Day 8 for me (really day 7 out of 8 as I ‘took off’ the 31st). No big deal, rolling nicely along. Great daily exercise, my sleep tracker is showing improvements, workouts are good, diet is very solid with mostly fish and chicken and veggies. First official weigh in for me is in 5 days, hoping to be down 4-5% from my weigh in on Dec 28th. Then the hard work begins. The easy period is over, weight loss comes slower, and life gets more boring…
Three days down. Working at getting to a 14/10 IMF. Sleep is almost immediately better.
As I mentioned above, this is either year 5 or 6 for me doing DJ. I’ve never looked forward to it as much as I did this time.
24 hours
Don’t feel any different
No noticeable changes
Hungry
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I’ve decided to go for dry January this year, and possibly end it with a bang for my 30th birthday celebration(s) in February, where I would like to gradually liquidate a big chunk of the mature wines in my cellar with family and friends. My number one reason, however, is health related, and I’d like to hear the thoughts of board members who are both regular drinkers and zealous of health and physical activity.
I’ve been playing the violin since I was 4 years old, and these 25 years of career, possibly coupled with a rapid weight loss process I underwent a little over ten years ago, have resulted in a myofascial syndrome diagnosis. Muscle and nerve aches, fatigue, numbness, etc. have become my daily reality, and the issue is strongly related to a muscle deficit. I stand in the uncomfortable position of being underweight (69kg, 183cm) and lacking in lean mass, which makes building it back up even more difficult - especially since my exercise history is limited to cardio and general mobility. With alcohol often identified as the number one enemy of strength training, I struggle with the dilemma of seeing wine both as a poison to my health and its safeguard - if we take health to mean the sum of our physical, mental and social dispositions.
My other dilemma is in solving the catch 22 of having a training regime which is simultaneously strengthening and does not impair my daily work with added injury and muscle fastigue, but that’s an issue perhaps best left to the Asylum’s weightlifting thread…
What is everyone’s opinion on Non Alcoholic wines? I have had a couple of the Proxy bottles, and really really hated them. Also had a couple of NA Rieslings which were ok. My problem with these, though, is the major reason I’m doing Dry January is because of the added calories from alcohol - not necessarily the alcohol itself. Most NA Wine is just high calorie grape juice, so what’s the point?
I recently found these, and they scratch the itch very well. Low cal, interesting, and multiple offerings. The are pricy though.
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Try loading 30g of protein at breakfast. It goes a long way to motigating hunger and has specific hormonal impacts that are beneficial on several fronts.
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Gosh, I am sorry to hear that. I am not overly zealous with my physical activity, so I’ll leave that to others. I would urge you to see a physical therapist as soon as possible.
I am both a regular drinker and highly health and exercise conscious. I lift 4 days a week, plus 3 - 4 cardio sessions, and have for more than 30 years. I’ve also dedicated an enormous amount of time and effort to studying nutrition and keeping up on the latest research. I do keto 2 months a year and maintain a carb conscious diet the remainder, except vacations. For a ton of information, please read the Keto Diet Tips thread in the food forum. There is a ton of great info there, not just keto.
Edited to add my agreement that you should consult a therapist and trainer. Starting a strength training regimen takes guidance!
As for the weight training - if I were you then I would start with exercise using your own body weight (mostly). Doesn’t have to be very complicated and long sessions, just get started and have a routine that you keep on with and you can there after increase the intensity as you build up yourself.
The first times will leave you with muscle aches, no way around that, after some rounds your body will get used to it. There will be a period where you feel more fatigue but with time you’ll get an energy and feel good boost.
It can be worth considering a personal trainer to help you get going, exercise the right way (avoid injuries), push when needed. Can imagine quite frequent sessions in the beginning and thereafter from time to time to tune the program. Same stal static program is a bad thing, variations is brings the best results.
Last but not least, don’t overthink it, just get started and make it a routine (even if shortened rather than skipped)!
I usually add a scoop of Collagen Peptides into my coffee in the morning.
But mostly just joking. It always seems that at the beginning of a diet, there are the 3-4 days I have to get past, time to let my body acclimate.
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Thank you @Sarah_Kirschbaum and @Mikael_OB for the feedback. I am doing physical therapy and have seen two doctors, who agreed on my diagnosis but disagreed on the type of physical training I should be doing. My assigned trainer at the gym I attend has done an apparent 180, disagreeing with the first doctor’s prescriptions of low impact, isometric exercise, but also believing that the second doctor’s prescription for strength training might leave me prone to injury. I still got a plan which I feel is quite mild and complementary of the kind of exercise I do in physical therapy - resistance training with a couple of light weights - but I fail to see what the next step might be, since this is still a far cry from the processes needed to build muscle mass and the ultimate source of my injuries - my job - isn’t going away.
