Community Blogs

Thank you Rufus....I am now a proud member!!! Thanks for the help!

Candy, On the Homepage, click on the YNY COMMUNITY SIGN-UP at the top of the page. Follow the instructions. Welcome aboard!! Rufus.

Doug,
Your story about looking young reminds me of a story about my Dad. A couple of summers ago he went out fishing on a party boat that carried about 100 people. When the boat reached the fishing spot, came to a stop, and lowered anchor, one of the sr. fellows on the boat stood up and started lecturing the other fishermen, saying I'm 79 years old and all you young guys on this boat had better respect me because I'm the oldest one here, I've been around the longest etc, etc. At which point, my Dad stood up and said Sonny, it's time for you to sit down and be quiet because I'm 82! Glad to hear the treatments are going well.
Take care.

That's great news Doug. Hang in there.

Way to go Doug! And I don't think you are at all wrong to assume that being fit helps your body fight the disease better.

--g

Way to go, Doug! You are the man!! Rufus.....

Keep at it Bob. Don't stop! Rufus....

Bob it is so easy to fall off the wagon. Be strong and consistent and keep swimming against that tide!

Best regards,

--gordy

Congratulations on that AWESOME progress! You're doing fantastic!

That's great Jeanne. My rowing has taken a back seat to spinning, cycling, canoeing, and running. I can't seem to work it all into my schedule as of late.

Jeanne - so good to hear from you. You echo what many of us have stated...we are busy out "doing" and living the YNY life! Congrats on your progress - and thanks for sharing. You will be an inspiration to all of us. Have a great time at the wedding - dance the night away and post some photos for us to enjoy. Thanks for the enthusiastic blog! Take care.

David,

Senior spinning a great idea. Some of the older pople I see on bikes look like they're falling asleep. My spinning class is full of 20 yr olds, with a few other broken down runners. But I'm on a college campus, and it's a challange to keep up with the 20-somethings.

Cool Beans - I hope I can report similar results in 6 months.

David, I'm impressed! And you're disproving my point that you need to take is slow and easy, well done! You've also touched on a nerve with your gym proposal since I've been toying with a similar idea. I'd love to become a certified personal trainer for seniors, and I keep vascillating between applying for such a job or not at a new gym that's opening up near me. Maybe you just pushed me over the edge. I doubt that they'll be interested, but what do I have to lose, it can't hurt to try.

David,

Congratulations on your accomplishments in the exercise and weight loss department in the past 6 months - Wow! And it sounds like've got yourself a great support system too.

How cool are you to think of starting "Spinning for Seniors"! I hope the Y accepts your proposal. Please keep us posted!!

You didn't say how old the "old bike" is, but I'd guess that a new bike would make a difference. It's not always accepted here, but I agree with the Great Leader hen he says get good gear.

Bob, you might want to try changing your routine. Every routine gets stale, and change can be fun and restore your enthusiasm. I change mine all the time, especially when the weather changes. Learn something new.

Hilary, motivation is one of the main jobs of a trainer, that's what they're there for. In addition to the information they can give you on what exercises are appropriate for you and how to do them properly. If they aren't doing all that they aren't very good.

I've been doing rotator cuff exercises for some time now, given to me by a physical therapist in response to shoulder problems I've been having. I do them every time I go to the gym and it's helped a great deal. Justy be sure to take it easy, they are very small muscles and easily injured. When you do them be sure to keep your elbow tucked into your side and your shoulders pulled back, otherwise you're not doing the work with the rotators.

I also agree with gradual. I do it out of necessity since when i get to gung ho i end up injuring my fragile self. It takes alot of patience though. I started 3 months ago on the program in earnest and have been adding about a minute a week from where i started and i'm up to 35 minutes. I might even hold at that amount of time to avoid any injuries etc. I have lost about 16 pounds and reduced my bp by about 10-15 pts. so its worth it to go slow and steady. just like the tortoise.

Bill, thanks for the contrarian view, I always enjoy it when someone disagrees with me, it's hard to have a discussion where everyone agrees. Of course I appreciate all you other guys agreeing too, that's always good for the ego. I don't doubt that there are people for whom the big change all at once is the right approach. I just don't think it's right for most people and I've never known anyone including me who succeeded that way. Making lots of little changes slowly is just easier. My eating habits are radically different than they were 20 years ago, but I did it so slowly that I never really noticed much change. I don't think I'd have been successful if I had tried doing it all at once.

Great advice Doug!

My wife is not at all shy about reminding me that every time I've tried to ramp up training too quickly I've ended up getting injured, which puts me back further than where I would have been had I not followed a more gradual progression.

--g

Doug,

I agree. I think that small changes are much more conducive to establishing a habit and habit is what successful programs or systems are all about. Whenever we push a little too much to attain more dramatic successes it seems to give the little voice inside us all the excuses it needs to justify skipping a day of exercise or eating that one little donut that looks so good.

Ever the contrarian, I'd have to allow for some people to have those "Road to Damacus" experiences, while some of us have a series of small "conversion" steps over time.

GOOD ADVICE!! Rufus.

