The Health, Diet and Exercise Thread

[Lemondropkid]

I'd not done any cardio excercise for over 6 months, mix of injury, illness and indifference

Decided this had to end so have been taking advantage of the better weather to start running again- following he Couch to 5k program.

The program is a mixture of walking and running. The walking I try to do as quicky as I can, the running is a struggle-  boy does it show how unfit I've got!!

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/running-and-aerobic-exercises/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/

Yesterday, Wk 3 session 1 ( meant to do 3 a week). Was only 4 short runs, interpersed by walking.

Running 90 seconds, 3 minutes, 90 seconds and finally 3 minutes, thought is would be simple.....😛. Was gasping at the end of the first 3 minutes, the second a final 3 minutes seemed to  last forever!!

Still felt great afterward, slept like a log.

Will be out again tomorrow or Tuesday. Program is meant to run for 9 weeks.

 

[Painter]

1 hour ago, galenkia said:

Good day today, just under 17,500 steps.

Been lovely weather wise.

Having successfully managed less than 1000 a day for the past week due to the weather and other stuff, I took advantage of the sun today and did 15k along the seafront. My face is telling me the beach was windy... my legs are saying that I did too much!

[Golfingboy]

I just deleted all my heart rate Apps- not accurate IMO- and put my trust in this unit. All good, but I wonder what I’ll be at if/when I quit the beta-blocker

 

 

[Nightcrawler]

I have entered in my diary as things to do next week, to renew my membership at my local Leisure Centre gym. Whether I actually do it or not is another matter. 

I went for a month or so with joint paints recently which at last seems to be subsiding. 

Maybe a couple of visits per week to start with and gentle exercise. I probably won't enjoy it, but it will involve a degree of discipline, that's for sure.  

Yesterday, I felt very energised after doing a spring clean.

I do like the rowing machines and feel most comfortable on that piece of equipment.  

I am quite sedentary by nature, and I am away that now I am in my twilight years, that my muscles are not going to excercise themselves. 

I don't think I will enjoy the actual experience, but may benefit from increased energy and mobility as a result of strengthening my upper torso, especially.  

I have never enjoyed exercise very much, I must admit, but now I am retired, I don't get enough of normal exercise just by working. 

It's a wish at the moment, but I need to turn it into a reality.  How hard can it be to spend a maximum of 4 hours a week in a gym? I will stay clear of those macho iron pushers though. Not my scene 

[boydeste]

20 minutes ago, Nightcrawler said:

I have entered in my diary as things to do next week, to renew my membership at my local Leisure Centre gym. Whether I actually do it or not is another matter. 

I went for a month or so with joint paints recently which at last seems to be subsiding. 

Maybe a couple of visits per week to start with and gentle exercise. I probably won't enjoy it, but it will involve a degree of discipline, that's for sure.  

Yesterday, I felt very energised after doing a spring clean.

I do like the rowing machines and feel most comfortable on that piece of equipment.  

I am quite sedentary by nature, and I am away that now I am in my twilight years, that my muscles are not going to excercise themselves. 

I don't think I will enjoy the actual experience, but may benefit from increased energy and mobility as a result of strengthening my upper torso, especially.  

I have never enjoyed exercise very much, I must admit, but now I am retired, I don't get enough of normal exercise just by working. 

It's a wish at the moment, but I need to turn it into a reality.  How hard can it be to spend a maximum of 4 hours a week in a gym? I will stay clear of those macho iron pushers though. Not my scene 

I find what ever exercise I do, it is made way more pleasurable listening to music, audio books or a pod cast.

Incredible how many subjects are covered by them these days.

Mobile phones coupled with blue tooth ear pieces make that very easy these days!

[Krapow]

27 minutes ago, Nightcrawler said:

I have entered in my diary as things to do next week, to renew my membership at my local Leisure Centre gym. Whether I actually do it or not is another matter. 

I went for a month or so with joint paints recently which at last seems to be subsiding. 

Maybe a couple of visits per week to start with and gentle exercise. I probably won't enjoy it, but it will involve a degree of discipline, that's for sure.  

Yesterday, I felt very energised after doing a spring clean.

I do like the rowing machines and feel most comfortable on that piece of equipment.  

