In my continued pursuit to be able to see my own feet when standing up, I have taken up walking. Like, a lot of walking. Three days a week, I go out to the exercise trail at Memorial Park and do a lap around it at a pretty quick pace. I can walk the entire 3 miles of it in 55 minutes.
So, as I was on my way out there, I think to myself, "You know what, Chris? You're handling this walking thing pretty well. Why don't you try adding a little jogging to it?"
I reply to myself, "Yeah, that's all Houston needs. A bunch of little earthquakes with the epicenters under my feet."
This is followed by, "Can't you respond to one suggestion I make without the use for self-deprecating humour?"
Eventually, the weird voice in my head convinced me to do a little jogging. I decided to start slowly. I'd spend the first half mile jogging. I'd go a short distance and then stop to catch my breath. Shouldn't be too hard, right?
Wrong. As I sit here, my entire body aches. My ankles and knees throb with a pulsating pain that complements the pain in my shins very well. While I can accept that as part of the "no pain, no gain" theory on exercising, I cannot accept the other pain that jogging has given me. My arms and back hurt. My neck hurts. I have a headache coupled with intense hunger.
The next time that voice in my head suggests that I try a little jogging, I'm going to slap it silly.
Posted by Snay (Member # 411) on :
Just keep up with the walking. Maybe get a membership at the gym and give the bikes a try ... they're great for burning calories.
Posted by David Templar (Member # 580) on :
ROFLMHO. Take some Asprins, man.
If mankind was meant to jog, we wouldn't have been given the mental capacity to invent bikes and cars. Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
Or fat lazy butts to sit on.
[ July 12, 2002, 12:18: Message edited by: Cartman ]
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
quote:Or fat lazy butts to sit on.
Which is precisely the reason I started this whole exercise on a regular basis gig.
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
Maybe you misread my comment... it wasn't intended offensively, and I apologise for the insulting tone.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Yah... shin splints suck. I remember those from my cross country days. If you've never done any running before, it's going to be hell on your knees and hips...and, well, pretty much everything else as you're finding out :0)
I hear that swimming gives as good if not better in the way of a total body workout. It's also much lighter impact.
Posted by Ed BWC (Member # 818) on :
Well, I tried it too, and what I did was start walking, then gradually increase to jogging, in about a half mile to a mile. That works, and another hint is to wear really light clothing, and dont wear thing such as jewerly or watches or stuff like that. And pants without pokets, or one or two at the most. You'll be suprised how much easier it make it.
(I could be a telemarketer)
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
Cartman, I didn't misread your comment, so no offense taken. That really is the reason I started exercising (that and to see my feet again).
Jeff, I've thought about getting a bicycle and adding that to my exercise routine. I could easily ride it to Memorial Park and back. The problem is that Houston is very bicyclist-unfriendly.
Aban, do you have any suggestions for pre-jogging stretches? I can't help but think that some of my aches may be from me not stretching out enough before I got started. I did a lot rotating and bending to loosen up the muscles in my ankles and knees, and I also did a lot of the "bend over to your toes" to get the legs muscles loose.
Red, my running outfit is a t-shirt and some shorts. It's all light and breathable material. The nice thing about that is I'm developing a tan again. No more pasty peachish-brownish-khaki skin for me!
As the day goes on, the achiness is going away. I don't think I've been this sore since the time I had to ran up seventeen flights of stairs.
[ July 12, 2002, 14:12: Message edited by: Siegfried ]
Posted by Ed BWC (Member # 818) on :
Cut your hair.
But remember, it is always hardest the first time. Keep on trying, and it will become second nature.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
I'd suggest you first try to get up to the point of being able to walk a couple of miles per day, and then maybe try the jogging again.
Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :
Jogging is much more dangerous than walking. I read somewhere that you're about 10 times more likely to injure yourself because of the stress of impact. When I was in college I used to do about 30 km a week but at least once a year (usually more) I managed to get an injury requiring me stop for a week or two. The biggest problem with starting any sort of exercise is the temptation to overdo it at first. Pain is your body's way of telling you not to do to much. If you get injured by overdoing it, you may find it hard to restart or may stop completely. So take it easy.
If you walk fast, you can burn as many calories as with jogging, but with much less risk of injury.
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
Thanks for the advice. Considering how sore my ankles are at the moment, I doubt I will be attempting jogging again in the very near future. Instead, I think I will just concentrate on walking and seeing if I can manage getting out to the trail more than three times a week.
