# Incentive to fitness



## Pond Life (Aug 5, 2017)

Hi all,
Been in the service 30 years. Started out with a waistline of 28 inches and now it's 38 inches. I used to be 84 kilos and now 100 kilos.
Two naff knees and a dodgy back.
Need to get rid of this weight as I am feeling tired all the time but just can't get motivated. Shifts are the main culprit 2 day, 3 night 2 days off. 
I have no idea how to get motivated enough to get out of my bed or sofa to go through the pain of exercising 

Advise on a post card..
Mike


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## VFlutter (Aug 5, 2017)

Not sure how you expect other people to tell you how to get motivated. But anyway, a high caffeine preworkout although unhealthy can really help get you going when you are tired and not feeling it.


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## NysEms2117 (Aug 5, 2017)

Try active practical fitness( pushing sleds, using ropes, deadlifts) ya know things you'll actually use in real life. I find the benefit of making my life easier in the future worth it. Or C4..... the pre workout


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## VentMonkey (Aug 5, 2017)

Like @Chase said, no one else can motivate you. With that, after 30 years on the job I would start slowly. Maybe leisurely walks with your spouse, friends, or significant other.

I happen to think preworkouts are _thee_ worst thing that's ever happened to "physical fitness" since say, ephedra. Names like "One More Rep", and "No-xxplode" only confirm my suspicions.

While this is bordering on medical advice--as might this thread topic be--I don't know that preworkouts are necessarily the best thing for you. They're, again, hardly the best thing for even the most physically fit bodybuilding gym rat. Yeah, they're lean and ripped, but I guarantee most of these folks feel like crap, which sort of defeats the purpose.

Maybe join your local fitness club and pair up with a personal trainer who can help you get to where you want to be, at your pace, age, and does so by including a (emphasizes) _healthy_ diet.


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## StCEMT (Aug 5, 2017)

Post cardish


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## CALEMT (Aug 5, 2017)

Pond Life said:


> I have no idea how to get motivated enough to get out of my bed or sofa to go through the pain of exercising



Shouldn't loosing weight and having a healthier lifestyle be enough motivation?


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## StCEMT (Aug 5, 2017)

CALEMT said:


> Shouldn't loosing weight and having a healthier lifestyle be enough motivation?


Immediate gratification vs long term results. Sushi King is great now, but not for your bank account repeated over months. We like now though.


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## Pond Life (Aug 6, 2017)

CALEMT said:


> Shouldn't loosing weight and having a healthier lifestyle be enough motivation?


Should be, but my motivation at present is not to injury myself. Every time I set out on the path of reducing weight, increasing fitness I end up re-kindling an existing injury. It's a cycle that has repeated itself over the decades and is the reason why I am where I am.
Exercise - injury - stop exercising  - weight gain in recovery - recover - exercise injury - more weight gain - more susceptibility to injury on the next exercise regime.

Breaking the cycle on this is a challenge. I know about wanting to be healthier - I would love to go back to the sport I adore - fencing, but the existing injuries make me susceptible to re-injury.


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## StCEMT (Aug 6, 2017)

Count calories. Eat good food. Swim.

Cutting out the unnecessary food is the easiest way to gradually lose weight and swimming is a good low impact exercise.


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## Pond Life (Aug 6, 2017)

definitely need to reduce food - the stuff I eat is really good (no junk food) I just eat too much. So am cutting out volume of food and red meat.

I can't swim as front crawl twists my lower back and that is also why I can't fence - the twisting motion on a lunge. But thank you for the thought.

I have decided to purchase a decent rowing machine for the house. That should get me started. York R700 Platinum. https://www.sweatband.com/york-r700-platinum-rowing-machine.html


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## CALEMT (Aug 6, 2017)

Pond Life said:


> definitely need to reduce food - the stuff I eat is really good (no junk food) I just eat too much. So am cutting out volume of food and red meat.



Not necessarily. Reduce the amount of food you eat for you main course meals i.e. breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Snack periodically throughout the day. Just to give you an example of my "meal plan" I start out with a protein shake (protein powder, 1/2 banana, couple strawberries, couple blueberries, and unsweetened almond milk). It'll make quite a bit and thats okay. It'll fill you for quite sometime. Next comes my midmorning snack. That'll consist of like couple grapes and low fat string cheese, or a cliff bar (just something light and healthy). Then lunch. Turkey sandwich, no mayo... for the love of God if you want to loose weight stay away from mayo. Mustard, low sodium turkey (Hillshire Farm), lettuce, tomato, and maybe some onion. The bread you can go full blown food nazi. Dave's power seed bread is good. After lunch comes the afternoon snack. Again something light and healthy. Then dinner. Grilled chicken with broccoli... you get the idea. After dinner comes dessert. Be careful when it comes to this. Stay with fat free frozen yoghurt. No ice cream. 

All in all its hard at first because you have no idea what the hell your doing, but it gets easier. The best thing to do is to see a nutritionalist. Everyone is different and what works for me definitely won't work for others. I've still got my metabolism going for me so I can really slack when it comes to food. Limit your red meat, stay with lean beef or even better wild game. Chicken and fish you can never go wrong with. And all the above doesn't matter if you're not doing some sort of physical exercise. Wether its a brisk walk at first it doesn't matter, get out there. Rome wasn't built in a day and loosing weight certainly doesn't happen overnight.


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## Ensihoitaja (Aug 7, 2017)

Is bike commuting an option? Did wonders for me.


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## Pond Life (Aug 8, 2017)

Unfortunately not - 28 miles each way


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## CALEMT (Aug 8, 2017)

Pond Life said:


> Unfortunately not - 28 miles each way



Thats considered to be a warm-up for road bikers. Us mountain bikers consider that a a** kicker.


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## Seirende (Aug 9, 2017)

Pond Life said:


> Should be, but my motivation at present is not to injury myself. Every time I set out on the path of reducing weight, increasing fitness I end up re-kindling an existing injury. It's a cycle that has repeated itself over the decades and is the reason why I am where I am.
> Exercise - injury - stop exercising  - weight gain in recovery - recover - exercise injury - more weight gain - more susceptibility to injury on the next exercise regime.
> 
> Breaking the cycle on this is a challenge. I know about wanting to be healthier - I would love to go back to the sport I adore - fencing, but the existing injuries make me susceptible to re-injury.



Sounds like you really need someone who can monitor your progress and help you avoid re-injury. My one line of advice... see a physical therapist, maybe get a personal trainer. Motivation plus avoiding re-injury.


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## Pond Life (Aug 9, 2017)

Thank you all, some very good advise. I'll have a chat at my local gym and see what they say. Need to make sure the trainer understands the limitation of injury on exercise. I've been there before where you have a 25 year old not understanding that someone twice their age can't do crunches and burps like they can. So I'll have a chat and suss them out.
cheers
Mike


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