(Part 2) Best products from r/fitness30plus

If yuh do swimming see if you can find a “masters” program near you. They are basically swim clubs/ team for adults. Usually there has a workout and a coach. Swimming is all about form. You want someone to help you with your form so you don’t injure your shoulder. But great for longevity. I love road biking. Better than running on my feet.

Also on a more mental note maybe check out the book “full catastrophe living”. (Link below). I’ve learned to check my ego with working out and injuries, acceptance is a good skill (mindfulness acceptance). Also I found that being healthy snacks to work helps. Personally I got a vita mix and love that thing. Easy to make really tasty smoothies that fill me up.

I do suggest a good trainer who knows body stuff. I can no longer run and had to stop kickboxing due to foot issue. Miss it, but adjusting. Great job reaching out for support!

https://www.amazon.com/Full-Catastrophe-Living-mindfulness-meditation/dp/0749915854

Hey - keep your head up, you can get this thing fixed. I'm in my late thirties and have had two herniated discs (first around 15 years ago). I am an ultrarunner, and what's worked for me is balancing out my miles with yoga (Yin specifically) and strength training. Specifically for keeping the back in good shape, I highly recommend Foundation. I noticed a difference almost immediately after beginning these exercises (no weights involved). Also, for a general understanding of how the back works and how you can keep it healthy, I recommend Gokhale's 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back. Really good guidance on posture, sitting, sleeping, etc. Good luck.

Hey akharon - thanks for the reply. FWIW it isn't expensive; maybe a quarter per workout with this stuff.

As you pointed out; it may not even be effective to administer BCAA like this.
My understanding is that BCAA+carbs will help anabolism and limit catabolism, but most studies have tested this as a post-workout.

To be completely honest, my rational for the BCAA supplementation is weak. I don't have the paper titles/authors in front of me right now, but I read two meta summaries that both said that we don't really know when the ideal time to supplement either BCAA or protein is. The papers both suggested that best guess was to make BCAA/Protein available shortly after a workout; and since I do a whey shake after my workout I figured I'd throw the BCAA into my pre.

So, the real reason I throw BCAA into my pre is because it seems unlikely to inhibit my progress, but has plausible chance of improving it.

I'll try to remember to bump this thread with references.

I have a cheap orbital car buffer that I use to get out muscle soreness. I have this one and use it with the soft wool pad. Light pressure flat on big muscles does a general massage and I use the edge to dig into knots. It sounds utterly ridiculous, but a CrossFit friend turned me on to this and it really works. I got a better massage with it in 5 minutes than any foam roller, stick, or deep tissue massage I've ever had.

Also, it exfoliates and works pretty well for buffing your car (4 stars on Amazon) :)

We have both the Jungle Gym XT and WOSS equipment at my gym and in my experience the WOSS higher quality (and cheaper, I think).

https://www.amazon.com/WOSS-AttacK-Trainer-Made-USA/dp/B00K3ZF07U/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1481303920&sr=1-3&keywords=suspension+trainer

But, for the OP, if you have a place to hang a suspension trainer, then I would highly suggest you just get gymnastic rings instead. Same price or cheaper and more generally useful. The forced connection point of suspension trainers always feels a bit weird to me and rings have a long successful history in gymnastics. /r/bodyweightfitness will be more than happy to help you get your ring game on point.

https://www.amazon.com/Olympic-Gymnastic-Rings-Straps-Buckle/dp/B00SAEPY72/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1481304015&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=gymnastic+rings

^ Go with wood rings if you get rings, don't cheap out for plastic. Wood rings feel nice in the hand and plastic rings feel like garbage.

I'm not an expert. But here is my experience.

I put on this CD
http://www.amazon.com/Guided-Mindfulness-Meditation-Jon-Kabat-Zinn/dp/1604077956/

And I follow the instructions. It definitely guides you, soothes you. It centers you. For me, attempting to meditate is an invitation to quietness, and then all the noise in my head tries to fill in the quiet. So the guided meditation does keep me in the right state, and I get to transform some of the worries into noise, and recognize it for the noise it is.