In the meantime, I'll start pricing bicycles and seeing if there is a safe place to ride it without fear of joining the dozens of squashed squirrels I see everyday on the roads.
Posted by Ed BWC (Member # 818) on :
A good thing for sore feet and ankles is fill a basin big enough to cover your feet with a little to chare and fill it with warm or hot water, and put in about 1-2 cups of epsom salt. Works for me.
Posted by Nim Pim (Member # 205) on :
Notes about bicycles: Great idea, I love bicycling around here in Stockholm, it is a bike-friendly town, and you'll notice you can get pretty far pretty fast, and faster when you learn all the trails and shortcuts.
But for god's sake be careful about choosing the saddle. Regardless of what type of saddle you have, your lower pelvic bone, or what they call the bone parts involved in sitting, WILL get a bit sore the first couple of days or the first week of bicycling, if one hasn't done it in a long time. This has deterred many potential bicyclers because they don't realize it will go away amazingly fast as the skin and bones adapts.
Kind of like that nice Bene Gesserit mini-microwave oven, for cooking extremities into TV-snacks. Mind �ber matter. I was sore for about three days, then the soreness only was present for the first three minutes of a ride, then disappeared completely.
So, patience, coupled with a nice and wide saddle (instead of the standard razorblade-saddles nowadays integrated into sports-bikes) will get you where you want to go.
I also suggest a citybike or regular bike, mountain bikes may have a shitload of gears, and they look cool, but the wide and heavily studded tires (for offroad use) will substantially lower the speed on regular asphalt.
Wait a minute, that may not be that bad of a choice after all, becasue that would mean you get a better workout... Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
Swim.
Posted by darkwing_duck1 (Member # 790) on :
I am amazed that people still credit the cliche "no pain no gain". Pain is your body's way of telling you that something is not right. It's one thing to be fatigued, and that sometimes can almost be pain if it's extreme, but if you are actually hurting then you are doing something wrong, or entirely too much of it.
My recommendation (like several others') would be to switch to something low impact, like bike riding or swimming or stair-master. Just make sure you stretch out properly for a warm up and then cool down properly at the end.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
No pain no gain.... If this is true, bat yourself in the head with a hammer three times a day every day... then tell me what you have gained in a month...
I didn;t see anybody list comforatable shoes, unless I missed it.... I had a pair of steel toed boots that were comfortable enough to walk several miles in, which I did when the car broke down... Walking with the extra weight on your feet will also help burn calories, although steel toed boots aren't recommended... unless walking in traffic...
Cut out any pop from your diet, go to water and some fruit juices... the dietary considerations should be a big part of your weight loss program...
Plus, if you are weighing yourself to gauge your progress remeber that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you actually gain weight this is the reason... Go by your measurements, this is a way of determining body fat content using a formula that involves your neck and waist measurements, age, and hieght, but I don't remember ever seeing it on the net, and haven't used it since I was in the Army...
Good luck, take it easy, and may you beat the dickey-do...
Posted by LOA (Member # 49) on :
Something that's working for my current weight situation, though it's a bit pricey to get started, is going to the gym. I'm LOVING that. It's air conditioned, there's stuff on TV to distratct you from the fact that you're stairstepping, you can read a magazine, or just socialize with other people to make time seem to go quicker. And they're equipped with LOTS of different machines to help you work different parts of your body, so it's not always that same old thing.
If you have a friend that will go with you, that makes it even more fun.
It's just a thought, though, I don't know what you have in your schedule or budget that might allow it. If you DO go that route, however, don't just sign uip at the first gym you go to. Most will give you a trial membership to see if you like the place. Take advantage of that! If you like the atmosphere, you're WAY more likely to make use of the facility.
And also, I'd like to back up the theory of comfortable shoes. If you haven't yet, invest in a nice pair of tennis shoes or the like-- good shoes can reduce a LOT of the impact that you're feeling on your ankles and knees just by absorbing a bit of the pressure with each step.
Good luck, Siggy!!! Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
Well, I don't agree with 'no pain, no gain,' but I don't exactly disagree with it, either.
From what I've learned, you should exercise a muscle until it just begins to hurt a little, no more. That beginning tells you that you're starting to push it past its upper limit.
