Health and Fitness

[DigitalGypsy66]

I can't speak to diabetes - although my dad has type 2 and when he loses weight, they change his medication for that. But when my wife lost nearly 70 lbs. a couple of years ago, she got off her blood pressure medicine. And still doesn't take it.

I have this weird bit of pride in that I'm middle aged ( ) and don't wear glasses or on any prescriptions (other than for seasonal allergies). The glasses are inevitable, but I'm hoping to keep the pharmaceuticals out of me for a long time.

[meow]

People who I would assume do squats regularly: @Godric and @@meow ...others? @@dodint ?

My new gym only has two squat racks (ridiculous) and they're never available...I hate Smith machines for everything basically...so I have resorted to that power squat machine (angled platform, can do hack squats and power squats...padded shoulder things)...I like it much, much better...I know I'm probably losing stabilizer stuff and some core activity, but I felt I got a great workout out of it and it was much easier on my knees despite me doing like 300+ pounds on it...anyone else use this thing? I can replace the core activity some place else, but what about the stabilizing muscles? Is this one of those things that's too good to be true, so I'm probably paying for it with something else?

I actually do use this machine instead of squatting - always have. When I played, I used it and had a baked in excuse that I do a bunch of additional stabilization exercises to make up for it, when in reality I’m a wuss and squatting 350lbs scares the poop out of me.

[count2infinity]

since several of you have lost some significant weight lately I have a question for yinz:
have any of you who have type II diabetes been able to drop your diabetes meds and if so, how did you and your doctor come to the conclusion that you needed to?
my doctor considers me "pre-diabetic" and has me on Metformin and Glipizide as well as checking my blood once a week. my blood glucose was as high as 159 when I started testing last October but recently I've had 2 weeks under 100 (97) and I'm wondering how doctors determine when a patient is no longer diabetic.

I think skullman had some health issues that were alleviated by weight loss. I can't say the same except for my borderline cholesterol levels went well back into the normal range.

[skullman80]

I got back on the treadmill for the first time in a while yesterday since I'm running a 5k in a few weeks. I was surprised that I averaged about an 8 1/2 minute mile. My garmin said my pace was like 8:08, the treadmill said 8:30ish when I hit the 5k distance. Either way.. was pretty pleased with that.

[skullman80]

since several of you have lost some significant weight lately I have a question for yinz:
have any of you who have type II diabetes been able to drop your diabetes meds and if so, how did you and your doctor come to the conclusion that you needed to?
my doctor considers me "pre-diabetic" and has me on Metformin and Glipizide as well as checking my blood once a week. my blood glucose was as high as 159 when I started testing last October but recently I've had 2 weeks under 100 (97) and I'm wondering how doctors determine when a patient is no longer diabetic.

I think skullman had some health issues that were alleviated by weight loss. I can't say the same except for my borderline cholesterol levels went well back into the normal range.

My blood pressure was through the roof when I was heavier. I was no a high dosage of blood pressure meds just to keep it in the semi normal range. I was never classified as diabetic oddly enough though. My cholesterol levels were right on the border too. Once i dropped some weight and started moving more my BP returned to normal. I've been off my BP meds for over a year now which is nice. All of my other blood numbers are in the normal range too. My only health issue is my blood is too thick but that is going to be an issue no matter if I'm fat or skinny ... have to get phlebotemy's every 6-8 weeks.

[MR25]

I'm a fan of the Smith machine, if only because there's rarely enough room to use the free barbell for squats unless I'm the only person there.

I also find with the stability of the Smith, I can vary my feet position a little easier, which helps with hitting muscles differently than my normal barbell squat (for instance, I killed my quads for the first time in a long time by doing narrow squats as opposed to normal width. I wouldn't have been able to do those with a standard barbell).

[mikey]

People who I would assume do squats regularly: @Godric and @@meow ...others? @@dodint ?

My new gym only has two squat racks (ridiculous) and they're never available...I hate Smith machines for everything basically...so I have resorted to that power squat machine (angled platform, can do hack squats and power squats...padded shoulder things)...I like it much, much better...I know I'm probably losing stabilizer stuff and some core activity, but I felt I got a great workout out of it and it was much easier on my knees despite me doing like 300+ pounds on it...anyone else use this thing? I can replace the core activity some place else, but what about the stabilizing muscles? Is this one of those things that's too good to be true, so I'm probably paying for it with something else?

I actually do use this machine instead of squatting - always have. When I played, I used it and had a baked in excuse that I do a bunch of additional stabilization exercises to make up for it, when in reality I’m a wuss and squatting 350lbs scares the poop out of me.

