Hello and Over Nine Thousaaaaand Questions

[ThisIsActual]

Hi All!
 
I come to you today from Down Under! (Originally from Germany) ((I miss the snow)) (((It's too damn hot here)))
 
I need to start doing something about all this excess baggage (All 60KG of it I'm told) and I was told about this place! So far I'm very excited about it all! Fitness? For NERDS? Genius!
 
I work full time in IT and I am a fairly avid gamer (if the PNS Servers where up right now I probably wouldn't have gotten to this introduction 'till next week!)
 
After doing a bit of research etc I've discovered that tracking workouts etc is important. What are you folks using for keeping track? I'm a fair programmer so I was going to write something myself, but there's no point reinventing the wheel. I'm also looking at getting one of those new G Watch Rs to help track things.
 
I think the first step for me is getting comfortable with the sweat and the heat. I don't do well with the heat (the weight probably doesn't help).
 
Once I'm comfortable with that I'd like to loose at least 10kgs (first real 'goal' + reward) so I can buy myself one of THESE! What is it? Why it's a portable Amateur Radio! I plan on doing SOTA with it. And what is SOTA? Basically you climb up a 'mountain' (tall hill) and make contacts via radio for points! Huzzah internet/nerd/ham points!

 

So a few fitness related questions (and some not so related, to get to know you all!)...

 

How long 'till thing get 'back to normal'? I've been overweight for some time and I'm just worrying about all the excess skin! (That's silly of me I guess?)

 

Has anyone used a standing desk at work and have they helped?

 

How are you tracking your workout? (restated from above so all the questions are in one place)

 

Are you hungry? (I am, I haven't had breakfast yet, that's probably not helping)

 

What are you into? Star Wars? Programming? Gaming? 3D Art? Electronics?

 

I have a shoulder injury, how would I compensate for loss of upper body movement? More squats? More long walks/jogs?

 

What Operating System do you use? (Linux, of course)

 

Are you, or are you not, awake right now. (I need coffee)

 

How are keeping motivated? Light at the end of the tunnel? Rewarding yourself? Seeing progress?

 

Ok I think that's all the questions for now. But rest assured, THERE WILL BE MORE.

 

I think I'll go eat something now. Talk to you all soon! I am pumped about this adventure! (Speaking of which I'm seeing the last hobbit movie later today WOOHOO)

 

Oh and, apologies for the wall of text.

 

TL;DR

 

I love computers, programming, gaming, soldering, LOTR, Honor Harrington, Treecats (I have two normal cats), Metal \m/ etc. HI THERE.

 

[Squeak]

First off welcome! To track your workouts you could start a thread in the Daily Battle Logs section here on NF. If you're looking for an app/website where you can have a plan laid out for each day there are a ton of them out there. One of my faves is Training Peaks.

[pureleeawesome]

My brains not functioning so great right now so all I'm going to say is...

 

... aw, can we keep them NF? Pleeeeeease?

[hwrdfrnd]

1) A watched pot never boils. Body changes can take some time it is probably best to find a workout you can enjoy and the results will come. Diet is more portant here than routine.

2) n/a

3) I tried apps but didn't really keep up with them so I use a good ole tablet covered in chicken scratch.

4) I was hungry all the time when I first started, but now I have gotten used to only eating from noon to 8pm, I just changex it an hour at a time abd it wasn't hard at all.

5) pen and paper rpgs all the way :-D

6) Have you seen anyone about your injury? Pt exercises/mobility training might do you a lot of good.

7) Windows :-P

8) I'm on my 2nd xl coffee of the day and raring to go!

9) I kept myself motivated by trying a few different things until I found something I enjoyed. If your not looking forward to working out your going to make excuses to avoid it. I started with p90x and didn't like it, then I bought some weights and did that for about 6 months before it bored me and now I'm really enjoying bodyweight exercises and gymnastic rings. If that ever bores me maybe ill do something else. They say you should stick to a program for the best results, but if I'm not enjoying myself I know I'll make excuses and slack off and it is better to be doing something I stead of nothing.