I am quite sedentary by nature, and I am away that now I am in my twilight years, that my muscles are not going to excercise themselves. 

I don't think I will enjoy the actual experience, but may benefit from increased energy and mobility as a result of strengthening my upper torso, especially.  

I have never enjoyed exercise very much, I must admit, but now I am retired, I don't get enough of normal exercise just by working. 

It's a wish at the moment, but I need to turn it into a reality.  How hard can it be to spend a maximum of 4 hours a week in a gym? I will stay clear of those macho iron pushers though. Not my scene 

Does whatever London Borough you live in not do a health referral service? 

They do in many, you get your GP Practice, usually the Practice Nurse to refer you to the community leisure centre gyms. It's usually free for a while, then subsidised, much cheaper than usual London gym prices. Some you can even self refer. Then the Leisure centre calls you to come in for an assessment.

But more importantly, you get help and support for the first 12 weeks or so, stuff tailor made for what you want to do, shown how everything works, different classes or machines, nutritional advice, advice based on your own personal health situation etc. It's really good.

You can get referred for basically anything, stuff like overweight, feeling down, recovering from a health issue, want to make a healthy lifestyle change from a sedentary one. Even being a raging shirtlifter such as yourself!

It's really good, the local Public Health teams like i work for help fund it. Exercise helps so much, both mentally and physically. 

[boydeste]

I have been trying very hard to stay off BP meds for several years now.

My target to do this from my Doctor was 130/90.

I have been able to maintain this as an average over the weekly checks, but it is very noticeable that my drinking at weekends raises it quite a bit and the rest of the week seems to be recovering back down again!

Since returning from my Winter trip I had my 6 monthly review and my average was 137/93. I have to concede that unless I cut out the drink completely, I am not going to achieve my target. Ideally it would be a benefit to be lower than that anyways. I don't want a life without being able to have a drink as and when, so I agreed to go onto meds.

After the blood checks I was prescribed 1.25mg of Ramipril. These were taken for 5 days over which period my eyes started to hurt and become very sore until I woke up to blurred vision. Quite frightening really. Fortunately my vision came back over the next 24 hours of not taking them. Doing the usual Google, it can be a side effect which can lead to total blindness. Interestingly over 10% of people have a reaction of some kind to them, most common being a dry cough.

I am now on Candesartan 8mg and so far they seem to be OK. I do my bloods again on Monday, apparently they can be hard on the Kidneys. 

It has surprised me how quickly these meds work and also build up to work even better over a few weeks.

During the week with no alcohol my BP has been around 120/80 to 125/85 in the mornings and 110/75 to 120/80 in the evenings.

Over the week end with drinking the figures have not gone over 135/90 which is perfect.

Hopefully my bloods will be OK. Side effects are 1% so hopefully much better chance than with Ramipril.

I was interested to know how many of you had problems with their BP meds and have had to change once or a few times?

Typical result in the evening after my walk.

My BP this morning.

Edited May 11, 2023 by boydeste

[boydeste]

8 hours ago, Golfingboy said:

I just deleted all my heart rate Apps- not accurate IMO- and put my trust in this unit. All good, but I wonder what I’ll be at if/when I quit the beta-blocker

 

 

That is great, I don't know what the long term effects of being on Beta blockers are, but they are obviously working for ya, considering where you were, I would be keeping on them for the foreseeable future!

[Horizondave]

I don't go to the gym anymore but I do quite a bit of walking. The last 4 months have seen me congested due to nasal polyps so I have to watch how much I exert myself and I probably haven't done as much exercise as I should. I have tried to assist my lack of real exercise by improving my diet which seems to be having a positive effect..

Recently I started wearing my wife's Fitbit and it is monitoring me 24 hours a day. Never thought about getting one before but being able to see your sleep patterns, step count, heartbeat, blood pressure and oxygen levels does actually have a positive effect. Even if I don't go on an actual walk, I still find that I am doing around 5000 steps a day which is acceptable.

I am on tablets to maintain a good heart beat but my blood pressure has always been good. As I have said previously, even before my aortic valve replacement, my blood pressure was around 120/70. Since my heart operation my blood pressure never really goes much above 112/67.

