Do you exercise?

[closeupready]

And if so, how much? Does it have an impact on your weight?

I try to maintain an exercise routine of roughly 1.5 hours of vigorous exercise every day, either a jog, or else a series of sets of standard cardio exercises. Typically, if I weigh myself prior to my workout, and then weigh myself AFTER my workout (without drinking water or eating), I will have lost 3 pounds. That obviously goes back up as I rehydrate and eat food, but over time, the average has declined steadily, about 1% per week.

I feel better, look better, my blood readings are excellent, I'm stronger and faster - all without bionics!

[Jamaal510]

1. Almost daily, I either

work out for an hour on "TheRack" or I spend about 30 minutes to an hour on the treadmill.

[LisaLynne]

2. I do exercise, but ..

it doesn't really seem to make a huge difference in my weight. I commute by bike (10 miles) at least three times a week, mountain bike two to three times a week (that's VERY vigorous), walk/job with my dog for every day except for the one a week he goes to doggie daycare (he's too tired after playing with his doggie pals) so I think I'm pretty active. I do want to work back in some weight training because while my legs are powerhouses, my upper body ... not so much.

However, I find exercise increases my appetite so basically, if I just go with it, I end up staying the same. If I don't exercise, I also stay the same. The only thing that moves my weight is if I exercise and really cut back on what I eat and I don't know if doing that is really worth it to me anymore. My blood pressure and all of that is great so I don't have a lot of incentive for myself to lose weight.

[peacebird]

12. Wow. What are you trying to do with that post? Pot-stirring like that is totally uncool.

Also this respondent never said anything about being overweight, just that exercise did not bring about weight CHANGE

[newcriminal]

15. The respondent did mention their weight and lack of motivation. The only reason the op was started

The only reason the op was started was to pot stir.

[closeupready]

22. You're psychic, too?

[LisaLynne]

26. I didn't really say I was overweight in the initial post, though, did I?

And when I say that my appetite increases when I exercise, you'd probably be shocked at how little I actually eat. I don't go gorging myself.

But, I guess it's sort of impossible to have a conversation about this without ... stuff happening.

[LisaLynne]

17. Yes, I didn't.

I am overweight, though. I'm just really healthy and can do whatever I want, so I'm not going to worry about it.

[newcriminal]

23. Good for you!!!

[peacebird]

30. Hey, as long as you are healthy and feel good then your weight is fine for you! Hubby was having

some health probs so losing weight became very important for him. He could still lose another 25 pounds, but since his blood values are now great and he no longer needs cholesterol meds it is not that big a deal.

[LisaLynne]

14. Ah, see I often make this mistake.

Of assuming people are really just here to discuss things in an honest fashion.

[newcriminal]

20. Yes I know. This one I happen to be on the other thread so I knew.

I actually ride my bike every day and would have liked to have a conversation about it. I have a recumbent trike with the two wheels in the front. I love my bike.

[LisaLynne]

29. I totally want to get a recument trike!

Seriously, I am looking for one right now! Where I live, I get where I am not comfortable riding when it starts getting icy out and I thought it might help. Any thoughts?

[AndyTiedye]

114. I Suggest Using "Excerpt" instead of "Blockquote"

when you are quoting something particularly disagreeable, if you don't want it mistaken for your own words.
Blockquote just indents, like this:

blockquoted text

Excerpt puts a gray box around it, so there can be no mistaking what is what:

excerpted text

[AndyTiedye]

124. What Kind of Trike?

[closeupready]

9. I find exercise depresses my appetite - so if I do it prior

to a meal, I eat more lightly than if I hadn't.

[LisaLynne]

11. Bully for you then. nt

[GliderGuider]

48. I find that exercise increases my appetite.

Which kind of makes sense when you think about it. If your body doesn't respond that way, good for you, but there's a reason the phrase "work up an appetite" is so common.

[closeupready]

52. It's also summer, when my appetite goes down, regardless.

So it's hard to tell whether that's having an impact on my hunger level. When it gets cold again, I'm sure I'll be chowing down, as usual.

[Dreamer Tatum]

3. Oh, baby!

[one_voice]

55. +1

Thirsty?

[Dreamer Tatum]

72. Heheheheh nt

[get the red out]

4. Daily

I walk about 3 miles every morning with my dog. I also participate in dog agility with my dog, training several times per week.

I have gained a little weight dealing with menopause, but not much. I feel like exercise really helps me in every way, which is why I have been exercising regularly in one form or another for years.

