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Health, Good Practises, and Exercise
- Thread starter Huntn
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any other meds? I'm on a cocktail of meds. I spoke with primary care once about it and he was like "diet and exercise" or something to that effect. My dad has wanted me to do it.
Today I took a walk finally. Felt good.
I have a TRX in same room as my Treadmill, yoga mat, weights etc.
www.youtube.com
Just a 5-10 minutes TRX workout makes a lot of difference some days.
It’s probably the most time effective workouts you can do.
I have a great hook in the roof where it’s placed all the time, and just placed aside when I don’t use it.
TRXtraining
As the inventors of the Suspension Trainer, we’ve been on the cutting edge of functional fitness since the nineties. Our tools are innovative, scaleable, and designed to evolve with you. Learn how to set up your gear, develop good technique, challenge yourself with new workouts, and meet our...
www.youtube.com
Just a 5-10 minutes TRX workout makes a lot of difference some days.
It’s probably the most time effective workouts you can do.
I have a great hook in the roof where it’s placed all the time, and just placed aside when I don’t use it.
Swimming here for exercise, but itching for something different. Planning to go cycling on our bike paths again. Only problem here in the Midwest is cold and snow make that not practical outside of summer.
Solution (from my bike friends) is Zwift. You install the Zwift app on your smart TV or streaming player (Apple TV, Fire Stick, etc) and mount your bike on a trainer in front of the TV. Run the app and Zwift simulates riding through all kinds of foreign cities, forests, mountains, etc. You see an avatar of yourself while you pedal, along with other riders also using the system.
Wondering if anyone else here uses this kind of cycling app.
Solution (from my bike friends) is Zwift. You install the Zwift app on your smart TV or streaming player (Apple TV, Fire Stick, etc) and mount your bike on a trainer in front of the TV. Run the app and Zwift simulates riding through all kinds of foreign cities, forests, mountains, etc. You see an avatar of yourself while you pedal, along with other riders also using the system.
Wondering if anyone else here uses this kind of cycling app.
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I took a nice walk yesterday. Used the summer style long sleeves to avoid "commiting to" deet/sunblock. I thought I'd do that today again but to no avail. I picked up a work shift for tomorrow.
Yes, I should. I know it's good, but really dislike it unfortunately. Got dedicated to lap swimming almost as an addiction. But good suggestion.
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You all may know from March through July, I dropped 48 pounds fasting. I currently weigh 180lbs. During this time I was swimming two days a week and working out in the gym one day a week. Lately I’ve been lamenting that it’s difficult for a 72 year-old to put on muscle so I called up my 68 year-old brother who has been a weight lifter for decades, who still has his muscles and asked. I told him I was doing three sets of 20 with a variety of weights and weight machines in the range of 10 to 55lb. His advice:
Let’s see how it goes with the muscle building 🤔
* Crossed out testosterone, just never got on it. Doctor told me not to. I bought an over the counter product “labeled” testosterone, it was not. Lesson learned, it’s RX only.
- Take protein – I am.
Take testosterone, as an elder it goes down a lot, and it helps you put on muscle- I started.- Finally, your weightlifting routine. Forget doing three or eight or whatever number of sets, whatever exercising you’re doing, the first set, do it, go until your muscles are fatigued. Then take a short break and do it again until your muscles are fatigued.
Let’s see how it goes with the muscle building 🤔
* Crossed out testosterone, just never got on it. Doctor told me not to. I bought an over the counter product “labeled” testosterone, it was not. Lesson learned, it’s RX only.
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You don’t have to lift huge weights you can work with 30 to 50 pound weights and the advantage over swimming is that when you swim, the only resistance you get is how hard you push through the water and that has its distinct limits. One day when I was swimming Large numbers of laps, my shoulders were bothering me. I got out of the pool and went to a machine to pull weights down with my hands and my shoulders didn’t bother me when I did this. It made me realize that there might be some repetitive issues going on with the motion and a large number of laps. Ever since then I’ve been including the gym in my workout and most likely I’m going to start alternating back-and-forth between the gym and the pool.
Yes, I know resistance training adds to an overall exercise program. But swimming alone covers most of the bases (for me anyway) and is the best overall exercise if choosing just one (as I've read).
I've never had any shoulder or other issues from swimming, fortunately. Before swimming, I used to bike (cycle) longer distances and one day crashed resulting in a broken collar bone. Orthopedic surgeon said let the bones come together natuarally and fuse together. Swimming was recommended as injury therapy that can do wonders, and it did for me. Healing was really fast after starting laps. Pain went away. And from then on got addicted.
