Fitness/Working Out

[Kilala]

I’m back and curious as ever * wink wink* .
Lately I’ve been on a pretty big fitness ‘thing’ if you know what I mean. There’s a gym literally 5 seconds away so I go there every day for at least 40 minutes to an hour.
So here is my actual point! =^^=

What do you do to keep fit? Any routine exercises that you take? – Yes walking the dog does count too! <3333

Anyone else go to the Gym too? I’m curious as to which equipment people go on… I – the odd creature that I am ^~, have a little routine and only venture onto certain things.

For example… Firstly I will go on the advanced cycling thingy (yes you can really see I’m into the terminology too! <_<), then the Rowing machine followed by a sweaty workout on the Nordic Walking Machine (assuming it’s actually called that – I just heard someone say that haha o.o).

Before I had a Gym near by I used to routinely do sit-ups in the evening and have a go on my cheap bike thingy in my room… And before that I was a lazy kitty and did nothing So that’s my story ^~. <- OH NOES I SOUND LIKE TIDUS O_O

[Furore]

I stand/walk for 5-12 hours most days due to security work so my legs are pretty damn solid. Hell before work I'd also been a big walker due to not being able to get my license for a long period of time. An hour or two walk to school along the highway.

And I have homemade barbells for arm muscle strength. I just get some old pipe, fill it with lead and then tape it up with PVC tape. The beauty of doing that is when they start feeling too light I can just make another pair with longer lengths of pipe.

[Storm]

A couple of my friends are really getting into their fitness, although one of them has caused himself some muscular damage on his abdomen from over-exurting himself.

I try to go for a walk everyday, not just to keep fit, but also because I find it relaxing. I still haven't learned to drive either, so walking is my main mode of transport. On a few of the days its been hot, i've gone down to the beach to go swimming. I used to go swimming a lot as a child, but stopped sometime in secondary school. I prefer the sea to swimming pools as the chemicals in pools are too much. I want to take up some martial arts and archery soon.

I feel healthy as I have a good diet and walk around alot, and i'm happy with my body. I'm not one for the gym, as using various machines in a room with a load of other people doesn't really appeal to me. I'm rather self-conscious when it comes to excercise.

[RamesesII]

My work provides me with enough adequate amount of fitness in my day to day life and if that isn't satisfying i get to run around with my children and use them as weights haha.

When i was working as a horticulturists we did a lot of tree cutting and that was always good exercise plus the continuous mowing etc etc.

I don't go out of my way to go to the gym actually i never go to the gym, i am 21 at about 160 tall and i am 60 kg no more no less so i never need to go to the gym. Actually i do consider my cholesterol every now and again and i should do some cardio fitness because i eat a lot of fatty foods and it doesn't matter how old or young you are or what you weigh you are still at risk of a heart attack and i worry sometimes when i get stabbing pains in my chest but never mind that. If ever i need to exercise i just like to do some simple push ups and situps etc just simple body exercises no machines and some martial arts that usually keeps me nice and toned.

[loaf]

I stand at work, lift stuff so I rarely go to the gym and work out. When I do though, it's usually an hour or longer in there. From lifting some weights to riding the bike for 25 minutes, or even some running. Feels good after words and makes it easier to fall asleep later. But I can't find that much time to do it.

[Xanatos]

I don't go to the gym, I don't have time for it and also I'm bit lazy. But I walk often, when returning from college to home I always walk little more than 2 km. I also develop a habit to jog occasionally, to raise my stamina a little bit and I also feel great after that. Oh and I also ride my bike often.

[OceanEyes28]

I don't do any machines, but I use free weights a lot. I do strength training, yoga, walking, and my newest fitness adventure: kickboxing.

Last quarter at school, I had stage combat keeping me active. So this summer I took on a kickboxing class. I am loving it. And when I visit a friend of mine and we walk his dogs, I get a couple miles of walking in, hills included. And I've started bike riding with my moms and their dogs. Basically, anything fun and active that I can do pleases me. And without a yoga class this summer, I am keeping up my practice as best I can. I know enough to maintain my balance and flexibility.

I love being fit.

And when I see people say they don't have time to work out, I see people making excuses. Make time. If you have time to post on this forum and play video games, you have time to do yourself a favor and exercise.