[peacebird]

6. We bike almost every day for at least 90minutes. I am down 15 pounds since New Years.

Hubby has lost 25. We've biked about 2,500 miles. (We rode from Yorktown, Va thru Kansas)
So yes, regular workouts definitely helped us lose weight, AND gain energy & enthusiasm!

[Capt. Obvious]

8. That's awesome`

[peacebird]

19. Why the "sarcasm" in the text? I think it is awesome, as hubby no longer needs cholesterol meds.

[Capt. Obvious]

25. It is awesome

I'm trying to exercise to lose weight and not have to go on cholesterol meds.

It's my sig

[peacebird]

34. Oh! Sorry for misunderstanding! We ride a tandem road bike, had a recumbent tandem years ago!

It was really fun and fast on flats, but. I worried about our visibility on the roads....

[closeupready]

28. "no longer needs cholesterol meds" - that's amazing!

I've also been able to regain health through following just a few simple rules, about eating and exercising, so it's nice to hear others benefit from it, too.

[Capt. Obvious]

7. Trying to

Aside from the yard work (which is a good work out but not really cardio) I've been trying to go running.

I take the dog with me - she makes me run fast.

[closeupready]

10. lol - give her time, and she'll break you in.

[GliderGuider]

13. Nope.

Instead, I follow a low-carb diet. I've lost 50 lb in a year, dropped my BP from 155/110 to 115/65, and my blood work (including inflammatory markers) improved from "OMG!" to normal. My exercise level never changed in that time - it consists of one half-hour dog-walk a day.

[closeupready]

18. But wait - isn't the answer "yep" - "one half-hour dog-walk a day"

Isn't that, in itself, exercise? I mean, I think it is.

[GliderGuider]

27. Not for me. I've done "exercise" before - weights and cardio for about a year.

All while eating a nice "healthy" diet with lots of grains. It made no goddamn difference to my physical situation. No weight loss, and all my CVD markers stayed bad. The diet change worked.

My dog walking is a gentle stop-and-sniff amble around the neighborhood. I get more exercise than that running to meetings at the office.

[closeupready]

31. I find grains of any kind lead to weight gain.

I will still consume them (because they are so good), but in modest portions. And I restrict almost all of my refined carb consumption.

[GliderGuider]

35. That's the ticket, all right!

Be sure to eat enough saturated fat too...

Mmmmm, bacon!

[CBGLuthier]

16. I walk 50 minutes every morning and 30-40 every afternoon, adding up to about 4 miles a day.

Have been doing this for more than a year. I am losing weight but I also cut out all sodas and have reduced portion sizes.

I read a study awhile back that said long walks can be enough exercise but you have to do them every day to get the benefits.

It is difficult to completely exercise calories away. The actual workout most do would not add up to more than a few hundred calories of actual work. The only thing you can do is increase your metabolic rate and that benefit lasts for hours.

[TwilightGardener]

21. Not lately. I should.

[maddezmom]

24. 5-6 times a week

Either Pilates with an instructor, Pilates at home, walking 3-4 miles or an hour on the elliptical. It helps me maintain my weight, relieves stress and now has become routine.

[blueamy66]

32. Daily

Love it

[closeupready]

42. There are days I'm so sluggish - but then,

I do just one set of situps, or whatever, and BOOM - got my energy right back. And somehow, I get all the way through my routine.

Of course, there ARE days when I skip my workout, and you do need a break every now and then, but I can't let it go on for more than about a week, or else I end up letting myself go.

[blueamy66]

66. Heck, just walking the dog is exercise.

And yeah, it energizes the heck outta me

[8 track mind]

33. yes i do

I climb radio towers

[onehandle]

36. Almost every day, and a lot. Cardio burns fat. Muscle burns fat.

Eat less, Eat better, Exercise more.

[closeupready]

45. There it is - "eat less, eat better, exercise more."

In my case, just even the last two do the trick for me.

[onehandle]

59. Yep. Once you have been doing the last two for a while, you may be able to drop the first.

I actually can eat more than I used to.

And drink more beer...

[La Lioness Priyanka]

37. yes, but i am very short and so have to constantly monitor what i eat

to not gain weight.

so a 2 week vacation for me can easily result in a 3 lb weight gain.

i have to keep under 1200 calories (even while working out 3-4 times a week to not become too fat)

[LisaLynne]

40. I think this was sort of the point I was trying to make.

Some of us have to keep it under tighter control, it seems. It's all ... genes and stuff.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

44. also eating 1200 calories requires a shit tonne of self-monitoring, which when

i am stressed/overworked/tired is literally kinda impossible to stick too.

