Seeking Allies in my Quest

[Adash5000]

I am seeking help, from fellow nerds, as I start back on a new fitness journey. I am not wickedly out of shape but I am getting older and have a family history of bad backs, herniated discs and back surgeries, along with other heart related issues. So I feel I need to start changing course and moving in a more suitable direction for my health and hopefully steer clear of the problems of my ancestors. I don't want to lull you with a story but I am a very tall man who had the metabolism of the gods and I could eat everything and I did eat everything but it just wouldn't show. now I am closing in on 30 and I am starting to show a gut, my back is sore on a regular basis, and I am tired most of the time at work. Being tired and unable to focus has also taken a toll on my cognitive function and I feel like I have become less sharp as a result. All those eating habits from my early 20's have not slowed down. Now that I finally am in that job which I love, it's now the best time to turn this all around. But I need your help, your wisdom, because I have tried again and again to start something but always feel I fall short. I have gone to the gym and been unable to stick with it long term. I have rationalized not going to gym convincing myself that body weight exercises were the only pure form of exercise and then not following through with that. I have decide to not gym at all for fear the lifestyle would take away from (insert geeky activity here). I go through cycle and cycle of having bad back pain stretching solidly for a few week it going away then not stretching again until after a month of the back pain returning.

 

So my one big ask is...will you help me?

[Jean]

I'll be there for the journey. Struggling to build working out habits do resonate with my own situation. Have fun and success on your quest.

 

As an aside, since you're feeling tired, how's your sleep schedule?

[Guzzi]

Hi Adash!  Welcome to the forum.  This place is a great source of inspiration and motivation, I hope you enjoy being a part of the community.  I wanted to try and address some of your points below, because I’ve suffered from similar issues and might be able to offer some advice.  

 

2 hours ago, Adash5000 said:

I am seeking help, from fellow nerds, as I start back on a new fitness journey. I am not wickedly out of shape but I am getting older and have a family history of bad backs, herniated discs and back surgeries, along with other heart related issues. So I feel I need to start changing course and moving in a more suitable direction for my health and hopefully steer clear of the problems of my ancestors. I don't want to lull you with a story but I am a very tall man who had the metabolism of the gods and I could eat everything and I did eat everything but it just wouldn't show. now I am closing in on 30 and I am starting to show a gut, my back is sore on a regular basis, and I am tired most of the time at work.

Oh just wait, it gets worse!  Your 30’s are just a precursor for what comes next! Mwahahahaha! <- evil laugh

 

But in all seriousness, it’s great that you are taking positive steps towards preventing issues with your health, because it really is more effective than trying to fix things after the damage is done.  Strengthening your back will obviously be important to you but it might be a good idea to see a professional before working with weights (if that’s what you plan on doing), because you probably have weakness that needs addressed that could compromise your form and potentially lead to injury.  (Apologies if this is all stuff you know already) 

 

I’ve found that doing yoga regularly has a massive effect on my posture and, subsequently, my back pain.  I’ve also benefitted immensely from seeing an osteopath who has treated me when I’m in pain, and given me exercises to strengthen the weak muscles in my back to try and prevent reoccurrence.  It’s not cheap, but he’s worth his weight in gold. 

 

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Being tired and unable to focus has also taken a toll on my cognitive function and I feel like I have become less sharp as a result.

Im sure you’re aware of this but not getting enough sleep is seriously detrimental to your health, and can leave you actually unable to function properly.  I have had MASSIVE success with changing my sleep habits this challenge just by making some simple changes.  The two main things have been getting to bed a little earlier than usual (not by much, but it makes a difference) and listening to a meditation/ relaxation/ hypnosis track before going to sleep.  I downloaded some free apps and just tried different ones out until I found the ones I really liked.  I’ve gone from struggling to wake up by 9am to waking up at 6:30am every day, without an alarm.  It all has to do with your sleep cycles and what time you personally get your best quality sleep.  If you’re interested I can share some links?

 

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All those eating habits from my early 20's have not slowed down. Now that I finally am in that job which I love, it's now the best time to turn this all around. But I need your help, your wisdom, because I have tried again and again to start something but always feel I fall short. I have gone to the gym and been unable to stick with it long term. I have rationalized not going to gym convincing myself that body weight exercises were the only pure form of exercise and then not following through with that. I have decide to not gym at all for fear the lifestyle would take away from (insert geeky activity here). I go through cycle and cycle of having bad back pain stretching solidly for a few week it going away then not stretching again until after a month of the back pain returning.

 

So my one big ask is...will you help me?

 

What you're describing here is really common for a lot of us, you are not alone in this.  The best way to overcome this boom/bust cycles is to take willpower out of the equation.  Willpower is a finite resource and you need to find a structure that keeps you on track long after your willpower has wavered.  

 

Have you you checked out the 4 Week Challenges yet?  (That link is from back in the day when each challenge was 6 weeks long but it’s the same format.). The challenges are a great way of setting concrete goals that are actually attainable and sustainable.  They keep you accountable and give you a structure for achieving your bigger, long term goals. 

 

We are currently finishing up Week 1 of the current challenge but you could always join in.   

[Adash5000]

@Jean my sleep is all over the place. Sometimes I get to bed at a reasonable 10pm but other days I have trouble sleeping and I stay up later than I should. I have had trouble maintaining good sleep habits like using a laptop or looking at my phone in bed.

