Health & Fitness update: Sweaty Spanish Summer

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(Edited)

I've started writing this post whilst sitting on a damp towel with sweat running down my boobs, back, and ass - back in 10 after a cold shower!...

And if you thought I'd been wanking to photos of my friend and her cannon, you'd be wrong (this time), I've actually just got home from an evening jog along the promenade.

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It's been a while since I've written anything 'health and fitness' related, but that doesn't mean I've retired from exercise and taken up red wine as a hobby. I'm still putting the time in, although perhaps not as much as last summer where I could be found attempting 100 burpees in a row - that was the first and last time!

Anyway, back to the present and my current routine which includes cycling, jogging, a couple of HIIT workouts via YouTube, and my tried and tested P90x 'ab ripper' workout, which I've been doing on and off for over a decade now, cause it works.

The photo above is where I park my bike after a warm up cycle down to el puerto de Cala Bona. At times I've started the run from my apartment, but the calves quickly get tight and turn to stone, and so the 10 minute warm up ride is the norm now and it seems to do the trick.

The port is fairly busy in the early evening with a variety of restaurants in the square, and plenty of eyes to take care of my bike for half an hour or so.

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If I head out for a cycle mission, I'll usually head for the tip of hill in the distance in the photo below. It's about a 15km roundtrip, and if I really push it I can be there and back in about 35 minutes. I've been heading up there late in the evening this past month as the temperature is 'only' mid-twenties, similar to the conditions for this evenings run as we had a cloudy one today.

My running route is alongside the sea and so I prefer to go around dusk so I can occupy my mind with the scenery and not just avoiding tourists.

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Music is also a must for motivation, and something like Drum n Bass or 90s/2000s dance classics is usually the choice. I give Spotify 10 pounds a month for the pleasure of listening to just about anything I can think of, and consider this fee good value.

The whole route also has a bicycle lane. And for the dumb fucking idiots kind people strolling along this path without a care in the world, are the paintings of a cycle every 50 meters or so not a good enough indicator that it is indeed a cycle lane?

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I could write more on this topic about how I have has multiple close shaves, and friends of mine have had to exit their bikes due to people wandering onto the bike lane without an indication, but the swear jar would be filled and I'd still be just as annoyed. With headphones on I can't hear bells or anything really, and so if I do have to step onto this lane I look behind me to make sure no wheels are in close proximity.

On a good day I can run the 6/7/8km (who knows because my shitty GPS doesn't) route in 30 minutes, and when the temperature cools off I think I could get under 30. A few weeks ago I ran the same course in 36 minutes, which was also the temperature at the time. When I got home I rang out my t-shirt like I'd just washed the car with it - won't be doing that again.

Today I forgot to stop the clock and also managed to teleport certain parts of the route. Don't buy an Amazfit GTR if you are serious about your data!

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I trust the heartrate readings a little more, although 20 minutes in VO2 max (where you need more Oxygen than your lungs can supply and are burning reserves from err, dunno), seems a bit excessive.

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If you were looking at my step count alone today, you'd be thinking lazy bastard. Thankfully, the calories burned for 30 odd minutes of exercise tells a different story though.

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My sleep is below average, but it's been below average for many years and so I guess 5/6 hours is my average! I'd love to know what it feels like to attack the day on 7/8 hours sleep though, must be amazing.

My resting heartrate continues to look healthy, even when I have a few drinks (see the dates where heartrate is in the 60s). Resting heartrate is apparently a really good indicator of general body well-being, with 55-60 not far off 'athlete' status.

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With the cycling, running, and workout vids, I think I have most areas covered but do plan to buy a couple of things when I move to a bigger space. First on the list will be an Elliptal/cross-trainer, which I personally think is the best cardio exercise going. Low impact, can shut your eyes and not fall off, and can watch your BPM like a hawk to make sure you aren't slacking.