10) quick give me more questions before the caffeine wears off! :-D

[Geezee]

#2 yes!!! I have a lot more energy and more focus. We're on networked printers here (3 for the whole floor!) and I used to dread getting up and walking all 20 steps or whatever to get a single page. (Y'all couch potatoes know the feels.)

Now a days, there's no hurdle whatsoever to do things. I want water? I go get it. No debating, no procrastinating, no hurdle. It's pretty sweet. I feel better come 5pm too. I feel accomplished, not as drained. I'm more likely to stay active once I get home, too.

4. Sugar cravings = Ughhhh. I think it takes a week before my brain chillaxes, right? Because right now I could eat 1000 scoops of ice cream and still not be satisfied.

5. Trivia, Doctor who, tech, to make a few.

7. Psh, desktops. Android lollipop tablet, windows phone.

8. Yes! See #2.

9. To be determined. I'm a newbie myself!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Ocelot]

WELCOME!!! I like the enthusiastic start and I will try and answer the questions

 

How long 'till thing get 'back to normal'? The zen monk in me wants to say 'there is no normal, there is only you, here, right now'

 

Has anyone used a standing desk at work and have they helped? I stand up to do illustration and my regular work is on my feet, I feel like it is pretty good for me and I hate sitting

 

How are you tracking your workout? I have a little diary and I actually write the workouts in in advance and then tick them off when they happen, plus adding other stuff I do that I haven't planned ahead for. I love having an entire pocket diary dedicated to training. Makes things very simple.

 

Are you hungry? What are you offering?

 

What are you into? Gaming, reading, drawing! I'm currently playing multiplayer Civ IV and often play League of Legends, reading a Chomsky book and drawing pages for my comic.

 

I have a shoulder injury, how would I compensate for loss of upper body movement? Get a shoulder support sling if you are going to do running or anything, isn't swimming good for rehab? Keep it immobile at night? Walking! Squats for definite. One legged for added difficulty.

 

What Operating System do you use? Windows 7. At least its not 8.

 

Are you, or are you not, awake right now. Not, definitely not.

 

How are keeping motivated? I'm really working on building a life and habits that means I don't even have to think about it or work on keeping myself motivated. I could do more of the 'visualise your life perfect!' stuff but I have never really seen great results from it. Consistency and making things second nature are what's worked for me.

 

Good luck soldier

[Devlin]

Best method to track train8ng is a pen and notebook, It means you can have it there when you train.

My training leapt up ib quality once i began to use one.

Sent from my U8815 using Tapatalk 2

[justtrish]

How long 'till thing get 'back to normal'? What the heck is "normal"?

 

Has anyone used a standing desk at work and have they helped?  Eek! NO!!! 

 

How are you tracking your workout?  I will be using Excel to track - I'm a nerd, after all, and an analyst to boot!

 

Are you hungry? Not usually.

 

What are you into? SQL, VBA, Python, Doctor Who, Aquaman, gadgets, astrology, metaphysics, reading, crafts, road trips, self-improvement, MMOs, and The Sims franchise (don't judge! - though I will say that Sims 3 better than present Sims 4)

 

I have a shoulder injury, how would I compensate for loss of upper body movement? I would speak with your orthopod.

 

What Operating System do you use? The office forces me to use Windows (7), and I sometimes work from home so... but also iOS & Android (tablets).  What do we need a computer for? Haven't we all gone tablet yet?

 

Are you, or are you not, awake right now. What is "awake"? And.. how do you know you're not dreaming?

 

How are keeping motivated? Today I thought of an ingenious thing.. I am going to pin my jeans to a wall in my bedroom and create an outline on the wall in chalk.  And I'm going to use excel for all my forecasting/analysis needs.

[ThisIsActual]

@squeak Thanks for the welcome!

 

@pureleeawesome MY KITTIES. But you may look at them. And pet them if they allow it.

 

@hwrdfrnd MOAR COFFEE. Or less, depending on how much I am vibrating. Thanks for the answers! (BONUS QUESTION: What, is your favourite colour?)

 

@geezee I also noticed that when I'm already standing I don't care as much about going and doing things, heck, I'm already up! When do you normally exercise? When you get home? Before work? By the time I get home I'm buggered. (Driving an hour each way will do that to you)

 

@ocelot YAY ANSWERS. Also ocelots are awesome. So consistency and routine is what I'm reading there. Thanks for that!

