Fitness for Glastonbury 2023

[Willy-wam-wam-wozzle]

2 hours ago, Jacko45 said:

The very best way I found was running - As all you need is a decent pair of trainers.

Also unlike a gym where you may need to drive there and back etc you can just get changed and go then quick shower after.

I started with couch to 5k in the first lockdown and done 2 half-marathons since then it's fantastic. 

When you get into it, 5k should take you around 30mins or less so it's great exercise in a short amount of time.

 

Unfortunately my knee is fucked so can’t run. Probably need to have an op on it really. Fell of a bouldering wall a bit before covid and it’s pretty unstable. Otherwise running would be the way forward for sure.

I got bang into cycling during lockdowns, but it takes ages and as you say the gym is pretty time consuming as well.

I made it to the gym yesterday lunchtime for a 30 min blitz on a cross trainer, might try and make a habit of that.

[Jacko45]

19 hours ago, Willy-wam-wam-wozzle said:

Unfortunately my knee is fucked so can’t run. Probably need to have an op on it really. Fell of a bouldering wall a bit before covid and it’s pretty unstable. Otherwise running would be the way forward for sure.

I got bang into cycling during lockdowns, but it takes ages and as you say the gym is pretty time consuming as well.

I made it to the gym yesterday lunchtime for a 30 min blitz on a cross trainer, might try and make a habit of that.

Ah shit sorry to hear that man.

It's really difficult to make time, but I try really simplify it in my mind and go even 30 mins a few times a week is better than nothing.

If you nail those 30 mins each time it can be really beneficial. 

[Willy-wam-wam-wozzle]

1 hour ago, Jacko45 said:

Ah shit sorry to hear that man.

It's really difficult to make time, but I try really simplify it in my mind and go even 30 mins a few times a week is better than nothing.

If you nail those 30 mins each time it can be really beneficial. 

Yeah it’s a bit shit, doesn’t effect day to day left so not usually a massive issue.

I think you’re exactly right there. I’ve always been more ‘do it properly or not at all’, so it’s just a mindset change and fit in where I can. Thanks for the tip!

[gigpusher]

31 minutes ago, Willy-wam-wam-wozzle said:

Yeah it’s a bit shit, doesn’t effect day to day left so not usually a massive issue.

I think you’re exactly right there. I’ve always been more ‘do it properly or not at all’, so it’s just a mindset change and fit in where I can. Thanks for the tip!

I think with exercise you just need to think doing something is better than doing nothing and build it from there. The fitter you get the more you'll be able to achieve as well. 

[moogster]

Boo: I haven't gone climbing for the past 3 or 4 months for various reasons. I went yesterday and not only was my technique laughable but my upper body strength is just GONE. 

If anyone knows how I can work on that somehow while sitting at a desk all day please share. Not sure I can do random push up breaks 😛 

I do think it does matter for Glasto as my back and core need to be stronger to avoid the dreaded back ache after many hours standing and walking.

[gigpusher]

1 hour ago, moogster said:

Boo: I haven't gone climbing for the past 3 or 4 months for various reasons. I went yesterday and not only was my technique laughable but my upper body strength is just GONE. 

If anyone knows how I can work on that somehow while sitting at a desk all day please share. Not sure I can do random push up breaks 😛 

I do think it does matter for Glasto as my back and core need to be stronger to avoid the dreaded back ache after many hours standing and walking.

Pilates is probably the best thing you can do for your core strength. I miss my pilates classes. Think in the New Year I might try and find a You Tube one I can do although trouble with trying to do these things at home is I usually end up with a dog sat on my head 😄 

[moogster]

14 minutes ago, gigpusher said:

Pilates is probably the best thing you can do for your core strength. I miss my pilates classes. Think in the New Year I might try and find a You Tube one I can do although trouble with trying to do these things at home is I usually end up with a dog sat on my head 😄 

Do you know Yoga with Adrienne? She's very good at handling the dog thing 😛

Just downloaded the Nike fitness app, just to have a push to do basic exercises while away for Christmas / not in the mood for the gym. 

