Need General Health Help

That's really funny. I'm about 6'2'' and 185 for anybody who cares. And that's without working out here in NOVA, simply because it is so expensive to join a gym. Have started playing b-ball on outdoor courts and yesterday went on a 16 mile canoe trip up the Shenandoah River Yesterday. I'm so zpped, I feel like I just had a lobotomy.

 

Death to soda. Water water water. When you need caffeine, just drink tea or coffee.

Here's something that's not too stressful early in training : ballroom dancing. Or at least salsa dancing. At 6' 180lbs, you should still be able to attract dance partners. Dancing is popular in Canada, with some good programs. If you find you like it, then you'll need to gradually strengthen your core muscles with a core program, as that's the base of partnered movement.

Just getting out moving will help you burn at least 10lbs if you're on the dance floor 2 hrs at a time 2-3 times a week.

The more you do, the more you'll want to eat better and live healthier. If you're dancing steady for two-three hours with different ladies, that's x amount of exercise, and probably with little or no alchohol.

I'm far too sedentary now, with increased work and kids, but when I was competing regularly I was light and trim with wiry strength with a regular workout and practice schedule. I drank a lot of water, ate fish and salads, and was pretty happy with my body working and could enjoy my partners. I'm just starting to make time for that again.

It sounds like something you'd be good at.

 

Would the "etc." also be called "ballet" by chance?

 

Glad you mentioned priorities. What could be more important than your long term health?

Diet alone or exercise alone won't do it. You need to do both in combination.

Exercise. You don't say why you can't exercise much. If it's priorities, perhaps you should reexamine your priorities. If it is injury related, then you need to rethink your restrictions.

In the old days, when someone had back/neck problems, they told you not to do any activities or exercises that stressed them. That thinking is now being questioned. Hire a trainer, read on the internet (not just this BBS), talk to knowledgeable friends. Find an exercise program that you enjoy, and that strenghtens your core muscles in your back and stomach without aggravating your problems. Exercise balls (bosu balls), yoga, pilates, and the various martial arts may all be good candidates.

Diet. Use common sense. I like the red light, yellow light, green light analogy.

Green light: each as much as you like (within reason). Fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains.

Yellow light: eat in moderation: meat, fish, poultry, dairy.

Red light: eat sparingly: sugars, (bad) fats, fried and processed foods.

Good luck. Take charge now, because it only gets tougher when you get older.

 

Small meal would be less than 500 calories, and snacks should be no more than 200 calories.

Breakfast: Two eggs scrambled cooked with PAM, along with a slice of whole wheat bread, lightly buttered with low-fat butter.

Lunch: Grilled chicken breast, with greens of choice, and dressing on the side.

Dinner: Sirloin steak grilled, steamed veggies.

Snack: V8 juice.

Your body requires a certain amount of calories just to function. Even if you just sit around and do nothing, your body is burning calories. This is called your Resting Metabolic Rate. So you figure out RMR, and eat accordingly. Remember that an intake of 3500 calories equates to one pound. So if your body requires 1900 for daily use, and you intake 2500, and you burn 1000 through working out, you've just burned 400 calories. So at that rate, it'll take you 2 weeks to lose one pound. Other factors such as your RMR, workout habits, etc. will skew this formula, but it's pretty simple. Also, drinking plenty of water, taking vitamins, and cutting out unnecessary sugars will help your body function at an optimal rate, therefore increasing fat loss.

 

damn the picture in my head of MacBeth is changing rapidly

so do we all have to let yourselves go to pick up p*rn stars???

atkins worked for me, and got at least 10kgs off.... bike riding to work 3-4 times a week on top of my ball playing and training and a low carb/low junk continuing diet has helped keep it off

 

Starting to look more like Ron Jeremy in your head?

 

Ballet is NOT pansy. It might be homosexual, often is, but not pansy. It will kick your ass. Definately not wilting-flower pansy. Ballet is also very stressful and leads easily to injury. I took two years at the academy and they were killer b****es. You have to be very strong to do that crap; and they are always stressing your ankles and hamstrings. With men it's all dart, lunge, dart, lunge, lift, scatter step, extend extend drop. especially Balanchine. The girlies do the tiny mincing steps or lyrical stuff. Men have to stretch to infinity and explode from nothing.

Jazz is great. A really good transition to traditional ballroom, or better, latin. Most modern latin dancing is derived from jazz. Lots of big, angular, two-dimension men and sinewey, curvy, three-dimension women, with lots of hip grinding and body torque. Even the line figures have rotation and shapings.

Anyway,


Your core muscles will develop with repeated low stress. Dance is just one suggestion for something motivational. You could work in Tai Chi -(like Lou Reed and Jim Jarmusch) or Bikram Yoga, or non-impact martial arts. Regardless, I think it's good for you to get up and move and move around your body's center, preferably in combination with and relation to other people.

 

Good to see someone who is using the normal, metric system!

MacBeth, sorry to hear about your health concerns. 180 at 6'2 seems far from overweight, though.

I think I am at 200 pounds (about 90 kg), being 6'6 (1,98 m), but I will admit it's not really predominantly muscle!!!! Ugh, this thread makes me want to go to the gym tomorrow, especially since spring is coming and this girl I am going to go out with is really in great shape.

P.S.: I just used one of these metric/US conversion tools...looks like I only weighed 165 pounds when I was 18...same height! Damn, that was skinny .

I'll follow this thread and try to take some of the same advice that is given here!

 

MacBeth,

I've had almost an identical weight history. I'm not as tall as you, and I way a little less. I myself was a professional swing dancer for a while so I also understand the desire for it, and the kind of shape you have to be in to do it. But that took alot of time getting in, and staying in that kind of shape. In fact I couldn't gain much muscle mass until swing dancing, and lifting girls, throwing them, flipping them, etc. really put on some the maximum amount of muscle mass I could want. I hate the beefcake look for me, and would never want that. Anyway after I swingdancing stopped paying the bills I got soft in the middle. With clothes I don't look fat at all, and I'm not really too fat, just not in the shape I want to be in.

I've been doing different diets and exercise stuff. I'll tell you what helps me with diet. I've was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and switched from drinking a lot of coke, to diet drinks. It took me several weeks to a month I believe to get used to the taste of it. I recently switched to diet right because it uses splendra, and has no caffeine. Before that I tried Pepsi One and it was good but not the miracle that won't make you notice the difference in taste.

With diets the only way I can stay on one, is if I have one day of the week, where I can still eat whatever I want. That way I'm not really deprived, and I still eat healthy 6 days out of the week instead of 7. All of my favorite foods are still there though, and that's important.

I drink two glasses of water before each meal and snack. That helps me feel a little fuller, plus it's good to drink a lot of water. The main enemy of my diet isn't my willpower is it's being able to have things on my diet while I'm at work. If I'm at home and can prepare all my meals it's no problem.

As far as an exercise that wouldn't put too much strain on your back, stomach, etc. try an exercise bike. Make sure and do it in front of the TV or a video or something, so that you don't get too bored. I can't jog because I get bored and quit. But if I'm playing basketball I will play sunup to sundown, running the whole time.

I also don't know what kind of an access you have to swimming facilities. I've recently taken up surfing, and that's a very good workout, as is swimming if your injuries permit that.

Good luck and if you find something that works, please spread the method so that I can it out as well.