Can't go back to Asgard looking like this...

[Astreja]

Hei!  I'm a somewhat lumpy fifty-something who wants to be considerably less so (70 pounds less lumpy, to be exact).  I'm not afraid of heavy lifting and used to train almost daily in the gym or in martial arts, but 2 decades of low physical activity and high comfort food consumption have taken their toll.

 

Obstacles that I'm facing:  Desk job plus hobbies that require a lot of sitting; arthritic foot and wonky knee; fibromyalgia (under control with medication) and a near-obsessive love of chocolate.

 

What I can bring to the table:  Great flexibility, decent upper body strength, above-average leg strength -- As long as I'm careful not to overload my knee or stomp my foot into the floor too hard -- and the ability to focus on good form.

 

Diet-wise, I'm conflicted at the moment.  I've been considering paleo versus Mediterranean diet versus making tiny modifications to eliminate problem foods.  I don't know if I'm ready to commit to any particular eating scheme yet, but I'm starting to make slightly better choices and eat more sensible portions.

 

For now, my goal is to ramp up the physical activity and challenge any mental obstacles that stand in the way.  Oh, and earn experience points, too.  My inner D&D nerd is delighted to be here!

[Hanksdottir]

Welcome!

I'm a newbie, too. I discovered the 6-week challenges & really like it.

Read over the stuff in the level 1 group about goal setting.

make small changes you can actually accomplish.

My first time out of the gate I really screwed up with too much enthusiasm and not enough good sense.

I keep twisting my right knee, so I'm hoping that if I strengthen the muscles around it, I won't mess it up so often. (sounds good on paper...)

Diet wise, I get confused too. I think the best thing overall is to cut back on sugar & dairy. You don't have to go all out all at once. make a few changes that feel good. Read about the diets you're considering. The main premise seems to be, "you know good food from garbage- quit eating the garbage."  But if you DO eat the garbage, don't beat yourself up about it, just do your best to not let it happen again.

Look at some threads that sound interesting.

Read about the different guilds. (I think I may be Adventuring for a while, until I wander off on a tangent that better matches one of the others.) Look at other peoples' self challenges to get an idea of how they do it.

I've found stuff I'd never even heard of before (like kettlebells & rings & burpees).

Most of all have fun! oh- and - the people I've met here are AMAZING. I've never been on a forum where people are so nice and supportive.

I expect to see you around.

p.s. for the arthritis, try cutting out potatoes, I've read that they can contribute to the problem... just sayin'

and, uh, everybody knows that chocolate is one of the essential food groups...

[Laureleye]

I'm 50+ as well and enjoying the forums. Hanksdottir makes a good point. You can start by just cutting pricessed foids out of your diet and doing some walking if your foot is up to it. I recommend multiple short walks instead of one long one. Shoot me a PM if you need help.

[Astreja]

Thanks for the tips. Hanksdottir and Laureleye!  Sugar is the main problem item for me, but over the last week I've been reaching for alternative snacks and generally trying to take smaller servings.

 

I already have 2 short walks already built into my day, walking to and from the bus stop, but it's not quite far enough to be deemed an aerobic activity (1/5 of a mile each trip, 6-7 minutes tops), so I'm counting it as part of my baseline activity.