Stop being a little bitch

[BillyCarpenter]

Over the past 9-12 months, I stopped exercising and eating healthy. And I put on about 20lbs. I made every excuse in the world for not working out and exercising. I told myself that I work hard at the office and deserved some time off. I told myself that I was getting older and didn't need to push myself as hard. I started to notice that this mentality was carrying over to other areas of my life. I felt like I was giving about 40% of what I'm capable of.

About a month ago I started running and working out again with my next door neighbor. He's 23 years younger than me. We usually run 2-miles each morning. Sometimes its in the evening. He always finishes ahead of me. This pisses me off to no end. So, I started going to the gym at 5 a.m. every morning and lifting weights like my life depended on it. It's hard. At first I felt like I had been run over by a Mac truck. I've never liked lifting weights. I don't think anyone does. But I do it. Working out lasts about an hour and there's pain and suffering. But I look at it like this: There's 24-hours in a day. If I suffer for 1-hour, that means there's 23-hours that I won't suffer.

I made a bet with my neighbor that in 3-months that we'd run a 5k and the loser buys a meal at anyplace of the winner's choosing. I already have the restaurant picked out and the meal. I never miss a day of running. I usually incline the treadmill to 5 and run for an hour. When I get comfortable with that, I speed it up until I get comfortable with that. Over the past month I've lost 11lbs. I plan to drop another 15. I'm on a very strict diet. Low carb and hi protein. I shut it down at 6 p.m. No snacks.

I was being a little bitch. Don't be a little bitch.

[copier tech]

Re: Stop being a little bitch

Over the past 9-12 months, I stopped exercising and eating healthy. And I put on about 20lbs. I made every excuse in the world for not working out and exercising. I told myself that I work hard at the office and deserved some time off. I told myself that I was getting older and didn't need to push myself as hard. I started to notice that this mentality was carrying over to other areas of my life. I felt like I was giving about 40% of what I'm capable of.

About a month ago I started running and working out again with my next door neighbor. He's 23 years younger than me. We usually run 2-miles each morning. Sometimes its in the evening. He always finishes ahead of me. This pisses me off to no end. So, I started going to the gym at 5 a.m. every morning and lifting weights like my life depended on it. It's hard. At first I felt like I had been run over by a Mac truck. I've never liked lifting weights. I don't think anyone does. But I do it. Working out lasts about an hour and there's pain and suffering. But I look at it like this: There's 24-hours in a day. If I suffer for 1-hour, that means there's 23-hours that I won't suffer.

I made a bet with my neighbor that in 3-months that we'd run a 5k and the loser buys a meal at anyplace of the winner's choosing. I already have the restaurant picked out and the meal. I never miss a day of running. I usually incline the treadmill to 5 and run for an hour. When I get comfortable with that, I speed it up until I get comfortable with that. Over the past month I've lost 11lbs. I plan to drop another 15. I'm on a very strict diet. Low carb and hi protein. I shut it down at 6 p.m. No snacks.

I was being a little bitch. Don't be a little bitch.

I admire your dedication. The only exercise I get it when the lift (elevator) is out of order!

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Stop being a little bitch

I admire your dedication. The only exercise I get it when the lift (elevator) is out of order!

The hardest part for me is always making the commitment. Once I get out there, I'm glad that I did. I've found that running and exercise isn't so much physical but mental. I have to override my brain every morning when it tells me that it doesn't want to run. Like right now, for instance. But I'm heading out the door to run as we speak.

[blackcat4866]

Re: Stop being a little bitch

Congratulations! You've done the hardest part! You've come to the correct conclusion: that you don't have to like it, but you do have to do it. And the more you do, the more you realize that discomfort will not kill you. As you get more fit, you'll push the limits more, and feel good doing it.

I read somewhere that if you can work out every day for 30 days, you'll have the habit, and you won't have to come up with justifications ... you just do what needs doing.

I personally, work out in the early morning before the cognizant part of my brain starts working. It's one of the few benefits of having a brain that powers up slowly in the morning. If I think about it too much, I can think of reasons not to, so I don't think.

This same process applies well to physical tasks. Just concentrate on this moment, and don't worry about what will happen later. If you're already thinking about failing, you've already failed. =^..^=

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Stop being a little bitch

Congratulations! You've done the hardest part! You've come to the correct conclusion: that you don't have to like it, but you do have to do it. And the more you do, the more you realize that discomfort will not kill you. As you get more fit, you'll push the limits more, and feel good doing it.

I read somewhere that if you can work out every day for 30 days, you'll have the habit, and you won't have to come up with justifications ... you just do what needs doing.

I personally, work out in the early morning before the cognizant part of my brain starts working. It's one of the few benefits of having a brain that powers up slowly in the morning. If I think about it too much, I can think of reasons not to, so I don't think.

This same process applies well to physical tasks. Just concentrate on this moment, and don't worry about what will happen later. If you're already thinking about failing, you've already failed. =^..^=

It sounds like you understand the mental part of it. When I stay in my comfort zone, I really don't grow as a person. I learn about myself during adversity. When I'm out there running, there comes a point that my brain wants to shut it down. Our brain is the most powerful instrument on earth. It's the only thing that knows all of our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. It knows our struggles in life. Our brain knows there's places that we don't want to go and that's what leads to quitting. When my brain tells me to quit running and I tell it that I'm not going anywhere and it sees that I'm not stopping, it has no choice but to adapt. I call it putting a callus on the brain.

