C&H Fitness Thread

flyswatter

Thought I'd start this to see how C&Hers keep fit and how they exercise in general.

On a personal level, I've managed to go from 16st.3lbs to 13st.6lbs in 4 months or so.

I did this through a combination of healthy eating and exercise in various forms.

So, I'm very fit at the moment and it feels great, can't see myself ever putting on much weight again with any luck.

So, I'd love to hear how you guys do it!

Screaminmidget

Your weight has nothing to do with your fitness. I'd be one of the heaviest lads in my hurling team, but I'd also be one of the fittest.

flyswatter

Screaminmidget wrote: »

Your weight has nothing to do with your fitness. I'd be one of the heaviest lads in my hurling team, but I'd also be one of the fittest.

Ah I know that. Losing the weight has allowed me to run faster and has made me endure more and has improved my agility though.

I'll be bulking up a few pounds to get stronger. I'm too lean at the moment for my height!

I do get your point. My BMI is 24.4 at the moment. Apparently I'm an ideal weight for my height but if I put on a few pounds in the gym it's not really going to matter. It can be deceptive.

Can be checked here!


http://uk.health.lifestyle.yahoo.net/body_mass_index_calculator.aspx

Jamie Starr

Can't say I'm in the peak of my life fitness wise, college has made me a lot less active. I also eat a lot of junk food. Don't think I've ever weighed over 10 stone though, and I start to feel kind of crap if I wallow in lethargy for too long, so I'll probably work off a lot of the last year's laziness during the summer.

Professey Chin

flyswatter wrote: »

Ah I know that. Losing the weight has allowed me to run faster and has made me endure more and has improved my agility though.

I'll be bulking up a few pounds to get stronger. I'm too lean at the moment for my height!

I do get your point. My BMI is 24.4 at the moment. Apparently I'm an ideal weight for my height but if I put on a few pounds in the gym it's not really going to matter. It can be deceptive.

Can be checked here!


http://uk.health.lifestyle.yahoo.net/body_mass_index_calculator.aspx

TBH that BMI calculator would be shockingly inaccurate. Youd need almost every part of your body measured for an accurate one. I really wouldnt read too much into it

WhiskeyGoblin

flyswatter wrote: »

Thought I'd start this to see how C&Hers keep fit and how they exercise in general.

On a personal level, I've managed to go from 16st.3lbs to 13st.6lbs in 4 months or so.

I did this through a combination of healthy eating and exercise in various forms.

So, I'm very fit at the moment and it feels great, can't see myself ever putting on much weight again with any luck.

So, I'd love to hear how you guys do it!

Summer is when I plan on losing my weight, any exercise suggestions? :rolleyes:

Insect Overlord

Agnostic Mantis wrote: »

Can't say I'm in the peak of my life fitness wise, college has made me a lot less active. I also eat a lot of junk food. Don't think I've ever weighed over 10 stone though, and I start to feel kind of crap if I wallow in lethargy for too long, so I'll probably work off a lot of the last year's laziness during the summer.

To quote my current Facebook status:

Off the booze for the next 4-6 weeks. Probably cutting back on chips, pizza and pasta as well. Anybody want to join me on a health-kick? Yeah, didn't think so...

I got down to an even 13 stone last month, then lost focus and put back on about 6 lbs. I should really be a stone lighter than I am, if I want to play Gaelic football at a decent level. The next month is going to hurt.

Professey Chin

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I got down to an even 13 stone last month, then lost focus and put back on about 6 lbs. I should really be a stone lighter than I am, if I want to play Gaelic football at a decent level. The next month is going to hurt.

I know that feeling. I've a competition in a month.Currently a little over 70kg and I have to weigh in at 65. This month is gonna suuuuuuuuuck!!:(

WhiskeyGoblin

Right, I'm a fairly large bloke, but I've always played Prop in rugby, never had the incentive to lose the weight, now.. Well now I want to, any basic suggestions for me lads?
Appreciate it!

Screaminmidget

marko93 wrote: »

Right, I'm a fairly large bloke, but I've always played Prop in rugby, never had the incentive to lose the weight, now.. Well now I want to, any basic suggestions for me lads?
Appreciate it!

Cycling worked for me. Doesnt require too much effort, and I found it to be better than going for a walk.

