Health and Fitness

[Serpentor]

As I'm a Personal Trainer working in Brisbane, I was just wondering what the herp community is like as a whole in terms of diet and exercise.

List how often you train, and what you do (go into as much detail as you like, and offer explanations too!)

List how you eat, when, and why.

I guess I'm just trying to find out more about Aussie mentality of diet and exercise, seeing as we are considered the most obese nation on the planet currently (woohoo, we don't do things in half measures! see: venomous creatures of Australia )

 

[jacorin]

yeh..*****rcise?? getting up out of bed
diet?? wot eva is placed in front of me
how?? get it down as fast as i can
when?? morning noon and nite... and in between
why?? cause im hungry,bored,trying to stay awake at work

 

[ShaunMorelia]

Training: I can't do anything, got a torn miniscus cartiladge, no operation for another 9mths. any suggestion on what I can do until the that wont involve running or walking or bending my knees?
Food: 3 meals a day, normally 4-5 weet-bix of a morning, 2 sandwiches for lunch (usually ham n cheese toasted, and for tea I usually have some meat of some sort fired with lots of carrot, broccolli, corn and potatos.

 

[grannieannie]

Never get up before 9am....am diabetic, eat what I like, have my main meal at "lunch time" because I have reflux and if I have a large meal at night I throw it up at about 3am. Don't smoke or drink, never exercise. Am 5ft. 8ins tall and weigh about 85 kilo.

My mother had cancer ( primary breast cancer ) for 28 yrs, never smoked or drank, raised 5 kids, her exercise was looking after everyone, when she was 72 she was given 6 months to live, she died last year aged 90. She was only in hospital 2 weeks before she died and was lucid and having normal conversation the day she died. My father is 99 next month and still healthy for his age. They bury your corpse no matter what state of health you've been in......you can be healthy or not......when you're dead, you're dead and it happens to all of us.....live life and enjoy it the way you want to. Cheers. Annie

 

[sarah_m]

At the moment (for the past 4 weeks and next 3) my naturopath has me detoxing (dying for a coffee!!!)
So....
Excercise is either 30 min cardio or 30 min pilates every other day
I can eat anything as long as it is unprocessed and doesnt contain gluten, dairy , red meat, suger.
Snacks are nuts (other than peanuts), seeds, fruit, veg sticks, rice cakes with tahini, daily free fruit smoothie or natural popcorn.
Can eat as much of the above as i like but i am finding that the longer i am on it the less hungry i am
Am drinking 2-3L of water a day and peppermint tea.

It totally sucks!!!

 

[discomat]

I dont really have a diet I just eat whatever is in front of me, drink probably every weekend. physically I am healthy very fit play lots of sports and go to the gym but diet is horrible.

 

[snake_lover]

hmmmm exercise depends where i am but usually i just go for a walk =] or my version of rock climbing but that depends on where i am in australia

diet - fruits, vege and red meat
how - well i put it in my mouth then i chew then i swallow
when - whenever im hungry
why - because im hungry

 

[Serpentor]

Training: I can't do anything, got a torn miniscus cartiladge, no operation for another 9mths. any suggestion on what I can do until the that wont involve running or walking or bending my knees?
Food: 3 meals a day, normally 4-5 weet-bix of a morning, 2 sandwiches for lunch (usually ham n cheese toasted, and for tea I usually have some meat of some sort fired with lots of carrot, broccolli, corn and potatos.

posterior, anterior or medial meniscus tear, if you don't mind me asking? There have been some good results shown of non-surgical treatment, involving strengthening the muscles around the knee, such as the quadriceps, vastus medialis etc. Did the doctor/surgeon discuss this with you? Of course, please don't go off and try this unless you have permission. There might be a very good reason they chose surgery over other methods. Your diet seems ok, but it could do with a piece or two of fruit in between your main meals. What oil do you cook with?

Never get up before 9am....am diabetic, eat what I like, have my main meal at "lunch time" because I have reflux and if I have a large meal at night I throw it up at about 3am. Don't smoke or drink, never exercise. Am 5ft. 8ins tall and weigh about 85 kilo.

