Jump to content

Recommended Posts

HughMannity sent me.

I'm 43, live in the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts. Former soldier, currently "exploring my employment options," widow, biker (motor, not pedal), medieval re-enactor, martial artist, fiber geek, sometime leatherworker, all around good egg. At least I try.

According to the Army, I'm 85 pounds overweight at 230/65" tall, but I haven't met their height-weight standards since I started working out in ROTC. Not with these shoulders! In addition to karate class 3 times a week (could be super strenuous, could be a lot of talking about theory), I had started doing Couch to 5K, and was seeing results, but my knees became unhappy with me. Hugh recommended I come over here and see what y'all were talking about, and I'll tell ya what, the success stories I'm reading are really inspiring.

I'm interested in the Paleo diet, but I do have some carbs in the house that I want to eat up before I start trying to transition. I'm going to have to get more adventurous with veggies, I guess; never been much of a fan.

I do love weightlifting, though, so I'm looking forward to that. I hope to be tapped to test for my black belt one of these days, so I want to be physically ready when that day comes. Really, I just want to be able to keep up with the guys... I'm the only female in my class. Not a bad thing, but it'd be nice if they had to keep up with me once in a while. :-)

So that's me. Questions, comments, alibis?

Link to comment

Welcome, soldier! I wouldn't worry too much about the military's measure of you being overweight. Their primary measure is based off of height versus weight, which doesn't take into account ones true BMI. It sounds like you were enjoying the running, or at least seeing results you were happy with. Have you considered taking to a bike? It might relieve some of the impact stress on your knees. Knee problems can be common in former military.

"If you think we can't change the world, it just means you're not one of those that will." -Jacque Fresco

Link to comment
Welcome, soldier! I wouldn't worry too much about the military's measure of you being overweight. Their primary measure is based off of height versus weight, which doesn't take into account ones true BMI. It sounds like you were enjoying the running, or at least seeing results you were happy with. Have you considered taking to a bike? It might relieve some of the impact stress on your knees. Knee problems can be common in former military.

I never worried about what the scale said. Even when I was in the best shape of my life (maxed out my pushups --60-some-odd --on the PT test at 1:30, which gave me 30 seconds to spare), I was still ten pounds overweight. I found it really easy to pack on muscle. I never worried about it as long as I "made the tape", or was under the allowable body fat requirements, for you civilians out there. I'm nowhere near that now.

I didn't hate the running, though it's never been a favorite. I always said that I joined the Transportation Corps and shot expert so I wouldn't have to run, but the Army never saw it my way... wonder why? I'll probably try an elliptical before I'll try a bike. I hate stationary bikes. They're just never comfortable for me. Not nutty about ellipticals, either, but at least they're lower impact.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

New here? Please check out our Privacy Policy and Community Guidelines