2014 Official Chaz Fitness Challenge

Oh man, I did not stretch enough yesterday. Ow ow ow.

I have a question for you runners, is there a way to run without joints being in MASSIVE pain?

I run on the elliptical, but treadmill/pavement and OMG the ouch in my hips/knees. I'm wondering if it's bc of the way I run, or of it's just that my joints suck?

How you land on your feet plays a huge role. Striking on your forefoot/midfoot and having shoes with limited cushion really helps with correct form. Look up videos on running form on youtube. Really helps!

and you also can't over do it at the start. Running should not make you lame ever.

It may be the way you run, it may be your shoes OR it might be a combo of both! Usually it's some combination of both ..if you have a specialized running store close to you, they will usually offer gait analysis either free or for a fee. I got an analysis done& had my shoes picked out.

My gait is fairly good so I run in minimalist shoes. My other friend over pronates& so she wears a shoe that works for that. It has really helped her. The minimalist shoe helps me a TON because it takes the weight off my feet ..I used to get constant knee pain& have shin splint issues. No more since getting my analysis& properly fitted shoes.

I guess I will have to try to get the gait thing done. I have decent running shoes, but maybe they're just not "right."

The elliptical is going to be far less impact than actual running so there's no real comparison. A lot of people like the elliptical because of the lower impact it offers.

There's just no way to say "well this hurts because that" without going far into more depth and really being able to look at you, your joints, and your running form. HOW your knee/hips hurt can mean the difference between one injury or another. Maybe it is your form, which is easy. Maybe you're in the wrong shoes, also pretty easy. Maybe there's something biomechanically going on - not easy.

If running is something you want to pursue, I would recommend finding a PT who has experience with runners, maybe a sports therapist. There are also running coaches out there who can help you. On the cheap you can try a trip your local running store and talk to people there about if they think you're in the right shoe or not. Folks at my LRS have always been very good to me when I have questions, and have never tried to sell me shoes or anything else I don't need, but YMMV.

Yeah, it does make a pretty big difference. Obviously, it's not essential if you're already running pain free but if you're having issues? It's worth looking into ..we just got ours redone at the Disney half for fun& they are pretty consistent as it listed the same gait issues& the same shoes for them! You can also look into a learn to run program. I've never attended one but I know our local YMCA puts one on every spring& fall. They are super popular& people seem to really enjoy them. I know they go over things like proper gait, as well!

And remember you have to condition for it. So start slow, run slowly, and for short distances.

That said, I strongly advise against running when someone is even somewhat overweight. The stress on the joints is just not worth it. I would suggest biking or ellipticals rather than running until the person is in decent shape. I have heard so many stories of people ruining their knees from running while overweight. People ruin their knees doing it even when thin, so it's not just me singling anyone out.

Just be really really careful. No amount of stretching will help prevent joints from wearing out.

Walked four miles today, up to the dog park (1.7) and then around it a bunch with Katey, Abe, and Zoey again.

That spot on my leg is bothering me again, humph. Hoping stretching, a hot bath, and a heating pad will help.

I got a ton of fresh, organic, local produce for $8 last night, which was awesome.

I missed this thread.

Honestly, I need to lose 50lbs or so. But I would love to set my goal at 30lbs at least for now.

I have maintained the same weight for a while now, but it's horrible. I weigh 225 and it is NOT good, makes me feel horrible. I would just love to get out of the 200's.

I've been very lazy lately, due to weather, family things going on, etc, but I'm so sick of making excuses. Blegh.

There's a lot of things you can do quickly, indoors, without any equipment! Beanie mentioned/introduced me to bodyweight workouts last year and I looove them.

25x leg raises each side
25x inner thigh pulses each side
10 minutes of yoga

I can't seem to wake up today, didn't do much.

I want to work on my arms, upper back and leg muscles. If it was warm, I'd be shooting my recurve bow and that's an arm and whole back exercise in itself when you're putting 2 to 300 arrows in a target but it's too cold outside for my bow (it's made of a lightweight wood that would warp too easily coming in and going outside, at only 16# draw)

My goals are really to get my draw weight up to 35#s on my bow (legal hunting weight limit) and put on muscle. I HAVE to get off of a specific medication and my Dr is working with me on that currently, and I'm very happy with her plan. She said as long as I come off and don't continue to lose weight like I have been, my goals are fine as far as working out. I've had bloodwork done, and nothing is indicating why I've lost so much weight.

I know a lot of you want to lose weight, but I really need to gain weight. I'm 5'9 with a BMI of 15.5. That's so totally NOT HEALTHY either that it's ridiculous. Being under a 100 pounds at my height has my heartrate jacked up, but my blood sugar and pressure continue to be in the perfect/slightly low/but excellent range. My cholesterol (both kinds) are in the perfect range, so my Dr feels like it's the medication causing the weight loss. And my thyroid and iron and ferratin levels are all fine, perfectly in the middle of normal range, so none of those are causing the problem.

It's frustrating trying to workout, but not even having the energy to hardly get out of bed and do normal things, let alone put a workout in there somewhere.

That's partly why I asked for the title to be changed to fitness - don't want to exclude anybody, and fitness > loss, anyways.

Rick noticed my shoulders have slimmed down while I was changing today, win.

Leg Day at the gym on Monday
Core workout at the gym on Tuesday
5 straight hours of snowboard on challenging (for me) terrain on Wednesday

Took yesterday off and I'm probably just going to get a lot of walking/stairs in today because I'm on a 13 hour shift at work.

I might do arms on Sunday if I can get one of the other guys to go with me for spotting.

Walked about five miles today, woot.

A friend of mine goes to the gym on a regular basis and invited me to join. It so happens that we have free time at the same time...so I've gone twice, third time tomorrow, and I think we're going to always try to go togethed! Whoot! Think I may get a membership if it is easy to back out of (as I will hopefully be moving in the next couple of months...).

I'm sore in places I didn't know could be sore, but I feel SO GOOD. Having a buddy to keep me motivated is just what I needed.

I've lost about half of the weight I gained over Christmas...hooray for no snacking! Now to just tone up a bit and loose another 7 pounds!

I don't normally say these things out loud. People look at me and I am supposed to be the expert and the fount of knowledge and the one who doesn't mess up or skip workouts, et cetera. So I feel like I can't say stuff because it will ruin that image of me. But always keeping stuff bottled up isn't good. So here goes.

I went to the doctor today and had to get on the scale. I expected 145 to come up, which is a number higher than I really WANT to see... but I have halfway made peace with the fact that my expectations of what the scale will say at my desired particular body fat percentage may not be correct, and my concern is really more on the BFP than the actual weight. But "weight" as a thing on the scale is so ingrained into us, it's hard to completely let it go... so that is what it is.

But the scale said 152 today.

I know this is not Actually A Thing. My clothes do not fit any differently. I realize how much our weight can fluctuate just day by day. I have a full bladder and my sneakers were on, which probably accounts for at least a pound. And I know muscle, of which I have quite a bit and am very concerned with building, is more dense than fat.

I know ALL of these things.

But that number makes me want to cry anyway.
And maybe eat an entire container of ice cream.
The big container. Not a little pint.

So there you go.

Hugs, Beanie. Eat the **** out of that ice cream.

But I don't even haaaaave anyyyyyy.