Anyone pretty into exercise and nutrition?

[pjl2934]

By that I mean, are there any weight-lifters on PF? Women/men, squats/curls, anyone pretty into exercise and nutrition?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I'm no beast, but I hit the gym twice a week and play soccer once a week. I like to keep thin but athletic build.

 

[dipole]

Do you really refer to yourself as a "beast"?

 

[pjl2934]

Lol, no. I lack the cockiness or the evidence to make a claim like that. I'm like Greg, thin but athletic. I'm not a "meathead" by any standards, haha. I do have ambitions to become somewhat larger than I currently am, though. I was wondering if there were others hanging around PF that are into the gym life. As an example, Tavi Castro was an aerospace engineering student.
http://tavicastro.nl/?page_id=39

 

[Evo]

I'm not into exercise, never have been. I always felt bad afterwards and wished I had done something productive with my time instead, even if it was walking through a museum or arboretum. I did a lot of heavy gardening and landscaping when I was younger, so I was very fit, but I would never actually spend time just exercising.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I'm into nutrition and exercise. And, yes, I'm pretty.

 

[pjl2934]

The bodybuilding/physique competition lifestyle is pretty interesting. As are the people that do it. I know that it seems like a lot of science/math minded people don't get that into it, but I think we can all agree that being comfortable in your own skin is something that goes a long way in the overall satisfaction of life. Whether that comes from exercise and nutrition or not is independent to the individual, but it's still a fairly productive hobby, despite what others would have you believe. After all, it's not like being into health and fitness are contradictory to being into math and science. Breaking down barriers and misconceptions, bam!

 

[FlexGunship]

By that I mean, are there any weight-lifters on PF? Women/men, squats/curls, anyone pretty into exercise and nutrition?

Yes. About ten months ago, I changed gyms and started going five times a week. I don't consider myself a body builder, but I follow the same routine... mostly because I get my cardio from hiking.

My training partner insists I keep track of progress by photos. She thinks it's important, this is the first time I've considered sharing one. This is my 9 month entry.

I hesitated for a long time before posting. The "uncomfortable in your own skin" thing doesn't go away after only ten months.

EDIT: On the topic of nutrition, I follow two distinct routines:

1) Healthy, low carb, high protein diet with very few calories coming from liquids.
2) Eat absolutely anything I can at any moment.

I cycle between them when I feel like it. No set routine. If my weight drops below 175 I know I'm burning way more than I'm taking in. If it gets much over 185 I notice that I start to get a gut. But my body tells me when it's ready to switch cycles pretty much. It's a simple program, and being at the gym five times a week makes it easy to stay in tune with your health.

 

[pjl2934]

Yes. About ten months ago, I changed gyms and started going five times a week. I don't consider myself a body builder, but I follow the same routine... mostly because I get my cardio from hiking.

My training partner insists I keep track of progress by photos. She thinks it's important, this is the first time I've considered sharing one. This is my 9 month entry.

I hesitated for a long time before posting. The "uncomfortable in your own skin" thing doesn't go away after only ten months.

Way to freaking go, man! That's what I'm saying. Lifting weights and whatnot might not be for everyone, but I think it would probably help more people than realize it and in more ways than they realize. I guess you could almost compare it to meditation in that it is agreed that it is good for your mental/spirtiual health, but not everyone does it the same way or for the same reasons. Some pray, some reflect, and some just space out, but they all might experience similar beneficial results. There was a recent study that claims that exercise is in many cases as beneficial as medication (since we're on a science forum, here: http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5577). That being said, how many PFers do you think are on medication for things like depression, blood pressure, diabetes, etc.? I would never claim that folks can just get off meds without a doctor's approval, but aren't there current major societal problems like overmedication, lack of self-discipline, lack of personal responsibility, etc. that could be at least decreased from an increase in the popularity and understanding of exercise and nutrition?

 

[pjl2934]

EDIT: On the topic of nutrition, I follow two distinct routines:

1) Healthy, low carb, high protein diet with very few calories coming from liquids.
2) Eat absolutely anything I can at any moment.

I cycle between them when I feel like it. No set routine. If my weight drops below 175 I know I'm burning way more than I'm taking in. If it gets much over 185 I notice that I start to get a gut. But my body tells me when it's ready to switch cycles pretty much. It's a simple program, and being at the gym five times a week makes it easy to stay in tune with your health.

