Regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[HandshakeLine]

I had an old judo trainer in Chicago who was a beast (ex-Red Army champ, 3 time All-Euro medalist) who explained running as a discipline that you do, not because you need insane wind in a judo tournament (you fight 10 minutes, max), but because it's mentally boring and physically strenuous, which always resonated with me. It's something I do as a training ritual, not to make weight or actually perform better on the mat, but as a way to train myself to keep myself focused and learn to relax and be more efficient during unpleasant physical activity.

 

[EightyOne]

This is a situation where you have to know you are right but can't win. And that is the worst.

Lol

Almost like he's still married to her!!

 

[ChaosAgent]

Unless you just love running/jogging, low intensity steady state cardio may be one of the weakest ways to stay/get in shape. My brother absolutely loves jogging so it works for him. He loves it and it's something he can do to stay active. So hey... if you love it - stay with it. But if you despise jogging/running, I would implore you to look elsewhere because it's just not a great way to get what you want.

Ultimately fitness comes down to the same thing dieting does - what works for you? If you find things you hate, you will never stick with it. I love athletic training so I match resistance training with HIIT explosive plyo training. Lot of science backs it up. But a loooooooooooot of people hate jumping and want nothing to do with it. So barre, yoga, simple weight training, etc. are all out there. I just encourage people to find what they love.

I just can't stand how many people default to a boring exercise that legit is average at best for getting someone in shape. And it does absolute shit for building lean muscle. Oh... and it does a great job damaging joints over time.

At the end of the day, calories in calories out. And the "calories out" part matters. We're all far more homebound and frankly many of us aren't benefitting from our close proximity to our fridges and pantries. I'm depressed/anxiety-eating, sadly. And YOU KNOW that alcohol consumption is way up which certainly isn't benefiting anyone's figure.

So yeah, we need cardio right now. Of course there are other ways to do cardio but you can get burned out doing HIIT-style circuit workouts at home too. For those people jogging/running may make more sense.

 

[HandshakeLine]

So I'm the divorced father of 2 teenage girls. Their mom desperately wants to be the "cool mom" and I learned yesterday (we split every week) that she allowed my youngest to go to a friends house and my oldest was allowed to have her boyfriend over. Then yesterday she wanted to take my youngest to her grandmothers since she was "so bored". I told her absolutely not.

Like wtf? We're not all doing this for the fun of it.

My fiance and I talked about it and we both agreed that expressing my concerns over this will only cause my to do this more frequently out of pettiness

Yikes, that's a shitty situation, man.

It's slightly different with GF's mom, because in a way, life is returning to normal in Taipei, but people should still be careful that the second wave doesn't hit them hard. So, I don't mind her going out to see friends and play mahjong or going and getting some yum cha, but karaoke, where you're sharing a mic is a different story, you know?

 

[Beauner]

Unless you just love running/jogging, low intensity steady state cardio may be one of the weakest ways to stay/get in shape. My brother absolutely loves jogging so it works for him. He loves it and it's something he can do to stay active. So hey... if you love it - stay with it. But if you despise jogging/running, I would implore you to look elsewhere because it's just not a great way to get what you want.

Ultimately fitness comes down to the same thing dieting does - what works for you? If you find things you hate, you will never stick with it. I love athletic training so I match resistance training with HIIT explosive plyo training. Lot of science backs it up. But a loooooooooooot of people hate jumping and want nothing to do with it. So barre, yoga, simple weight training, etc. are all out there. I just encourage people to find what they love.

I just can't stand how many people default to a boring exercise that legit is average at best for getting someone in shape. And it does absolute shit for building lean muscle. Oh... and it does a great job damaging joints over time.

I'm just doing it to lose weight. I actually am in decent shape as backwards as that sounds. I just have some extra fat I'm trying to work off. I've been told steady pace is better for fat burn than higher intensity runs. I'm slowly ramping up speed so I don't plateau but it's working so far so I'm not seeing a reason to change. I lost 5lbs in about the first 2 weeks so that's fine with me.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

Lol

Almost like he's still married to her!!

