How do you stay in shape?

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How do you stay in shape?

Postby Birdy » Sat May 01, 2010 5:45 pm

Jeff, I recently saw video footage of you at a McDougall event (I think it was) where you and Rip Esselstyn were goofing around walking on your hands and then he scooped you up and ran out of the room. It was hilarious, but I was impressed that the two of you were walking on your hands! How do you stay in shape? P.S. I recently bought a copy of your DVD Lighten Up from the McDougall Store and really enjoyed it. It's so helpful to have educational products like this. Thanks!
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall
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Re: How do you stay in shape?

Postby JeffN » Mon May 03, 2010 7:42 am

Birdy wrote:Jeff, I recently saw video footage of you at a McDougall event (I think it was) where you and Rip Esselstyn were goofing around walking on your hands and then he scooped you up and ran out of the room. It was hilarious, but I was impressed that the two of you were walking on your hands! How do you stay in shape? P.S. I recently bought a copy of your DVD Lighten Up from the McDougall Store and really enjoyed it. It's so helpful to have educational products like this. Thanks!


Thank you!

To me, staying in shape is fun and just part of everyday life. I do not look at fitness as something outside my life that I partake in on occasion but just a way of life.

I used to run marathons and put in countless hours of formal exercise at the gym and in my home gyms, owned all types of fancy equipment and then just realized is was not necessary to achieve the goals I wanted.

So, like with my diet, I eliminated all the "extras" and wanted to make this as simple and easy as possible.

Informally, I try to walk everywhere I can, always use the steps, etc etc. I carry a backpack with me that usually has about 5-10# of "stuff" in it. I go for long walks and bicycle rides on the boardwalk just for fun. I probably get in more "informal" activity/exercise a day than most Americans get in a day as "formal" exercise.

Formally, on most days I spend about 20-30 minutes a day doing a very brief set of fairly intense exercise which includes about 5-10 minutes of jumping rope or sprinting, 5-10 minutes of body weight exercises (squats, push ups, sit ups, pull ups, burpees), and about 5-10 minutes of a mixture of yoga, calisthenics, tai chi movements that I put together. I can do this routine anywhere, whether at home or on the road traveling.


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Re: How do you stay in shape?

Postby pinkrose » Mon May 03, 2010 3:24 pm

JeffN wrote:
Birdy wrote:Jeff, I recently saw video footage of you at a McDougall event (I think it was) where you and Rip Esselstyn were goofing around walking on your hands and then he scooped you up and ran out of the room. It was hilarious, but I was impressed that the two of you were walking on your hands! How do you stay in shape? P.S. I recently bought a copy of your DVD Lighten Up from the McDougall Store and really enjoyed it. It's so helpful to have educational products like this. Thanks!


Thank you!

To me, staying in shape is fun and just part of everyday life. I do not look at fitness as something outside my life that I partake in on occasion but just a way of life.

I used to run marathons and put in countless hours of formal exercise at the gym and in my home gyms, owned all types of fancy equipment and then just realized is was not necessary to achieve the goals I wanted.

So, like with my diet, I eliminated all the "extras" and wanted to make this as simple and easy as possible.

Informally, I try to walk everywhere I can, always use the steps, etc etc. I carry a backpack with me that usually has about 5-10# of "stuff" in it. I go for long walks and bicycle rides on the boardwalk just for fun. I probably get in more "informal" activity/exercise a day than most Americans get in a day as "formal" exercise.

Formally, on most days I spend about 20-30 minutes a day doing a very brief set of fairly intense exercise which includes about 5-10 minutes of jumping rope or sprinting, 5-10 minutes of body weight exercises (squats, push ups, sit ups, pull ups, burpees), and about 5-10 minutes of a mixture of yoga, calisthenics, tai chi movements that I put together. I can do this routine anywhere, whether at home or on the road traveling.


In Health
Jeff

================

Jeff, this is a great program! You are such a good example for us!!! Way to go!!! :D
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Re: How do you stay in shape?

Postby Birdy » Mon May 03, 2010 8:57 pm

Hi Jeff,
Thanks for responding. Using your own body weight and also making exercise a natural part of each day makes total sense. I've always noticed that people who walk a lot doing their jobs, such a postmen, are in great shape.