That's one of (if not the biggest) the benefits of beginning to exercise. You more closely pay attention to what's going in your body and are more conscious of what food really gives you (like macros, vitamins, minerals). You also become much more in tune with what is going on with your body and can attribute any changes to specific habits/decisions. So what are your fitness goals?

 

[Tosh5457]

I don't have the patience for careful nutrition, but I exercise almost every day. I run and do some push-ups, just to keep my arms from getting thin.

 

[Dembadon]

I go to the gym about 3 times a week, but I'm a bit put-off by popular "fitness culture". I feel like there's a lot of people out there who don't know what they're talking about, and the zealots who're drinking the kool-aid of the myriad programs/paradigms aren't very accepting of those of us who don't think their methods are the one-and-only way to stay fit. I just try to eat cleanly and keep a reasonable level of strength and endurance. I prefer to do so without going to the gym (mountain biking and rock climbing), but during the winter months it's a good substitute.

 

[czelaya]

I work out 5 times a week and run 12-16 miles a week at a moderate 7 minute/mile pace. I've been physically active in the gym since my time in the military and I've acquired a level of understanding in weight training and nutrition that I'm able to minimize the time it takes to meet my goals. For instance, going to a lean body fat percentage to very low body weight for long distance running or to bulking muscle for strength competition(which I'm glad that I don't do anymore).

I train people for free, occasionally, as long at they're willing to give a substantial effort in meeting their goals. The whole point of me training others is that I want them to learn to be self sufficient when it comes to their health goals. While there's a lot that I've learned-I could of saved a lot time in learning proper techniques, nutrition, and scheduling activities through a novice trainer and self study books.

The one factor that amazes the most is that when you have the proper techniques and diet, going to the gym becomes a 25 minute exercise.

 

[pjl2934]

@Tosh: I hear that. Meal planning/prep is probably the largest time-consuming activity out of all other fitness-related activities.

@Dembadon: Isn't it amazing how people are so quick to tell you how to do something? Anyone who has been into fitness for a longer period of time will tell you that it's about consistancy. Not perfection. Some tips you get might be valid, but in the long run the people that stick with whatever they're doing will see the most results. Props for taking care of yourself.

@czelaya: You're a lot more active than I am! I'm striving to more efficiently integrate my workout and nutrition routines into my already slammed-packed-busy life. That's so awesome that you like to help others reach their goals. The biggest complaint I've heard from personal trainers is that almost all of their clients like to talk the talk but don't want to put in the hard work and dedication it takes to walk the walk. I also totally agree that the amount of time that it takes in the gym is a lot less than people realize. 25 mins of doing the right exercises with proper form will do far more for your body than hours at a time in the gym.

 

[FlexGunship]

Way to freaking go, man!

Thanks. It's a huge motivator when people notice how hard you've been working. The first time my parents noticed it stuck with me for days.

I would never claim that folks can just get off meds without a doctor's approval, but aren't there current major societal problems like overmedication, lack of self-discipline, lack of personal responsibility, etc. that could be at least decreased from an increase in the popularity and understanding of exercise and nutrition?

It's only anecdotal evidence, but I always feel better when I go to the gym. I don't go for long. Just 45 minutes or so. It's my meditation (like you say). I get to be alone with my thoughts. Listen to music. Watch Jeopardy (because I don't have cable). But mostly, I like the positive effect it has on my life.

 

[pjl2934]

''When you want to be successful as bad as you want to breathe then you will be successful. Most of you don't want it bad, you just kind of want it. You don't want it as much as you want to party. You don't want it as much as you want to be cool. Most of you don't want success as much as you want sleep. You got to be willing to work with 3 hours of sleep. Some days you're going to have to stay up 3 days in a row. You got to want to be successful so bad that you forget to eat.'' - Eric Thomas

Talk about crossovers.. How much does that apply to everything in life? It's about putting in the work to get the results you want.

 

[Choppy]

What's been working for me lately:

Nutrition...
1. Limit portion sizes.
2. Avoid junk food. I was surprised at how much of it there really is where I work, and how much I used to eat. There's a birthday cake sitting in our common area right now - one of those jobs that's about half icing by weight, and there was a time when I would have two slices.
3. Half of what goes into my mouth should be a real fruit or vegetable.

