I'm healthier than most. Which is pretty depressing in some ways because I don't think I put a whole lot of effort into being healthy.

I exercise regularly, I eat sort of well, a mix of healthy and unhealthy food, but I do make sure to eat reasonable portions and to avoid snacks, eating only at meals. I do avoid sodas, mostly because I don't much like sweet drinks; so I drink only water, tea, and alcohol (beer or wine mostly), and the alcohol is in moderation. And in the end I'm thin, with good blood pressure and great cholesterol levels, and in pretty good shape. Maybe I got lucky with my genes, or maybe it really isn't that hard to be in good shape. Not sure which it is.

I can't say for sure, either, as I cannot claim to have put much effort into being healthy, myself (I think I am unhealthy, by the way). I suspect that most people can probably be healthy if they give enough effort.

I have been trying to run every weekday, but I do not exercise everyday. I recently went to the doctor, and since that time (about two weeks ago) I have exercised every weekday, but I hope that I have the perseverance to keep it up.

I do know that, when I was in high school, I was on the cross-country running team, and practiced every day. I was a lot thinner at that time, but I still had borderline high blood pressure. I do not know why.

It might be what I eat, because I have never really tried dieting. When I think I need to lose weight, I always resort to running. Maybe I should try to be concerned with what I eat, too.

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be immersed

Have you ever tried any calisthenics for a prolonged period? Push-ups, squats; you may or may not be able to do pull-ups, but there are many ways to do a pulling movement.

A light, progressive calisthenics schedule would help you to build a little bit of muscle which can have a significant effect on your metabolism and blood pressure.

Thanks for the info tealeaf. I'm also a vegetarian (but I've been vegan, pescetarian, carnivore in the past), and appreciate the clearing of the air when it comes to certain dietary superstitions.

In relation to health I've made focussed attempts at improving mine and setting myself up well for the long term, but these attempts oscillate in sequence with extremely bad habits. For the last 8 years I've alternated between weightlifting and smoking, water and coffee, late nights and routine, Etc. To my surprise, at the end of this I find I'm a pretty healthy person and I'm currently in a strong upswing. However it's been a rare occurrence for me to get sick, regardless of which phase I'm in. I almost never get to the sniffles or nausea stage. Maybe some people just have strong constitutions over a certain age range. I hope mine doesn't combust as I get older (assuming I maintain good habits).

In the past when I've exercised, I've stuck to running, pretty much.

It's funny that you mention pushups, though. Since going to the doctor, I actually looked up some iPod apps, and found one for pushup training and one for situp training. I guess it's kind of silly to need an app to do pushups or situps, but in any case, I have been trying them out.

What I've been doing most recently - which has only been for about a week and a half, now - is to run for 30 minutes, and after that do the daily situp workout as dictated by my iPod app, and then do the daily pushup workout, also as dictated by my iPod app.

The pushup workout is definitely the hardest - it may be partially due to the fact that I do it last, after having ran and done situps.

I don't know how it will work out, yet. Maybe I can add pull-ups to my workout. The small gym that I use doesn't have weights, though, so squats may be difficult (unless I find another place to exercise).

I guess we'll see how it goes. I exercised only three times this week, though. The doctor said that I should exercise at least 3 or 4 times a week. I exercised on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday of this week.

I'll have to try to keep at it harder.

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be immersed

The push-ups and pull-ups should be done first, in my opinion. They will have no negative effect on your running, though the opposite might not be true.

Also, squats without weights are still a great exercise. If you've never done them before, squatting down until you can't go any lower (ideally your hamstrings contact with the back of your legs) and then standing back up will build strength in your legs. Just be sure to always keep your heels firmly rooted to the ground (you'll want to fall over backwards the first time you try this and you have to actively pull with your toes to resist.)

I have around 10 kilos to give, which is a lot. I do regular exercise, go to gym twice a week and run outside, but I cannot stop eating.

But at least I eat only healthy chocolate, healthy pringles and drink only healthy beer.

Apart from that, my biggest problem is the hay fever, which turns the normally enjoyble spring time into a disaster period.

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If you say no, Elwood and I will come here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of the week.

This reminds me of my fiancee's uncle, who will lecture us - in between drags on his cigarette - on the health benefits of various fruits, gourds, and medicinal liquors...

Since I like trying out things that (some of) you folks suggest, and I liked the sound of the word "hydrated" I gave this a shot, and for the last 2 weeks, without trying to monitor anything, I have been drinking a lot of water - basically by taking large chugs anytime I get near a tap.

After one week, I was thinking of making a snarky comment asking what the effects of hydration are supposed to be besides occasionally having to find a toilet under inappropriate circumstances, but after 2 weeks, I am actually finding myself less tired.

Probably this also has to do with the fact that I'm getting more sun, but for various reasons, I'm also getting significantly less sleep, and for the first time in my life, it's not bothering me. Who am I to say what the effects of hydration are, but the experiment has gotten me to pay more attention to how my body feels, and I'm not quite ready to end it.

Now, I'm certainly not going to get into a discussion about what doctors or woo experts may or may not believe, but it's fairly simple to try something like this out and come to your own conclusions.

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Patience, grasshopper.

I am thoroughly impressed with your approach to this. And I'm glad it's working for you.

Of course your results do not constitute scientific veracity. They are just personal experience.

Once on a bet with a former colleague and we both drank 6 liters of water for 3-4 days.

I remember that I was feeling exhausted in the evenings. 6 liters is way too much, I don't recommend it to anybody. Apart from that, other colleagues were upset with us becuase we were occupying the toilet all the time

So, don't try it! I would say 3 liters should be the upper limit.

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If you say no, Elwood and I will come here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of the week.

You were probably tired because the excess water was making you low in electrolytes. What you did is actually dangerous. People have died from water overdose.

This said, if you were exerting yourself in very hot weather, it might not be enough. But you'd still need extra electrolytes. I think pro cyclists can drink up to 12 liters a day in the hottest weather, but they also drink special sports drinks to make sure they don't end up unbalanced.

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My blog about Macs and more: Kirkville

I marked myself as average health, but that's a combination of things ...

First off, I'm quite physically active and I enjoy it greatly.

On the other hand, I have a TERRIBLE diet. I eat what I want, when I want. I have a sweet-tooth ... chocolate is my downfall.

I'm a shade on the heavy side at 185 lbs (about 15-20 lbs heavier than I would like).

I can, however, run 10k in under an hour (sometimes in about 50 minutes), which I feel is reasonable. I can play a full 90 minute football (soccer) game.

So, while I could be a lot better with my healthy choices, I stay active enough to feel ok about my health level.

Well, I've lost about 20 pounds since I started this thread. I won't say where I started, though.

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be immersed

Congrats!

Thanks. Still more to go, but it's been a little bit easier than I had expected so far.

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be immersed

Months later... And now I've lost 20 pounds since you started this thread, Kirby. Damn if it wasn't difficult.

Great job, rubin!

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be immersed

How?

1) First I bought, read, and then practiced the ideas found in the book: The volumetrics weight-control plan by PH.D. Barbara Rolls et. all



2) Then, I bought some nice inline skates, and go skating often. It's a big change from my previous sedentary life-style.

These two items have been very successful in producing results over the course of the year.