But I can see how with your overall exercise program together with weight reduction (fasting) it works well for you.
My insurance company Aetna sent me a stool collection kit to check for colon cancer and other health issues. What is different about this one, is that instead of a popsicle stick to collect a “sample” to be placed in a secure bio-pouch, this kit includes a bucket to take a dump in and the sealed bucket is mailed back to the lab. 😳
I wonder if this is something new (mailing your turd) that reflects some improvement in tech? 🙃
I wonder if this is something new (mailing your turd) that reflects some improvement in tech? 🙃
Anyone have cataract surgery to replace your lenses? It was recommended I get this done, and the price surprised me:
- Basic manual lense replacement covered by Medicare.
- Astigmatism- with laser corrects distance vision- $2695 per eye ($5400). Reading glasses still needed.
- Extended Range- with laser, corrects close and far vision, no glasses needed after, but there are rings on this lense that you see, and should go to be not being noticed in your vision, eventually possibly up to a year- $4495 per eye ($9000).
I recently attended a 1Hr, “balance” class at the Lifetime Athletics* I frequent, and found it to be a worthy endeavor. This is typically for older people who notice their physical balance has deteriorated. Will continue with this.
* They accept Silver Sneakers, a program offered with some Medicare Supplemental Plans, and this class is offered without additional cost.
* They accept Silver Sneakers, a program offered with some Medicare Supplemental Plans, and this class is offered without additional cost.
After reading up about this, I decided to go with the mono focal correction. I’d be pissed if I paid the Extra $$ and ended up bothered by halos or artifacts, or with reading glasses anyway. I’m a little irritated that in the sales job offered for multi focal, there was zero mention of unsatisfactory results.
Comparing Long-Term Outcomes of Monofocal vs Multifocal IOLs
A detailed look at long-term outcomes of monofocal vs multifocal IOLs based on randomised trials. Read now for comprehensive practical analysis.
www.londoncataractcentre.co.uk
I just happen to be reading Replaceable You, which is a fun book about humans' ongoing struggles to make new body parts (no, not for cars!).
Here is a bit from the chapter about eyes:
There's a whole graveyard of lenses (used in cataract operations) that tried to mimic natural [focusing].
[...]
Even the simpler multifocal lenses have fallen short of expectations. Halos around lights and other minor visual aberrations are still common. In exchange for being able to read both books and highway signage, you lose contrast sensitivity—meaning it's harder to discriminate between contrasting colors.
[...]
The majority of cataract patients still opt for simple, dependable, Medicare-covered single-focus intraocular lenses—the kind being installed in the operating rooms of rural Mongolia. They see perfectly at one distance and when they want to see clearly at the others, they put on glasses, the tried-and-truest replacement lenses of all.
So it looks like you're in good company.
Wait, so you lost weight just by changing your diet? Or did you also put effort into exercising, but just didn’t mention it?I'm 5'6". Years ago I weighed 275 pounds, I weigh 140 pounds today.
The things I did to lose weight were:
* eat only when hungry
* never eat to the point of being full
* go to bed hungry
* I removed dairy and pork products from my diet
* I replaced all drinks with water
My meals are no larger than my fist. If that means eating 5 meals per day then I eat 5 meals per day. The first meal of the day has been plain oatmeal and dry toast, this has gone on for over a decade.
I recently had a physical examination and the results were:
Age: 51
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 140 pounds
Blood pressure: 112 over 78
Medications: none
Medical issues: none
Years ago, when I weighed 275, my doctor told me that I likely wouldn't see retirement if I didn't lose weight. I still see this doctor and she is amazed at the transformation. It takes the willpower of a warrior, but I like to think there is a little warrior in all of us
Most of the changes you made are actually habits I’ve had for a while. I’m 170 cm and 68 kg, and my weight hasn’t changed much—it basically hovers around this range. But lately I’ve been trying to lower my body fat, which is around 28% right now. My face and neck look a bit chubbier than I’d like.
These days, I probably walk about 40 minutes more per day commuting than before, and I also climb stairs on weekends, but I still haven’t seen much change.
Maybe the habit I should really learn from you is eating multiple smaller meals throughout the day. Right now I usually have two boiled eggs for breakfast, a big lunch, and a light dinner — basically a standard three-meal routine. Maybe I should try eating only when I’m hungry instead?