All the best!
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Re: How do you stay in shape?

Postby Sunshine1 » Tue May 04, 2010 6:29 am

JeffN wrote:
Birdy wrote:
So, like with my diet, I eliminated all the "extras" and wanted to make this as simple and easy as possible.

In Health
Jeff



I think you hit a home run there. Eliminating extras, making it as simple as possible so you don't have to micro manage and make this lifestyle a high tech thing and then pounce the treadmill for hours is not at all required. It is much easier to eliminate extras, follow this program and you will be there.
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Re: How do you stay in shape?

Postby Veganmothering » Tue May 04, 2010 9:09 am

pinkrose wrote:To me, staying in shape is fun and just part of everyday life. I do not look at fitness as something outside my life that I partake in on occasion but just a way of life


Jeff,

I cannot tell you how much you inspire me! You have really helped me to reallign my life, so that my approach to health and fitness is much more streamlined, simple, and makes sense! Having been in the fitness world for awhile as an instructor of all types of exercise, I see far too often that we're missing the mark with exercise--we shouldn't do it just to burn calories (because not burning "enough" calories isn't the reason for our weight problems), we should do it because we are made to move. Humans are made to move, and movement should be a part of our daily activities. So thank you for sharing your viewpoint on exercise, it's one that I wholeheartedly agree with (in fact, there are times during the year when I teach over a dozen classes a week, and I can say that type of strenuous activity is not natural or good for the body).

Also, I was getting your recipes off of your facebook page and you stated that we should be able to eat of food freely, without worrying about portion sizes. I wanted to cry! This makes so much sense, is so simple and it allows us to no longer be slaves to weighing, measuring and calculating. Extremely liberating.

That said, I'm still in the process of learning how to eat the way you teach. I read Waldorf's book, 120 Year Diet (per your recommendation on a thread here), which makes a strong case for calorie-restriction, however, while I think his approach is mostly on, you take it a step further, and make it do-able. Waldorf includes in his menu plans higher calorie (and dairy) foods such as bread, milk, yogurt and relies on portion/calorie counting. I know some people can eat a small amount of something and just stop themselves even if they are not entirely full. I am not one of these people, so I've learned I have to eat MWL at least 80-95% of the time, and reserve higher calorie foods for special occasions/meals and even then, I've learned these foods are not a free for all just because they are McDougall approved (lasagna, tofu, breads, ect.).

One last thing. Is your take on the MWL program should be 1/2-2/3 green yellow veggies and the other portion be intact starches OR fruit? I know McDougall suggests no more than 2 servings a day because of how easy it is to overconsume, but as you've said, you'd be a little more lenient with fruit. I've read several threads discussing calorie density and since fruit can be much lower than starches (strawberries, for example, being 150 calories per pound as opposed to carrots at 200 calories per pound) it would seem logical to say starches and/or fruit, just as long as that ratio of green/yellow veggies is at least 1/2 or more of your diet and the other is coming from intact starches and fruit. Does this make sense?

Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to let you know how much you've influenced and helped me (I made your Longevity soup last night for the first time and LOVED it! Tasty, easy, and QUICK--my kinda recipe!).
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Re: How do you stay in shape?

Postby GeoffreyLevens » Tue May 04, 2010 9:25 am

Friend of mine working on her PhD was in same lab complex as Walford back when he wrote "120 Year Diet". Told me then about the tall, skinny, bald guy who's lunch was a banana, an apple, and a small handful of sunflower seeds. :lol:
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Re: How do you stay in shape?

Postby JeffN » Tue May 04, 2010 11:19 am

Veganmothering wrote:I cannot tell you how much you inspire me!


Thank you!

Veganmothering wrote:You have really helped me to reallign my life, so that my approach to health and fitness is much more streamlined, simple, and makes sense!


While I do not often get to focus on it here, both of my undergraduate and graduate degrees were with minors in Exercise Science. My approach to fitness is the same as to diet... a commonsense approach that makes it simple easy and practical.

Veganmothering wrote:Having been in the fitness world for awhile as an instructor of all types of exercise, I see far too often that we're missing the mark with exercise--


Yes. Remember, around 75% of Americans do not even meet the minimum requirement for activity and about 40% do nothing. The single most important thing we can do is to get them "moving" and to help them incorporate it into their lives so it does not seem like a chore.

