The buzz of summer is coming to an end, and while transitioning into a new season never goes quite as planned, there are some smart ways you can capitalize on the change of pace to get back to healthier eating habits. Whether you’ve been off track for a week, a month or maybe even longer, try implementing these effective strategies that can yield big improvements to your nutrition.
We are all losing, starting to lose, or thinking about losing weight. I did NOT anticipate that there were areas that I did not want to lose from...my butt. 29(F) SW:189 CW:168 GW: 150.
When I was much skinnier and fit, I had the perfect booty. I have recently lost 20 lbs and have another 20 ish to go, and have realized that the shape is MUCH different than it was before. It is flat and it is SHRINKING. Not in a good way. I have been avoiding any sort of strength exercise up to this point (cardio workouts are my jam). I'm fairly certain this is the only explanation for it. It's time....for the dreaded squats, lunges, bridges, fire hydrants, leg lifts....ugggh! Time to put some muscle mass back in this booty.
Anyone else notice their bodies changing in an unappealing way? Was fitness the way that you got the look you want? Anything else you noticed with weight loss that you did not anticipate?
I went on an Alaskan cruise last week, but prior to that, I stayed 3 days in Canada, then 2 days in Alaska after we got off the boat. We took a plane to Canada, so obviously I couldn’t pack all the foods I normally eat at home. I couldn’t bring my all my health foods and sweet potatoes and sugar free snacks with me, nor could I bring my exercise bike.
We planned this cruise for almost a year. I’ve lost roughly 88 pounds in a year by changing my lifestyle, fasting, and exercising. As I lost more and more and the cruise got closer, I was in a huge panic because I knew I couldn’t pack this lifestyle in a suitcase. What would I do for food on the boat and the hotel? I’d been on a cruise before but wasn’t concerned about my weight at all back then (hence why I was 230 pounds at 16 years old). This would be my very first time going without my diet and exercise regime. Hell, I even packed my food in a huge cooler when we drove to Memphis last winter. I have been so dedicated and loyal to my weight loss that being 2 weeks without my strict diet regime terrified me. I even considered staying behind so I wouldn’t have to worry about the dun dun dun weight gain.
Nevertheless, I did go. I had a wonderful time. Did I eat more than I usually do? Yes. Did I break my fasting when I wasn’t supposed to? Sure did. Did I feel bad? Yup.
This is what happened during my vacation. In Canada, we stayed at Blue Horizon hotel in Vancouver. No room service but they had a very nice restaurant (Abode) in the lobby. I stuck to my fasting window but was at a loss of what to eat. The restaurant was a little more upper class and had mostly dishes with meats and cheese, but I don’t eat any meat except for chicken and I stay away from dairy because it breaks me out. Lucky for me, they had the Beyond Meat plant based burger. It was AMAZING. It came with a huge side of fries, which I was hesitant to consume because I don’t eat much foods cooked in oil like that. However, I decided “I’m here on vacation, enjoy a little.” I had that meal 3 times. In addition to that, I purchased candy and foreign snacks. I went to Safeway and saw that Canadian foods are lower in sugar and carbs than American, so I bought a whole bunch to bring back to the US. Alaskan Airlines left the bag with those snacks in Seattle during my layover and I should get them back soon, unfortunate, because I really wanted a low sugar blueberry bagel.
The ship:
We sailed on a Norwegian cruise ship. Their food is pretty good, especially the buffet. That buffet was filled with all sorts of foods, namely vegetables and fruit. Rarely anything deep fried. But there was a problem! How would I count calories to ensure I was at 1200 every day? Did I just stick to vegetables and fruit? It’s a buffet. Of course not. I recall getting 4 plates of steamed vegetables, grilled chicken, and fruit. Seems healthy, right? No! Because I also consumed French bread, cookies, ice cream, fries, chicken tenders, pita bread, jello, and that’s the half of it! I used the excuse “I don’t get out often, let me indulge.” I tried so desperately to count calories, waiting for WiFi so I could google how many calories I was consuming. I even brought my food scale to weigh my snacks. By day 3 on the cruise struggling to count my calories, I said “Screw it. I’ll just eyeball it.” I did overeat. And I was barely fasting because everyone else wanted to eat outside of my eating window. I felt so incredibly guilty and compulsively tried on my size 8 shorts to ensure they still fit. I was so sure I gained about 10 pounds.
