NationStates Jolt Archive

(Inspired by the "Giant Fat Cow" Thread)

To all the energic people among you...

WHERE do you find the time or energy?

I've thought about exercising lots and even about eating healthily.
But I've always been too goddam lazy. :p

So, go on, whats your secret to being energetic?

my rule in life is "fake it until you make it"

I feel like crap 90% of the time, but I get up off my ass and do what needs to be done anyway.

I actually have a lot more energy when I exercise and eat healthily, so I guess exercise is my key to being energetic. Sounds weird, I know. I have much more energy throughout the day if I start off with a workout. I change my workout schedule a lot, but recently I've been starting the day with half an hour of pilates mat exercises. It wakes me up and gets me ready for the day. Three or four days a week I go running when I get home from work, nothing too strenuous, usually just 30 or 45 minutes on the bike trail by the river. On the days I don't run, I lift free weights while I watch TV. All in all, it only takes up an hour or so of my day, so I don't feel like it's taking up that much of my time. *shrug*

I actually have a lot more energy when I exercise and eat healthily, so I guess exercise is my key to being energetic. Sounds weird, I know. I have much more energy throughout the day if I start off with a workout. I change my workout schedule a lot, but recently I've been starting the day with half an hour of pilates mat exercises. It wakes me up and gets me ready for the day. Three or four days a week I go running when I get home from work, nothing too strenuous, usually just 30 or 45 minutes on the bike trail by the river. On the days I don't run, I lift free weights while I watch TV. All in all, it only takes up an hour or so of my day, so I don't feel like it's taking up that much of my time. *shrug*

The thing is, I always lose interest in the exercise thing before I can see the results/have the benefeits.

I suppose its kinda a catch 22, to have energy you need to exercise, to exercise you need to ahve energy.

get 4 hours sleep you are too tired to feel tired and its just enough to live:)

I've thought about exercising lots and even about eating healthily.
But I've always been too goddam lazy. :p


Being an unemployed college student, I rely on public transporation (bus), which means I walk to and from bus stops, all well as all over campus. Plus, eating healthy isn't really all that difficult; I used to eat corporate fast food ("Jack in the Box," "Carl's Jr.," etc.) all the time, but have stopped completely and began eating at the small Chinese, Japanese, Persian/Middle Eastern places instead (all of which are located near campus within walking distance:D ). The food is by far more tasty and more healthy; I've not engaged in any extra exercise, but I've already dropped 9 to 10-ish pounds in just a couple of months. Slow, but steady I suppose. Still technically overweight (26 on BMI, whereas the upper limit of "normal" is 24.9 I believe) but just barely. The problem with giving up on fast food, however, is that tastier and healthy tends also to be more expensive. :(

The thing is, I always lose interest in the exercise thing before I can see the results/have the benefeits.

I suppose its kinda a catch 22, to have energy you need to exercise, to exercise you need to ahve energy.
Hmm. See, I always feel better physically and emotionally when I work out, so the benefits are pretty immediate for me. Plus I get that runner's high, which helps motivate me. Also, getting lots of exercise helps to fend off evil cramps when that time of month rolls around. :p Try just lifting weights while you watch TV, that way you still get to be sitting at home, but you're also getting some exercise in your schedule. Dumbbells are pretty cheap, and don't take up a lot of space.

Oh, and as for the eating healthily thing, that's just how I was raised. I prefer the taste of "healthy" things as opposed to junk food, and foods that are overly fatty/greasy upset my stomach. Just a product of my upbringing, so I guess I can't help you there.

I actually have a lot more energy when I exercise and eat healthily, so I guess exercise is my key to being energetic. Sounds weird, I know. I have much more energy throughout the day if I start off with a workout. I change my workout schedule a lot, but recently I've been starting the day with half an hour of pilates mat exercises. It wakes me up and gets me ready for the day. Three or four days a week I go running when I get home from work, nothing too strenuous, usually just 30 or 45 minutes on the bike trail by the river. On the days I don't run, I lift free weights while I watch TV. All in all, it only takes up an hour or so of my day, so I don't feel like it's taking up that much of my time. *shrug*

Its true. I'm in shape and out of shape regularly, as I play football, then when the season ends I do nothing. Anyway, when I'm playing, I'm always energetic, whereas when the season is over.....not so much.