The second item is likely to be a weight bench. I don't plan to be lifting over my bodyweight as I could do quite easily in my early 30s, but I would like to give the upper body a little more to think about. A bench can also be used to assist single leg squats, and who doesn't need to work their ass a bit more?

Cheers!

Asher



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45 comments
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Electronic-terrorism, voice to skull and neuro monitoring on Hive and Steem. You can ignore this, but your going to wish you didnt soon. This is happening whether you believe it or not. https://ecency.com/fyrstikken/@fairandbalanced/i-am-the-only-motherfucker-on-the-internet-pointing-to-a-direct-source-for-voice-to-skull-electronic-terrorism

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No-one cares dude.

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Ignore it then

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That is an excellent idea. In the meantime, you could consider not spamming Hive. As far as I am aware, fyrstikken is long gone and many Hive users won't be aware of him anyway.

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@fyrstikken is on twitter and discord often. You are mistaken.

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I mention Hive, twice. I'm sure he is still alive and well, but it's been 10 months since his last comment.

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Keeping fit like a mofo!!

That p90 ab ripper looks alright. I have been looking for a bit more of a core thing to do instead of the usual situps crunches. Will give some of it a bash!

I hope the place you move to is as nice!

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It is my go-to abs/core workout, go steady on the first few weeks!

I've got my eye on one with plenty of space, no sea view but perhaps that's err, just around the corner 😉

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I think I will have to do half of it in the first few weeks. I am just starting up exercising properly again an it is murder!

Round the corner will do just nicely for the biggie! :OD

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Yeah that's a solid plan. Run the whole vid but just try a bit of each - some are right buggers and really tough to start!

Hopefully something to cheer about this winter!

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More like something to do in Winter when I am snowed in! Or rather, rained in. Its the 21st century after all!

I watched the video there and right up till half way through I was like, yeah, cool. Then I was like whoah, steady dude!!

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I hope you've got the terrace on a slant away from the back door :O

V-up rollups and Oblique V-ups are the worst. I hate it but I love it!

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There is a tiny slant sideways so that it all swishes off but after some rain recently it didnt seem to work too well. At least I can have an ice rink for the young uns :OD

I will see tomorrow when I am working, its the best time to work out!

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Always thinking of the positives Boomy, I like it!

And yeah, getting paid to workout does provide a little more enjoyment :)

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First line, second paragraph...GOLD! 🤣

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A wooden spoon for the rest. Perhaps I should write naked more often 😬

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Lol...The rest was good, just not wank worthy. Write naked all the time bro. I do.

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I rather do naked writing (writing truths) than writing naked.

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Lol...Very witty of you sir.

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Oh, I thought you have stopped exercising!
Nothing wrong with doing and taken up red wine as a hobby, hahaha!

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No I won't do that, I actually enjoy keeping active :)

But yes, I do like the odd bottle glass of wine too!

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Very beautiful atmosphere

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'And if you thought I'd been wanking to photos of my friend and her cannon, you'd be wrong (this time)'

You'll have to do better than that to trick me mate. I was almost sure this would be a "reversed" clickbait. 😁

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Damn, foiled again!

My next plan is to stick a cannon photo in instead of the Engagement League table 😉

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Looks like you've taken to the new life in Spain really well. Love the setting.

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I am enjoying life here. If they were no mosquitos then life would be perfect, cheers!

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I don't think I could run 6km if I was being chased.

Your heart rate is looking really good. Do you notice the difference in how it feels since when you really started last year?

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I would say most people with working legs can run/jog/walk 6km - just got to fiddle with the % of each a bit more to start :)

I feel pretty good, better when I'm not on the wine and beer as much. When I started picking up the pace again in March last year, I was gasping for air a lot with the HIIT and my legs really didn't like any sort of run. Mixing the HIIT with some other cardio has helped wearing anything out too much and means I'm not suffering at all really the next day.

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I was doing 5 sets of 10 burpees last year. So, I have tried 40-50 burpees many times, never tried 100, or I get lazy and stop exercising daily before reaching that level.