Alaska:
I was only here for 2 days but I consumed more calories there than I do in 4 days at home. We went to a restaurant that serves the best vegan personal sized pizza. Just because it’s vegan doesn’t mean it’s low in calories and fat. One slice clocks in at about 200 calories, give or take depending on what you put on it. My personal pizza came with 6 slices. I ate the whole thing. Earlier in the day I had chicken tenders and fries during a tour. That day I would say I consumed 2500 calories or more. The next day I had another vegan pizza but split it between two meals. For lunch I opted to have my very first salad. It was good but I could only consume half. I also had 4 cookies, two oatmeal raisin and two chocolate fudge. I did eat the entire pizza. Calories for the day: about 2500. Again.
I was so damn bloated because I just stuffed myself like crazy. The group of people I went with were telling me that I couldn’t have possibly gained because I was walking so much and climbing stairs instead of using elevators and “its carrots, it’s healthy!” Not when you scoff down five dinner plates worth and your body is used to 1200 calories.
When all was said and done and I returned home last night, I took off my clothes and stepped on my scale I hadn’t seen for nearly 14 days. I was horrified, closing my eyes, expecting to see that I’d gained 10 pounds and set myself back a month in progress. Opened my eyes to find I’d only gained 4 and was still in the 140s. Was I thrilled I gained? No. But was I going to beat myself up? No. I had decided beforehand that I was going to do my longest fast yet when I returned, even if I didn’t gain weight during my trip. I’m currently 44 hours without food. However, I do not consider this a punishment. I’ve always wanted to try water fasting and this was a perfect opportunity. I started the water fast in Alaska on the 20th and it will end here tomorrow. I’m trying to shoot for 3 days but I might cut it a little short since I’ve never done it before. This afternoon I stepped on the scale and have lost 2 pounds.
Here’s what I learned. You will sometimes find yourself in a place where you can’t stick to your normal regime. Vacations, business trips, emergencies, family outings...whatever it may be, if there’s temptation around, you’re likely to get off track a little. I’ve been known by my family to be a hard ass with my diet, skipping family dinners because of fasting, eating by myself most of the time, and I still indulged. However, if there’s healthy options available, please try and stick with those as best you can. My only regret is not sticking with vegetables and going for more cookies than I should have. But hey, if you wanna try a piece of that cake, try it.
But
Know your limits. This is the key to not gaining a ton when you’ve let loose on your diet. If you know sampling that cake will make you eat five slices, don’t do it. If you know you can’t have just one cookie, skip the cookies. If you know you can’t indulge in a glass of wine without chugging the whole bottle, don’t do it. Know what you can handle. Especially if you have history of binging. I would advise with a professional before letting loose on your diet. There is nothing wrong with indulging a little, but you need to remember a little. Weight loss is about discipline; if you don’t have that, you are likely to suffer more consequences.
Do not punish yourself if you find you’ve gained. Do not start saying “well I guess I can’t eat for a week” or “time to workout til I’m blue in the face.” Dont straight up starve yourself for a week because uh-oh, gained 3 pounds! This is something I would have done when I first started losing weight. I’m happy I know different now. What you do is get back on track. When you return to your normal routine, just do what you’d been doing before. Diet, exercise, whatever it is, just get back to it. Do what you know works. And you’ll bounce back.
There are consequences to everything we do. My measly 4 pounds were a consequence of me giving up on calorie counting and have too much sugar. But I’m not going to punish or hurt myself. I indulged, I gained a little, that’s the way it goes. I can’t go back in time to that buffet and make different choices. All I can do is get back on track, and I’ve already lost half of the weight I gained. And some of it could be fluctuation and part of my cycle (I gain a pound around ovulation time). I didn’t lose 88 pounds in 2 weeks, why would I gain that in 2 weeks? Be realistic with yourself when you’re letting loose. Be honest when you know you’re going overboard with food. But most of all, be kind to yourself.
This is NOT an invitation or encouragement for you to go to the nearest buffet and shovel down 5000 calories of food because “I can lose it in a day anyway!” I hope that’s not the message you got from this. What I’m saying is, we all have moments where we indulge and get off track. It happens. But when and if that does and you think it’s the end of the world that you’re now 5 pounds heavier, relax. Get back to your routine, and I promise you, you’ll be okay. If you are otherwise disciplined, you shouldn’t have much trouble bouncing back into your normal lifestyle.
