The Health Nut Thread

[MostlySunny]

Robin... How about planks? Do they hurt? That's a great ab workout. With out actually "crunching".
This has tips on modifying till you get more strength. http://articles.latimes.com/2014/feb/21/health/la-he-try-this-tosca-reno-plank-20140222
Avoided 2 plates of cookies so far

 

[Robino1]

When do you get your blood results Robin?

Tomorrow, hopefully

Robin... How about planks? Do they hurt? That's a great ab workout. With out actually "crunching".
This has tips on modifying till you get more strength. Plank position for beginners - Los Angeles Times
Avoided 2 plates of cookies so far

Yay! on avoiding the cookies

I have been thinking of trying those. I remember them being not nearly has hard on my core (ages ago) than the sit-ups or crunches were.

 

[MostlySunny]

We do them in my yoga class. I've gotten better, the side planks for me are harder. But great for the obliques

 

[Robino1]

Ok... just tried the plank. I can do the beginner pose and I feel some pain in the surgical area. BUT it is manageable. More of a pulling sensation rather than a stabbing pain.

Tried the full plank... OMG I never realized how much stomach muscles are used!! That had that pain... I may be able to work my way up there. These muscles have not really been used. I figure I will do the beginner, since I can feel that it is working those muscles, and gradually increase my tolerance for staying in that position.

This is what I'm talking about. Getting motivated and ideas from each other

I seriously did not feel like they did a whole lot for me when I was doing this stuff 5 years ago. WOW! I know better now!

 

[MostlySunny]

lol! I've always found them hard and when you said they were easy I felt out of shape

Nothing wrong with beginner anything. Muscle has great memory and they'll get easier soon enough.

Good job Robin!

 

[Bunnykiller]

I got out of bed.... does that count??

 

[gthompson]

We do planks in all our routines.

 

[Robino1]

I thought about skipping the second 4 miles. Then I remembered that I had already stated what my goals were for the day.

I just got done with those last 4 miles

 

[LAwaters]

Robin, this thread is a great idea! I've had those 4 C-sections, so stomach work is tough for me too, even all these years later. In 2012, I cut my portion sizes, limited meat, bread, starches and sodium. No more sodas, mostly water. Changed my snacks from pretzels and chips to gluten free, low sodium options.

Then I bought a fitness cycle and spent the summer on it. Got up to almost 30 mile rides 3 - 5 times per week. That helped me drop 15 - 20 lbs. got sidelined by a severe shoulder injury, but I will get back to it.

One small way to build a bit of core strength is good posture. All day long, use your abdomen to hold yourself in proper alignment. Sounds weird, but it can help. Leads to better breathing too. Another easy thing uses a small weight ball. You set it on the floor beside your foot, then squat to pick it up and pretend you are setting it on a high shelf on the other side of your body. Finish by setting down beside your other foot and stand. Then repeat. It's good for your overall flexibility too.

Also with the weight ball, you sit on the floor, lean back and raise your legs. Touch the floor beside you with the ball, then touch the floor on your other side. 25 reps, then rest. Three sets of those make a good core workout!

Sorry I don't know the names of those exercises.

 

[Robino1]

Great idea LA! Thanks


Goal for today, 4 miles on the elliptical and planking at least 4 tries. lol Not sure how many times per 'session' I'm supposed to be doing this.

Joy joy, I lost a whopping 1/2 lb. 139
Maybe trying to do too much too soon and the body is going "WHOA! I need to store up"?

Update: 4 miles done. 38 minutes; 53 avg rpm

2 planks LOL Sounds funny

Update #2: ended up doing another 4 miles and 2 more planks

 

[LAwaters]

Here's a video about the exercise I was describing. It's called a lunge and lift. It's a progression of a lateral reach lunge, which is demonstrated in the video. This shows the proper form to use. It can be done without a weight, and they show how to start with limited ranges of motion so you can work your way up. I love this exercise!

 

[Robino1]

Thank you for that Lori!! I will work that into my new routine

 

[Robino1]

When do you get your blood results Robin?

0 - 2.5 is what they consider in range for a non-smoker. 0 - 5 for a smoker.

