The Good habit / healthy lifestyle thread

[Jims5543]

I realized if you look at my posts, you would think I am a alcoholic, who plays with cars and works all the time.


So far from reality.

So in this thread we share cool healthy lifestyle type of posts.

For example, every Sunday my wife and I drive one town south, park about 1 mile from it then walk in with our dog. We go to a small coffee shop grab an Acai Bowl and cup of coffee, sit outside and realx for a while and watch the goings on.  If you never heard of Acai, google it, it is a super food and very good for you.  Another couple brings their dog most mornings as well, one morning the husband stopped off by us to chat and said we make them feel guilty for eating crappy food with our healthy bowls. I told him to try one, it feels like cheating eating on, it is that delicious. I cannot believe it is good for you.



After our Sunday morning breakfast we head to the green market that goes on every Sunday. We usually bee line to 2-3 booths. One is a couple that are really nice they coop with other farmers and sell their locally grown organic food. We typically get a dozen local eggs, then load up on proteins, beef, pork, poultry then grab other items like bone broth and ghee (clarified butter) for cooking. We love this is all locally grown and organic. Since we rarely go out to eat M-F, the expense is easily offset.



Nearby is a local organic produce stand and a local honey stand, we hit them up as needed.

Most mornings I hit the gym pump some iron before I start my day. Healthy body = healthy mind.  The gym I joined is small and not really busy in the mornings, the owner is 23 years old and most members are his friends, best I can tell the evenings are bedlam there. I prefer the quiet mornings with the place to myself.  This is a 06:00 shot of the place.


Now that the days are longest I am biking a few miles a day too, I need to get back to running just worried my knees are not up for it.

Recent trip to NYC we were walking 10+ miles a day, I noticed my knees were not happy.

I typically walk about 6-8 miles a day. Wife and I walk 2 miles in the morning and 2 miles in the evening, the other 4-6 are walked at work since I work outside.


For supplements I do not take any medication, my blood pressure is normal, my other bodily functions all work fine.

I deal with a bad knee (surgery in 2006) and a bugling disk in my back.

I take Turmeric and glucosamine tabs for my knee so far so good, I honestly think the more you move the better off you are.

Then take a T- Boost supplement at night, ironically my good friend who is a few years older takes the same stuff, his doc told him to take it too. I will say, once I started taking it, I noticed I was naturally leaner and... how do you put this....

I was a pretty active guy before this when it comes to sex.. (Yeah I said it) once on these I felt like time rolled back to when I was in my 20's. Now, instead of me not keeping up with my 40 something wife (me in my 50's) she is like, hey slugger, calm down.

Best move ever, outside the bedroom crap, I noticed my energy is back up where it was when I was much younger. Worth every penny.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GV4ZFRQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


So, those are my healthy habits which GREATLY outweigh my bad habits.

[94touring]

My thing is moderation, no soda, avoid processed foods, skip my morning pastry habit, cut as much sugar as I can, vodka sodas, and I hit the gym once or twice on a 4 day trip.  I got the heaviest I've ever been this winter, 15lbs over my standard weight since highschool...20 years same weight.  Got carried away with huge meals, bad snack habits, and no exercise.  Back to normal finally, but the last 5lbs took awhile.  I can start easing my craft beer back into the mix.

[Jims5543]

We do not keep soda in our house. Period and rarely drink it out. It is a rare treat, if you want to call it that.

LMAO! When I graduated HS I weighed 135 lbs. I started to lift weights, became a gym rat and by the time I was 21 years old weighed 160 lbs. All my weight gain was muscle. I used to bench 350 lbs for reps and squat 500 lbs for reps.

Now I just use dumbbells and machines. I cannot squat any weight anymore due to my back injury.

I still weight 160 lbs and tend to drift towards 165 -170 in the winter when not as active or sweating my ass off.

Right now I am at 160 but with less muscle I feel my best closer to 150. Mrs5543 does not like it when I get down that low, my body fit hits single digits and she says I look gaunt. So I try to stay in the mid 150's in the summer.

[94touring]

I feel best in the 147-150 range.  I hit 165-168 and literally thought the scale was wrong.  Prior to that heaviest I had gotten was 155.  Getting older doesn't help.  Forgot to add I do sets of pushups in my hotel room anytime I enter.  Walk in a set of 20.  Walk out and back in, another 20.  Treat it like a prison.