 

@devlin maybe I'm thinking too much about the data, if it's on paper I still have to get it onto a computer at some point. LOG ALL THE THINGS.

 

@justtrish oooooooohhh an Analyst! What do you analyse? Any Python modules you use a lot?  I always feel like I'm dreaming because I'm so damn tired! More coffee! It'd be interesting to see what can be done with all that data, you'd know better than me by the sound of it!

 

Thanks for the responses everyone! I'm coming up with a plan, everything is almost in place! And then it's NO MORE EXCUSES!

[Flex Luthor]

Sup bro

[crash3400]

everybody does things differently around here.  and you don't know if you don't ask!

 

new challenge starts monday, so look/ask around! welcome!

[gijoe4500]

How long 'till thing get 'back to normal'? Who wants normal?

 

Has anyone used a standing desk at work and have they helped?  I have not, but I have a coworker who has.  He seems to like it.  Granted, I'm at my desk for less than 10 minutes a day.

 

How are you tracking your workout?  Combination of excel spreadsheet and a dry-erase board in my gym.

 

Are you hungry?  Not currently, but will probably be soon.

 

What are you into?  4x4 trucks and board games.

 

I have a shoulder injury, how would I compensate for loss of upper body movement?   More squats are always good, but see a doctor/PT to address the shoulder injury

 

What Operating System do you use?   Windows 8.1 setup to look/act like Windows 7

 

Are you, or are you not, awake right now.   What is being awake, and what is sleeping?  What if life is actually all one big lucid dream.

 

How are keeping motivated?  Competition keeps me motivated.

[childofscorn]

 

How long 'till thing get 'back to normal'? Pfft.  Normal is boring.  Why not shoot for badass instead? \o/

 

Has anyone used a standing desk at work and have they helped?I personally have not, but I've heard from those that do that they seem to like it.  If you're uncertain about getting your company to purchase one for you, you can always set up something temporary to try it for a week or so

 

How are you tracking your workout? Yeah, i'm an odd one here, I think. I track it in my head.  But at the moment, my "workout" consists of trying to swim the English channel by the end of January, so I'm just tracking laps in the pool.  I write my target # on a post-it in my car every morning.

 

Are you hungry? Dear god no.  I just finished off a bowl of chili with tortilla chips.  It was tasty.

 

What are you into? Star Trek FTW!  I'm into a lot of random shit, from Star Trek, to LOTR, to carl sagan, to Doctor Who, to trivia, to Rock Band, to sewing, to cooking, to....well yeah.  You get the idea. 

 

I have a shoulder injury, how would I compensate for loss of upper body movement? What kind of injury are we talking about?  Have you been given any sort of physical therapy exercises to help with it?  It is just a matter of needing to rebuild strength in it, or is there a loss of function or range of motion issue that needs to be addressed as well?

 

What Operating System do you use? Windows 8. I'm not really a computer nerd.  lol 

 

Are you, or are you not, awake right now. I am! I should so be in bed.  I need to swim in 4 hours. o.o

 

How are keeping motivated? Light at the end of the tunnel? Rewarding yourself? Seeing progress?  Part of it's taking progress pics, which is really important.  It's hard to see visual impact when you watch yourself gradually changing day after day in the mirror.  I also like to set kinda random goals, like swimming the equivalent of the English Channel (mentioned earlier )  One last thing, and I can't overstate this: my fellow nerds.  This community has been so amazingly supportive since Day 1, it just blows my mind.  

 

Okay seriously, I need to go to bed.  Like 4 hours ago >.>  But you must come play with us in chat again!!

[Ocelot]

Yes I definitely stand by consistency. Routine isn't something I've ever achieved... I do things on particular days but I fit them around a very changeable work/life! So sometimes I work out AM sometimes 11pm, sometimes I eat six meals sometimes two. I never get up or go to sleep at the same time, I nap a lot and have all nighters regularly. I don't know whether routine would help me. I am going to try injecting a bit of routine for my next challenge, so I could report back Are you planning to join the challenge?

