Author Topic: new here, dumb username, enthusiastic to get fit, i like walking  (Read 4509 times)

BrionyB

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It's scorching hot in London at the moment, so don't feel bad about not doing long walks right now - they say 34 degrees today, so I am not venturing further than the shady spot in the garden!


There are a surprising number of nice walks through green spaces not far from you; I did some of the southern sections of the Capital Ring when I first moved here, and found them more peaceful and pleasant than I expected. Or if you like the idea of getting out of town, maybe look up the Saturday Walkers Club; they do informal group walks if you want company, and also have a very helpful website and book with detailed routes if you prefer doing the walks alone.

Rob Goes Walking

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I started out getting fit on this forum at over 23 stone. Lost nearly all the weight but put 40 lbs back on recently after I injured myself on a 30K run. Back running again now, but I've got to build the distance up again, slowly.

As ninthace said walking should be a pleasure not a chore. That was a mistake I made, I started walking for pleasure not fitness but started going up big green hills, technically mountains some of them multiple times a week as a fitness grind and it ruined fell walking for me.

On the other hand, I did at least 15,000 steps a day (often over 30K, peaking at 50K) for several months around town mostly as a fitness grind and it was much less unpleasant.

Start slow and short and build up. I only did one walk that gave me multi-day DOMS (muscle soreness) a week. The rest of the time for my base 15K steps I did a 60 minute walk in the morning, a 60 minute walk in the afternoon and popped into town and back (20 minutes) every day. That was suitable for me, as others have said listen to your body. Your body (not your brain!) might be capable of a lesser or greater load. Being injured and losing your hard won fitness isn't good.

Don't be in a hurry to do the marathon, it takes quite some time to put that sort of distance in your legs and toughen them up. If you rush it, there's a good chance you'll injure yourself. As a rule of thumb running never increase running distance by more than 10% a week.

As for the puny arms, start with press-ups if you can manage a couple. It's free and the heavier you are the greater the strength you'll build.

Enjoy the forum!
« Last Edit: 06:20:30, 02/08/20 by Rob Goes Walking »

WhitstableDave

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I agree that walking should be a pleasure not a chore, but I also think it's important to stress that some people find pleasure in what - at the time - can be very hard work. In other words, the pleasure can also be about looking back on an achievement gained, whether that's reaching the summit of a mountain, traversing difficult terrain, completing a challenging distance, maintaining a brisk pace for a certain time, or even walking every single road in your nearest town.

I'll give what I think is a fair example: This year I wanted to walk 1000 miles by the end of the first week in April so as to beat my previous best. I needed to do 25 miles with two days to go, but frustratingly, I'd developed shin pains. I did the 25 miles, but by no stretch of the imagination could I claim they were pleasurable - on the second day, my legs hurt as I set off with 11 miles to do. My point is though, that the pleasure I got from completing what I'd been working towards for months far, far outweighed the lack of pleasure in those final walks.

I also think that when the aim is to get fit and/or to lose weight, contenting oneself with gentle ambles isn't going to get you very far. A programme of gradual improvement - carefully done, with aims and targets, with perseverance and patience, while 'listening' to your body will (IMHO!) be a lot more effective.
Walk, Jog, Run : our YouTube video channel.

Rob Goes Walking

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Wasn't saying hard work can't be rewarding Dave. I don't exactly enjoy running, much like you it's the sense of achievement that gets me going. If you're going to be suffering might as well maximise your returns and do a more intense form of cardio than walking. Walking is good as a way of establishing base fitness and burning calories over multiple hours but beyond that it should be a pleasure in my view. Yours might vary.

Agree that a program of gradual improvement is the best way. Disagree gentle ambles are pointless for heavy people though, when you're very obese gentle ambles are hard and also burn lots of calories. An 8 hour walk is going to burn more calories than a 2 hour run for most people. There's not a huge amount of difference in calories burned walking and running a mile, the biggest factor is distance. Running burns so many more calories because you cross so many more miles in the same time. You quite possibly know all this but not everyone does...

richardh1905

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Walking I burn 100kcal/mile, running maybe 110kcal/mile - there really is very little difference.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

WhitstableDave

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Walking I burn 100kcal/mile, running maybe 110kcal/mile - there really is very little difference.
Agreed... as long as you're comparing energy used per mile and not energy used per hour.
Walk, Jog, Run : our YouTube video channel.

fatmanwalking

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I will individually address your comments in another post, I just wanted to say that it's a really strange feeling for me to be ever so frustrated and disappointed in myself to then checking this forum thread to find that some how it lifts an incredibly large weight off of my heart.

I only really walked 3.56miles this afternoon and mentally I wasn't really feeling it, physically I could of done much more, I took a break on the grass like I've done before but I still wasn't up for putting in more effort; despite my mood I had already decided to do more and push through it.
I get up and my right ankle hurts quite a bit,  anyway I look ridiculous like I'm trying to walk on lego or something.
I hate to admit this but having an injury seemed like a great excuse to go home.




richardh1905

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Agreed... as long as you're comparing energy used per mile and not energy used per hour.