[Rocky]

About three/days a week I make time to do some long distance jogging and stuff. I can usually get about anywhere from 6-8 miles in each time, depending on how dedicated I feel and how distracted I need to be. Cardio is good for the body!

I'm working on getting my abs nice and firm as well, since the begining of summer, everytime before I go to bed I've been seeing how many sit-ups I can do before jumping in the shower and calling it a night. It's been working out pretty well for me lol, and the ladies love it when I hit up the pool. I'm thinking the beginning of next month I should be where I want to be with that, so I'll incorporate some push-ups as well to build on my biceps and make my upper arms look huge. Should be good stuff!

[Clint]

I used to use free weights, but after I could lift fifty pounds over my body weight, I got bored and stopped. I check in from time to time to see how much I can lift, and I can still lift the same amount, although it's no longer fifty pounds over my body weight since I gained twenty pounds (it's still thirty pounds over my body weight, though.) I've been doing no working out for two years, and I've lost no strength whatsoever. I guess I'm just so cool that I don't need to work out to stay fit.

[Djinn]

I used to do a lot of strength training, maybe 4-5 times a week on some occasions, including sprints and stuff like that. Then i'd come home (trained at my friends house) and complain to people over MSN about how much my legs or arms hurt XD.

Now its a bit different though, i've not had time to get a structured workout going. However my job kind of keeps me fit and in shape Standing on parade for 3 hours or doing cordon parties for 4-5 hours kind of works your whole body haha. Normally play football every evening aswell, during the week anyway, on the weekend i'll jump on my bike and practice some tricks or just generally ride around.

I've never really liked gyms but where i'm based is the PT school so there is an awesome gym here... which i take advantage of whenever i can be bothered XD. I like to stay in shape, it proves i can at least look after 1 person

[Rikkuffx]

I actually have a personal trainer at the gym I go to. H eswitches up my routine every 2 weeks. I follow a meal plan and whatnot. I do go to the gym almost everyday,if I don't go its probably because i'm working a really long shift and literally did not have time to go. I have also been walking with a friend of mine,we walk like an hour each day. And as for the gym i'm there an hour to 2 hours. I do 10 mins of cardio then my workout then 30mins of cardio sometimes more and my abs. I do my abs in the morning at home,at the gym and before I go to bed.

Yes,i've lost alot of weight since last year and I intend on losing more,since i'm almost down another size.

[DragonHeart]

For a long time I made excuses to not exercise, like so many other people. However, I now have no excuses whatsoever. Why? Because we have a gym in our basement. It's nothing fancy but it covers all the bases. We have a stationary bike, a gazelle, an elliptical and an off-brand Bowflex. Also some various sized handweights. So anytime I need to feel the burn I just go downstairs lol.

I'm not as consistent as I'd like to be but with the fitness equipment so conveniently placed and no monthly fee to boot, I make sure I get down there fairly often. In fact, my goal is to exercise every day while on my vacation.

I will say that the elliptical is by far the most effective machine. The thing damn near kills you in the process, though. On the flip side I can really feel the difference. A few sessions on that crazy thing and the stationary bike/gazelle feel like nothing. The downside is if you don't keep at it your stamina falls through the floor immediately. I have a love/hate relationship with the elliptical. XD

I don't really care to be buff or anything, I just want to be more in shape. Losing a few pounds will be a nice bonus but I honestly don't really care about that sort of thing as I'm not overweight, just lacking in muscle tone.

~DragonHeart~

[Pete]

I'm in the gym 3-4 times a week. Days off in between sessions. It's a nice recovery period

I keep a fairly strict regimen of my actual lifting, but I don't record my numbers. I totally should though, so I can see my progress. I used to be able to bench 215, but I sprained my wrist playing softball and now I can only lift about 185 before the pain starts up. It's still a solid 20 lbs above my body weight.

I loathe cardio, but I know that if I actually do it, I'll probably wind up dropping about 10 lbs and getting legit cut. From what people say, I look pretty built already, but I really won't be content until I get the results that I want.

[OceanEyes28]

That friend I mentioned earlier did a bunch of strength training stuff and rode his bike all the time, and was real fit, but yeah, didn't quite look all cut up like he wanted. He started walking his two dogs twice a day for at least a mile per walk, sometimes three or four. The remaining fat melted off and he's got a six pack that I am constantly envying.