What I find really ironic is so much about the fitness movement is about all these fine details that in reality, apply to a very small segment of the population and does not in anyway address the epidemic of inactivity we have in this country.

Veganmothering wrote:we shouldn't do it just to burn calories (because not burning "enough" calories isn't the reason for our weight problems), we should do it because we are made to move. Humans are made to move, and movement should be a part of our daily activities.


Correct.

However, we can use it to help balance the equation but its impact is really minimal when we put it in perspective and look at the calories of a typical food item today vs the amount of activity needed to burn it off.

Veganmothering wrote: So thank you for sharing your viewpoint on exercise, it's one that I wholeheartedly agree with (in fact, there are times during the year when I teach over a dozen classes a week, and I can say that type of strenuous activity is not natural or good for the body).


Thanks. I especially appreciate your comments considering your background and experience.

Veganmothering wrote:Also, I was getting your recipes off of your facebook page and you stated that we should be able to eat of food freely, without worrying about portion sizes. I wanted to cry! This makes so much sense, is so simple and it allows us to no longer be slaves to weighing, measuring and calculating. Extremely liberating.


:)

Veganmothering wrote:Is your take on the MWL program should be 1/2-2/3 green yellow veggies and the other portion be intact starches OR fruit?


Yes. Thought I teach that you should make your plate about 1/4 to 1/2 veggies and/or fruit. You could go up to 2/3 if you had to and were still able to feel full and satisfied.

Veganmothering wrote:I know McDougall suggests no more than 2 servings a day because of how easy it is to overconsume, but as you've said, you'd be a little more lenient with fruit.


Correct.

Veganmothering wrote: I've read several threads discussing calorie density and since fruit can be much lower than starches (strawberries, for example, being 150 calories per pound as opposed to carrots at 200 calories per pound) it would seem logical to say starches and/or fruit, just as long as that ratio of green/yellow veggies is at least 1/2 or more of your diet and the other is coming from intact starches and fruit. Does this make sense?


Totally! :)

Veganmothering wrote:Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to let you know how much you've influenced and helped me (I made your Longevity soup last night for the first time and LOVED it! Tasty, easy, and QUICK--my kinda recipe!).


No apologies needed. I always appreciate hearing when someone really gets it and the light bulb goes on! Thank You! You made my day!

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Jeff.....

Postby Marcia » Wed May 05, 2010 7:55 pm

....I really enjoyed reading your post here. Simplicity is great. I have a handful of meals I prepare and our family loves them - mostly variations of potatoes and veg or rice and veg or soups - my daughter asks for split pea soup nearly every evening!

The "exercise" thing though really struck a chord for me. I have always not liked gymn type things, equipment nor organised "classes". I am always telling my husband to use his own strength and weight for resistance too. We garden, I walk, he cycles and my 4 and half and 6 and a half year old daughters body surf on boards and do anything their bodies will let them. I often just look away if they are too high up a tree or doing something many other parents are cautioning their children about. I felt as virtuous as buying them books when just recently we bought them wetsuits for our Australian Autumn waters at the beach.

But the greatest pleasure I have had in recent times was an Autumn afternoon with our whole family doing handstands on an isolated beach. My 6 year daughter was doing cartwheel after cartwheel like a circus clown and handstands and 'walkovers', my 4 year old was performing handstands. At 40 and 38, my husband was walking on his hands and I was doing handstands, cartwheels and 'walkovers'. The four of us looked a little mad, but it was great. When people ask me how I stay healthy and trim I am too reserved to say I do handstands around the house and eat alot of potatoes and veg! - if I said it I don't think they'd believe me anyway.

thank you for sharing your experience of the ease and enjoyment of simplicity - I understand all that you say from an experiential point of view. By the way I have been reading " The Power of Now " and interestingly when Eckhart Tolle writes some things I am instantly reminded of things you have written (albeit perhaps in a different context) - a great compliment to you.
Thanks again,
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Re: How do you stay in shape?

Postby Faith in DC » Thu May 06, 2010 11:17 am

Marcia
Do you realize how rare it would be in this day and time, to see a whole family able to do such gymnastics? I doubt many children can even to do now.
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Re: How do you stay in shape?