Love yourself enough to know your limits and treat yourself with respect but also know that you need to have structure to be successful even when you fall off the wagon. If you’ve got that down, there’s nothing you can’t do.
—Sierra
Hot yoga is really heating up these days—and we don’t just mean temperature-wise. This form of yoga—intentionally performed in a very warm and humid studio—continues to be a hugely popular trend. Participants say that the heat, and the warming of their muscles, allows them to go deeper into postures and have better results. The heat also intensifies the workout by elevating the heart rate and making the body work harder. For these reasons, and more, many are considering hot yoga to improve their overall health.
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With so much interest in hot yoga, some research has been performed to study its benefits—and in many ways the jury is still out on just how beneficial the heat is to the overall results. For the most part, the studies have been short or limited, but there have certainly been some important findings to date.
While the sizzling temperature (usually 105 degrees) is at the core of hot yoga’s purpose, a 2018 study published in Experimental Physiology found that—at least in terms of the exercise’s heart benefits—the temperature doesn’t matter. It’s the physical exercises performed (regardless of heat) that help benefit the heart. The researchers found that heart health, as measured by blood vessel function, improved significantly in both yoga groups (those participating in hot yoga and those participating in regular yoga) which may suggest that it’s the yoga itself and not the heat that has an effect.
However, when it came to fat-burning abilities, there was a difference—and it was significant. Those participating in hot yoga had more reduction in body fat percentage than those in the room temperature group. This suggests that the heat may do something to boost metabolism.
There’s no question that hot yoga can be a great calorie burner. One study from the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that women burned an average of 333 calories during 90-minute slow-moving, heated yoga.
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Read MoreIn a 2016 study published in the International Journey of Yoga Therapy, additional benefits were found including greater flexibility and improvements in mood, fitness and stamina—these were self-reported. Some participants also reported dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea or dehydration, expressing the importance of remaining properly hydrated during a hot yoga session.
While there may not be a tremendous number of studies backing up the health benefits of hot yoga, the anecdotal evidence appears to make up for this. In various reports and articles, hot yoga participants have expressed that it has made them more flexible, less stressed and simply feeling better, overall.
When it comes to your own workout, hot yoga might be something to try. Look for a yoga center that offers Bikram yoga, sometimes referred to as the “original hot yoga style.” It is a version of Hatha, a traditional branch of yoga that combines breathing and postures. Every class of Bikram yoga takes place in a 105-degree room and features the same 26 set poses. It should be taught by a Bikram-certified instructor.
Bikram yoga begins with a standing position and pranayama breathing. A deep inhale and exhale will help provide the body with more oxygen, increase circulation, and heighten focus as class begins. The next pose is Half Moon Pose, which is often referred to as “Standing Side Stretch” in other yoga classes.
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Read MoreFrom there, poses will become increasingly more complex—and you’ll likely feel yourself heating up (quite literally given the temperature). Just be sure to remain adequately hydrated and take a break if you need to. Doctors advise that being lightheaded or experiencing a headache is not a normal side effect of hot yoga—rather, it’s a sign that you’re dehydrated. Of course, you should always talk to your personal doctor before beginning any new workout routine.
As you incorporate hot yoga into your workout, you’ll likely find yourself experiencing many of the benefits—and burning off those unwanted calories. This will help get you on track to the healthy weight that you’re working so hard for.
The post Ready to Get Your Sweat On? All About Hot Yoga appeared first on The Leaf.
Hey! I’ve never posted on this sub before, but I’m a long time lurker and have used the info I’ve read on here throughout my weight loss journey and it’s all been very useful to me. It made me feel less alone to see how many people were going through the same thing.
I’ve lost over 60 pounds and I know I’m a lot thinner. I’m 5’6 and I went from 238 to 175. I look good when I look in the mirror and when I take pictures of myself. But when I see pictures other people take of me, I look the exact same as I did 60 pounds ago. I’ve taken pictures from before and compared them side by side and they genuinely don’t look very different at all. It makes me wonder if I still look huge to everyone else, too, and I only look thinner in my head. It’s really messing with my head, like I went through all this work and I have nothing to show for it.