Insect Overlord

marko93 wrote: »

Right, I'm a fairly large bloke, but I've always played Prop in rugby, never had the incentive to lose the weight, now.. Well now I want to, any basic suggestions for me lads?
Appreciate it!

Changing the diet is the first thing to do. You'll get some great advice on the Fitness Forum. Usually you'll be told to work out your maintenance calorie count, and reduce it by about 10%. It's hard to maintain, but anything worth doing is worth doing properly. Once you've reached your target weight, readjust your diet again to maintain that weight.

As for exercise? If you're not in regular training, then work out a running programme. C25k is recommended a lot, but you could well be able to run five km anyway from your rugby training. Get yourself exercising three days a week. That means until you're working up a sweat! Any day you're not training, go for a walk for an hour. As screaminmidget said, cycling is great as well.

Oh, and it's always much easier said than done. I know exactly what I should be doing, but I keep losing the motivation to do it. Having a friend and/or training partner can help sort that out.

cheesefiend

I would just like to say to the current sixth year C&Hers the "Freshman Fifteen" is REAL and it's scary.

So currently I'm trying to undo the damage of first year. Started calorie counting and going to start the couch to 5k this week. I really want to try roller derby next year it looks like so much fun and an excellent way to keep fit.

Oh just to say that www.fitday.com is a great website for keeping count of your calories, activities and weight. It gives you an estimate of the calorie restriction you should be aiming for when trying to reach your goal weight in a certain amount of time. I'm finding it really useful.

flyswatter

marko93 wrote: »

Right, I'm a fairly large bloke, but I've always played Prop in rugby, never had the incentive to lose the weight, now.. Well now I want to, any basic suggestions for me lads?
Appreciate it!

Go to the gym three times a week I'd suggest and do a full body workout, don't concentrate on one area. Cycling is good and swimming is excellent too.

Haven't done that in a while, always enjoyed that.

amacachi

Eat properly, lift stuff and move around. Amazingly simple. Simple rule of thumb is that if the food isn't visible when being bought it'd generally bad. There are exceptions both ways obviously but common sense is all that's needed.

...Says the lad who's 23 stone. :pac:

WhiskeyGoblin

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Changing the diet is the first thing to do. You'll get some great advice on the Fitness Forum. Usually you'll be told to work out your maintenance calorie count, and reduce it by about 10%. It's hard to maintain, but anything worth doing is worth doing properly. Once you've reached your target weight, readjust your diet again to maintain that weight.

As for exercise? If you're not in regular training, then work out a running programme. C25k is recommended a lot, but you could well be able to run five km anyway from your rugby training. Get yourself exercising three days a week. That means until you're working up a sweat! Any day you're not training, go for a walk for an hour. As screaminmidget said, cycling is great as well.

Oh, and it's always much easier said than done. I know exactly what I should be doing, but I keep losing the motivation to do it. Having a friend and/or training partner can help sort that out.

I'm not keen on walking, i used to be on a serious weight loss programme that involved 5 miles a day. Hated it, is there any rule of thumb for converting it into a cycle?
In saying that, I'd be willing to try that C25k thing.
I will be your friend/motivational person/thing, once my leaving is done and dusted :rolleyes:
Thanks for the help

flyswatter wrote: »

Go to the gym three times a week I'd suggest and do a full body workout, don't concentrate on one area. Cycling is good and swimming is excellent too.

Haven't done that in a while, always enjoyed that.

I'll extend my membership so, and see what i can do.

amacachi wrote: »

Eat properly, lift stuff and move around. Amazingly simple. Simple rule of thumb is that if the food isn't visible when being bought it'd generally bad. There are exceptions both ways obviously but common sense is all that's needed.

...Says the lad who's 23 stone. :pac:

hahahaha, 23 stone of muscle :cool:
I'll keep all this in mind.

I guess my biggest problem is my diet and what I eat.. I seem to have virtually no will power in this area, i even drink bucket loads of booze on night outs. Any advice or tips to change this?

amacachi

The most important thing is to do something. Get over to the Fitness forum here and check out the stickies, plenty of info for workouts and diet.
The thing is with lifting weights is that you're not going to get massive unless you're eating a lot, it's also a good way to burn calories and increased strength is never bad. :pac: The key IMO is not to hurry. Keep track of what you're eating and if you're working out plenty it should be easy to increase or decrease your intake depending on whether you feel you're losing weight too quickly or slowly.