[LisaLynne]

46. Exactly.

So many calories packed into such small food, lol.

[closeupready]

47. I find when I am making excuses why I can skip my workout, that

on days when I demand workout compliance, my energy returns almost immediately upon commencing the workout, even after just one set.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

49. i agree but sometimes 14 hour workdays are not conducive to good eating

with or without working out.

my point being that for most normal sized people, working out and eating a moderately good diet, is sufficient.

however for me it requires really limited calories + working out to be at a relatively ok BMI.

[upaloopa]

38. Yes yoga walking weight machine and elliptical

machine about 4 days a week. I just lost 23 lbs on a low carb diet. I am now on a maintenance diet with the exercise to maintain my correct weight according to my BMI.
I find it is not a good idea generally to discuss obesity in a direct way with most people.
Obesity is largely related to choices people make and that brings up the old personal responsibility debate which is way to toxic to talk about here.

[TBF]

39. Walking daily with my dogs -

At least an hour unless it's really raining hard or something (we still go - just not as long). That is the beauty of pets as exercise pals - no excuses!

I have some health challenges so this at least helps me stay relatively healthy. I was much thinner when I was running though.

[sakabatou]

41. 1 hour, 3 times a week.

That doesn't include bicycling to places.

[Xithras]

43. Yes. Lost 70 pounds

I was always really active when I was younger, filling nearly every weekend with mountain climbing, mountain biking, or hiking (I don't live far from Yosemite, so I had plenty of options). Between parenting, holding a sedentary job, and the general decreased metabolism that goes along with aging, my weight climbed from 170 when I was 26, to 235 when I was 36. I was still active, and still did a lot of stuff outdoors, but not nearly enough to keep my metabolism where it had been at.

At 36 I kicked off a diet and exercise program to get back into shape. By my 37th birthday I was back below 200. Today I'm 41 years old, 6'1", and 165 pounds. I'll never again be that 21 year old guy who could pull himself up a rock face on his fingertips, but I'm still in incredibly good shape for a guy my age. My blood pressure has decreased back into a normal range, my cholesterol numbers are better, and the back and knee soreness that I'd just begun to experience went away.

I make it a point to engage in physical exercise every single day, whether as part of my morning workout, or simply jogging a few miles to enjoy the sunset. For me, it's become such an ingrained part of my daily routine that I actually get anxious (that "I'm forgetting something" feeling) if I CAN'T.

By the way, you should be drinking DURING your exercises, as well as after. While your dehydration makes for a nice post-workout gift at the scale, the reality is that dehydration inhibits your cells ability to remove waste and absorb oxygen. Being dehydrated by 2% can decrease muscle performance by over 20%. That is actually reducing the number of calories you burn, and slowing your weight loss. Drinking water while exercising will reduce your immediate weight loss, but will increase the rate of your long term weight loss (there are a whole slew of other reasons to drink during exercise as well).

[closeupready]

50. Congratulations! Also, I will note your comment about hydrating

while exercising. I do actually have a small glass of ice water that I'll sip from, but I'll probably need to incorporate the concept of hydration somehow really into the whole thing.

[bigwillq]

51. At least 5 days a week

I do about 30-45 minutes of cardio/light weights. I workout at my house.
I don't need to lose or gain weight, I just do it to stay in shape. My weight stays pretty constant (between 140-150 pounds; I am a 5-foot-2 male!).


Keep working out! It does a body good!

[JaneyVee]

53. 90 minutes a day.

[closeupready]

57. Yep, me too - can sound like a lot, but you gotta make it a priority.

In doing so, you're making your very HEALTH a priority.

There's also the idea, 'well, if I weren't exercising, what would I be doing - watching TV?'

[JaneyVee]

79. 30-40 minutes of it is yoga, the rest is cardio

Some muscle builders in there like crunches and squats as well. I have a routine so I don't waste time, just get right to it.

[malaise]

54. Yes

I walk for an hour four days a week - 13 miles. Then I exercise as in calisthenics and a variety of stretches for 30 minutes.
I don't weigh myself regularly - never did, but I know when I've lost weight since I can wear old exercise clothes (my favorites). I don't swim as much as we used to but we're working on that these days.

