The Escapist and Exercise

[Buffoon1980]

I started going to the gym regularly about six years ago, when I was 27. I hadn't exercised in about a decade. I lost a good amount of weight, about 20 kilos, from 95 down to 75 (I don't know what that is in pounds, sorry imperial people). And I'm slightly healthier.

But to be honest, I struggle. I have patches where I can't be bothered going to the gym for weeks at a time. I have quite bad eating habits, I just love anything with fat in it, and I can't imagine a life without dairy products in it. So I put on weight very, very easily. I'm actually back up to 85 kilos now, and it sucks. Sometimes I can be diligent with my diet, but it never lasts. And even when I'm in the gym I don't push myself too hard, although I do have plenty of time so I tend to at least be there for a while. On most visits I do an hour of light to medium cardio, and in the last year or so I've started doing some weights. I don't exert myself too much with the weights, but the results have been gratifying. My arms and shoulders have some definition, and I can actually feel pecs under the flab for the first time in my life.

I do still have plenty of flab, especially around my gut, and it's growing every day lately, but I'm also hoping that some of the weight gain is accounted for by the extra muscle. I don't exercise to look good for the opposite sex (I have... more significant issues with women than my appearance, that's for sure), and I don't really have any reason to want to be in great shape. I just want to be basically healthy.

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

Considering I went from a mostly inactive lifestyle that revolved around sitting at my computer all day, everyday, to having a job that involves nothing but lifting and constantly moving, no at the moment I don't exercise. Work essentially is my exercise. I have lost a few pounds doing so, so it's obviously better than nothing.

However, I mostly don't go to the gym or work out because, yes you probably guessed it, I don't have time. Or rather I don't make an advanced effort to make the time. I have quite a few hobbies outside of working 8 or 9 hours a day. Doing even one of these hobbies eliminates the rest of my day that doesn't involve sleep, and that's if I even have the time to do them in the first place. Some days I go to work until close, go home to eat and sleep just so I can wake up to open the store and work most of the day then.

Combine that with my continuously increasing video game library and the fact that I always have someone that wants me to work or do something with their computers (which easily can eat up 2-3 hours depending on the issue), yeah I don't have much time to work out.

 

[omega 616]

snip

Mass is the result of stregnth, unless you're working out Bruce Lee style. Pure strength training comes from your muscles ripping and growing back thicker, which is how body builders look like balloon animals.

If you're conditioning then you end up without mass but you also don't have the raw strength, you're strong but not as strong.

 

[Pieturli]

snip

Mass is the result of stregnth, unless you're working out Bruce Lee style. Pure strength training comes from your muscles ripping and growing back thicker, which is how body builders look like balloon animals.

If you're conditioning then you end up without mass but you also don't have the raw strength, you're strong but not as strong.

Strength and mass are interrelated, which is why bigger powerlifters tend to lift more weight than smaller ones. The two are not however the same thing. There are other factors at play, neurological adaptations for example. If sheer muscle mass was the only thing affecting strength, bodybuilders would be the strongest human beings alive, and yet they are not. It is true however, that at some point in order to get stronger, you have to get bigger and the same applies in reverse.

http://anthonymychal.com/2013/07/bruce-lee/

This was a nice little article I thought.

 

[Rylot]

I'm disabled which makes trying to loose weight a bit tricky. I also don't eat very well. I've done some form of disabled sports since the eighth grade. The past year or so I've been really into sled hockey and training for that but the season has been over for a few months. Basketball has started up recently which is some really good cardio but there's way too much drama on the team and practices turn into pissing contests. I did buy a heavy bag last year and while it's a good work out I don't really know any boxing routines that would work for me so I end up just standing around throwing a few punches for ten minutes and getting bored and tired. I do have an okay bike that I should ride more often but again I don't really have a good plan for it. I need to find people to train with. At practices I can keep myself going trying to keep up with everyone else keep entertained but on my own it just sucks.