Being an unemployed college student, I rely on public transporation (bus), which means I walk to and from bus stops, all well as all over campus. Plus, eating healthy isn't really all that difficult; I used to eat corporate fast food ("Jack in the Box," "Carl's Jr.," etc.) all the time, but have stopped completely and began eating at the small Chinese, Japanese, Persian/Middle Eastern places instead (all of which are located near campus within walking distance:D ). The food is by far more tasty and more healthy; I've not engaged in any extra exercise, but I've already dropped 9 to 10-ish pounds in just a couple of months. Slow, but steady I suppose. Still technically overweight (26 on BMI, whereas the upper limit of "normal" is 24.9 I believe) but just barely. The problem with giving up on fast food, however, is that tastier and healthy tends also to be more expensive. :(
Walking more is an easy way to get more exercise in. If you don't live somewhere where you can do a lot of walking to get where you need to go, it's still not that hard. If you drive to the grocery store, park at the first spot you see instead of driving up and down the aisles closest to the entrance. If you have a dog, take it for walks more often (good for you and the dog!). Take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator. Etc etc.

While we're listing BMIs, I'm a 19.

I suppose I'd rather get stronger and generally fitter rather than slimmer.

Talk about your innuendo-filled titles. xD;

I've found that just existing takes up enough energy. And generates enough as well. Then again, I consume sugar, chocolate, and caffeine on a daily basis, so I can't be much of a reliable source for that.

Some people say that it's genetic, but then again, if you sit on the couch all day eating Fritos it really doesn't matter what your genes are.

I used to be a fat nerd in high school, and then I got into weight training in college. The key to this was having friends who were doing it with me. That was by far the most important thing to keep me from slacking off. If anyone missed a workout, we would tease him horribly. If you slacked off, we would push you to put more effort in. When between sets and such, we would bullshit. It was very social, which made it much more enjoyable.

We also adjusted our diets – we were very strict on what we could eat from Sunday lunch to Friday lunch. Friday afternoon until after the hangover brunch on Sunday we could eat or drink whatever we wanted. This binging on the weekend helped balance out the week and made it very easy to stick to the diet. Eventually our tastes changed so that we even started eating healthier on weekends – a lot of fatty foods start to become disgusting if you haven’t eaten it in a while.

When my schedules changed, I could no longer work out with my friends and eventually started slacking off. The more I missed, the easier it was to slack off. Eventually, I just stopped working out altogether.

These days, I spend about 3 hours in the car every day. That is what kills me. I simply do not have the time, energy, or motivation to work out anymore. Next spring I am joining the local kickball league – not only is it good exercise, it is a great social networking thing.

The best way to get started (in my humble opinion) is to find some sport or activity to do socially. Softball, kickball, hiking, whatever. Even minor changes can have a major effect over the long term. Eventually, you should try to get up to doing better exercises.

Start working out on a schedule – do some weight training on Mondays and Thursdays with cardio (running, biking, kayaking, whatever) the rest of the week (but do nothing on Sunday – your body needs a day of rest). You will start to feel healthier, have more energy, and even be in a better mood.

If you can do this consistently for one full month, your body gets into the habit and it becomes much easier to maintain. That first month is a pain, but if you can push through it you will be much better off.

I spend way too much time sitting down – I spend 9 hours working at a desk, then 3 in my car – but am trying to get better. The only exercise I get these days is sleeping with my girl (that counts as cardio – vigorous exertion which gets the heart up to target rate for at least half an hour), but hopefully I can find some time and new weight room buddies to get back into shape. Until then, try being very adventuresome in bed – be on top and be very active, get kinky even. Sex is an exercise everyone enjoys ;) Though I suppose you should make sure you have something healthy in the fridge for the after sex munchies.

Stop eating fast food, eat healthy. This doesn’t men you have to cut out everything you like, just stop with the soda or iced tea (tons of sugar – unsweetened tea is all good), drink plenty of water (most people walk around dehydrated and that slows you down), and stay away from fried foods, pastries, even try to cut out red meat helps a lot (lean beef is all good, but the vast majority is very fatty – ground beef tends to be 20% fat).

Remember, once you can do it consistently for a month, it becomes habit so it gets easier. Even minor changes help a lot.

No one in their right mind would come to me for health advice, but the other day I heard a passing thing on the news that an apple is more effective in 'waking you up' or giving you energy or whatever than a cup of coffee, which I didn't buy-but I was working yesterday and was crazy tired but I couldn't drink soda or anything because of what I was doing, so I wrapped an apple in a napkin and tested the theory. It actually worked pretty well. I'm kinda contimplating getting a big ol' bag of apples next time I shop so I can start doin' stuff instead of napping all the time...

