[graaja]

Originally Posted by subraiyr

1. Is the drop in VO2 max due to less strenuous workouts and is it in the right measure (39/40). My smartwatch says average, but I think it should read excellent

2. I am trying to start running, but I do want to preserve my knees. So would walking at the pace and at the distance be sufficient for me to keep fit. I am not fit, but neither am I fat.

1. Yes. When your workout intensity drops, VO2 max also drops. You need to be constantly training to keep VO2 Max stable or on the rise.

2. If you combine brisk walking for an hour every day with a good diet (cut sugar, moderate carbs, IF etc.), that should be enough to keep you fit. Apart from walking, I would also suggest you to do some mobility sessions like Yoga to keep your body flexible.

Also do consider taking up some strength training. Building lean muscles helps in staying functionally fit longer in life. Strength training need not be lifting heavy weights. It could be just some body weight exercises like push-ups, squats etc. or with resistance bands.

In case you do not want to pursue this, then just continue with your daily walks (with some Yoga sessions) and diet which should keep you healthy and fit.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by subraiyr

3. Emotionally - What should i start/stop doing to get up and get out with minimal intervention

Missed your edit and the 3rd question.

This is a very difficult question to answer. But I will try.

Usually, when you are down due to illness or injury, the biggest hit is the loss of all the gains you had made in fitness in the past - in your case, it would be the reduction in VO2Max. This will result in some lack of motivation to start again.

Instead of considering health and fitness as a destination (like specific weight, performance metrics like VO2Max etc.), consider it as a life long journey and the illness or injury as a small detour in this journey - just like you face diversions on road due to construction etc. Just continue on the journey and you will get back on track in time.

So for now, just take one day at a time and continue your walks. As your health improves and you feel better, you can start slow runs for short distances and increase the distance over time.

Hope this helps. Wishing you all the best in your journey.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by subraiyr

1. Is the drop in VO2 max due to less strenuous workouts and is it in the right measure (39/40). My smartwatch says average, but I think it should read excellent

I don't think V02max is a measure of fitness. Its more a measure how good an athlete we are. Simply because it gauges how we breathe while we perform endurance activities. Since we are all motivated by numbers it tends to weigh on our minds. Take that out of the equation for now.

2. I am trying to start running, but I do want to preserve my knees. So would walking at the pace and at the distance be sufficient for me to keep fit. I am not fit, but neither am I fat.

This is the most critical part. Firstly again like I said earlier; running is NOT a measure of fitness. You should start walking long hours. Say 90 min at 9-10min pace. That itself builds your metabolism. (Plus 90 min of uninterrupted podcast or heavy metal time )

3. Emotionally - What should i start/stop doing to get up and get out with minimal intervention

Firstly my suggestion would be to get back the grove of daily routine. And see where you normal walk can fit in. Once done you can easily take the next step.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by subraiyr

3. Emotionally - What should i start/stop doing to get up and get out with minimal intervention

Am not a fitness or motivation expert by any stretch, but from personal experience, having a group or a even a couple of people you work out/play/run/walk with together helps a lot with motivation. For more than a decade I used to be a 'sleep at 2 am, wake up post-10' kinda guy. But since I've found a group of people to pursue my outdoor hobby with, I've been able to wake up before 6 am, even on Bangalore winter mornings, and especially on weekends. It's a combination of not wanting to miss out, the company, the fact that you don't want to let the rest of the group down.

It comes with some exchanges, most of my older friends have stopped calling me for parties or dinner on weekends, since they know I will prioritize sleeping early over staying out late to meet them. It was really hard at first, had to set multiple alarms and literally drag myself out of bed in the morning but eventually you end up waking up early everyday even before the alarm and it doesn't seem awful. So, I think the key is the group you find.

[subraiyr]

Originally Posted by am1m

It comes with some exchanges, most of my older friends have stopped calling me for parties or dinner on weekends, since they know I will prioritize sleeping early over staying out late to meet them. It was really hard at first, had to set multiple alarms and literally drag myself out of bed in the morning but eventually you end up waking up early everyday even before the alarm and it doesn't seem awful. So, I think the key is the group you find.