Been very interested in my sleep pattern and I am finding that I am sleeping well, my norm being about 7 hours sleep with over 50% of that being deep sleep.  If I google sleep patterns it appears a normal deep sleep segment is usually only 20-30% of the overall sleep time so I hope mine is a good sign rather than a bad one.

[galenkia]

Just walking for me these days, shoulder is f***d from constant lifting at my previous job.

That's why I like my nice sit down job.

[Glasseye]

47 minutes ago, boydeste said:

That is great, I don't know what the long term effects of being on Beta blockers are, but they are obviously working for ya, considering where you were, I would be keeping on them for the foreseeable future!

 

They have so many treatment med's and options for high b.p. now.

 

When my Dad first discovered he had b.p. problems he was 64. He passed out on the train on the way home from work. Retired early with disability following that.

They had way less options than they do now back then, but he started on what they had. They had side effects also.

Over the years they continued to come out with newer and better treatments. He lived to be 96. That was nearly 20 years ago when he passed.

 

The key with high b.p. is to take your meds regularly. When you first start find the right mix, because there is something that will work. Once on it, stick with it. 

[Lemondropkid]

10 minutes ago, Horizondave said:

Been very interested in my sleep pattern and I am finding that I am sleeping well, my norm being about 7 hours sleep with over 50% of that being deep sleep.  If I google sleep patterns it appears a normal deep sleep segment is usually only 20-30% of the overall sleep time so I hope mine is a good sign rather than a bad one

50% deep sleep, I score a feeble 15%. It's a red letter day if it makes it to 20. Do though as you average out around 7 total hours sleep per night.

Mainly I look for resting heart rate and have become concious just how strongly inversely proportional to my alcohol consumpiton it is.

Been cutting back massively as result for the past 6 weeks. 

 

[fygjam]

1 hour ago, boydeste said:

Typical result in the evening after my walk.

 

 

Is that while you're all pink and sweaty? Given the HR I suspect so. If you're pink it means your capillaries are dilated thus reducing the resistance your heart has to work against. A hot shower can do the same.

 

 

Edited May 11, 2023 by fygjam

[boydeste]

5 minutes ago, fygjam said:

Is that while you're all pink and sweaty? Given the HR I suspect so. If you're pink it means your capillaries are dilated thus reducing the resistance your heart has to work against. A hot shower can do the same.

 

 

Not pink and sweaty, but it's a good point.

I had only been sat down for a short while after a shower, so probably as you say.

Just checked back and have many similar values in the late afternoon/early evening, but the 110 is one of the lowest.

I am going out for a walk later today so will make a point of checking it when I am settled in the chair for a while and HR down to normal.

[Rompho Ray]

2 hours ago, boydeste said:

I find what ever exercise I do, it is made way more pleasurable listening to music, audio books or a pod cast.

 

Absolutely agree.  I have a pair of noise-canceling earbuds I use for this, and play MP3s from my phone.  I find that it helps me concentrate while at the same time making the workout seem less arduous.

[coxyhog]

I'm on 10mg Amlodipine & 2.5mg Ramipril daily.My resting BP is always around 80 but the systolic was > 150 before I started on the meds.Seems to be going down gradually,last time I measured it(yesterday) it was 139 so heading in the right direction.

I don't seem to be having any side effects but have a blood test due to check my kidneys out on the 18th.

I haven't stopped boozing.

[Nightcrawler]

5 hours ago, Krapow said:

Does whatever London Borough you live in not do a health referral service? 

They do in many, you get your GP Practice, usually the Practice Nurse to refer you to the community leisure centre gyms. It's usually free for a while, then subsidised, much cheaper than usual London gym prices. Some you can even self refer. Then the Leisure centre calls you to come in for an assessment.

But more importantly, you get help and support for the first 12 weeks or so, stuff tailor made for what you want to do, shown how everything works, different classes or machines, nutritional advice, advice based on your own personal health situation etc. It's really good.

You can get referred for basically anything, stuff like overweight, feeling down, recovering from a health issue, want to make a healthy lifestyle change from a sedentary one. Even being a raging shirtlifter such as yourself!

It's really good, the local Public Health teams like i work for help fund it. Exercise helps so much, both mentally and physically. 