Yea it blows.
And the frustrating thing is that we USED to be very cordial and pleasant towards each other as co parents. Like I considered her a good friend and person even after we divorced. We were divorced in 2013 and I started dating my current fiance in 2015, which my ex had no issues with at the time. Well immediately as we announced our engagement in Nov 2019 things took a major 180:

- Simple things like sports and transportation suddenly became an issue
-The person she was dating for less than a year, they moved in together (including the kids) then soon announced their own engagement thereafter
- She called the police (yes the police) on me because my oldest daughter was up in her room crying after a consequence I gave her for not completing a chore. My daughter was texting her mom saying she wants to not be at my house
-A couple months ago she elopes to NYC to get married. What is funny is I think her now husband is a cool dude and my girls enjoy him. He likes the Steelers even

So I'm the "not fun parent" because we have rules and expectations vs her house where it's a free for all. That's hard for kids to swing back and forth, I get that. But it's like she's intentionally doing the opposite just out of spite, because she never used to be this lax on stuff.

Hilariously enough, last month when my oldest was talking about her eloping she said "it's almost like mom is racing you guys" as our wedding date has been established for over a year...

 

[Mario_is_BACK!!]

@Honour Over Glory Was it you that said the worst part was the diarrhea? Because hooo boy you right.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

I am not working out more but lost almost ten pounds just cooking healthy and eating at home.

Speaks volumes about how eating out sneaks calories to you.

 

[vikingGoalie]

@ZeroPucksGiven that's a difficult situation, i feel for ya.

as far as running goes. I have done a variety of beach body workouts and the first p90x really made me fit. I'd give that sorta routine as my #1, but running is fantastic for getting you in shape. I'm not talking about running at a pace you can give a lecture, you do that as process to get where you want to be.

For myself when I was actually running, now i'm too old and fat, 4 miles was the perfect distance. I'd try to keep that under 30 minutes I endevored to maintain a 7m mile pace but that was difficult for me to do for 4 miles, but running at that intensity level for 30 minutes was just the right amount of time and intensity for me. Now I threw numbers out there, but for a real runner it's not impressive, my buddy would run 10 miles at a 6m mile pace all day long. My only real point is if you work yourself up to where you can do fairly intense state for about 30 minutes you will burn a crap ton of calories and the cardio benefit is incredible.

My cardio fitness level when I was doing that 4x a week was great. In fact I feel like me doing that for a couple of decades gave me a cardio base that I still have.

I agree for getting back into it that you can't hit that level of intensity for quite awhile you have to slowly build back to it. By slowly I mean depending on where you are you might be walking for a few weeks first. Some great advice earlier in this thread about easing into it.

For longer runs I actually loved it at the time, and I am not built like a runner at all, but you get the right kind of music going and I could basically zone out and run, focus on my breathing. Very yoga/mediation like when you get into the zone. In fact I still remember when the remains of a hurricane went over pa years ago, Irene? , and it was a steady very warm rain. I ran 10 miles in that and it was a surreal experience that I still remember to this day. I have never experienced that sort of feeling from any workout I've ever done.

These days, I've toyed with getting back into running but I'd have to drop 20 lbs and really ease my way back into it or my knees will complain loudly at me. I know this because my daughter did a 5k, and I hadn't run even a step in years. So I was like I'll go run with you. I felt great doing it at a very moderate 9m mile pace i talked the whole time. Next day my knee let me know that I hadn't done anything like that in a long while, took a couple days for the inflamation to go down.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Unless you just love running/jogging, low intensity steady state cardio may be one of the weakest ways to stay/get in shape. My brother absolutely loves jogging so it works for him. He loves it and it's something he can do to stay active. So hey... if you love it - stay with it. But if you despise jogging/running, I would implore you to look elsewhere because it's just not a great way to get what you want.

Ultimately fitness comes down to the same thing dieting does - what works for you? If you find things you hate, you will never stick with it. I love athletic training so I match resistance training with HIIT explosive plyo training. Lot of science backs it up. But a loooooooooooot of people hate jumping and want nothing to do with it. So barre, yoga, simple weight training, etc. are all out there. I just encourage people to find what they love.

