Getting back in shape

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tomfcrist

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Scuba Instructor
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Lake City, Fl
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I'm a Fish!
Hi everyone,
So after realizing that I'm not as young as I used to be and slowly packing on some extra fluff over the years, I have decided to commit to getting back in shape. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a slouch, but I'm up to 19% body fat these days. For someone who used to be an elite athlete, this is embarrassing. I committed to the insanity workout, which is intense and 6 days a week. I have a busy schedule between work(military), family(special needs daughter), and teaching dive classes in the evenings, but I have decided to make myself and my overall well being a priority. My goal is to get back to 8% bodyfat and run a half marathon by December. Anyone else going through this in their 30's? I personally challenge all of you that have become as complacent about taking care of themselves to make a fitness goal and hold yourself to it! Ill be your peer pressurer if you want. :wink:
 
Hey Tom (is it?),

Good for you. How's it going? What branch of the service, how long? I can imagine juggling everything is difficult.

I think the 30s is where it hits you the most. I got out of the military in my early 30s and just before my wedding in 2010 I stopped doing fitness/physique contests and work a desk job. So it all took its toll. But I'm pushing 36 and getting close to the best shape of my life. So I join you in your journey (though I'll leave the marathon running to you as I've done 22 of them and don't plan another ever...besides, the VA won't let me).

Best!
 
I started my journey April of last year. I started at 277 lbs and a liability to my dive buddies. I'm now down 45 lbs and running 45-60 miles a month and cycling 80-100 miles a month. 2x a week in the weight room. I feel fantastic and enjoy the workouts.

Welcome back. You're gonna rock this :wink:
 
I started my trip in January of this year after realizing I either needed to lose the extra tonnage, or buy bigger clothes.... I started at 205 then and now down to 188, treadmill and weights at least 5 days a week. It ain't easy (I'm 54), but I'm getting to where the scale doesn't ask 'one at a time, please' when I get on. Congrats, and keep it going, I'm sure going to try!
 
I'm starting to nudge up againt 5-0 and got back into exercise in Jan after a somewhat stressful year last year, but am making a 1lb/wk progress back to getting in shape. It sure seems to get harder to re-acquire that fitness level the older you get!
 
So after realizing that I'm not as young as I used to be and slowly packing on some extra fluff over the years, I have decided to commit to getting back in shape... Anyone else going through this in their 30's?

Yes... and 40's... and 50's... and probably for 60's too! (sigh)
 
Hope your fitness program is going well. If you are interested in articles and exercises that address health and diving activity you can link to my writings at ScubaFit®: Bringing Fitness to Life | Scuba Diver Fitness & Exercise on the resources page. You will also find that so far we have a couple of workouts for chest and abs in FitDiver mobile apps in Google Play and the App Store.

Here is an excerpt from one of my articles that specifically addresses your question:

"In the 30's physical activity may become derailed with the responsibilities of family and work, but this can be turned into a positive. Changes in the body trend favorably toward outdoor activities such as biking and hiking that are easily shared with family. During this stage, muscle strength declines slowly and with the addition of mental and emotional maturity, some of the best physical performance is experienced in work related physical activities such as golf. Fitness priorities shift to maintaining muscles mass, cardiovascular health and flexibility. Different interests, lifestyles, goals and fitness levels direct men and women, the active and inactive, and the injured into specialized workouts. If fitness level is well established high intensity workouts are still appropriate. Flexibility becomes more important and should be performed at the end of each exercise session for 20 minutes for every 40-minutes of weight training. The 30's may be the beginning of a 10 to 20 pound weight increase. Aerobic exercise may still be performed separately from weight training, but combining the workout saves time and facilitates weight loss. For an efficient weight loss workout that is also well-suited to scuba fitness, warm up with 10-minutes of aerobic exercise followed by 20-minutes of strength training, 30-minutes of aerobic exercise and 20 minutes of stretching four to five times each week. Neglecting fitness in the 3o's can be deceptive since evidence of disuse and aging doesn't begin to show yet. Importantly, staying fit in the 30's has the greatest preventative potential for extending diving lifespan."

 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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