Exercise...
1. Weights 2-3x per week.
2. Judo once per week.
3. A big cardio event once per week (other than judo.) All summer I was on my road bike training for the Ride to Conquer Cancer, but now I do runs when I can, and since it's getting a little colder, my wife and I are into "plyo"-Tuesdays, following the Insanity videos or the P90X).

Over the last four months I've lost about 30 pounds. This is largely due to the nutrition side of things. The exercise has been fairly consistent through most of my adult life, but I had always subscribed to the "just burn it off" theory. That changed when I began to actually do the math on all the calories I actually consumed.

 

[Choppy]

''When you want to be successful as bad as you want to breathe then you will be successful. Most of you don't want it bad, you just kind of want it. You don't want it as much as you want to party. You don't want it as much as you want to be cool. Most of you don't want success as much as you want sleep. You got to be willing to work with 3 hours of sleep. Some days you're going to have to stay up 3 days in a row. You got to want to be successful so bad that you forget to eat.'' - Eric Thomas

Talk about crossovers.. How much does that apply to everything in life? It's about putting in the work to get the results you want.

While the quote is inspiring to some degree and I understand where it's coming from, long term, that's a recipe for disaster.

 

[WannabeNewton]

I eat tons of junk food and watch sitcoms all day long.

 

[Borg]

I eat tons of junk food and watch sitcoms all day long.

Those 12 oz curls can work up a sweat.

 

[WannabeNewton]

Those 12 oz curls can work up a sweat.

Ain't that the truth.

 

[BobG]

I'm not pretty, but I do eat a nutritious diet of glazed doughnuts, potato chips, fried chicken wings, and bacon, plus drink at least 8 glasses of Jack Daniels per day, smoke at least 2 packs of cigarettes per day, plus take heroin for any minor aches and pains ...

... just as the Social Security Administration's nutritional guidelines for people over 50 suggest.

 

[Evo]

I'm not pretty, but I do eat a nutritious diet of glazed doughnuts, potato chips, fried chicken wings, and bacon, plus drink at least 8 glasses of Jack Daniels per day, smoke at least 2 packs of cigarettes per day, plus take heroin for any minor aches and pains ...

... just as the Social Security Administration's nutritional guidelines for people over 50 suggest.

 

[member 392791]

I eat very healthy, and at times I was an exercise aficionado. I'm working my way back into that part though, and the weight is being shed off.

 

[Chronos]

I have no idea how Flex got into my photo file. I'm just glad he didn't post the rubber ducky one. I do one sit up every morning and obsessively consume vegetable - peanut butter and chocolate are vegetables, right?

 

[AlephZero]

Nutrition is simple. Just consume equal quantities of the 5 major food groups: sugar, fat, salt, alcohol, and caffeine.

 

[FlexGunship]

Speaking of physical activity (was anyone speaking of that?)... went for a hike yesterday. The plan was to cover several peaks, but as rain set in, it seemed less like a good idea. So the first peak (a low one) became the only peak. This is Mount Roberts in New Hampshire.

 

[Dembadon]

Speaking of physical activity (was anyone speaking of that?)... went for a hike yesterday. The plan was to cover several peaks, but as rain set in, it seemed less like a good idea. So the first peak (a low one) became the only peak. This is Mount Roberts in New Hampshire.

Nice! I love hiking outside during the fall season before the snow hits. :!)

 

[BobG]

Speaking of physical activity (was anyone speaking of that?)... went for a hike yesterday. The plan was to cover several peaks, but as rain set in, it seemed less like a good idea. So the first peak (a low one) became the only peak. This is Mount Roberts in New Hampshire.

How do you breathe at that elevation? Isn't the air too thick?

Personally, I find Denver's air a little claustrophobic and Denver's only at 5280 ft.

I bet it takes a lot of beer to get drunk at that altitude.

 

[FlexGunship]

How do you breathe at that elevation? Isn't the air too thick?

Personally, I find Denver's air a little claustrophobic and Denver's only at 5280 ft.

I bet it takes a lot of beer to get drunk at that altitude.

Hah ha ha! Because NH is so close to the ocean, most of our mountain trails start only a couple hundred feet above sea level. This peak was actually the start of a mountain pass that goes across several peaks in the Ossipee range which form the outside of a 14km-wide ancient volcano caldera. Our original plan was to do as many as possible yesterday, but the rain kind of ruined that and footing was getting bad. (Truthfully, the best case scenario was Roberts, Faraway, and maybe Shaw... with all the mini-peaks in-between.)

