Staying in shape during winter.

rxonmymind

Super Member
With the wetter winter months coming I decided to look at various alternatives to maintaining my goal of loosing weight. This last month has been productive with a personal weight loss of 14 lbs.
Wanting to keep the momentum going I thought about gyma and quickly ruled that out. You get to a certain age and you KNOW yourself. I just simply wouldn't go and I don't like the environment. Some do & I'm happy for them.
I had purchased a treadmill four years ago and initially it was used but made a racket as it was installed upstairs in a spare bedroom. Sold it. So nix nay to that again.

During the course of my research it came down to Elliptical machines and little did I know there are three types. Front, center and rear drive where the weighted flywheel would be. I decided on a front.
Looked on Craigslist and bam there was a lot of them with people who had purchased them with good intentions. I knew I didn't want new so bought one that had great reviews, had to be quite, well built and offer incline as well as a decent resistance and near mint.
It boiled down to two. The Octane Q35 or Sole Fitness 35 both ellipticals. I chose the latter for it's SUPER duper quiet mechanical movements. Important as this will eventually be placed in my loft with bedrooms surrounding the area but for now it's in the garage.
Perfect timing. Today it poured and I did a nice easy one hour workout in the privacy of my home, with music I wanted. No more "death by cologne" as I'm running on a treadmill where one can TASTE what the guy who decided to get on one next to you is wearing. No more watching people who shouldn't NOT be in tights work out in front of you and no more gym bunnies. Sadly THAT I will miss. Lol.
Sole E35. Woohoo. I'm sore already....

Anybody else have an exercise machine or routine for the winter months?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20161030_184451.jpg
    IMG_20161030_184451.jpg
    36.6 KB · Views: 50
Last edited:
My wife and I play racquetball. Fast-paced, good exercise, keeps body and mind active. Allows us to eat what we want.
 
With the wetter winter months coming I decided to look at various alternatives to maintaining my goal of loosing weight. This last month has been productive with a personal weight loss of 14 lbs.
Wanting to keep the momentum going I thought about gyma and quickly ruled that out. You get to a certain age and you KNOW yourself. I just simply wouldn't go and I don't like the environment. Some do & I'm happy for them.
I had purchased a treadmill four years ago and initially it was used but made a racket as it was installed upstairs in a spare bedroom. Sold it. So nix nay to that again.

During the course of my research it came down to Elliptical machines and little did I know there are three types. Front, center and rear drive where the weighted flywheel would be. I decided on a front.
Looked on Craigslist and bam there was a lot of them with people who had purchased them with good intentions. I knew I didn't want new so bought one that had great reviews, had to be quite, well built and offer incline as well as a decent resistance and near mint.
It boiled down to two. The Octane Q35 or Sole Fitness 35 both ellipticals. I chose the latter for it's SUPER duper quiet mechanical movements. Important as this will eventually be placed in my loft with bedrooms surrounding the area but for now it's in the garage.
Perfect timing. Today it poured and I did a nice easy one hour workout in the privacy of my home, with music I wanted. No more "death by cologne" as I'm running on a treadmill where one can TASTE what the guy who decided to get on one next to you is wearing. No more watching people who shouldn't NOT be in tights work out in front of you and no more gym bunnies. Sadly THAT I will miss. Lol.
Sole E35. Woohoo. I'm sore already....

Anybody else have an exercise machine or routine for the winter months?


No, but following foot surgeries and lengthy down time (meaning sitting in a chair for more months than I care to remember), my doc has suggested I get an elliptical. Two questions come to mind: first, how big is this thing? Second, and I know my mileage will vary depending on what is available on CL, but what did you find to be a common price for these used?

Thanks in advance
 
Get yourself a set of weights , much better than an elliptical . With an elliptical , once you finish your workout , you stop burning calories , with weights you burn calories even while resting .
 
Get yourself a set of weights , much better than an elliptical . With an elliptical , once you finish your workout , you stop burning calories , with weights you burn calories even while resting .
I'm trying to figure this out...why is this the case?
 
