Final results are in

[Pheidippides]

I went to my gym today to get a complementary fitness evaluation and consultation. It was an hour long session that I figured would be more or less a pitch for a personal trainer. Turns out I was wrong - a "hey, we're here if you need us" pitch was all I got, and the evaluation and consultation was very informative.

Anyway, the good news is that all that dieting and running has had an effect. I am 14% body fat (caliper test, which I know isn't as accurate as body pods and such) and is way down from 28%, which is what I estimate I was, give or take, back in January. My cardio is very, very good (that's what running will do for you) and I have not lost as much upper body strength as I previously thought.

My flexibility sucks, though, so I do have to work on that.

The best part was that the trainer helped me set up a great weightlifting schedule, taking into account my running, that will help meet my goals. It was a valuable hour.

[ewth8tr]

I went to my gym today to get a complementary fitness evaluation and consultation. It was an hour long session that I figured would be more or less a pitch for a personal trainer. Turns out I was wrong - a "hey, we're here if you need us" pitch was all I got, and the evaluation and consultation was very informative.

Anyway, the good news is that all that dieting and running has had an effect. I am 14% body fat (caliper test, which I know isn't as accurate as body pods and such) and is way down from 28%, which is what I estimate I was, give or take, back in January. My cardio is very, very good (that's what running will do for you) and I have not lost as much upper body strength as I previously thought.

My flexibility sucks, though, so I do have to work on that.

The best part was that the trainer helped me set up a great weightlifting schedule, taking into account my running, that will help meet my goals. It was a valuable hour.

Did they recommend anything specific to improve your flexibility? Mine really sucks as well.

[Pheidippides]

Did they recommend anything specific to improve your flexibility? Mine really sucks as well.

Stretching. Which I kinda thought was obvious.

[ERCougar]

Did they recommend anything specific to improve your flexibility? Mine really sucks as well.

They may have some suggestions, but I'd be skeptical. I've actually read quite a bit of stuff on this (as my flexibility sucks) and it's very hard for an adult to improve flexibility. You shouldn't ever stretch unless warmed up and to have any real functional improvement (i.e. not just getting better at manipulating for the exercises, but actual improvement that will protect you from injury), you need stretch at least twice a day. So that means at least two brief exercise periods a day, tough to do unless you're a pretty serious athlete. Regular stretching (after warming up) will maintain flexibility, which is better than losing it as a natural result of aging, but won't do much to improve it.

[ewth8tr]

Stretching. Which I kinda thought was obvious.

lol, so nothing specific, just you should stretch more?

[Surfah]

I am a fat ass (getting smaller), but I am pretty flexible. I stretch daily. I'll plop down in front of a game on TV and stretch for 25-30 minutes. I have always been pretty flexible. I did tae kwon do as a kid and got flexible enough to do the splits.

Even now, I can bend over and place my palms on the floor. Sitting with my legs apart I can grab my feet around the arch with both hands and put my nose to my knee. I can't do that the first time I try. I warm up and start slow. I hold a stretch for a long time, breathing deeply and sinking further into the stretch. I have a routine of stretches I go through. It's something I really enjoy doing.

[Pheidippides]

lol, so nothing specific, just you should stretch more?

We got so caught up talking about weightlifting that we glossed over it.

[Coach McGuirk]

I am a little jealous Niku, being at the start of the journey. Hats off to you on a tremendous job.

[Pheidippides]

I am a little jealous Niku, being at the start of the journey. Hats off to you on a tremendous job.

Keep traveling on the journey. Slow and steady worked for me, and there is nothing like having multiple people stop and ask you to teach them how to do it (even though you can't because motivation is the biggest deal). I feel like I am 25 again, which isn't bad either.

[Gidget]

Wow Niku. You have really changed your life. What a remarkable journey this has been and will be for you.

Stretching does help with the flexibility, but it should be done after some kind of exercise or at least warm up. If you really sink into some stretches with cold muscles you can get slight little micro-tears that could increase soreness (I learned this in college from my health teacher who was track coach there). Even doing 20 minutes of stretching after a bath or hot shower is better than cold stretching.

I am not as naturally flexible as my husband. Weird huh? I am half his weight but I guess he was just blessed. But I am as flexible as he is now because I stretch a total of at least 25 minutes a day. At least. I have added 2 to 4 sessions of Pilates or Yoga to my weekly routine. I know it seem "girly" and it is really for longer leaner looking muscles, but I bet you find some shorter routines on DVD (20 min or so) and do them a few times a few times a week, even just a couple days a week to start that could really help. Flexibility comes really slowly. Very slow in fact. But after 3 months I can feel and visibly see a huge difference in how far a can stretch certain poses. That's my two cents on the matter. Good luck. You have come a long way. So far that flexibility is your big issue right now. Incredible. 'Grats friend!

[Pheidippides]

Wow Niku. You have really changed your life. What a remarkable journey this has been and will be for you.

Stretching does help with the flexibility, but it should be done after some kind of exercise or at least warm up. If you really sink into some stretches with cold muscles you can get slight little micro-tears that could increase soreness (I learned this in college from my health teacher who was track coach there). Even doing 20 minutes of stretching after a bath or hot shower is better than cold stretching.

I am not as naturally flexible as my husband. Weird huh? I am half his weight but I guess he was just blessed. But I am as flexible as he is now because I stretch a total of at least 25 minutes a day. At least. I have added 2 to 4 sessions of Pilates or Yoga to my weekly routine. I know it seem "girly" and it is really for longer leaner looking muscles, but I bet you find some shorter routines on DVD (20 min or so) and do them a few times a few times a week, even just a couple days a week to start that could really help. Flexibility comes really slowly. Very slow in fact. But after 3 months I can feel and visibly see a huge difference in how far a can stretch certain poses. That's my two cents on the matter. Good luck. You have come a long way. So far that flexibility is your big issue right now. Incredible. 'Grats friend!

Hey, I'm okay with girly stuff. Anybody who manscapes has to have a little bit of metrosexual in them.

You are right, though, in that this has been a complete lifestyle makeover. I have been trying to eat 3500 calories today (I burned 4000) and it's hard, both because my stomach is small and because I insist on doing it with good foods. Do you have any idea how many apples you have to eat to even make a dent?

[cowboy]

They may have some suggestions, but I'd be skeptical. I've actually read quite a bit of stuff on this (as my flexibility sucks) and it's very hard for an adult to improve flexibility. You shouldn't ever stretch unless warmed up and to have any real functional improvement (i.e. not just getting better at manipulating for the exercises, but actual improvement that will protect you from injury), you need stretch at least twice a day. So that means at least two brief exercise periods a day, tough to do unless you're a pretty serious athlete. Regular stretching (after warming up) will maintain flexibility, which is better than losing it as a natural result of aging, but won't do much to improve it.

I've been stretching regularly, and I think my flexibility has improved some. I usually stretch at night right before bed. I lay on my back use a rope to stretch my IT and hams. I use the stairs for my calves. I've found that stretching before a run makes a huge difference, and stretching before bed puts me to sleep better than any drug. Maybe it's all in my head that my flexibility has improved, but I can at least touch my toes now.