And yes I do feel great and have no problem when family, friends or even strangers tell me that I look good.
I figure I earned that compliment

[closeupready]

61. Recently, someone told me I'm "cute" - I responded, "well, it's HARD WORK!"

Trying to mock GWB's axiomatic press conference offering about the job of 'presidentin'' - I don't think he got the joke (lol), but I did feel both flattered but also - like you - I am definitely working at it every damn day and at my age, it don't come easy.

[malaise]

76. LOL at Dumbya's Hard Werk

Truthfully I don't find exercise hard work - it's part of my routine and I enjoy it. Dad ingrained the habit in all of us from we were little children. I just exercise four days a week although sometimes I find myself on the exercise bike on a day off.
Daily I give thanks that I never got into heavy aerobics or those ridiculous step exercises. I know people who destroyed their knees with all that jumping and others who have serious pain. I kept the exercises from my school's gym classes and added a few new stretches from hubby's football warm ups. I used to run but slowly eased into walking briskly.

[closeupready]

77. Agreed esp. on the latter part here - when I say I "jog,"

it's really - as with you - a brisk walk - VERY brisk, but I do NOT throw my body forward grudgingly and willy-nilly, as so many foolishly do repetitively (leading potentially to RMI's, bad knees, hips, ankles, etc.). I keep a good form, body tight - I look ridiculous, but as we know, looking good is the best revenge, lol, and I fill out my jeans well these days.

[nilesobek]

56. No. I've been working 12-16 hours a day for the last 5 years,

with an occasional day off. I did lose weight because of increased activity though. One thing I did do was cut out raw sugars out of my diet completely. I lost weight rapidly after that. I was bloated on the sugars and carbs.

[elleng]

58. I walk, not as much as I should.

Nothing vigorous, and little if any effect on my weight.

[one_voice]

60. I do..

I run 3 times a week (sometimes more) always 3 or more miles. I also do kettle bell workouts cardio & strength.

I'm pretty consistent, thought occasionally I get into a funk and say eff it.

I have a neuromuscular disease so working out for me takes a lot out of me...

I also eat pretty healthy, though I do cheat sometimes.

Running a 5k this Saturday...

[maddezmom]

62. Good luck on your 5K

[one_voice]

63. Thank you!

[maddezmom]

69. Wtf?

Is this some type of performance art?

[cyberswede]

71. Why do you keep posting this silliness in unrelated threads?

There are better ways to get to know people on DU when you're new. Unless that isn't your intention.

[City Lights]

86. Do you have anything else to say?

I've seen two posts from you and both said the exact same thing.

Odd, IMO.

[cali]

65. yes. 4-6 times weekly aerobic sessions for an hour each time

and stretching.

[trumad]

67. Daily

Walk 4 miles a day and lift weights with life fitness machines.

[Silent3]

68. 6 out 7 days a week

On my supposed day off I often end up doing something like a four mile walk, even though I do give myself permission to do nothing at all.

I try to burn at least 1000 calories per day, with the occasional day when I go a bit lighter than that more than made up for on the other days of the week. I took a painful fall this past Saturday, slipping on a mountain trail, landing really hard on my ass with my left arm a bit banged up too, so I took Sunday completely off and went light yesterday, and maybe today too (750 calories burned so far, may or may not do more later).

Right now I'm maintaining a fairly steady weight, so the main impact of all my exercise is that I get to eat more without gaining.

When I was losing weight, however, I considered exercise an integral part of the process. I lost a total of 85 lbs. For the first 50 lbs (I'd set a goal to lose 50 lbs before turning 50, which gave me six months) I lost a fairly steady 2 lbs per week, which was just under the 1% you're talking about. I was shooting for about daily deficit of about 1100 Calories, which I roughly split between cutting food intake and doing exercise.

After that, I was content to level out to about a pound per week, and the ratios began to shift.

By time I lost all the weight I'd set out to lose, I'd developed a lot more endurance. I wanted to keep my fitness gains, so I kept working out hard, and consequently started needing to eat more. Right now I'm 6', 178 lbs, and typically eating in excess of 3000 calories per day -- a diet that would put all my weight back in a year or so if I weren't working out so hard.

[closeupready]

75. 6' and 178lb?? Wow, you must be in REALLY good shape.

[Silent3]

82. What's funny is that if you go by BMI...

...I only escaped the "overweight" category when I hit 183, so technically, by that definition, I'm merely five pounds away from being overweight right now.