It takes about a six-pack for me to get buzzed. I don't make it a habit to drink that much, of course, but I'm not sure what effect the elevation has on that number.

 

[lisab]

Flex, for some reason I thought your topo map was a fantasy, lost-world map.

Then, upon closer inspection, it looked like a dehydrated tomato.

 

[FlexGunship]

Flex, for some reason I thought your topo map was a fantasy, lost-world map.

Well, it is a mystical and fantastical place to hike.

Then, upon closer inspection, it looked like a dehydrated tomato.

Well, it is a... er... uh... not a, hmmm...

 

[Lavabug]

I started weightlifting again a few months back, my back and posture are thanking me for it.

Simple barbell stuff, all the basic compound motions nowadays.

~3 years ago I was putting up 64kg/135kg/138kg on the overhead press, deadlift and squat respectively for triples or sets of 5 (can't remember which).

Right now stuck on 50/110/100 ish respectively but I don't eat as much, not following any strict diet and I'm just trying to eat healthy, cannot keep up with/afford to eat 5 times a day. Still feel much healthier than being sedentary and my joint/ligament pains are nearly non-existent now that I removed all benchpressing variations (I only do dips and overhead press for pressing motions now).

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Three years ago this Jan 30th or so I went Atkins and lost 70 pounds over the next two years. The last year has been mostly maintenance with a little focused progress here and there - relatively light weights with lots of reps. But now I have started bulking up and lifting heavy. I lift weights or swim 4-5 days a week and have modified my diet to accommodate the muscle growth and increased physical demands. I am starting to feel like a real athlete again!

Being a nerd I also found it necessary to calculate the amount of work done during a workout. This is interesting to consider. By decreasing the weight by about 15% I can double the number of reps. It is funny how quickly we go over a cliff on total work done [lifting only] based on a relatively small change in the weight being used.

The other night I did about 75,000 ft-lbs of work [again, this only considers the lift, not the release]. I thought that sounded pretty impressive! But I did it in 45 minutes. So that works out to about... 5% of a horsepower.

My daily diet typically includes a lot of broccoli, spinach, kale, cauliflower and a wide assortment of vegetables. I always start my day with a V8 and finish with a protein drink after working out. I have found that I needed to add more red meat to my diet for the iron. I had been eating mostly white meat but found it difficult to get enough iron each day even with the high-iron vegetables. One interesting option for iron is liquorish! If I can get sugar-free liquorish I may add that as part of my routine.

 

[lendav_rott]

I go swimming few times a week and rest of the exercise comes from working as a chef in a hectic place. Not into weightlifting or pure muscle power or something along those lines, more so endurance and sense of balance.
Diet - I don't look for where it says "Y kcal per X units" when I buy something. I have always eaten what I wanted to.

 

[lisab]

Three years ago this Jan 30th or so I went Atkins and lost 70 pounds over the next two years. The last year has been mostly maintenance with a little focused progress here and there - relatively light weights with lots of reps. But now I have started bulking up and lifting heavy. I lift weights or swim 4-5 days a week and have modified my diet to accommodate the muscle growth and increased physical demands. I am starting to feel like a real athlete again!

Being a nerd I also found it necessary to calculate the amount of work done during a workout. This is interesting to consider. By decreasing the weight by about 15% I can double the number of reps. It is funny how quickly we go over a cliff on total work done [lifting only] based on a relatively small change in the weight being used.

The other night I did about 75,000 ft-lbs of work [again, this only considers the lift, not the release]. I thought that sounded pretty impressive! But I did it in 45 minutes. So that works out to about... 5% of a horsepower.

My daily diet typically includes a lot of broccoli, spinach, kale, cauliflower and a wide assortment of vegetables. I always start my day with a V8 and finish with a protein drink after working out. I have found that I needed to add more red meat to my diet for the iron. I had been eating mostly white meat but found it difficult to get enough iron each day even with the high-iron vegetables. One interesting option for iron is liquorish! If I can get sugar-free liquorish I may add that as part of my routine.

Swimming is great for endurance and range of motion. I wish there were more public pools around here. I also wish I could like V8, but for me, the V is for vile.