My mother had cancer ( primary breast cancer ) for 28 yrs, never smoked or drank, raised 5 kids, her exercise was looking after everyone, when she was 72 she was given 6 months to live, she died last year aged 90. She was only in hospital 2 weeks before she died and was lucid and having normal conversation the day she died. My father is 99 next month and still healthy for his age. They bury your corpse no matter what state of health you've been in......you can be healthy or not......when you're dead, you're dead and it happens to all of us.....live life and enjoy it the way you want to. Cheers. Annie

Type one or two, if you don't mind me asking? Have you tried to avoid reflux by spreading your meals out over the day? Say instead of eating 3 times a day, split it up into 5 or 6 times a day with accordingly smaller portions? This is what's recommended by most dietary bodies for everybody, but it would help a diabetic even further if you are worried about hypoglycaemic episodes.

With regards to exercise, have you ever tried any resistance work, with weights? Studies have shown that this is the best known exercise method to help reduce the effect of diabetes on the body by decreasing insulin resistance on a muscular level. Resistance exercise uses the Lactic acid system predominantly, which requires blood and muscle glycogen (sugar) for fuel. If you start slowly, and continue to use resistance exercise regularly, you can train your muscle cells to utilise insulin and glycogen more efficiently.

At the moment (for the past 4 weeks and next 3) my naturopath has me detoxing (dying for a coffee!!!)
So....
Excercise is either 30 min cardio or 30 min pilates every other day
I can eat anything as long as it is unprocessed and doesnt contain gluten, dairy , red meat, suger.
Snacks are nuts (other than peanuts), seeds, fruit, veg sticks, rice cakes with tahini, daily free fruit smoothie or natural popcorn.
Can eat as much of the above as i like but i am finding that the longer i am on it the less hungry i am
Am drinking 2-3L of water a day and peppermint tea.

It totally sucks!!!

Sounds like a pretty strict detox! no wonder you think it sucks, you probably feel terrible! Your naturopath has the right idea though in encouraging the consumption of unprocessed foods. Is there a reason she has banned you from dairy, gluten and red meat? why are you on the detox in the first place? Is it to find out if you have any allergies to the above?

Just out of interest, over the last 4 weeks, what have you been craving that you are actually allowed to eat? More the nuts, or the fruit? are you allowed any pulses or beans? Where are you drawing protein from other than nuts?

 

[Serpentor]

I dont really have a diet I just eat whatever is in front of me, drink probably every weekend. physically I am healthy very fit play lots of sports and go to the gym but diet is horrible.

Have you ever wondered what effect a better diet might have on you if your body had those nutrients to draw from and become stronger? Have you ever hit a barrier with your training? Or do you have the occasional 'off day' in the gym where you feel everything is getting worse instead of better? Sometimes over-exercising with a poor diet can do more harm than good.

Take body-builders for example. Classic example of overtraining. Why? because they're on steroids that reduce inflammation! Their diets are often incomplete also, because their goal is often to reduce calories and maximise digestible protein. Result is generally that they lack calcium in their diets.

Calcium is required for all muscle contractions. All of them. Hundreds of which occur every second you are awake. Resistance exercise, with the appropriate level of calcium is great for your skeletal system! The stress against the bones cause micro-fractures which heal stronger than before. This is why you never break a bone in the exact same place twice.

Problem is, if you don't have enough calcium in your diet for these muscle contractions, let alone your constant exercise, then the body does what it does best, and 'lives in the present'. It draws calcium from your bones to facilitate the muscle contractions, thereby making your bones weaker. So in the extreme case of the body-builder, they make microfractures which can't repair properly, and then draw calcium from those same bones for further training. This is why they are prone to Avulsion Fracture. Not fun.

 

[sarah_m]

Sounds like a pretty strict detox! no wonder you think it sucks, you probably feel terrible! Your naturopath has the right idea though in encouraging the consumption of unprocessed foods. Is there a reason she has banned you from dairy, gluten and red meat? why are you on the detox in the first place? Is it to find out if you have any allergies to the above?

Just out of interest, over the last 4 weeks, what have you been craving that you are actually allowed to eat? More the nuts, or the fruit? are you allowed any pulses or beans? Where are you drawing protein from other than nuts?