So yesterday marked my 22nd birthday. The first birthday I've ever had that I feel was completely meaningless, which I guess means I'm officially an adult.
however, because it was my birthday yesterday, it means that today is the 2 year anniversary of when I finally started caring about my health. It's also the day the first picture was taken. That's how I looked at my worst, 261lbs. I had been overweight most of my life, and obese since I was about 14, but my entire life I never saw myself as a fat person and kept pretending to myself that I was something different. August 22nd 2017 is the day I decided to make that dream into my reality.
This is the story of how I overcame my depression, recovered from alcoholism, lost 106lbs, and found a purpose in my life.
Pictures here, dates at bottom and explained throughout the post.
(I'm not totally sure how r/loseit will feel about this, it's half weight loss and half (healthy) weight gain. I tried to be detailed though!)
Background
I had messed around with diets on 2 previous occasions in my life. The first time was when I was in high school, I knew next to nothing about health or fitness and just took the basic steps that everyone knows they should do in order to lose weight. The common sense diet. I went from drinking around 2 litres of soda every day, and eating what now seems like it would have been at least 1500 calories of candy and chocolate every day on top of my regular meals, to not drinking any soda and limiting my "junk" food intake. I also made a more conscious decision to try and eat fruits and vegetables as well as lean meats. I lost a little weight but at the time I was too ashamed of myself to weigh in before or after. This attempt to lose weight lasted maybe a month, but some of the habits stuck. I learned how to cook, remained conscious of my junk food intake, and started eating vegetables.
The second time, when i was 18 I had heard online about the idea of counting calories, but never knew apps existed to do this for you. I looked at the packaging of the food I was eating, wrote the calories into the notes on my phone and tried to exercise. I lifted weights with no structure, and used my elliptical machine for an hour maybe once a week. I lost 36lbs this way, then went on vacation and returned to my old habits while on that vacation. Once I returned home I was too ashamed of myself to weigh myself anymore. This attempt ended once the vacation did.
The third time was a success. My dad and my sister had both been dieting for a few months before my birthday, losing around 30lbs each. I noticed they were both using myfitnesspal and heard my sister talk about how easy it was because it tracked the calories for you. In work later that day I decided to download it and check it out. I never liked the layout so I deleted it and downloaded a similar app called "loseit." Still to this day 2 years later I use that app to track my food, once you've logged a few thousand foods it's hard to go back. Before this diet I was in the worst place I've ever been mentally, I had my heart broken by my girlfriend of 2 and a half years. She had mentally abused me, i felt like I was dependant on her but looking back I now realise she was a horrible influence on my life. Once she broke up with me I became an alcoholic. I used to struggle with depression (used to, more on this later) and after breaking up with her I started to drink, every single day. I was going into work drunk, eating their junk food twice a shift, leaving and drinking. I wanted to die but I saw myself as being too pussy to kill myself, I couldn't do that to my family. Drinking made me care less about how others would feel if I did, and i saw it as an easy way to actually kill myself. I drank every day for around 3 months, spending the entirety of my days looking forward to going home and killing a couple shots. I wasn't a functioning human being for those months. Eventually I met another girl and she pulled me out of this hole without even realising it. It felt like she was the first person I had met for years who actually cared about me. That girl was the best thing that ever happened to me, i couldn't act the way I had been around her, and I wanted to impress her by changing my life completely. She was the motivation for me to stop drinking, the motivation for me to start. Discipline is what kept me doing it after.
The weight loss
When I started this journey I knew it was different this time. I was determined I was going to do it properly. I spent my free time reading everything online about nutrition, trying to figure out what was waffle and what was real information, it was surprisingly difficult. When I was younger and had attempted to lose weight I tried to half ass the research and believed everything I read from a "post workout feeding window" to "your body can only digest 20g of protein at a time" and was too lazy to check if this information was actually real, but this time if I thought something was real I normally did follow up research. I started by just eating what I was already, just making sure I got the calories within my calorie goal, a 1000 calorie deficit. Slowly over time I made changes to my diet, eating more vegetables, caring about my protein intake, and gradually decreasing all the things that didn't benefit me. Food became fuel.