[Hansoon]

Re: Stop being a little bitch

The hardest part for me is always making the commitment. Once I get out there, I'm glad that I did. I've found that running and exercise isn't so much physical but mental. I have to override my brain every morning when it tells me that it doesn't want to run.

Exactly the same here. For me every time in the beginning there is a lot of pain and discomfort because of the underlying ailment I have, but after around 20 minutes all clears up and then after an hour I cannot stop anymore until being exhausted or my wife calling me where the hell I am.

Thanks you shared your experience with us.

Hans

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Stop being a little bitch

I've been mixing it between running on the beach (on the boardwalk, not the sand) and the treadmill @ the gym. I just got back from the gym and today was the day that I pushed it really hard.

I've been trying to work on my breathing. When I get tired, I tend to breath through my mouth. This morning I made sure that I was breathing through my nose. Also, I tend to slump over slightly when tired. I'm trying to run upright with my shoulders inline with my hips and my hips in line with my feet.

Progress is slow but progress is being made.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Stop being a little bitch

Exactly the same here. For me every time in the beginning there is a lot of pain and discomfort because of the underlying ailment I have, but after around 20 minutes all clears up and then after an hour I cannot stop anymore until being exhausted or my wife calling me where the hell I am.

Thanks you shared your experience with us.

Hans

Keep up the good work, Hans.

[subaro]

Re: Stop being a little bitch

Good stuff Billy and hopefully it will give others some motivation to do what they know they MUST do. I do outdoor things and sports, and do not like the gym at all. Well what works for each is all good, but to your point, must get going as the human body needs to be exercised to function healthy.

[BillyCarpenter]

!Re: Stop being a little bitch

It was a little cold out this morning so I went to the gym and got on the treadmill. I usually do 2 miles. That's what my body is used to doing. When I hit the 2 mile mark, my brain said to shut it down. But I wanted to push it further. I thought about it for a couple minutes and reached a conclusion: I was being a little bitch. I went another 1.5 miles. I walked out of the gym drenched in sweat. The cold air never felt so good.

[blackcat4866]

Re: Stop being a little bitch

In college I used to lift barbells with my roommate. I drew a lot of motivation from my lifting partner. Even when my body and mind had decided that I was done, I found extra motivation for another rep thanks to Jim. It's also safer, when your doing that last shaky rep. =^..^=

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Stop being a little bitch

This morning I did some interval running. Before I get to that....


I've been doing a lot of reading on exercising and eating healthy. I don't remember the exact numbers, but I read that if a person over 50 is in the top 10 percentile of their age group for fitness, that the chances of dying from heart disease, cancer, or other diseases drops 5x.


Also, adding muscle after 50 is of the utmost importance if we want to be active as we age. I think we lose 1-2% muscle mass after age 40.


Aging sucks and I don't want sit around and fade away. Yes, this is a lot of fucking work. I run every day. I lift weights 3 days out of the week. The food that I'm eating is bland but I'm not really staying hungry. I also know that this is the way it's gonna be for the rest of my life if I want to stay fit. God could have made it easier.


PS - The interval running will take your soul.

[slimslob]

Re: Stop being a little bitch

Years ago I heard the G-man, G. Gordon Liddy, talk about diet and exercise, morning running in particular. According to him, humans are historically hunter-foragers. If you go out and run in the morning and eat a low caloric meal when you get home, the body will go into the 'oh no, hunting is lousy. Better store as many calories as possible and not convert any stored fat.' In that mode the body will actually burn muscle instead of building it.

A hearty breakfast rich in calories, protein, vitamins (A, B-6, B-12, C, D and E), calcium, folic acid and Omega 3 fatty acids(fish and Fish oil supplements). Cutting calories can wait for lunch and dinner.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Stop being a little bitch

There's a lot of different opinions on exercise and weight loss. But the most credible ones that I've seen say this:


Muscle is harder to burn than fat. The human body is amazing. The reason that the human body stores fat is to burn when they're is no food. And did you ever notice that fat is stored around the mid-section - belly, hips and ass? That's because it easier to walk when the weight is centered.


Also, during weight loss, there will be a little muscle loss but unless you're starving yourself, it won't be much.

It goes like this when a person stops eating.

1. Fat is burned.
2. Muscle is burned
3. Internal organs start shutting down in the order of importance. And then death...if you starve to death.

[slimslob]

Re: Stop being a little bitch

There's a lot of different opinions on exercise and weight loss. But the most credible ones that I've seen say this:


Muscle is harder to burn than fat. The human body is amazing. The reason that the human body stores fat is to burn when they're is no food. And did you ever notice that fat is stored around the mid-section - belly, hips and ass? That's because it easier to walk when the weight is centered.


Also, during weight loss, there will be a little muscle loss but unless you're starving yourself, it won't be much.

It goes like this when a person stops eating.

1. Fat is burned.
2. Muscle is burned
3. Internal organs start shutting down in the order of importance. And then death...if you starve to death.

Protein and calcium are needed after extensive exercise to repair possibly torn muscle tissue and prevent further injury.