My man

I'm about to join an organized flag football league, I'm going to count that as a stabilizer exercise...

[shoeshine boy]

I have this weird bit of pride in that I'm middle aged ( ) and don't wear glasses or on any prescriptions (other than for seasonal allergies). The glasses are inevitable, but I'm hoping to keep the pharmaceuticals out of me for a long time.

that's a big part of what's driving me, along with overall better health. right now meds are for diabetes (no insulin though), high blood pressure, high cholesterol and omeprazole for acid reflux. I've been told before that if they didn't consider me diabetic/prediabetic that I wouldn't be considered to be borderline on the blood pressure or cholesterol.

[iamjs]

I can't speak to diabetes - although my dad has type 2 and when he loses weight, they change his medication for that. But when my wife lost nearly 70 lbs. a couple of years ago, she got off her blood pressure medicine. And still doesn't take it.

I have this weird bit of pride in that I'm middle aged ( ) and don't wear glasses or on any prescriptions (other than for seasonal allergies). The glasses are inevitable, but I'm hoping to keep the pharmaceuticals out of me for a long time.

I'm basically in the same boat: middle age, lost some weight (down 20 since February, which also means I put on the 20 that I gained last year, putting me at a net of zero lbs lost/gained), and have been lucky enough to not require any type of meds or glasses. I'm sure my date for glasses is probably sooner than I am wanting to admit, but for now I've been pretty fortunate.

That said, I'm going for my yearly physical next week, so I'm sure I'll get a truer pic of whether I need any type of meds, glasses, etc.

[skullman80]

Nice 5 to 6 lb water weight gain over Easter weekend lol

[count2infinity]

Nice 5 to 6 lb water weight gain over Easter weekend lol

Can’t gain weight celebrating Easter if you don’t celebrate Easter. Blackguypointingtohead.jpg

[skullman80]

Nice 5 to 6 lb water weight gain over Easter weekend lol

Can’t gain weight celebrating Easter if you don’t celebrate Easter. Blackguypointingtohead.jpg

Was my GF's birthday this weekend too so it was food all over the place. Enjoyed every bite though. I expect to gain a legit pound or so but the rest of that will come off over the next week.

[count2infinity]

I think that's the best thing about this journey... I had a week at a conference in Orlando and I ate like garbage and drank way too much beer. Got back and it only took a few days to get back to the weight before I left. It's nice to not have to work weeks and weeks to fight off a bad week. Just a few days will do it.

[skullman80]

I think that's the best thing about this journey... I had a week at a conference in Orlando and I ate like garbage and drank way too much beer. Got back and it only took a few days to get back to the weight before I left. It's nice to not have to work weeks and weeks to fight off a bad week. Just a few days will do it.

Yep very true. Life happens. A few days isn't going to make you 300lbs again or whatever. You can still enjoy stuff, just can't let that weekend or week or whatever turn into a month or a few months haha.

[dodint]

http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/report- ... /331069478

ST. FRANCISVILLE, La. -- At least 16 people were injured after an obstacle collapsed at the Warrior Dash event in St. Francisville Saturday according to our partners at WBRZ.

Acadian Ambulance spokesperson Justin Cox told WBRZ that 11 people were transported with "a wide range of injuries from minor to serious." He said others were injured but did not need to be transported from the scene.

https://twitter.com/TheWebKevin/status/ ... 5854060545

What's funny is the last one that I did in Ohio while on this obstacle, somebody behind me made the comment that was something to the effect of "what would happen if this thing fell down?"

So, uh, sell me on doing one of these. A buddy asked me to go to the one in July in Ohio. My main reservation is that I don't like heights. And I generally think they're silly as a 'fitness' pursuit, but I'm approaching it as a social undertaking.

[iamjs]

I'm not a fan of heights either, or more specifically heights where I know I could slip, fall, and put myself on the IR for a very long time. There shouldn't be anything on the course that I'd consider overly high. Probably the highest thing would be the slide, and they even took the risk of falling out of that one a year or so ago.