Which is, of course, ridiculous. I'm wearing blue jeans with a 30" inch waist and I have a hard time getting the inseam length that I want because, apparently, hardly anyone at my height is supposed to have a waist that narrow. Even taking into account that American clothing supplies are skewed toward an overweight population, I think I've got good reason to take the BMI scale with a large grain of salt.

[flamingdem]

70. I should

I'd live longer..

Keep reminding us that it's possible to get off ones rear and move.

[Avalux]

73. Yes. I yoga every morning; a few evenings I do cardio, on the weekend I walk or hike.

I don't think about it too much. I eat well and do what my body feels like doing. I never weigh myself, but know by how my clothes fit if I need to adjust.

[closeupready]

74. I have to admit that I'm surprised at how many DU members work out

Even some who are very prolific, active members. It's a good feeling to know how many here are keeping their bodies in good shape, and in peak health.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

78. Sometimes I'm tempted,

but when that happens I immediately lie down until the urge goes away.

[PowerToThePeople]

97. All this reading is making me sleepy

I need to eat some ice cream and take a nap.

[Arcanetrance]

80. Sadly not as often as I'd like now that I'm working and went back to school for my bachelors

But whenever I get some free time I try to go swimming

[underpants]

81. Run, swim, lift 5-6 days a week

I try to lift or do push-ups twice a week.
I can't get out the door in the morning so my runs are 2-3 miles.

My swim this morning is my 110% workout. 10 laps doing 10 pull-ups or chin-ups on the backstroke bar at each deepend trip. 10 of each on the last lap. 110.

100 abs things a day.

Still at the same weight but my waist is much thinner and my upper body is much bigger.

[840high]

83. I walk a lot daily.

[mythology]

84. Probably more than I should

I do close to an hour in the gym 5 days a week mixing either cardio or weights and then stretching and then the evenings are spent with a mix of parkour and gymnastics, with more of each and martial arts on the weekends. And then I've been weekly running the Harvard stadium bleachers, although it's really hard to get motivated for that with the heat right now.

As for my weight, it doesn't really have a huge effect, especially now that I'm not running as much, but my weight is much better distributed. It's less around my midsection and more in my thighs and arms. I've been trying to work on the diet, but that's something I've always struggled with.

But I find that it makes me feel better to do a hard workout and it's the only way I get better at my goals. I'm not naturally athletically inclined and so I have to work at it pretty hard to get where I want.

[Silent3]

85. One thing I should add: As much as I exercise, I consider myself fortunate...

...to have a short commute to work, and a gym at work that I can sometimes use even during work hours. This gives me a huge time advantage that I realize many people don't have. If I lost my current job and ended up with the kind of long commute that I know many people deal with, and lost the ability to take exercise breaks while at work, I know I'd end up cutting way back.

In fact, I'd gotten in shape for the first time in my life (I was not an athletic kid by far) during my thirties when I had a mostly work-from-home telecommuting job. I got in shape and kept in shape for a bit over seven years. Then I lost that job, ended up in a long commute for a while, and my whole routine fell apart. Even when my commute got shorter again, I failed to get back into my routine. I went over ten years slacking off and eating badly, slowly edging up in weight, and it took the sudden shock of getting on my wife's new bathroom scale, after I hadn't weighed myself in a long time, to end my long procrastination.

One reason it was easy to fall off the wagon was that I'd really hated the effort it took to stay in shape. I was far from an enthusiast, I was grimly pushing myself through exercise and dietary restrictions that were a price I was just barely willing to pay for the results I got.

This time around things are much better. While I certainly don't love my workouts, I don't hate them like I used to, and I even occasionally enjoy myself some, especially on the weekends in good weather when I can do something like hike up a mountain for my workout. I'm also not doing the low fat diet I did before, as was all the rage in the 90s, and I find my current version of healthy eating more pleasant and less reliant on will power.

If I lost a lot of my free time to a long commute again I at least think I could avoid slipping into total neglect like I did before. I'd probably cut back to something more like 500 Calories/day of exercise, however, stick with healthier food choices, and (this might be the hardest part) scale back the quantity of food to match the decrease in exercise. I could still eat about 2700 Calories/day that way, which is still more than I got by on at the start of my recent weight loss, and I didn't feel all that terribly deprived back then.

[Capt. Obvious]

87. This thread got me off my ass today

It had been over a week since my new attempt to start running.

