Two Ends Of The Spectrum

[[old] RUKIDN]

My husband and I can't be any more opposite if we tried. He is a health fanatic in every sense of the way. He exercises in the AM at least one to two hours per day, gets cranky if something MIGHT prevent him from doing so, reads every type of physical fitness magazine published and orders warehouse size quantities of protein powder. Oh and did I mention that 1/4 of our entire house is dedicated solely to his exercise equipment. Equipment includes: Tredmill, Stair Master, free weights, and an entire "universal" style system with weight plates and pulleys - bench, butterfly, leg press you name it. All professional quality and that is just the stuff I know the names of. I would have to say we have poured at <u>least </u> $10,000 into this equipment. I'm not complaining because he does use the stuff and he is the same size (5'4" 140lbs with 30inch waist) he was when I met him in our senior year of HIGH SCHOOL seventeen years ago. He always has so much energy it is like watching a tornado in motion. He never sits still. He even does most of the house work because he likes things done early and right away.<br /> But then there is me. I have spent the last twelve years (first five we use to work out between classes at the college gym) doing almost no exercise what so ever. The bed would have to be on FIRE for me to get up in the morning to exercise. I am an accountant so my job consists of my sitting at my desk and using a computer all day. I hate morning so much that I have turned down jobs that want me to start before 9am. I think I have entered the exercise room maybe a dozen times in the six years we have owned this house and then only to say something important to my husband. My hobbies include cooking, sewing, knitting and I LOVE to read. All very sedentary activities. As a result in twelve years I have gone from 5'3" 135lbs to 5'3" 335lbs. That's right folks, that is no typo. I don't even have children I can use as an excuse. Oh and let me clear up some misconceptions about the fat people of the world. Not all of us are lonely, depressed and have bad self images. I love myself, I love life and mentally I still think of myself as that pretty, skinny eighteen year old girl with the teased hair and designer cloths. In fact I will catch my reflection in a mirror and find it hard to believe that it is me looking back. I just hate to sweat and love to over indulge every pleasure possible. My husband has never once made me feel inferior or unworthy because of my size. In fact the only thing he will occasionaly point out is that it is unhealthy. But recently the doctor has been pushing me to loose weight and I have started to find it very difficult to "fit" in the world. Restaurant booths, drivers seats in cars, seat belts, passing someone in a hallway, walking around the mall. These things aren't as easy any more. So diet and exercise here I go.<br />The doctor says I need to do a low impact exercise and my husband thinks rowing would be a good idea. His friend has one of these machines and really recommends it. Plus I really liked using the rowing machine best during the college days. Is this machine going to give him the vigorous work out he looks for and the low impact easy to do but will grow with me exercise I need? Will I even be able to fit on and use this machine comfortably? I know I have typed a lot just to ask these simple questions but I really felt people needed to see how opposite the spectrum I was talking about.

[[old] bmoore]

The C2 erg would be great for both of you.<br /><br />Your husband will be able to compete with it through the online rankings and even online racing.<br /><br />You will be able to slowly integrate exercise into your life. It's a full body workout, so the overall exertion would be less than walking or a treadmill.<br /><br />Weight loss is a decision that you need to make the commitment to. There are lots of programs out there and the healthy ones all include exercise. I'd recommend the online program at www.lindora.com.

[[old] John Rupp]

I agree, rowing on the erg would be great for both of you.<br /><br />Walking is excellent exercise too.<br /><br />Most important is having a healthy diet, eating small meals, drinking lots of water etc.

[[old] lowwall]

First, let's get your husband out of the way. My guess is he'll love rowing. Actually, he'll love the ability to log his times and meters and participate in the various informal competitions we offer - check out the <a href='http://www.nonathlon.com/' target='_blank'>Nonathlon</a>. And maybe he'll even get into the live races.<br /><br />More important is you. First, yes you will fit on the rowing machine. It is a very sturdy machine, 350lb weightlifters using it without problem. Second, it is very cleverly designed to accomodate any level of user, it does not matter how softly or hard you pull on the handle. Also, it is essentially no impact exercise, so that's not a problem.<br /><br />So the machine will work fine. One thing to keep in mind, since working out is boring, it is likely you will work out more often and longer if you have some way to entertain yourself while rowing. Unfortunately, since you are moving back and forth, it's impossible to read while rowing. So get your husband to put a TV in the exercise room if you don't already have one. A lot of us use headphones plugged into the TV via a cable extender (or wireless headphones) so we don't bother the rest of the family while working out.<br /><br />Assuming you get a rowing machine, here's a few suggestions in its use. Most importantly, take it easy. Overexerting yourself will just lead to short workouts and possibly avoidance of future exercise. You want time in the saddle, 20 minutes to start (or work your way up to that as soon as possible). Eventually you want to work up to 40 minute workouts. Once you get to 40 minutes, you can concentrate on increasing your pace. Although it is likely you will naturally go faster as you get used to rowing, your cardiovascular fitness improves and your weight drops.<br /><br />Second, try to exercise every day. If you plan on skipping days, it becomes far too easy to say, "Well, I was supposed to work out today, but I can just do it on my rest day tomorrow instead." Make exercise a priority. If your friends want to go out during your workout time, tell them you'll have to meet them afterwords. I'm sure they will be supportive. By the way, it doesn't matter when you exercise - morning, evening, or midnight - it just matters that you do it.<br /><br />Finally, use the personal logbook here to track your meters. I also enter the calories of each workout in the comments section. Doing this and participating in forum discussions should help keep you motivated. Also Concept2 gives you a prize every time you complete a million meters. I guarantee that your "1 Million Meter" T-shirt will be a prized possession.<br /><br />Alex

