FW PRESENTS – GEEK FITNESS 2
Rob and fellow podcaster Gene Hendricks are back to update their progress when it comes to getting exercise and staying fit!
- E-MAIL: firewaterpodcast@comcast.net
- GENE HENDRICKS: http://www.thehammerstrikes.com
- FIRE AND WATER GEEK FITNESS FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/789580677916907
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Thanks for listening! Now get out there!
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Very motivating as always fellas. I commend you both for sticking to it, and even if you faltered here and there, you are still doing good work spreading the word amongst the normally lathargic geeky community.
I know last time I wrote in that I was actively trying to walk and exercise more. I did that up into the late fall, then the weather made me a weenie. I am sorry to say I didn’t see the results I wanted, but I now know I didn’t change my diet enough to match.
After our daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in December, our diets DID see quite a change. For sheer solidarity, Cindy and I cut out most of our sugar intake, and began watching portions along with Dani. I have actually lost about 15 pounds as a result. When I mention this, Dani says “You’re welcome.” We use My Fitness Pal to check carbs constantly, so we can formulate her insulin injections.
I don’t recommend the Diabetes Diet, but silver linings and all that. I am trying to get back on my walking regimen, and I think this audio reminder was what I needed to hit the road again.
Chris
I’m glad to hear that you’re looking for the silver lining, Chris. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it sounds like you and Cindy have it down. 🙂
You and Cindy deserve parents of the year medals! The world needs more people like you two.
Completely agree with James above! Way to go Chris and Cindy for being such supportive parents!! And congrats on the health improvements!
I’m not sure if I am allowed to comment on this because I don’t truly exercise in any formal way. That said, I am a fidgety guy and log a lot of steps in my job either seeing patients, walking from meeting to meeting, or just roaming the hallways of the hospital to stretch my legs.
Last July I went to the doctor and saw a number on the scale I should not have seen and decided that something really needed to change. So strictly through significant diet changes (and mostly around portion control, eliminating snacks when ‘bored’, and late night eating ‘because’, I have shed just under 60 pounds.
As you both say, the obsessive ‘comic collector’ personality type helped. And the seeing results helped a ton as well.
I echo both mantras about how this is a daily thing. My own saying is ‘#goalweight isn’t a destination; it’s a journey’. Just because I am where I am now doesn’t mean I don’t have to still keep up the good habits I have endorsed.
Thanks for this!
That’s a great story, Anj. Thanks for sharing!. 🙂
I’m glad you guys came back to this because I had fallen off in the last month or two after losing about fifteen pounds (my MFP since January is a lot of up, down, plateau) and I requested to join the FB group (which I should have done months ago, tbh). Like Rob, I had hit the 240 mark. With it came problems sleeping and recurring gout (which is really fun, let me tell you), so I started going back to the doctor regularly. I’ve also got a consult with a sleep doctor this week because my GP is pretty sure I have sleep apnea.
So I’m kind of still in the beginning stages (again) and am trying to find the best way to do things. What will be easy is that I’m currently on summer break, so I have time to work out during the day. When I get back to work in August, I’m going to have to re-strategize. And I’m going on a Disney cruise next week, so self-control will be VERY important.
One last comment–have you thought of perhaps expanding the discussion to mental health as well? Without getting into too much personal detail, this is something I’ve been taking a serious (and admittedly hard) look at in the last few months and I wonder if our community would welcome a discussion on that.
Great episode, guys!
THANK YOU for doing another episode of Geek Fitness. As a disabled person, I find diet and exercise really challenging, but also extremely important. This two episodes have encouraged me and really made me think.
I’d love to see future episodes cover more about diet and workouts that don’t always include running or walking. Like Tom suggested, I’d love to listen to episodes about mental health. I have severe chronic pain and struggle with depression.
Rob – Since I’m visually disabled, I can’t exercise outdoors alone. So 90% of my exercising is done indoors. Have you thought about getting a treadmill or exercise bike? I have a treadmill and when it finally gives up the ghost, I’ll probably switch to an exercise bike.
James, my wife and I spent a good amount of money on a treadmill a number of years ago and it has been a nice investment. We pointed it at the basement TV, so I can work my way through long-neglected DVDs and VHS tapes (still have those) while walking.
I’d welcome a mental health chat, there’s so much misplaced shame around the subject – so many of us have an emotional problem at some point in our lives, and need to hear that talking about it and asking for help, finding coping routines etc is the way ahead. My GP practice has recently added a dedicated mental health nurse and she, allied to hypnotherapy, has helped me get over a recent nervous problem that popped up after dental treatment. That, and support from my other half, Steve, and manager at work.
Since the last podcast, I managed to lose a few pounds but didn’t stick to the plan very well.
Three months ago, a friend posted a picture of me from a convention and I looked like Jabba the Hutt with legs. As a result, I cut out simple carbs entirely from my diet (no bread and no added sugars) and began running via the Couch to 5K (C25K) program. I’m happy to say that I finished the program last week and am down 36 lbs—the lowest I’ve weighed in a decade.
Thanks for putting together another fitness show. It was a nice reminder that fitness is a continuous journey. I’ll be joining the FW Fitness group soon.
So glad to see another Geek Fitness episode! I tried to be better last year, but didn’t really stick with it. Then starting with the holidays last year, I started eating just whenever (late night snacks, sweets, etc).
