PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

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Having successfully given up smoking (for 4 whole weeks now) I am going to go for a run today, as soon as my Richie Hawtin CD has been copied.

I don't know what my chances of actually keeping up a decent fitness routine are, but it's worth a shot I guess. I also should be spending my time writing essays this week, but I have a weird idea that if I get some excercise I'll think more clearly also.

So tell me about your failed/successful excercise routines???

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:00 (twenty-two years ago)

last night i was out, and my friend matt ran 9 miles the other day, and is working his way up to being marathon standard. i was kind of shocked.

i am less fit than i have pretended to myself

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Wanking

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:04 (twenty-two years ago)

sadly I don't think wanking works.

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:04 (twenty-two years ago)

oops, that should say "he told me that he had run 9 miles the other day"

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:05 (twenty-two years ago)

You're obviously not doing right

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:05 (twenty-two years ago)

jumping ping pong is very good exercise and fun too.

― Robbie Lumsden (Wallace Stevens HQ), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm only doing this because my sister said "your face has got very pudgy".

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:06 (twenty-two years ago)

... sorry I meant to say WALKING

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:06 (twenty-two years ago)

How do you exercise yr face exactly?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:07 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought this would be a Pinefox thread. I believe he has an interesting anecdote about the origins of this phrase. Perhaps he will share it with us?

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:07 (twenty-two years ago)

When I was at the famously liberal arts college, Reed, in Portland, OR, rumour had it that a couple of students once persuaded their supervisor to allow them to pursue 'Sex' as their compulsory PE credit.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I've been promising to go swimming once a week since last August, fears prompted by noticing my fledgeling beer gut. I have so far yet to go once. I have, on the other hand, been to the pub a couple of hundred times in the interim.

The phrase 'Pushing The Envelope' is horrible management speak. Ronan, you're giving off bad vibes. Maybe you should ctrl-alt-del and restart.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I tried to go to the gym regularly and had a program down (30 mins on a rowing machine, 30 mins on a treadmill, 30 mins on a stepper and then give a go on one of those abs cruncher thingies and then to a sauna/steam room), but I only ended up going once a week and now I'm lucky if it's once every two weeks. I quite like it though and I feel the better for it after a workout and for some reason at the sports complex, they think I'm a fully paid member so I get in for free. I'm desperately unfit though, I wouldn't be able to last 15 mins in an indoor soccer match and that was last year. I go for a walk for a mile or a couple of miles every so often although that's hardly keeping fit.

― Michael B, Monday, 26 April 2004 12:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh I know it's an awful phrase, I just wanted to use it cos it felt like something a psychotic excercise person might say.

Yeah I know what you mean about the beer gut, my sister also said that. She then attempted to make up for it all by throwing me a bone in the form of "you were always one of the best looking of us".

My yearly report says otherwise.

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Interestingly, the phrase "Pushing The Envelope" was originally used by fighter pilots during the Second World War in reference to the exceptional speeds they achieved and the dangerous mid-air maneouvres that they performed.

― the bracefox, Monday, 26 April 2004 12:31 (twenty-two years ago)

stick with it for at least two weeks. after that, it should become part of your routine. i started going to the gym 3-4x a week again in january, and it's great. a really good way to sweat out hangovers, actually, which i know you can use from time to time.

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:36 (twenty-two years ago)

never!

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 26 April 2004 12:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I did it! I ran for about 45 minutes. I am in agony now. It was good though, I listened to Richie Hawtin, that made me run a bit too fast though. tomorrow will be the real test.

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 26 April 2004 13:53 (twenty-two years ago)

technically, it's "pushing the outside of of the envelope"

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:04 (twenty-two years ago)

The day after tomorrow will be the REAL test if past experience is anythign to go by, when your joints really seize up.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:06 (twenty-two years ago)

My routine: 4-6 times a week in the gym; 30 mins bike, 30 mins stepper, 40 mins free weights/weight machines. I can't walk from place to place as often as I did in London, but I do 20-25 mins after my drop-off from work to get to the house (it used to be 30 mins - I'm proud of myself). I'm pretty happy with it - I feel like I come down a size or two and even if I'm not gonna grace the cover of Men's Health any year now, I'm definitely satisfied with my efforts.

― Barima (Barima), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, Ro, I know these things are really daunting at first, so I wanna wish you good luck and all, and to stick with it for as long as you feel. I used to think my mum was nuts for getting me up at 7am and jog in the park with her all the time, but 5 years on, I'm so on her side now.