I also run a couple of months in a year. It rains almost daily for a couple of months, and because of covid, it broke my routine.

In 2018, I started gym + running + exercise early morning in a park with a friend. He is kind of crazy when it comes to work out. Pushes a little too much, himself and people around him.

(Also brought him here for a couple of months, https://peakd.com/health/@paras/my-transformation-a-three-year-journey-of-hard-work-perseverance-pains-and-sweat )

So, we would wake up at 5 daily, go on a run of 3-4 km, do a set of burpees, stretching, sometimes pull ups.

And then, after one hour rest, we would go to gym.

I was above 100kg before, and in a couple of months, lost 20 kgs, was getting in good shape😅

Lol fun times, covid put a break on our crazy routine, and never got back to it again.

Thanks for reminding me how lazy I have become in the last year, sitting more, spending more time online, waking up late. Less sleep😂

Would get back to a better routine next year, this year seem to be a little too busy for me.

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From 100kg down to 80kg is excellent going!

Well, is it time to start that routine back up again? Your bones will thank you down the road I'm sure. Start today!

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Haha, I do exercise a bit once or twice a week. Just need to get consistent.

Start today!

Thanks. Will make sure that I do a set of pushups today before I sleep, and get back to a better routine in a couple of weeks.

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very beautiful place and the sun looks very hot

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Is there a cannon in the picture then? 😉

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😁

After a few moments, I've found the cannon!

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you do like to bate the poor plebs with cannon photos :P

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In Australia, they typically call a Speedo a "Budgie Smuggler"

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I'd have to say that the cannon appears to be held down by someone smuggling ..... Nope, I can't ruin a perfect moment.

That's simply a great view.

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Now I almost feel guilty for quickly scrolling through your post, in case there was another... cannon... picture. Almost. 😂

Oh, and ugh about that bike lane situation. We have a slightly different issue around here - when the local university is in session, it's not unusual to be driving down these country roads, then round a corner to find three or four hundred bikers riding side-by-side, essentially taking up the entire road. I hear you on the close shaves... 😮

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I clicked on your profile to check out what you're up to these days, and the first thing my eyes fell on was 'boobs and ass' LOL. My dirty mind has never left me.
I was kinda hoping you'd show me some boobs and ass. Well, you didn't disappoint in the last photo...

Anyway, when I read your story, I feel like I'm listening to some superman, compared to myself anyway haha.
About three months ago, I started a new job, which pretty much means sitting around, staring at my screen for 8 hours a day. Hey, I'm just glad to have a job. But still, it takes its toll. So I wanted to tackle that by slowly getting into some sort of a workout routine. But when I do certain things, I forget to take it easy. So I found some yoga videos for beginners. I had to because the 'advanced yoga' days I've seen are far in the past. Anyway, the lady started out quite beginner-y. And then she didn't. (just don't want to admit I'm getting older...). Well, on the very first day, I managed to pull my hamstring! OUCH!!!

So from that day on, my workout routine consisted of working in pain, sitting on that a...HAMSTRING. More ouch. So after a few days I gradually went back to walking, slowly. With the emphasis on SLOW. The pain stayed on for weeks, I thought it'd never end. Until one day, I got up and realized I wasn't screaming every time I moved my foot.

So much for my workout routine. On the bright side, I quit drinking coffee a few weeks before my new job started and haven't looked back since. With the coffee, also all the damn sugar went away (a LOT, I easily drank 5-8 cups a day with 4 scoops of sugar) and the very unhealthy powdered coffee creamer I thought I could never do without. I started drinking 3 liters of water each day, with or without lemon or lime. And low and behold, I lost 7 kg so far.
Nothing crazy, but other than not drinking coffee, I really didn't do a thing.
Just imagine I would have been working out in that time as well! I'd be unstoppable!
But yeah, the butt pain is gone now, so no more excuses. I am really going to start it slow this time. And after our move, it'll be even better, because there won't be a car in the beginning, so much easier to get a bit healthier...

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