.

[Drama Queen]

Yeah it really shows Jack, excellent work.

I am getting more sleep these days. I'm making myself go to bed at 9pm on worknights (tonight being the exception because I have soccer practise, won't get back til 10pm).

Honestly, I don't drink, don't smoke, eat a hell of a lot more healthy than I used to, exercise more than most, and yet I was still feeling fatigued more than I should, so I am trying the obvious missing piece of the puzzle and getting 7-8 hours sleep.

I also quit coffee (again) at the same time, so was still lagging the first few days, but now it's starting to kick in. Hoping by the weekend to be back to the level of motivation for working out that I was a couple of months ago.

[Gary]

Im still smoking and drinking.

[Drama Queen]

I'm feeling pretty fricking healthy these days guys, what about you?

I am playing soccer again which I'm loving and I've got my sleeping patterns arranged so that I'm going to bed and waking up early enough to work out in the mornings, which I have a lot more energy in.

Still refraining from poisoning myself with alcohol, tobacco, soda and coffee and cut out 90% of junk food.

Any chance we can sticky this topic so folks don't start slacking off?

[Drama Queen]

Well today I entered my first roadrace in about 18 months and lo and behold beat my personnal best* for a 5K crossing the line @ 23:56. That put me 40th total, 5th in the 30-39 age group.

*for some reason my personnal best in 10K is 47:53 which if you do the math is obviously better than my best 5K time!

[Jerry McClean]

I went to the gym a couple of times last week. Thought it would be keeping me ok fitness wise.............then I played football today and it didn't go great >_>

Think I'm going to need to get back into things when I've finished this fucking Dissertation!

[Ian "Wolfie" Trumps]

For Lent I have only eaten plants and water. No salt, no sugar, no soda, no eggs, nothing that wasn't a plant.

Since then, I have gone from 208.6 pounds to 178.6 pounds. That's a 30 pound drop and I feel great. It's amazing how a simple thing like eating cleaner can make you lose weight so fast.

I'm starting P90X again tomorrow and hoping to tighten up some of this looseness I've gained since losing the weight.

Did you have a set diet here Jack. I'd be interested in giving this a whirl.

[Ian "Wolfie" Trumps]

Music makes the man!

My biggest struggle with my gym or any gym ever...or any sort of activity which doesn't have an object with a purpose to score...is just stand alone running. I fucking hate it with a passion. So I went out...got myself some armband thing...hooked up my Ipod Touch...threw some generic rock and rap on there for inspiration and completed without stopping due to boredom or becoming self conscious of my breathing a 1.27 mile run in about 15 minutes.

Now I appreciate for you fit club junkies this is a nothing feat, so bare with me why I slightly bask in this glory because it was the first time in forever where I didn't feel bored running.

Major thing for me...looking forward to tomorrow morning now.

[Drama Queen]

Hell yeah Ian, not only music, butany sort of audio or visual stimulation makes a uge difference. Does your gym have threadmills where you can plg in your headphones and watch tv? I used to run for an hour non-stop at my gym on Monday nights wen Tough Enough was on. I wold slow my pace when there was dialogue and I wanted to concentrate on what they were saying, speed up when there was some in-ring action, then totally sprint during the commercials...lol.

Just never listen to Irish music or anything that makes it irrisistable to tap your feet in a jig. Accident waiting to happen.

[Gary]

Music makes the man!

My biggest struggle with my gym or any gym ever...or any sort of activity which doesn't have an object with a purpose to score...is just stand alone running. I fucking hate it with a passion. So I went out...got myself some armband thing...hooked up my Ipod Touch...threw some generic rock and rap on there for inspiration and completed without stopping due to boredom or becoming self conscious of my breathing a 1.27 mile run in about 15 minutes.

Now I appreciate for you fit club junkies this is a nothing feat, so bare with me why I slightly bask in this glory because it was the first time in forever where I didn't feel bored running.

Major thing for me...looking forward to tomorrow morning now.

When I started out losing weight it was via walking, the EFK podcasts helped a LOT! It made it go buy so fast, so I get what you are saying.

[Ian "Wolfie" Trumps]

So day two and once more music helps...

2.6 miles in about 29 minutes, no stops and left there feeling dizzy, eyes blood shot and slightly dehydrated lol.