There is this obsessive inner voice that often operates in an unconscious level. The meditation helps it make it more conscious, and quiet it, and tuning in more with the present. It also makes me more aware of what is consuming my attention, and to decide to pay attention to it. Sometimes, during stressful periods, I don't realize I'm stressed or why until I meditate.

All this frees up my mind to focus on the now, on the task at hand, on the present, as opposed to allocating some of my mind to repeated chatter.

In computer terms, which I think it's a good analogy in this case, it's like looking at all the 83 program windows you have open in the background, and deciding what to do about them. Often are just the same mindless browser windows, and realize they are there and just close them. Other cases are important emails or spreadsheets, and being aware that they are there it's positive and maybe write them down on a postit or little paper of key tasks. Eventually you end up with a clean desktop. And the background on the desktop is nice. And you like looking at the background. Also, the memory and the processor on the computer now are less charged. So after a while of cleaning through the open windows, and looking at the desktop, which you hardly ever do otherwise, you naturally feel lighter and better.

As a culture, we're just beginning to feel around the edges of the hugely important role that gut flora/our microbiome plays in our health. It seems like almost every day some new and exciting information is coming out regarding this area of knowledge.

At our house, we do a lot of ferments. We've done kombucha, milk and water kefir, lacto-pickles, sourdough culture and homebrewed beer. We also have a friend that has started a local business making amazing sauerkrauts.

If anybody is interested in this stuff, I'd highly recommend Wild Fermentation and The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz. Both excellent books with background info and recipes.

Fermentation can seem unsafe/intimidating, but I've been surprised at how simple it is to do, and how few issues there are in regards to food safety (the whole reason people started fermenting food in the first place was to keep it from spoiling, after all).

Antranik's article about tendinitis was extremely helpful for me.

From his recommendation I also purchased this tool and it is the ONLY thing that has made my elbows feel better. I wholeheartedly endorse it! I purchased the red model, which is the second lightest resistance they have. I do not regret it. I've been using it for several years and haven't felt the need to increase the weight.

You are looking for the Tyler Twist exercises listed at the bottom of the Amazon page.

Good luck!

It's definitely on the higher side especially if you are not in the U.S. BUT they last for a LONG time and are super high quality. I've had their lightest rope that I use the most last over a year. Then it's just $11-$18 for rope replacement. I hear you though.

Here are a couple good affordable options:

EliteSRS Heavy Beaded Fitness Jump Rope - Outdoor Rated - Comfort Foam Grip (Black/White) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QMZ9C55/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_TkSvDbBCGYFNA

https://www.amazon.com/EliteSRS-Beginner-Jump-Rope-Adults/dp/B07HMB95VZ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?adgrpid=55435725589&gclid=CjwKCAjwqNnqBRATEiwAkHm2BDinL9COW3Z_FJyHr4zIH77wCWxCYYXcYsIr5e2XbN-lyO3Iu5WyhBoCTuMQAvD_BwE&hvadid=274714636724&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=1027691&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=18272867535278196379&hvtargid=kwd-378598560675&hydadcr=17338_9499980&keywords=elitesrs+jump+rope&qid=1565967062&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE5UkhJTTlOVjUwV0MmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAzMzMzNzFLNTlRUTdRNTFXMkkmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDg1MDE1NUEwRkhHODQ5OTJaRyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

Joking aside, long endurance exercises aren't that good for your circulatory system. HIIT (or Tabata cardio) is much more effective to strengthen your heart. I think Al Sears was the first guy to popularize this in his The Doctor's Heart Cure (or at least it was the first I heard of it), and if I'm not mistaken it's now the general consensus.

(And Mr. Fixx stopped smoking and lost weight 17 years before he died of a heart attack. Whether his heart was congenitally enlarged is open to question. His diet has been suggested as the big problem--he had the idea that since he exercised so much he could eat anything, and he was an inveterate carbohydrate hog--donuts, pies, cakes, etc.)