(Inspired by the "Giant Fat Cow" Thread)

To all the energic people among you...

WHERE do you find the time or energy?

I've thought about exercising lots and even about eating healthily.
But I've always been too goddam lazy. :p

So, go on, whats your secret to being energetic?

First, eat better. Fatty foods gives the body the impression that its job is done for the forseeable future. That's why lions can go several weeks without eating and sleep 18 hours a day, but rabbits must eat constantly.

Fruit, toast, and yougurt for breakfast.

I'm not going to advocate salad for lunch, because I can't bring myself to eat it, but a lighter version of dinner, and a heavier version of breakfast will do you fine.

A few ounces of lean protein, vegetables cooked in the gravy left behind by the meat, and some whole-grain pasta or rice for dinner.

A week or so eating like that and you'll feel a lot less sluggish. Then you can start exercising and you'll find that that gives you a lot more energy too.

It really isn't that hard.

Eat food that tastes good and isn't pure fat in decent portions.
Take an hour every three days to go to the gym. Hell, when I'm rushed, I can bang out a decent workout in half an hour.

I ride my bike or walk to and from class, so that takes care of cardio. Even if I didn't, I just don't bother with cardio. I do by far enough weight training to burn more than enough calories.

yeah, I hated going at first. and there are still days that I hate going. But I actually now enjoy it when I am there.

Running is an excellent way to get into shape. I don't quite know the statistic, but I believe that running burns about twice as much fat as walking the same distance. Just start slowly, and then build up to more distance. It helps to be training for something - set yourself a goal to do a race, and train to get into shape for that. Like other people have said, it helps to have a friend to do it with. Do this and eat healthy, and you'll be in shape in no time.

(Inspired by the "Giant Fat Cow" Thread)

To all the energic people among you...

WHERE do you find the time or energy?

I've thought about exercising lots and even about eating healthily.
But I've always been too goddam lazy. :p

So, go on, whats your secret to being energetic?

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to drink water, and lots of it. That alone will make you lose at least 5 pounds, provided you don't indulge in twinkies or junk food.

Personally, I run at least 5 miles every other day, rain or shine, sick or fit. At first, it's a real bitch, but then you begin to like it as you find you can do more and more, until you get to the point that you want to do it.

Ugh, I work full time and I'm in grad school. If there's anybody who does these things AND exercises and eats nutritiously, please speak up.

Ugh, I work full time and I'm in grad school. If there's anybody who does these things AND exercises and eats nutritiously, please speak up.

exercise, I can understand not having time for. Eating nutritionally, however, I have found to take the same ammount of time as making something unhealthy.

exercise, I can understand not having time for. Eating nutritionally, however, I have found to take the same ammount of time as making something unhealthy.

True, true. I just nuke a Lean Cuisine for every meal. Except breakfast.

True, true. I just nuke a Lean Cuisine for every meal. Except breakfast.

I've never had one of those, but mother dearest says they are pretty good.

I have three roommates plus myself, so we always have something actually cooked for us. It is pretty nice

I'm into Karate, and it's a WICKED good way to stay healthy. It's intense exercise, but it's exercise with a direct purpose in mind, and there's a lot of learning going on during it. You generally have a class of people with you to keep you into it (look for a place with an adult class, otherwise you could very well be in a class with 11-17 year olds and it's a little humbling when you have to bow to someone who is 5-10 years younger than you). You should be able to find a place that's not that expensive either. Just keep in mind that it's a LOT of discipline... but the most difficult part of the discipline is making the decision to go back to class. *grin*

I generally don't have a weight problem, but I've seen people come into class who have one, and come out having dropped a ton of weight and are healthier and more energetic in the bargain. I encourage anyone who has a weight issue and an hour a night one, two or three nights a week to look for a martial art to study.

I don't do any of those things... not any of them.

But the key is forcing time to do it - and squeezing it between things. Study while you run - go to a gym, and balance a book on the bike or treadmill. It takes some practice, but it'll help. Or get earphones and listen to it, if it's something you can get audio of. Depends what you're in school for. Or take your lunch break to go running and get a shower, and then eat while you're working (if you have a cubie type job). As to eating, I find it really doesn't take any longer to eat healthy, so long as you've made it to the store and bought the right things instead of going out to McDonalds every day. (Ugh!)

