Anyone want to join me?
This last year has kicked my ass. Last April I was the most fit I had been in years, but after a year of doing a masters degree, things have taken a downhill turn. My fitness is nil and I have put on about 20 lbs. I am moving at the end of July, and my goal is to be jogging 20-30 mins straight by then. I would also like to lose some weight, but straight up, I would rather see a change in my fitness level (and clothes size) than get results on the scale.

Having some other people to kick my ass into shape is always helpful.

So, do you have fitness plans? What is your goal? How do you plan on getting there?

Awesome. Well, you can come in here are hold me to a gruelling regime. My shins were dying after my last run so I took a couple of days off. I am going to make another attempt this evening, with hopefully less painful results. Wish me luck.

Ever since I've moved I've become slack. (I miss our walks McLaw).

I need to start exercising again and lose the weight I've put on. I need to join a gym but can't until I move because I can't afford one where I am now.
Gotta get back on the diet plan.

Eat healthier and start walking again, that's my plan. Maybe when I move I'll buy a set of weights.

Awesome!

I am trying very hard to motivate myself to finish this paper and then go jogging.

The Ipod is just no substitute for a buddy.

The weather is ass here. It's so uninspiring. And my whole side of the campus is all blocked off for a concert tomorrow. Who likes Ben Folds anyway?

i only have two:
- walk daily and long distances, and
- quit smoking

__________________
then she dances skirt swaying in the half-light she dances white blossom in the black sky
'I need new clothes', she thinks, 'new skin, a mind I can bear to live in'.

What kind of shoes do you have? I think that finding the right shoe is pretty important to avoid injury. I've run in about 6 different shoes and just recently found a pair that don't make me hurt. If the shins don't stop hurting I'd try biking. You can get just as good of a workout without all of the damage to your joints.

I have a mountain bike race on May 13th that I have to get ready for and haven't really done much training for other than the occasional run and strength training. So I should probably look into doing a few long intense rides before then. :death:

Good luck on your run!

Go scooter!

Well its winter here so I'm fighting with dealing with the cold and waiting 20mins for the trams which are usually running even later than that when I get home after the gym.

My goals are to at least do 5 days a week at the gym, but this week for instance: i'm not going tonight, but this morning i did approx 30mins walk whilst letterboxing (i'm protesting a development in the area so I was putting a letter in my neighbours' boxes to tell them abotu the meeting at council on tuesday) and instead of going to the gym straight after work, i'm going home to enjoy what little daylight I have and will go for another walk since it won't be very brisk or as much of a workout like the treadmill or cross trainer will give me.

I'm with you abotu shaping up and increasing fitness, i would also like to be a lot stronger. my deltoids, triceps and biceps are weak as piss, anything over 5kg and i'm in pain and can't move the weights, so i'd like to see what imrpove. I'm just finishing week 7 of the gym.

Iv'e psoted this tip a million times before on here but if your'e broke: go and see which gyms are in your area, look for their website and loko at see if they have free trial for a week or two or if you have a friend who goes to those, ask if they can score you a free guest pass to try it out or look for a third party website like www.goodgymguide.com.au which has special free trial ofers.

This way you get to at least push yourself at the gym for free, whilst seeing which gym you like best, what deals they have (for instance, the one i'm going to now is 22pw open plan so you can stop anytime with 2 weeks notice, or its 18pw for a 12 month contract plus a joining fee which they'll take $100 off because i've been trialing them, the other gym i tried was 6 months for 40per fortnight fo, 36 per fortnight for 12 month contract or 32 per fortnight for 18 months contract (yet a friend of mine got 3 months membership for 36 per fortnight!), others have open plans some are really rigid.). This way you can see if its worth that amount of money and what facilities you'd get for it, and the standards of the class teachers.

And also int he meantime you at least can jumpstart your motvations by going to tghe gym, even if its for a short amount of time, because oyu'll find that you'll slowly end up going there for sometimes 3 hours and then realise "fucking hell i'm inside all the time' and slowly start being self motivated enough to get up early and go for a walk int he park, get a few dumbells or hand weights for using at home to suppliment going to the gym so you'er not spending your non work time there. (and on my holidays i would spent 1.5 hours on cardio machines plus another hour on weights and ocne i got back to work i was like woah i can't do this, i'd be home every night by 9pm and then it would be way too late to eat dinner!)

