... 100 pushups sounds pro 8D

Well, as upper body strength is probably my greatest weakness in terms of physical ability, pushups sound perfect. Out of interest, what does the code in your signature talking about the 100 pushups actually mean? I looked at it and couldn't work it out

[Althamus]

A few people put tracking pictures or text in their signature to show how well they're doing and record progress of their exercise.

Mine shows my progress on the 100 PU program. W1 = Week 1, D1 = Day 1.
So the first set shows that on my week '0' (the first week I tried it failed so miserably I named it week 0 rather than week 1) I failed my first two attempts, but successfully managed to do days 3 and 4.

Looking back at the previous page of this topic, both Akros, Gandara and Mysterycycle have similar things in their sigs to keep track of their progress as well. I had to make mine needlessly complicated though.

nb. on mine, the weeks refer to weeks of the program, as opposed to actual calender weeks, hence when I repeated a week it'll show twice.

[dwarduk_mobile]

Just did the initial tests of the 100 pushups and 200 situps challenges: 5 and 50 respectively. Such a difference... but at least I've realised that there's hope . Unless I get a momentous result, I promise this will be the last update not just in my signature

[ZXRN]

The only real problem is that I can't stomach vegetables.

What about fruits? Biggest thing is to simply take in SOME fruits and vegetables a day. If you're doing the V8 thing that's great - and actually, you shouldn't be trying to make a meal out of that anyway. It's an addition to the meal. For example, a standard lunch for me will include: some sort of meat (chicken breast, typically), at least one vegetable, and one starchy side like rice or mashed potatoes. I'll also have a V8 Fusion with the meal, and some water. It totally fills me up, is decently low on calories, and has several servings of fruits + vegetables.

Another suggestion: prepare vegetables differently than normal. Raw or undercooked vegetables are typically the ones that have a weird texture. Consider trying things like mashed cauliflower, sauteed squash, boiled cabbage, etc. - Another thing to think about is just adding vegetables to what you already have. Do you like soup / stew? Throw in veggies. Want to make a pasta dish? Add veggies. It's really easy, and you can mask the flavor / texture with the other food you made.

Ya just really gotta get those veggies in, man. Dislike of the texture or not, it's really necessary.

... I'm not *expecting* to lose weight.

Alright, that makes a bit more sense. I didn't mean to jump down your throat or anything, it's just - I literally came from your exact same attitude not long ago. It bugs me now, to see apathy in this type of field, when it really is just so damn easy to lose weight. All it takes is little changes, gradual changes that aren't even that hard to do, and your life quality improves so much.

It sounds like you're doing well with your eating habits, but you just have to make a few more adjustments and I think you'll start seeing positive changes. And best of luck to you with your exercise routine - you'll feel better very quickly, and you'll start having some more motivation to shape up and get things really going, I think.

I hope you're not one of those people...

I love how pretentious that sounded.

No, I'm not one of those people. Did I not say I'm watching my calories? I won't go into a fancy restaurant and order four steaks just because it's a fancy restaurant. Quality of food does not mean lower calories... in most cases. However, I can pretty damn well guarantee you a chicken breast, not fried, will almost always be lower calories than a cheeseburger.

I work in a restaurant where we have nutritional facts posted for all of our food, so I can keep track of my caloric intake easily. Lunches are typically 600-800 calories, with dinners being similar. Breakfasts are generally small, a piece of fruit or two. So yes, I'm being cautious about what I put in my body. I'm not stupid.

You should be like a psychiatrist dood! (or some kinda diet doctor.)
I mean, you've got answers for everything and make'em feel good with your answers. wahaha


As for running this morning, The storm here kinda screwed that up. I woke up fro ma beautiful dream for nothing. good job. Hopefully I get back on it with the same level of running power as I had last Saturday.

[Megumeru]

anyone else ever felt that there's this rough itchy thing down your throat when you take a drink after a run?

...or am I not supposed to take a drink after a run?

[Enemy |]

Won't run in the next two weeks, since I'm at my dad's. When I do get back home I'll probably re-do week 3 if I can.

[gRaViJa]

If you can, keep running man

[Gandara]

You should be like a psychiatrist dood! (or some kinda diet doctor.)
I mean, you've got answers for everything and make'em feel good with your answers. wahaha

I'm just lucky. =]

Heh... nah, I could never take my advice to a professional level. For some reason, profiting off of helping others with their personal problems seems morally wrong. I think it's one of our inherent jobs as human beings to help each other as much as we can. Tearing down your fellow man does nothing but tear down the very fabric of society, while building them up does nothing but good for all mankind.

But maybe I'm just a romantic when it comes to this sort of thing.

- - -

I'm having a rough week so far. My grocery shopping over the weekend was mostly good, save for buying some Captain Crunch products. I had a terrible craving for them, and they were on SALE. It was the only "weakness" I exhibited - even though the frozen pizzas and doughnuts were calling my name, I avoided them.