I work in fast food, so to start with I was still eating burgers most days, this changed over time. Even though it was incredibly tempting to be around the fast food every day, one benefit it does bring is that it made sure I wasn't completely sedentary. Walking 40 hours a week isn't enough to be considered exercise, but for a 261lb man i couldn't survive a shift without breaking a sweat, and it definitely burnt a few hundred calories. On top of this, I slowly started to learn more about exercise. I went back to lifting weights with no real structure, and started to play golf every week with my dad. Golf as a fat person burns a surprising amount of calories, I averaged 9 holes of my course out to be around 500.
I made a few mistake with this journey, I kept the deficit too high even when my weight was starting to get really low, I believed that there was no point in me lifting weights while losing weight because I wouldn't have been able to get stronger while in a deficit, and eventually stopped trying. The first mistake was just a fat man desperate to see his abs for the first time ever, the second was a mixture of my fat self being too lazy to work out, and my new self believing waffle without clarifying.
I finished losing the weight on July 28th 2018, I maintained my weight for a few weeks then went on vacation to america for my 21st birthday. The second picture is taken on August 21st 2018, the day of my 21st birthday. 155lbs
Once I got home I weighed myself every day for a week, noticed I hadn't gained even a quarter of a pound while on vacation, reassured myself I knew what I was doing and then decided to bulk up.
The Bulk (So Far)
As the weight loss neared a close I did a lot of research into bulking, I discovered r/fitness and decided that a lean bulk was the best approach for me, because the idea of putting fat on too quickly again was not appealing.
The first programme I ran was this: https://darebee.com/programs/ironborn-program.html
It's basically a beginners dumbbell only PPL. I ran it twice, and then afterwards started to learn more about optimal training, and adding more exercises and more sets to it.
I started out using only a pair of adjustable dumbbells, then a barbell, and now I own basically an entire home gym. (Located in my bedroom. Big bedroom.) I started to learn more about how to target each muscle, rep ranges, volume of training, the basics of programming and slowly wrote my own PPL based on the equipment I had. My training was far from optimal, for a while the most weight i could put on the dumbbells was 15kg each so my rep ranges for a while were in the high 30s for some exercises. Eventually i bought more weight, and I'll continue to buy more as I get stronger.
I also started to use my elliptical machine, and eventually got into running. After a while I was running 10 miles a day, as well as a half marathon at the weekend. I tore my calf because my mind was a hell of a lot stronger than my body, and had to stop. I tore it a further two times by trying to rush back to where I was too quickly, but eventually after the third tear I went to a physio, shes been rehabbing it and I've been slowly getting back into running for the last 3 weeks. This struggle with my calf has made me realise that sometimes I need to just relax, trust the process, and stop being so hard on myself all the time.
So far I've put on around 26lbs, a little bit of this has been unnecessary fat gain because occasionally my former fat self would reappear for a day and I'd put down 8000 calories, yet my abs have always stuck around. I think the pressure of trying to be so hard on myself led to an unhealthy relationship with food. I've put a stop to this since, and my diet is the best its ever been with complete freedom to eat "junk" if ever I want, but i never really want to because i feel "clean" food makes me feel and function better. The third picture was taken today. 181lbs
My current programme looks like this, I'm currently nursing a slight shoulder injury so my Push day isn't totally accurate to what im doing right now, but this is what I will be doing once its fully healed:
| Monday | 4x8-12 Back Squat | 3x8-12 Front Squat | 4x8-16 RDL | 3x12-20 Hamstring Curl | 4x12-20 Hip Thrust | 3x Calf Raises | 3x Bent Leg Calf Raises | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 5x6-12 OHP | 5x6-12 Flat Bench | 4x8-16 Incline DB press | 8x12-25 Lateral Raise | 4x12-20 Skull crusher | 3x8-15 Chest Fly | 4xAMRAP Ab Wheel | ||
| Wednesday | 3x8-15 Deadlift | 5x8-16 Bent Over Row | 4x8-20 Shrugs | 4xAMRAP Pullup | 3x8-12 Chest supported row | 5x8-15 Hammer Curl | 5x8-15 Dumbbell curl | 5x8-20 Bent Over Flys | 4x AMRAP Dragon Flags |
| Thursday | 4x8-12 Front Squat | 3x8-12 Back Squat | 4x12-20 Hamstring Curl | 3x8-16 RDL | 4x12-20 Hip Thrust | 3x Leg Bent Calf Raise | 3x Calf Raise | ||
| Friday | 5x8-15 Bench Press | 5x8-15 OHP | 4x6-12 Incline DB Press | 8x12-25 Lateral Raise | 4x8-20 Dumbbell Tricep Extension | 3x8-15 Chest Fly | 4x AMRAP Side Bends | ||
| Saturday | 5x8-15 Bent Over Row | 4x8-20 Shrugs | 4x AMRAP Pullup | 3x8-15 Unilateral Row | 5x8-15 Concentration Curl | 5x8-15 Barbell Curl | 5x8-20 Band Pull Aparts | 4x AMRAP V Up | |
| Sunday | Rest | Or | Possibly | Mobility | Work | Probs | Not | Though |
I've discovered that my biceps respond to a lot of volume, as well as my chest, so there's a lot of sets for those muscles. I also don't have any reps written down for my calf because I'm just increasing it as instructed by my PT. As a few months pass I'll add more volume. I'm also running Monday Thursday and Saturday right now, and intend to play golf on Saturdays again once my body is fully healed.