Seven weeks ago I got on the scale and saw a number I couldn’t accept. So I did the unthinkable and started exercising. Understand that I abhor exercise. I have for 40+ years. However, I had to make a change. I started to eat better (portion control, less frequent eating, more wheat bread products, less sweets), not major changes, just minor dietary shifts. And I started jogging every single day at lunch. I HATE jogging & running, but had to do something. It’s taken seven weeks just to build up some endurance (starting from barely being able to jog). Just today I reached a milestone for me — I was able to jog an entire half mile without stopping or walking. That may not sound like much to experienced runners, but it’s been a real effort for me. Thankfully I’ve got podcasts and Big Finish audio dramas to keep me company on these runs. And during the past couple weeks of summer, my daughter has been riding her bike while I run. Great time together!
A lot of the weight came off pretty quickly, but somewhere after the fifth week the weight stalled. I’ve been at the same weight for two weeks now. I understand that’s pretty common. I’ll keep pushing as I’ve got about another 8 pounds I’d like to lose.
Thanks again for another geek fitness episode! You’re an inspiration to geeks everywhere. Seriously!
I was glad to see this follow up episode to Geek Fitness when I hopped online this morning. Since the last episode, I hit a rough patch in my own exercise routine. The lure of having my own car has led to me not riding my bike to work as often as I did when we were a one car family. It’s only been in the last few weeks that I’ve made an effort to get back on my bike. I’m not terribly active on FaceBook, but I may have to check out the FB group.
Sweet barking kale! That was a good episode. I liked hearing the journey you two are doing to keep healthy. I have to contribute Rob, with his Facebook posts “Ran 5 miles”. It got me motivated again in the spring to find a decent trail and run again and I am back to my normal routine. I do the same post and now I have friends starting to run.
My biggest issue is my relationship to food. When I was a kid and my parents went out they would get me McDonalds or Pizza Hut and it was amazing! My birthdays I got giant sheet pizza with friends over and lots of cake and ice cream. So these foods have a nostalgic factor that fires all those amazing dopamine receptors. Now I’m adjusting my brain that food doesn’t need to be a source of happiness. It’s an energy thing and that has adjusted my eating habits significantly. I wish they would make Human Kibble because I would eat it 95% of the time. I still have ice cream or pizza on ratre occasions (I did for my recent vlog covering pizza) however for the most part I eat for energy.
Thanks again guys! Great episode.
Oh!!! One more thing: if you have a cleared out trail during the winter months I highly encourage winter running. It really helps with the winter blues. You don’t need to change clothes from shorts/T-shirt until it is under 48 degrees F. The body while running goes about 20 degrees hotter than environmental temperatures. So under 48 to 38 you can wear gym pants and long sleeve shirt with a zippered track jacket. (Zipper is important! You can zip up or done to regulate temperature) then under 38 you wear gloves and a hat. Under 32 you wear a face mask so you don’t breath in the cold. Then you just layer. You can run until like 21 degrees. The biggest key is don’t overdress and don’t breath in ice cold air. Another positive thing with winter running: you don’t catch colds or get as sick because your immune system is running better.
I eat vegetarian (for other besides health also) and put the goal of doing 10,000 steps a day if I will be low I make sure to go for a walk or jog. On Days I work this is never a problem as I tend to do between 18000 and 20000 steps. I’m also hoping my schedule in winter will allow me to get back to martial arts.
I completely agree with you guys about publicly sharing your runs/steps/calories. Like you said, it’s not bragging, it’s accountability. Sometimes that little bit of visibility helps with motivation. “I don’t really wanna run, but then I can’t do my daily post, oh fine I’m running!”
Looking forward to the next episode, guys!
What a great surprise to get a second episode. Don’t be too hard on yourselves for slipping back a bit, it happens to the best of people. Rob, do you really hate running indoors, meaning that running at the gym or on a wee machine in your garage/wherever in winter is out?
I’ve not much new to report since last time… I tried the app you recommend but just couldn’t be bothered to list everything, so haven’t opened it since week one, I’m a really atypical comics fan, the only lists I like making are To Do lists, I don’t write down what I have. I’m still at the gym on Monday, Tuesday (personal trainer day), Thursday and Friday, with at least 10,000 steps on Saturday and Sunday as that’s Steve’s thing, he doesn’t enjoy gym. Lost about half a stone and feeling smug as I managed five trips to the gym over nine days while on last week’s cruise (it was a long week!) around Norway and Shetland. Knowing that cruises generally equal weight gain I had my PT do the measurements this morning and everything’s gone down.
And yet I’m sitting her back munching on a chocolate ginger shortbread. You gotta live!
Keep it up, everybody! Rob and Gene, I was listening on my drive to work, and you inspired me to dig out the little pedometer from my bag. I knew I walked around a lot at work, and that device stated it was over two miles! Keep moving, people, every little bit helps.
Listening, and reading the above comments, I was reminded of a story that was serialized in The Comics Journal, many years ago. It was about a (typical) comic book fan who gained super-powers. Part of the drawback was that it was an effort to use them. For instance, he could fly, but he really had to work at it, like exercise. Even though he had been granted these powers, he had not been granted a body make-over. He still had to so that himself.