Patrick, try Justin Townes Earle’s version. To me it seems more fitting to the spirit of the song.
Have you looked into something like Alexander Technique or Feldenkrais? They are both movement therapy approaches. Alexander is often used by musicians. Might be a way to address your physical issues in parallel with a strength training regimen.
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Ooh- I love a good cover version. Thanks for the tip!
That’s a mess with many different options, I hope you can find a good path to recovery and build up muscle mass as well.
Hope you can find someone very specialized with your condition or perhaps a a great sports physicians (even if not specialized in the condition they usually have the greatest understanding and can monitor your body’s response).
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This just showed up. Some light reading to help get me through Dry January
Side note, this was my first time ordering from Soethby, and that it was the most impressive packaging job I’ve ever seen. That box could have withstood a nuclear blast.
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Day 4 is nearly done. (It’s also day 2 of not finding the bat.)
No wine, no problem.
@Marshall_Manning got me thinking about cover songs, and I do love me a good one. I especially like covers that turn the original on its head, reinventing the tempo, chord progressions, instrumentation, vocals, etc.
Tonight’s song has none of that. It’s a simple, straightforward version of Heart’s “Magic Man,” performed live by Miss Cantaloupe, a delightful indie troupe from Philadelphia.
What I like about this version is that it makes me want to be there. The band is channeling fairies, witches, and woodland creatures. The audience is channeling warm beer, hemp tie dyes, and patchouli. I want to go on this ride!
Special shout out to the kimono-clad lead guitarist, doing his best 2112-era Alex Lifeson impression. Extra special shoutout to the air guitarist extraordinaire, who may or may not be my spirit animal.
The song was performed at Beardfest, a long-running “three day celebration of creative expression” (and patchouli) somewhere in New Jersey.
Enjoy!
Patrick
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Let’s pretend we will all find perfect balance and drink responsibly and healthy and it won’t impact our health before getting into this. I happen to be someone who has struggled with alcohol, been over zealous on training AND done both at the same time.
Alcohol isn’t necessarily a problem for strength directly. It disrupts sleep, impacts recovery and can hold back body composition goals but as with most things, the dose is the poison. It needs to be limited. What’s worked best for me long term is limiting alcohol consumption to a 36 hour window during the week. 6pm Friday to midnight Saturday is my drinking window, dry the rest of the week. This assures 5 good nights of sleep during the training and work week and allows for social flexibility on Friday and Saturday.
The last part of your post should be addressed. Muscle is protective. You can get fatigue and injury from training, but that is generally a consequence of poor programming, too much too fast, and poor form. January would be a great time to start a program. Training will be 30% of your success, 70% will be fuel. It’s really impossible to get stronger and healthier if you under eat, it’s as counterproductive as over eating. If you have limited training experience I would find a coach and really focus on compound movements and general strength, not isometric movements. A well trained body is more resilient and is less prone to injury/illness. We don’t make it better by keeping it safe, it needs to be challenged.
Since you’ve learned to master the violin, you have exactly what it takes to master training. You know how it works. A practice/training plan, carried out in small doses, applied consistently, and a good teacher. It’s the same thing.
You’re 30, you have a lot of life ahead of you, there’s no time like NOW to start this journey. Don’t sell yourself short here. You can do more than you think. Be bold.
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After major surgery and lots of life changes in 2022, I’m hoping to return to fitness in 2023 with something I’ve done in the past, which is seven x seven week cycles through out the year with one dry week every cycle or seven dry weeks per year. Six weeks of each cycle are building intensity and/or volume of exercise followed by one week of recovery/rest with reduced exercise intensity and volume. The recovery weeks I do dry and increase protein consumption. Not sure if this provides the benefits of a whole dry month but I don’t feel the need to go dry the whole first month of the year.
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Did anyone who cares watch the Paul Simon “Grammy Salute” last week on CBS? He’s one of my all-time favorites so I had to watch, but had totally mixed emotions about it. Most of the music was excellent and I found the selections interesting. Not just the usual greatest hits. But the audience gushing was verging on nauseating and it’s always bittersweet to see one of your favorite performers grow old. Also thought it was completely correct to totally exclude Garfunkel. Painful I’m sure, but the right decision.
Mike
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