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....

[Jims5543]

Talking with Dan reminded me of this. 

About a year ago I started going to a new Chiropractor, she is a nerd in her 30's and had really helped my back a lot.

I got my wife to go there too, as time passed and we got to know one another the Doc complimented us on our healthy lifestyle. We try to eat as clean as possible but not go crazy.  Anyway, she told us about this product we might be interested in called Protandim.  She sent me a video to watch that was from 60 Minutes about it.  We decided to give it a try about 4 months ago.  The idea is to use it for 1 month per decade alive to counter the aging process. 

According to a review:

"What is Protandim?
Protandim is a nutritional supplement with very high antioxidant activity, and it also increases antioxidant activity in the body. The product also contains healthy proteins called sirtuins which have medicinal benefits.

It's supposed to reduce oxidative stress in the body by 40%. in 30 days. The company claims that the product will lead to better health, focus, energy, mental clarity, and mood."

I can honestly say after 4 months I am noticing a difference in how I feel, mental clarity has improved, physically I uhave noticed I am having much more energy, and this is a odd one....

No more hangovers?  (Dan reminded me of this today)

I do not drink much anymore, maybe a beer or two after work it that. Its a rare day when I over indulge.  There was a rare day this past week, I should have woken up feeling like crap and I woke up feeling fine like when I was in my 20's and could shake it off easily.

Anyway, this is the product if anyone is interested, its not cheap but I can say it seems to be working great.

https://www.lifevantage.com/us-en/shop/lines/protandim

We are using the Protandim Tri-synergizer. It runs about $150 a month per person, yes spendy, what price do you put on being healthier? After 5 Months I am going to change my order and reduce the amount of products I am taking. I do feel I want to keep this in my life from now on though.

60 Minute piece on it.

[MiniDave]

I'm a lot older than the rest of you guys, and my body regularly lets me know how old I am!

That said, while not as active as I used to be I do try and stay active - we walk the dogs every day and I work in my shop, yard etc. I had a knee replaced about 3 years ago and that really helped with my activity level....I can walk again!

I used to take a really good supplement but they left the market a while ago, so I need to find something else.

Used to drink up to a 12 pack of diet coke a day, stopped that about 5 years ago and honestly can't say I feel any different for doing so. Now my soda intake is very occasional, like with a pizza or something. Other than that it's mostly just cold ice water out of the fridge, sometimes with sugar free flavor added.

I never drank alcohol, so no issues there......just never acquired the taste for it.

[94touring]

Funny going back and reading this from 6 years ago.  No way I can maintain that 147-150lbs anymore.  Mid 150s is about it.  I did pork up to 171 for a bit by indulging on my trips.  About to purchase a bike to ride the trails around where I live. Maybe I can shave a few more pounds off. 

[Jims5543]

I am within 5-10 lbs of my fighting weight, which would be 155 lbs being a 5'7" midget that is a decent weight considering my muscle mass.

Right now I am around 163 lbs.  and could stand to lose about 7 lbs to get a 4 pack again. I recently had a MRI on my back because we were not making progress like my Nerd Chiropractor wanted to see. I knew I had a bulging disk at my L5/Sacrum the MRI confirmed that, furthermore you could see my disk was experiencing disintegration.  She started me on a stretching protocol, I also have an inversion table in my home gym* that I try to use once a day, typically in the evening before bedtime.

Also, I started taking collagen every day, the jury is out on its benefits there are rumors it really helps your joints a lot.

Regarding medication, I take nothing prescribed. I finally found a practical medicine doctor I am going to start going to, I am not interested in the latest greatest magical pill from (insert your pharmaceutical company here) when there are more natural options.  I call my wife a closet hippy, she influences me greatly.  I take turmeric every day, I also take some natural testo boosters due to my age. About a month ago, out of nowhere I was having piss stream flow issues which came out of nowhere. I did some reading and noticed the Protandim has some Milk Thistle in it. I tied Milk Thistle a few years ago because it supposed to be a good antioxidant, for whatever reason, that causes, what I think is inflammation of my prostrate. It hit me on a Saturday, I could not pee and what came out trickled, it was really painful and annoying.

I did a lot of reading, started doing Kegels and ordered some natural prostrate support supplements, after a week of Kegels things were back to normal, after a week of the supplements, I was pissing like a race horse.

I honestly felt guilty when the Doc said we are healthy people, I drink a couple of beers a day, deep down I do not think that is healthy.

I just like the taste of a good cold IPA at the end of a long work day.

I took a couple months off of it, and didn't feel any different.  I now have one or two may be 2-3 times a week.

The funny part is I did a confession to my doc about the beers, and I felt it was hypocritical to drink while taking the Protandim, she laughed and told me many of her clients and friends are doing it to offset their destructive lifestyle.

