Anyone want to shape up in 2018? A continuing journey.......

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  • Thoughts_Arrive
    Thoughts_Arrive Melbourne, Australia Posts: 15,165
    Managed to finally complete all 3 sets of 10 on lateral raises, woo.
    Had an hour free session with a personal trainer today and he corrected my technique.
    Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
  • Thoughts_Arrive
    Thoughts_Arrive Melbourne, Australia Posts: 15,165
    edited December 2018
    After a whole day out walking around the Royal Botanic Gardens.


    Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
  • oftenreading
    oftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,856
    Thoughts_Arrive said:
    After a whole day out walking around the Royal Botanic Gardens.


    Great work, TA! 

    I have had too much time sitting inside with family lately. I have to carve out time to go for a bike ride or a walk today at least.  
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • curmudgeoness
    curmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 4,130
    Hey @Thoughts_Arrive I hope the walk ended up feeling like the right choice for you (saw your other thread...). I usually find that fresh air and exposure to daylight help my mood a lot.

    I hate to be a buzzkill, but I'd caution you against taking that caloric consumption number too seriously. That number, for most humans, equates to something like running a marathon. You got a lot of moderate activity, which is great, but walking 17km and running 40+km just aren't the same (as I'm sure you know).

    I've had somewhat better (still imperfect) luck tracking calories using My Fitness Pal. I feel that it gives me a solid base caloric need number (in my case, a 128-lb. woman of a certain age, 1790 calories/ day) and it's pretty good for calculating calories consumed while running. I think it's less reliable for other forms of activity. On the other hand, it's great for tracking your caloric intake.

    Anyway -- I burn 3000 - 3500 calories/ day, according to MFP. That's with me running ten miles/ day, lifting for at least an hour, and doing up to an additional hour of exercise, be it lifting, walking, yoga, or self-defense. I offer that as a point of reference. :-)

    As a very rough rule of thumb, a 150-lb person burns about 100 calories per mile run.

    /lecture
    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    curmudgeoness said:
    Hey @Thoughts_Arrive I hope the walk ended up feeling like the right choice for you (saw your other thread...). I usually find that fresh air and exposure to daylight help my mood a lot.

    I hate to be a buzzkill, but I'd caution you against taking that caloric consumption number too seriously. That number, for most humans, equates to something like running a marathon. You got a lot of moderate activity, which is great, but walking 17km and running 40+km just aren't the same (as I'm sure you know).

    I've had somewhat better (still imperfect) luck tracking calories using My Fitness Pal. I feel that it gives me a solid base caloric need number (in my case, a 128-lb. woman of a certain age, 1790 calories/ day) and it's pretty good for calculating calories consumed while running. I think it's less reliable for other forms of activity. On the other hand, it's great for tracking your caloric intake.

    Anyway -- I burn 3000 - 3500 calories/ day, according to MFP. That's with me running ten miles/ day, lifting for at least an hour, and doing up to an additional hour of exercise, be it lifting, walking, yoga, or self-defense. I offer that as a point of reference. :-)

    As a very rough rule of thumb, a 150-lb person burns about 100 calories per mile run.

    /lecture
    I was going to say the same!

    Fitness trackers are good for measuring progress and change, but you can't take the values too seriously in their own terms.  
    Merry Christmas folks!
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • Thoughts_Arrive
    Thoughts_Arrive Melbourne, Australia Posts: 15,165
    oftenreading said:
    Thoughts_Arrive said:
    After a whole day out walking around the Royal Botanic Gardens.


    Great work, TA! 

    I have had too much time sitting inside with family lately. I have to carve out time to go for a bike ride or a walk today at least.  
    Thank you! My legs and feet are feeling it today.
    Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
  • Thoughts_Arrive
    Thoughts_Arrive Melbourne, Australia Posts: 15,165
    curmudgeoness said:
    Hey @Thoughts_Arrive I hope the walk ended up feeling like the right choice for you (saw your other thread...). I usually find that fresh air and exposure to daylight help my mood a lot.

    I hate to be a buzzkill, but I'd caution you against taking that caloric consumption number too seriously. That number, for most humans, equates to something like running a marathon. You got a lot of moderate activity, which is great, but walking 17km and running 40+km just aren't the same (as I'm sure you know).

    I've had somewhat better (still imperfect) luck tracking calories using My Fitness Pal. I feel that it gives me a solid base caloric need number (in my case, a 128-lb. woman of a certain age, 1790 calories/ day) and it's pretty good for calculating calories consumed while running. I think it's less reliable for other forms of activity. On the other hand, it's great for tracking your caloric intake.