Also fuck you doctors that told me I never needed an inhaler. For years I have tried running without one and chest tightens up like nobodies business, since I was 5 I was told I was borderline asthmatic and therefore didnt need an inhaler. I have had one for the last 3 months after much NHS protest and two puffs before I got to the gym at 6.30 every morning and I am away.

Seeing as the super gym is 2 minutes from my house walk, 45 second drive I dont think I could have asked for more convenience.

[Doug E Fresh]

Alright. New regime underway. Lifting 5 days a week. Running 6 days. I'm devoting this summer to more fitness. I want to be in shape for warrior dash in August and a full marathon in October. I pussied out of the half marathon I was supposed to run tomorrow and am opting for a September one instead. Pissed off at myself and time to turn it up.

[Drama Queen]

Two weeks ago I broke 24 for the first time in my life.

Today I broke 23.... by one second

And being that it was one of the smaller races (still about 250 mind... my registration number was 211) 22:59 was enough to secure 3rd place OVERALL  2nd male, 1st in the 30-39 category. Pretty fucking pleased with that.

Want to move back up to 10k so I will be monitoring how my knee feels over the next couple of days. Going for a run with some friends tomorrow and then play a game of soccer with my workmates, if I have no pains by say Wednesday, then I think I can increase the distance.

Getting a lot of cardio in lately, wish I could focus more on strength, problem is I seem to be playing soccer twice a week now, and if I do strength workouts a day or two beforehand, I will suck at the soccer! I've missed soccer so much, that it easily tops the list of my workout priorites now that I have the chance to play again.

[Callahan]

Started boxing training this past Thursday. Still got a little lactic acid in my core but I'm cool with it.

Despite being a bit chunky I've learnt what my strengths are.

-Running/Jogging. For a lad who doesn't do a tremendous amount of exercise (I walk about two hours every day, but that's not a whole bunch) I have good cardio if nothing else.

-The circuit training that they had us do where we ran a third of the court, press-ups, two thirds, step-ups, then the whole way to lift a medicine ball. I'd get up from say the press-ups, absolutely dead and then I'd start running back like there was nothing wrong with me. I could do step-ups well too. Anything involving my legs was fine but as soon as it came to arm or core exercise I was scuppered.

-Going back on Monday. £10 start up fee, then a fiver a week for three one hour sessions. Seems reasonable.

[Drama Queen]

Glad to see this back up and going as I have a question for everyone.

Drama Queen mentioned monitoring knees, and I too have bad knees. I've been doing more lifting and find that my leg workouts are always hampered because of my knees.

That said, does anyone know of any ways to work out knees or strengthen them or do something so that they are no longer an issue, or at least, less of an issue?

Right now all I know is 'reactive' stuff like icing after a workout, but I would love to be 'proactive' and find a way to just make them less of an issue.

I find the more I build my legs, the more cushion I give them. The p90x leg & back routine works good for me (though I'm sore for a day or two after, but the good kind of soreness in the muscles, not in the bones).

The stronger my legs are, the better I can go, but I still have to be sensible. I have to build a tolerence before jumping into long distances. I still aim to do a marathon at some point in my life, but as I am debating whether or not to jump back up to 10k at the moment, that is obviously going to be a long slow build-up.

Threadmills worked good for me for awhile (I just haven't been going to the gym since I got p90x) becuase it is softer than pavement and I could go an hour without feeling pain afterwards. I have heard other people complain about threadmills causing/worsening knee problems though, so who knows, I can only speak for myself.

Always try to be consious of your center of balance,catch yourself if you are leaning to the left or right (I don't mean politically :-p ). If by any chance you have a Wii balance board, plug it in every now and then to check yourself. Never have your knees sticking out in squat routines and never stay in crouched positions that require you to break that rule for too long.

Sounds like simple stuff I know, but I am getting to the age where I have to start taking care of my bodyparts (well actually past that age, but hopefully better late than never).

And when your knees ask for a rest, listen to them, regardless of what good work-out intentions you may have had that day! You'll know the difference between muscular soreness and actual pain in the bones.

[Kieran King]

First time dropping into this thread.

Just started doing cardio. Got an exercise bike in the garage, and am trying to get myself into a routine of using it. Did two 15 min sessions last week, have done three 20 min sessions this week. I'm really just focusing on getting a routine going right now. So far, so good.