Also recommended - general aerobic shiznit. I normally dance for ages when I'm out and this helped me lose some serious flab in my first uni year (though maybe quitting addict-like consumption of Snickers spread was more key). And I know you wuv to dance.

― Barima (Barima), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:19 (twenty-two years ago)

The day after tomorrow will be the REAL test if past experience is anythign to go by, when your joints really seize up.

true, but it's a productive ache. stick with it!

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)

NO PAIN, NO GAIN!

― Barima (Barima), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)

(But if you're in total agony, you've, uh, done something very wrong)

― Barima (Barima), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I have a simpler philosophy:

No PAIN, No PAIN!

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:25 (twenty-two years ago)

No pain = weight gain.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I do the elliptical trainer every day for 30 minutes. It must be working as I've lost 20 pounds. I plan to add pilates to the schedule for four days a week. Let's see if it happens. It would involve getting up at 5:30 a.m. every day and...

― mandee, Monday, 26 April 2004 14:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I lost a LOT of weight over last summer by:

1. Walking everyhwere
2. Eating very little

I suspect 2. was the important one

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Haven't put so much as an ounce back on since

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I gain weight really easily. It depresses me. It's like I'm destined for carb face.

― mandee, Monday, 26 April 2004 14:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Explain the elliptical trainer to me, please.

― Barima (Barima), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I dunno. It's weird. You look pretty stupid while you do it. It moves your feet/lower body/etc. in an.. elliptical motion. It's low impact since your feet never leave the pedals.

― mandee, Monday, 26 April 2004 14:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I think we've got one at the house. It sounds just like the strange thing in the corner of the gym that swings your legs while your upper body does absolutely nothing. Never really used it or knew what it was.

― Barima (Barima), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I gain weight really easily. It depresses me. It's like I'm destined for carb face.

so do i. waah. at least we have nice, shiny hair courtesy of terax.

xpost - i heart the elliptical trainer!

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Mandee, how long did it take you to lose that weight?

― Barima (Barima), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Barima -- hm, since late January?

― mandee, Monday, 26 April 2004 14:45 (twenty-two years ago)

ha - i read this as 'fucking the envelope'.
that's pretty funny.

― g-kit (g-kit), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not that desperate yet. I have not turned to stationery.

Barima I know what you mean about the dancing, if I still had a regular weekly club to go to I'd be fine and wouldn't need to go running. I think for 6 months in 2002 I was dancing from midnight till about 7 or 8 every week.

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 26 April 2004 14:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay, so ARMS. I barely exercise my arms and it's starting to become apparent. Writers move their hands a lot but upper arms need work. I have a skipping rope and canned vegetables as props, no barbells.

― suzy (suzy), Monday, 26 April 2004 15:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Ronan, agreed about the dancing - I don't do enough any more (except in front of the telly but keep that on the downlow). Ironically, after my first year at Manc, I went jogging with Mum for the first time in a year and a half and collapsed in bed for hours not long afterwards - the dancing wasn't quite that effective it seemed.

Suzy, if your props are on the cheap, try using completely filled 1 litre or so bottles of water. I have this home workout guide somewhere if you need more info.

Mandee, nice 1.

What about STOMACHS? My belly seems to be the major problem area for me - it's gone down considerably but probably carries the most flab.

― Barima (Barima), Monday, 26 April 2004 20:30 (twenty-two years ago)

you need to burn off the fat in your stomach aerobically. it's not gonna go away by doing any sort of sit-ups/crunchies.

― oops (Oops), Monday, 26 April 2004 21:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I hate crunches. But I love Crunchies.

― Barima (Barima), Monday, 26 April 2004 21:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks, I'll make more effort to aerobicise.

― Barima (Barima), Monday, 26 April 2004 21:45 (twenty-two years ago)

No pain = weight gain.

See, this is why I am so tremendously unfit... because I have such a fast metabolism (which I LOVE and wouldn't give up for the world) that I can eat nothing but junk and pasta, never come close to exercising, and still look vaguely anorexic. No pain = no pain.

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 26 April 2004 22:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Ah, if only we had a say in giving up/not giving up our metabolism. Mine's still pretty fast, which leaves me both unfit and skinny, but I fear it's slowly giving out on me. Soon enough, two trips to the gym in four months just won't cut it anymore.

― the krza (krza), Monday, 26 April 2004 22:33 (twenty-two years ago)

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