Log off and PT

[Stonewall]

Just a random thought.  Log off of CAP Talk, FB, whatever, and spend one hour doing something physical.  Walk for an hour, jog for 30 minutes then do 30 minutes of calisthenics, or throw on your 72 hour gear and hump it for an hour.

Just do it.

No excuses.  Got kids?  Bring'em.  It's cold outside?  Bundle up or go to a gym.  Pay the $10 visitor fee and go to the gym.  Here's the catch, don't stop by McDonald's on the way home.  Don't "treat" yourself to something good because you "worked out".  Just work out and continue with your day.  It won't hurt or kill you, it'll make you feel better.

GET MOVING!!!!

This has been a public service announcement by Lt Col Stonewall, an advocate for getting Americans out of the house and moving again.

[Stonewall]

Any takers?  I'm guessing this was well ignored. 

I'm headed back to the gym then.

[Flying Pig]

Wheeeew.... sorry I didnt get back to you... I was working out!

[Devil Doc]

Sorry, i was deafenned by the Sound of PT. Whew thought i was told to PT Again. PT= Party Time, sounds good to me.

[Майор Хаткевич]

I went and shovelled snow! Does it count?

[PHall]

I went and shovelled snow! Does it count?

Wet and heavy or dry power?  There is a difference.   15 minutes of shoveling wet & heavy = 1 hour of dry power.

[Stonewall]

35 minutes on elliptical, 4 1/4 miles, for 550 calories burned.  Then 10 minutes on the recline bike for 100 additional calories.  This, followed by....


4 sets:

## pull-ups (as many as I can do)
10 curls @ 60 lbs
10 lat pull downs @ 50 lbs
10 upper body bench lifts (hard to describe, but a lower back exercise)
10 diamond (close hand) push-ups
20 cable twists @ 30 lbs (10 left side, 10 right)

ETA - 15 minutes of hitting the heavy bag, too.

Then....

Anger, sadness, and disappointment...

Walking to my car from the gym, I notice a young boy, 3 to 4 y/o, getting out of a Volvo SUV on his own, no shoes. Catching my eye, I stop to watch, expecting to see an adult exit as well. NOTHING.

This is a busy parking lot and cars are whizzing by, so I jog over to see if anyone else was in the vehicle. No one. The kid is holding his pee pee saying "I gotta go potty". No shoes and his little sweat suit was very dirty. I ask him where his mommy or daddy is and he pointed in the direction of Jo Ann Fabrics. The Volvo is parked between the gym and the fabric store and NOT within line of sight. I ask him his name and take his hand and walk him to Jo Ann Fabrics.

I walk in and some elderly lady looks at the two of us in disgust because the kid is without shoes and very messy as he holds his crotch. I tell the sales lady I found this kid wandering the parking lot and am looking for the parent. Meanwhile I pull out my phone and begin dialing 911, mostly out of anger. I wanted this person to get some attention. Then, this lady, looking right out of Ponte Vedra (local rich people area) walks by me and says "THAT'S MY SON...WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?"

In a low but angry tone (I didn't want the kid to freak out) I told her I saw your kid climb out of your car and start walking through the parking lot. He has to go pee! You left your son in the car, unattended and out of line of sight. I hope you got what you wanted from the store. She snatched her son and ran off. I thought about getting her tag, but what for? I pray she feels guilty and learned a lesson. I doubt it, but I'm hoping for the best.

[NC Hokie]

Any takers?  I'm guessing this was well ignored. 

I spent two hours running up and down the court refereeing Upward basketball games. Does that count?

[Stonewall]

Absolutely!

[Devil Doc]

Im watching the Karate Kid Marathon on G4 does that count? To my Defense i have had a stomach bug for the past few days.

[ProdigalJim]

So I was helping out with a Group III NCSA/IACE Review Board today, and only saw your challenge a half-hour ago.

BUT...

Before I even saw your message, I did 3 miles uphill (12% grade) on the treadmill at 7 mph in about 23 minutes...the machine's computer brain said that was worth 375 calories.

I did three sets of 10 heavy bicep curls, spaced 30 seconds apart.

I did three sets of 10 heavy tricep presses, spaced 30 seconds apart.

I did three sets of 10 lat pull-downs, spaced 30 seconds apart.

I did three sets of 10 butterflies, spaced 30 seconds apart.

Then I did these funky abs-torture disco pike pushupamabobs, thusly:

1) Rest your ankles on top of a large exercise ball, and assume a face-down push-up position.
2) Roll backwards while holding your abdomen flat, so that your arms are stretched as far as they'll go. You'll probably get to your knees being on the ball when you run out of arm length to work with.
3) Next, pull forward while hoisting your booty in the air until you're into a pike position. (This makes you shaped like an upside down "V")
4) Recover to a flat push-up position. That's one rep.
5) Do this 10 times, slowly, without falling off the ball.

It's harder than it sounds.

And Stonewall, as for that dunce in the JoAnn Fabric store, I'd have told her she was lucky I wasn't a cop, because if I were I'd arrest her for child endangerment and just general dumbth. Hope the kid was alright... 

[Stonewall]

Awesome, Jim!

Glad to see another CAPer out and about, getting it done.  We need to remember that leading by example means more than just wearing our uniforms and demonstrating punctuality.  We need to demonstrate to cadets that fitness, nutrition, and overall health are extremely important.  I'm not looking for muscle heads, or Cross Fit fanatics, I just want to see our youth outside, running around, playing, moving. 

BTW.  RIP Chris Kyle!

[OldGuard]

Mmm.... Jelly Donuts 

[Terry W.]

