What to do when you’re weak, unfit and overweight

Isn't the modern answer just to buy an ebike?

That's 20mins long.

Would you care to give us an executive summary?

That's 20mins long.

 

Would you care to give us an executive summary?

Point one is to develop an attention span.

Strength training, some cardio exercise and a bit of a diet (better food and more exercise probably better than calorie counting).

You can PayPal me the consultancy fee.

If you're younger then Rule 5 applies and suffer a bit to get fit. If older then an e-bike and also suffer a bit.

What happens when you add in an arthritic knee, a hernia, and hamstrings weaker than cheesestrings?

Not watched it, but does Dave say the way forward is bouldering followed by drinking plenty of recovery stout? Asking for a friend.

Bit of a rambley unstructured video, but climbers are a weird bunch so I can forgive. 

Realistically just accept that unless being fit is your job, it’s fine to have periods of your life where you’re fatter, weaker and more injured than other periods. That’s just life for the majority of people. 

Being brutally honest it looks like he's never been what normal people would consider overweight in his life.

The linked videos started off talking about 'Elite Atheletes' and making comparisons to 'Amateur Atheletes' which almost immediately loses me. It's always going to be comparing Apples and Ferrets to some extent. It seems quite easy for people who's professional life has been doing the thing that others only get to do as a hobby, to forget that most people don't get to concentrate all of their energies and time on that thing. The bit that is glossed over a fair bit is available resources and time.

Motivational pep talks are fine I guess, but people at the 'elite' end of the scale (even if they've passed their peak) tend to have resources, time and a support network that us muggles typically lack. 

It's probably just me, but I always bristle a bit at having someone with an utterly different set of circumstances to most people, try to frame some relatively mundane observations about training and motivation as being somehow profound insights that everyone else can relate to and change their own life with... And then they plug their book.

I get motivated to get fitter a lot. So i ride a bit more and use a turbo. Then i get run down and pick up some crappy cough or bug. Then i go back to square 1. Its been like this for around 30 years.

Take the pie shop/takeaway off speed dial.

Set realistic targets*

Start with slow and small sessions, even better if you can do it with friends or family.

Get to the tipping point **, that has you looking forward to the next session, without it feeling like a chore. 

That's it ,you're hooked.

* age appropriate

** everyone's is different

Posted by: chakaping

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That's 20mins long.

Would you care to give us an executive summary?

Here's what https://www.summarize.tech/www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPMtvUXBoGU says.

00:00:00 - 00:20:00

In the video "What to do when you’re weak, unfit and overweight," the speaker shares a deeply personal account of their struggles with fitness , motivation, and dietary choices, challenging the notion that elite athletes are immune to setbacks. They recount their own feelings of weakness and low motivation influenced by various life factors, including injuries, lifestyle changes, and dissatisfaction with their diet. Emphasizing the importance of recognizing one’s current state as a crucial step towards improvement, the speaker offers actionable steps for recovery rooted in personal experience. They reflect on the significance of environmental factors in their climbing journey and the necessity of perseverance despite challenges, encouraging listeners to maintain hope and effort in the face of adversity, with the understanding that creating a fulfilling life is still possible even when expectations fall short.

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• 00:00:00 In this section, the speaker challenges the assumptions commonly held about elite athletes and their ability to overcome setbacks, emphasizing that they too experience struggles and emotions such as fear and depression. He reflects on his own feelings of weakness and being unfit, admitting to being in a low place but expressing determination to improve. The guidance he offers is rooted in his personal experiences of overcoming difficulties, and he intends to share actionable steps for recovery, highlighting the importance of honesty about one’s circumstances. He recalls a significant moment from a talk by a sports scientist, underscoring that acknowledging one’s current state is essential for determining the right path forward, reinforcing the idea that everyone, regardless of experience, faces challenges and can learn to navigate their way out of tough situations.
• 00:05:00 In this section, the speaker reflects on a recent personal struggle with motivation and fitness, emphasizing that physical symptoms, like weak fingers, are often manifestations of deeper issues related to psychological states of dissatisfaction. They explain how their recent lack of hunger to train hard stemmed from various life factors, including completing a long-term project, a series of fitness setbacks due to travel and injuries, and challenges with diet experimentation that negatively impacted their mood and health. By identifying these underlying causes rather than just addressing the symptoms, the speaker shares their intention to regain clarity and motivation to pursue their fitness goals more effectively.
• 00:10:00 In this section, the speaker discusses their struggles with dietary choices, specifically how moderation with certain foods has proven difficult for them, leading to negative effects like low mood and eczema. They reflect on their past dietary experiments and recognize that returning to a simpler diet of eggs and red meat consistently resolves their issues. Additionally, the speaker shares their experience with injuries and the mental challenges of remaining motivated as they age. Despite considering giving up on their climbing ambitions due to frustrations and injuries, they emphasize the importance of perseverance and the potential for unexpected motivation from new challenges, ultimately suggesting that pushing past mental limits can lead to significant progress and renewed focus on their goals.
• 00:15:00 In this section, the speaker reflects on their personal journey from being an average climber to achieving impressive milestones, emphasizing the importance of environmental factors over self-belief. They discuss their struggles with injuries and how they've adapted their training approach by focusing on foundational strength and rehabilitation, including experimenting with different rock shoes and customizing them for comfort. The speaker also acknowledges the frustration associated with their current limitations but views it as an opportunity to build a stronger base for future climbing endeavors. They plan to incorporate a variety of training techniques to address their weaknesses and remain optimistic about gradual improvement, inviting others who resonate with their experiences to follow their journey.
• 00:20:00 In this section, the speaker encourages listeners to remain persistent and hopeful, even when faced with challenging circumstances or feelings about their situation. They suggest that while the future may not meet one's initial expectations or dreams, it's still possible to improve one’s circumstances and create a fulfilling life. The speaker emphasizes the importance of trying, highlighting that the alternative—giving up—is not a desirable option.

