Hey everyone! This week I thought it might be neat to swap up the conversation this time by talking about the diet part of fitness. What do you both think about Carbohydrates? Do you feel you get a great deal of them in your diet? For the longest time, my family has had potatoes of some form every dinner. Within the year I have tried to cut back on the amount of potatoes that I eat. I do know that carbohydrates are important for us but I think it can be a fine line knowing when too much is too much.

I have never been a potato man but I do eat alot of pasta.

For me, just eating a well balanced meal worked wonders meaning not too much of one thing. Now that I am in my later years, I have cut back on greasy foods like meat due to a high cholesterol problem so I switched to more salads and fruits.

The key to living a happy life is balance so not too much food....not too much exercise ...not too much sex.... etc.... It is way too easy to build addictions, even to healthy things. In my humble opinion.

God Bless

Hi bobinmaine,
Thanks for your response! I agree with living a balanced live and also think that even trying to be healthy can become an addiction. I think this can happen to people easily without them noticing. It can become where it is a time filler for people and before they know it, they may have a healthy body but may be really empty inside.

So I am supposed to be commenting on carbs? Sorry I get confused which post was last. I def do not agree with a low carb protocol. However, I think most ppl eat way too much carbs and refined foods, so cutting back on those is a great way to start being healthier.
It is important to note that carbs bind water, so you will feel less bloated when you cut carbs and sodium.
It is also important to remember that eating plenty of whole grain is not only great for digestion and cholesterol, but also keeps serotonin levels steady in the brain.
As Bob was saying, too much meat is bad for your cholesterol, not to mention colon. So if you need to eat high protein, lean chicken, whitefish, canned tuna in water, and whey protein isolate powders are the way to go to build muscle.
Fruits and vegetables are low calorie and full of antioxidants. Bottom line is try to eat healthy but balanced. If a person likes oats or Cheerios for breakfast, let them eat it. Just because those foods are a carb doesn't mean they are bad. There are worse things a person can eat than oatmeal, which is actually great for reducing blood sugar btw, as well as cholesterol and colon problems.
I eat about 120-160 grams of carbs a day, which is pretty moderate. Carb cycling has always worked well for me. I will eat low carb/low cal on days off because I just don't get hungry or I'm so busy I don't have time. I eat moderate on heavy training days, and a bit higher the day after leg day.
Really the trick with carbs is understanding math. If you cut out an entire food group then of course you will lose some weight! All those calories are gone duh. Not to mention all the water weight that goes with it, because like I said, carbs bind water. But is it sustainable and healthy? Not for me.

Hi there!
Do you all enjoy doing sports/activities in place of a gym style workout?
In the summertime, I really enjoy getting to be outdoors. Playing pick up soccer and ultimate frisbee are a couple of my favorite sports. There is a lot of running but it's not straight up running. I think that is why I enjoy it since I am not a great runner. Personally, it is easier for me to get my cardio in that way. The downside is that I don't always feel like i get a full body workout and I'm too tired after finishing to go the gym and work on other areas. For example, my legs and glutes get a workout with sports but I don't usually build any muscle with my arms- frisbee helps some but not a lot. However, I think it can be a good way to spice up workouts every now and then.

If I am lifting weights, I always skip a day to give my muscles a chance to heal but I can do aerobic exercise every day as long as I don't push myself too hard. I think playing outdoor games is beneficial in many different ways. You are building stamina so don't worry about the fatigue. It will pass and you will find yourself able to play longer and with more intensity.... It's the long distant runner in me saying that.... Hoping someday, that I can get that part of me to show up so I can have a good run.

I was raised in a religion where sports are considered a sin because they encourage coveting. I am not a competitive person at all, and I hate being outdoors in the heat with the bugs.
Also, like you say, tons of cardio like that wears you out fast. You won't lose weight doing that. You will just be hungry all the time. I like the slow methodical weightlifting approach to exercise. It is like meditation. I actually like counting my reps and sets and breathing. I prefer steady state cardio like walking. I dont do hiit or jumping/high impact. Too easy to have an accident and hurt myself. I wanna be able to workout the next day. I do a kickboxing class on Mondays, rest of the week is weights and walking.
Running around with no goal in mind is not fun to me, seems kinda pointless.
Now when the weather gets nice (in fall) I will do more outside stuff. I like walking in the woods over dead leaves and snow, looking for animals, listening for things. Sometimes I go hunting with my uncle. In spring I do gardening.

Hey friends! For this discussion I wanted to see if anyone has injured themselves through exercise. I know that in order to grow your muscles, you have to push yourself to do more. It is from the tiny muscle tears that you get that will heal and then cause muscle growth. I don't know if this would constitute as an injury or not but I remember playing soccer and my calves cramped . It literally felt like I could not walk and I had to stand there for a little bit to make myself walk. What I didn't know is that I should have come off the field immediately. Instead I managed to keep playing which could have really injured my legs. I think when measures are taken such as stretching before workouts and drinking plenty of fluids, that injuries due to exercise goes greatly down. Let me know what y'all think.