zjw

lol I htink we got the same mindset. I never really got into it for animal rights reasons.

zjw

thats a good deal of walking a day. You do what you can as you can. if you make it too difficult it really ruins it for you and becomes something you REALLY wont wanna do. do what your doing and on good days do more on bad days try to set a minimum you'll do. From there as you feel better and such add to it when you can but dont ever over do it!

zjw

i started out doing what i could on an elipitcal then what i could walking then what i could running. I had ions of setbacks along the way. when is tarted running i had shoe issues ( i didnt know i should buy good shoes DOH) i had such bad pain i could barely even walk a few times. I had to learn that lesson the hard way I think it was 3 times before i started buying the right shoes.

But i always did what i could when i could. i new if i made i too hard i'd give up.

sleepie

As for my old body...never had a good figure my shape is bad, even when I was forced into athletics as a teen I was never lean or long. Just stocky looking and disproportionate. I think running made it worse. I quit my last year gave middle fingers to it all and pursued art more.
But would at least like to feel better. Just feeling like ass all day!

zjw

I lost probably 90% of my weight walking!! and On a low carb paleo type diet hat included meat!!

I have my stance on diets. But that being said ions of people have good luck with paleo, south beach, weight watchers etc.. all of which are fairly low carb.

theres even that new trend out there Pegan i think they call it its like a cross between paleo and vegan talk about the best of both worlds!

Money wise I look at it as an investment in my long term health what medical costs I wont have to now pay etc...

But yeah eating can be pricey. If it where me and i was going to eat meat in my diet I'd probably eat exactly like I do and add in lean meats i could afford and not cook with any added oils etc... (bake / grill). I'd lean heavily on the fruits and veggies beans etc..

When you eat whole foods tho I think its tough to over eat.

zjw

I dont think i'm really built for running myself. I do wonder if my day will come where i gotta find a new fitness hobby as a result. but there is other stuff i can do if that day comes.

sleepie

Running ruined my knees at a young age too. Hated it. I also lost the most weight walking, 2 other times in the past. But I have to tone. I noticed last time even though I had gotten down to my lowest weight, I still looked out of shape even though I was thin. I do have a really cheap mini stepper, I wonder if that would make a difference.

Mountainmanbob

Congratulations, that is a great start.

Many of the Ladies in my AA home group have picked up tennis. One does not need to be a pro to have a lot of fun playing tennis.

I hike a little and do a 20 mile bicycle ride once a week. It, I have noticed is very good for the heart, body and soul.

Bicycle riding and swimming are highly rated by most doctors.

MM

zjw

for what its worth as fit as i am i'm pretty flabby. I got big fat bags on my inner thighs from being so obese. stretch marks all over etc.. I do pushups sittups and try weights for periods of time wiht really no such luck.

I think some people just snap back better then others. I have to wonder if this is just how i'm built and as good as its ever gonna get.

But there comes a point where I was like am i doing this for weight loss or health reasons or my physique etc.. since i'm doing it for all those reasons really I cant just say screw it and eat pizza because i dont look like arnold. thats stupid I'm still doing it becuase it feels good to run it feels good to stay fit and i like fitting into the sizes i'm in etc..

its like at some point its like your doing it for health reasons if i'm not a super model no biggie its not really what i'm going for.

But yeah i have my moments where i'm liek how many thousands of miles? how man thousands of sittups and ab exercises? really? for real? oh well I just keep going.

some people eat like i do start off say 50lbs over weight hardly exercise and are razor ripped in 3 months and i'm liek yeah SCREW YOU. i've been at this for years thousands of miles logged blah blah and i can still get more then a handful on my belly lol.

Reset

Don't beat yourself up over the way things are today. Start small and make a bit of progress, no matter how minute, every week. I'm talking adding an extra minute to your walk, or jog for just for 20 seconds. It's sort of like a snowball rolling downhill. The more you do it the easier it gets and in 6 months you'll feel like a different person. But remember to start small and have modest improvement goals.

The other day I was reading stuff from a well known strength coach for amateur athletes and he said that the most common fundamental mistakes people make are a) trying to do too much at the beginning and b) not making small incremental progress regularly. He said something like, "if you just add 2 lbs to your bench press every week, you'll be amazed how far you can get in a few months."

I think the same principle applies with most physical activity no matter how old you are or how crappy you feel right now.

Midton

I've always worked out and tried to eat healthily, at least during the week. A couple of years ago I made it to just over 100 days sober and was in fantastic shape.

Whilst working out and drinking I was just fighting a losing battle against the flab. The physical improvements I saw from exercise whilst sober was one of my most crucial motivating factors. I'm hoping so seem them soon again.

sleepie

Alright thanks guys... had a 3rd brisk walk today! That's all I got... just walking quicker.
Good point Reset. That makes a lot of sense.
Typical of many, all or nothing. Healthy or not. In a hurry.

BlueFairy

Yeah that's the problem for me--exhaustion. I'm 4 months sober and it's been harder for me to get motivated. I've been maintaining my initial weight loss but have been barely clinging to the weights I was lifting when I drank. Seems I'm more tired on the elliptical too-I've gone down a few numbers when I'm on it. I do feel much better though after exercise.

MemphisBlues

Sleepie, I've mentioned this before that I've read on benzo recovery sites that cardio exercise can exacerbate withdrawals. But if it is helping you feel actualized or physically better, good for you.

Four years benzo free, I bought a road bike, and am blessed to live in Southern California near a Class A bike trail along the Santa Ana River. I log 22 mile runs four to five times a week, at an average speed of 14 mph and it is singularly the best thing I do for depression.

I've been riding for a year now, and have logged about 4,000 miles since buying the bike last September.

There is hope. Lots of it. Getting over that last milligram of Valium is the first step.

mcfearless

Walking is amazing exercise both physically and mentally. Most if my weight loss is down to a 30 minute to 1 hour walk a day ( lost over 10 kgs). Get some headphones and play some tunes while you walk to clear the head and maybe an app like myfitnesspal to record your progress.

Mountainmanbob

When I finally gave up that last little prescribed amount of Valium that I was taking my true sobriety started.

Understood -- some actually need it -- I didn't.

MM

Robinson

I've started the couch25k and I'm running 2 miles. I do the lchf diet. But cheat a little bc of sugar cravings. A small bowl of ceral works.

I'm sober, 51 and feel like I have a new life!

Hawkeye13

I think you know my story sleepie--I joined a Crossfit-style gym when I quit drinking, lost four sizes and forty pounds, and now I've added yoga to the mix.

One thing I really advocate is body weight exercise for toning.
Doing air squats, push ups, sit ups, etc. in the park or in your house is free and
they really work.

Maybe on the "add a little at time" theme you could start adding some of these in at the beginning or end of your walks?

Soberwolf

I'm starting to notice increased stamina strenght overall fitness and weight loss

Today is a good day

elihoping

This is a great thread - thanks for starting it. I wish I had some answers for you but I'm in the same boat.

I'm nearly three years sober but I gave myself total permission to eat junk food and do no exercise for the last few years. As long as I wasn't drinking or taking drugs, I was allowed to do anything else. Anyway, it's really bothering me. I've been tired since I was a teenager. I've done every blood test know to man, there's nothing medical wrong with me.

But after reading this post earlier, I signed up for a 5k run that's on in 5 weeks. I know that's not enough time to train but I'm going to do what I can and walk it if I have to! Thanks again for starting this thread, it's been very inspiring.