Getting Fit for Glasto

[parTy animal]

Do they know how easily you bruise?

[smim]

Good stuff this.

I could do with losing a couple of stone before Glastonbury, but am absolutely rubbish at healthy eating. Just had me tea (one of those Yorkshire Puds with steak and gravy inside, carrots, boiled potatoes) so gonna hit the exercise bike for the first time in ages at about 9.

[Deepsky]

Its really annoying... I just dunno how the f**k people do it.

I'm pretty active, only have one big meal a day which is my tea and a sandwich for dinner then a bowl of cereal in the evening and that's it... I don't ever have anything else to eat apart from that every day.

yet i'm still on the upper side of 18 stone. nobody ever believes me and says that im bullshitting when i tell them that but i am... I'm 5'8" so its not like im uber tall.

People say i' look more like 14/15 stone... i bloody wish!

I go canoeing several times a week and am up and about all day...

I just don't understand it.

I've always been on the large side since school though.

Any ideas?

its not like its a case of over-eating because i seriously aint eating f**k all!

[meatyparson]

Its really annoying... I just dunno how the f**k people do it.

I'm pretty active, only have one big meal a day which is my tea and a sandwich for dinner then a bowl of cereal in the evening and that's it... I don't ever have anything else to eat apart from that every day.

Any ideas?

its not like its a case of over-eating because i seriously aint eating f**k all!

Edited October 14, 2009 by meatyparson

[markeee]

Sorry to sound stupid here : tea is your evening meal ? dinner is lunch ?

then you have cereal in the evening ?

how about having breakfast at breakfast (really does help get your metabolism going properly).

what do you eat for tea ? what sort of sandwich (anything else with it crisps coke etc etc etc ?)

Its not how much you eat, its what you eat, its simple calories in v calories out.

do you have sugar in your tea ? if so get rid of it for sweeteners

full fat fizzy drinks ? get rid

cut down on carbs later in the day ie spuds/bread etc

Eat more protien in your diet, chicken fish etc, without the carbs.

etc etc etc, small changes like that will make a big difference to anybody.

Get yourself down to your local slimming world, my mate was 25 stone nearly 2 years ago, he is now under 15 stone !!! he lost about 7 to 8 stone in the first year, just from eating properly and now he is going to the gym regularly.

Its not that hard to lose weight im afraid, better diet and exercise.

If all else fails, get a speed addiction

Edited October 14, 2009 by markeee

[markeee]

Its really annoying... I just dunno how the f**k people do it.

I'm pretty active, only have one big meal a day which is my tea and a sandwich for dinner then a bowl of cereal in the evening and that's it... I don't ever have anything else to eat apart from that every day.

yet i'm still on the upper side of 18 stone. nobody ever believes me and says that im bullshitting when i tell them that but i am... I'm 5'8" so its not like im uber tall.

People say i' look more like 14/15 stone... i bloody wish!

I go canoeing several times a week and am up and about all day...

I just don't understand it.

I've always been on the large side since school though.

Any ideas?

its not like its a case of over-eating because i seriously aint eating f**k all!

[amfy]

Deepsky!

People do have different metabilisms and it is easier for some people to keep weight off than others.

Calories in/calories out is a basic principle that's worth working to but it doesn't explain everything. It also gets harder and harder to keep weight off as you get older and this isn't just explained by "slowing down" - I excercise far more now, but still put on weight more easily.

I do think theres a problem with your eating pattern though. You're not starting to seriously feed your body till quite late in the day, by that time it thinks there is some kind of food shortage going on, so by the time you eat, your body thinks it needs to store far more of what youre eating.

Add to this the fact that you are then eating going into the part of the day (& night) when you are at your most sedentary, there you have your body absolutely maxing out on all the calories you are feeding it, and you allowing time for all those calories to just settle in nicely!

A brilliant example of this is that my dad and his wife both lost loads of weight by simply stopping eating anything after 7pm! They still ate whatever they liked all day, but at 7pm it all had to stop. They said it became a fairly easy habit to mantain as they also found that they slept better and had less digestive problems as a result. They are both retired and this wouldn't work for everyone - most of us don't get in till about 6pm, so by the time weve organised food we're usually into the evening, but I just thought it said something about how "when" you eat can be as important as "what" you eat.

[DreadlockDan]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8234386.stm - while not conclusive proof it does seem that eating later does increase weight.

Unfortunately dinner is usually pretty late for us though as I don't get home from work until around 7.30pm so generally eat after 8.

[MyTwistedWords]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8234386.stm - while not conclusive proof it does seem that eating later does increase weight.

Unfortunately dinner is usually pretty late for us though as I don't get home from work until around 7.30pm so generally eat after 8.