My wife saw them at the dollar store and thought I might like them. I don't use them too much, but they are basically baby wipes without baby smell. These are made by Assured, named Body Wipes for Sports

They smell ok. It's not like you're instantly all clean either, but can help a bit with the pits and help you feel less grungy..

*spelling

I was in your exact situation, except it was the time between two jobs. I did the effortless superhuman program in Tim Ferris' 4 hour body 3 days a week and did treadmill sprints for 20 minutes the other 2 days. I definitely got stronger doing it.

If I was doing it again, I'd do Tactical Barbell. Its a similar program in that it is minimalist with a focus on lower rep compound exercises, but has a better programing structure in my opinion.
It was designed for military people who had a strength need, but had other demands on their time and conditioning. I ran 2, 6 weeks cycles during a cut and still got stronger.

You could either do 3 exercise clusters (say Squats, Bench and pull-ups) 3 days a week, or two exercise clusters twice a week for 4 days lifting and do cardio on the other days. Feel free to ask any follow-up questions

Good for you for getting started again. To your questions:

> Nutrition

Get a shaker bottle and add 1 cup of whole milk and 2 scoops of a quality whey protein. I like this one because it is sweetened with stevia and tastes amazing.

> Getting Started...

You'll be starting with light weight and poor work capacity because you're easing back into it so "overdoing it" is self-limiting due to these factors. Just to be safe, for the first week, just do the 5x5 work and skip any accessories. Add accessories as work capacity increases due to training effects.

>Any specific advice on shoulder strengthening?

Press. There's nothing better for keeping shoulders happy than lots of overhead pressing volume. Find a weight you can do for 5x10 with a barbell and do that each day after you've benched or worked the press for 5x5.

Please read the book SPARK by John J. Ratey, MD. Specifically chapters 3-5, but the whole book is an excellent read. It will help you understand how exercise will help you with bouts of stress, anxiety and depression.

It might offer you some valuable insight as to what is going on in your brain. Good luck and keep with it!

Absolutely... I happened to find keto worked for me (it isn't for everyone) and I used MyFitnessPal.com to track my food. Once I got a handle on what I could eat, and how much of it I could eat, I started to slack off on logging, but kept to "Lazy Keto". I started off at 220-230 and I weigh 168 right now. The last 10-15 lbs are proving to be a challenge so I will probably go back to logging to make sure I am not being too "lazy". I use keto, running and short "Body By Science" intense strength sessions because that combo seems to work best for me. I'm almost 50 though... I wish I had started when I was your age.

Socks can matter quite a bit for running, especially running long distances or if your feet get wet.

Running in normal cotton socks is a no-no. Once cotton gets wet it doesn't dry easily and can cause blisters. For moderate distances (say 5 miles or less), any merino wool or synthetic athletic sock should be fine, although I tend to avoid getting socks that are really thin because they arn't as good at preventing blisters. I pretty much always run in Darn Tough 1/4 Socks. They are about as thick as you'd ever want to go for a running sock, but they are super durable and prevent blisters pretty well. I have over 1000 miles on one of my pairs and I can still wear them.

If you're >50 lbs overweight you should be focusing purely on diet and calorie restriction. You might even consider cutting back or removing workouts until you get the weight worked out. The (overly simplified here) theory is that exercise can actually cause reactions in your body to slow weight loss. You'll have a much easier time focusing on one thing at a time and doing a phased approach:

1. Lose weight down to a manageable weight
   
   
2. Start working out again, while keeping your weight maintained
   
   I actually recently read Penn (from Penn and Teller) book about how he lost 100 lbs from 330 to 230, you might find it worth checking out. It's not really a diet book, more like a biography. But it was an interesting view of a 300 lb guy successfully losing 100 lbs reasonably quickly. There's a lot of kinda weird focus on potatoes, but that discussion of "don't worry about your muscle mass while you're trying to shed a lot of weight" is discussed in it as well.
   
   Finally, and I have used this one, check out www.myfitnesspal.com and try actually counting your calories and your exercise. You'll quickly discover that the calories you burn during most exercise pale in comparison to most of the food you're eating. I found this to be an amazingly effective tool for choosing foods that optimize my fullness and macros for their calories.