    Anyway -- I burn 3000 - 3500 calories/ day, according to MFP. That's with me running ten miles/ day, lifting for at least an hour, and doing up to an additional hour of exercise, be it lifting, walking, yoga, or self-defense. I offer that as a point of reference. :-)

    As a very rough rule of thumb, a 150-lb person burns about 100 calories per mile run.

    /lecture
    I don't regret not going for my long walk. Was good to get out of the house. Nature is awesome for our mental health.
    Yeah I agree with you there. I usually burn 600-800 calories per workout. Be it spin bike, weights, or both. I burn about 3500 per day as well and according to My Fitness Pal app I consume just under 2000 calories per day. 

    I don't get why it would give an inaccurate calorie reading though? Doesn't it factor in heart beats per minute and your weight/height?
    Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
  • curmudgeoness
    curmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 4,130
    I don't know why they are so inaccurate. II had a FitBit 4-5 years ago and found it to be wildly inaccurate -- like, off by 20%. For example: my husband and I ran a marathon as a two-person relay (so we each ran 13.1 miles). I ran the first leg, met the kids, walked 2-3 miles to the finish area where we met my husband, then we walked about 1.5 miles back to the hotel. My FitBit said I had logged thirteen miles that day.

    I think FitBits are useful for people who are counting steps or who want to make sure that they have periods of activity throughout the day. For a runner who wants to track distance and pace, etc., I found mine to be useless.

    I have about the same calorie deficit on MFP as you do. I'm not hungry. My weight is stable (I'm not trying to lose weight). So I know I'm not starving. I would feel like garbage if I tried to force myself to eat another 1500 calories (that's a lot of chicken breast!). But I do find the app to be very useful as a food diary; it's easy for me to see if I'm getting enough protein or too much sugar.
    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
  • Thoughts_Arrive
    Thoughts_Arrive Melbourne, Australia Posts: 15,165
    They've improved the heartbeat monitor on the newer Fitbits so maybe they've improved the other metrics.
    Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    Thoughts_Arrive said:
    curmudgeoness said:
    Hey @Thoughts_Arrive I hope the walk ended up feeling like the right choice for you (saw your other thread...). I usually find that fresh air and exposure to daylight help my mood a lot.

    I hate to be a buzzkill, but I'd caution you against taking that caloric consumption number too seriously. That number, for most humans, equates to something like running a marathon. You got a lot of moderate activity, which is great, but walking 17km and running 40+km just aren't the same (as I'm sure you know).

    I've had somewhat better (still imperfect) luck tracking calories using My Fitness Pal. I feel that it gives me a solid base caloric need number (in my case, a 128-lb. woman of a certain age, 1790 calories/ day) and it's pretty good for calculating calories consumed while running. I think it's less reliable for other forms of activity. On the other hand, it's great for tracking your caloric intake.

    Anyway -- I burn 3000 - 3500 calories/ day, according to MFP. That's with me running ten miles/ day, lifting for at least an hour, and doing up to an additional hour of exercise, be it lifting, walking, yoga, or self-defense. I offer that as a point of reference. :-)

    As a very rough rule of thumb, a 150-lb person burns about 100 calories per mile run.

    /lecture
    I don't regret not going for my long walk. Was good to get out of the house. Nature is awesome for our mental health.
    Yeah I agree with you there. I usually burn 600-800 calories per workout. Be it spin bike, weights, or both. I burn about 3500 per day as well and according to My Fitness Pal app I consume just under 2000 calories per day. 

    I don't get why it would give an inaccurate calorie reading though? Doesn't it factor in heart beats per minute and your weight/height?
    Heartbeat and height weight just don't give you an accurate assessment of calories burned.  Your cardiovascular system improves it's efficiency quite a bit as you exercise more, but the same amount of energy is required for a set amount of work, so the intensity is relative.
    When curmudgeoness runs a 10 minute mile her heart rate probably doesn't rise above 100, but yours will probably get up above 130 and stay there for 6-7 minutes (just guessing on the numbers, but probably pretty close).
    Your increased heart rate will indicate that you were working very intensely and your fitness gadget will measure that against an "average" person's actual workload at that intensity.  So it will think you are hauling ass when you are not and it will think curmudgeoness is slowpoking, which she isn't.  Except for her, she is lol

    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    Thoughts_Arrive said:
    curmudgeoness said:
    Hey @Thoughts_Arrive I hope the walk ended up feeling like the right choice for you (saw your other thread...). I usually find that fresh air and exposure to daylight help my mood a lot.

