Your physical therapist can (and should) give you ideas for safe and effective workouts. Strengthening your back can only help, and losing weight just might as well. Many (most?) PT places will allow you use of their facilities while you are a client. Pool work would likely be ideal for you.
Is it inconceivable to you that there are people whose happiness and satisfaction with their bodies is because they “run on the hamster wheel?” That it is a joy and not a punishment? I was the least athletic person I know for over 30 years—picked last on teams, failing gym—but practically nothing makes me happier than running. (Yes, I have even said on occasion that it’s better than sex…)
ETA: I hadn’t seen the mod note before putting that last section in, but I do think it’s valid and not part of the “Is this exercise? What about this? THIS?” hijacking.
Modern Master – is every pro-athlete an exercise addict, then? :dubious:
Being “happy with your body” when you’re seriously overweight, when it has an impact on your health IS a problem. If you’re happy, that’s all well and good. But the point is – am I in good health? Am I at risk of a heart attack, stroke, diabetes, etc? Is it worth it? I mean, there’s fat acceptance in that you shouldn’t go around screaming “FATTIE!!!” at people at the top of your lungs. But people also shouldn’t kid themselves about the genuine risks of being overweight.
It does for my father. He can’t jog or ride a bike because of arthritis. But up until recently*, he’d walk about two or three miles at a local park a day. (In addition to watching his diet, of course). And he’s in DAMNED good shape.
A few years ago, I worked at the Carnegie Science Center. I’d take a bus downtown, and then I’d transfer on a bus to get to the Science Center. Except on nice days, I’d skip the second bus, and walk to work from downtown across the bridge over to the North Shore. I lost a good fifteen pounds that way. (Not to mention the view is gorgeous!) Unfortunately you could only do that when the weather was nice (and I was also laid off). But seriously, it’s GOOD for you.
No one is talking about just “walking to the goddamned toilet”. A few miles, at least. There’s a big difference. Hell, you could run to the kitchen – doesn’t make it the same as “running” itself.
*He’s been sick in the past few months – shingles, then kidney stones, then a hernia operation, etc. He lost a good thirty pounds, so now he’s trying to gain weight.
MM got stuck in a bit of a misunderstanding, of a rather idiosyncratic use of the term.
But the whole point of that page is that non-structured, ‘routine’ activities are calorie-burning and healthy–which is what most here are simply calling “exercise.” That guy is contrasting “non-exercise physical activity” with “structured exercise,” as in going to a gym for regular workouts.
The scientists and healthcare professionals give a shit … or two. The exertion, the activity, that is unplanned, is highly significant. Are there ways to encourage it? Why do those who are not prone to obesity automatically increase it without thinking about it during overfeeding conditions but those prone to obesity do not? How can it be encouraged and increased?
Of course the fact is that activity is activity and the only reason we need to have planned activity (“exercise”) is because unplanned activity, which used to be a large part of everyone’s daily lives, does not happen to anywhere near the same degree. That’s the "lackamotion"part. Fitness accrues from activity. Plan it with bouts of planned exercise (such as an hour of brisk walking) or by creating a lifestyle that affords unstructured unplanned activity all day or better yet both and fitness will ensue.
Back to the question posed by the OP: How fat is too fat? I’d say that when a person’s weight is significantly interfering with their health, or their ability to perform everyday tasks, or is causing them severe difficulties in other areas of their life (such as the examples posed by living_in_hell’s post upthread), that is too fat.
That’s… really gross. So you just left the equipment all sweaty and expected the next person to cheerfully use it? Maybe that’s part of the reason you encountered unusual levels of hostility. I’m not tying to be mean, everyone is ignorant of something and I’m sure most of us have failed to realize something that should have been blindingly obvious at some point in our lives. But not cleaning up after yourself (as you now know) is considered super rude in the world of public gymnasiums, and maybe that’s why some people at that gym took an initial disliking to you.
I thought it was like restaurant tables, that the workers went around cleaning up after the users. I don’t expect to wipe down a table and chair after I eat out. And yes, it’s gross to leave a mess, but I honestly thought that it was someone’s JOB to go around and do that. I didn’t see other users doing it. Once I knew better, of course, I did better…but how the hell was I expected to know better, if I saw a few workers doing it, but never saw any members?
Incidentally, the gym area was not in the same room as the check in area, and the check in area was where I asked for help.
I found it difficult to believe, too. I rather doubt that this particular woman had a degree in anything, other than being related to the owner. She had a passion for talking on her cell phone, I can tell you that.
Thinking back on it…I had never even actually used the gym equipment at that time. I’d only used the pool. And yes, I DID shower before going in. And I didn’t put a ton of conditioner in my hair, as many of the women in that gym did. I also didn’t go in the pool wearing a jogging suit (really!) or relax in the whirlpool wearing makeup and jewelry. At any rate, I had been using the pool, and I thought that I might try using some of the exercise bikes or treadmills, and I asked at the front desk about getting some help and instructions on using the equipment. No help available. No personal trainers available. Try again next week.
I guess that the women wearing jogging suits in the pool and whirlpool were Muslim, as they covered their hair with scarves. This particular gym was a women-only gym, men weren’t even supposed to be in it, though some men did come into the reception area and sit on the couches. Most of the gym staff were kind of weird…and this is ME saying this.