I feel awful, and moody as hell! Wouldnt be surprised if i ended up single sfter this.
The only things i am craving are the a cup of coffee and a chicken korma.

I have (apparently) problems with my liver function so by not having dairy, gluten or red meat it gives my liver time to detox and repare itself, with help from gross herbal drinks.

I am allowed pulses and beans but i dont like them so most of my protein is from chicken, fish (mainly salmon), eggs and this protein stuff that goes in my smoothies.

Breakfast is usually a berry smoothie, some fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, puffed brown rice with rice milk or natural yoghurt (the only dairy i am allowed) with pasionfruit pulp.

Lunch is quite often a stir fry with either chicken or salmon, and some sesaeme seeds, cashews or almonds, with either rice or rice noodles. Or a smoothie.

Dinner could be another stirfry or baked fish/ chicken and veggies, or if i cant be bothered i will have an omlet and veggies.

 

[Serpentor]

I feel awful, and moody as hell! Wouldnt be surprised if i ended up single sfter this.
The only things i am craving are the a cup of coffee and a chicken korma.

I have (apparently) problems with my liver function so by not having dairy, gluten or red meat it gives my liver time to detox and repare itself, with help from gross herbal drinks.

I am allowed pulses and beans but i dont like them so most of my protein is from chicken, fish (mainly salmon), eggs and this protein stuff that goes in my smoothies.

Breakfast is usually a berry smoothie, some fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, puffed brown rice with rice milk or natural yoghurt (the only dairy i am allowed) with pasionfruit pulp.

Lunch is quite often a stir fry with either chicken or salmon, and some sesaeme seeds, cashews or almonds, with either rice or rice noodles. Or a smoothie.

Dinner could be another stirfry or baked fish/ chicken and veggies, or if i cant be bothered i will have scrambled eggs and veggies.

You probably feel terrible because you aren't eating enough fat. That's probably why you're craving chicken korma. Curry is pretty much just meat and gravy anyways

You can draw fat from healthy sources if you're allowed. is oil too processed to be allowed? Nut and seed oil typically have very high monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat content. There are plenty of other sources of good fats, such as salmon as you mentioned, which is probably the least processed source, unless you just eat like a budgie or squirrel

Fat is great. It is necessary, but it has taken a heavy beating in the last 50 years or so, mainly due to the mass production of hydrogenated vegetable oils(trans fats), and the over eating of saturated fats (which by the way are also necessary, just in small amounts). Your body has 3 energy systems, one of which I spoke of earlier (lactic acid system). The main one that everybody uses from day to day though is the aerobic system. The aerobic system uses fat and oxygen for fuel, and is used by all muscle fibre types, but predominantly slow-twitch. You use your aerobic system all day every day. This is one of the reasons why you feel the need to breathe however many thousands of times a day.

The result of feeding the aerobic system fat and oxygen is: energy + water + CO2.....very simply put.

Can you see how a limited fat intake can make you feel so terrible?

I also have a little theory, which I haven't looked into yet for scientific backup. If you don't have enough dietary fat, and your body is forced to draw solely from its reserves, which you have placed there over the years through processed foods full of chemicals and toxins....when it comes time to draw from that supply and use that fat, what's to say that the toxins aren't then released into your bloodstream again, making you feel terrible?

makes sense to me, but priding myself on my scientific background, I won't accept that as truth unless it is somehow tested (don't ask me how they'd go about that)

 

[reptiledude1]

havent been active ha broken collor bone

 

[grannieannie]

I was going to have an operation for my reflux last May, but they stuffed me up and nearly killed me and decided not to go ahead with the operation...so now I have my bed up on bricks, have the main meal for lunch and just have soup or a sandwich for the evening meal. I've been a lot better since then, I also take meds for it, but they don't do much.

I have type 2 diabetes, am on a couple of pills a day. Yeah I get the "shakes" from time to time if I don't eat at the right time. And that's pretty bad sometimes, but I try and notice when it's first coming on then I eat something, even a banana will help, anything sweet. It can take an hour or so to pass sometimes. I'm the first in my family to ever have it, and was diagnosed about 4 years ago.

