What do you do to stay/or get in shape?

[EllenJ2003]

I saw female body builders on TV once and it kind of freaked me out. Not trying to be mean, but they totally looked like guys! My dad and brother were talking about how manly they looked. After seeing those women I didn't want to get near weights!

Yeah, I know what you mean.  They look pretty gross IMO.  Most of that look IIRC, comes from women using steroids, and mega weight workouts.  Don't do 'roids, and/or pump a lot of iron (especially heavier weights), and you should be fine.

[Deborah]

I saw female body builders on TV once and it kind of freaked me out. Not trying to be mean, but they totally looked like guys! My dad and brother were talking about how manly they looked. After seeing those women I didn't want to get near weights!

They take anabolic steroids, i.e. high doses of testosterone.  Many of them have much higher levels of testosterone than the majority of men.  The other thing they do is diet down to extremely low bodyfat levels so their muscles show.

Someone not on anabolic steroids or with non-existent T cannot get big.  They can only get strong.


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[Allison S]

Side view... I try not to get definition I prefer soft and petite. I actually gained weight but it might be good for me.. I'm tall(ish) at 5'7

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[Northern Star Girl]

Side view... I try not to get definition I prefer soft and petite. I actually gained weight but it might be good for me.. I'm tall(ish) at 5'7

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@ Allison:  Mama Mia.... your curves look terrific. 
Thanks for posting.
Danielle

[jennie.ayana]

Bulking up without testosterone is pretty much impossible no matter what someone lifts.


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Seriously?

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[Deborah]

Seriously?

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Women and the Myth of Bulking Up

http://xgym.com/women-and-the-myth-of-bulking-up/

[jennie.ayana]

Women and the Myth of Bulking Up

http://xgym.com/women-and-the-myth-of-bulking-up/

I feel as I lived in the dark ages, not knowing all this stuff. But I guess I was afraid that my T levels were still high enough to cause me to grow muscles.
My last lab results my T was 12 ng/do
And my E level was 107 pg/ 'll.
I'm not a med wiz, so I had to look it up, I'm now within cis-female ranges, which kids a gives me peace of mind.
It seems that you know a lot about this[emoji44]
I'm impressed, thanks

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[Deborah]

I feel as I lived in the dark ages, not knowing all this stuff. But I guess I was afraid that my T levels were still high enough to cause me to grow muscles.
My last lab results my T was 12 ng/do
And my E level was 107 pg/ 'll.
I'm not a med wiz, so I had to look it up, I'm now within cis-female ranges, which kids a gives me peace of mind.
It seems that you know a lot about this[emoji44]
I'm impressed, thanks

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You can get very strong but you won't get big except maybe getting big from eating too much and that doesn't require working out. :-)

Look at this video from a woman who powerlifts and can deadlift 400 lbs.  Most men can't do that.

She has lots of good videos posted.


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[EllenJ2003]

You can get very strong but you won't get big except maybe getting big from eating too much and that doesn't require working out. :-)

Look at this video from a woman who powerlifts and can deadlift 400 lbs.  Most men can't do that.

She has lots of good videos posted.

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For some reason, your link doesn't show in your post.

Here's the link.  Sorry I couldn't get the video to embed in my post (grrr!!), despite using every VBulletin trick I know, for embedding videos without having the video embed tool available in the posting window.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdhMctxCPHM&feature=youtu.be

[Deborah]

I tried posting it again too.  Usually this works but I'm not sure what's wrong tonight.  Anyway, the video is by a youtuber called megsquats.  She posts regularly and is both entertaining and highly informative.

[ToriJo]

Last year, I started the year at 212 lbs.  I am 164 lbs at a recent check.  Everyone's different - for me, I was eating okay, it was a lot more about just getting up and moving around.  I do a lot of walking - an hour or more 4 or 5 times a week to maintain, I used to do about 1.5 hours every day when I was working on losing weight.

For me, the lesson I learned for my middle-age body is that everything you do as far as exercise should have the goal of not hurting yourself as the primary goal.  Before I figured out I liked walking, I tried running, bicycling, etc, but would inevitably get hurt by overdoing things, and then I wouldn't be able to do anything for months - it was counter-productive.  I don't get hurt walking (with good shoes - I wear good boy running shoes for my large, wide feet).

[Northern Star Girl]

Last year, I started the year at 212 lbs.  I am 164 lbs at a recent check.  Everyone's different - for me, I was eating okay, it was a lot more about just getting up and moving around.  I do a lot of walking - an hour or more 4 or 5 times a week to maintain, I used to do about 1.5 hours every day when I was working on losing weight.

For me, the lesson I learned for my middle-age body is that everything you do as far as exercise should have the goal of not hurting yourself as the primary goal.  Before I figured out I liked walking, I tried running, bicycling, etc, but would inevitably get hurt by overdoing things, and then I wouldn't be able to do anything for months - it was counter-productive.  I don't get hurt walking (with good shoes - I wear good boy running shoes for my large, wide feet).