[[old] DavidA]

To add to the many good points already made I would also like to mention that many of the people here are on virtual teams connected with the online log. Some of them are particularly active and encouraging to those on their teams. One that might be of particular interest to you is 'Row Pain, Row Gain' whose members are interested in losing weight. You can also set up a training partner online to help encourage, challenge, nudge, etc. you.<br />Good luck. <br /><br />David

[[old] michaelb]

Many of us on this forum think the C2 rower is the single best thing you can buy. But honestly, you already have lots of great stuff, and so unless buying a C2 is going to turn the corner for you and exercise, it may not make sense to buy one right out.<br /><br />I would think you should start on the treadmill, just walking (or jogging if that is possible). Turn on the TV and zone out for 40 minutes. That would get you started on exercise, and is way easier than rowing. Since you have the weights, I would also have you think of doing some easy weight training too.<br /><br />Other people have reported that they don't see sudden weight loss at first when they start rowing on the C2, even if they row a lot. I am not sure why that is, but sometimes it seems like rowing actually puts on muscle, which offsets overall weight loss. So if you row, come back here regularly, and don't measure your progress by how much you weigh, but by how much faster you are at rowing.<br /><br />The fundamental difference to me between indoor rowing and any of your other machines is that indoor rowing is a sport unto itself. So (although I did it for years) many of us don't row to "workout"; we training to get better at rowing. That flips it around in a way that makes rowing more sustainable then possibly any other home based machine. Your husband may love that challenge and the competition, although he is light at 140 so he may want to bulk up a bit.

[[old] arakawa]

The story of one woman's success in controlling her weight through the C2 erg was posted on this forum <a href='http://concept2.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=2423' target='_blank'>here</a>. Unfortunately, the link to the article in the Mining Gazette is dead.<br /><br />A quick Google search on "Jen Adamo" netted her story, including <a href='http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/ ... 77948c.txt' target='_blank'>this one</a>.

[[old] lowwall]

michaelb has a good point about starting out on the treadmill (assuming your current treadmill is rated for your weight). A rower gives you a better full body workout and you will burn more calories per minute than on a treadmill, but given where you are starting from, any regular exercise will be greatly beneficial. A treadmill workout is low-impact as long as you restrict yourself to walking - to increase difficulty once you get to a fast walk, just increase the incline. <br /><br />You mentioned you like to read. So bring a magazine (or book and a big rubberband) down to the exercise room and get started today. Remember to take it easy, set a pace you can maintain for 40 minutes.<br /><br />An elliptical trainer is also an excellent machine, all the advantages of a rower plus its more natural motion makes it easier to use. My wife prefers it to the rower. The only problem is that bad ones are useless and good ones cost around $3000.

[[old] Galt]

My wife lost 100 pounds in a year a couple of years ago. That was her goal.<br />She was "only" 100 pounds overweight and I do not think that she could have jumped right into rowing (although she had never before exercised in her life, and you have).<br /><br />She has her story up on here somewhere. Let us know if you want to talk to her.<br /><br />She started by walking... graduated to Curves... then treadmills... and then erging after she had lost the weight. I am sure no expert, but I would think starting with walking would be good. You have a lot of mass to move around, so walking is much harder for you than someone at a normal weight (not just because you are not in shape, but because you are moving 2 and a half people around when you do so). My guess is that the weight will come off faster at the beginning which will be a good motivator.<br /><br />By the way, your husband will love the erg. If he is as compulsive as you say, it will be right up his alley. Everytime I get on the erg I feel that I am obligated to try to get a personal best. I can't stand it, yet I love it.<br /><br />Congrats on your new lifestyle. As a husband, I ask you to keep the following in mind when the going seems tough and it would be easier to sit on the couch.<br /><br />Your husband deserves more than a dead wife.<br /><br />

[[old] LandLocked]