I go swimming few times a week and rest of the exercise comes from working as a chef in a hectic place. Not into weightlifting or pure muscle power or something along those lines, more so endurance and sense of balance.
Diet - I don't look for where it says "Y kcal per X units" when I buy something. I have always eaten what I wanted to.

A chef, really ? What kind of food?

Lately my exercise routine has been, erm, less than acceptable. My one-hour-each-way commute makes it difficult but I need to make it more of a priority.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Swimming is great for endurance and range of motion. I wish there were more public pools around here. I also wish I could like V8, but for me, the V is for vile.

You might try adding Vodka. I hear that helps.

Lately my exercise routine has been, erm, less than acceptable. My one-hour-each-way commute makes it difficult but I need to make it more of a priority.

Convenience is sooooo important in order to stay motivated and keep it up. Luckily I have easy access to what I need now. But you look awesome so you have some room for off time.

The other night I was lying here trying to sleep and couldn't because I kept wanting to run down and do some bench presses! I have never actually craved weight lifting before but that's exactly what was happening. I wanted to run down and lift weights as if I was having a late-night jones for ice cream.

 

[lendav_rott]

A chef, really ? What kind of food?

I deal with mostly making and preparing cuisines, but sometimes they make me do the desserts. It's like our native hostility at the work place. We know the desserts taste great, but you can't take any, and if you have to be the one to prepare them, it's like punishment. :D
My own two favourite to make are filet mignon and cordon bleu and there are ridiculously many people per night that order these. All in all I don't really like our regular menu, the foods are so fat-rich , but the job pays nicely.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Oops, make that licorice. And I would imagine that is actually a brand name.

Does anyone have any thoughts wrt fast-twitch vs slow-twitch exercises. I believe Bruce Lee always did fast lifts to activate the fast twitch muscle fiber. We were always trained to alternate daily between light and heavy. But it would also seem to make sense to lift fast when doing the lighter weights in addition to increased reps. That way both fiber types get activated. The most immediate concern that comes to mind for me is possibly an increased potential for injuries. Based on my college health class the logic seems sound enough but I'm not sure of that either.

 

[phion]

Buy a door pull-up bar. Best $25 investment I ever made.

 

[Office_Shredder]

Does anyone have any thoughts wrt fast-twitch vs slow-twitch exercises. I believe Bruce Lee always did fast lifts to activate the fast twitch muscle fiber. We were always trained to alternate daily between light and heavy. But it would also seem to make sense to lift fast when doing the lighter weights in addition to increased reps. That way both fiber types get activated. The most immediate concern that comes to mind for me is possibly an increased potential for injuries. Based on my college health class the logic seems sound enough but I'm not sure of that either.

I was always told that you should push against gravity as fast as you can (with any amount of weight; when it's a lot obviously as fast as you can is going to be quite a bit slower), and then to move the weight with gravity as slowly as possible.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I was always told that you should push against gravity as fast as you can (with any amount of weight; when it's a lot obviously as fast as you can is going to be quite a bit slower), and then to move the weight with gravity as slowly as possible.

Are you aware of there being any increased risk of injury either way? Fast lifts just seem inherently problematic to me wrt injury. I did a full set of fast lifts the other night and that left my entire body buzzing for hours... more so than is usual. So I definitely noticed a difference.

For lung function I have found that swimming laps underwater seems to help. So now I do that using a dolphin kick [good core exercise] in addition to the crawl, back, Rside, Lside, and breast strokes. I am even developing a half decent butterfly stroke! Even when I was swimming competitively my butterfly stroke sucked.

Since I started this program three years ago I have only been a little sick once. I didn't get the full-blown flu like everyone around me had but I felt down for a few days. Prior to starting this, I normally got sick twice a year. So far it looks like I may make it through another flu season without getting sick. I was directly exposed recently but never got it. Also, I'd been on antacids since I about ten years of age. But I haven't used antacids for two years now. My lifelong reflux problem is gone.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I ate late and as a result am going down for a late workout. So if you don't hear from me again, this time I pushed too hard.

Honestly, in the beginning I worried about dropping dead from a heart attack every time I picked up the weights. I gave it a 50/50 chance that I would get healthy before I overdid it and dropped dead.