Jackobyte

I've been meaning to start something. I tried to start last week, downloaded miCoach (adidas workout helper) and completed the assessment run in it last Tuesday (12 minutes). Haven't done another since.

C25K sounds good, think I've heard of that before but never looked into it, now might be the time.

I'd of a small build, 58kg (9.1 stone), 164cm (5'4") and my BMI is 21.8 (more or less perfect) but the problem is that that weight should be caused by muscle and it isn't. I amn't fat but I have a bit of meat on my bones and I would like to change that and be more toned.

Think I might pick up that miCoach and go for a run again. :P

Insect Overlord

marko93 wrote: »

I'm not keen on walking, i used to be on a serious weight loss programme that involved 5 miles a day. Hated it, is there any rule of thumb for converting it into a cycle?
In saying that, I'd be willing to try that C25k thing.
I will be your friend/motivational person/thing, once my leaving is done and dusted :rolleyes:
Thanks for the help

35 minutes of hard cycling will help you burn about 250 kcal. It may be easier to break that into two separate sections. Maybe cycle to your gym and back, or to school/college. Actually, how old are you? If you don't mind me asking.

marko93 wrote: »

I guess my biggest problem is my diet and what I eat.. I seem to have virtually no will power in this area, i even drink bucket loads of booze on night outs. Any advice or tips to change this?

Will power is the only answer. If you want something enough, you will make the effort. Booze can cause a couple of problems. High calorie count; water retention; eating fast-food for soakage; hang-over getting in the way of training the day after; reduced motivation. Usually you can have a few drinks and still manage to train/eat healthily. But if you're totally over-doing it, there's no real quick-fix apart from cutting back.

WhiskeyGoblin

I'm 18
Well that makes sense, hmm, this is worth a try, oh C&H how you inspire thee!

**Timbuk2**

Cycling is great, I used to be really into it. Would have done quite a few cycles of between 80-140km (not very fast, I just enjoyed doing them even if I was gone for about 4-5 hours ).

What with college and living away from home (and my bike) and just general laziness I haven't cycled in ages. Went out last week and not only did I find 16km a challenge, my average speed was lower than it used to be on the much longer cycles. I was heading out on the bike this morning to cycle to Tesco but the wind was ridiculous so I bitched out and drove.

But the good thing about cycling is that you can up the mileage quickly - whereas with running, you have to be very careful about how quick you progress - increase the mileage too quickly and you will have knee pains and shin splints - it needs to be done gradually. The same could be said for cycling of course but cycling has less impact on your joints than running, as you aren't constantly putting more than your body weight's impact on your joints.

flyswatter

Always do stretches too, legs, arms, hips etc.

Prevents injuries for sports and running.

Jamie Starr

Insect Overlord wrote: »

To quote my current Facebook status:



I got down to an even 13 stone last month, then lost focus and put back on about 6 lbs. I should really be a stone lighter than I am, if I want to play Gaelic football at a decent level. The next month is going to hurt.

What we need is another stint on Inis Oirr I think! That summer was probably the fittest I've ever been.

I don't drink much beer and I'm not in regular contact with stuff like chips or pizza. It's biscuits and sweets that are my main vice. I'd say a few weeks of cycling and jogging during June will put me back on track.

Professey Chin

Exactly 70kg on the scales today.
5kg in 4 weeks..........this is gonna be fun

flyswatter

I've been 13 stone 6lbs for the past 4/5 days.

I can't recommend that Maximuscle Whey Protein enough, gets serious results. I think the cycle is complete at this stage though so I'll lay off it for a while and might even sell it eventually.

For my height and build, this seems to be the lowest I'm going to get to.

I need to work on bulking up and definition now.

KnifeWRENCH

I'm hopelessly unfit. Keep telling myself I'm gonna change it but never do. I can't swim and hate cycling, so my options are kina limited. I'd like to take up running at some point but don't have a clue where to begin.

Tbh I couldn't care less about building muscle or being stronger or whatever; I just wish I was skinnier. I go through periods where I lose a little bit of weight but it always finds a way of creeping back up on me.

Carl Sagan

KnifeWRENCH wrote: »

I'm hopelessly unfit. Keep telling myself I'm gonna change it but never do. I can't swim and hate cycling, so my options are kina limited. I'd like to take up running at some point but don't have a clue where to begin.