I just can't stand how many people default to a boring exercise that legit is average at best for getting someone in shape. And it does absolute shit for building lean muscle. Oh... and it does a great job damaging joints over time.

it depends what your goal is. If you are straight up looking to burn excess calories (ie. lose weight or maintain weight with a less than ideal diet), there are very few options better than simple low intensity cardio.

 

[ColePens]

At the end of the day, calories in calories out. And the "calories out" part matters. We're all far more homebound and frankly many of us aren't benefitting from our close proximity to our fridges and pantries. I'm depressed/anxiety-eating, sadly. And YOU KNOW that alcohol consumption is way up which certainly isn't benefiting anyone's figure.

So yeah, we need cardio right now. Of course there are other ways to do cardio but you can get burned out doing HIIT-style circuit workouts at home too. For those people jogging/running may make more sense.

Im high fiving you in my head. Cals in/out is 100% right. I practice Int Fasting for that reason. I noticed a trend for me is when i'm deep in some work late at night, I typically want food. So what helped me years ago was noticing that trend and simply cutting off my eating at 8pm every night. Then i was already so close to Int Fasting, I just picked it up to make sure I could eat whatever I want - which works for me.

Because at the end of the week, my time restricted eating helps the biggest factor - Calories In vs Calories Out.


And as for cardio style - yeah I'm ALL in favor of a 10-15 minute tabata style HIIT burnout. You will burn insane calories in a quicker time. Especially if you go for it.

 

[Ugene Magic]

@ZeroPucksGiven That's a tough situation for sure. Imagine being the significant other and trying to practice discipline for the others children without overstepping. Setting up those rules the tandem parenting must follow to have a unified family tied together by children.

My suggestion is to go out with them for a family dinner if possible and try to have a give/take unified model everyone can live with. Provided all feel secure enough to be in one space to have a little fun, but hammerout issues each side has. Being in a public space should help keeping things civil. Everyone make a list. Must haves shouldn't be harped on too heavily to invoke heated debates, just move on and let everyone think about it for as long as it takes, "nobody raise their voice and remember 'Give & Take." Circleback at a later time. Kids can have a say, but ultimately the 4 parents have the last say. This way the Kids will see a unified parent set of guidelines. No deviations except for things that are out of everyone's hands. Sicknesses or any other reasons for having to bend the rules. Post the rules in some area that is not a common area of use to not make it seem like a jail sentence for the kids. Like the garage, or on the back of a utility closet door. All involved sign it. Petty, but shows the seriousness the children will see growing up into a future independent lifestyle.

It sucks, but you will get some form of guidelines even if the must haves are not hammered out fully, if ever.

I was (10 yo) part of a divorced family and know all too well the ramifications.

Arguing and fighting will get you nowhere.

 

[ColePens]

it depends what your goal is. If you are straight up looking to burn excess calories (ie. lose weight or maintain weight with a less than ideal diet), there are very few options better than simple low intensity cardio.

Oh i disagree with this. Why would I spend 1 hour low intensity steady state vs. 15-20 minutes of all-in HIIT? I'm saving 40 minutes and burning more calories.

The only 1 major compliment I can give LISS is that it is easy and a lot more safe because you really aren't pushing your body to any max. Once again - unless LISS is for you and you love it, then I say 1000000% do it. If you are more likely to jog 1 hour vs. 20 minutes of HIIT, LISS is for you.

Most people want a lean muscle build and always try to cardio themselves to death getting it. They'll never achieve it. I love when people always try cardio cardio cardio and want that perfect lean muscle as if there is no need to build muscle to see that muscle. Or when they say weights will lead to being bulky... to which I would laugh maniacally like The Joker.

But if a person was like 300lbs and needed to lose like 50+ lbs, then i would tell them to simply walk 2-3x a week and hit weights 2x a week because HIIT would never be something they need to do. But walking can work wonders to start a fitness journey.