[DaveMac]

10x round the park? How big is it? I tried something similar a while ago and am interested to know what sort of distances you are talking about. Its about 3 miles around my park and think 30 miles might be a bit optimistic

edit : actuall reading that again I assume you just walk / run for a minute 10x rather than run / walk for a minute until you have done 10 laps of the park which seems a bit more reasonable

[meatyparson]

Yes you got it. I think 10 laps of my park would be a little too ambitious for me at the moment ...

I am trying to do 3 training sessions a week and I have upped the pace a bit to 2mins running and 1 mins walk but I seem to have overdid it as my achilles tendon is now very sore and I'm limping as a result. (Everything else fine though eg noticable improvement of stamina and feel more energised in general.)

I reckon it's to do with not doing proper stretches and warm up/down prior to and after the session. That will teach me to be more careful but I am only a beginner so I expect these things are all 'par for the course' ...

Can anyone tell me if I should not run on Friday or what I should do to avoid making soreness worse?

Many Thanks

Dave

PS Well done amfy for completing your run despite running out of energy near the end . I wish I could run half that distance...

[amfy]

It is best to rest a sore achilles for at least a few days. It is a classic "overuse" injury - very common in new starters but if you don't look after it, it can be the bane of your life for years!

Some tips for when you re-start:

Your trainers may be too tight. They should be half a size bigger than your normal show size. Also - wear them tied loosely enough for you to slip in and out of them easily without untying them. (If you are going to buy new trainers go and get gait analysis so that you get the right ones for your running style - try on a few pairs, then come home and order the ones you like cheaper off the inernet!)

Try to keep to running on flat, even surfaces with some "give" in them. I tend to stick to treadmill running when my achilles is playing up, but football or cricket pitches are also good. Roads/pavement - bad.

If you can't find a run without any hills in, short steep hills are better than long drawn out ones.

Try to run "properly". What I mean by this is move your stride right through the length of your foot and push up through your toes (especially on those hills). This injury will tempt you into a flat footed shuffle in an effort to protect it but this is playing right into it's hands!

After your run, ice your heels if you can bear to. Otherwise, just turn the shower to it's coldest setting and run it onto the back of your heels for 5 minutes at the start of your post excercise shower. After your shower - rub in some freeze gel and massage your calves.

A wise physio once told me that all "back of leg" injuries are down to having a weak bottom! Do crunches on your butt - you can do these lying in bed or watching the telly. Just squeeze each cheek until it lifts alternately. Even if it has no effect on your heels, you will have a nicer bum!

I'm not a fan of pre run stretching - even once you are a decent runner you can warm up best just by starting your run slowly. It is best to do gentle stretches at the end of your run when your muscles are warm, rather than before your run when they are cold - this is more likely to lead to strains.

I have had an achilles problem on and off ever since I started running so I have become a bit of an expert in managing it. (I started running in a pair of trainers I had bought for casual wear and within 6 weeks I was in trouble) Still - I have tried different things over the years including sleeping with cornflake boxes on my feet (don't ask!) and at the end of my half marathon - the only thing not hurting was my heels!

[Rufus Gwertigan]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8234386.stm - while not conclusive proof it does seem that eating later does increase weight.

Unfortunately dinner is usually pretty late for us though as I don't get home from work until around 7.30pm so generally eat after 8.

[Deepsky]

Sorry to sound stupid here : tea is your evening meal ? dinner is lunch ?

then you have cereal in the evening ?

how about having breakfast at breakfast (really does help get your metabolism going properly).

what do you eat for tea ? what sort of sandwich (anything else with it crisps coke etc etc etc ?)

Its not how much you eat, its what you eat, its simple calories in v calories out.

do you have sugar in your tea ? if so get rid of it for sweeteners

full fat fizzy drinks ? get rid

cut down on carbs later in the day ie spuds/bread etc

Eat more protien in your diet, chicken fish etc, without the carbs.

etc etc etc, small changes like that will make a big difference to anybody.

Get yourself down to your local slimming world, my mate was 25 stone nearly 2 years ago, he is now under 15 stone !!! he lost about 7 to 8 stone in the first year, just from eating properly and now he is going to the gym regularly.

Its not that hard to lose weight im afraid, better diet and exercise.

If all else fails, get a speed addiction

[DaveMac]

It is best to rest a sore achilles for at least a few days. It is a classic "overuse" injury - very common in new starters but if you don't look after it, it can be the bane of your life for years!

Some tips for when you re-start:

Your trainers may be too tight. They should be half a size bigger than your normal show size. Also - wear them tied loosely enough for you to slip in and out of them easily without untying them. (If you are going to buy new trainers go and get gait analysis so that you get the right ones for your running style - try on a few pairs, then come home and order the ones you like cheaper off the inernet!)

.....

Edited October 14, 2009 by DaveMac

[amfy]

Nike Pegasus is what I've got! Really good shoes!