As to getting going... I have a tendancy to sit on my butt and eat chocolates (mmm... chocolates), and getting out of that depends on whether you can motivate yourself or not. If not, get someone else to go with you. It's a lot easier to get someone else to do stuff than yourself.

And I find eating better and getting some excercise makes me feel better and more energetic to begin with. Specially the eating better.

I've never had one of those, but mother dearest says they are pretty good.

I have three roommates plus myself, so we always have something actually cooked for us. It is pretty nice

They are pretty good, if you know which ones are good.

You and your roommates cook? I've never had a roommate who did anything besides make things dirty.

I have to agree with Smunkee -- fake it until you make it. Don't feel like going for that run? Do it anyway. You'll hate yourself for it now, and your body will hate you more, but it'll pay big dividends later. But make sure it's something you like doing or you'll never convince yourself. I discovered a love of racquetball and within a few months I had dropped from 212lb to 167lb.

It's not like it takes a whole hell of a lot of time to exercise. Just 20-30 minutes a day of moderate activity is good. I spend more time than that surfing from the beginning of my digital cable channels to the end. To say you can't find 20 minutes out of 1440 just means you aren't looking hard enough.

As far as nutrition goes, don't abstain from anything. Saying "I will not" is a sure-fire guarantee that you will. Think of it more like saving up for a big screen TV or something. I'm saving my calories for the Double Whopper with cheese and bacon on Friday. As long as I'm careful the rest of the week, hell ya I'm going to splurge at the end. This, my friends, is how I *kept* 167lb.

I'm into Karate, and it's a WICKED good way to stay healthy. It's intense exercise, but it's exercise with a direct purpose in mind, and there's a lot of learning going on during it. You generally have a class of people with you to keep you into it (look for a place with an adult class, otherwise you could very well be in a class with 11-17 year olds and it's a little humbling when you have to bow to someone who is 5-10 years younger than you). You should be able to find a place that's not that expensive either. Just keep in mind that it's a LOT of discipline... but the most difficult part of the discipline is making the decision to go back to class. *grin*

I generally don't have a weight problem, but I've seen people come into class who have one, and come out having dropped a ton of weight and are healthier and more energetic in the bargain. I encourage anyone who has a weight issue and an hour a night one, two or three nights a week to look for a martial art to study.

I agree here completely. I've seen people come in and drop a hundred pounds before. (That's an extreme example, but you get the picture.) And almost everyone who comes in has a hard time making it through class at first, but they inevitably show marked improvement after a while.

My only bone is I don't see why you can't just bow to people 5-10 years younger than you. It's a good lesson when some young punk CAN beat you. Or some smallish woman, for that matter. Or whoever it is you think clearly can't teach you anything. Humility is a good lesson too.

Use the inspector Cleauseau method, only instead of Kato surprise attacking you hire an electric sabre toothed platypus to chase you around the block at a fast run 3 times a week. Sure it sounds funny until the little electric bastid shocks you a few times! Then we will see if you run like you mean business with your excercise regime!

Just try to eat tasty and healthy, but filling things.

Fruit flapjack works really well for me.

Lots of healthy and filling oats.
Lots of tasty and healthy raisins and glacé cherries.
Rather a lot less tasty and filling syrup.

Plus margarine and other such ingredients.

Anyway - tasty, filling and quite healthy. A good healthy-ish snack. That, combined with a bit of time on the exercise bike whilist watching the TV = a bit on the way to good health.

Not much, granted, but once you get into it, it's quite easy to stay healthier than you were previously, and actually want to also.

They are pretty good, if you know which ones are good.

You and your roommates cook? I've never had a roommate who did anything besides make things dirty.

benefit of living with three of my best friends.
Truth be told, I do most of the cooking, but we all eat together. My cooking gets me out of doing much of the cleaning, which is always nice.

First, eat better. Fatty foods gives the body the impression that its job is done for the forseeable future. That's why lions can go several weeks without eating and sleep 18 hours a day, but rabbits must eat constantly.

Fruit, toast, and yougurt for breakfast.

I'm not going to advocate salad for lunch, because I can't bring myself to eat it, but a lighter version of dinner, and a heavier version of breakfast will do you fine.

A few ounces of lean protein, vegetables cooked in the gravy left behind by the meat, and some whole-grain pasta or rice for dinner.