 

[ColePens]

I'm just doing it to lose weight. I actually am in decent shape as backwards as that sounds. I just have some extra fat I'm trying to work off. I've been told steady pace is better for fat burn than higher intensity runs. I'm slowly ramping up speed so I don't plateau but it's working so far so I'm not seeing a reason to change. I lost 5lbs in about the first 2 weeks so that's fine with me.

How about weight/resistance training? Any value there? Because a good way to cut off (there is no fat targeting) the middleman is to create lean muscle. Any value there?

 

[HandshakeLine]

I get people who love running. Endorphin rush and runner's highs are totally things.

I will say, I have injured myself way more doing my roadwork than I ever did in judo or boxing, though. Probably because running on trails or streets can be really dangerous. Give me a resisting opponent!

 

[T1K]

Best part about stay at home orders is crushing a nap during your lunch break

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Im high fiving you in my head. Cals in/out is 100% right. I practice Int Fasting for that reason. I noticed a trend for me is when i'm deep in some work late at night, I typically want food. So what helped me years ago was noticing that trend and simply cutting off my eating at 8pm every night. Then i was already so close to Int Fasting, I just picked it up to make sure I could eat whatever I want - which works for me.

Because at the end of the week, my time restricted eating helps the biggest factor - Calories In vs Calories Out.


And as for cardio style - yeah I'm ALL in favor of a 10-15 minute tabata style HIIT burnout. You will burn insane calories in a quicker time. Especially if you go for it.

Ya HIIT training is way more effective for me and most people I know, including my wife.

Running bangs up your knees and doesn’t burn off enough calories per minute to make it worth it.

I usually run in the Lemieux race every October and I start training like 2 weeks before hand...

Because of HIIT training I can knock out 8-10 mile runs right off the bat and not even be tired.

I honestly can’t train any other way since I learned about HIIT years ago and resting metabolic rate.

I can’t justify running 4-5 miles which takes me 2-3 times longer than doing hill or 12x100 sprints, knowing I’m burning way less calories and beating my knees down.

 

[Ogrezilla]

Oh i disagree with this. Why would I spend 1 hour low intensity steady state vs. 15-20 minutes of all-in HIIT? I'm saving 40 minutes and burning more calories.

The only 1 major compliment I can give LISS is that it is easy and a lot more safe because you really aren't pushing your body to any max. Once again - unless LISS is for you and you love it, then I say 1000000% do it. If you are more likely to jog 1 hour vs. 20 minutes of HIIT, LISS is for you.

Most people want a lean muscle build and always try to cardio themselves to death getting it. They'll never achieve it. I love when people always try cardio cardio cardio and want that perfect lean muscle as if there is no need to build muscle to see that muscle. Or when they say weights will lead to being bulky... to which I would laugh maniacally like The Joker.

But if a person was like 300lbs and needed to lose like 50+ lbs, then i would tell them to simply walk 2-3x a week and hit weights 2x a week because HIIT would never be something they need to do. But walking can work wonders to start a fitness journey.

I guess I'm thinking of it in terms of someone losing weight. If you're overweight, you probably can't really do much high intensity stuff.

 

[Don'tcry4mejanhrdina]

If you want to lose weight, lift some weights. More muscle on your frame=more calories burned every day, including on your off days. Some people don't want to look bulky but lifting weights isn't going to do that for you unless you're REALLY get into lifting weights. It's very, very hard to build bulk muscle.

Oh and fix your damn nutrition. You can't outrun a poor diet. Find good food that you really like and is good for you and cook in bulk so you have healthy options already made for you when you're tired/feeling lazy. Don't starve yourself, EAT. Just eat good, nutritious food that you enjoy. It's so simple. People just need to toughen up their mind and don't avoid something just because it's difficult.

 

[Beauner]

How about weight/resistance training? Any value there? Because a good way to cut off (there is no fat targeting) the middleman is to create lean muscle. Any value there?

I've done a couple rounds of circuit training with dumbbells but I just don't feel like I get the same workout with those as I do at a gym.

Oh and fix your damn nutrition. You can't outrun a poor diet. Find good food that you really like and is good for you and cook in bulk so you have healthy options already made for you when you're tired/feeling lazy. Don't starve yourself, EAT. Just eat good, nutritious food that you enjoy. It's so simple. People just need to toughen up their mind and don't avoid something just because it's difficult.