You know corporations have us convinced that we need to buy something to be fulfilled in anything we focus on doing and most of the time we are dissatisfied with the results. Taking dancing lessons, taking the dog for a walk a couple of times a day and stretching, doing push-ups and sit-ups like every other day for cardio health wastly improves the state of physical and mental health. Basically the opposite of just sitting around....all the time !
 
Several months ago I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes,sure didn't help that I was overweight and a double plastic knee owner.Been watching my carb and sugar intake closely and following a diet recommended by the local diabetes association.30 pounds in about 2 months have disappeared so far.Goal is 50.Walking is an issue but is also a very good way to keep in shape or even better yet would be swimming.Djoolray I also found doing situps excellent .Ifound for me at least the 2 biggest culprits for weight gain were regular pop and pastas.
 
And, why isn't that happening when you are an elliptical?
On an elliptical , you are basically doing what one does everyday ( walking , stepping etc etc ) using their own body weight . When you lift weights you are forced to do more than what your body is used to. Your muscles adapt by growing and getting stronger. It takes lots of calories to do that. There's more to it than that but that's basically the bottom line . Eat right , cut the unnecessary sugars and fats and you'll be ok. I'm 57 and 5' 9" and I weigh 175 . I've been through 6 surgeries but I can still bench over 200 lbs . Being at the gym has kept me physically and mentally healthy . I do enjoy an occasional bacon cheeseburger and still love tootsie rolls .......and beer .
 
No, but following foot surgeries and lengthy down time (meaning sitting in a chair for more months than I care to remember), my doc has suggested I get an elliptical. Two questions come to mind: first, how big is this thing? Second, and I know my mileage will vary depending on what is available on CL, but what did you find to be a common price for these used?

Thanks in advance

67" in height at the very tip top if those handles by 84" in length. The width is a skinny 31" so it'll fit nicely against a wall.
As for price it averaged about $380-$600 and I hit the sweet spot of $400 for mine.
Did I mention how QUIET this is?
You can literally have this in the living room and your significant other can watch tv and whisper to you it's so quiet. Not so with the Octane. A nice little over view from a physical therapist.


Good luck on your recovery!
 
And, why isn't that happening when you are an elliptical?
Actually it is. All exercise burn calories after a workout. Your body just doesn't switch off. Thing about any physical therapy is one has to incorporate a well rounded mix of LIGHT physical exercise to help recover. This includes weight lifting, cardio while hitting a SUSTAINED heart rate and proper cool down such as stretching.
There is no silver magic bullet and nothing has to be dramatic. A simple 15 lbs weight used correctly for half hour will do some good keeping the muscles toned. Then a light moderate exercise on an elliptical for half hour getting the heart up to 120 beats per minute is excellent. Just never stick with one routine as that may increase the possibility of getting repetitive injury.

Cheers.
 
Last edited:
All seasons: ~four days/week @ ellipticator (15 minutes HIIT), three of those days followed by ~one hour of weights (5x5 powerlifting routine). During warmer (esp. drier) months add an occasional medium-range (15-20 km) "road" bicycle outing, maybe 2x/month.
 
62, closer to 63, and fighting my weight all my life. Also lifting free weights regularly since college. Weightlifting (meaning strength training, not bodybuilding) or some sort of resistance training is great for folks over 40 in order to preserve muscle mass. You can't stop it, but you can slow it down.

However, in my experience, weightlifting does not burn enough calories to be effective as a weight loss technique. You can add lean muscle through resistance training, but that by itself doesn't make fat go away. From my reading of the literature out there, the metabolic boost and the supposed fat-burning effect from adding lean muscle is minimal. I ride a bicycle during the temperate months. When it gets cold, I walk or ride the bike indoors on a trainer, which is boring as hell.

The other problem with weight lifting as a fat burner for people over 40 is that you can't lift as frequently as a young person. Your recovery time is longer and over training becomes easier. I used to lift 3 to 4 times per week when I was young and crazy. Now it's twice a week.
 
Back
Top Bottom