Exercise and weight loss advice thread

You need to consider the platform size and stability for elderly people as you don't want them falling off the thing.

I'm guessing you wont want to run on it (or not fast), so up to 12 kmh should do. Incline is probably a nice to have and Bluetooth connectivity is probably not needed.

Personally, I like jtx fitness, but their kit is out of your budget (I've got the 5) . You can get something like an Opti foldable from Argos for £349, which some sites recommend as an idea.

But consider platform size. Top speed (I don't use above 10kmh much). Support (as in on your joints and as in aftercare). If they have joint problems, then a cross trainer would be better. However, a treadmill will give them weight on their bones which is needed to preserve strength. But it can cause more joint pain than a xtrainer (I've got both).

Have a look at the review sites to narrow down what you need. Consider noise too. Treadmills can be noisy things and you have to lubricate the running platform every three months which isn't that easy... Or at least I've not found it easy. I doubt you'll need loads of programs. I tend to just use manual and I ignore the 50 or so I've supposedly got.

Does anyone use a chest strap heart rate monitor? I bought the Polar H10 recently because I read it was more accurate than a watch. I used it for the first time while rowing on Sunday, it said I burned 1015kcal over the course of 1h17m which seems rather high to me (avg. HR was 145bpm/max 185bpm). Another guy in the boat burned 748kcal, he was using a Garmin watch...

I've got one. It's more accurate than my watch or the pads on my exercise machines. I don't tend to look at calories burned though, but have you checked your height, weight and age are all correct in the app?

I got a Wahoo Tickr for cycling on my indoor trainer. Chest HRm are supposed to be more accurate and certainly seem to be in my experience.

Garmin watches are well known to have issues with rowing, mine always said I was at about 90bpm on our C2 and i'd be near dying while giving it laldy, so it was not accurate. I think it's supposed to be due to the stationary position of arms and clenching the forearms which make the sensor struggle to read the blood vessels properly. Google it, there's some grumping about it on the garmin forums.

I got the tickr chest strap, because the garmin watch also had issues on the indoor trainer. Never when outdoors, i think due to you 'working' the bike more outside meaning there's more movement in the arms than the more stationary indoor set ups. Not sure if a rocker plate would help or not, they're supposed to help the taint along too by moving the pressure about a bit, anyone got one and care to comment?

I'm good for about 2.5hrs on the indoor trainer, but it does start to get a bit uncomfy unless you're out of the saddle every so often!



Either way, I have the tickr linked to my bolt bike gps now anyway, so the point is moot.

Tl;dr, chest straps allegedly better than gps watches

Was it leopard print?

/Shudders at thought

Last gym session before xmo. No hunchbacked ex-prime ministers dribbling grool through a thong here.

A xmas miracle. \o/

Well, after quite a few years, I’m still “doing” intermittent fasting, by which I mean I feel fantastic when I only eat between 12:00 and 18:00 each day, sometimes stretching as late as 20:00, but I keep falling off the wagon.

I KNOW how much better I feel when I don’t eat after eight, but the red mist descends just before bedtime and I often sneak a snack.

It’s even harder with all these delicious Xmas things in, but I need to keep at it. My general fitness and blood pressure (critical for me) improve almost instantly when I’m doing it properly.

I use Apple Reminders to run my life (!) so I have a daily one that pings me at eight to stop me from eating any more.

Unfortunately, over the last few months, I’ve found myself saying, “Ah, screw it. Who needs alarms anyway?” and then deleting it.

This leads to instant failure!

Full disclosure: I just put it back on there as I wrote my original post!

I finally got the courage to step on the scales this morning. I put 15kg on over the Christmas break! Holy sheet! I'm 132kg hahaha, I went in hard on the blowout!

My belly is ridiculous, it looks like I've swallowed a bowling ball.

Oh well, time to start starving myself 18 hours a day and going for ridiculously long walks again.

Wish me luck!

Haha, anything to cheat the scales!

I started IF a couple of days ago and have lost 6.2lbs so far. Really felt awful over Xmas and it's because I eat far too much junk and a lot of it late at night. Going back to my daily calorie target of 1500 calories and only eating between 12-7pm. So far so good. I'm type 2 diabetic as well so monitoring my BS a bit more with this new regime to see how it effects it.

addyb Good on you, and more power to you.

razz Your experience is very similar to mine. The Mrs. works various shifts, but our little girl goes to bed around eight. Our evening is almost always watching a bit of TV, Mrs. EMM gently dropping off into a snooze on the sofa, and me switching the TV to the Xbox for a mixture of YouTube and gaming until I decide it’s time we both turn in properly.

That’s when the kitchen beckons, and, recently, I’ve failed more than I’ve succeeded.

Right, knowing another couple of us are giving IF a go has inspired me to put that damned reminder back on my phone once more!

Yes, I had breakfast this morning, but it was only half an apple and some nuts, and it wasn’t early, so if I time tonight’s goulash right I won’t be too far off track.

Let’s do it!

And thanks for those replies: they helped.