 

[Drops a Sweet Katana]

Whenever I'm bored and have nothing to do, I enjoy doing a few sets of chest flies and alternating hammer/bicep curls. It gives me something to do and it makes me feel good. My body tends towards being rather scrawny, and when it does, I really feel it. Working out regularly keeps me from getting to that stage, which really helps my confidence. My only problem is that I don't like being the only person in a room working out, which is problematic considering I've been sharing a room with my step-brother for the past 2-3 months.

 

[Chungus]

Exercise? Why, I don't even know the meaning of the word. I have never, and probably will never exercised in my entire life. (I'm 22, now.)

I've tried to do some cardio at the start of this year, which I kept for for an odd month or do, until I grew increddibly annoyed with it, and quit.

 

[Guffe]

I've been playing different kind of sports since I was a kid (age 6). Stuff like Football, Tennis, Badminton and then tried a few things here and there. Currently I'm still playing football, but I love to hunt a ball so any sport with friends is nice and I'll gladly join in!

At the age of 17 (about) I also started to train at the gym. At the moment a normal week, training-wise, involves 2 football practices and 3 days at the gym. Then I also have snooker as a hobby so I try to play that once or twice a week and maybe a jogg if I feel like it some day.

So yeah, working out is a big part of me and I really enjoyo it. Then I also sort of have to keep myself in shape due to work, so it helps to keep motivation up.

 

[Drake the Dragonheart]

Every day for the last 5 or so years. I run every other day. I started off doing 2 miles on treadmill/eliptical. I do weights every day I'm not running, with a 12, 15, 20 minute run/walk after ward. I had a 20 pound weight vest that I used until it fell apart. last year I got a 40 pound weight vest that I use everyday with my workout. Now I walk 3 miles, 45 minutes at a 4 MPH pace with the 40 pound vest on.

Why? training for the pack test for wildland firefighting, or to be firefighter/police officer/EMT. Also want to get into martial arts.

I actually do all of my training at home. have a set of free weights and this book, Men's Health: Power Training. except lack of certain equipment means I do quite a bit of improvising. I used to not be able to do any push-ups. Now I can do almost 50 in a minute.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

4 years ago I was a freshman in college and I was approaching 300 pounds, most of which was fat. So I decided I was tired of being obese and developing stretch marks all over my body and I started doing cardio, mostly running, and dieting to get my weight down. The lowest I got was 178 but at 6'2 and for someone with my frame that wasn't sustainable at all. Anyway, After I lost a decent amount of weight I decided to start hitting the weights and now I lift every week with a 4-5 day muscle groups split. I'm now 200 pounds of of muscle and all that's left of my old self is some stretched skin on my stomach that I'm planning on getting removed once I have the money.

Working out and getting into fitness has changed my life. I see myself and how the body works completely differently, and even though I'm not happy that my body has stretch marks and loose skin from my poor decisions in the past I'm glad that I got to go through such a big transformation because I learned so much about myself and my own willpower and drive. I stay in the gym and love it because I like the progress. I can see myself getting bigger and stronger and I never want to slide back in the other direction again.

 

[Blow_Pop]

I don't really exercise a lot for various reasons. One of which is a lot of exercises I SHOULD do I can't. I have a bad knee so a lot of exercises I should be doing hurt my knee and make it so I can't stand up or anything (so running and jogging are out of the question. Jumping jacks are out of the question. Certain types of weight lifting are out of the question. Walking for extended periods of time is out of the question. Dancing is a 50/50 depending on the type I'm doing and how much strain it puts on my knee) Another is my asthma. It's still slightly uncontrolled and I can't express how much fun it isn't to be exercising and then collapse because you can't breathe. So until I can fully get it under control again I have to be very careful. The gyms out here are very......judgmental is the best word. Because I'm not skinny as hell or overly muscular I get a LOT of snide comments from both the employees and the other gym members. I've been called a whale before and I'm really not that big. So basically, I've been bullied out of going to the gyms. Then there's the issue of motivation. Because I have depression and anxiety I have days I want to do things but can't. And not to mention, I DON'T feel good when I do exercise. The most I do is just stretch out. Since I'm not working haunt this year I'm not going to have a month and a half of running around and over exerting myself 3-4 nights a week. But it is things that I am trying to work on.