So he didn't have to go jogging to get those results (because **** jogging, in my opinion), he just did a lot of walking. And did it outside rather than in a gym, which, to me, is more interesting. You could probably get those same results doing sprints and it would take less time per work out.

Getting my heart rate up with that kickboxing class has worked out real well for me. It keeps me interested in what I'm doing, as opposed to jogging on a machine. If working out is boring to me, I'm not going to want to do it.

[Maridia]

I do some stuff. I've been hardcore into it a couple years ago but this winter was the first time I did it to the extreme. I got a pullup bar which actually works wonders. So the many configurations of that can work most parts of the upper body. Especially if you try one arm or using a towel in the middle to lift yourself. Other than that I just do pushup variants and dips. My biceps are always shit they've never been great but for some reason my triceps are awkwardly large. I've been trying to get into more stretching and yoga type stuff too. Which has actually gone well. The only thing I need to do next is some cardio. I just have to motivate myself more for that. I'm 160 so it's not like I have to do alot but it's something I cringe at.

[Dark Squall]

I sleep, drive my car and walk in the house and that's so damn hard to do these days! That's my perfect fitness routine. I play sports, but not usually it's like never. I'm a heavy smoker so fitness shit can gimme a heart attack and I'm only 19!!

[Taco-Calamitous]

I just started lifting weights with my friends recently, when one of them put a bunch of stuff in his garage. We generally do Tuesdays, Thursdays, and either Saturdays or Sundays, alternating between the bench/squats and back/dead lifts. I can't do much as far as bench pressing goes, but I do as much as they do on pretty much everything else. He's also got one of those little roller things, which I've been making use of.

I used to jog. Last summer, I got up to about a half hour. Then I missed a week or two, and I now when I run, I can barely go for like five minutes, ha ha. I was also doing the 8 minute abs for a while earlier this Summer, but then I missed a few days, got lazy and stopped. I still get a good long walk in every once in a while; I like walking around and listening to my mp3 player. There's some paths through foresty areas right next to my house, so that's fun to look at. I took karate for a term in college, and like to mess around with my friend, who takes aikido, and does all sorts of other stuff, and I was learning to wrestle a little bit, although the friend who was teaching me just takes me to the ground now; think he gave up on teaching me, heh. I have a hard time getting past what I instinctively do... Sparring sure does take a lot out of you in a short amount of time. Need to get my endurance up.

I wanna get rid of my pudgy belly, but that will probably require better eating... damn. Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

[DragonHeart]

Yeah, that's the toughest part of the whole being fit thing for me; maximizing the benefits of the exercise requires a better diet than what I have now. I'm not a fast food junkie or anything but I find it hard to eat healthy for long periods of time. Too used to the junk, I guess. =/ I may attempt to learn cooking for myself but it's not a skill that comes naturally to me.

In other news, we replaced the batteries in the elliptical and my mom decided to be brave and try one of the workout routines and...the machine is smarter than I gave it credit for. It'll keep track of your pulse and automatically tell you to slow down or speed up so you don't wear yourself out. Pretty sweet. I'm going to try it out myself in a little bit. I don't expect to make it to the end but...maybe by the end of my vacation I'll be able to. =) I'd settle for halfway though lol.

~DragonHeart~

[OceanEyes28]

Yeah, nutrition is a BIG part of it.

The book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth has given me a lot of great information on what food is good for me and why. That and a bunch of other reading I've done on it. But that book is great. I'd highly recommend it if nutrition is something you're interested in.

Lots of veggies, guys.

I find that the less sugar/fat/salt foods you eat, the less you crave. At first, it's kind of hard. But after a while, you just want it less and less. I still indulge sometimes, but it's rare that I even want to. And I just feel good. All the time.

[Violet]

Well lately, I haven't been doing much exercise. However, when I really want to start working out again, I play DDR and/or do crunches/push-ups every day. I can't exactly go to the gym, as I lack membership and a credit card/money. Sooo, I just use the treadmill we have in our house. I'd rather use my own equipment than some sweaty butt-smelling work-out machine.. and not only that, but you'd get some perv staring at your arse..so yeah. Home equipment > stinky gym

[DragonHeart]

Eat food. Not a lot. Mostly plants. Right?