    I hate to be a buzzkill, but I'd caution you against taking that caloric consumption number too seriously. That number, for most humans, equates to something like running a marathon. You got a lot of moderate activity, which is great, but walking 17km and running 40+km just aren't the same (as I'm sure you know).

    I've had somewhat better (still imperfect) luck tracking calories using My Fitness Pal. I feel that it gives me a solid base caloric need number (in my case, a 128-lb. woman of a certain age, 1790 calories/ day) and it's pretty good for calculating calories consumed while running. I think it's less reliable for other forms of activity. On the other hand, it's great for tracking your caloric intake.

    Anyway -- I burn 3000 - 3500 calories/ day, according to MFP. That's with me running ten miles/ day, lifting for at least an hour, and doing up to an additional hour of exercise, be it lifting, walking, yoga, or self-defense. I offer that as a point of reference. :-)

    As a very rough rule of thumb, a 150-lb person burns about 100 calories per mile run.

    /lecture
    I don't regret not going for my long walk. Was good to get out of the house. Nature is awesome for our mental health.
    Yeah I agree with you there. I usually burn 600-800 calories per workout. Be it spin bike, weights, or both. I burn about 3500 per day as well and according to My Fitness Pal app I consume just under 2000 calories per day. 

    I don't get why it would give an inaccurate calorie reading though? Doesn't it factor in heart beats per minute and your weight/height?
    IF you are logging all of your calories (it's hard when you count condiments, cooking oils, etc, which all combined can be upwards of 500 calories a day) and IF your Fitbit calorie burn estimation were true (it almost surely isn't) then you would be losing a kilo per week. 
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • curmudgeoness
    curmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 4,130
    I wonder if body composition is a factor/ wild card, too (with regard to tracking calories ingested and burned). So, as I mentioned above, MFP gives me a baseline caloric intake number, based on, if I recall correctly, my gender, age, weight, height and daily activity level.

    Last year, when I had my body fat checked, I also had my metabolic rate checked. As it turned out, my baseline caloric needs are about 20 percent higher than they are for the average woman of my weight/age -- I think that's because I have much more muscle and less fat than average.

    At any rate, on most days 2000 calories (give or take, LOL, because as rgambs noted the little extras can add up) is plenty for me, regardless of what I've been doing.
    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
  • oftenreading
    oftenreading Victoria, BC Posts: 12,856
    curmudgeoness said:
    I wonder if body composition is a factor/ wild card, too (with regard to tracking calories ingested and burned). So, as I mentioned above, MFP gives me a baseline caloric intake number, based on, if I recall correctly, my gender, age, weight, height and daily activity level.

    Last year, when I had my body fat checked, I also had my metabolic rate checked. As it turned out, my baseline caloric needs are about 20 percent higher than they are for the average woman of my weight/age -- I think that's because I have much more muscle and less fat than average.

    At any rate, on most days 2000 calories (give or take, LOL, because as rgambs noted the little extras can add up) is plenty for me, regardless of what I've been doing.
    Yes, there are lots of factors that influence metabolic rate/calories burned that a little Fitbit simply can’t take into account. When researchers measure metabolic rate they have very elaborate gear including face masks that track what is inhaled and exhaled, and they still get only an approximation, albeit a much closer approximation. 

    Best to just forget about trying to figure out how many calories one has burned, and focus instead on what’s really important, like how you feel and what gains you are making in your chosen sport(s), TA. 
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • Thoughts_Arrive
    Thoughts_Arrive Melbourne, Australia Posts: 15,165
    My legs and feet are very sore still. I put my feet up most of the day. No bike.
    Upper body is sore from increased weights yesterday. Which is good, pain = gain.
    Hopefully the soreness goes away tomorrow so I can do a weight session. If not, rest.
    Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
  • curmudgeoness
    curmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 4,130
    How are all of those New Year's resolutions holding up? How about those efforts to shed holiday pounds? How are you adapting your workouts to winter weather?

    As for me: I am typing this when I should be outside running, LOL.

    I've acquired a slant/ abdominal board, at last; bought a spin bike because everyone keeps telling me I;ll ruin my knees with running, LOL; got some new fitness books (running form, calisthenics, lifting, sports psychology); am awaiting the arrival of some parallettes.

    I've tried to set goals for the year, and it's hard. I'm making solid gains in leg strength. I'm rebuilding my running mileage, trying to decide if I want to stick with 65 miles/ week or not. But goals....