Took the dog and ran fast for a 1/4 mile. Worked up a great sweat.

Then did some weeding.

[closeupready]

88. It's a start. And something is better than nothing.

[Capt. Obvious]

90. 1/4 mile is the distance (I'm told) around our subdivision

First time I went a 1/4 of the way and then walked briskly with the dog. Second time I went half way. Today I was determined to make it all the way around despite my out of shape self.

Tomorrow or whenever I go again I'll shoot for more and so on.

I played in a basketball tournament this past April and it killed me. My team made it to the championship game (no thanks to me really) but I gutted it out. I felt like I was going to die that day and for days after and I nearly lost my toe nails like I ran a marathon. It was fun though and I thought I should find a local old men's league to play in to get in shape and have fun like I did too many decades ago.

[Blue_In_AK]

89. Either a half hour on the elliptical

or a three-mile walk, depending on weather and time. I'm too old for much else.

I don't lose any weight, but it's probably good for me.

(Daily)

[KamaAina]

91. Well, I walk back and forth to the light rail

maybe 25 minutes a day, round trip.

[gwheezie]

92. Kinda

My husband goes to the gym 5 days a week, I go with him 3 days. I just spend an hour on the treadmill or bike. I try to ride my horses 3-4 days a week as well. I only exercise so I can be fit enough to ride my horses. I used to ride endurance and competitive trail riding where the goal is to finish with a sound horse and trained daily when I was doing my sport, you have to be very fit to do 50 mile rides and you have to keep your horse fit to be fair to the horse. When I competed part of my week was jogging with the horse in hand over miles of terrain. I had a great partner but alas I had to retire her and eventually she was put down. I also used to fox hunt, you have to be fit and drunk for that kind of riding. I also had 3 major surgeries in 18 months that set me back. My current 2 horses that are still rideable neither have her talent or stamina to stay sound enough to compete and frankly it would take major work on my part to be that fit again. My riding now is strictly pleasure trail riding and a few local shows where we pop over a few fences. I ride about 3-5 miles each time we go out.

[Puzzledtraveller]

93. Yes

run a cpl miles a week, always take the stairs at work, 9 floors, I'm 41 5'8" and 173lbs, my highest was 198, was basically eating pizza and drinking coke and sitting at a desk, no physical work at all, decided to try out for police dept, in 6 months went from 198 to 165, passed the PD tests and was hired, worked there 6 years, now work as a social service caseworker and though I put some of that weight back on I never let it get completely away from me.

[Skittles]

94. 60 - 80 minutes, six days a week

aerobic / weight training / kettelebell

I *NEVER* weigh myself - I've got one simple rule - I refuse, absolutely refuse, to buy double-digit sized clothing so I have to stay a single digit size

[marlakay]

95. Everyday but not hardass!

3 days a week I go to a Nia dance class, in the summer I swim daily, I have a pool. I hike a few times a week, and I walk.

The dance class is my favorite and gives me the most energy.

Weight, it keeps me from gaining, I am not losing but not trying either. I do try to eat mostly organic food without hormones, gmo, etc.

But...I love my red wine and dark chocolate!

[madville]

96. Currently 4-5 days a week

Mainly cardio these days with some calestenucs thrown in.

If I eat whatever and work out I stay about the same weight. If I cut back on the carbs and stick to meats, eggs, olive oil, low-carb veggies, cheeses, and nuts I lose weight. I'm currently 5'10", 185 lbs (down from 200), back on low carb and want to get back to 170 and some 32 inch waist pants

[Comrade Grumpy]

98. I walk 1.5 miles twice a day. Doing that, I lose weight...

...if I don't make up for it with late night Triscuits or Peanut M&Ms.

[Tetris_Iguana]

99. Nope

My body actively rejects any form of exercise.

Still thin as a rail no matter what I eat.

[PasadenaTrudy]

100. No. n/t

[abelenkpe]

101. Yes, about an hour a day

Except Sunday. Sunday is for the beach or pool with the kiddos. Although I guess that's exercise too.

I never really weigh myself, but miss a week or more and my clothes don't fit the same signaling a need to return to the gym. Definitely improves mood though. Lack of activity makes me glum. An hour and a half? You must be very fit. Good job!

[WovenGems]

102. Use it or lose it

And that applies to the brain big time.