CBA reading all that. Is there a video I can watch instead? 😉

Posted by: blokeuptheroad

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CBA reading all that. Is there a video I can watch instead? 😉

It roughly boils down to, deciding what you want to do about it, then actually doing it. 

I was at a ceilidh with Dave once. I'm pleased to say that despite him being a super climber, I am the better dancer. 

It roughly boils down to, deciding what you want to do about it, then actually doing it.

That is true, but it took me over a decade to find something I could do consistently (other than cycling). My issues were more centred around weakness than weight. Sometimes the things I tried were too boring and didn't motivate me, because it was simply boring, or I just didn't understand why I was doing it. Other times, I was motivated, but misjudged the intensity and my capability/capacity and would temporarily injure myself and then lost interest so it never became consistent for long enough. Also no good if you do too much of one limited form of exercise (ie cycling) and have nothing left for other forms of beneficial exercise which would address the areas which your main focus for exercise neglects. Dare say had I have had finances for a personal trainer, physio etc, things may have gone a whole lot better much sooner!

Posted by: Blackflag

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I get motivated to get fitter a lot. So i ride a bit more and use a turbo. Then i get run down and pick up some crappy cough or bug. Then i go back to square 1. Its been like this for around 30 years.

I get motivated to get fitter a lot. Then I ride slightly more for a week... maybe two. Then I go back to normal.

On the plus side I don't think I've gone a week without exercise since a hernia operation as an 18 year old. 

On the downside I've perpetually been "quite fit" but in no way competitive at anything.

...I may be steadily working towards an Over-80s XC title for my local region in about 40 years time.

That video popped up on my YouTube - I thought it was very interesting. I thought his observations have general life applications as well. Worth a watch!

I've seen this on telly! Use Just Eat is the answer.

Realistically just accept that unless being fit is your job, it’s fine to have periods of your life where you’re fatter, weaker and more injured than other periods. That’s just life for the majority of people. 

THIS.

I used to get stressed out about being ill or unfit for a week or so. Now my timeframe is in the matter of MONTHS. I.e "I'm going to be ill and weak for the next few months, deal with it DrP"!

DrP

Posted by: DrP

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I used to get stressed out about being ill or unfit for a week or so. Now my timeframe is in the matter of MONTHS

Just wait until you hear about aging!!

TBH it's the season for this kind of stuff, the telly schedules start filling up with food-shame based programming (after flogging comfort food since October), ads for holidays and beach bods, etc...

All the influencers are on a similar annual cycle.
People wot do sports for a job are part of the same eco-system really... New year, new bike/running shoes/tennis racket/whatever. TikToKs and YT Vids with "Tips to get motivated", Blah blah blah. same old aspirational shite every year...

I'd probably be less aware of it, but my Missus is very easily influenced by all sorts of meeja messaging, so the whole household gets to live the yearly cycle with her. we're in the midst of our annual bout of springtime Holiday booking and dietary anxieties.
At the same time we've got two relatives on a palliative care route, so my inclination is to be supportive, but give limited ****s to the cycle of manufactured self-reinvention that somehow seems to end up absorbing a bit more disposable income and emotional energy for very little actual change...

If you find these sort of videos beneficial, that's great... But I bet you next March is no different you'll be a wee bit tubbier than you'd like, and moaning about motivation and available time again, and someone with a channel (and maybe a book to flog) will have some inspiring words... Just remember it's their job and therefore they probably have a trainer/dietician/free kit/sponsors, so their "struggles" really aren't the same as a yours...

Nine weeks in to a fractured pelvis and hip socket - can't exercise or weight bear. Depressing. 

All the influencers are on a similar annual cycle.
People wot do sports for a job are part of the same eco-system really... New year, new bike/running shoes/tennis racket/whatever.

It's March already, new year over two months ago! Not really sure what you're complaining about. Sports professionals on social media influencing you? How dare they try to make a living! Have you tried listening to them? Obviously you need to find the right ones first; the ones that don't piss you off. The ones that conspire to influence you into doing exercise that... that you enjoy! The selfish bastards. Also, the ones that inspire you with amazing feats they themselves can do, but who also are well aware of the capabilities of more regular folk.

Found the video in the op interesting enough to watch it all (although skipped some of the climbing specific stuff).

Well I enjoyed it and I like Dave McLeod.

