The Health 'n' Fitness Thread

[Matty_the_Emo_Slayer]

Starting tomorrow I'm going for a long walk every day, i've been far too inactive and relying on quick food the past two weeks and it's really showing. Up to the King's Hall and back down Malone way tomorrow (4.3 miles), then up the towpath to Lockeepers Inn and back down Malone again on saturday (7.4 miles). If the weather holds til Sunday then i'll get a bus about halfway out to Hannahstown then walk the rest of the way and climb Divis. Either the weight or my legs will be dropping off me by Sunday night either way!

[skull-wart]

Ah it used to be dead easy to go for a walk back at my mums (I can always go there to be fair). Up and around the hill on Mt. Mary in Ballygar with my little fat dog about 2 mile uphill walk I'd say just outside the house!

You just reminded me so I thought I'd be reminiscent.

[TheLotusEater193]

You need to do more than walk! You'd be better off running a mile quickly. Humans are designed to walk so we're really efficient and therefore burn barely anything walking. You need to ruuuuuun! (or do anything that really raises your heart rate)

On saying that obviously walking is better than nothing and considering those are good distances it's a good starting point

[karastorm]

I don't go to the gym but I do push ups and the odd crunch as well as other little bit's. Off hiking again this weekend. Did a 16 mile walk last Saturday with my new walking buddy took us 9 hours but we really didn't push it. I reckon if we did we could of done it in less time. AS power walking is in-between running and well walking, raises the heart rate to a good level. I may join a gym so I can go swimming again.

[Moonburp]

You need to do more than walk! You'd be better off running a mile quickly. Humans are designed to walk so we're really efficient and therefore burn barely anything walking. You need to ruuuuuun! (or do anything that really raises your heart rate)

On saying that obviously walking is better than nothing and considering those are good distances it's a good starting point

What she said. Google couch to 5k or HIIT.

[Matty_the_Emo_Slayer]

You need to do more than walk! You'd be better off running a mile quickly. Humans are designed to walk so we're really efficient and therefore burn barely anything walking. You need to ruuuuuun! (or do anything that really raises your heart rate)

On saying that obviously walking is better than nothing and considering those are good distances it's a good starting point

Yeah, I don't think it'd be wise to start running after having done no exercise for months, and having walked no further than the library in the past 2 weeks. Divis is a fairly steep climb in parts so that will be a bit of genuine exercise, then next goal after that before i actually start running is Cave Hill.

[VirginInvader]

Running's horrible though. I mean I do it, but I really don't enjoy it.

[skull-wart]

Isn't sprint training more effective at burning calories though?

[NeglectedField]

I've slacked off with my running recently. Had a big field behind me in my last house, only spent a coupla times using it.

[someone else]

You need to do more than walk! You'd be better off running a mile quickly. Humans are designed to walk so we're really efficient and therefore burn barely anything walking. You need to ruuuuuun! (or do anything that really raises your heart rate)

On saying that obviously walking is better than nothing and considering those are good distances it's a good starting point

Yeah, I don't think it'd be wise to start running after having done no exercise for months, and having walked no further than the library in the past 2 weeks. Divis is a fairly steep climb in parts so that will be a bit of genuine exercise, then next goal after that before i actually start running is Cave Hill.

You start slow and work up, but you've got to start somewhere - you don't get the strength in your legs or the stamina doing light exercise or non weight carrying like swimming. You can start by running for 1 min then walk 2, then build up the time, then the speed, then the run time, then reduce the walking intervals, then you're running.

[TheLotusEater193]

Isn't sprint training more effective at burning calories though?

Yes. Alternating sprinting with slow jogging (HIIT - High intensity interval training - like Moonburp said) is best for burning fat and building muscle. Just sprint for 30 seconds and jog 15 - or vice versa if that's too hard (with a 5-10 min warm up). 15 minutes of that is way more effective than running for 30.

[Matty_the_Emo_Slayer]

You need to do more than walk! You'd be better off running a mile quickly. Humans are designed to walk so we're really efficient and therefore burn barely anything walking. You need to ruuuuuun! (or do anything that really raises your heart rate)

On saying that obviously walking is better than nothing and considering those are good distances it's a good starting point

Yeah, I don't think it'd be wise to start running after having done no exercise for months, and having walked no further than the library in the past 2 weeks. Divis is a fairly steep climb in parts so that will be a bit of genuine exercise, then next goal after that before i actually start running is Cave Hill.

You start slow and work up, but you've got to start somewhere - you don't get the strength in your legs or the stamina doing light exercise or non weight carrying like swimming. You can start by running for 1 min then walk 2, then build up the time, then the speed, then the run time, then reduce the walking intervals, then you're running.

That sounds like a plan actually. See last time I made a serious attempt at running it was horrible. I thought, what's the worst that can happen with a light jog down the towpath on a foggy november morning? I get about a mile and a half then starting boking my ring into the river. That put me off trying again for a while.

[AnnihiSlateR]

i think there are plans you can get Online for building up your running. Me and my dad used one a few years back, went from one minute run, 3 minute walk, to the point we could run 75 minutes none stop in the space of about 6 months. To be fair we could have probably done more but our route was 10km and we'd gone full circle and were back home.

I always find running in winter painful with regards my lungs and breathing. So I seem to end up hibernating from exercise over winter. But I'm starting up again now. Also basically unofficially started doing slimming world, which seems to be doing the trick so far, lost 6lbs last week and 4lbs the week before that (I was 19st 7lbs when I started). So once the weight is off, and my fitness is back up, I should finally start to feel good about my body again.

[someone else]

[quote="someone else]

You start slow and work up, but you've got to start somewhere - you don't get the strength in your legs or the stamina doing light exercise or non weight carrying like swimming. You can start by running for 1 min then walk 2, then build up the time, then the speed, then the run time, then reduce the walking intervals, then you're running.[/quote]


That sounds like a plan actually. See last time I made a serious attempt at running it was horrible. I thought, what's the worst that can happen with a light jog down the towpath on a foggy november morning? I get about a mile and a half then starting boking my ring into the river. That put me off trying again for a while.[/quote]

Its worked for me - did up to 19k at about 11k/hr when I thought I had a deadline for a half marathon, but it sold out, so Ive now reduced the distance and working at 12k/hr mixed with speed intervals - 13.5-14k/hr for three mins, walk/jog for 2 for 40 mins. Was 15st at the end of last year, now just under 13. The only problem is getting over the boredom - a friend recommended picking a handfull of your favourite records with reasonably long songs (thats why Threshold and Springsteen are way out in front on Last.fm) and stick to them - say to yourself '1 more song' and its another 1k done

[VirginInvader]

18 months or so ago when I attempted to go for a run for the first time in ages, I made the mistake of listening to Deathhammer when I was running. Ended up basically sprinting flat out for about a mile, and then throwing up everywhere Needless to say, it was at least 6 months after that until I attempted to run again. And I did it without the speed metal