 

[Agayek]

I don't exercise at all, thanks to a combination of apathy and laziness. I'm fat and unhealthy, but hey, it's easier than finding the time to exercise properly.

 

[Vegosiux]

I don't exercise. That doesn't mean I don't get exercise. I walk everywhere, and my job often involves plenty of moving around. My health's good and I'm quite resilient. I have no interest in "looking fit", and as long as I'm fit enough for the stuff life throws at me, private and work-related, that's that.

I used to go hiking or swimming a lot. Sometimes still do. But I do it for the scenery and/or relaxation, not for the exercise.

 

[smokingplane]

I never exercise, drive almost anywhere by car and don't watch my diet.
However I have always weighed around my ideal weight and am in pretty good shape compared to my agegroup (35).

I thank my genes, years of swimming as a kid and years of going to raveparties as a young adult to build enough muscle and endurance to last me up until now.

 

[Brian Tams]

I workout six times a week, mon.-sat.

30 minutes of intense cardio, followed by push-ups/sit-ups depending on what day it is (ex. today is sit-up day, tomorrow is push-ups, etc.) while also mixing in some routine stuff on a workout machine.

Lost 100 lbs to date. I'm trying to join the military They don't take coach-potatoes.

 

[Not Lord Atkin]

Well I do taekwondo so I train three times a week and right now I'm in the middle of a summer course (three weeks of practically non-stop training) so I guess you could see that as exercise. I have been neglecting the gym a lot lately though. It's starting to show :/

I also haven't played squash ever since I moved to the UK. That needs to change. Desperately. I almost died of jealousy watching squash at commonwealth games last week.

 

[McElroy]

Well I would urge anyone to give it a serious try. Yes, it takes effort to develop a routine, but the exercising itself, not just the effects of it, can become quite addictive after a while.

Also while you sometimes (especially in the beginning) might not feel like you "enjoy" the exercising while doing it... if you pull through and get it done, it feels good to be doing something for yourself, right? Being fit in general also feels good. Plus all the positive little side effects it has on your body and mental state.
Certainly there's more to things than the IMMEDIATE gratification, otherwise we'd all be doing drugs.

If you've done regular exercise routine for ~2 months and still don't enjoy it you can ofc feel free to quit. I find it hard to believe that anyone would seriously not enjoy tough exercise at least a bit, because our bodies are designed to give us a pleasant hormone cocktail when we push ourselves physically... but maybe you just don't enjoy all the other things that come with it as much as I do.

Myself I got it covered - I stick with the stuff I like and keep active. I just wanted to say that: to a person who really likes being a potato or something like that and can live with him-/herself always being in bad shape, exercising is mostly a waste of time. They get that good feeling from something else.

 

[Saltyk]

I don't really exercise a lot for various reasons. One of which is a lot of exercises I SHOULD do I can't. I have a bad knee so a lot of exercises I should be doing hurt my knee and make it so I can't stand up or anything (so running and jogging are out of the question. Jumping jacks are out of the question. Certain types of weight lifting are out of the question. Walking for extended periods of time is out of the question. Dancing is a 50/50 depending on the type I'm doing and how much strain it puts on my knee) Another is my asthma. It's still slightly uncontrolled and I can't express how much fun it isn't to be exercising and then collapse because you can't breathe. So until I can fully get it under control again I have to be very careful. The gyms out here are very......judgmental is the best word. Because I'm not skinny as hell or overly muscular I get a LOT of snide comments from both the employees and the other gym members. I've been called a whale before and I'm really not that big. So basically, I've been bullied out of going to the gyms. Then there's the issue of motivation. Because I have depression and anxiety I have days I want to do things but can't. And not to mention, I DON'T feel good when I do exercise. The most I do is just stretch out. Since I'm not working haunt this year I'm not going to have a month and a half of running around and over exerting myself 3-4 nights a week. But it is things that I am trying to work on.