Good announcement. I am a month out from going home and chomping at the bit to do stuff with my girls. Our middle is kinda introverted and shy and we are seeing the results of her inactivity. Trying to find something that interest her and get her going. I will just be glad to have better environmental conditions and nicer gyms to use. BTW, that was sad news about Chris Kyle.

[Cliff_Chambliss]

Saturday morning:  Temps in the 30's and low 40's early morning sleet showers:
0430 alarm.  Ouit of bed, shower dress only run 1 mile this morning weather is miserable.
Mid morning weather improving:  Pre Solo Flight Stuident 1.3  hrs stalls,falls,spins & grins.  Private Pilot Ground School, 1.5 Hr.
Lunch & Home.
3.0 hours chopping brush and digging a foundation for a garden shed being delivered next week.
1.0 hours walking around the lake with my wife and our dogs (they need exercise too).
Dinner.
Quiet time in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine.
2000hrs off to shower & bed.  Just another Saturday.

[Stonewall]

I got a PM from someone on CAP talk and was asked to email them some tips and guidance on fitness and nutrition.  I've posted 3 different papers I've written before, but they're long and likely boring.  The fact is, I'm not an expert, nor am I a nutritionist or personal trainer.  But I do have experience in weight loss and exercise.  I've done it myself, losing A LOT of weight and returning to a high state of fitness as evident by completing a rigorous Go Ruck Challenge and reaching my goal on the AF PT Test of scoring a 100%.  Just last month I celebrated my 3rd year of my lifestyle change where, after finally recognizing and admitting that I was 40+ lbs overweight, I had to do something.  I blamed it on everything but myself.  Kids, work, the guard, CAP, etc., etc.

My papers were long and filled with personal anecdotes for getting fit and I even referenced doctors and the FDA.  But here it is in a nutshell:

1.  It takes effort.

2.  Don't give yourself "cheat days", they'll come on their own in the form of office parties, birthdays, a nights out with friends.

3.  Exercise, exercise, exercise.  I started out by walking, then jogging, then running.  Point is, I got moving for an hour a day.

4.  Read the labels on foods.  Calories and carbs.  Calories...and CARBS.  Cut down on them.  Contrary to popular belief, fat DOES NOT make you fat.  It does other bad things to you, but fat doesn't make you fat.  Sugar/carbs and things like high fructose corn syrup start turning into fat within 15 minutes of consumption if you don't start burning it off.

5.  Make this a priority in life.  Even ahead of CAP.  In the past 365 days I average 4.8 days of PT a week.  I know this because I keep a journal.  While I'm home and otherwise not kept from working out, I work out.  As an example of me NOT working out, I was unable to workout for about 7 days in February 2012 because I was doing an ORI for the Air Guard.  But if I'm home, not too sick, and not engaged in something more important, I work out for an hour a day.

It is not easy, but it is NOT too hard.  You just have to do it.  I want more senior members to "just do it" too, but they ALWAYS have an excuse.  Fact is, most put CAP before their own health.  I have 2 kids (4 & 6), work 9+ hour days, commute for 1+ hour a day, take my kids to karate and/or dance class, serve in the National Guard, and STILL make it happen.

A final thought - I have always worked out.  Since leaving active service in 1995, I have belonged to a gym and I have gone.  For the most part I did cardio and threw a few weights around, but my metabolism and life caught up with me and it wasn't enough.  I had to change my diet.  Changing my diet was the biggest factor in my weight loss that started in January 2010.  I learned the secret of carbs/sugar/high fructose corn syrup and starting cutting that along with some calories.  Sweet tea, regular sodas (major culprits) and all the refined grains I was eating, most of them fried.  I eat some, but I mostly cut out 3/4 of that crap.  I went from a 40" waist to a 35" waist, lost 35+ pounds, and increased my level of fitness to be the best in my life.

[Private Investigator]

Any takers?  I'm guessing this was well ignored. 

I'm headed back to the gym then.

On the being ignored, roger that sir   

[dwb]

So I was helping out with a Group III NCSA/IACE Review Board today

Thank you for stepping up and doing that! I had to back out on somewhat short notice because we had a death in the family and I was needed elsewhere.

As for the topic of this thread, sustainable weight loss is at least 80% what you eat, and at most 20% exercise. To that end, I cannot recommend MyFitnessPal highly enough. I knew intellectually that I was eating too much, but keeping a food diary really puts it in your face. MFP has a lot of good features, like mobile apps, the ability to scan bar codes of products to enter them into your diary, and it tracks your weight progress and exercise, too. It took me a few weeks to adjust to using it, and I had to fight boredom hunger, hunger from not drinking enough water, etc. But it does work.

As for exercise, you don't need to be a PT stud to burn fat. A brisk walk 3x a week is a great way to start, and you don't need special equipment for it. You can do bodyweight exercises (think push-ups) in the comfort of your own home. I also highly recommend Couch to 5K, which is what I used to start running in 2010. But running isn't for everyone, and I get that. In fact, if you're really out of shape, it's much better to start with walking.

Also, everything Stonewall said. It's not complicated, but there are no shortcuts, either. It's just diligence, patience, and taking in fewer calories than you burn.

[CAP4117]

+ 8 million on the MyFitnessPal. I love that program, it really helps reform your eating habits.

[ProdigalJim]

So I was helping out with a Group III NCSA/IACE Review Board today

Thank you for stepping up and doing that! I had to back out on somewhat short notice because we had a death in the family and I was needed elsewhere.

You know, the cliche is always "it was my privilege," but honestly it really was. The cadets are always fun to be around, especially the really squared-away ones that are applying for NCSAs, and my panel partner and I had a great time.

There was one kid in particular (and to keep the integrity of the process, I'll say no more) who was just a joy to meet. Makes you feel good...