Seriously though, I may well check that book out, thanks for the recommendation. ^^ I don't really crave sugary/salty foods most of the time, unfortunately it just happens to be most of what is available in my house. I am seriously considering kicking coffee, though. But no one will want to talk to me for a week if I do. >_> Withdrawal anyone? ;p

Once I get into a routine I'm ok, it's just actually sticking with it long enough to become a routine that's tough. I'm notoriously unmotivated most of the time, something I'm hoping to change. Maybe if I'm more fit and have more energy...well see, there's a little bit of motivation right there. Hah.

So I did use the elliptical earlier...thanks to my mom hitting random buttons trying to show me what to do while I was using it she messed my workout up though lol. But still, I managed to go the equivalent of a mile, or close to it. (The progress resets when one hits the buttons...curse the limitations of fitness technology!) I think. I really should read the instructions for it one of these days lol. I had to force myself to finish, that thing is just killer. But I do feel a little bit better.

Violet: Yeah, you gotta watch out for the weird people in gyms haha. My brother got propositioned...by another guy. He stopped going to that gym. (Not saying there's anything wrong with that, it's just not his thing and he was definitely not giving off that signal. Considering that he has a girlfriend and everything...yeah. The guy was sneaky about it too. XD)

~DragonHeart~

[Violet]

Violet: Yeah, you gotta watch out for the weird people in gyms haha. My brother got propositioned...by another guy. He stopped going to that gym. (Not saying there's anything wrong with that, it's just not his thing and he was definitely not giving off that signal. Considering that he has a girlfriend and everything...yeah. The guy was sneaky about it too. XD)

Lol, your poor bro. A lot go to the gym to look for relationships, it seems. I find that a bit annoying, cause I'd want to go there to work out, not hook up. I don't understand how some girls feel comfortable wearing tight spandex outfits when they're jumping up and down on the machines and stuff. I'd rather wear pants and a t-shirt, lol.

[OceanEyes28]

I think I'd rather pick up a guy at a gym than at a bar. Guy who works out regularly beats guy who drinks regularly, imo.

Still, I get in, do my business, and get out. I don't mind the gym, but I use it for classes. I think if I used the machines it would give someone more of an opening to talk to me. As it is now, though, I'm either in a yoga class or bouncing around in kickboxing. So that takes care of any of that.

And you know? If some guy (or girl) wants to stare at my ass while I'm working to keep it fabulous, that's fine. Haha, but maybe that's just me. I'm not into being objectified, but I'm in the gym doing something good for myself, so I don't really get bent out of shape if there happen to be other people there who think my bootay is a nice one (it is). I don't know, for some reason I'm just not sensitive to that when I'm working out.

Another perk of a nice gym is the steam room. That is the shit. Believe it or not, it has actually helped with my body image. I'm sitting there naked and no one cares. All women, of course, but no one's there to judge anyone else. Just get sweaty.

DH: Definitely check the book out, if you can. And yeah, veggies, lean meat, fruit, etc. Eating food that is as unprocessed as possible will really help out. It seems pricey, but people spend a lot of money on junk food they don't need. And in excessive amounts! You get a lot more out of a good bunch of kale or broccoli than a six pack of Dr. Pepper or a box of cookies.

And coffee can actually be all right for you in moderation. If it's a caffeine addiction thing, then yeah, you've got the right idea cutting back. And you'd need to be drinking it with little added to it, I don't know how you take yours. Most of the things you can get at Starbucks might as well be dessert.

[Dodie16]

I have a Wii fit. I really think it works! I feel really energized after I do about 30 minutes on it. I mostly do the Yoga workouts, but sometimes I play the balance games and do the Aerobics. I finally got around to doing the basic run on Advanced. Man, I was out of breath when I finished!

I need to do more of the strength training, because I haven't done all those yet.

I also work as a waitress, so I do a lot of walking everytime I go to work.

[Pete]

I'm a big fan of the Eat This, Not That! book. It's published by Men's Health, so they really don't bullshit you too much, plus they give you really sensible alternatives for when you go out.