Also horny goat weed taken daily for a couple weeks does wonders.

[John Gervais]

Man, you guys must be tiny!   ;D

I'm hovering around 190-195(ish) - left the Army at 175 give or take a bit; at 6'2" tall, I filled the uniform nicely...

We bake heavy-duty spelt rolls for breakfasts - better than the meager Scandinavian air-filled white bread breakfast rolls.  We also bake our own 'rugbrød' which is a heavy-duty sourdough dark-brown rye bread with a lot of seeds, mainly eaten at lunchtime.  A couple o'slices with some sliced meat and onion bits, ham  & cheese (or peanut butter & jelly) will keep you going all day long.  Also make all of our own jams, marmelades and apple sauce from fruit picked on the 'estate'.

The meat grinder I bought Hyacinth for Christmas has seen a lot of use; I grind pork and make 'frikadeller' - basically a baked pork meatball which we serve with potatoes brussels sprouts or pickled red cabbage.

Basic frikadeller recipe:

1 pound ground pork
1 egg
A couple of tablespoons of flour
A couple of tablespoons of milk - enough to make the mixture stick together, not necessarily 'pasty', but not dry.
Some black pepper
Some salt

Blend everything together and lay out 3" meatballs onto a baking tray.

Bake at 390F(ish) (200C) for around 50 minutes total baking time - turn them over at around the halfway mark and inspect the underside (should be browning/caramelizing).  Finish the baking with bottom side up -


Have the usual aches and pains - bad back, bad knees, find myself making 'old man noises' from time to time.  Smoke moderately, drink very little.  I'm not really interested in becoming fit again, though I do ride my bike to the garage.

[Jims5543]

Man, you guys must be tiny!   ;D

I'm hovering around 190-195(ish) - left the Army at 175 give or take a bit; at 6'2" tall, I filled the uniform nicely...

5'7" for me. I am a short fucker. Never bothered me much I am into motorsports and when I raced I liked my advantage in the SCCA where cars are weighed minus drivers.  :D

How much would one spend to get 40-50 lbs out of a car, some of the cats I raced against looked like they weighed 250 lbs so instantly I had 100 lbs on them.


Spelt rolls, I discovered spelt bagels in NYC with my wife and she was ecstatic. We purchased a bunch to bring home and she now is making some of her own.


I love that recipe gonna share it with the wife. Thanks for that.

[John Gervais]

We've been baking for many years - saves a whole lotta cash and we know what's in there.  Although we're not particularly health and fitness oriented, we buy organic veggies, flour and meats simply because they're 'better'.

The frikadeller are also good to drop into soups or sauces - Hyacinth also slices them and puts them on a buttered slice of rugbrød for a hearty lunchtime open-faced sandwich.

[94touring]

Speaking of heights, I'm about 5'9 and Jen is 5'11.  I like em tall.

[Jims5543]

We've been baking for many years - saves a whole lotta cash and we know what's in there.  Although we're not particularly health and fitness oriented, we buy organic veggies, flour and meats simply because they're 'better'.

The frikadeller are also good to drop into soups or sauces - Hyacinth also slices them and puts them on a buttered slice of rugbrød for a hearty lunchtime open-faced sandwich.

We are in the same boat, certain things we only buy organic because we noticed a big difference in taste and quality, Chicken is one of those things, local organic chicken tastes way better and the parts are normal sized not super sized like the hormone and antibiotic infused crap they sell in grocery stores.

We tried to like wild boar and just do not like it, it is very hard to prepare and really easy to mess up.

Also the local eggs are much better than even the store bought organic eggs, you cannot beat farm fresh eggs.

Speaking of heights, I'm about 5'9 and Jen is 5'11.  I like em tall.

My sons room mate is this Irish kid he is 5'5" tall and since I have known the kid he has dated 3 different girls all about 6' tall, that's his type too.

[94touring]

We buy almost all organic as well.  I rarely buy eggs from the store since my neighbors sister has chickens.  We routinely have too many eggs as a result.

[MiniGene]

I realized if you look at my posts, you would think I am a alcoholic, who plays with cars and works all the time.

Gotta confess, until this thread, I thought you were an alcoholic who plays with cars and works all the time.  Hahah, just kidding (mostly).