Mine came in at 2.8. I am not worried but I am getting another appointment with the cancer doctor that performed my surgery...just in case. I do have something going on with one of my breasts. I'm not worried about it.......much. It is being watched. This was discovered when I was getting all my regular checks done pre finding out about the colon cancer.

I am having mammograms once a year + getting it ultrasound(ed) every six months.

Some fun eh? Probably more than anyone wanted to know.

I'll be/am fine.

The minor elevation in the CEA might be a result of being a nicotine user? I mean, we really don't know if some things are getting through because I am strictly vaping NET's . Ya know?

Anyways. There it is...

 

[Robino1]

Goals for today.

Incorporate Lori's suggestion into the day somewhere
4 + miles on the elliptical. I am thinking about starting to increase each day at least 1/2 mile.
Planks

Weight this morning......138.5! I haven't seen that number in a very long time

UPDATE

I did the 4 1/2 and felt I had enough in me to take it to 5!

Lori, that Lateral Reach Lunge is an awesome stretch for after the elliptical!
I started with beginner at 5 reps. Then did another 5 reps lunging out. No weights as of yet, that will come later.

3 planks in the beginner position. I don't think I will ever be able to do a full. But this is better than nothing and I can feel those muscles working!!

UPDATE#2
Three miles with resistance and lateral reach lunges

 

[Robino1]

Re-posting so I can view easier. For some reason the video wasn't view-able for me as it was.

 

[gthompson]

Goals for today.

Incorporate Lori's suggestion into the day somewhere
4 + miles on the elliptical. I am thinking about starting to increase each day at least 1/2 mile.
Planks

Weight this morning......138.5! I haven't seen that number in a very long time

Woo Hoo!! Move over RJ and GT, here come Robin!

 

[Robino1]

Woo Hoo!! Move over RJ and GT, here come Robin!

OMG Not quite in your guys' league! I'm just working on a VERY FEW pounds and toning this body up.


You all have given me the inspiration to actually start doing this instead of thinking 'i need to do this' and then do nothing.

Update posted on the 'Goal for the day' post.

 

[LAwaters]

Re-posting so I can view easier. For some reason the video wasn't view-able for me as it was.

Robin, congrats on getting going! That's half the battle right there. Well done!

I think the video issue is due to the way that YouTube copies the link from the app on my iPad. I compared your link to mine, and the code is different. I will grab the links differently from now on. Back when blogs were popular I had started one and called it "Just Want It To Work" which I planned to fill with tips and workarounds for common tech frustrations. Alas, my workload grew too full to have the time. (A nice problem to have!)

 

[Robino1]

Robin, congrats on getting going! That's half the battle right there. Well done!

I think the video issue is due to the way that YouTube copies the link from the app on my iPad. I compared your link to mine, and the code is different. I will grab the links differently from now on. Back when blogs were popular I had started one and called it "Just Want It To Work" which I planned to fill with tips and workarounds for common tech frustrations. Alas, my workload grew too full to have the time. (A nice problem to have!)

I figured it had to be something like an iPad or iPhone thing. I knew it was there because I first saw it while on my iPhone and when I got on the desktop computer, it wasn't viewable. At least I knew what code needed to be deleted to get to the YouTube page. I's getting smarter too!!!

 

[Bronze]

0 - 2.5 is what they consider in range for a non-smoker. 0 - 5 for a smoker.

Mine came in at 2.8. I am not worried but I am getting another appointment with the cancer doctor that performed my surgery...just in case. I do have something going on with one of my breasts. I'm not worried about it.......much. It is being watched. This was discovered when I was getting all my regular checks done pre finding out about the colon cancer.

I am having mammograms once a year + getting it ultrasound(ed) every six months.

Some fun eh? Probably more than anyone wanted to know.

I'll be/am fine.

The minor elevation in the CEA might be a result of being a nicotine user? I mean, we really don't know if some things are getting through because I am strictly vaping NET's . Ya know?

Anyways. There it is...

Yep, just keep up with the monitoring. But you know that. You may never get another cancerous cell for the rest of your life but if something ever turns up you'll be in a position to deal with it as long as you keep up the monitoring.