[mike dub]

104. I jog ( or is it yogg?/might be a silent J) five miles a day, five days a week

N/t

[polly7]

105. Congrats on your success, it's great to hear how much you're enjoying it, too!

My foot is still healing, but yes ... I usually do.

My dog, who weighs 95 lbs. now, believes when I let him have the full leash we should be in training for the next Olympics, so (when my foot was good) had me running morning and night, whereas I used to 'run' .... but not like that!, lol. It's fun though, and so much easier when you're being pulled! We (I) are teased some, well ... a lot, even though we take the back roads, but I tell them I'm in training lol. The only bad part is when he sees a duck in a slough and decides to veer of course - then I sometimes face plant. Which can hurt. I do weights and conditioning exercises like the normal sit-ups, pull-ups, squats, etc. ..... and most nights hook up with neighbours to walk the town. I'm missing that, and hoping my gimpy foot heals fast.

[closeupready]

106. I do indeed enjoy it - I guess I always did.

I lifted free weights in high school, but stopped after I left home.

[AndyTiedye]

107. Dancing and Mountain Biking, Mostly

I used to exercise a lot more regularly when I was in high school, and had essentially nothing to show for it.
Now I ride my bike when I feel like it, which is usually 2-3 times a week, and dance pretty much any time someone is spinning psytrance.
I'm in much better shape now than I was then, go figure.

The gym looks and smells too much like phys ed class. I'll go to the gym when they put in a dance floor and a sound system with DJs.

[Marr]

108. Yes, I do-- but I don't see exercise as an effective means of controlling weight.

You do that by counting calories.

I've done long stretches where I was always training for another upcoming triathlon, and remained consistently 20 pounds overweight throughout. We're talking 4-hour workouts on the weekend and an hour of running or swimming on every weekday.

When I figured out how to count calories and eat right, I easily dropped that 20 lbs. in the space of four months, doing nothing but a 30 minute walk every other day.

I do powerlifting and yoga now, but they're for strength and flexibility-- not weight control.

[randome]

109. Too many people look at exercise as something "to do". A chore.

But it's like dieting. Dieting is not something "to do". A change in lifestyle is how you effect change. It's something to be aware of all the time. By the same token, I don't see exercise as something to do only one hour a day. Exercise, too, should be only a part of one's lifestyle.

I go to the gym 4 days a week. But I also take walking breaks at work. I push elevator buttons with my foot or knee. When walking, I balance on a curb along my route when possible. I take stairs two at a time, walking or running.

I do 17 stretching exercises in the morning. I eat little cooked food. I don't just walk across the office, I stride with purpose. All these things together account for a lifestyle, not chores that exist in isolation to that lifestyle.

And that's how I think people should view their lives if they want to change them.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[Arugula Latte]

116. I look at it like this:

For tens of thousands of years, humans evolved to be in motion. Our natural state is "exercising." So moving is the norm, and being sedentary is the exception. For some reason thinking of it like that makes it work for me.

I find little opportunities to exercise during the day. For example, if I'm drying my hair, just standing there, I can do calf raises. Heck, even if I'm sitting on my ass watching TV I can do butt clenches.

[randome]

120. Exactly. That's a great way to look at it!

[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[AndyTiedye]

122. Many of Us Have Received a Lot of Aversive Conditioning to Exercise

Competitive sports are widely seen (by adults) as the one-stop answer to all the problems of youth.
It may even work for the natural athletes, helping them build (even more) confidence and self-esteem
and giving them (and only them) a chance to learn leadership and teamwork skills on the playing field.

Those of us lacking in coordination or other athletic abilities were more often simply put off the whole idea of exercise permanently.
It would have made a couch-potato out of me, nearly did.

It was music, the music of the Grateful Dead, that saved me from that horrible fate by awakening in me the need to DANCE.
and dance some more. and more.
These days I mostly dance to psytrance. The textures, the tempo, the energy, and the fact that they'll keep the music going and going and going.

Dancing is VERY good exercise.

Did anyone else notice that the "obesity epidemic" among our youth started immediately after the government started shutting down raves?
And that the parts of the country that still have a thriving dance scene also have the lowest rates of obesity?

There needs to be more dancing.

[randome]

127. I agree, dancing is great!

Even that isn't necessarily limited to a certain period of time. You can 'dance' your way through the work day simply by being energetic and innovative. All that is exercise, too, it all depends on how you 'work it'!

[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[eridani]

110. I biked 600 miles over two weeks in Europe without the slightest effect on my weight.

I think my body composition probably got more muscular, though.