This might have more to do with me losing a few pounds than anything else. Yeah I'm running but I'm just eating less. Not being super strict, though the sweets have really been cut down. But I'm just unintentionally eating less and drinking less.

 

[Ogrezilla]

If you want to lose weight, lift some weights. More muscle on your frame=more calories burned every day, including on your off days. Some people don't want to look bulky but lifting weights isn't going to do that for you unless you're REALLY get into lifting weights. It's very, very hard to build bulk muscle.

Oh and fix your damn nutrition. You can't outrun a poor diet. Find good food that you really like and is good for you and cook in bulk so you have healthy options already made for you when you're tired/feeling lazy. Don't starve yourself, EAT. Just eat good, nutritious food that you enjoy. It's so simple. People just need to toughen up their mind and don't avoid something just because it's difficult.

As someone who lost about 80 lbs, I can tell you that you're right that it is simple, but it is also VERY hard to change those habits. Simple doesn't mean easy.

 

[LOGiK]

At my full time job I'm producer/director of all broadcasts. I'll crew them, put people in different spots, and direct most broadcasts. From there I'll put on the show. So if you watch the link I posted I did a lot of pre-production editing, built all of the graphics, and every time it cuts to a new camera I'm the one doing it. It's a pretty solid real job. Just... not much sports production going on now. I always figured my job, and side work, would be recession proof. Turns out it's only barely pandemic proof, though I'm losing $1000 a month in freelance work.

Don't feel bad about thinking your job was *** proof. Look at the illegal drug market, another near unstoppable juggernaut, brought to its knee's over all this.

Also, I took a video production class in college. Loved every second of it, unfortunately, there was ... nevermind, it's a long story long long story and irrelevant. In short, I didn't get to finish that major. Not sure why I chose Physical Health and Education..... OH... because of my girlfriend at the time.... damn...

 

[HandshakeLine]

As someone who lost about 80 lbs, I can tell you that you're right that it is simple, but it is also VERY hard to change those habits. Simple doesn't mean easy.

That is really great, and I'd like to say an actual heartfelt congratulations!

 

[Mario_is_BACK!!]

Don't feel bad about thinking your job was *** proof. Look at the illegal drug market, another near unstoppable juggernaut, brought to its knee's over all this.

Also, I took a video production class in college. Loved every second of it, unfortunately, there was ... nevermind, it's a long story long long story and irrelevant. In short, I didn't get to finish that major. Not sure why I chose Physical Health and Education..... OH... because of my girlfriend at the time.... damn...

Thankfully I'm still employed and creative enough to make my role needed (we're doing what very few schools are doing and doing live re-airs of classic games starting tonight at 7) so full time I'm still good to go. My part time jobs with the local minor league baseball team is shelved, obviously. Same with freelance gigs doing high school and college basketball, football, baseball around the country. But I still have a steady pay check!

 

[Don'tcry4mejanhrdina]

As someone who lost about 80 lbs, I can tell you that you're right that it is simple, but it is also VERY hard to change those habits. Simple doesn't mean easy.

I was a fat kid from about 7 until 17. I had to force that change in myself. It wasn't easy for me, hell, it's STILL not easy. I certainly don't feel like working out most days but I always feel better when I do, mentally and physically.

I just think many overweight people think it's hopeless and they're destined to be overweight. If anybody is severely overweight/unhealthy, please do NOT try to go from 0-100 and try to change everything in your life overnight (unless you are hundreds of pounds overweight and risking death, then your goal should be to loose as much weight as quickly as safely possible). Slowly cut down on unhealthy things, cut back a little of calories, have less cheat/treat meals. Don't just go on a diet and cut out everything you enjoy and feel hungry all the time, chances are it won't stick. You wouldn't try to start working out by running a marathon, so why drastically change your diet in the same way? Also, have a clear goal, it will help a ton on those tough days when you'll wonder if it's worth all the effort.

My post wasn't directed at anyone in general, I don't want anyone to feel like I was attacking them, by the way.