You've been bullied at the gym? That is very odd. I've been to two different gyms and never had anything but neutral or positive experiences. I find people either ignore me entirely or are fairly friendly and willing to help with advice and such. I'm sorry to hear about the negative experiences, though I do wonder if it was a bigger or smaller (local) gym and if that would explain it.

Hell, 95% of the people at my gym look way better and more muscular than me, even the women, and I've never felt like anyone was looking down on or judging me. And at least one guy that I regularly see and talk to there encourages me.

As for your knee, you might try an elliptical or a bike. Those should be less stressful on your knee. Might not bother your asthma as much, too, since you can sort of set your own speed on those.

As far as motivation, I find that once you get in a habit and routine, it becomes sort of enjoyable. I was actively looking forward to going to the gym last Friday and one of my coworkers told me that not being able to go to the gym actually agitates him. Starting out can be difficult, but once you get past that, it's better.

 

[Blow_Pop]

I don't really exercise a lot for various reasons. One of which is a lot of exercises I SHOULD do I can't. I have a bad knee so a lot of exercises I should be doing hurt my knee and make it so I can't stand up or anything (so running and jogging are out of the question. Jumping jacks are out of the question. Certain types of weight lifting are out of the question. Walking for extended periods of time is out of the question. Dancing is a 50/50 depending on the type I'm doing and how much strain it puts on my knee) Another is my asthma. It's still slightly uncontrolled and I can't express how much fun it isn't to be exercising and then collapse because you can't breathe. So until I can fully get it under control again I have to be very careful. The gyms out here are very......judgmental is the best word. Because I'm not skinny as hell or overly muscular I get a LOT of snide comments from both the employees and the other gym members. I've been called a whale before and I'm really not that big. So basically, I've been bullied out of going to the gyms. Then there's the issue of motivation. Because I have depression and anxiety I have days I want to do things but can't. And not to mention, I DON'T feel good when I do exercise. The most I do is just stretch out. Since I'm not working haunt this year I'm not going to have a month and a half of running around and over exerting myself 3-4 nights a week. But it is things that I am trying to work on.

You've been bullied at the gym? That is very odd. I've been to two different gyms and never had anything but neutral or positive experiences. I find people either ignore me entirely or are fairly friendly and willing to help with advice and such. I'm sorry to hear about the negative experiences, though I do wonder if it was a bigger or smaller (local) gym and if that would explain it.

Hell, 95% of the people at my gym look way better and more muscular than me, even the women, and I've never felt like anyone was looking down on or judging me. And at least one guy that I regularly see and talk to there encourages me.

As for your knee, you might try an elliptical or a bike. Those should be less stressful on your knee. Might not bother your asthma as much, too, since you can sort of set your own speed on those.

As far as motivation, I find that once you get in a habit and routine, it becomes sort of enjoyable. I was actively looking forward to going to the gym last Friday and one of my coworkers told me that not being able to go to the gym actually agitates him. Starting out can be difficult, but once you get past that, it's better.

Bikes aggravate my knee too. I always forget about those. Whether exercise machine bikes or my own bike that I own (then again there are a lot of uphills near me which I know contributes and both also aggravate the asthma too)

The gyms I've been bullied out of have been both small local gyms and gyms that are chains all over the U.S. Let's just say So Cal isn't a particularly nice place people wise.

And I'd have to have the motivation to even start going and not have my anxiety or depression interfering either which is the bigger problem that I'm actually more focused on. Because at the moment my mental health is more important than my physical health not to mention my doctor says that I'm perfectly healthy minus my cholesterol being a little bit high so I changed my diet a little and will be getting a new blood test done in a few months to see if it's lowered.

 

[Avery]

I've not exercised much as of late. But I'm looking to change that. Think I'll start taking up jogging again. Theres lots of beautiful nature and deserted roads around, might as well take advantage of that fact.