As Requested: Thoughts on Exercise....(Long Winded)
Earlier today, I replied to a thread on whether or not a member could not exercise. Some other members asked me to repost this as a seperate thread, so here it is...and some editorial on it that occurred to me today.
Also, Its Barbara Streisands 70th Birthday so forgive me if I slip in the occasional Babs reference - and extra points to those who catch them.
Those of you who have seen my previousposts know I just cant get my head in the game on a treadmill or an elliptical trainer, but I don't even notice time passing today. Since this winter I have been walking about 3-4 miles a day, and doing it in 60-75 minutes. II was getting a bit too comfortable walking, and My weight loss is slowing a bit, so I decided to amp it up a bit. Today I started adding jogging into the mix. I conversed with my exercise physiologist, asked for advice on here and took the plunge.
Well let me tell you, I remember why before I only ran when chased. I wish that I could jump on a treadmill for 30 minutes, eat a carrot stick and be thin (Babs Reference 1, name the movie). Today I exercised for 60 minutes and spent 45 minutes in optimum heart rate zone. I burnt between 679 and 1280 calories depending on your method of estimating. I was only able to run for short distances at a time.
Tommorrow I will go further. I will try for 47 minutes in the training zone. I will try to run just a little bit more. I may not be able to run a 5k next month, but maybe by the fall or maybe next year. Why should I push myself? Do I want to be a jock or an athlete. No. Do I feel that "Rush" that you hear the exercise fanatics talk about? No. After running today I felt sweaty, tired, like I needed a shower.
I felt something else too. I felt pride. I was proud of myself. I was proud of taking care of myself. It was the same pride I feel when I take a new pair of jeans out of the drier, and think those are way too small to be mine. Its the pride in knowing that I am doing something amazing. I am transforming myself. I am doing what few people do. I have committed to changing myself for the better, I am loving myself finally. I am giving that gift to myself. (Babs reference 2)
I really don't like exercising. I can't do it for its own sake. I can walk three miles to the grocery store and carry back 10 lbs of food. I can walk to target and carry back 100 ft of waterhose and sprinklers. What I came to realize today, is that the excuses I made to do those things were lies. I told myself I was using those trips as a way to get in my exercise and not mind it.
What I came to realize today is that something else was at work. I was doing it for myself. So I can keep feeding my growing self image. The way I feel now after being on this journey is like I have developed superpowers, without the hassle of radioactive spiders, space aliens, or green slime. So enough editorializing, heres my original post. I have to go get an armband for my iPhone. It was in my pocket pulling down my shorts while I was running today (nobody wants to see that!)
---Original Post---
Depending on your calorie intake, you may lose without exercise. That said, our goal doing weight loss is not to just lose weight, but to redevelop ourselves for long term weight management. We have to develop the habits and skills to manage our obesity for the rest of ourlives. You don't get to goal and suddenly become "Normal" and not have to work at it.
Exercise is crucial to what we do for a number of reasons. One, overall health. There has been a lot of stress and damage put on your body by being obese. The strength training helps tone up muscles that may have been stretched, like your abdominals, and builds ne muscle to help increase metabolism. As we lose weight our BMR, basal metabolic rate, changes and we neeed that extra miscle to help us continue losing at the same pace. As you weigh less, it takes less effort to just move you around. The extra muscle helps keep the amount of calories you burn higher.
Exercise doesn't have to be 2 hours a day at the gym. Exercise can be as simple as taking a walk around your neighborhood, and slowly increasing the speed at which you walk. Exercise can be working around your house. Trust me the best workout I get every week is mowing the steep hill in my back yard!
You have to accept the fact that every day for the rest of your life you have to be mindful about what you eat, you have to be mindful to get in a certain amount of exercise, you have to log what you eat every day. Recently the lady who runs my support groups, mentioned that at eight years out she still has to manage everything she eats. When she started she never imagined that at eight years shed still be struggling with some of these things. But there she is, and she is successful. There is another lady at 10 years out who says something very similar. Long term success comes from making these changes now. Working on Diet and exercise and developing the mental tools to hold yourself accountable and keep your head in the game.
My advice, find exercises you can do regularly and enjoy. Get a tracker like FitBit and use it - you'll be surprised how much you already do and how it will encourage you to do just a little bit more. Just ignore the calorie counts on it, and the additional calories that sites like MyFitnessPal say you can eat. Stick with the values given by your surgeon.
Also, Its Barbara Streisands 70th Birthday so forgive me if I slip in the occasional Babs reference - and extra points to those who catch them.
Those of you who have seen my previousposts know I just cant get my head in the game on a treadmill or an elliptical trainer, but I don't even notice time passing today. Since this winter I have been walking about 3-4 miles a day, and doing it in 60-75 minutes. II was getting a bit too comfortable walking, and My weight loss is slowing a bit, so I decided to amp it up a bit. Today I started adding jogging into the mix. I conversed with my exercise physiologist, asked for advice on here and took the plunge.
Well let me tell you, I remember why before I only ran when chased. I wish that I could jump on a treadmill for 30 minutes, eat a carrot stick and be thin (Babs Reference 1, name the movie). Today I exercised for 60 minutes and spent 45 minutes in optimum heart rate zone. I burnt between 679 and 1280 calories depending on your method of estimating. I was only able to run for short distances at a time.
Tommorrow I will go further. I will try for 47 minutes in the training zone. I will try to run just a little bit more. I may not be able to run a 5k next month, but maybe by the fall or maybe next year. Why should I push myself? Do I want to be a jock or an athlete. No. Do I feel that "Rush" that you hear the exercise fanatics talk about? No. After running today I felt sweaty, tired, like I needed a shower.