[gigpusher]

2 hours ago, moogster said:

Do you know Yoga with Adrienne? She's very good at handling the dog thing 😛

Just downloaded the Nike fitness app, just to have a push to do basic exercises while away for Christmas / not in the mood for the gym. 

I've never got on with yoga but liked Pilates. Don't know why. I used to have to do exercises for my back at home and every time I ended up with Ferris on top of me barking his head off. He's a bit of a special needs dog. He doesn't like change and me on the floor doing exercises is too much change for him. 

[p.pete]

13 minutes ago, gigpusher said:

I've never got on with yoga but liked Pilates. Don't know why. I used to have to do exercises for my back at home and every time I ended up with Ferris on top of me barking his head off. He's a bit of a special needs dog. He doesn't like change and me on the floor doing exercises is too much change for him. 

If you do manage to find any youtube channels that you'd recommend, I'd be interested - though it sounds like you have an adorable dog who wants to keep you just as you are, so you might not get too far down that route.  Yoga with Adrienne is great, her dog isn't the most active though, her main issue I think is if he tries to sleep on the mat.  Yoga with Kasandra good too - she's a bit less 'super-enthusiastic' - but don't really know about any pilates resources that have quite the same volume of quality free videos available.

[gigpusher]

4 minutes ago, p.pete said:

If you do manage to find any youtube channels that you'd recommend, I'd be interested - though it sounds like you have an adorable dog who wants to keep you just as you are, so you might not get too far down that route.  Yoga with Adrienne is great, her dog isn't the most active though, her main issue I think is if he tries to sleep on the mat.  Yoga with Kasandra good too - she's a bit less 'super-enthusiastic' - but don't really know about any pilates resources that have quite the same volume of quality free videos available.

This was when he was a puppy and I was trying to take a photo. Things haven’t changed much except he’d now about 22kg. I frequently have Ferris bruises from the strength and vigour of his love!! I tried to do Joe Wicks during lockdown and he didn’t cope well. He kept trying to stop me! 

[p.pete]

40 minutes ago, gigpusher said:

This was when he was a puppy and I was trying to take a photo. Things haven’t changed much except he’d now about 22kg. I frequently have Ferris bruises from the strength and vigour of his love!! I tried to do Joe Wicks during lockdown and he didn’t cope well. He kept trying to stop me! 

I'm trying to decide whether to go with you look like you're tiny, or that puppy is huge - I was never brought up around dogs, so haven't seen many puppies, but I assume it's the latter 😄 - he looks adorable!  (have you tried bench pressing him? or get him good and tired, put some food out for him and then set a blanket up somewhere warm, he might be sleepy enough to sit Joe Wicks out after that?)

[moogster]

My cats think that a yoga mat is the best thing ever to sharpen their claws... Probably so they can show off how much more flexible they are than I am. 

[gigpusher]

1 hour ago, p.pete said:

I'm trying to decide whether to go with you look like you're tiny, or that puppy is huge - I was never brought up around dogs, so haven't seen many puppies, but I assume it's the latter 😄 - he looks adorable!  (have you tried bench pressing him? or get him good and tired, put some food out for him and then set a blanket up somewhere warm, he might be sleepy enough to sit Joe Wicks out after that?)

He was about 7 months old there so not a tiny puppy but he was probably about 15-16 kg there and now he's about 22kg. 

[Alvoram]

Just a quick note to say I've not given up, or gone anywhere, things are still going well (enough) But it is just easy to forget, even for me, just how bloody busy we get in the trade these next few weeks... 

As a side note, and grumble, don't assume you can just walk into a pub / restaurant and get a table over the next few weeks... Sick to death already of telling people we're full and giving them a business card with the booking link... They treat you like it's your fault they are so disorganised. 😞 

[Crazyfool01]

1 hour ago, Alvoram said:

Just a quick note to say I've not given up, or gone anywhere, things are still going well (enough) But it is just easy to forget, even for me, just how bloody busy we get in the trade these next few weeks... 