A week or so eating like that and you'll feel a lot less sluggish. Then you can start exercising and you'll find that that gives you a lot more energy too.

Thanks man, seriously...
I'm going to try to use that as a jumping point for healthy living. :)

It's kind of simple - for me - really: (though I have no idea how many years it will keep working;))

1. Drink plenty of coffee, stay up very, very long, screwing up your sleeping patterns further (mine are naturally somewhat incoherent and off).
2. Whenever you get hungry, eat as much as you comfortably can. Drink as much soda and eat as much of whatever tasty stuff you find as you want. (which should be pretty much)
3. Regularly stimulate your mind into hyperactivity through very involving sessions of whatever mental tasks you are able to concentrate obsessively on. Gaming and programming are both highly recommended.
4. Excersize once to twice a week - once in a while. Except for, in my case, a small amount of biking most days, in order to get to/from school.

If you are somewhat like me, you'll continually stay borderline underweight, and quite energetic whenever you have something interesting to do.

How the hell should I know, Im a lazy ass. I find excerising evil plus I drink and smoke. I tried running the other day, didnt get far:p Though I'm surprisingly thin for how unhealthy I eat and treat my body. My BMI is somewhere between 19 and 21.

The thing is, I always lose interest in the exercise thing before I can see the results/have the benefeits.

I suppose its kinda a catch 22, to have energy you need to exercise, to exercise you need to ahve energy.

You need to find a type of exercise you enjoy. If you do a sport/activity purely to get fit you will have a miserable time and most likely quit before you get results.

1. Find a sport/activity that you enjoy.
2. Play/do it.
3. Record all results, so you can see your progress. This gives a huge boost to your morale when after 8 weeks you look back through your diary and see your performance improve.

My main suggestion is to walk or take public transport if you can. There is a reason that people that live in big cities with good public transport tend to be thinner. I rarely see obese people walking around in Paris and inner London, well, other than the tourists. You have to be pretty rich to have a car in Paris so most people use the public transport. I see advertisements for parking places going for €100-250 a month depending where it is.

Drink a lot of water and tea without sugar. Only drink soda occasionally, you don't get as much satifaction from drinking your calories as you do from eating them. If you drink lots of liquids, you don't feel as hungry as often so you eat less.

Eat only when you are hungry, don't eat too quickly and stop before you are full. Eat good food, not junk food. It is okay to have an occasional burger at a fast food place, just do it less often. I usually have a fast food once every week or every other week. I know that I feel more sleepy afterwards and don't want to do anything. If I eat a healthy meal, I often feel that I have more energy than before I ate it. If you have to eat out, go to places with healthier options.

There are plenty of good tasting and cheap healthy foods you can make. I like to make a big pot of chili then I can eat very cheaply and healthly for many days without having to cook. Pasta is good as long as you don't use creme sauces too often and don't go overboard on the cheese. It is another thing you can make in bulk. If you make a meal with meat, make vegetables the key part of the meal, rather than the meat. Don't drown them in butter and cream, good sauces don't have to be heavy in fat. Vinaigrette is my favourite and a little can go a long way. If you make it with balsamic vinegar you need to add less oil anyway, it has very good flavour on its own.

Eat healthy snacks. Apples and other fruit and veg are great. I find a small serving of peanuts is pretty good as well, just take the serving out of the bag and put the bag away because I know tempting things like that can be. If I don't, I end up eating 3-4 times more than I intend to.

(Inspired by the "Giant Fat Cow" Thread)

To all the energic people among you...

WHERE do you find the time or energy?

I've thought about exercising lots and even about eating healthily.
But I've always been too goddam lazy. :p

So, go on, whats your secret to being energetic?

I eat a lot of good Italian food. Risotto, pasta, pizza, gorgonzola cheese, taleggio cheese, cotolette alla milanese, peperonata, steaks, lasagne, pasta e fagioli...

:D I love food. I love cooking. I love being italian!

I just had a physical and am in perfect health. I don't do anything intentionally to be healthy, I just am.

The thing is, I always lose interest in the exercise thing before I can see the results/have the benefeits.

I suppose its kinda a catch 22, to have energy you need to exercise, to exercise you need to ahve energy.The trick is to find something you enjoy. The energetic ones among us probably stumbled across something we enjoy purely by chance. I know I did.

you could try to play an immural sport. its fun and alot of exercise