Yes, running at my normal (slowish) pace I cover twice as much ground as when walking on the flat, therefore I burn around twice as much energy.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

cornwallcoastpathdweller

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I will individually address your comments in another post, I just wanted to say that it's a really strange feeling for me to be ever so frustrated and disappointed in myself to then checking this forum thread to find that some how it lifts an incredibly large weight off of my heart.

I only really walked 3.56miles this afternoon and mentally I wasn't really feeling it, physically I could of done much more, I took a break on the grass like I've done before but I still wasn't up for putting in more effort; despite my mood I had already decided to do more and push through it.
I get up and my right ankle hurts quite a bit,  anyway I look ridiculous like I'm trying to walk on lego or something.
I hate to admit this but having an injury seemed like a great excuse to go home.


Dont worry about the distance at the moment, you walked further than me today!  just keep up the determination to succeed and it'll come.  Those miles all add up, some days are slower than others, but they all count in the end.
one step then another then another then a bench - please?

fatmanwalking

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I would like to thank you all for your support and advice.

It's taken me some time to really process it and understand things. The hardest part out of all of this might actually be accepting that I simply expect too much of myself and seem to think I'm way more capable than I really am.

I didn't want to accept that I could injure myself in the process and absolutely despised resting.

However today will be the third day in a row where I have rested myself, I think I started to get an injury in my right calf muscle area which I'm thinking is some tendon related problem. Instead of just rushing out to do more walking I've tried to be guided by advice here to take it a bit more slowly. I suspect you have all contributed to helping me avoid a much larger damage down the line. Thank you!

I think taking it easy for three days is about the maximum I can cope with, so tomorrow I'm 100% going back out regardless, but I'm going to take stretching more seriously going forward. I've been looking at cheap things I can do from home, resistance bands mostly, which might help me to stretch more thoroughly and give me something to use on other parts of my body while resting my legs.




Rob Goes Walking

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I didn't want to accept that I could injure myself in the process and absolutely despised resting.


Rest periods are where the magic happens, the damage you inflict on yourself exercising is repaired and you are rebuilt stronger than before.

fatmanwalking

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Wandle Trail, London Loop and Thames Path.

Cheers! I will defo keep an eye out, great idea.



... some nice countryside to the south - good to have a bit of variation to keep things interesting.
... I cracked my knee against a rock on Tuesday ...

I have definitely had to explore a bit to change things up a little, thankfully I can handle a lot of repetition and I slip into routines pretty easily. For example 90% of my wardrobe is identical and I've eaten basically the same salad for one of my meals every day for over a year; I suspect I'm a little bit odd.

How is your knee now. I hope you're fixed up and back out there?!



Currently have the opposite issue to you, in that i struggle to maintain my weight now at 66kg, having had my stomach removed due to cancer at 48 - a big shock to a fighting fit energiser bunny i can tell you.

... He has his MBA graduation photograph on his wall from his earlier days to inspire him ...

Damn that sounds incredibly tough to go through. Do you force extra calories into your system like with cheese and mayonnaise to try and counteract the reduction in absorption? I guess there's a lot more to it than that trying to get everything you need.

As for the picture I have a perfect embarrassing photo from a friend's wedding which I have photoshopped into a faux t-shirt design. I'm pretty sure that's going to be my motivational picture.




It's scorching hot in London at the moment, so don't feel bad about not doing long walks right now - they say 34 degrees today, so I am not venturing further than the shady spot in the garden!


There are a surprising number of nice walks through green spaces not far from you; I did some of the southern sections of the Capital Ring when I first moved here, and found them more peaceful and pleasant than I expected. Or if you like the idea of getting out of town, maybe look up the Saturday Walkers Club; they do informal group walks if you want company, and also have a very helpful website and book with detailed routes if you prefer doing the walks alone.

You're telling me the weather has been amazing but it does certainly take a toll! Thankfully I have a portable air conditioning unit in the bedroom which I can at least retreat to after a walk and cool myself down. :D

The club sounds like a truly brilliant suggestion, I would love to make friends locally. Whilst I thoroughly enjoy walking by myself I have found the occasional interactions with strangers to be rewarding; I can imagine it being even more enjoyable to meet up and be around other people who are passionate for this. I'll be sure to check them out! :D Are you still in the area etc?





I started out getting fit on this forum at over 23 stone. Lost nearly all the weight but put 40 lbs back on recently after I injured myself on a 30K run. Back running again now, but I've got to build the distance up again, slowly.

So many great points in your post, it's a lot to reply to all considered but I've tried to take your advice on board, thank you.

Best of luck getting back on track, sorry to hear about your injury, but must say you've been doing impressively. Thank you for the inspiration. It's one thing to be impressed by people who started out skinny but when a fat person achieves it then that obviously resonates with me a lot harder. I have some idea of just how much work it really is. I'm just glad I haven't yet died from the neglect and abuse I put my body through and have a chance to right some of those wrongs.