As a side note, and grumble, don't assume you can just walk into a pub / restaurant and get a table over the next few weeks... Sick to death already of telling people we're full and giving them a business card with the booking link... They treat you like it's your fault they are so disorganised. 😞 

all the best over next few weeks , I understand that pain of demanding customers ( although fortunately ive only got 4 more busy shifts that I tick off , friday approaching being the worst day of the year ) 

[Walter Sobchak]

On 12/14/2022 at 12:29 PM, Willy-wam-wam-wozzle said:

Yeah it’s a bit shit, doesn’t effect day to day left so not usually a massive issue.

I think you’re exactly right there. I’ve always been more ‘do it properly or not at all’, so it’s just a mindset change and fit in where I can. Thanks for the tip!

You don't even need a gym, just do a Joe Wicks 20 mins workout from home with no equipment!

Just search for him on youtube

[moogster]

21 minutes ago, Walter Sobchak said:

You don't even need a gym, just do a Joe Wicks 20 mins workout from home with no equipment!

Just search for him on youtube

Yes I am actually wondering if I should renew my gym membership. It's cheap but I don't really enjoy going there (atmosphere, half the machines not working etc.

I did an online training yesterday, 20 minutes upper body workout, no gear needed,  and it was more intensive than anything I'd do at the gym. And I can swear at the trainer on the screen all I want 🙂 "what do you mean plank again ??? you b*tch! "

[Neil]

21 hours ago, Crazyfool01 said:

all the best over next few weeks , I understand that pain of demanding customers ( although fortunately ive only got 4 more busy shifts that I tick off , friday approaching being the worst day of the year ) 

I feel for you, the wife said people were up for fighting at sainsburys yesterday. 

[Alvoram]

21 hours ago, Crazyfool01 said:

all the best over next few weeks , I understand that pain of demanding customers ( although fortunately ive only got 4 more busy shifts that I tick off , friday approaching being the worst day of the year ) 

Thanks bud... I'm dreading Mad Friday. Although this year, our toughest day is looking like Christmas eve if the booking system is anything to go by... 

5 minutes ago, Neil said:

I feel for you, the wife said people were up for fighting at sainsburys yesterday. 

There's a horrible vibe this year, horrible horrible horrible... Last year was such a nice Christmas, everybody was just happy to have Christmas back, the vibe was incredible, a real coming together and a celebratory atmosphere every single day of December. Up there as possibly the best Christmas ever. This year everybody is just feeling the pressures a little bit, lots of stress, lots of (dare I use this word) discontent. Everybody in almost every trade is over worked and under paid. Staff shortages, strikes, rising costs, all mean people can't have, or do, what they're used to, and they don't like it. #BeKind was definitely left back in 2020/21!

[philipsteak]

On 12/11/2022 at 9:12 AM, Alvoram said:

I actually have multiple reasons...

Glasto, obviously. 

My other hobby is roller coasters and theme parks. I have never had to do what us enthusiasts call 'the walk of shame' yet. But I could sense that towards the end of last season, I was getting close. Needing the ride host's help to close the restraints. 😕 Obviously, I'd be absolutely gutted if I got too big to ride coasters. It was only a few months ago that I was in the states purely for visiting theme parks. So by March I want to be closing my own restraints again. (Thankfully, visiting parks also helps massively with weight loss if I'm eating right, silly amounts of daily steps can be achieved at my home park, Alton Towers.) 

And of course, general health, I'm nearly 40 now, I'm getting to an age where diabetes will be a factor if I don't start looking after myself. I've been lucky to avoid it this far, I want to take action before my luck runs out. 

One thing it's never been about for me, is appearance. I couldn't care less what people think about the way I look, take me or leave me. I always said I'd only care about my weight if either my fitness, general health or physical size, prevented me from doing things I want to do. So this is me... Caring.  

 

My luck ran out 3 weeks ago. Well, longer than that obviously but go the confirmation 3 weeks ago. 