Tbh I couldn't care less about building muscle or being stronger or whatever; I just wish I was skinnier. I go through periods where I lose a little bit of weight but it always finds a way of creeping back up on me.

I'd seriously recommend weight training in any case where fat loss is wanted.

The way I got myself running was by literally just going out and doing it one day. I had no real intention of getting fit but somehow got myself out to do it. After that, I pretty much ran every single night without thinking about it. I ****ed up my feet a year later though and haven't gotten back into it.

So maybe drop whatever you're doing and go for a run.

EuropeanSon

I did a mixture of boxing training and general gym work (swimming, cycling, treadmills, weights) this year to keep fit. The boxing tapered off in March, so it was mostly the gym after that. I joined my friend who was training for a marathon for a while, but couldn't keep it up during exam times. Now I'm home, ans have no idea how I'm going to keep fit in the summer. Probably bodyweight exercises and running.
My weight is fairly high for my height (91kgs, 6'2") but it's not fat. Doesn't really seem to be muscle, either, so I've convinced myself that I must have really dense bones or something like that

Insect Overlord

Ultimate Chin wrote: »

Exactly 70kg on the scales today.
5kg in 4 weeks..........this is gonna be fun

I've just realised I'll have to drop from ~85 kg down to 79.5 kg. Similar enough cut.
Race you? :pac:

Pigwidgeon

My fitness regime consists of using my exercise bike while playing MarioKart a few times a week. Although I've been bad lately because I've been so busy.

Professey Chin

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I've just realised I'll have to drop from ~85 kg down to 79.5 kg. Similar enough cut.
Race you? :pac:

Go for it :pac:

Carl Sagan

kateos2 wrote: »

My fitness regime consists of using my exercise bike while playing MarioKart a few times a week. Although I've been bad lately because I've been so busy.

I used to do that and watch Cosmos. I should start again!

bythewoods

Up until I broke my arm (in March) I was comfortably doing about 7-10km runs 3-4 times a week. I got really into running this year, I really enjoy it. I'm not too fond of gyms, but running a pretty outdoor route with a great playlist is wonderful.

However, as soon as my arm had healed I was in major ****-attack-fucking-exams-omg-world and, thus, stopped being social or healthy. 12 hour library days leave little room for exercise. And the excessive junk food and smoking which accompany the crazy library hours don't really nurture the habit either.

So basically, I've lost m'buzz. Went for a run last week and was dying after only 5km so walked the rest of the way home. Bleugh. Once the rest of my exams are over and I'm home with loads of country roads to enjoy

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

I go through brief intense phases of trying to get fit and then go back to my normal unhealthy lifestyle. Maybe I should just run off to live in a old stone cabin in the bog and survive by hunting.

I try to go for a run/walk/cycle to a nearby village every day but it doesn't always happen that way. I don't do it because I want to keep healthy and truth be told, I could actually do with putting on a few more pounds.
It does give me more energy during the day though and makes me bothered to actually do something.

cailin_donn

I've been trying to lose weight for nearly 2 months now. Been eating salads, calorie intake is around 1,000 a day and I go to the gym for an hour a day Mon-Fri..... and I've only lost around half a stone so far!

Thinking something could be wrong?

Insect Overlord

cailin_donn wrote: »

I've been trying to lose weight for nearly 2 months now. Been eating salads, calorie intake is around 1,000 a day and I go to the gym for an hour a day Mon-Fri..... and I've only lost around half a stone so far!

Thinking something could be wrong?

I hope to God that's a wind-up. Only a stone? In two months? That's loads.
And eating only 1,000 calories a day for two months could be dangerous.

**Timbuk2**

Well as far as I know, normal healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs per week. A stone is 14lbs, so at a weight loss rate of 2lbs, it might only take 7-8 weeks to lose a stone, thus a stone in two months is not an unreasonable target.

Although 1000 calories sounds very low. It's possible you're eating too little and your body is conserving whatever you do eat as fat - called starvation mode. Try posting over in Health + Fitness as they know a lot! You could try upping your (healthy) food intake and upping your exercise to see if you get any different results.

unknown13

Ultimate Chin wrote: »

Exactly 70kg on the scales today.
5kg in 4 weeks..........this is gonna be fun

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I've just realised I'll have to drop from ~85 kg down to 79.5 kg. Similar enough cut.
Race you? :pac:

My money is on IO. It is harder to cut the same amount weight the lighter you are.