I have a New Balance pair of cross trainer shoes which seem to be ok. I dont' run or job though and whilst i go for a brisk pace (i do interval training on teh treadmill) i try not to run because i find it will jar and hurt my knees. Plus i'm unfit anyway and also i find at a fairly brisk speed i'm not balanced on the treadmill, i walk funny, i have to hold the railings and i'd prefer not to do that but looking straight ahead my legs just go weird so i have to do it slower so i'm getting a bettter technique and still looking straight ahead.

I also find on the treadmill if you're not going fast to at least increasse the incline, so i do a lot of that, about 4.4 speed but on the highest inclune (15) and thats still a great workout, plus with the cross trainer or bike you can still get your heart rate up, which mine has been improving, i was getting 190 really easily now its about 165.

I have a really good strength program for you, Nat. Especially if you're looking to get stronger.
Are you and Tara still working out together?

First, I apologize for making a thread that discriminates against those in land down under!

As for shoes. It's a good point... I had someone check them for me when I bought them, and I don't think I've run the 500 miles on them yet, but I think it's time to look at new ones. I ran on them last summer without issue, but like I mentioned, I've gotten a bit heavier and less muscular, and that could have changed my stride. I feel like I might be supinating excessively on my right foot.

I do like to cross train to keep it easy on my joints, and run only twice a week. I often bike, but this really isn't the town for it, what with its unclimable hills.

Anyway, I'm a little sore after going out this evening, but not as bad. We'll see how this goes. I should probably stop running down hills and just walk them. They are impossible to avoid here.

Good luck with your mountain bike race! That sounds awesome. I can't wait to move back to the land of mountain biking! And my mom said my parents would get me a new bike for my bday. The old one is severely ghetto.

Hey that would be great, please pass it on.

Nope T's trial ran out before mine (i had a longer one via a work pal) so she signed up at the gym i was last at, so i'm going through all the free trials i can to make the final decision as to which one i'm going to plonk money down on. We do miss working out with each other, it was fun to shoot the breeze peddling away and talk about crap. But last week T and I met up for a late lunch after our workouts since both gyms are a block apart (not very far at all) and we met up with chickencat (who by sheer coincidence works at my workplace!).

LOL its all good.

You should really check out the Asics Gel Kayano XII.
The shoe is amazing.

As for running downhill, the reason most people get injured is because they attempt to "brake". That creates a lot of force on your joints. What you should to do is lean a little more forward and take longer strides. You'll find that to be more efficient and less painful.

I have the spreadsheet saved at work so I'll send it to you tomorrow.
I'm going to preach the importance of getting enough protein too, so don't be alarmed when I send you links to all sorts of shit.

Good to know. Thanks. On both counts.

All of this talk about running...
has made me feel horrible about not running tonight. I need to go get it done right now.

See... that's the point of threads like this...
Guilt.

Oh wait. I mean motivation.

yes, sargent volcom

I don't eat meat though*, so my protein is non heme which means i need at least two or three types to make a complete proten (eg beans and rice and tofu or something which also have carbs but its still good carbs), but i eat nuts like almonds and cashews, have sesame seeds and cashews or almonds in a tofu and veggie stir fry etc etc. plus eggs and baked beans as well for breakfast once a week at least (though sometimes its my dinner after a workout when its like 8pm or 9pm and i need jsut a light meal.

I have though, started buying (and boy are they fuckign expensive) musashi stuff. i got a muscle gain powder (its amino acids) but i think i'll go the whole hog and get those whey protein isolators which can also be a meal replacement, so that way i'm getting a good source of protein with the essential amino acids. they cost a fortune though $50-100.

*i love roast lamb and chicken and salmon and tuna (to a lesser extent) and i was eating a bit of tuna or having salmon nori rolls but i jsut feel utterly guilty about eating animals, plus the way water is, with a drought on, the amount of water wasted when producing meat etc i jsut can't eat it, not to mention the growth hromones in it (and organic is way to expensive) and the fact it clogs your digestive system i jsut can't eat meat if only they weren't formerly living creatures then i'd have no hestitation in eating it.

um... me?

Ha ha. oops!

I went to watch for like 10 minutes. He was singing some song he claimed to have written with Dr. Dre. By which he meant that every second word was motherfucker, ho or bitch.

Anywho, my jogging is definitely picking up! It's exciting to feel it getting easier again. Of course my poor shin isn't feeling any better. I might give it one last go tomorrow and then take a week off and try and swim instead.