Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Bad health, need to get better

WilsonFourTwo · 02-02-2010, 08:14 AM

I REALLY like what User Name has written - top quality advice, all of it.

I dumped over 40lbs one summer (about 4 months) by following a few simple rules.

1. Leftover Pizza is not a breakfast food.

Seriously, breakfast is really important so don't skip it and don't fill your face with bad food. Oatmeal and Fruit, a bowl of cereal with milk (ideally skim), granola and yogurt are all terrific early meals. Good news.....they're also uber cheap and chock full of the stuff that makes you go.

2. Drink LOTS of water (You'll see this on a lot of lists). Sure it makes you feel full, but I can almost guarantee you're dehydrated. The water will you stay cool, feel refreshed and give your body what is needs the most. As another poster mentioned, the headaches will all but disappear - promised. Lastly - read up about what your liver and kidneys do for you......and then realize that a lot of water helps them work better.

3. Eat regularly. Ideally the 6x per day, but if you're just starting out (making a lot of changes) perhaps go simpler. Eat during the three classic times during the day - and REALLY focus on nutrition and quantity. The question that made the most difference in my life "Does this make my body work better or worse?" Better=Gobble, Worse=Pass.

4. Exercise. I rollerbladed every sunny day that summer, starting with a (approx) 4k route and eventually going to about 12k. The goal everyday.....complete the route. The secondary goal was "No Stopping" and eventually became going after a record time. It was a blast.

5. SLEEP! Just as a guarantee you're dehydrated, I can almost guarantee you're unrested. Force yourself to bed at an earlier hour. Once you start getting healthy, your body clock will take over and tell you when to go to bed and when to get up. Once that's the case, your only job is to listen! (I still struggle with that sometimes!)

As for some of your specific questions......

1. Treadmills vs Running. Slightly different moves/postures when outdoors, but only the highend running nerds would notice a difference I think. I've treadmilled (off and on) for a few years, and really like it. Crank the tunes, pick a spot on the wall and zone out....great break for "Getting out of your own head" as well.

2. Wii Fit. It's got some challenging stuff to it, but its still a video game. It that's the level you're at, go for it. If you can walk the block a couple times at a steady pace, do that instead.

3. Personal Trainer.....yes and no. Much better if you need motivation to jump to the next level of fitness. We all know the fundamentals to being healthy (diet/exercise). Trainers are there to provide the 'next level' in knowledge and give motivation. If you're in need of those, go for it.

Best of luck - I'm rooting for you.

02-02-2010, 08:14 AM	#3
WilsonFourTwo First Line Centre Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Calgary. Exp:	I REALLY like what User Name has written - top quality advice, all of it. I dumped over 40lbs one summer (about 4 months) by following a few simple rules. 1. Leftover Pizza is not a breakfast food. Seriously, breakfast is really important so don't skip it and don't fill your face with bad food. Oatmeal and Fruit, a bowl of cereal with milk (ideally skim), granola and yogurt are all terrific early meals. Good news.....they're also uber cheap and chock full of the stuff that makes you go. 2. Drink LOTS of water (You'll see this on a lot of lists). Sure it makes you feel full, but I can almost guarantee you're dehydrated. The water will you stay cool, feel refreshed and give your body what is needs the most. As another poster mentioned, the headaches will all but disappear - promised. Lastly - read up about what your liver and kidneys do for you......and then realize that a lot of water helps them work better. 3. Eat regularly. Ideally the 6x per day, but if you're just starting out (making a lot of changes) perhaps go simpler. Eat during the three classic times during the day - and REALLY focus on nutrition and quantity. The question that made the most difference in my life "Does this make my body work better or worse?" Better=Gobble, Worse=Pass. 4. Exercise. I rollerbladed every sunny day that summer, starting with a (approx) 4k route and eventually going to about 12k. The goal everyday.....complete the route. The secondary goal was "No Stopping" and eventually became going after a record time. It was a blast. 5. SLEEP! Just as a guarantee you're dehydrated, I can almost guarantee you're unrested. Force yourself to bed at an earlier hour. Once you start getting healthy, your body clock will take over and tell you when to go to bed and when to get up. Once that's the case, your only job is to listen! (I still struggle with that sometimes!) As for some of your specific questions...... 1. Treadmills vs Running. Slightly different moves/postures when outdoors, but only the highend running nerds would notice a difference I think. I've treadmilled (off and on) for a few years, and really like it. Crank the tunes, pick a spot on the wall and zone out....great break for "Getting out of your own head" as well. 2. Wii Fit. It's got some challenging stuff to it, but its still a video game. It that's the level you're at, go for it. If you can walk the block a couple times at a steady pace, do that instead. 3. Personal Trainer.....yes and no. Much better if you need motivation to jump to the next level of fitness. We all know the fundamentals to being healthy (diet/exercise). Trainers are there to provide the 'next level' in knowledge and give motivation. If you're in need of those, go for it. Best of luck - I'm rooting for you.