I felt something else too. I felt pride. I was proud of myself. I was proud of taking care of myself. It was the same pride I feel when I take a new pair of jeans out of the drier, and think those are way too small to be mine. Its the pride in knowing that I am doing something amazing. I am transforming myself. I am doing what few people do. I have committed to changing myself for the better, I am loving myself finally. I am giving that gift to myself. (Babs reference 2)
I really don't like exercising. I can't do it for its own sake. I can walk three miles to the grocery store and carry back 10 lbs of food. I can walk to target and carry back 100 ft of waterhose and sprinklers. What I came to realize today, is that the excuses I made to do those things were lies. I told myself I was using those trips as a way to get in my exercise and not mind it.
What I came to realize today is that something else was at work. I was doing it for myself. So I can keep feeding my growing self image. The way I feel now after being on this journey is like I have developed superpowers, without the hassle of radioactive spiders, space aliens, or green slime. So enough editorializing, heres my original post. I have to go get an armband for my iPhone. It was in my pocket pulling down my shorts while I was running today (nobody wants to see that!)
---Original Post---
Depending on your calorie intake, you may lose without exercise. That said, our goal doing weight loss is not to just lose weight, but to redevelop ourselves for long term weight management. We have to develop the habits and skills to manage our obesity for the rest of ourlives. You don't get to goal and suddenly become "Normal" and not have to work at it.
Exercise is crucial to what we do for a number of reasons. One, overall health. There has been a lot of stress and damage put on your body by being obese. The strength training helps tone up muscles that may have been stretched, like your abdominals, and builds ne muscle to help increase metabolism. As we lose weight our BMR, basal metabolic rate, changes and we neeed that extra miscle to help us continue losing at the same pace. As you weigh less, it takes less effort to just move you around. The extra muscle helps keep the amount of calories you burn higher.
Exercise doesn't have to be 2 hours a day at the gym. Exercise can be as simple as taking a walk around your neighborhood, and slowly increasing the speed at which you walk. Exercise can be working around your house. Trust me the best workout I get every week is mowing the steep hill in my back yard!
You have to accept the fact that every day for the rest of your life you have to be mindful about what you eat, you have to be mindful to get in a certain amount of exercise, you have to log what you eat every day. Recently the lady who runs my support groups, mentioned that at eight years out she still has to manage everything she eats. When she started she never imagined that at eight years shed still be struggling with some of these things. But there she is, and she is successful. There is another lady at 10 years out who says something very similar. Long term success comes from making these changes now. Working on Diet and exercise and developing the mental tools to hold yourself accountable and keep your head in the game.
My advice, find exercises you can do regularly and enjoy. Get a tracker like FitBit and use it - you'll be surprised how much you already do and how it will encourage you to do just a little bit more. Just ignore the calorie counts on it, and the additional calories that sites like MyFitnessPal say you can eat. Stick with the values given by your surgeon.
_____________________________________________________________________
160 lbs lost. Surgeons Goal Reached in 33 weeks. My Goal in 37 Weeks.
VSG: 11/2/2011; LBL+Thigh Lift+BL: 10/3/2012; Brach+Mastopexy: 7/22/2013
I hate the treadmill and I am just not coordinated enough yet for an elliptical. The only way I don't "mind" the treadmill and it doesn't seem like time is crawling is when I watch TV while walking. Then I seem to focus on the tv and before I know it 5 mins have passed. Same with walking outside. If I'm taking a walk with my husband or walking around a track talking, I don't notice it as bad.
I guess we all have to figure out what makes it bearable.
I guess we all have to figure out what makes it bearable.
I'm no fan of exercise, but I haul myself to the gym five days a week. Exercise, particularly weights, are the only thing that will improve your metabolism - at least that's what all the experts say! Weights are actually kind of fun. The cardio machines are only tolerable because I have my iPad propped in front of me streaming videos from Netflix
And you've hit the nail on the head. It doesn't matter what you're doing as long as you're moving!
And you've hit the nail on the head. It doesn't matter what you're doing as long as you're moving!
Great post!!! I am one who must exercise rigorously and consistently in order to lose any weight. I do the elliptical daily and I try to also do either yoga, dance, or swimming. I am still a little afraid to weightlift just yet but def going to add that in in hopefully a few wks. I def agree, my exercising is another tool along with the sleeve that will allow me long term WL success. I couldn't imagine my new life without it.
This is an awesome thing you're shared with us, and how your path has taken you - and also how you are committed to your health and your love for yourself. Doing it for yourself - that's what being healthy is about. We give gifts to others, but we need to give gifts to ourselves as well - and this is one of the best possible.
I feel ya on exercising too. I do it because I need to. And because it's not super enjoyable, I have pride that I still accomplished it at the end.
You may be suprised just how fast you accelerate - I did the C25K app thing and it really did have me up to 30 minute solid runs in two months doing a 5K distance. We have remarkable abilities for adapatation when the cards are stacked in our favor.
And it's ok if the shorts get pulled down a little - everyone needs a bit o' eye candy every now and then ;)
I'd recommend this armband - affordable, comfortable, nearly flawless, easy to get your phone in and out of it.
Congrats to you bud.
I feel ya on exercising too. I do it because I need to. And because it's not super enjoyable, I have pride that I still accomplished it at the end.
You may be suprised just how fast you accelerate - I did the C25K app thing and it really did have me up to 30 minute solid runs in two months doing a 5K distance. We have remarkable abilities for adapatation when the cards are stacked in our favor.
And it's ok if the shorts get pulled down a little - everyone needs a bit o' eye candy every now and then ;)
I'd recommend this armband - affordable, comfortable, nearly flawless, easy to get your phone in and out of it.
Congrats to you bud.
Heaviest weight: 310 pounds (Male, 5'10")
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