I want to get fitter and lose some weight - my goal when I hit 50, in two years time is to lose about 10kg, and I don't want to feel puffed out when running for 20 minutes straight. It would be great if I could complete a half marathon. So I don't think my expectations are that high given the time span.

First a bit of background.

I'm 47yo and currently weigh 94kg, I've smoked for the best part of my life, but now take nicotine pills, which seem to work for me pretty well. I still have the odd puff, but seem to manage, with my addiction. I enjoy drinking and would consume 4 or 5 bottles of wine over a weekend, and not that keen to give that up.

For the past 4 or 5 months I've been running/walking approx 2.5km three times a week (20 minutes per session), I also ride my bike 40 minutes a day to work. I think I eat quite healthy. I'll start the day with a freshly squeezed juice, maybe have a white coffee at morning tea, and eat a salad or soup for lunch and eat what my wife puts on the table for dinner - usually, meat and three veg - she's a bit of a hippy so I believe I eat well.

I've been losing some weight - but it seems very slow, maybe 1kg per month. More recently I've been doing my run/walk everyday - and I've had better results, but it's been a bit of a hard slog. I also go for a surf maybe once a fortnight, I'd surf more often but conditions are not always what I want. I refuse to go to the gym as I don't believe I need to go to an institution to get fit, and would prefer some home grown techniques to achieve my goal.

I guess there are a few other seabreezers like me. Does anyone have any other tips or tricks that I can do that will get me into shape a little faster, without adjusting my lifestyle too drastically.

Slower weight loss is permanent weight loss - I reckon losing 1kg a month is good. Maybe can step it up to 2kg p/m with better diet and smidge more exercise but I reckon you are doing great!

adolf said...
I refuse to go to the gym as I don't believe I need to go to an institution to get fit, and would prefer some home grown techniques to achieve my goal.

I guess there are a few other seabreezers like me. Does anyone have any other tips or tricks that I can do that will get me into shape a little faster, without adjusting my lifestyle too drastically.

I'm 38 and I was probably about as fit as you are now when I started: I weighed ~80kg, I could run 4km reasonably easy. I have walked 20 minutes to work every day for a few years. I eat reasonably healthy, no junk food ever, fresh and varied is best. I was OK, but nothing special fit wise.

I started doing Muay Thai at a gym six months ago. I'd say I am now, seriously, at least 3 times as fit as I was when I started. I've lost a belt notch and put on 4kg. Windsurfing 25 knots, bodysurfing almost closed beaches, running 5km barely raises my pulse these days. In bed [cough cough] I have to purposefully take it very easy. My resting pulse rate is 50. I often can't wait for a training session. I got my colleague into it and he lost 5kg in two months. I have never, in my life, come anywhere near as close to exerting as much energy as I have during an intense training session. When I first started I'd almost puke every time, now I do weights or a run after for fun. It's a steep curve.

The reason I mention it is that it is not boring. I haven't the personality type to just go to a gym. With any martial art the trainer will push you far, far beyond anything you thought possible, and there's no way you can stop in a class like this, unless you collapse (and people do).

And it's honestly really interesting, there is so much more to it than I imagined. I've just started doing a little light sparring and there really is a comparison to chess, or at least chequers. There are so many possibilities.

And it's not weather dependent (although weather dependency can be half the fun, eh?)

Overall very highly recommended.

Breakfast is important and so is mixing things up a bit, don't stick to the same routine as your body quickly adjusts and adapts so the exercise becomes less effective..run, swim, surf, cycle, try weights at home...building muscle is good, burns more calories then fat, lets you sort of diet while your just sitting around. At the end of the day it's basically an equation...if you put to much petrol into your car and don't drive it round enough it's gonna leak out into the boot. I don't like to be the one to bring it to your attention but running 20 min=250calories out, one bottle of wine=approximately 500 in....climbing down off my box now...

Chilla said...

Breakfast is important and so is mixing things up a bit, don't stick to the same routine as your body quickly adjusts and adapts so the exercise becomes less effective..run, swim, surf, cycle, try weights at home...building muscle is good, burns more calories then fat, lets you sort of diet while your just sitting around. At the end of the day it's basically an equation...if you put to much petrol into your car and don't drive it round enough it's gonna leak out into the boot. I don't like to be the one to bring it to your attention but running 20 min=250calories out, one bottle of wine=approximately 500 in....climbing down off my box now...

So for 5 bottles of wine he would need to run for 3 and 1/2 hours?? and thats if he dosent eat any cheese with it.

Chilla said...

Breakfast is important and so is mixing things up a bit, don't stick to the same routine as your body quickly adjusts and adapts so the exercise becomes less effective..run, swim, surf, cycle, try weights at home...building muscle is good, burns more calories then fat, lets you sort of diet while your just sitting around. At the end of the day it's basically an equation...if you put to much petrol into your car and don't drive it round enough it's gonna leak out into the boot. I don't like to be the one to bring it to your attention but running 20 min=250calories out, one bottle of wine=approximately 500 in....climbing down off my box now...