Yes. About 3 years ago referred me my local leisure centre for which I was assessed. I was issued a membership card for greatly reduced membership and attendance.  Unfortunately I was still not feeling good after cancer treatment and I didn't take advantage of it. But it's still valid. I just need to update my membership card and maybe go through the induction again . 

They have staff on hand to assist old bastards like me and make sure they don't over do it. 

[Krapow]

2 hours ago, Nightcrawler said:

Yes. About 3 years ago referred me my local leisure centre for which I was assessed. I was issued a membership card for greatly reduced membership and attendance.  Unfortunately I was still not feeling good after cancer treatment and I didn't take advantage of it. But it's still valid. I just need to update my membership card and maybe go through the induction again . 

They have staff on hand to assist old bastards like me and make sure they don't over do it. 

Yea, that's why it was set up, to help people embrace exercise who for various reasons wouldn't have before.

There are loads and loads of studies and data showing the benefits of exercise to people's mental and physical health. 

As we get older our muscles start to deteriorate, and while cardio is good and i personally love and prefer it, using your muscles in resistance training or similar gets more important the older we get.

But the programme and staff are there to assist and find what's best for the person related to their own personal circumstance. I think it's a great initiative, helped me do a full lifestyle change a few years ago. Before that i used to go the gym for 3 months, lose the weight i wanted to lose, but didn't really enjoy it, was bored and stopped. Then spent the next 6 months putting it all back on, rinse and repeat. Now i go and do circuits or HIIT classes at least 3 times a week, love it, got to know loads of people, find it a social thing as well. The classes to me are like have a personal trainer, but without the cost. I don't get bored, it's always a different mixture of exercises. 

Sa started doing Zumba, Aerobics and similar a while ago, paying near £10 a Class here and there. I told her to go see the Practice Nurse, say she was feeling a bit down, missing home, wanted a referral to the gym for her wellbeing. Referral done, assessment 2 weeks later, signed up. She does Zumba, bums and tums, yoga, all sorts at first for free, then for £18pm unlimited. 

Do it, mate, it's a great initiative, you'll not regret it, you've nothing to lose and a lot to gain!

[Rompho Ray]

1 hour ago, Krapow said:

Do it, mate, it's a great initiative, you'll not regret it, you've nothing to lose and a lot to gain!

I call resistance training "the fountain of middle age".  

[coxyhog]

I read some years ago that when you reach the body age of around 60 you start to shrink & the best way to combat that is resistance & weight training.

 

[Krapow]

1 minute ago, coxyhog said:

I read some years ago that when you reach the body age of around 60 you start to shrink & the best way to combat that is resistance & weight training.

 

Yep, i'd think even before 60, but everyone's different, one size doesn't fit all. 

No matter what age though, it's certainly beneficial. 

[Golfingboy]

1 hour ago, coxyhog said:

I read some years ago that when you reach the body age of around 60 you start to shrink & the best way to combat that is resistance & weight training.

 

I believe unless you keep up the weight training, there is a decline in mass starting as young as 25. When I was bedbound for 6 weeks due to the tachycardia after New Year’s, my arms went from 17.5 to 16” while losing an additional 25 pounds. But all the flabby skin remains on my triceps, bloody depressing. Happy to be carrying about 100 less pounds than my peak, but the scale and bodyfat  %/ health…..different things 

[coxyhog]

Before I got Covid in June last year if I got a head cold I found nasal decongestants very helpful & before bed a couple of Benylin 4Flu or Thai Decolgen tablets would both knock me out(esp with alcohol beforehand)and see me rise in the morning feeling OK.

The main symptoms of my Covid were like a bad head cold,except that the above remedies had no effect whatsoever.

Now I have a bad head cold(& no Covid) & the remedies above are similarly ineffective....which is a right bastard.

 

[Lemondropkid]

Positive start to the day, was out at a chilly 9AM and started on Wk  4 of Couch to 5k, a walking to running program.

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/running-and-aerobic-exercises/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/

This week's challange- 3 runs in total, of 3 minutes,  then 5 minutes and 5 minutes, with 2 minute fast walks either side.

Tried to stay a bit more relaxed today and that helped. Thought I was the Daddy overtaking a couple of runners,  till a couple of infants sped by me on tiny bikes😛

These kids were obviously the off-spring of professional cyclists....🤔

[Glasseye]

Kidney problems ? It's a bitch to get old....