I’d put myself between you & your husband personality & weight wise. I too hate mornings, my preferred work hours is swing shift. My previous exercise has been activity oriented, hiking w/ a group, martial arts, water aerobics, that kind of thing. I also love to read, like the idea of sewing even if never get around to it , other crafty sorts of things, cooking, making candy for Christmas, so I know what you mean by loving to indulge in pleasures. I hate the idea of regimented stuff, including housework. Ugh. <br /><br />I really like my rowing machine. Since I’m working spectacularly lousy hours with my current job (3 swing, 2 overnight) and feel jet lagged 2 x week I needed something I could work in at any weird time of night. I had some injuries (shin splints) and with my work hours I haven’t been able to go hiking or MA or much of anything and have gained weight and lost endurance & muscle. I want it back and it’s a struggle.<br /><br />Since you’re overweight enough to worry about your joints I’d recommend thinking about water aerobics classes. I’ve taken them when my ankle was sprained and I healed it up so that it’s strong again. It’s low impact and you are working! out there in the pool.<br /><br />A web site I’ll recommend you check out is Sumptuous weight training:<br /><a href='http://www.stumptuous.com/weights_index_revision.html' target='_blank'>http://www.stumptuous.com/weights_index ... tml</a><br /><br />Be sure to read No Fat Chicks, why overweight beginners hate aerobics class:<br /><a href='http://www.stumptuous.com/fatchick.html' target='_blank'>http://www.stumptuous.com/fatchick.html</a><br /><br />The rower is nice and gentle on your joints if you take care with your form and work up to rowing hard. The C2 folks send a video on form & how to row with your machine. Rowing is not conducive to reading, but I’m fine just thinking away for 30-40 minutes, I make lists in my head. A lot of folks seem to enjoy TV while rowing.

[[old] snappyrower]

First of all, congratulations for making the first step. I would say that in the longterm the rower is a great idea for you and your husband. The concept 2 is low impact, and can be used at any level. I recommend that if you start that you start off slow. You'll probably need to slowly work up to 20 minutes a day. In the meantime I agree with others that walking would be a great way to complement your rowing. It too is low impact, and I think that in the beginning it would be a great way to burn pounds. Either way, stay in touch with us! There are a bunch of great teams, the Row Pain, Row Gain team is focused on weight loss, and the women's forum has a team (ducks in a row) that is very supportive too. It helps keep you motivated to talk rowing with others, and gives you a way to track progress by posting meters. I find it less threatening to focus more on my meters accumulated.<br /><br />Anyway, welcome to the forum!

[[old] Nayla]

I'm chiming in a little late here, but I think it's worth mentioning that monitoring your heart rate is an extremely useful tool for a beginning exerciser. Regardless of the speed you are walking on the treadmill or pace you are rowing on the rowing machine, the heart rate monitor will give you the one true number regarding your own personal fitness - your heart rate. Monitoring your heart rate will help you to become familiar with how it feels to be exercising in a conversational aerobic heart rate range and give you peace of mind that you are exercising safely. <br />Your doctor may be able to help guide you on what heart rate range you should strive for (as well as the material that comes with a heart rate monitor). There are many monitors out there to choose from. Some of the good ones (like the Polar F11) even track your fitness improvement over time and set up a training program to follow according to your personal fitness level, age, weight, etc...<br /><br />Kudos to you on taking this scary first step! Someone once told me that the hardest part of any workout is putting your sneakers on (meaning overcoming the mind hurdle and deciding that you are going to do a workout). And in the beginning that is so true! We're all here to support you.<br /><br />Good luck!

[[old] grams]

You can do it!! You actually have a decent set of muscles already. I discovered that on the days that I erg I'm just not hungry-so I only have dinner on those days. That's how I lost 35 pounds in 5 months with my used erg. <br /><br />I have arthritis, had surgery on both ankles, and am 63 years old. My grandson introduced me to it as he is a collegiate rower. I have to stick to no-impact exercise due to my joints and spliced-together foot tendons.<br /><br />A really important thing to know about sharing the erg with anyone else. Make sure that the other person hasn't set the 'drag factor' lever up too high for you. The 'ideal' setting according to C2 is only 3 and the scale goes up to 10. I suggest that you start out at about 2 and try rowing for about 10 minutes slowly. <br /><br />Then lengthen the time when you feel like it. When I started I didn't look at the meter at all (unlike most guys) I just rowed to music until I wanted to stop, and then looked at the meter. <br /><br />regards,<br />grams

[[old] grams]

Oops, forgot to mention that you will really appreciate a gel padded seat on the erg. I use one made for a large exercise bike. <br /><br />And go buy some new music cds that you have always wanted. Your reward for erging is to splurge on things you can enjoy while erging.<br /><br />grams