I take meds for lots of things...thyroid, reflux, ulcer, diabetes, depression.....I think that's about it....never know how these meds react against each other, so I try to forget about them all and just trot along with life. Oh and I'm also partially deaf and wear 2 hearing aids, only had them since last Christmas, AND I wear glasses all the time. Poor old girl, I'm fallen apart. Something will kill me one day....doesn't really matter much what.....I'm not concerned.

 

[Jay84]

Serpentor, u sound like u really know your stuff! Why don't u live in Melbourne?! I need someone to sit me down and work out a healthy eating plan and an exercise regime.

The only exercise I do is walking to work and while at work I usually take te stairs down the floors. I do between 100 and 200 situps every other day. I'm getting quite a good 6 pack coming along. I really wannna work my chest but unsure wot I can do at home for this? Also my biceps have shrunk they used to be alot bigger. I'm 25. Any suggestion?

 

[serpenttongue]

Throughout summer I jog about 3-4km every night, as well as weight training/resistance training.

I don't eat any junk foods. I stick to cereals (muesli, oatmeal etc), fish, meat and vegies, fruits, salads. I mostly drink water, but will sometimes have tea.

I don't drink alcohol or smoke.

 

[serpenttongue]

I really wannna work my chest but unsure wot I can do at home for this?

Push-ups can work wonders, depending on how wide apart your arms are.

 

[ShaunMorelia]

posterior, anterior or medial meniscus tear, if you don't mind me asking? There have been some good results shown of non-surgical treatment, involving strengthening the muscles around the knee, such as the quadriceps, vastus medialis etc. Did the doctor/surgeon discuss this with you? Of course, please don't go off and try this unless you have permission. There might be a very good reason they chose surgery over other methods. Your diet seems ok, but it could do with a piece or two of fruit in between your main meals. What oil do you cook with?

I the medial meniscus. 2.5cm tear straight throught the middle.
My knee locks a fair bit and is very painful to straighten it back out so surgery is the only way to go with this one.
We cook with Virgin Olive Oil

 

[spilota_variegata]

Now I'm in my 40's, I run 11 kms a day followed by about 1 1/2 hours of light weights, resistance training, push ups, sit-ups, crunches, pull-ups etc.

I've had to cut down quite a bit from my younger days when I'd run 20 kms a day 6 days a week, one 40 km run on Saturday followed by a rest day on Sunday. I would work out in the gym for about an hour or two after each run. I ate anything and everything I wanted, large portions and had the hardest time trying to maintain my weight. At the time, I was in the Navy and used to run for them so the CO gave me 3 hours off a day to exercise. It worked out really well - especially for me

 

[Jay84]

Oh my god spilota you are a machine!!! That's bloody impressive! Is it good for you running every day tho? Is it back for your knees with the shock?

 

[jessb]

I'm really enjoying reading your responses serpentor - nice to hear a sensible, knowledgeable approach to health and fitness.

I am an ex-chef married to a chef so we eat pretty damn well in our house! We use a fair amount of butter and olive oil in our cooking, but avoid trans-fats as much as possible. We balance out the fat in our diet by eating almost all unprocessed foods; our grocery shop consists mostly of seasonal fruit and vegetables, legumes and meat. We both work fulltime and don't have lots of spare time, but food is a priority in our house - I bake all our cakes and biscuits using real butter and we cook pretty much all our meals from scratch (we sometimes cheat and buy sausages, pasta and pasta sauces premade - although we often make our own!) My 4yo daughter and I eat vego 2 or 3 nights a week, but my husband is a meat eater!

We definitely eat more than we should, but its hard not to when the food we cook tastes so good! I also love to cook puddings and desserts like fruit crumbles and pies, and I make possibly the best chocolate brownies known to man!

I go to the gym 2-3 times a week and run 5-8km 2-3 times per week (I am training for a 14km fun run in a couple of weeks!) Because I don't really limit what I eat, I use my exercise to keep my weight down. I still weigh a bit more than I should (I'm at the upper end of the 'healthy' BMI) but I far prefer that to watching every mouthful I eat and denying myself the pleasure of cooking and enjoying food with my family and friends.