My lifestyle is killing me

DRZ

DRZ

Soldato
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I think this might turn into a long post, I dunno.

Basically, I am sat here @ my PC aged 20 and thinking to myself that my lifestyle has to change. Its so easy to say but its not easy to put into practice!

When I was younger I never really got into sport, preferring to take things apart and stuff, never really found the attraction with sports and stuff. Despite this, I was always reasonably fit (though perhaps not healthy) and I could run faster than most of the other kids at school etc when I had to. I always loved my music though and started playing the guitar aged 8.

At the age of 14/15 I started to get into low-level "extreme" sports. I really enjoyed it - I liked the adrenaline I guess. The problem with doing extreme stuff like that is that when you are learning you tend to get hurt and I did get hurt - I have damaged my feet, knees (to the extent where I walk with a slight limp), hip, shoulders, wrists, neck and fingers (to the point where I cant really play the guitar as much as I want to any more). I manage all that, it doesnt really affect the day-to-day part of my life (unless I have to walk long distances) but this is all coming together in a big mess when I factor in my sedate lifestyle :(

Im probably the least fit I have ever been, I now have visible fat on my stomach and going to the gym to do "traditional" exercise is out of the question because I cant really run for very long at all. I spend all day at the weekends walking (I have a job that means I get to sit down for perhaps 30 minutes at the most) so that makes it hard to keep myself "in check". The rest of my spare time is basically taken up listening to music and bumming about on the internet. In itself this is another problem. I can sit here at the PC for hours and hours and hours. I get up, go to uni etc and come home and surf away the evening or sit about with my housemates playing Pro Evo until far too late. This seems to happen almost every night because obviously due to the fact Im not really exerting myself I just dont feel tired. In actual fact, I feel absolutely terrible for most of the day until the evening time when I start to come alive again.

In all, its led to a situation where I am regularly pulling 17/18 hour days where I spend 9/10 hours of that feeling like crap when I should be awake and the rest feeling awake when I should be asleep (making going to bed early a futile effort). Its getting to me, I cant go to bed and its hard work getting up. I feel rubbish too much, I never get going and its affecting just about every aspect of my life. I need a lifestyle change but I have no idea where to start.

Anyone got any ideas?
 
MaX_PoWah said:
what sports did you hurt yourself doing ?

Worst injuries were from skate bails, but I did some damage coming off the odd mountain bike and various other things I tried once but never did again after they hurt too much :p
 
Tried&Tested said:
Get yourself an ipod, chuck on a load a good songs, then start going for walks in the evening instead of playing games...step that up to brisk walks...jogs...then runs over the next few months. Sounds boring..but get some of your fave tunes on there and its actually quite refreshing coming back from one. Empties your head too. Kinda nice.

Id like to do that, but the fact that I have to stop walking anywhere (if I walk faster than a stroll) after 15 minutes to let the pain subside kinda prevents that. I also am at uni in Salford, so walking about at night is potential suicide, especially with an iPod!
 
danielj315 said:
How bad are the old injuries?

Without this getting medical, I have slightly limited ROM in my neck, My knees are in a pretty bad way (no synovial fluid left, standing up / bending down makes a knuckle-cracking sound) and my fingers wont ever heal.

Not as bas as they could be, but not particularly pleasant either, especially when its winter.
 
Zip said:
Get yourself a jet ski :D
They are really fun and i takes quite a bit of energy and requires you to use your strength to hold on :D
If you got one of those you would not regret it and ull have some of he best fun uve had in your life and if u fall off you wont get as many bad injurys if any:)

May i sugest getting a Sea-Doo RXP, With 215hp ull be fit in no time at all and still have a HUGE adreniline rush :D

http://www.brp.com/en/Products/SeaDoo/Watercraft/Showroom/ProductSpecs.htm?productID=RXP

Im sure that if I could afford to buy a jetski as a student I would be very much happier than I am now ;)
 
Von Smallhausen said:
' The light that burns twice as bright, burns half as long. '

Long walks and if you have'nt got a mountain bike then that is a suggestion. I am putting on more weight than I would like as I think shin splints is kicking in so running etc is out of the question for now.

I suffered from shin splints for a while. Agonising :(

Haly - look harder next time :p Its not as pronounced as you would think reading it on here but its enough for the strain to damage other bits of me :(
 
I hadnt thought about swimming until this thread - so thats an improvement.

I cant see it being as easy as going for a swim in the evenings and everything else falling into place but at least I wont get fat and will be tired enough to sleep before 3am!
 
Phnom_Penh said:
Well swimmings a good idea. Weight lifting is also a good idea, as noginn says, but only with relatively light weights. (in the meantime atleast).

strech.JPG


I used to do weights a lot, not been for a while though, I was getting bigger than I really wanted to be up top and not working my legs enough thanks to the damage etc...

Im sure a few sets on 100Kgs wouldnt hurt tooooo much though :p
 
Phnom_Penh said:
you call that big?!

anyway, work on your lower body, with lighter weights, maybe increase the weight after a while.

Doesnt look it in that photo admittedly, nor am I that big compared to the gym addicts but I have no desire to be massive (or even particularly toned, for that matter) just strong enough so that I dont really struggle with things.

The thing about working my lower body is that its damaged and I dont really want to risk making things worse by putting even more stress on the components. I dont have particularly feeble legs as it is so I think I will probably just stick to the swimming for now and hopefully one day my doctor will finally tell me they can give me a knee transplant or something :p
 
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