That does sound like a weird gym. Usually the problem with trainers at the gym is that they are too desperate for work and offer annoying unsolicited advice.
I never heard of NEAT until this thread. Good to learn something new.
I’m concerned because even though I’m thin (which I attribute to a combination of planned exercise, moderate diet, and my intrinsic makeup), if someone were to analyze me, I think my NEAT would be lower than average. As long as there is something in my face holding my attention (like the SDMB or a spreadsheet of interesting data), my butt can stay frozen in a chair all day.
It’s good to know that simply getting out of my chair and walking around the cube farm, along with my current regimine, will help offset the affects aging likely will have on my metabolism. Meaning, maybe it won’t be necessary for me to crank up the treadmill speed and/or lower my caloric intake as I get older, just to keep my weight as it is.
Another angle to consider is the amount and type of cholesterols in your body which usually (but not necessarily) dependent on your body weight and your activity level. A few years ago, I had a lipid test where my LDL was borderline high, but fortunately my triglycerides was excellent (74), but my HDL was at 34 (borderline low). I was at 290 lbs. at the time, so he (my doctor) said “Aerobic exercise”…less lifting, more running (elliptical) and you will be in great shape for a 42 year old. He knows about my bad knees, so he did cut me some slack. A few years later, my LDL was near optimal and my HDL was near 50…which moved my ratio closer to ideal.
So, even below 300 lbs…you still may be too fat as my good doctor has indicated to me…I did get down to 236, but I have put 30 back on, but jumped on elliptical again when I hit 284 (not exercising from a pulled hamstring…and then was too lazy to start up again a year later)…but now back to 267 and eating modestly (i.e.-no diet, but no gorging either). Aerobic exercise works for me.
I’m curious why he said that; weightlifting is actually highly beneficial to your body, I’ve never heard of it causing high cholesterol (nor does it cause high blood pressure or bad joints, quite the opposite in fact, unless you do it improperly; and yes, that includes knees; see this article of top weightlifting myths, myth #2 in particular).
This is a random question, but monstro, do you listen to music when you do your non-exercise physical activity? I like to go on (exceedingly slow) runs, and sometimes will listen to lectures while running, but if I just want a nice, head-clearing couple of miles, I put on some up-tempo music and run along to the beat. If I am walking (to class, for example) I might listen to lectures or books on tape, but would never listen to the same music I do when I am running (I might listen to music, but I wouldn’t call up my running mix). So do you listen to music, or lecture-type stuff, or do you just like to be alone with your thoughts, or what?
While I am personally unimpressed there is a body of work that shows HDL raising effects of aerobic exercise and not with resistance training.
(Bolding mine.)
On balance I completely agree with you and see the health benefits of weight training, especially at 40 and beyond, to be very substantial. But the doc may have been keying in on wanting to get the HDL up some and aerobic is generally considered better for that one thing.
yams!!, I usually listen to music. I don’t do the ear-bud thing because they never stay in my ears and I need to be able to hear what’s going on around me, so fortunately my mp3 player has a powerful speaker.
I’m not sure how many of you saw this story earlier this year: Fitness trainer gains and loses 70 pounds in 1 year – on purpose. To better understand his overweight clients, Drew Manning purposefully put on 70 pounds and stopped exercising. He found it difficult to get back into shape:
Here’s a guy who knew exactly what to do, yet he was having to deal with weight-related mental issues when trying to get back in shape. No doubt it’s even harder for normal overweight people who didn’t used to be physical trainers to get over their mental issues.
I’m surprised there isn’t more known about how to get sedentary people into exercise. It’s not enough to say move more. There are mental barriers which need to be broken down. It’s almost like the body is fighting to stay sedentary. That’s unfortunate. Once you really get into exercise, it can feel good and your body will want to stay fit. It’s just a matter of getting over that mental block.
I don’t do earbuds either, but I get el cheapo over-the-ear old-school headphones ($10 or less at Target) and those do the job nicely. Edit: I’m an idiot and missed the part about how you need to hear what’s going on around you. I sometimes solve this by just leaving one headphone tucked behind my ear instead of over my ear, but perhaps this is not a good option for you.
As for gyms, I’ve been a member of fancy-schmancy expensive gyms, and also a member of local community center gyms, and I’ve never been made fun of or made to feel unwelcome in the slightest. My weight while going to the gym has been anywhere from 175 to 215 pounds, as a 5’7" person, which I think definitely qualifies me as a fattie at the upper end of that scale. (Hell, some people would probably call me a fattie at the lower end. If they could keep up with me long enough to get within hearing range. Ha.)
I’m glad you mentioned this story. Not only did he know what to do, he knew he COULD do it, as he was in great physical shape prior to the start of his experiment. That has to make a difference. Many overweight people have never been in good shape, so they don’t have any confidence that they can get better with exercise.
I think a lot of heavy people are like me, and never experience any good feelings with exercise. I’ve never had a “runner’s high,” or enjoyed the physical process of moving. I do enjoy being strong and fit, but the actual exercise process itself is unpleasant, and always has been. And who wants to do something unpleasant (even if it is ultimately good for you)?