However, since having some of the cereal my system has been in a bad state. (Spoilers ahead to conceal somewhat gross material) - I've had pretty bad shits, the one I took this morning was literally bright green. Poo's not supposed to be bright green... I know it's not necessarily a "danger" color, but it's still a pain. I've always thought I might be lactose intolerant, at least to a slight degree, but since starting my diet I've consumed very little milk. However, since getting this cereal and drinking more milk (with my cereal) my affliction has started.

Doubt I need to be concerned, I'm drinking plenty of water so dehydration ain't no thang, but all the same I'd rather not be sick to my stomach. Damn it, Cap'n, why must your siren call lure me so, and to such devastating ends?!

[ZXRN]

You should be like a psychiatrist dood! (or some kinda diet doctor.)
I mean, you've got answers for everything and make'em feel good with your answers. wahaha

I'm just lucky. =]

Heh... nah, I could never take my advice to a professional level. For some reason, profiting off of helping others with their personal problems seems morally wrong. I think it's one of our inherent jobs as human beings to help each other as much as we can. Tearing down your fellow man does nothing but tear down the very fabric of society, while building them up does nothing but good for all mankind.

But maybe I'm just a romantic when it comes to this sort of thing.

- - -

I'm having a rough week so far. My grocery shopping over the weekend was mostly good, save for buying some Captain Crunch products. I had a terrible craving for them, and they were on SALE. It was the only "weakness" I exhibited - even though the frozen pizzas and doughnuts were calling my name, I avoided them.

However, since having some of the cereal my system has been in a bad state. (Spoilers ahead to conceal somewhat gross material) - I've had pretty bad shits, the one I took this morning was literally bright green. Poo's not supposed to be bright green... I know it's not necessarily a "danger" color, but it's still a pain. I've always thought I might be lactose intolerant, at least to a slight degree, but since starting my diet I've consumed very little milk. However, since getting this cereal and drinking more milk (with my cereal) my affliction has started.

Doubt I need to be concerned, I'm drinking plenty of water so dehydration ain't no thang, but all the same I'd rather not be sick to my stomach. Damn it, Cap'n, why must your siren call lure me so, and to such devastating ends?!

I actually have never seen green poo before in my life...maybe you shouldn't eat them anymore.

--You got a point, it does seem morally wrong when ya think about it. Still, a lot of people would be happy with you helpin' them around.

sidenote: mystery cycle had an injury? (or at least, it says so in his sig...)

[Althamus]

I've always thought I might be lactose intolerant, at least to a slight degree, but since starting my diet I've consumed very little milk. However, since getting this cereal and drinking more milk (with my cereal) my affliction has started.

I'm slightly lactose intolerant (if I drink cow's milk with cereal for about a fortnight, I will basically have cold symptoms indefinitely until I stop). My friend is more strongly lactose intolerant (if she has milk in her TEA, she'll gain a cough over the next hour which makes it sound like she's about to cough up a lung). I've never heard of anyone who gained green poo because of it O_o

However, I think something ridiculous like 1 in 6 people is at least slightly lactose intolerant, but that for most of us the symptoms aren't strong enough to warrent any action against it, or that because they have a fairly constant amount of milk, they don't really notice any fluctuations in their symptoms. Might be worth staying off dairy and trying soya milk (tastes weird, but cheap as normal milk), goats milk (1.5x price of cows milk, but tastes mostly the same) or rice milk (2x price, but tastes awesome ) for a bit, and see if you can notice a pattern in your symptoms.

Exercises done today. W6D1 of 100PUs, I intended to do 45/55/35/30/55+, and managed 45/55/35/30/50
They're getting kinda hard. I was admittedly feeling a bit tired before I started, but these are getting BRUTAL.

[Walrusfella]

Scintillating status update: Just got back from the track. Got 5k, or 12.5 laps, in 30 minutes. Take that, beastly Toronto humidity! I am set to finish the Couch to 5k with Emi chart on Thursday if I don't mess that run up. Hundred push-ups is in a holding pattern until I settle my form.

Gandara, with all respect to the good Captain, you should take ZXRN's advice and give the cereal away or toss it. It's probably not worth what's happening in your guttiwuts.

Unsolicited opinion: Rice milk is gross. Aye it tastes good, but then the aftertaste is the same as though you've eaten a bunch of actual rice.

[DrNonookee]

I hope you're not one of those people who swear off fast food restaurants but will eat anything prepared by a nice, fancy restaurant. A steak or a salad smeared with dressing can be just as bad or worse than a Mcdonald's hamburger. If you're really going to avoid fast food, go all the way.

What about Arby's? I've recently fallen in love with their roast beef sandwiches, and since (to my knowledge) they're nothing but roast beef on a sandwich bun, it seems like it would be no worse than making my own sandwich at home...