I'm 46 and one of those people who's always been overweight to varying degrees, even as a kid. Probably at my heaviest just before lock down 1. And I actually lost weight and got fitter during the lock downs. My job is pretty sedentary so with a lot of free time and an empty Lake District to play in I was moving around a lot more than usual. Still very overweight/obese though. And I've kept up the hiking since. Nothing huge, but some pretty challenging stuff for an overweight unfit person, especially after catching covid which knocked my for 6, and in hindsight was possibly made worse by then having diabetes.

Anyway, after putting off going to the doctors for months despite the obvious symptoms (if the results don't confirm it then I don't have it, eh?) I finally went and got tested. And my numbers were very high apparently. But the good news is, it's given me the kick up the arse I've long needed. Annoyed with myself that this is what it took though. I know there can be  factors out of your control, but a lot is in your control so it's such a stupid disease to have. Or at least that's how I feel about it. 

So far it's going well. I've really cut out the crap from my diet, especially the snacking which was always my problem. Fuck I miss toast. But not as much as I'd miss one of my feet, or my eyesight so, you know...Lost a fair bit of weight, but more importantly my blood sugar levels are much better. Apart from the odd blip they are well within safe levels. Although I am on Metformin so I don't know how much is down to my diet and how much is the drug. Tempted to come off it and see what happens. Got my first full review at the end of Jan so that will be the real indicator regarding blood sugar levels, rather than the finger prick tests I'm doing at home.

I'm interested in trying the 800 cal a day diet that is supposed to be able to put type 2 into remission. And South Cumbria is one of the regions trialing it on the NHS. My GP didn't seem to keen when I talked to her about it. There does seem to be some push back from some GPs but the evidence really is there that it works. Tough, but with an end date and a goal in sight, doable. I may end up just doing it myself (still telling my GP i'm doing it of course)

So anyway, Glastonbury. Hopefully by next June I'll be a lot lighter, a lot fitter and with all my limbs still present. Although that is one way to lose weight...

First time I've actually talked about this with anyone other than my GP. 

[moogster]

16 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

So anyway, Glastonbury. Hopefully by next June I'll be a lot lighter, a lot fitter and with all my limbs still present. Although that is one way to lose weight...

 

Is it bad that this made me laugh?

Good to hear you are balancing the "what I can do" and "what can doctors do for me".

I am about to go for my yearly visit to my mother, who is much older than you but is dealing with type 2 as well. She is refusing to listen to the doctors simple advice to move more, she is retired and doesn't see the point of going out unless it's for a trip to the shops (by car).   Luckily this has no further obvious impact now (eyesight etc) because she does keep a good eye on her levels, but there is no way she is as healthy as let's say my 80 y old neighbours who make a point of going for a long walk everyday. And then she says I should get myself checked (I'm about your edge) because those things are genetic. Anyway, it saddens me, and it's good to see some handle it better 🙂 . And it's an extra nudge for me to pay a little attention as I'd prefer to age like my neighbours!

 

[Alvoram]

7 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

 

My luck ran out 3 weeks ago. Well, longer than that obviously but go the confirmation 3 weeks ago. 

I'm 46 and one of those people who's always been overweight to varying degrees, even as a kid. Probably at my heaviest just before lock down 1. And I actually lost weight and got fitter during the lock downs. My job is pretty sedentary so with a lot of free time and an empty Lake District to play in I was moving around a lot more than usual. Still very overweight/obese though. And I've kept up the hiking since. Nothing huge, but some pretty challenging stuff for an overweight unfit person, especially after catching covid which knocked my for 6, and in hindsight was possibly made worse by then having diabetes.

Anyway, after putting off going to the doctors for months despite the obvious symptoms (if the results don't confirm it then I don't have it, eh?) I finally went and got tested. And my numbers were very high apparently. But the good news is, it's given me the kick up the arse I've long needed. Annoyed with myself that this is what it took though. I know there can be  factors out of your control, but a lot is in your control so it's such a stupid disease to have. Or at least that's how I feel about it. 

So far it's going well. I've really cut out the crap from my diet, especially the snacking which was always my problem. Fuck I miss toast. But not as much as I'd miss one of my feet, or my eyesight so, you know...Lost a fair bit of weight, but more importantly my blood sugar levels are much better. Apart from the odd blip they are well within safe levels. Although I am on Metformin so I don't know how much is down to my diet and how much is the drug. Tempted to come off it and see what happens. Got my first full review at the end of Jan so that will be the real indicator regarding blood sugar levels, rather than the finger prick tests I'm doing at home.