I've normally been an active guy.  Even though I've been in the military for 20 years, being in the Air Force we're not forced to work out like the Army or Marines.  We do have organized PT but it is usually lame-LOL.  That being said, if you don't take the initiative to keep yourself in shape you can very easily fail the physical fitness test and that is one of the fastest ways to damage your career.  I took my last test in September of last year, got approved for retirement in February of this year....needless to say I've been in "Treat Yo Self" mode for a while.  Probably the heaviest I've ever been 185 (5'9") which isn't too bad I feel.  I am approaching the point where I'm getting sick of not working out because I do enjoy it.  Getting everything ready to leave the UK doesn't leave a lot of free time.

Luckily, my wife does all the cooking and likes to cook with natural ingredients and none of the processed stuff I grew up on. 

Last week during one of my VA physicals the doc said I was a boring patient--a good thing.   4.gif

[jeff10049]

huh, the drunk thread had more than twice as many replies in the first 3 days as this lol.
I just got back from a good check out all was good blood work great so I guess its back to the drunk thread.

All kidding aside I don't do the gym thing but my work and lifestyle keep me in shape pretty well I never got the idea of walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike go out and do something for fuck's sake. but I guess if you somehow can't get out and do stuff it's better than becoming out of shape and unhealthy.

We grow all our own vegetables this time of year and what we don't we buy from local growers. we eat a good mix of meat and vegetables my cholesterol was off the charts low doc told me to eat a damn donut and some bacon now and then. 

Funny thing is I do but my thing is everything in moderation and it apparently works.

[94touring]

I ride an actual bike when I can. But when you're at the holiday inn express in bfe, stationary bike it is.  Yesterday rather than stationary bike I walked 2 miles to the nearest coffee shop.  Skip the pastries and stick to coffee, no sugar.

[John Gervais]

Mmmm, bacon ...   77.gif

[Jims5543]

I ride an actual bike when I can. But when you're at the holiday inn express in bfe, stationary bike it is.  Yesterday rather than stationary bike I walked 2 miles to the nearest coffee shop.  Skip the pastries and stick to coffee, no sugar.

I used to run a lot, I always say I am going to get into it again but lack the motivation.

When we traveled my favorite thing to do was get up real early in the morning and go for a run around whatever city or town we were in.

I would typically take an easy run maybe 20-30 minutes away from hotel then back.

Great way to get a lay of the town / city.

Greenville SC, I was out for a run one morning and would have sworn there was some sort of marathon or event going on, I was amazed how many people were out running and walking early in the morning there.

[Jims5543]

Friday will be the day I put in my request to drop my membership at the above pictured gym.


I noticed a change and tried to go different mornings and earlier (like 5:30) to avoid this and there is no avoiding.

The owner is branching out into personal training. Which means chubby middle aged upper middle class white woman in spandex that do not belong in nor should ever wear in public paying good money to be trained by very distracted 20 year old dudes who do not give a shit what they do.

I  took the summer off, mostly because of travel, and because my body was screaming for a break.

3 weeks ago I went back to a transformed gym, new equipment was replaced with beat to shit old equipment, fine!! I am OK with the rough and tumble.

I am working out, for now, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings, when I went in Sunday the place was empty, cool!! Except there used to be a blue tooth boom box it is gone, now crappy rap auto tuned rap music is being pumped through the speakers. I came unprepared, so I suffered through the crappy music and got my workout done.

Tuesday morning I was there the place was somewhat empty, the back door was open a huge fan was blowing and some really crappy rap music playing again, I was prepared, I put on my over the ear phones and did my thing.

Thursday morning, the place is bedlam, 2 dudes trying to get workouts in, chubby middle aged woman all over the place trying to get skinny and score with the trainers... complete shit show...

I cut my workout short, drove 1 mile up road to LA Fitness (what I call Global Gym - Watch Dodge ball movie to understand) fired up my 2 year old app and walked in with my bar code. My mission was to case the place and see if I could have worked out there.

It was relatively empty, I was amazed by the sheer amount of 60 something dudes wearing spandex shorts and spaghetti strap tanks tops ( like it was the 80's) working out. Some in impressive shape some, needed to cover the fuck up.

Regardless, I can make LA work.

so Friday I cancel my little gym membership and start working out at Global Gym.

Actually I worked out there this morning and was OK with it all, today was leg day and I was able to do my thing and get out of there fast.

So Global Gym it is....