Life For Me Now
Well first off, as I mentioned earlier I no longer have any real problems with my depression. As you can imagine repeating the same injury 3 times in a row was pretty soul destroying, especially because it's not just a minor tear, I had to take weeks off of everything that involved being on my feet for any prolonged period of time, I had to take months off of work, but I never let myself get too down mentally. I've been upset, I've felt depressed, but the difference is that now I can wake up the next day and feel better. Now I can tell that every day that passes everything will be a little bit better, and it's so refreshing almost always waking up happy. Having people in my life care about me helps massively, but I've come to realise I shouldn't only live for peoples opinions of me. I don't think depression every truly leaves you, it just sits dormant, but constantly having goals helps with keeping it dormant. Eating well, exercising and having confidence in myself also help massively.
I dont really drink anymore, but I'm not completely sober. I was on vacation last month and I had a few drinks, (the 4th picture is me on vacation. Tanning oil, good lighting and a slight tan means that's the best picture I have of myself to date) I'm being taken out for dinner this weekend and ill probably have one or two drinks, but it's a choice to have it. I do not feel dependant on it, and I treat it as a thing for special occasions because most of the time it doesn't appeal to me. i would say i'm fully recovered from my struggles with alcohol now.
i'm still not totally used to looking how i do now. 10 years of being the fat kid really leaves it mentally stamped into your head that is how you look. I still check myself out in the mirror a lot because i'm not used to seeing what I see. i'm working on accepting myself for who i am now, and I'm trying to continue to learn and improve my physical and mental health. I also try and help people who ask me with their health and fitness related goals because I've definitely learned a lot over the last 2 years.
My diet nowadays is basically the same types of food every day, but with a lot of variety. I eat around 4/5 meals every day, made up with some sort of carb source such as rice or potatoes, a protein source in the form of meat or fish, and a tonne of vegetables. Breakfasts are normally some sort of oats with fruit mixed in and a protein shake, or wholegrain cereal with a protein shake, or peanut butter on toast and a shake. The option to eat junk food is always there now, but most of the time I never want to... aside from the huge slice of cake I had yesterday.
I no longer break a sweat at work, I no longer get out of breath from a slight jog, I no longer eat because I'm bored and I do not treat food as a drug. I'm starting to finally fill out shirt sleeves, and I can finally look at myself in a mirror and feel happy about how I look now, and know that I'm only going to keep improving myself both physically and mentally. I get compliments from girls about my appearance for the first time in my life. I'm ambitious, I'm driven. But most importantly I enjoy life.
Goals for the future
First off I want to get back to running and lifting properly. My body hasn't worked at 100% since February but this is the closest I've been to full fitness since then thanks to my wonderful PT.
I'm going to commit fully to this bulk until the end of the year. I dont want to think about cutting until I'm close to 195/200lbs.
I've always wanted to be in the military, that's why I balance lifting with running, but a few months ago I decided my goal is to sign up for the British parachute regiment. I find that I function best when I push myself to be the best i can, and just settling for regular army doesn't feel like it challenges me enough. (no offence anyone at all) Because of this, once my calf is fully back to normal and I can run properly again I need to get down to around a 6 minute mile.