I'm interested in trying the 800 cal a day diet that is supposed to be able to put type 2 into remission. And South Cumbria is one of the regions trialing it on the NHS. My GP didn't seem to keen when I talked to her about it. There does seem to be some push back from some GPs but the evidence really is there that it works. Tough, but with an end date and a goal in sight, doable. I may end up just doing it myself (still telling my GP i'm doing it of course)

So anyway, Glastonbury. Hopefully by next June I'll be a lot lighter, a lot fitter and with all my limbs still present. Although that is one way to lose weight...

First time I've actually talked about this with anyone other than my GP. 

Oh mate, proper shit isn't it. We know where we're headed, but for some reason we never quite think we'll get there... It won't happen to me syndrome. 

Glad things are going well for you, definitely keep us updated in here. I've accepted that I just need to be as good as I can over Christmas, as I'll be too busy to post all of the time on the forums, I'll probably just update once a week, but once Christmas is over, I'll hit it hard again, with daily updates. 

I've not heard of the 800kcal diet, and tbf, it does go against everything I thought I'd learned about nutrition. Few years ago I read a lot of studies that claim keto, or low carb diets in general, can push it into remission. Have a read of this... https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/put-diabetes-into-remission-with-low-carb.html

But since then I've also read read studies such as this one in the BMJ that acknowledge low carb diets work, but that they may only work for up to 12 months, and could be negative in the long run. https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.m4743

So just be careful. Honestly, in your shoes, I think I'd just try and eat a balanced med style diet, with a healthy sized / small calorie deficit. A balanced diet that you could live the rest of your life by happily and healthily is probably best in the long run. But then, I'm certainly no doctor. 🙂 

Whatever you decide though, best of luck. As I said to somebody else in the thread, if you need a challenge buddy in the new year, happy to join you in some friendly step challenges / competitions. 🙂 

 

[moogster]

I read an article recently about a "magic" pill being prescribed  for people way overweight with high medical risks, that is being misused by the rich and famous (in the US) to keep a size 0, and that has for effect that food seems just disgusting and eating makes you nauseous. How horrible is that!!!

[philipsteak]

30 minutes ago, moogster said:

Is it bad that this made me laugh?

Good to hear you are balancing the "what I can do" and "what can doctors do for me".

I am about to go for my yearly visit to my mother, who is much older than you but is dealing with type 2 as well. She is refusing to listen to the doctors simple advice to move more, she is retired and doesn't see the point of going out unless it's for a trip to the shops (by car).   Luckily this has no further obvious impact now (eyesight etc) because she does keep a good eye on her levels, but there is no way she is as healthy as let's say my 80 y old neighbours who make a point of going for a long walk everyday. And then she says I should get myself checked (I'm about your edge) because those things are genetic. Anyway, it saddens me, and it's good to see some handle it better 🙂 . And it's an extra nudge for me to pay a little attention as I'd prefer to age like my neighbours!

 

I was tempted to make a similar quip during the consultation but I don't think my gp had much of a sense of humour. Plus she's probably heard it before. 

Hope you manage to get somewhere with your mum. She does maybe have a point about you though. I've been doing a lot of reading and whilst there are obvious signs and indicators, it's not always who you think will get it. One line I've seen a few times is "not everyone fat has type 2 diabetes and not everyone with type 2 diabetes is fat"

[moogster]

8 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

 

Hope you manage to get somewhere with your mum. She does maybe have a point about you though. I've been doing a lot of reading and whilst there are obvious signs and indicators, it's not always who you think will get it. One line I've seen a few times is "not everyone fat has type 2 diabetes and not everyone with type 2 diabetes is fat"

Definitely, I have a very slim colleague with type 2! My blood check last year was good so I do keep an eye on things.

(And I'm sure medical professionals make much worse jokes than the above when patients are not around )