That was when a lightbulb went off about the lack of hangovers.



Dave: My RX7 mechanic was a recovered alcoholic, he used to drink 2 liters of coke a day. I say used to because he died of a heart attack skinny as could be about 5 years ago at the ripe old age of 65. According to his wife he had a heart attack in his favorite chair watching TV and no one knew.

I was shocked to learn he was 65, I thought he was 75.

I do not drink any soda at all, we do not keep any in the house at all, it is a very rare day when I have some. I typically drink about 2 liters of water a day, keeping in mind I work outside in FloRida and sweat a LOT.


*I have not been working out since 2020, when gyms closed I just stopped then business exploded and I found myself working from 5am to 7pm every day and just did not have time to exercise. That is why I love working in the field, it is at the very least my exercise.

My wife and I turned the back gaming room into a home gym, we have a nice setup back there, I just need to find the time and motivation to get back there and use it. LOL!

[94touring]

Yeah I don't buy soda either. Occasionally have one. I usually reserve it for hangovers honestly.  Something about a cherry coke brings me back to life.

[ADRay]

as I read this, I am pedaling away on a Peloton bike that wifey brought home in January. I've been able to squeeze in 20 minutes a day first thing in the morning. I used to commute daily as a student in Boston on a bmx bike, and I really missed the feeling after a good ride.

That and (trying to) not consume beer everyday, and the vegan or vegetarian meals that wifey makes during the week, I've managed to avoid my high end weight fluctuation this year (so far anyway).

Traditionally I would float between 175-185, (I'm 5'9 and kinda lean) usually the high end being mid summer and mid winter. when I'd hit 185, my clothes start feeling tight and uncomfortable and it's time to watch the intake.

Riding the Peloton has kept me at the low end of my weight, and my goal is to get to 165. also the cardio benefits are noticeable after 8 months too.

And it should be noted, I just get on the thing, put on a scenic 20 minute ride, no anudio, and read my news feed. I don't go in for any of the guided classes or any of that.

[MiniDave]

I had a fatal heart attack in July of 2020 - right in the middle of the covid pandemic. Fortunately I was in the ER when it happened and they used the jumper cables and a whole bunch of other people to get me started again - no one will tell me how long I was gone, but the "good" news was it was due to a blood clot, my arteries are fine. They cleaned it out and said I suffered only a small amount of damage to my heart - tho I can def feel the difference.

I turned 75 this year and while I'm not eager to have it all end, no one in my family save one uncle has lived longer than 80. We'll see.......

[Jims5543]

as I read this, I am pedaling away on a Peloton bike that wifey brought home in January. I've been able to squeeze in 20 minutes a day first thing in the morning. I used to commute daily as a student in Boston on a bmx bike, and I really missed the feeling after a good ride.

That and (trying to) not consume beer everyday, and the vegan or vegetarian meals that wifey makes during the week, I've managed to avoid my high end weight fluctuation this year (so far anyway).

Traditionally I would float between 175-185, (I'm 5'9 and kinda lean) usually the high end being mid summer and mid winter. when I'd hit 185, my clothes start feeling tight and uncomfortable and it's time to watch the intake.

Riding the Peloton has kept me at the low end of my weight, and my goal is to get to 165. also the cardio benefits are noticeable after 8 months too.

And it should be noted, I just get on the thing, put on a scenic 20 minute ride, no anudio, and read my news feed. I don't go in for any of the guided classes or any of that.

That is a great idea!! 

We have a budget Peloton from Beach Body (the Makers of P90X) and have a subscription, I do not do any of the live stuff but will occasionally jump on and do a 15-20 minute ride, I need to make that more of a habit. I do not read when on there, I just listen to music and enjoy the down time for 20 minutes. LOL!

I came to post this, I use it a lot, my wife told me about it. Its an app called YUKA  its in the Play store so I imagine its also on the ios store too. There were times when I thought I was making a good choice and it turned out to be poor.  LOL!!

https://yuka.io/en/

You can scan bar codes and it give you a rating from 0-100 with 100 being perfect.

You can scan everything from skin care to sunscreen to foods.

We try to avoid processed food as much as possible, sticking with whole foods.

We stopped buying proteins from the green market, it was too expensive, we have since purchased a 9 cubic foot deep freezer and we used Butcher Box to order all our proteins. Everything is non-gmo, no antibiotics, no hormones and good clean proteins.  We get 1 large box from them with a few add ons every 3 months.  I also splurge from time to time and order some amazing steaks from Snake River Farms. My favorite product from them is the American Wagu chop meat that we use to make hamburgers with, its about $14 a lb, I typically  buy several to keep around.

I do not buy seafood from them because we live in South Florida and have multiple fresh seafood stores near our house that we buy from.

https://www.snakeriverfarms.com/

https://www.butcherbox.com/