I would also one day like to be around 200lbs at hopefully around 11% bodyfat, I'm still not totally used to having abs so I like to think I'll have them forever.
My lifting has no real numbers attached to the goals, I want to be big and strong, doesn't everyone? I'll keep lifting until I no longer can, PR's will be set and broken during this, none set as of yet.
And lastly, I like to think I'll be able to run marathons with relative ease when I'm a few years older.
I have fairly lofty goals, but that's how I like to think about my life nowadays. I like to feel like I'm chasing something. Constantly trying to better myself physically and mentally. "Make your goals unreasonable. Chase your unreasonable goals with an unreasonable amount of effort, tenacity, intensity and ferocity. Maintain an unreasonable amount of anger over failing to meet your unreasonable goals. Do all this, and you will create a margin between you and those who were pursuing reasonable goals that is completely unreasonable." - Mythical Strength
Resources I've found useful
https://www.reddit.com/r/weightroom/comments/6674a4/dr_mike_israetels_training_tips_for_hypertrophy/ - Dr Israetel's general guidelines for how many sets per week people on average can handle was pretty useful for creating my own routine, but treat it as general guidelines. He has said very clearly that these are averages from himself and people he has trained. Start low and find your own numbers over time.
https://renaissanceperiodization.com/expert-advice/hypertrophy-training-guide-central-hub -renaissance periodization, as a complete beginner it was useful to be able to look at their ideas of exercises that hit certain muscles and figure out what I could do with my makeshift setup.
https://thefitness.wiki/ - Read the fucking wiki. Seriously. This fitness shit is only complicated if you make it complicated. There's a lot of advanced science about it all, but as someone who just wants to lift heavy shit or look better it is not important for you to know it all. The basics work.
http://mythicalstrength.blogspot.com/ - MythicalStrength's blog is fantastic. Probably my favourite strength related content on the internet, wide variety of content, both thought provoking and entertaining.
https://davidgoggins.com/ - David Goggins. Former fat boy turned navy seal and hard motherfucker. His whole life is based around embracing the suck. His life story is fascinating and his book was a good listen while running.
I thought I would post this here instead of a running or cycling subreddit because I feel I would get more of an unbiased opinion here. I started C25K in mid May this year and have since worked my way up to an 8 mile run. However, I injured my knee and had to take a week and a half off. Ever since I started running many people, my trainers included, have been telling me how bad distance running is for you because the impact on your knees is like 3 times your weight slamming into them with each stride and over time it just severely damages them. I used to ignore what they were saying because I really love running. After this injury, however, I am starting to question if it is worth it.
I have been really thinking about what I really enjoy about running. I think it is being outside seeing the town and countryside and getting into that stride where I really feel like I'm pushing myself and getting my heart rate up and a good sweat. It seems really hard for me to get my heart rate up in my classes at the gym any more, no matter how hard I am pushing myself it stays in the lower 70% of my max heart rate when everyone else in the class is pushing mid 80s to lower 90s, like I used to. When I run, I am pushing to that higher heart rate an it feels good and like I am actually getting a good workout in. I also looked up running vs cycling for weight loss, as I still have around 20 -25 pounds of fat I would like to lose. Those articles all said that you get a better calories burn running because you are working your whole body compared to cycling but, you run a much higher risk of injury and can not run as long as with cycling. Cycling is also much more expensive. My dad is into it and his, slightly above mid tier bike, cost him around $3,500. I figure I could get a decent starter bike for around $850 - $1,000 but, that is still very expensive compared to a pair of nice $150 running shoes every year. You also have maintenance costs on the bike. It is something I have always wanted to do, I've really wanted to ride the Rag Brai with my dad some day but, I just don't think I will be able to afford it for another year or two at least with my wedding, honeymoon, and a trip to visit family that lives across country all coming up next year. At the same time, he has been having health issues and was unable to go on the ride this year and I'm not sure when or if he will be able to again.
I guess what I'm asking is, is the risk of injury just too high to bother with running? Would it be much better to switch to cycling given what I enjoy about running? I don't really want to make a big monetary investment in cycling right now unless there is good reason to switch from running.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you give me.