I try to eat healthy, but at the same time, I know I can get away with a shitty meal or two a week. If I eat really poorly, I'll add 30 mins of cardio to every workout, which is more than enough incentive to eat right.

And I prefer the gym to my house. I feel more motivated to work out at the gym because of the effort I put into getting there, as well as the fact that I'm dropping money on it every month. Plus my house is a little cramped, and there's no shot in hell of me getting the weights I want/ need in there. I also hate working out alone. I have no problem going to the gym by myself and doing my own workout, but I just feel better and more motivated when other people are around. I think it's mostly because I like to show up other people.

True story, a few weeks before I sprained my wrist, I was doing a warmup for bench press. I was only doing about 105 and some huge musclebound toolbag looked at me and snickered, thinking that was all I could do. I looked over to see him struggle to put up about 180, and then I pumped out 10 reps of 210. That's all the motivation I need.

[DragonHeart]

Yeah, I'm pretty well addicted to coffee but I don't drink a ton of it every day, just one cup. Two if it's a bad morning. XD 1/2 Teaspoon sugar and probably way too much of that artificial creme crap. Yummy. =P If I could find a way to kick it without the crippling withdrawal migraines I would do it instantly.

I try to make up for it in other areas, though. I don't drink soda at all unless we go out to restaurant or something, and I avoid really sugary drinks. Water and iced tea is pretty much all I drink in the summer, aside from my morning coffee.

Does anyone here who exercises do it for health reasons other than just the sake of being fit? I actually started getting into exercise and trying to eat better because my family has a history of diabetes and heart disease. Prevention is the best treatment, especially since I have no idea what my father's family health history is. (He was orphaned and adopted so...) That and I find I have more energy the more often I work out. It's hard to laze around on the couch when my body is ready to get up and do something lol.

Also, what time do you find is best for you to do said workouts? I can't do the first thing in the morning routine, but midmorning works well. I usually go in the afternoon after my mom gets home from work so we can go together. She has to exercise almost every day because of her rheumatoid arthritis. =/

~DragonHeart~

[OceanEyes28]

I'd say I exercise and eat right for both reasons. I enjoy being fit for vanity reasons, of course, and it helps with doing activities I like. Canoeing, playing with agility dogs, stage combat.... sex....

But an overall feeling of health is something I really enjoy. I'll be glad I got into the habit of doing right by my body later in life. I think there's history of heart troubles on my dad's side of the family. And, actually, I not only do it for my health, I do it for my parents' health. The more I know about nutrition and exercise, the more I can share with them. My dad is actually really great about taking whatever advice I have and being motivated all on his own. My mom and her partner need to lose weight and work on better eating and exercise habits. But they're making changes and they've started doing some good stuff, and I like being able to help with that.


As for time, I find that if I'm working out on my own at the house, late morning or early afternoon works best for me. If it gets too late, I get completely unmotivated. But the classes I've been taking have all been around 6PM. If I have to go somewhere to get a workout, that's a good time for me to want to do it. And then afterwards, I have a whey protein shake (muscle repair) and post-workout meal. Mmm.

[nix]

I'm just getting back into fitness, done 20 push ups yesterday. First time in a long time and im in a heap, my whole upper body is in agony but i love it.. Feel the burn!. Its amazing how much push ups actually do for ya, i used to be able to do 50 without breaking a sweat

Anyway im not going back to the gym... ever. I hate the place, its full of douche bag posers. I'm taking a leaf out of Silvers book and gonna do DIY workouts

Then theres the whole quitting smoking thing i gotta do too

[winterborn86]

I've been doing a tummy toner dvd lately to work off the baby fat lol, I never normally do exercise so it was a bit of a mistake trying to the full 1 hour, I ended up with bad stomach pains and so short on breath I thought I was gunna die, I've decided to stick at just 1 of the 10min sections and even that is still hard work.

[celebrity.skin]

I started going to the gym again! I'm in love with my decision to do this because I feel great about myself and the day ahead of me if I've started it off with a workout. Working on my legs and abs so far... and want to work on my arms but not sure where to start with this. Got a couple of free weights at home, but I want to be able to do pushups without failing miserably (I do) because of lack of arm strength. Anyone got any suggestions for this? Or what workouts to do? Pete?