Grindylow

I lost some loada weight this year :pac: It's epic but now I put some back on because I haven't been doing much exercise because I'm too busy with this whole study and crap..

But once the LC ends I plan on exercising pretty much all day, and thus hopefully I'll be The Situation from Jersey Shore (I'm joking..).

But yerra I'm a 170lb-ish now and I'm 6 foot so it's not too bad yano!

Banjo Fella

I haven't been taking particularly good care of my fitness levels since I came to college... I'm not really sure why, I mean, we get free sports facility membership. Plus, there are tons of cool kayaking and martial arts clubs that I should have tried out. Curse my laziness! I decided to change that last year, though, and took up swimming a few times every week. It's been a great way to relieve stress, and I definitely feel a bit healthier and stronger now. Also, I used to love swimming when I was really young, so it was great to reclaim an old hobby of mine.

I had less free time over the past two months, though, so I've sort of lost track of my exercise schedule. I weighed around 11 stone before Study Month, but I'm probably closer to or over 12 now. Ah well, I've still got pool membership for another few months, or whenever it is that UCC'll kick me off the campus, so I'll make sure to work a bit of fitness maintenance back into my routine again.

Arcade Panda

Fitness....

Does walking to the shop to buy delicious sweets count?

amacachi

cailin_donn wrote: »

I've been trying to lose weight for nearly 2 months now. Been eating salads, calorie intake is around 1,000 a day and I go to the gym for an hour a day Mon-Fri..... and I've only lost around half a stone so far!

Thinking something could be wrong?

Up your calories and lift stuff in the gym. 1,000kcal is pretty low if you're doing a decent amount of exercise.

Namlub

Need to start working on my sxii bikini bod for summer 2k11. Seriously though, I'm going to look like a mess in Cannes otherwise. Must start properly going to the gym/pool once my exams are over...

RHunce

Ran an unofficial half marathon on 1hr 35mins yday, never ran before! BOOM

Other than that it's just GAA that keeps me fit and I am lucky to have a very fast metabolism.

jumpguy

Fitness, like most other aspects of my life, has been curtailed very much by the Leaving Cert. I'm fit enough like, last year in my prime I used to jog 5km a day. I was always shít at them, but I always took part in sports with the school or GAA and stuff too. I will get back into it in the summer, since I don't want to start college being a fat tub o' shíte, as my brother would say.

amacachi

RHunce wrote: »

Ran an unofficial half marathon on 1hr 35mins yday, never ran before! BOOM

By "unofficial" do you mean 10km? :pac:

Ricky91t

Cyclings good in my opinion. Yes it costs a bit to get a decent bike, But if you get into off roading you firstly have a lot of fun and secondly keep yourself fit. Running/Sports are too boring for me, I enjoy something more exciting, Don't get me wrong sports are exciting but not to me If I'm playing them.

I decided to start off roading after Christmas, Went from being able to cycle maybe 3km max to now being able to cycle 24-25km in an hour and a half and 2km of that being offroading with a big ascent.

As well as that It's something you can do during college, Going to and from shops/campus, live to close? Just leave a bit earlier and take an alternative longer route, it's definetly worth it!

Jay P

When I have money again, I'm gonna start going to the gym and pool a good bit. I went through a fitness binge a few months ago, and it made me feel great, physically and mentally, but then I just lost interest, as I do quite often. I'm such a flake :P

It's pretty disheartening that a few years ago I had 5 or 6 tough sessions a week, and now I can just about run for 40 minutes. I just wasn't able to keep up the training and study for the LC at the same time. Stupid past me not getting back into it after the exams!

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

I just ran a mile on the treadmill, the last quarter of it at full sprint. Thats impressive for me.

My dad bought a racing bike today, which reminds me that I really should get into the habit of cycling again I used to really love it.

flyswatter

Will possibly start going to the gym regularly tomorrow but I've just had a stressful day with the music school assessment so we'll see how it goes.

I've started eating some things like Ice Cream and Apple Crumble again, no harm in it to an extent but I've put on 2/3 pounds. Epic Fail. :P

sock puppet

Ugh I'm averaging 5 minutes per kilometre on my runs. Pathetic