HOW MUCH EXERCISE DO YOU DO?

[Wirrallass]

Another thing I do is volunteer at the local shooting range a couple of days a month, not much in the form of active exercise but it does get me on my feet for 6 hours at a time, particularly good for me as I work at a desk all week & unlike a regular office working at home does tend to limit the amount of walking one would do in a normal office environment.

My Search & Rescue activities have been curtailed this year as I'm avoiding carrying a pack until I'm sure my back is well healed. Training's & missions are other forms of exercise I would get a month.

I imagine it would be beneficial to drag yourself away from your desk to lend your services on the range - it's also makes a change from the four walls too. Hope I didn't put my foot in it by urging you to cycle again with your back not completely recovered🙄

 

[Martin Canty]

Actually cycling is good as it encourages you to engage the core; strengthening & toning that muscle set.

 

[Wirrallass]

One thing I failed to do was to test before and after my step routine

Hi folks - yesterday (Wed) I was in a positive frame of mind and encouraged by my new fitbit I managed 7221 steps (it won't let me sit for too long & buzzes me to 'take a stroll')😉

With my 60's music to step to I walked & danced 3.09 miles and burned off 1729 calories in 48mins without leaving my home! This is a huge achievement for me and my fitbit app messaged me to say I am an over achiever and that I was 2221 steps over my daily goal of 5K steps then went on to say that I've earned myself a Marathon Badge! Yeah! Then i received a notification that said 'Way to go! Your 48min walk was recognised by SmartTrack" All very encouraging.

What I achieved yesterday was amazing for me considering the only exercise I could do prior to having a fitbit was to pedal away on my exercise bike for 20 - 30mins if that and the occasional 10mins walk to the Supermarket. You see its me old back hips & knees that hold me back sometimes Today (Thurs) I only walked 1585 steps - but hope to improve on this tomorrow (Fri)
Thanks for *listening* folks whilst I blew my own trumpet🙄

One thing I failed to do was to test my bgl before and after my step routine - the readings would have been interesting as I have no knowledge as to how much they would have differed - if at all - perhaps someone could give me an idea what to expect? Will make a note to remind myself to test next time🙂

 

[Matt Cycle]

One thing I failed to do was to test before and after my step routine

One thing I failed to do was to test my bgl before and after my step routine - the readings would have been interesting as I have no knowledge as to how much they would have differed - if at all - perhaps someone could give me an idea what to expect? Will make a note to remind myself to test next time🙂

In general, for aerobic type exercise blood glucose would fall. If however you're not on any hypo causing medication then you may not see any noticeable difference if you start on a normal figure. That's not to say you shouldn't do the exercise as of course there are lots and lots of benefits from it but it's just that you may not see much difference in glucose levels if your control is already good.

 

[Wirrallass]

In general, for aerobic type exercise blood glucose would fall. If however you're not on any hypo causing medication then you may not see any noticeable difference if you start on a normal figure. That's not to say you shouldn't do the exercise as of course there are lots and lots of benefits from it but it's just that you may not see much difference in glucose levels if your control is already good.

Thank you Matt - I'm not on any meds for my diabetes - diet & exercise only - bgl mainly in the 5's & 6's (occasionally a 7) and my last HbA1c was 32 Now i've had a taste of the fitbit, my motivator, there'll be no stopping me now as it was the exercise that i was finding difficult. BTW I find your posts very interesting & enlightening🙂

 

[HOBIE]

Do my best NOT to sit still long

 

[Wirrallass]

@HOBIE I dont get a chance to sit for too long because.....yes you've guessed.....my fitbit reminds me by buzzing & messaging me "fancy a stroll?" or '250 steps to achieve your daily goal" So I obediently stand up & start walking around my home! I wonder if I'll ever get fed up with my motivator🙄or will I become so accustoned to it that I'll automatically do this?! Its not good to sit for too long anyway - gotta keep the old blood circulating🙂

 

[HOBIE]

@HOBIE I dont get a chance to sit for too long because.....yes you've guessed.....my fitbit reminds me by buzzing & messaging me "fancy a stroll?" or '250 steps to achieve your daily goal" So I obediently stand up & start walking around my home! I wonder if I'll ever get fed up with my motivator🙄or will I become so accustoned to it that I'll automatically do this?! Its not good to sit for too long anyway - gotta keep the old blood circulating🙂

Really good for you Wirralass. Its miles better to keep moving as long as you can 😉

 

[Wirrallass]

Yesterday I overchieved my daily goal by 1085 in 2.6 miles and burned off 1516 carbs. Fitbit messaged "Nailed it" A lot lower than 7221 steps on Friday - but hey I'm a beginner at this steps lark - plenty of room yet for improvement @Northerner, somehow I dont think I'll ever become a marathon runner (Not getting any younger!) but maybe a park runner once I've built up the mileage🙂

 

[Chris Hobson]

I have a Tomtom multi sport watch which does the step counting thing. Most days I do manage to do the ten thousand steps, I'm a little short today but I did more than twenty thousand yesterday so my weekly score is still good. The Tomtom website is very good at giving out encouraging information. It appears to announce that you have achieved a PB in as many ways that it can possibly find. Longest distance, fastest effort at lots of different distances etc. My swimming will have to improve in spades before I get any positive messages due to the fact that my newest watch is very accurate and I have records from when I had watches that were a little too generous when counting how many lengths I had done. Overall I would commend the designers for making the system so good for motivation.