Wow ToriJo:  From 212 lbs to 164 lbs is a terrific achievement .... kudos to you for the willpower and self-determination to get to your goal....   by the way, how tall are you?   No matter what your height that kind of weight loss will do wonders for your figure and also for your general health.
Congratulations are in order!!!!
Hugs,
Danielle

[ToriJo]

I tell the DMV I'm 5'10", but I'm probably really 5'9".    The biggest thing it helped with was my general energy level and ability to sleep comfortably.  It was a deal I made with myself - if I didn't have the discipline to lose weight, how would I manage transition?  That's a stupid bargain with myself, and people shouldn't do that, but it definitely was a factor for me.

The interesting thing was that I didn't lose an inch of waist until I was down to about 175 lbs and started HRT.  I lost most of my belly after starting HRT, which was kind of a really pleasant surprise. 

[Shy]

I run, slowly over long distances. I've stalled for the first time for years this winter but am getting back into the swing of things now. I'm aiming for a 50k in August if I'm fit enough.
I eat a pescatarian diet. Mainly salad and salmon, wild salmon if I can afford it, and lots of fresh fruit.
I'm also no saint and love cake more than I should

Peace and love and all that good stuff,

Sadie

[Northern Star Girl]

I tell the DMV I'm 5'10", but I'm probably really 5'9".    The biggest thing it helped with was my general energy level and ability to sleep comfortably.  It was a deal I made with myself - if I didn't have the discipline to lose weight, how would I manage transition?  That's a stupid bargain with myself, and people shouldn't do that, but it definitely was a factor for me.

The interesting thing was that I didn't lose an inch of waist until I was down to about 175 lbs and started HRT.  I lost most of my belly after starting HRT, which was kind of a really pleasant surprise. 

@ ToriJo:   All I can say is CONGRATULATIONS...  good for you.... and at your height and 164 pounds that puts your BMI at a healthy level and "normal" level of 23.5 too! 
You not only look better, feel better, but feel better about yourself also!
Danielle

[allisonsteph]

I'm in such horrible shape that it's not even funny. I recently bought an Apple Watch that tracks everything from exercise to sleep and I have been alarmed at how little I exercise. I turn 50 this year, time to start taking better care of myself.

[Deborah]

I'm in such horrible shape that it's not even funny. I recently bought an Apple Watch that tracks everything from exercise to sleep and I have been alarmed at how little I exercise. I turn 50 this year, time to start taking better care of myself.

I got an Apple Watch on the very first day it came out and have used it extensively for activity tracking since then.  It is great and getting those rings closed every day adds the extra motivation needed to do just a little more.


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[Northern Star Girl]

I'm in such horrible shape that it's not even funny. I recently bought an Apple Watch that tracks everything from exercise to sleep and I have been alarmed at how little I exercise. I turn 50 this year, time to start taking better care of myself.

@ allisonsteph:  As long as you are still alive it is never too late to start getting into shape and taking better care of your body.
Better late than never.
Looking for your updates as you feel comfortable posting them.
Hugs,
Danielle

[EllenJ2003]

I got an Apple Watch on the very first day it came out and have used it extensively for activity tracking since then.  It is great and getting those rings closed every day adds the extra motivation needed to do just a little more.


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My boss has one of those Apple Smart Watches.  IIRC, that's installed Fit Bit software in it.  It's a pretty cool watch.  Every now and then he'll mention fitness things that he sees on his Smart Watch.  If I remember right it even has a step counter feature in it.  My boss uses his step counter all the time.

Actually for anybody who wants a quick and dirty way to push themselves to do more fitness related activity, count the steps you walk.  You can buy Fit Bits that do this (included the generic non-Fit Bit branded ones) for a pretty cheap price.  A goal to shoot for is 10,000 steps a day.   The company I work for has actually set this as a fitness goal/incentive for the employees at some of the facilities it has (mainly in North America - I don't think the European divisions are doing this initiative).  Do 10,000 steps per day, providing proof for doing so (the company will provide cheap step counters if you need them to count your steps), and you can get prizes, gift certificates, etc.  Unfortunately, I kind of gave up on the challenge, due to the sedentary nature of my job (unlike my last job, where I spent a lot of time on my feet, moving around, doing a fair amount of calibration work in a large facility [along with being one of the Quality Engineers, I was also the Calibration Technician], I have to spend a significant amount of time flying a desk - oh well), and I don't always feel like going for walks at lunchtime, or after work (I'd prefer to go for runs, like I used to do before my asthma got the best of me), so it's why I make a point of always doing a workout on one of the elliptical machines in the company's exercise room.   

[Harley Quinn]

I have the benefit of having a few fitness buffs and a perpetual motion machine for friends.  One is a cyclist, its part of her job with helping heroes.  One is a pilates/pole dance instructor, and the other just never stops hiking, exploring, cleaning, doing projects, and chasing kids (probably the most active of the group).  By association, I need to keep up with them when we hang out.  That's a lot of miles to bike, hike, and of course tons of body weight resistance training.  When I'm not trying to keep up with the Jones', I like to dabble in auto/motorcycle restoration.  Lots of lifting and polishing inherent in the hobby...  Keeps me fit.