Another way that works with things like weights and resistance, that my brother used to judge (and he's in much better shape than I am) was, if you're doing it right, you should notice, after you've put the weights down/off, that when you move the muscle it seems like you're very light... like it's very easy to flex the muscle. (That's as well as I can describe it.)
Posted by Nim Pim (Member # 205) on :
Yes, no matter how much you stretch you will hurt, because the muscles only grow when forced to work harder than they are used to, which means some of the musclefibers inside break. This is normal.
"Remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you actually gain weight this is the reason."
Not until after several months do the muscles start growing THAT noticeably, but after some time of regular workout the body gathers water to circulate, which can contribute.
Juice is better than soda, true, but since drinking a glass of orange juice doesn't provide the fibres inherent in a real orange, juices aren't unlimited either. And no, orange juice with "added extra fibre" is not the same either.
Posted by Balaam Xumucane (Member # 419) on :
Swimming is an excellent way to increase muscle tone and endurance with exceptionally little impact on joints and tendon parts. Unfortunately it generally isn't a great way to actually lose weight. I was 6'4" 230 for most of high school. I did water polo and swimming all four years. My belly didn't ever go away. Treading water for 4 hours every day with the occasional sprint swim and I still had the love handles. (Freakin' strong legs though) (BTW I would kill to get back to 230)
I've only seen a couple pictures of you Siggy, but I got the impression that you're also fairly tall. If this is indeed the case, I'd strongly recommend not jogging. Our bodies are allready under way more stress than medium sized people. Big people have a tough enough time as it is, your joints don't need more aggrevation. Save your cartilage for when you're old.
I'd say stick with the walking and diet. Ritten is ride about soda. I was amazed to learn just how many calories are in even innocuous-seeming sodas like Sprite. Fresca has zero calories and Diet Coke rules if you need the caffeine. Walking 3 miles in 55 minutes is very good. It's that kind of aerobic activity that will burn fat. If it feels like you're plateauing, add a little more go another mile.
The exercycles are also good (Personally I find the gym impossibly tedious and greatly prefer doing the real thing in re: walking and riding). Jogging and running are exceptionally brutal on the knees even for tiny skinny people. I walk a lot now. I live next to a big hill and have designed a good aerobic walk with a smooth warm-up, a long climb and then a nice cool-down. I do it at night so no one has to see me huffing and puffing and it's cooler. I've started bringing hand-weights to work my arms. I'm down to 286 from 300 and I feel a lot better.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Well, there's pain and there's pain. There's stop-before-you-permanently-cripple-yourself pain, and there's I-can't-go-on-I-want-to-die,-oh-wait-I'm-breaking-through-the-threshhold,-this-is-actually-getting-easier pain. 8)
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
quote: Fresca has zero calories and Diet Coke rules if you need the caffeine
It has zero calories? Is it air in a can?
As a useless aside, I see far more fat people drinking diet coke than thin people. Therefore the only obvious explanation is that diet coke makes you fat. Behold my M@D L0g!k Sk!llz!
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
Holy. Cow. I didn't expect to get all this advice on exercising and dieting. Thanks, all of you.
So... looks like ya'll are telling me to drop the idea of jogging or running. Walking is good, so keep on doing it provided I stretch out really well and wear good, comfortable shoes.
Listen to the pain to that my body produces, it will tell me whether I'm developing muscle or crippling myself. Save the cartilage, but whack myself in the head three times a day for a month. Use Epsom-salted water to soak the ankles, but not in the good cookingware.
Going to the gym is good idea if I can afford it and talk a friend into coming. Shop around and love trial memberships. Bicycling is good, but stay away from mountain bikes because they don't work well when trying to outrun an 18-wheeler. Also make sure that my pelvic region is comfortable. Swimming is good, but don't wear Speedos.
Measure progress not by weight but by measurements since weight is misleading. Drop the soda, and drink water and real fruit juice instead. Make sure to think about the dietary concerns because it plays a big part in losing weight.
That's certainly a lot to think about. Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Drink only water. Nothing else.
Posted by Thoughtchopper (Member # 480) on :
Dude! Drink ONLY soda! Eat nothing but suger!
Kidding, of course. I've been getting a little heavy around the gut myself, and I started walking every where it's plausible to walk to.
Doing that and drinking only water has helped me loose two gut inches already, and I'm actually developing a tan from that thing we call the sun.