 

[Wirrallass]

Hi Chris (Edited here!) Does this mean your TomTom watch is waterproof? I doubt i can wear my fitbit in water which I'm sad about because it would be interesting to see the results after swimming 1 mile (64lenghs of the pool)

 

[HOBIE]

Hi HOBIE - Does this mean your TomTom watch is waterproof? I doubt i can wear my fitbit in water which I'm sad about because it would be interesting to see the results after swimming 1 mile (64lenghs of the pool)

Great stuff Wirralass. you will be ok if you fall off the back of the ship. ONE mile 😎

 

[Chris Hobson]

Yes, the Tomtom watch is waterproof as it has a swim lap counter as one of its features. I'm not quite sure how the lap counter works, it seems to take into account your arm movements and your change of direction at each end. It doesn't count if you are using a kick board. The default setting is for a 25 metre pool but you can change it to do different sized pools if needed.

In addition to swimming it has settings for running, cycling, treadmill, gym work, indoor cycling and walking. There is also a stopwatch and a built in heart rate monitor. You can also programme your target times into it, although I don't find the information that it then displays that useful really. It is just as effective to write your target times on your wrist or on your drinks bottle. The battery life isn't sufficient for doing an ironman although apparently Jan Frodeno said that he had no problem with his.

If you just want a sports watch for swimming you can get poolmate watches:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_s...h&sprefix=poolmate,aps,148&crid=1OVXAQZTM0O73

 

[Wirrallass]

Thank you Chris - as I already have a fitbit i think the next best thing for me would be the waterproof Smart bracelet Joygeek reduced from £119 to £22.99. This will be the perfect solution for when I go pool swimming. Thanks for the link, grateful.

 

[Nathan Barnes]

Thought it would be a good idea to open a new thread as to how much exercise we each do on a daily/weekly basis. I for one have resumed exercising on my exercise bike twice a day to help me stay as fit as I can atm & also to maintain a good bgas. My old back prevents me from walking too far for any length of time but I'm hoping to resume swimming soon, used to swim 1mile x 4times per wk (No back pain when swimming) Didn't learn to swim till I was 63! My right knee doesn't currently condone exercise so i start off slowly on my exercise bike then build up, a replacement knee could be on the cards! I also do stretching & floor exercises.

Type2 since April 2016
Diet & exercise only

I am currently all out of e exercise due to varicose vein surgery however before surgery I was going to the gym 2 to 4 times per week running 5.5k per session plus 5k on exercise bike. I hope to be back in 4 weeks or so.

 

[Wirrallass]

I am currently all out of e exercise due to varicose vein surgery however before surgery I was going to the gym 2 to 4 times per week running 5.5k per session plus 5k on exercise bike. I hope to be back in 4 weeks or so.

Hi Nathan good to hear you'll be resuming your exercise regime but dont rush back too soon after your surgery until you're absolutely ready. For those who can exercise it enables us to maintain good health in conjunction with a healthy dietary regime. Looking forward to seeing you here when your back on form. Take care and best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[Mrs C]

I've never particularly liked exercise and now even less as being even a little overweight makes everything so much more effort! However as some on here know I have just re introduced swimming twice weekly at the moment but hoping to step it up if this exhaustion lets up!! a few years ago I swam every morning for 25-30 mins doing half mile then went straight to work. I def boost my energy for the day, plus the added benefit of having showered after and washed hair, so that done for the day!! not sure how it dwindled away but I know the thought of getting up at the crack of dawn in the dark during winter and getting into a usually cold pool (ok when you get going) is not a welcoming thought! Also swimming despite being good for you and must tone, def does not help in losing weight! I am not an 'old lady' swimmer either, I do 4 lengths of front crawl alternating with 4 breast stroke. We do have a little dog Minnie Moo Chi whom we have about a mile walk walk with Sat and Sunday, sometimes a short walk during the week but will def up the walking and combine with swimming. My Grandaughter loves skipping and I joined in with her the other day ... OMG! how does that take it out of you!!!

 

[Radders]

I like to swim when I have the chance and during the summer holidays I've been going twice a week and doing 40 lengths. I'm surprised to hear you say that it doesn't help you to lose weight as I have found that I can increase my daily calories significantly on swim days without gaining weight. It's a good job because it does give me an appetite. As I am trying to maintain at the moment it means I can have a few extra treats.

 

[Wirrallass]

I like to swim when I have the chance and during the summer holidays I've been going twice a week and doing 40 lengths. I'm surprised to hear you say that it doesn't help you to lose weight as I have found that I can increase my daily calories significantly on swim days without gaining weight. It's a good job because it does give me an appetite. As I am trying to maintain at the moment it means I can have a few extra treats.

I agree with you Radders as swimming contributes to weight loss - and I stand to be corrected but for every 30mins of continual swimmimg, we burn off just over 300 cals.

 

[Radders]

I agree with you Radders as swimming contributes to weight loss - and I stand to be corrected but for every 30mins of continual swimmimg, we burn off just over 300 cals.

According to this page https://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/how-many-calories-does-swimming-burn
I would burn between about 2-300 calories in half an hour so you're right. You burn more if you weigh more as well. My understanding of the benefit of exercise is that the more significant effect is the impact on resting calories in the hours following the exercise. So even though the swim might only earn me 200 calories of food at the time the overall impact is much greater from the extra calories I burn even while sleeping.