[DreadlockDan]

well I'm about 6lb's lighter than I was on tuesday last week although my weight seems to jump about lots most of the time. I've cut out crisps / chocolate at work and started back on porridge again in the mornings. I'm also done a lot more cycling and even blown the dust off the cross trainer. My weight jumps about quite a lot anyway though so difficult to tell if what I'm doing is making any difference or not!

[DaveMac]

Did another 30 minute training run/walk today and achilles tendon problem seems to have gone away for now.

Had a day off yesterday to give foot extra time to recover, which seems to have worked.

Followed lots of helpful advice on doing stretches and other excercises before and esp. after the running, which seems to have helped me. At this rate I may be a 'proper' runner one day and be fit as well (one can hope anyway ...).

I was told about checking my BMI (Body Mass Index) and found I am just into the 'overweight' category, which is first time in life I have every considered myself overweight.

Alas the pounds have silently accumulated around my waist over last few years so I need to shift that too ready for next years Glasto. Will have to start watching what I eat and cut back on some accustomed treats I think..

Going have to start watching those calories....

Anyway has anyone else taken up running recently or is it just me who is crazy enough to start just before the Winter begins?

Edited October 17, 2009 by DaveMac

[maninkilt]

Oh dear, badly fallen off the wagon this weekend, currys and beer.

Oh well, still got time

[DreadlockDan]

Did another 30 minute training run/walk today and achilles tendon problem seems to have gone away for now.

Had a day off yesterday to give foot extra time to recover, which seems to have worked.

Followed lots of helpful advice on doing stretches and other excercises before and esp. after the running, which seems to have helped me. At this rate I may be a 'proper' runner one day and be fit as well (one can hope anyway ...).

I was told about checking my BMI (Body Mass Index) and found I am just into the 'overweight' category, which is first time in life I have every considered myself overweight.

Alas the pounds have silently accumulated around my waist over last few years so I need to shift that too ready for next years Glasto. Will have to start watching what I eat and cut back on some accustomed treats I think..

Going have to start watching those calories....

Anyway has anyone else taken up running recently or is it just me who is crazy enough to start just before the Winter begins?

[DreadlockDan]

Oh dear, badly fallen off the wagon this weekend, currys and beer.

Oh well, still got time

[amfy]

I'm obese as well according to my BMI. I'd certainly like to lose a bit of weight, but I am definitely not obese! Having said that i think it's a medical term which gives us quite a diferent mental image to it's medical meaning.

I think this is quite a good time to take up running - autumn is my favourite time of year for running - I like nice crisp autumn days, or even light drizzle for running . Summer is awful - far too hot - even our summer!

Glad your achilles seems to have cleared up Dave but keep looking after it!

If anyone wants a good laugh my EDF marathon photos are up on marathon-photo.com - I was number 11846 (you need to enter that in "search"). Not pretty but really quite amusing - certainly captures how hard it was!!!

[DaveMac]

I'm obese as well according to my BMI. I'd certainly like to lose a bit of weight, but I am definitely not obese! Having said that i think it's a medical term which gives us quite a diferent mental image to it's medical meaning.

I think this is quite a good time to take up running - autumn is my favourite time of year for running - I like nice crisp autumn days, or even light drizzle for running . Summer is awful - far too hot - even our summer!

Glad your achilles seems to have cleared up Dave but keep looking after it!

If anyone wants a good laugh my EDF marathon photos are up on marathon-photos.com - I was number 11846 (you need to enter that in "search"). Not pretty but really quite amusing - certainly captures how hard it was!!!

[amfy]

You will get there! Try and find a local charity 5k race as a starting point. It's good motivation as if youve got some kind of event coming up it helps to get you out there training on the days you really can't be bothered. There are always loads of people walking so you don't have to worry about looking daft!

It's nice that you looked at my photos but of course I was hoping that you would be saying "Blimey! Of course you're not obese!!!!"

That dull ache is definitely achilles tendonitus and you really need to get into good habits with regard to looking after it now. Such an annoying injury - I almost want it to be a sharp pain that MAKES me stop, but it's a dull ache that you sometimes just get so fed up with you have to stop - which ends up feeling like a bit of a cop out!

[meatyparson]

You will get there! Try and find a local charity 5k race as a starting point. It's good motivation as if youve got some kind of event coming up it helps to get you out there training on the days you really can't be bothered. There are always loads of people walking so you don't have to worry about looking daft!

It's nice that you looked at my photos but of course I was hoping that you would be saying "Blimey! Of course you're not obese!!!!"

That dull ache is definitely achilles tendonitus and you really need to get into good habits with regard to looking after it now. Such an annoying injury - I almost want it to be a sharp pain that MAKES me stop, but it's a dull ache that you sometimes just get so fed up with you have to stop - which ends up feeling like a bit of a cop out!