Well said Doug. I'm 100% in agreement! We've all seen to many one hit wonders that make a big splash and then dissappear from sight. We are here for a marathon, not a sprint.
Chuck

I appreciate the comments.
My intention for maintenance after I hit my goal is 6 days per week, 2 days weights and 4 days cardio.
We will also mix in hiking on weekends for a cardio workout, adding some scenery to the exercise.
I have just purchased a Heart Monitor that transmits to the cardio equipment so I do not need to grasp the sensors to check heart rate.
My last weigh-in on Friday, May 9th with my trainer I was at 214 pounds, 23.9% Body Fat.
I will meet with my trainer 2 days a month to weigh-in and get measured for Body Fat and so he can update my workout.

I disagree with Doug on the varying exercise lets the body rest. I think, feel, and believe that a day of rest is needed each week to let the body recover and get stronger. An easy walk, swim, or streching routine, OK, but really light. I feel it is needed to prevent mental and physical "burnout" and to reduce the chance of an injury. That said, if 7days a week works for you, go for it! For me, at least 1 day of rest a week (maybe two if I need it). Rufus.

Sounds great, CJ. I'm not as concerned about the others that you're working out 7days a week, at least from your physical standpoint, because you are varying what you do, which means you are getting rest. What would concern me, though, is the mental aspect - what happens when you are forced to take a day or two off? At some point you should probably start thinking about what you are willing to do over the long term, and then gradually ease on into that, whatever it is. Otherwise you're in danger of stopping completely when you reach your goal. For many people getting into the long term habit is the hardest part - that needs to be part of your goal.

CJ, David said it, you should rest at least one day a week to let your body recover. Typically, after a hard full body workout or a long slow aerobic workout or at least schedule a light workout. In the book, Chris says to workout 6 days a week. Working out everyday is hard to sustain, even for the most motivated. It seems you both are doing well. Keep at it, but take rest. Rufus.

I agree with the bike paths. They do have some here in Salt Lake but they are along side the very busy roads and I am afraid to have my kids ride on them. I wish they would put them to the side of the road like they do sidewalks.

Antelope Island has a nighttime bike ride to the ranch and back once a year in the summer which we are going to do. Very nice as cars are not a problem.

Thanks for the comments guys!

Jeanne,

Welcome to the Blog. I agree with Bill, if more of us did what you are doing maybe we could get more funding for bike paths and sidewalks. We're beginning to see more of it but it's slow in coming.
I see you're from Salt Lake City. I was there for a week long seminar in January of 2007. I managed to sneak away long enough to drive out and see the Buffalo on Antelope Island. It was absolutely beautiful there and there wasn't another person on the island at that time. I enjoyed that trip very much.

That's great. If more of us did this, maybe we would see more money going into sidewalks and bike paths, and less into multi-lane highways. Not that I don't own a car, but the American mind set really has to change from what's seen as "normal" in terms of transporation.

Julie, if radical and lasting change is hard for you, forget about it and try implementing a series of small changes one at a time. That approach often works better for many people and is often more effective at implementing lasting change. The goal should be making changes that you can stick with forever. It might take a long perioe of trial and error to find out what that is for you. Start with something that's pretty easy for you.

And I think you'll find that few if any of us here are athletes, we're just a bunch of people who have each found some form of exercise that we enjoy. Not everyone here goes to a gym, that isn't necessary. The trick is to find something physical that you enjoy. Try a bunch of differeent stuff, you may surprise yourself.

Cathy, I'm glad to hear it's stopped snowing there. I wish I could send you some warm weather. We could use a little more warmth here too. We had a few nice days, but have been stuck in a cold, wet weather pattern. I feel guilty about leading you on with the free online cookie offer! For those who missed it, Cathy tried to order a cookie sample and was told kashi would only deliver samples to US addresses. [I only got half a cookie, because I shared it with VJ. So there's not much to be bitter about...wink..]
Take care,
Chuck

Yes it has stopped snowing!!! - but the cold north wind has been blowing - we don't have any leaves out on the trees yet - my tulips are bravely struggling up - they are about 4 inches high and I have started walking outside again at 6;00am. Of course it is still -10 degrees Celsius (that's around +10 Fahrenheit I think) Happy Anniversary of blogging everyone!! This site is my first and only blog - I th;ink it is kinda cool but my teenagers are not that impressed!! They think I am technologically impaired!

Chuck - thanks for the retrospective - you seem like the unofficial host of the site - always there, always helping out!!

O, by the way - we can now buy Kashi granola bars in our local grocery store!!! but I am still bitter about the free cookies!!

Chuck - thanks for the history snapshot - how fun to reminisce. It has been a joy to be part of this site for a year, and the previous site as well (although this site is so incredibly better than its predecessor). Also a joy to make friends and correspond directly with many of you.

The very best first anniversary gift would be to have Andy re-join us, I think.

Happy Annivesary to all of us! Welcome to the newbies, congrats to us oldies!

Sounds awesome Nancy!
I'm green with envy. Don't forget to acknowledge Deb P. She is the original rower on YNY, and was the one who got me started and convinced me to go for the Crash-B's
Chuck

Nancy, I just read your personal profile because your post made me wonder if you're from Philadelphia, where rowing clubs are numerous. And I noticed that twice you say that you hate to exercise. Your post sure doesn't sound like it. Maybe you need to update the way you think about yourself, sounds to me like you've found some exercising that you love. Which I think is the secret to success. Keep it up!