A little help needed from Cameron Hanes

[Mudranger1]

alright you runners and in shape gurus give a fat guy some advice on trying to get in shape...I hear about runners going for miles and miles and I'm trying to get there...never been an exercise person but I'm trying...I can barely make it a half mile (unless I'm rolling downhill) any tips on building stamina cause its not so much leg muscle fatigue as lung fatigue:W:

 

[idnative1948]

Any place you can walk stairs? Only thing that helps this pudge body of mine during the winter is walking six flight of stairs in our office building three times a day up and down. Just what works for me, though.

 

[wingman1]

How old are ya? Keep hitting that half mile, it will get easier with repetition. Pretty soon you will be up to two miles.

 

[Ultrahunter]

You can spin it any way you want, but in the end it really boils down to this....Eat less, move more!

 

[npaden]

The key is figuring out something that you can actually enjoy doing. Variety helps too.

I just bought a Xbox360 with Kinect that I've been playing quite a bit this winter. They have a sports game and I can get a pretty good workout with it. I change into workout clothes to play and everything.

I jog as well. To get yourself in shape you just have to start somewhere. Walk a minute then jog a minute then repeat. If that's too much then walk for 5 minutes and jog for 1 minute. Run for a little longer each time and after a while you'll be jogging a 1/2 mile, then a full mile, then even longer.

Actually I have an elliptical that I think helps get me in shape for hills. I put in on the hillclimb mode and go for 30 minutes while I watch a hunting show.

Go for some hikes during the summer.

If you are doing all of that, start running stairs at the local high school football stadium.

 

[turkeyguy53]

Join a Health Club and go often...simple

 

[MN Public Hunter]

You can spin it any way you want, but in the end it really boils down to this....Eat less, move more!

Times two...

 

[RockyDog]

I like iPod with good music, I find I can walk or run 10x further with one.

 

[Calvin]

Make losing weight a priority. Running will come as you lose weight and build muscle, but don't tear your knees up by trying to run while overweight. Find some good hills to walk up and down everyday for an hour, and talk to your doctor about a diet to help you lose fat. When I need to trim down, I like a 50% protein, 30% carb, 20% fat ratio. Use a website like myfitnesspal.com to keep track of everything you eat so you can keep the ratio you want.

 

[jlmatthew]

The best method I found for increasing my run time and distance was joining the Army

Of course I've been off the program 10 years now and my new method aint working so hot

 

[Goldtip]

When I need to get in shape I start carrying my cases of beer downstairs to restock bar fridge instead of making the wife do it for me. I find that doing this 4-5 times a week, along with carrying up the stairs the bags of empties really helps builds the muscle I need in my legs for packing meat in the fall. If I've really gotten out of shape I will make the switch to lite beer, but I find that "lite" beer is truly false advertising as I've drank thousands and thousands of them and find I hardly lose any more weight than on standard beer.

OK, jokes aside, eat anything you want, thats right, I said ANYTHING you want, just cut it in half. If you LOVE Mickey D's burgers and you go there three times a week, keep doing it. But instead of ordering the double quarter pounder with cheese with large fries and large coke, get the single quarter pounder with cheese and the apple slices and a large water. You just cut 800 calories out of what was your normal diet and yet you still got your mickey D's burger fix, and your not craving it. 5 days a week, walk hard, like you need to be somewhere for 45minutes. If you cut your meals in half, eat some sort of protein for snack between meals (slice of lunch meat or some string cheese) and eat three meals a day and get some good solid aerobic exercise 45minutes a day you will lose weight and get in much better shape. If your a bigger guy, say 220lbs plus or greater than 40lbs overweight, DO not run outside on the sidewalk or street, go to your local high school and run on one of the rubberized tracks or go to the gym and run on the treadmill. Much better for your knees than the street or sidewalk. If you completely cut any food group out of your diet, your body will crave it, so don't do it.

As time slowly goes by you will find your clothes fitting better and you are walking farther and farther during that 45minutes, then start strapping on your daypack or frame pack and adding some weight to it, and continue to exercise and keep your 3 daily meals cut in half with in between meal small snacks.