Which means I'm still chunky, but at least I'm working on it, and I don't look like a total computer geek now, with translucently white skin.
I haven't really changed my diet aside from dropping the doritos and coke (which, I'm sad to say, was for awhile just about the only thing I drank. It's scary to me now, but hey, I was studying all the time. Maybe I can keep off all that this fall when I make the return to college life.)
If I can make it back down to 160 I'll be a happy camper.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
quote:Originally posted by Siegfried: Thanks for the advice. Considering how sore my ankles are at the moment, I doubt I will be attempting jogging again in the very near future. Instead, I think I will just concentrate on walking and seeing if I can manage getting out to the trail more than three times a week.
In the meantime, I'll start pricing bicycles and seeing if there is a safe place to ride it without fear of joining the dozens of squashed squirrels I see everyday on the roads.
Ah, Squirrels, nature's little speedbumps! As for bikes, I suggest trying to find one with full suspension. It can be more pricey, but in the long run your groin will thank you. I usually ride my bike to school an back. and some days when I forget to strech, I pull a muscle down there. Hurts like a bitch to even arch your back a bit.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Dropping jogging altogether is not necessarily good. Stuff like that varies from person to person. You could try it and see if it hurts in the wrong places. Or try it after you've lost a bit of weight.
This is why gym membership is good. There are people there to help with this sort of thing.
Oh, and don't get too extreme. You can change your diet drastically, exercise all the time, and lose weight, but you might find you've stopped having fun.
Don't let it run your life. And remember it's a means to an end, not an end in itself.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
quote: Drink only water. Nothing else.
Make that rainwater. Or pure grain alchohol in a pinch or on social occasions.
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
The bread & water diet is good.. i live on it.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
quote:Originally posted by Da_bang80: Ah, Squirrels, nature's little speedbumps!
Did anyone else read this & hear Phlox in their mind?
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
Yeah... probably from watching Dear Doctor the other day.
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
Liam, I am remembering to have fun. The time I spend walking at the park is probably the most relaxing time I spend all week. So, having fun I am.
Jogging may get another chance, but that won't be happening for a while. I am going to look into a bicycle, but I need to figure out where the bike trails are around here. The city parks website isn't much help since, when they do show the bike trails, they don't say whether they're mountain bike trails or not.
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
quote: I am going to look into a bicycle
Walking is better exercise, but as FoT said, swimming is best. But walking over biking for sure.
Posted by Matrix (Member # 376) on :
My suggestion is to power walk. Do exercises before walking or jogging. Do pushups and situps regularly. If you really want to get in shape. Join a gym and get personal trainer.
For instance for the past three months I jog two miles non-stop. I extend it a little each week. When I first started it was just around my block ttwo times which is about 1/2 a mile non stop. Then after I could easily do that running at full speed, I switched to Mercer Park (wondering if I should have said that). My goal is to jog the whole 7 mile trail non stop before my shipment date.
Set a pace for yourself. Slowly increase it eahc week.
Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :
Swimming can also be dangerous. I know several people who have hurt themselves swimming, usually by overrotating their backs, for example, as they turn for air swimming freestyle. So, if you're going to swim, have someone check out your stroke to make sure you're doing it correctly.
The only injuries I've heard of from walking are things like getting hit by some fucking bicyclist. Walking is pretty safe.
Posted by Toadkiller (Member # 425) on :
quote:Originally posted by Masao: [QB] some fucking bicyclist. QB]
Now THAT is a workout! Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
Balance is everything...... well, that stroke mentioned above helps too....
Posted by Nim Pim (Member # 205) on :
Stroke victims are pretty lousy at sex whilst bicycling, take it from me.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
lose your sense of balance...
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
I don't have to worry about bicyclists. They're restricted to the bike trails on the other side of the park and on the roads. So, there's no chance that I'll be hitting by someone on a bike, whether he or she is fornicating or not.
The only chance I really have to get hurt walking is by not watching where I am going. I get easily distracted by my attractive female colleagues on the exercise trail. Thankfully, I have yet to be so blinded as to walk out into traffic.
Posted by Nim Pim (Member # 205) on :
"I am in immense pain"
Sounds like what Mustafa, the worthless assassin (Will Ferrell) with the Fez and the Ray-Ban's said in Austin Powers I&II.
[ July 18, 2002, 05:33: Message edited by: Nim Pim ]
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