 

@Guzzi What is defined as doing yoga "regularly"? Like once a week? And as for sleep, I don't have trouble waking up, if anything I have trouble getting back once I am up and I usually get up around 7am. The problem with my sleep is the bed time is erratically all over the place and I eat junk and sweet foods when I am stressed and tired which likely makes my tiredness worse. I also have heard all the willpower things and have done a lot to combat that but I may have not found the right strategies that work for me. I think my largest hurdle in most of my problem is I haven't dedicated a substantial amount of dedicated time to it. As in, I have never made it a huge enough part of my life, it has always been a side thing to the other personal projects unrelated to it that take precedence. Not sure if this sounds familiar but I think I need to start making this a first and foremost priority and put off any other unrelated side projects until a few months have passed and I am a little more on the right path.

 

Also thanks for the monthly challenge info I will check it out and see what I can get started on

[Guzzi]

The 

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@Guzzi What is defined as doing yoga "regularly"? Like once a week?

I don’t know if only doing once a week would be enough to help your back or not, I’m just not knowledgeable enough on the subject. Sorry.   I tend to do it 2-3 times a week and I find a massive benefit from that.  I found This online about how often to practice yoga for general benefits....

 

 

When I committed to a regular practice (i.e. at least 3 times a week if not more), I began to notice improvements to my coordination, balance, strength and flexibility. A consistent practice encourages you to refine your body awareness as well as move more intelligently and efficiently. If you only practice once a week, it is challenging to sustain that kind of awareness. Also, it might feel like you’re reinventing the wheel every time you get on the mat, which can be discouraging.

 

If you’re short on time, practices don’t have to be long either. Many yoga instructors agree that it can actually be more effective to practice frequently for shorter amounts of time (i.e. 15-30 minutes) than to have fewer longer yoga sessions. However, if once a week is all you can manage, than do it and enjoy. The benefits of the practice will still be there.

 

Its worth pointing out that you might find yoga helps to improve your sleep too. 

 

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And as for sleep, I don't have trouble waking up, if anything I have trouble getting back once I am up and I usually get up around 7am. The problem with my sleep is the bed time is erratically all over the place and I eat junk and sweet foods when I am stressed and tired which likely makes my tiredness worse. I also have heard all the willpower things and have done a lot to combat that but I may have not found the right strategies that work for me. I think my largest hurdle in most of my problem is I haven't dedicated a substantial amount of dedicated time to it. As in, I have never made it a huge enough part of my life, it has always been a side thing to the other personal projects unrelated to it that take precedence. Not sure if this sounds familiar but I think I need to start making this a first and foremost priority and put off any other unrelated side projects until a few months have passed and I am a little more on the right path.

 

The challenges would probably be ideal for you then.  Their aim is to make things that you’ve been struggling to achieve, well, easier to achieve.  The main thing is to start small.  You want to set yourself goals that are relatively easy to achieve, after you have been doing them for a period of time they start to become habit, at which point you can set yourself new goals.  The biggest mistake people make when doing their first challenge is to try and change too much at once.  For example, I wouldn’t recommend that you try to correct all your issues with sleep in one challenge.  Maybe just set a time to be in bed by, but allow yourself to use your phone in bed, until you have the habit of going to bed at that time.  Once you feel comfortable that you are doing this without any real effort then you can maybe look to limit your phone use in bed. 

 

The only issue I have with what you said above is this bit...

 

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I think my largest hurdle in most of my problem is I haven't dedicated a substantial amount of dedicated time to it. As in, I have never made it a huge enough part of my life, it has always been a side thing to the other personal projects unrelated to it that take precedence.

 

It’s just that unless health and fitness are thing that you really, really love then they shouldn’t be a huge part of your life, because you will just get sick of them and probably quit.  I’d say that you should aim to make it a regular part of your life, but not a huge part.  

 

The trick to doing this is to think about what motivates you personally, and then use that to help you achieve your goals.  If you read through some of the various challeng threads you will see that people use various motivations to achieve their goals.  For example, are you into RPG?  Some people create a character and award them CON, STR, DEX, WIS etc depending on how well they achieve their goals and “level up” their character once they hit certain levels.  Others use real world motivation - “if I achieve my goals I can buy myself the [thing] I’ve been wanting”. 

 

It’s all about finding balance. If you don’t have the energy to work if your health at the same time as your other projects then yeah, put them on the back burner for now, but if focusing on your health will leave you fed up and bored (ultimately leading you to give up) then you need to find a happy medium.  Just remember, failure isn’t a problem.  Thomas Edison failed over 700 times before he found the right material for his lightbulb filament.  Use failure as a learning experience as to what doesn’t work for you, and try something different next time. 

[WhiteGhost]

17 hours ago, Adash5000 said:

I have gone to the gym and been unable to stick with it long term. I have rationalized not going to gym convincing myself that body weight exercises were the only pure form of exercise and then not following through with that. 

This was me for most of my 30s.  I didn't want to go to the gym and preferred bodyweight, but could never find a program that I could stick with.

 

It wasn't until I found this place and saw what others we're doing did I realize that my problem is I get bored easily if I am doing the same thing over and over.  Pushups and sit-ups over and over doesn't excite me, so after a while I just lose interest.  My routine now is single sets of tons of different bodyweight exercises.   This doesn't work for everyone, but the principles is the same - the best workout for you is the one you actually do.