I'm hearing you. More recently, I've switched to a piece of toast and tuna for breakie or some muesli, yoghurt, fruit and honey and then having fresh juice for morning tea instead. I'm quite conscious of what I eat and am starting to read my body much better.

I do feel that the exercise I do may cancel out the wine I enjoy drinking on the weekend. The other thing I'v noticed since running/walking is that I'm feeling very stiff in the mornings, which kind of worries me. I'm ok about 20 minutes later - but it's something new that I'm a little concerned about.

As I've got older my metabolism has become messed up and I'd love to get that working better. I'm really looking for a routine that I can live with for a long time to come. I've done the quick weight loss fixes before - ie no breads/pastas etc, which work in the short term. I'm currently quite enjoying my routine - and the run/walks i've started. I can do a little more, but am conscious of not wanting to push to hard. But there are a few quirks that I don't think are working quite right and am looking for some subtle changes to what I'm doing or suggestions - keep em coming.

One of the biggest factors in my life, I feel that hinders my goal, is my sedentary job - sitting in front of a computer shifting pixels around a screen.

Have any of you had any experiences with yoga, relaxation, breathing techniques. I'm thinking that this may be beneficial that I could fit in.

^^^^bang on.A unhealthy liver wont help you lose weight.
Im sure life can still be fun and enjoyable without 5 bottles of wine on the weekend.
as I take a sip of my double bourbon and coke

Maybe go for 3 bottles of wine spread over the whole week.
I know when I didnt touch the grog for 2 months I lost 10kgs without even trying.
I think its all about finding a happy balance, which get harder with age unfortunatly.

^^ Yep ^^ and yep to the post above that.

4-5 bottles of wine is pretty excessive. I'd be just as happy with three.

I gave up alcohol last year for 3 months, and I was dead bored.

There would be a few less drunken right-wing rants on seabreeze, which would be a good thing. I could still get drunk one night per week - I could live with that - I'll give it a try.

I'm not sure why, but I reckon alcohol makes me become more right wing, homophobic, racist, inflexible, intolerant and extremely moody in the morning - I wake up some mornings feeling like Alan Jones, full of anger - what's going on with that?

adolf said...

I'm not sure why, but I reckon alcohol makes me become more right wing, homophobic, racist, inflexible, intolerant and extremely moody in the morning - I wake up some mornings feeling like Alan Jones, full of anger - what's going on with that?

It hinders higher brain function.

Adolf, if you don't mind reading, get a copy of "in defense of food". It is not a diet book, it is more guidelines for eating.

The basic message is, "eat food*, not too much, mostly plants"

* Not everything humans eat is actually food, some of it is 'food like substance'.

Spelling is for the missus

^ That's anyone that ****s with me and stands perfectly still and doesn't punch back.
...and I think I'll just stick to the bags/not progress to fighting. : o

Yeah the alcohol...

I'm starting to reallly go off it. My flat mate has never drunk, Muslim, and his comments like "why do you want to turn into a dickhead and feel sick?" have hit a chord with me.

At first I tried to explain that being drunk isn't anything like that, but as I live in the city 5 nights/week I noticed that, to my horror, that is actually exactly what it is like. Spend one night as a designated driver or similar and you'll see what I mean. I guess I have just become so accustomed to it I didn't see it.
Search youtube for 'drunk'.

I did a dry February and while the first two weeks were really hard by the fourth I was actually a little sad about going back to drinking twice a week again, with the occasional binge. So I haven't exactly. For sure I liked my first wine, but not as much as I did before my dry month, and I don't think I'll ever enjoy it as much again.

Without even trying I don't drink more than a glass to go with my meal. Drunk me is not the person I really want to be any more.

I eat healthy snacks abour 30 minutes before supper.
Esp. when I'm the one doing the cooking.

Like an apple, a carrot, some cheese. Large portions too.
When comes time for the real meal, I'm less hungry and eat less.

Sleep like a baby, never stuffy.
Don't know if what I'm doing is healthy, but seems to work...

There is a govermnent health initiative on the tv at the moment, asking people to become a swapper, that is swap large portions for smaller portions.

I guess the message is, all things in moderation

Some little tips:
Keep pushing yourself when you are exercising so a bit longer each week for the runs or pushing yourself. Energy in = Energy out. So you can become stagnant and improvements plateau if you're just maintaining your exercise and diet.

If you are feeling stiff, do some stretches to improve your flexibility. It may not help with the delayed onset muscle soreness but will help none the less

As one of the others said, losing weight slowly is better than fast. Look on tv, all those people on the weightloss shows pack it all back once they're out in the real world. Your body needs to slowly adjust inorder to maintain the weightloss physiologically not to mention mentally too.

In terms of your office job, you could grab a fit ball and sit on that? Works your core muscles and improves your balance too.

What Mark and Greengriff said, I reckon. Eat less at evening meals, cut down on the alcohol a far bit more (Im not sure what kind of effect alcohol has on actual weight loss, but it cant be good to drink that much that quick.

Like Mark said, sounds like you're already doing great.