 

[gravenewworld]

I'm very into nutrition and exercise regularly. When I was younger I would lift heavy amounts of weight and do power lifts. Bulking up wasn't a problem. Now that I'm a bit older, I mostly focus on cardio (intense interval training, not long distance). My favorite cardio work is just simply doing 3 x 10 hill sprints with 30 seconds resting time between each time I go up, 3-5 minutes rest between each set. Hopefully aiming for 5 x10. I do a lot of resistance work with just body weight, since after a bad back injury I'm just too scared to lift heavy weights anymore (pull ups, push ups, dips, other calisthenics).

85% of losing weight is diet alone. I've lost tons of weight before just through calorie restriction and no exercise. I strive everyday to eat as much deep color as possible--red, blue, yellow, dark green, purple, orange--from plant sources. A very handy investment is a scale so that you can track your calorie intake from meats. You'd be surprised at how large something like a steak or chicken breast is, and how much a standard serving size *should* be. I used to never care about calories and would just exercise. True, you can manage to still be fit and keep off weight, but 99.9% of us are not olympic athletes that burn 3000 calories per day training. Even if you work out a hour per day, it is still extremely difficult to burn off that burger, fries, and milk shake you ate yesterday. Ever since I started tracking calories, I've gotten down to a very lean frame I've never achieved before, even when I was lifting all of the time (but didn't care about calories). I eat almost no food from a package or can (or at least try my best most of the time), except for a rare few items like yogurt. It does get a bit tedious at times having to go to the store more often, since I can not buy too much at a time or else food will go bad since it is a lot of produce (don't like freezing either since I prefer fresh as possible and also don't always want to make soups that can be frozen).

I really want to try something different in the future when I get more time, like Muay Thai.

 

[turbo]

I have started eating mostly Mandarin oranges and bananas recently. I really don't need to be feasting on Spanish rice or American chop suey. I love those dishes, but they do my body no favors. I don't go to a gym, but if you have to heat with firewood, there is no need, as long as you eat/drink in moderation.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I have also added Metamucil to my daily routine. Originally I started taking this because of the soluble fiber; in particular because it helps to regulate blood sugar levels. But soluble fiber is so helpful in lowering cholesterol levels that blood sugar almost becomes a secondary issue. I thought it would be good daily supplement to help ensure that I got enough fiber each day. And the insoluble fiber is a bit of help as a mild laxative, which isn't a bad thing either.

 

[gravenewworld]

I also highly recommend investing in a decent food processor. A good food processor can almost do anything you can think of. You'll never need to buy any canned sauces, marinades, dressings, etc. etc. after you get one. That way you can control exactly what you consume and get rid of a lot of food preservatives, excess salt, and decrease the amount of sugar you intake from your diet. It also makes making things like bread, pastry dough, or grinding up your own meat a cinch, so it'll save you money too. Making bread is very easy after you practice a few times.

Some people avoid veggies because they take a long time to prep if you need to do a lot of chopping. With a food processor you can chop up you veggies for something like a healthy stir fry or to make some ratatouille in literally about 10 seconds. Good instruments in the kitchen go a long way just like they do for you in lab.

 

[mheslep]

Team competition in sports has been my motivation to exercise and eat right for years. Has nice side effects.

 

[mheslep]

While the quote is inspiring to some degree and I understand where it's coming from, long term, that's a recipe for disaster.

That I think depends greatly on the goal. Focused commitment to shallow goals (popularity, money) may well lead to a disaster. And I observe that even commitment to shallow goals focuses the mind which quickly reveals them to be what they are, as opposed to casual efforts which can continue indefinitely. But to rise to high levels in sport or scholarship or entrepreneurship or ...? Too many stories that end well.

 

[JorisL]

I started playing football (soccer for americans) again last year after stopping for a year since I got 5 minutes of playtime a game. With one practice and a game a week I lost 15 kg. What also helped was that I stopped ordering take out with the guys whenever they did. Every once in a while is ok but at times it was multiple times a week.

Recently I started having (a minute) breakfast which seems to decrease hunger during the day as well.
Also I'm thinking of starting to exercise towards a triathlon. Biggest problem: running.
I know I can build up the swimming part pretty quick. Once a week would get me from 20x25m to 80x25m in a month or so. Also I always liked to swim so that's not big of a problem. Cycling should be okay as well I suppose. Don't have a good bike for this at college though, got one of those rusty old bikes.

I don't really pay attention to my overall eating habits, although I try not to each too much cookies and stuff like that.