[Scuba]

111. Well, duh ....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025245371


Oh, and I also walk a lot, perhaps 20 miles per week. In really bad weather I'll go up and down the stairs, 16 steps each way, 36 laps.

[Katashi_itto]

112. 4 times a week Aikido and Kendo and

weight training every day

[Violet_Crumble]

113. Hells, yes!

I usually try to fit at least three circuits of battling in GD per week into my busy schedule. I find it burns those calories from my lunchtime Wok in a Box Nasi Goreng off as though I'd never eaten them. On weeks when even such intense exercise doesn't do the trick, I'll grab the vacuum cleaner and vacuum the house while I dance to 'Holiday' by Madonna. After that, the rest of my pesky fat cells are usually fleeing at high speed. I've enclosed a picture!



In reality, I'm a slacker who doesn't do or like exercise. I went to a gym once. I don't know if you have Curves in the US, but they played really crap music and my trainer said it was supposed to inspire me and when she listened to what I started listening to on my ipod to try to drown the crap out, she told me that I should try to find some music that was more motivating and uplifting than Sebadoh. So I quit the gym and went back gloating to rub it in their face once their dire warnings that I'd balloon weight-wise were proven totally unfounded!

[AndyTiedye]

125. The "Health Club" Business Model Depends on Lots of Members Who Rarely Show Up

They want to guilt-trip us into signing up for memberships, then hope we don't show up too often.
If all their members showed up at once, the fire marshal would shut them down for overcrowding.

I'll go to the gym when the gym puts in a dance floor and a nice sound system on which we can have good, high-energy music.

[Arugula Latte]

115. Yes -- I try to exercise or at least do some sort of exertion daily

Like, I haven't been working out for the past several days because I've been doing a major overhaul of our garage -- but I did expend a lot of effort on that. Otherwise, unless I'm sick or just have too packed a day, I either workout at home, go for a long walk, or hit the cardio machines at the gym.

It makes me look and feel better, but if I don't watch my calorie intake very closely, I will gain weight (thanks a lot, middle aged female metabolism!). Lately I've been eating a lot of relatively low-calorie meals with an emphasis on veggies, fruit, and protein. Examples:

-scrambled eggs with tomatoes and other veggies and feta (no potatoes, usually no toast)
-vanilla greek yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit (strawberries, often)
-pita bread with hummus, tomatoes, cukes, feta (I love me some feta)
-chicken over greens (like arugula, my namesake) and vinaigrette
-salad mixed with with either pieces of hardboiled eggs or a legume such as garbanzos, black-eyed peas, white beans, etc.

I find if I can eat like that for the majority of my meals (and these are all delicious foods to me), I can afford to have a little bit of my nightly wine and maybe a bit of chocolate or a cookie or two, and either maintain or lose weight. It is tough, though. I screw up a tiny bit and my weight starts a slow climb upward.

[closeupready]

117. LOL, your diet is almost identical to mine, no joke.

Lots of omelettes, chicken, tuna, eggs in all forms, pork, beef, veggies like spinach, all lettuces, fruits/smoothies, the occasional sandwich but I try to keep refined carbs to a minimum.

I like feta, too! Cheddar and Grana Padano, Pecorino ... basically, if it's cheese, I like it, lol.

And like you, I feel I can then indulge a bit - my weakness is ice cream. But I too must be quite diligent.

[Arugula Latte]

118. Oh yeah, smoothies, that's another big one!

Love 'em!

And I haven't met a cheese I don't like ... well, maybe Velveeta, Kraft singles, and that American version of Swiss cheese, but other than that, nope, I love it dearly.

The only difference is I haven't eaten red meat since I was a teenager, but other than that great minds and all ...

[CTyankee]

119. Not much anymore. I can't. Surgery and age took its toll...

[madinmaryland]

121. Yes. Every time there is an election, I exercise my right to vote. nt

[Vattel]

123. I swim a bit and try to keep up with my 10-year-old, but I need to exercise more.

[TexasTowelie]

126. I've gotten out of shape since I stopped lifting

my bong and bottled alcoholic beverages back in March. I still ride the bike, but now I'm quite winded when I do so.

[AngryOldDem]

128. As much as I can.

I primarily run. I try to get out at least five days. My mileage varies from 3 to 5 -- I have to juggle work around that and sometimes that derails things.

Being active is the best way to get -- and keep -- weight off.