I'm curious if people treat you differently when you're in shape verses when you were big?




I also think that when the aim is to get fit and/or to lose weight, contenting oneself with gentle ambles isn't going to get you very far. A programme of gradual improvement - carefully done, with aims and targets, with perseverance and patience, while 'listening' to your body will (IMHO!) be a lot more effective.

This has been a significant cause of concern for me, I've been so incredibly stubborn, I wholeheartedly wish to make continued progress and as a result I've been ignoring sensible advice - until now.

I'm starting to understand myself a bit better while trying to balance the pushing and resting and goals. I feel less guilt now about resting. I'm also unable to understand what I can sensibly achieve without damaging myself severely. Each day I seem to be learning a bit more. That said I fully agree that it would be easy to make excuses which harm improvement and allow for laziness. Thankfully I thoroughly enjoy getting out and moving my body so the motivation is usually pretty easy. I much rather be out there than stuck in doors.

The essential part to all of this though, is that I have my food intake under proper control now, I have and would be able to continue to lose weight with zero exercise. I don't starve myself, nor do i get the desire to binge anymore, and when my exertion causes my body to need fuel to repair itself I can react to it without shoveling in tons of extra unnecessary calories.

All of that said I'm still learning and all the advice I'm receiving is helping me to question my actions and understand more of what's going on.




Disagree gentle ambles are pointless for heavy people though, when you're very obese gentle ambles are hard and also burn lots of calories.

This is a key point to all of this.

According to a calculator based on average speed, weight, height and age, I burned 450 kcal in 73 minutes on one of my more recent walks.




Dont worry about the distance at the moment, you walked further than me today! 

That helps because I slip easily into feeling guilty some days when I felt like I let myself down, it's nice to be reminded that it's okay and that some days will be a bit harder than others. I hope youre doing well. :)





Rest periods are where the magic happens, the damage you inflict on yourself exercising is repaired and you are rebuilt stronger than before.

I'm starting to appreciate this, it's weird to imagine that doing basically nothing, is somehow doing something useful. :D



Rob Goes Walking

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So many great points in your post, it's a lot to reply to all considered but I've tried to take your advice on board, thank you.

Best of luck getting back on track, sorry to hear about your injury, but must say you've been doing impressively. Thank you for the inspiration. It's one thing to be impressed by people who started out skinny but when a fat person achieves it then that obviously resonates with me a lot harder. I have some idea of just how much work it really is. I'm just glad I haven't yet died from the neglect and abuse I put my body through and have a chance to right some of those wrongs.

I'm curious if people treat you differently when you're in shape verses when you were big?


You're welcome. The ladies treated me a bit differently when I started losing weight... I got the odd bit of fat shaming when I was big, one guy in particular which ended up costing me my home after we had an altercation. Most people treat me the same.


This is a key point to all of this.

According to a calculator based on average speed, weight, height and age, I burned 450 kcal in 73 minutes on one of my more recent walks.


Those calculations are estimates so don't get too obsessed with the exact numbers but good job  O0


I'm starting to appreciate this, it's weird to imagine that doing basically nothing, is somehow doing something useful. :D

You can, and possibly should do gentle exercise, whatever that means for you but don't lie to yourself and go too hard. Google "active recovery" for more details. Yoga is one idea.

cornwallcoastpathdweller

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Damn that sounds incredibly tough to go through. Do you force extra calories into your system like with cheese and mayonnaise to try and counteract the reduction in absorption? I guess there's a lot more to it than that trying to get everything you need.

As for the picture I have a perfect embarrassing photo from a friend's wedding which I have photoshopped into a faux t-shirt design. I'm pretty sure that's going to be my motivational picture.


CertInly changes things around, intestines have to do the whole job now so have to eat very small meals six times a day as the intestines cant take to much on in one go.  Overdo it and its an imediate toilet trip blood sugar level crash and collapse but you learn to live with and avoid it.  The bonus is i can eat all sorts of 'bad' food to pack in the calories i need.  Beats the alternative by miles and i consider myself a walking miracle after only being given single digit changes of survival two years ago, before 5 relapses and acute sepsis on top.


Determination, a single minded sense of purpose and good understanding make for very strong allies so keep up with your journey, your doing good mate.


Looking forward to the day you change your forum name to skinnyblokechargingabout. 👍
one step then another then another then a bench - please?

fatmanwalking

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Beats the alternative by miles and i consider myself a walking miracle after only being given single digit changes of survival two years ago, before 5 relapses and acute sepsis on top.

Determination, a single minded sense of purpose and good understanding make for very strong allies so keep up with your journey, your doing good mate.

Has beating the odds changed your outlook on life at all? I find it fascinating to hear but also lacking a proper frame of reference to adequately comprehend what your experience must have been like. I feel like it gives your advice more meaning and impact though. Thank you for the support.

Looking forward to the day you change your forum name to skinnyblokechargingabout. 👍
Nice!

 

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