    The parallettes and calisthenics book are to help me work toward a goal of being able to do the "flag." I don't know if that's possible, but my core strength is good, so I'm optimistic.

    I signed up for a set of 5Ks and half-marathons; my main goal there is to work through all of the mental blocks I've acquired around racing.

    I am trying to decide if martial arts are for me; I'm an extrovert with social anxiety, so I feel constant tension between a need for human interaction and a terror thereof. I'm considering rowing (more cross-training!), but since I can't really swim very well, there might be an intermediate step that I need to take.   :s   And I am looking at things that are way out of my comfort zone, like (don't laugh!) pole classes and aerial/ circus arts. :o

    Who knows if any of those things will happen. What I know MUST continue to happen: yoga and mobility work. Now that I'm old, I really notice days when I cut corners on those things. Ouch.
    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    I'm having a great year so far...feels like it anyways.
    I always discount the first week of the year because it takes time to taper down off the junkfood, holiday laziness, booze, and general overindulgence.
    Since then, I have cut my running out almost entirely, which was hard at first and gets easier every day lol

    Bulking up without too much extra padding, so far.  I've been sore consistently since Jan 5th, and I've broken through the squat plateau I was stuck at since July, hopefully I can break through the bench plateau that lasted most of 2018.  
    I'm really excited to be gaining size and strength, and come April, I will be even more excited to shed as much weight as I can before swim season.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • markymark550
    markymark550 Columbia, SC Posts: 5,218
    I have not worked out since really the beginning of December. Traveled too much in December for me to get any time to go to the gym. Has been a nice break for my body though. Got over some nagging aches and pains that had been dogging me for a few weeks. This month, I've been too sick to do much of anything. Got some kind of stomach bug around the 3rd and its finally now gone away. I suspect that my wife and I just kept passing it back and forth. I have lost 10 pounds from it though lol.

    Getting back to the gym next week as long as I'm still feeling well. I'm going to try to keep dropping weight to get back to the shape I was in fall 2016. For my weight training I'm going to do a modified Starting Strength program and see how far I can go before I can't just add 5 pounds to the last total. Starting bench, squat, and deadlift at 135 and overhead press at 45. Will do some accessory work every session. For having been away from the gym for so long, I'm chomping at the bit to get back.
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    markymark550 said:
    I have not worked out since really the beginning of December. Traveled too much in December for me to get any time to go to the gym. Has been a nice break for my body though. Got over some nagging aches and pains that had been dogging me for a few weeks. This month, I've been too sick to do much of anything. Got some kind of stomach bug around the 3rd and its finally now gone away. I suspect that my wife and I just kept passing it back and forth. I have lost 10 pounds from it though lol.

    Getting back to the gym next week as long as I'm still feeling well. I'm going to try to keep dropping weight to get back to the shape I was in fall 2016. For my weight training I'm going to do a modified Starting Strength program and see how far I can go before I can't just add 5 pounds to the last total. Starting bench, squat, and deadlift at 135 and overhead press at 45. Will do some accessory work every session. For having been away from the gym for so long, I'm chomping at the bit to get back.
    Reminds me of Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 plan, which starts by backing the weight off to build it up slowly and properly.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • markymark550
    markymark550 Columbia, SC Posts: 5,218
    rgambs said:
    markymark550 said:
    I have not worked out since really the beginning of December. Traveled too much in December for me to get any time to go to the gym. Has been a nice break for my body though. Got over some nagging aches and pains that had been dogging me for a few weeks. This month, I've been too sick to do much of anything. Got some kind of stomach bug around the 3rd and its finally now gone away. I suspect that my wife and I just kept passing it back and forth. I have lost 10 pounds from it though lol.

    Getting back to the gym next week as long as I'm still feeling well. I'm going to try to keep dropping weight to get back to the shape I was in fall 2016. For my weight training I'm going to do a modified Starting Strength program and see how far I can go before I can't just add 5 pounds to the last total. Starting bench, squat, and deadlift at 135 and overhead press at 45. Will do some accessory work every session. For having been away from the gym for so long, I'm chomping at the bit to get back.
    Reminds me of Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 plan, which starts by backing the weight off to build it up slowly and properly.
    Its kind of like that plan, except Starting Strength doesn't focus on just one of the compound lifts for a session and its 5 working sets of 5 reps.
  • curmudgeoness
    curmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 4,130
    A little bit of reading for anyone who's new to all of this:

    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.

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