Postby Chumly » Thu May 06, 2010 11:31 am

Thanks for sharing that Jeff. I am looking for ways to stay active throughout the day. I have applied your message this week while at work. I work as an Engineer, so much of my time is spent on the computer and around machines. I have been working on sample orders this week that has me operating equipment. This particular operation has about 100 seconds of dead time where I'm waiting for the cycle to complete. Instead of just standing around, I've started walking around, doing push-ups, squats, lunges etc. during this time. I find myself sore and feeling more energetic overall. I am going to continue doing this as much as I can. I have a pedometer and found that I added at least 4000 strides every day I've done this. Keeping exercise simple and small has helped a lot in just a few days. I am curious to see what this accomplishes over the coming months.

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Re: How do you stay in shape?

Postby Sunshine1 » Thu May 06, 2010 12:31 pm

JeffN wrote:
Birdy wrote:I used to run marathons and put in countless hours of formal exercise at the gym and in my home gyms, owned all types of fancy equipment and then just realized is was not necessary to achieve the goals I wanted.


In Health
Jeff


Jeff,

I see primarily two reasons to exercise.

1. Help maintain weight
2. strengthen heart muscle, make cardio vascular system more efficient

Let's say if you follow the calorie density principle, you wouldn't need to rely so heavily on exercises to maintain weight.

don't you think these informal light weight bearing exercises won't benefit cardio vascular system as much as aerobic/high intensity exercises would do. So that brings us back to we need to do some high intensity exercises in order to keep your cardio system in top notch shape. maintaining weight, flexibility and bone density etc is only part of the equation. What do you think?

My above comments are based on your comment that it is not necessary to go for formal exercise routine if you keep moving throughout the day.
Last edited by Sunshine1 on Thu May 06, 2010 12:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: How do you stay in shape?

Postby Chumly » Thu May 06, 2010 12:43 pm

3. Relieve stress and generally feel better.

I find exercise always improves my mood.

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Re: How do you stay in shape?

Postby Nettie » Thu May 06, 2010 1:45 pm

4) Maintain strength, flexibility, balance and bone health and prevent falls.

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Re: Jeff.....

Postby JeffN » Sat May 08, 2010 8:04 am

Marcia wrote:....I really enjoyed reading your post here. Simplicity is great. I have a handful of meals I prepare and our family loves them - mostly variations of potatoes and veg or rice and veg or soups - my daughter asks for split pea soup nearly every evening!

The "exercise" thing though really struck a chord for me. I have always not liked gymn type things, equipment nor organised "classes". I am always telling my husband to use his own strength and weight for resistance too. We garden, I walk, he cycles and my 4 and half and 6 and a half year old daughters body surf on boards and do anything their bodies will let them. I often just look away if they are too high up a tree or doing something many other parents are cautioning their children about. I felt as virtuous as buying them books when just recently we bought them wetsuits for our Australian Autumn waters at the beach.

But the greatest pleasure I have had in recent times was an Autumn afternoon with our whole family doing handstands on an isolated beach. My 6 year daughter was doing cartwheel after cartwheel like a circus clown and handstands and 'walkovers', my 4 year old was performing handstands. At 40 and 38, my husband was walking on his hands and I was doing handstands, cartwheels and 'walkovers'. The four of us looked a little mad, but it was great. When people ask me how I stay healthy and trim I am too reserved to say I do handstands around the house and eat alot of potatoes and veg! - if I said it I don't think they'd believe me anyway.

thank you for sharing your experience of the ease and enjoyment of simplicity - I understand all that you say from an experiential point of view. By the way I have been reading " The Power of Now " and interestingly when Eckhart Tolle writes some things I am instantly reminded of things you have written (albeit perhaps in a different context) - a great compliment to you.
Thanks again,
Marcia


Wow!

Thanks! I am humbled by your comments!

BTW, you could always tell my house in the neighborhood, when my daughter was growing up. We were always the house where ALL the kids from the neighborhood were out front doing headstands, handstands, somersaults, cartwheels, jumping rope, etc..

It is still that way though much less so now that there are no more kids, so unless I find a bunch of kids :)

But, I am still always walking on my hands, going down escalators doing dips, doing pull ups on any bar, etc etc.

Thanks again!

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