In my individual case what caused me to gain weight and fat primarily are carbs, specially sugar and other sweeteners, starches, etc. regardless if they are natural of man-made. Something else that makes me gain fat is to stay seated at the table after a meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, or any snack in between), or just to take a nap after a meal.
White I already know that the best thing I can do after a meal-if I don't want for it to turn into fat- is to engage into a session of light activity for 15-20 minutes: slow walking, or light stretches or maybe elastic-band pulling (the elastic bands with two handles found at the local sports stores), or anything like that as long as it not an extraneous activity.
After already knowing such facts above, now and then I sit in front of the TV after my organic oats and berries breakfast. I have lost a lot of fat and weight by reducing the amount of carb intake, specially the ones I consider as bad carbs, and by engaging in light exercises after meals:
-Sugary or sweet drinks (soda, juice, and so on)
-Chocolate, sweetened cocoa, candy or any kind
-Ice cream and the like, coffee creamers, pancake creamers and syrups
-Fruit yogurt or any other yogurt with added sweeteners and starches
-Donuts, cakes, pies or all kinds
-Commercial packaged breads, specially hamburger and hotdog buns and other breads that are highly processed
It does not mean that I shouldn't completely stop consuming such carbs, but to gradually reduce the amounts of "bad" carb intake I consume each day. Lets say that I cut a donut into 6 equal-size pieces and eat one piece, then an hour or two later I eat just a tablespoon of ice cream or a small piece of chocolate, them I have a cup of coffee with a tablespoon of creamer, and so on.... By the end of the day I have already consumed a large amount of sugar. It means that "a little bit of this", plus "another little bit of this", and so on, turns into a large amount of something that makes it fatter.
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I have a TRX in same room as my Treadmill, yoga mat, weights etc.
TRXtraining
As the inventors of the Suspension Trainer, we’ve been on the cutting edge of functional fitness since the nineties. Our tools are innovative, scaleable, and designed to evolve with you. Learn how to set up your gear, develop good technique, challenge yourself with new workouts, and meet our...
Just a 5-10 minutes TRX workout makes a lot of difference some days.
It’s probably the most time effective workouts you can do.
I have a great hook in the roof where it’s placed all the time, and just placed aside when I don’t use it.
I so wish we could have a home room with a treadmill. The issue is my father. It's like yeah I agree walking outside is nicer and better. But that has nothing to do with also having a treadmill at home. In fact I feel like having a treadmill at home would make walks outside even better since I'd be better trained. Plus sometimes I like to just walk to the beat of my Spotify playlist playing from an Amazon echo instead of a shoving earbuds into my ears.
What scares me is 74% Americans are overweight (31%) or obese (43%). Trying hard as I get older not to join either group by limiting portions and all greasy food, and increase exercise. But it's hard not to indulge once in a while...
Still worst is the high incidence of fatty liver disease affecting not only Americans, but peoples around the world. "Fat on the belly is fat in the liver", some say. I had a very early stage of fat liver disease. Unaware of my liver's condition, I drank a small cup (4-ounces or so) of red wine with dinner every day, which in turn- I assume- aggravated it. I only realized what was happening after a blood analysis and a sonogram that was performed by my family doctor.
That was about a year ago, and now my liver looks normal. Doctors nowadays seldom give advice to patients, but when I asked he said, "fatty liver can be caused by various things, including consuming alcoholic drinks, and carbs, but sometimes one or the other alone can also cause this disease." I immediately began changing my eating habits and diet, and from then to now brought my weight to 135-140 pounds. I lost nearly 50 pounds in a period of 12 months, and along the wight loss my blood pressure has stabilized to what is considered normal for my age today. No diabetes, normal blood pressure, great kidneys function and so on.
This is a personal observation I have developed though the years: if one can figure a way to stay relatively slim and fit, one has a better chance to live longer than for one to become obese. My grandfather was slim thought his entire life and died in his 90's. My wife's father was too, and he died at the age of 95. My wife's mother, just like my wife has also been relatively slim to her present age of 99. She's about 99 years old, and still sits in front of her computer to email friends and family or just to write articles or documents to share with the local museum workers, or just family members.
And yet, I am too old now to worry about such things, but if I would have been aware of these things years ago I could have made the appropriate diet and other changes to aid my internal body organs become healthier: gut, liver, pancreas, kidneys, heart, lungs. This would also be good for the brain
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Try "wall sits". Better for your heart, because it lowers blood pressure 😅