Thanks. Till Covid hit me and my family all was good. I would wake up at 5am and hit the road by 5:45. It's only after Covid that motivation levels are down. I am assuming it is temporary and the body will reset soon
I completely agree with a bit of social ostracization. I hit the sack by 9:30 and by 10 it's light out. On Saturdays I do manage to stay a bit late, but nothing beyond 11 watching a movie and a bit of wine. Sundays are rest days unless the week schedule gets screwed up

Thanks all for your quick responses. Really motivating and I feel much much better. I used to do yoga, but the running bug overtook it. With all the motivation, restarted it today and boy i must say it felt really good. So onwards and upwards - 3 days of aerobic and 3 days of yoga is what I will be driving from today

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by subraiyr

Covid hit in the first week of Jan and after the shivering and headaches and malaise, I started my workouts.

1. Is the drop in VO2 max due to less strenuous workouts and is it in the right measure (39/40). My smartwatch says average, but I think it should read excellent
2. I am trying to start running, but I do want to preserve my knees.
Thanks in advance

Even though Omicron has less severe symptoms it still affects the lungs.
I am 63 & diabetic. As part of my post Omicron protocol my doctor has prescribed a chest x-ray at 6 weeks recovery point. And he asked me to forget tracking any fitness parameters for 4 months. He is not even bothered about blood sugar, as he says Omicron affects the pancreas and it takes a couple of weeks to recover. And needless to say I have had to cut back drastically on cardio workouts and strength training.
I now prefer to listen to my body and modulate exercises accordingly.

[Ananthang]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

This is where podcasts help a lot. A few podcasts that I love when I go for solo walks

1. Tom Bilyeu
2. Jay Shetty
3. Joe Rogan
4. Jordan Peterson
5. Ed Myllet
6. Jocko Willink

These guys are great and align to stuff that I am interested in. You might find plenty of other podcasts that suits your goals.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I started IF now and initially I was very scared but able to breeze through 16 hrs easily. At 80.5 KGs as of today. But I still take my morning milk coffee without sugar and then black coffee at office.

I am also trying to keep my overall calorie intake at 1500 per day and one cheat meal of about 1000 kcal, on weekends.

Actually 1000kcal is easily reached with normal South Indian meals with a starter and Soup or a portion of Briyani with starter.

My knees are Ok now and doing some strengthening exercises. I started playing but a little slowly and not exceed more than a hour. Since my office and kids school are open, weekday playing is shortened and I am able to play a bit and restrict diet.

I target 70 Kgs by 2022, and let see if I hit that and maintain

[am1m]

Question for the more experienced IFers:

I've been following some sort of IF for about 5 months now. Finish dinner by 9pm latest (usually by 8:30) and the next (light) meal I have is at 11, so been hitting 14 hours pretty consistently. So far, it's worked out pretty well, I don't feel hungry even after a morning run at about 6am and I've seen some noticeable fat reduction. But now I've started incorporating some basic weights in to my mornings, every alternate day or so and am quite enjoying it. Want to ramp up on the weights a bit.

The thing is while I never felt hungry after the morning run, I find that I am feeling hungry on the days that I do weights. So, do I continue to follow IF even when doing weights on alternate days? I'm not overweight, but wanted to burn some fat around the waist. But can't afford to lose too much weight either. And would certainly like to build some muscle.

(Thanks in advance for any suggestions.)

[graaja]

Originally Posted by am1m

The thing is while I never felt hungry after the morning run, I find that I am feeling hungry on the days that I do weights. So, do I continue to follow IF even when doing weights on alternate days? I'm not overweight, but wanted to burn some fat around the waist. But can't afford to lose too much weight either. And would certainly like to build some muscle.

This is my routine as well these days. I do 3 to 4 days of strength training while doing 16 to 18 hours of IF. Usually I extend my fast 2 to 4 hours after the strength training. It is perfectly normal to feel hungry after a strength training session. You can continue with IF. Just add a good amount of protein in your first meal that follows the workout. This way you will both burn fat and build lean muscles. I am assuming you are not looking at bulking up, but looking to build a lean, functionally fit and strong body.

For hardcore body building and to bulk up, I am not sure if this method would be suitable. But I have heard some body builders too promoting IF.

Hope this answers your question.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by graaja

Hope this answers your question.

Perfectly. And as always, thanks for your input!

Yep, not looking to bulk up, just build some muscle and more importantly, not lose whatever little muscle mass I have while trying to burn the fat!

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by graaja

For hardcore body building and to bulk up, I am not sure if this method would be suitable. But I have heard some body builders too promoting IF.

Hope this answers your question.