It is also imperative that you eat every morning. Dieting or not you have to put something in the gas tank or your subconscious brain will check the gas gauge at your stomach and will think your starving and will release less of your bodies fat stores to burn for energy when you exercise, you must always eat a morning for effective and healthy weight loss. Remember, fast weight losses 98% of the time result in fast weight returns, slow and steady weight losses with dietary and lifestyle modifications generally result in better expectation of keeping the weight off. Good luck.

 

[6speed]

First thing is buy a heart rate monitor. You can do all the walk jog run etc. but you need to know what your heart is doing first. There are 3 main training zones they are based on a resting heart rate and age calculation. If you buy a good monitor it should have a book or even better a web site that will help you out. It sounds like you will need to spend most of your time in zone 1 30 min with a little time 5 min in zone 2 no less than 3 and shoot for 5 times a week. This is a good place to start. Don't try too much too fast. An injury will set you back and mess up whatever routine you get in. You do need a routine to help keep at it. There is a lot of good info available. A good place to start asking is your health insurance provider. Mine has a website dedicated to helping people get healthy that is full of info from recipes and menus to workout and weight management programs. They even offer a rewards system so I earn a 25 dollar cabelas card every year. A personal trainer is a great idea but they can get expensive. A fitness evaluation from a trainer is a great tool. You pay them they give you a list of stuff that you need to work on and how to work on it and then you do it on your own and go back in a few months for an update. I'm a little ahead of you on the road to being in goat hunt shape but I came a ways so feel free to ask me anything if you need to. The last and most important thing I will say is hydrate hydrate hydrate. You can't loose weight or exercise efficiently if you don't have plenty of water in your system.

 

[WV Hunter]

If you want to jog farther and faster you have to go slow to go fast. Sounds weird but the best way to build up stamina is to slow down. Make sure you get warmed up by walking the first 5 minutes or so. You said you can do 1/2 mile so we will base it off of that. If you were to jog at a 10 min mile pace that would be 5 minutes of jogging. You could jog for 5 minutes and then walk for 5 minutes. I wouldn't go longer than 30 minutes combined the first couple of weeks. As you progress shorten the amount of time you walk between jogs until you can run the full 30 minutes at a 10 min mile pace. This will get you to 3 miles. That's one way of doing it, there are several couch to 5k programs you can follow. Simply google couch to 5k. Good luck and it's never to late to get moving. Never add more than 10% to your joggin distance a week. In other words don't jog 3 miles one week and decide to do 5 next week. You have to work your way up unless you like pain and injuries.

 

[elk_hunter]

I know you started out asking for runner advice but I'm going to throw a wrench at you. Get a bike and throw your ipod on (that's what I do after recently axing jogging) - the impact to your body is way less plus you can go farther on a bike and see more scenery. And, you can get a mountain bike and ride trails or take it out on the road - dual purpose.

 

[StHubert]

Well, here is another option that doesn't involve a lot of running. Since my first ever Elk trip ended last November I realized I needed to get in shape. So I joined a Cross Fit gym, they are completely different from anything you have done before. What makes it different is you work out in a group, everyone in the US does the same workout that day, all workouts are scaled down to your current physical ability. Not to mention the positive atmosphere in these gyms. While running is good, are you going to be running out hunting? No you won't, you need to focus on core strength to get you in and back with your Trophy. Here are a couple of links to Cross Fit and an affiliate in Colorado Springs. There are a total of 7 Cross Fit gyms in your town all independently owned. I would encourage you to go and at least talk to them.

www.crossfit.com and the affiliate website http://www.coloradospringscrossfit.com/

Snapfitness is cheaper. But, you do not get the personalized coaching either like you would get a Cross Fit gym. If you get the RMEF magazine Bugle, there is an article about Cross Fit in the October or November issue. Good luck.

PAIN is WEAKNESS leaving the body!!!!!!!

 

[Dinkshooter]

Hey, what about me?

 

[elk_hunter]

Dink, please tell me you didn't show Richard your "buckhole"...

 

[6speed]

That ain't right.

 

[Dinkshooter]

Little known fact, Richard is a elk hunting mutha.

 

[Oak]

If you are near C. Springs, hike the Manitou Incline 2-3 days a week. Start out slow, build up. By late summer, you should be hiking it with some weight in a pack.