Weight Reduction

Roger,

Just how old do you think "elderly" is?

:))

Hi Bob

> Just how old do you think "elderly" is?
By definition, much older than me! (I'm 63.) And my wife Sue is usually leading.

I note in one of the research articles Tony had been referring to the authors did write:
"Despite the age-related decline in aerobic performance [49, 50], well-trained mountaineers can achieve normal ascent times up to the age of 80 years; whereas aerobic performance by people with a sedentary life-style, especially women, may be limited about four decades earlier…"

So maybe my 15-20 years estimate is about right?

Cheers

Roger,

Sounds good to me! I get amused by those things one reads about how, if you follow their advice, you could still be going strong into your 50's and 60's (I am 65).

— Bob

Cary, I don’t appreciate you photo shopping that guys head on that picture of my body.

Interesting topic, although much of the detail is way over my head. I used to be an athlete, a swimmer in fact. I was always a sprinter and sucked at distance events. I am still the same way. I don’t do 20 mile days on the trail. Just my hiking preference.

I quit swimming and got fat. Sometime last year I got motivated to become fit again. I’m about 5’10” and weighed 225lbs and within 7 months got down to 165lbs. Now I am working on building lean muscle mass and I am back up to 179lbs.

This is what worked:
5 lean meals a day. Mid-GI carbs in the morning with a protein and low-GI carbs with a protein later in the day and for the last meal. No fat no simple sugar including fruit. This sped my metabolism up incredibly. I eat every 3 hours and burn every last bit of it.

Workouts include weight training 2 times a week. These are high intensity medium weight high reps at a lightening fast pace until muscle failure. Then, cardio for 12-20 minutes, 4 times a week.

I am skipping a lot of detail on this but it covers the basics. I got lean and mean fast. I have trained my metabolism to burn fat and it is working out well for me. It’s a combination of cardio and anaerobic exercise and diet that is the winning combination.

…… now if I could only quit smoking. ….. and I could have a washboard stomach but beer is way too good.

David, the diet you followed is pretty much exactly what I did to get 'cut' for competitions, and it works really well. The problem for me (and MANY folks) is that I could lose the weight easily, but couldn't keep it off, and the yo-yo dieting seems to be worse for me than just staying the weight I am. I *wish* I had never dieted in the first place since "diets don't work", only lifestyle changes work. I don't think I could eat like that for the rest of my life, so it would be a *diet* for me. Sigh. I just got soooo sick of lean meat and fibrous veggies that I did myself a dis-service in the long run. At least I don't have to struggle with tobacco and beer on top of everything!

i can't currently sprint for 30 seconds, even once

in fact, i can't really "sprint" at all

i did do 5x "fast right now for me" running for about 15-20 seconds each time as part of a 3 mile or so workout today

we'll see if my limitations loosen up in the coming weeks, assuming my health allows me to continue trying

for now, i'll keep trying

If that's as fast and long as you can run, then it's a sprint. You will get better with practice. FYI, for those that feel like they can't sprint with running, you might find you have better luck with another 'sprint' activity such as biking or rowing. Not everyone is built for running sprints.

i could sprint pretty well not too long ago

i was running competitive cross country races in 2002 & had a pretty good "kick" back then

we'll see how things go – hopefully i don't have some kind of degenerative disease in addition to being very overweight, because even last year I could still sprint when i needed to

i have had some myoclonus (mostly in legs, occasionally arms) last couple years & especially last year had some trouble with what seems like one leg going faster than the other when trying to run, almost causing me to stumble and fall – these symptoms were mostly over the summer & haven't had them in a couple months now

Cary,

In a previous post, you remarked that you loved running and now that you could not do that you were trying out hiking and backpacking, but could not get as excited about them.

Clearly they are different. I am curious about what aspects of running you enjoy that are not present in hiking / backpacking. I presume it is something other than pushing yourself physically, moving along at your AT, LT, Whatever threshold — because you can, of course, do those things while hiking too. Similarly, if sprinting is defined by heart rate, then you can sprint while hiking, too. Especially uphill with a pack :).

So is the missing thing that running has tangible, or is it a spiritual thing?

— MV

i think the tangible part with running is the rhythm – when running and in shape, cruising along at a fast but comfortable pace, the rhythm & zone that can be obtained is amazing: almost like flying

which is where something spiritual begins & that is the part that is special

when running like that, it's very much an inward journey – hiking and backpacking there is a lot more (necessary) engagement with the environment, which is also good, but it's different – the consciousness can't just stream the same way

i really miss the running stuff & hope i can get some of it back

Cary

Rather than trying to spint for a certain amount of time, try setting a distance (like 100 metres) and just run that distance as fast as you can (after a warm up). Allow yourself plenty of time to recover (for beginners this could be as much as 2-3 minutes) and then do it again. Aim for 6-10 reps like this, and don't try mixing it with any other exercise. Maybe use the recovery time to stretch.

Here is a good NY Times article on stretching:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/sports/playmagazine/112pewarm.html?_r=2&emc=eta1

That was a really good article, although I kept waiting for them to blame Bush for bad stretching (hey, it is the NYT). Anyway, I started working out again last week, and that will really help, since all I knew about were the static stretches.

Firstly, I apologise for not fully reading the thread -it's too long! But, from what I have read, it is apparent that more research is required! I am devotee of fitness – in that as I have aged, I have looked for more challenges commensurate with my ageing – no longer can I compete with 18 year olds; well at least not in a sprint! Yet, I do not feel that endurance is all I am about; I work hard and fast and as a result my BW has always been low – diet (as in a lifestyle, not a weight reduction fad) and exercise are key here; as is a varied programme, so do not be despondent, but, as the USMC would say; be the best you can be!

If it is the rhythm of running that you miss, perhaps trekking poles can help. You can get into a really good rhythm with the poles. You're whole body is into it.