Pros:
*It's a good intro into the whole mud run genre since it's only 5k. I haven't run Carrolton North Lawrence in a few years, but I think they hit you with the hills in the beginning and then it's flat on the back half. Lately I've been going with a friend who plays hockey but doesn't run and this is the only race he'll do all year. This year we're doing Pocono, but I'm still on the fence about running Ohio.
*Obstacles can be challenging but not to the point where you look at it and immediately say "nah, not doing it." They got rid of the vertical wall a few years ago. It was easily 15 ft high and I always thought "this is gonna be the year where I fall off of it." In its place, they have something higher but it's only at a 45 degree slope and they give you rope and I think even some crossposts to brace your feet.
*The post-race stuff is kinda cool. There's a large festival with bands, beers, turkey legs, photo ops, etc. But with festival style party comes festival-style pricing. That's why I usually only have a beer or two inside and then tailgate afterwards, which is also a common sight.
*Pricing for something like this isn't too bad when compared to the other mud runs like Spartan and Tough Mudder. I'm guessing it's probably around $60 right now before fees. $60 gets you your race fees, a shirt, a medal that doubles as a bottle opener if you don't include everything pre-2011 and last year's medal, some other swag-in-a-bag, and a post-race beer which I think this year is Dogfish Head. Oh, and look for a discount before signing up. A quick google search can knock off $5-10, which would probably cover the processing fees. They do offer $10 for veterans, but you have to email them proof. I always forget to do this, but here's a link: https://warriordash.zendesk.com/hc/en-u ... -Discounts

Cons:
*They did away with the timing... somewhat. Not really a big deal since I've done the last three with a friend who doesn't really run and I'm not exactly a 7:00/mi myself. A lot of the time you can estimate it off your start time and catch one of the course people with a phone or a watch.
*Premium pricing on certain waves. The earlier in the day that you sign up, the more it's gonna cost you. To counter people signing up later and running earlier, they also started timestamping the bibs before they are issued. Now can you run an earlier wave and risk not getting caught? Sure... uhh, I mean I would never do that and such a thing is very illegal and bad.
*Some people have said the obstacles have gotten a little too easy, or easier than they've been in the past. I'm ok with that. If I want something where I'm gonna dread every obstacle, I'll go run a Mudder. To me it's not a con, but I figured I'd throw it in.
*Aside from the Dash, there ain't **** to do anywhere near the place holding the event. So it's kinda like drive, run, and drive back. I guess Akron and Canton are kinda close, but I've never made it a point to stop at either place.

I'm still on the fence about doing this one. As mentioned, I'm already signed up for Pocono but I kinda liked this course. Being that it's only 2 hrs away, I can do this one in a day and not have to worry about booking a room.

And your comment about it being more of a social undertaking than a fitness pursuit is about right. There are those who are there to rip through the course in 20 minutes. But 95% of the people who are there are there to put in a short run and party afterwards. I think my first one I was all about ripping through the course and trying to put up the best time possible (when they still posted times and ranks.) But once I started going with groups, it was more about us socializing, putting in a few miles and grabbing a turkey leg and a beer afterwards and not about our time at all.

[Morkle]

So I'm cutting my calorie intake again as I've plateaued. Thinking about buying a smoothie maker to change it up in the morning and there are some solid recipes for under 400 calories.

[dodint]

iamjs, sincere thanks for the write-up. You have me amped up go go! I did look at the obstacles prior to asking about it, and they certainly didn't look worse than anything we did in boot camp; but then I don't have near the upper body strength I had in boot camp either.

Sadly/amusingly, my buddy's wife flipped her **** and started crying when he told her he was going to do it. She's in mortal fear that he will get a flesh eating eye infection. So now he's not going.
Maybe I'll still go (it was supposed to be me, him, his Dad, and his brother) and be the man his son never grew into being.

[shafnutz05]

She's in mortal fear that he will get a flesh eating eye infection. So now he's not going.

I take it this has to do with the stagnant, muddy water that a bunch of people are doing God knows what in?

[dodint]

She's in mortal fear that he will get a flesh eating eye infection. So now he's not going.

I take it this has to do with the stagnant, muddy water that a bunch of people are doing God knows what in?

I read into it and apparently when this actually happened it was because they built the course too close to a farm and there was animal fecal runoff in the obstacles...

[dodint]

I don't, as a general behavior, mock people for engaging in physical fitness.

BUT, as workplace driven effort, I will comment on this. My organization is promoting a fitness event for the next three Wednesdays. Everyone that wants to do it will meet on the 15th floor. Then walk down the stairs to the first floor. Then go back to work. Presumably by elevator.

Your tax dollars, folks.

Keep in mind, when we have a fire drill everyone walks down ~22 floors whether they want to or not...

[mikey]

Down, huh?

[dodint]

Yeah. Down. So I'm not the only one then.

[meow]

Feel the burn

[skullman80]

That is... amazingly silly.