[justtrish]

@thisisactual - I am a business analyst - sales, supply chain (logistics, production, inventory) and I use Python mostly for data analysis, which is what I also use SQL for.

[Devlin]

@devlin maybe I'm thinking too much about the data, if it's on paper I still have to get it onto a computer at some point. LOG ALL THE THINGS.

Nothing wrong with keeping a computer log too, but you cant take your pc to the gym, Small notebook is great.

Sent from my U8815 using Tapatalk 2

[SchrodingersMinion]

Absolutely love the rampaging energetic start ! Fellow newbie on these boards here *fistbump*

 

How long 'till thing get 'back to normal'? Takes a little effort but doesn't take as long as you think it would . I've lost 110lbs over a year , doing a bit of lifting helped keep the excess skin in check. May just be my personal experience , but you might first turn into a ' skinner fat version' of yourself , then you can get to being lean and ripped

 

Has anyone used a standing desk at work and have they helped? Had to Goggle what a standing desk was ...so N/A

 

How are you tracking your workout? I use a Samsung Gear Watch , synced with my Android phone. Effortless little thing. Shows time too . Nifty.

 

Are you hungry? Now that you mention it , yes I am ! Hold on , let me grab an apple.

 

What are you into? Star Wars? Yep. Programming? Yep. Gaming? RPGs  Electronics? Work with them !

 

What Operating System do you use? Windows 8 *hides face in shame* , Laptop is Linux though , maybe I get points for that

 

Are you, or are you not, awake right now. I'm pretty sure I'm not.

 

How are keeping motivated? Seeing progress ! Before / After pictures especially make me go " *ZOINK *  Who dat hella fine woman in the mirror ?!"

 

Keep posting !

[ThisIsActual]

@flex 'sup!

 

@crash Thanks for the kind words! I tend to ask lots of questions hehe. I even won an 'award' for it work! "King of Tangents AKA Reason for meetings taking much longer than they should because they ask too many questions"

 

@gijoe squats is what I was thinking. That and stomach crunches or something, though those tend to use the upper body a bit too I suppose.

 

@childofscorn YOU SHOULD BE IN BED RIGHT NOW

 

@ocelot honestly? No, maybe the next one! Small steps! I just need to start getting more active in general, walking every day etc and go from there. Thanks for your responses!

 

@justtrish that actually sounds quite interesting!

 

Just having trouble finding the energy at the moment because it's so damn hot! I'll head out tonight when it's dark I think! Might at least be below 30 degrees © then...

[ThisIsActual]

Oh god I missed a few people! HOW? Accursed old tabs!

 

@devlin this is very true! Thanks!

 

@SchrodingersMinion Oooh what do you do with electronics? 

[SchrodingersMinion]

@SchrodingersMinion Oooh what do you do with electronics? 

 

I make weapons !

 

To be precise , I work with micro-processors for military missile trackers , fair bit of sensor arrays too. Some assignments include RADAR  and IR too .

[childofscorn]

 

@childofscorn YOU SHOULD BE IN BED RIGHT NOW

 

 

[Companion]

How long 'till thing get 'back to normal'?

No clue, I'm still chubby. Worried about my boobs deflating. Hubby says they are already smaller.

Has anyone used a standing desk at work and have they helped?

Nope, I work with kids so no desks and only tiny chairs.

How are you tracking your workout?

Fitocracy app.

Are you hungry? (I am, I haven't had breakfast yet, that's probably not helping)

I just had a one egg omelet. About to make another because I'm still hungry.

What are you into? Star Wars? Programming? Gaming? 3D Art? Electronics?

I'm more of a consumer than producer, nerd-wise. I make music, though!

I have a shoulder injury, how would I compensate for loss of upper body movement? More squats? More long walks/jogs?

I'm rehabbing a weak shoulder in yoga. Just doing what I can. It is coming along.

What Operating System do you use? (Linux, of course)

Windows. Shush, I know!!

Are you, or are you not, awake right now. (I need coffee)

Unfortunately. Hubby woke me up before six today. Grr.

How are keeping motivated? Light at the end of the tunnel? Rewarding yourself? Seeing progress?

Rewards. Praise. Trinkets. Mostly I just like attention.

That was fun! I'm glad you are here. Good luck!!