IF promotes testosterone which is key to building muscle.

[subraiyr]

Hi All

For the last 1 week, my left ankle (inside) had swollen. There was a little bit of pain as well in the ankle and underneath the heel. I went to my Ortho and based on X-rays he has diagnosed it as arthritis of the ankle. It seems the cartilage between the bones has diminished. His conjecture is that it is a combination of trauma + genetics. My family does have a history of arthritis. Also, I had been running for the last 8 odd years, not much but about 20-25km a week. And I did sprain my foot a couple of times in the last 1 year. He has prescribed medicines to help with the swelling, pain and also a tab called Joint ACE DN which is supposed to help arrest further degradation. Checked Uric acid levels and it is well within limits. He has also asked to me wear a brace for the next 2 weeks and not exercise till the next review

I have a question with regards to exercising. While I am not a fitness freak, I do like to ensure I get some good workouts done. So options are a combination of the below. Can experts let me know if these are good and will not strain the ankle joint

1. Walking - at a speed of around 8.5mns per km
2. Swimming - I need to learn though
3. Cycling - Haven't been on a cycle since I was a kid, so again a learning curve unless I get into my gym for the stationary one
4. Elliptical - Again present in my gym
5. Yoga - Have been doing yoga, but some of the asanas I have practiced will have the bodyweight impacting just one leg (Veerabadhrasana, Dekasana)
6. Invest in a rowing machine

Would love take on these options and which best to go for

[graaja]

Originally Posted by subraiyr

For the last 1 week, my left ankle (inside) had swollen...

1. Walking - at a speed of around 8.5mns per km
2. Swimming - I need to learn though
3. Cycling - Haven't been on a cycle since I was a kid, so again a learning curve unless I get into my gym for the stationary one
4. Elliptical - Again present in my gym
5. Yoga - Have been doing yoga, but some of the asanas I have practiced will have the bodyweight impacting just one leg (Veerabadhrasana, Dekasana)
6. Invest in a rowing machine

Would love take on these options and which best to go for

Wishing you a speedy recovery from your injury.

Please consider strength training along with Yoga. After being a endurance athlete for 7 years, recently I have converted to strength training. When it comes to longevity and living a long functionally fit life, building lean muscles is a very important factor to counter skeletal muscle loss (known as sacropenia) that happens as we age.

Strength training need not be going to gym and pumping heavy weights and bulking up. You can do functional strength training with body weight (push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges etc), or with simple equipment like resistance bands, dumbbells or kettlebells.

I have been working out with kettlebells the past 6+ months and they offer very good complex workouts that improve both strength and cardiovascular fitness.

Of course, undertake any of these only after you recover completely and get a green signal from your physio.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by subraiyr

1. Walking - at a speed of around 8.5mns per km

I have a slightly different take than @graaja on this topic. While cardio is very good, it also translates to a dependency on how good your heart it and how are you conditioning it. So I would mostly suggest for aerobic fitness. That basically means working within your Mafetone levels.

Actually if you can manage 8.5 min/km pace its amazing! That's almost 7.5 km/hr speed of walk. In other words any good push which lets your body a good aerobic work out is sustainable in the long run as we age.

For example, when some one starts running, many would like to graduate to the next milestone. A 5K, a 10K, a 20K or a full marathon. That surely cannot be a goal. A nice simple walk or a slow jog for an hour is more than enough for our sustenance with a good dieting regimen.

As regards to cardio, I won't say no, but its some thing which needs to be thought out and planned.

All said and done, wish you a speedy recovery!

[am1m]

Staying with relatives is a sure shot way to break all your carefully planned IF routines! Never really thought about it before, when I didn't care about what/when I ate, but SO much of our family life revolves around eating! If it's not actually eating, it's planning what to eat, what to cook, where to buy ingredients, whom to call over for a meal, what good meals we had in the past... It's almost as if you take away the food aspect and there's nothing else to talk about!

To be fair, most of the previous gen folks at our place are in good shape despite their borderline food obsessions That's because they had quite an active life mostly, with jobs and daily life requiring a lot of walking around. But with our gen's mostly 'sit-on-your-ass-for-8+-hours' nature of work and 'another-4-hours-on-the-phone-and-netflix' form of entertainment, those sort of eating habits are unsustainable.

But try explaining that to a legion of relatives who think they've failed their duty somehow if your mouth is not constantly munching something!