I've previously watched his video about separated shoulder rehab, which certainly helped me out after doing mine in (falling off a shit hire bike in Canada. On a bloody blue run!)

Interesting takes! 

Realistically just accept that unless being fit is your job, it’s fine to have periods of your life where you’re fatter, weaker and more injured than other periods. That’s just life for the majority of people.

That's exactly the point I thought he wanted to drive home.  Even for elite athletes, it's inevitable (and therefore fine/acceptable)  to have periods of your life where you’re fatter, weaker and more injured than other periods.  But because it's their job to be fit, they have to be a bit more targeted and analytical about getting out of the hole, and they'll have done at few different ways and have a few different methods.

What stuck with me was the self questioning he invites: "am I demotivated because I'm unfit, or am I unfit because I'm demotivated?"  and then looking at all of the points that might dive that.

I really appreciated his point about needing a variety of projects on the go to avoid going stale, or losing the fire due to "losing a project to success" (great phrase!).  I've got some long bike packing stuff, techy trails on the full suss, bit of racing, SSing,  possibility of a thousand km on a road bike at the end of the summer.  All good fun, and I know if I just had one of them, I'd run out of motivational steam.   

I tore out the door for a hot lap on the SS today, full of want.  Fell off twice in two corners.  Dusty out there!  Now limping with steri-strips holding gouges shut on my knee and elbow.  Rolly-eyes-emoji.

The last five years I've enjoyed stepping off the phys, no longer required to maintain a required standard to pass tests/assessments or to have ro be a role model for younger troops. 

These days I can actually 'listen to my body' and not have to push it to the point and beyond its tolerance. Still maintain a baseline to hopefully make me not die too young though. 😂

cookeaa, I get the resistance to health peddlers, especially if you've got a bullshit susceptible partner.

Just remember it's their job and therefore they probably have a trainer/dietician/free kit/sponsors, so their "struggles" really aren't the same as a yours...

Look at it the other way:  going off your hobby (or one of your hobbies) for a bit and getting a bit out of shape because of other stuff in your life is much less of a "struggle" than not wanting to do your job, getting worse and worse at it, losing your sponsors, income, kit., ability to pay for your dietician, trainer etc.

So getting out of a holes is part of the job, and maybe some of them have got some useful tips for the rest of us.  

At 54 the 'one thing' that works best for me is 'just do something'.

If my life has got all busy and lifey for a couple I weeks, rather than thinking that I've given up, I just start small with a few press ups and away we go again. The only event I need to win is staying healthy and active as long as possible.

And accepting that as we get older we will always have some painful and niggly bits...

I think the influencers are listening to you cookea!

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Fwiw, I don't think Dave MacLeod is a very typical, cynical 'influencer'. I've met him a few times through work and he just across as being a thoughtful, curious, intelligent guy without many axes to grind . I guess you could argue that it's a sinister mechanism to flog his book(s) to a small number of keen climbers, who'd actually be interested, but. it doesn't seem a particularly effective way of doing that. 

Anyway, he's in the niche position of being, at least partly, a sponsored athlete and so under some pressure to keep on doing impressive stuff. I thought the stuff about being project driven was interesting, not so much as a causal trigger, but potentially, if you're wired that way, as a solution. Dream up a project, commit to it, fetch!

As a more extreme climbing take, I always liked Mark Twight writing in Kiss or Kill that sometimes you need to veg out, slump on the sofa watching shit TV and eating buckets of ice cream - I paraphrase, but that was the gist of it - until disgust and self-loathing drive you to do something about it. I've always rolled something like that way, though as I've got older, I've also got less extreme and more prone to consistency. 

But I guess it always comes down to how you're wired and what motivates you.

I think I have never been that prone to consistency. Project based motivation does resonate with me, but nowadays I have less time for that, so it's more maintenance of sliding decline. Maybe I should say I am going to climb [insert something medium/tough] or race again and place top [whatever....not last?].  Dunno. I have visions of cracking on with all that once my kids are older, but the longer I leave it, the harder it will be to get stuck in again. 

I'm going to try this one simple handstand-push-up hack

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Weird, that same video came up when I searched DIY vasectomy.

I'd just buy a new bike. It's worked so far.

Having turned 60 it is definitely a case of readjusting your goals and expectations, plus allowing more time for recovery and life getting in the way. Today is a beautiful spring day, blue skies and barely any wind but I’m stuck inside with a cold and recovering from a small op in the week. I find I’m more motivated by new goals rather than trying to flog myself chasing old ones. I’m still trying to shake off the 5kg I put on since COVID too - I can really feel it running or biking uphill. No magic bullets I’m afraid, just be realistic about what you’d like to achieve and how…

I've gone from mild amusement at Dave Mac, chained as he was to Dumbarton Rock which I regard as one of the least inspiring places to climb in scotland -to, having a lot of respect for him. In the video he is really humble and articulate and I have no idea how he keeps himself motivated living in Lochaber, one of the wettest places in Britain. Although his training insights are wasted on me as I simply can't bully myself to train for anything physical. The flipside of a physiology that can never put on fat is that even if I train I don't put on muscle so what's the point? Motivation to go biking or climbing is a real problem for me these days, I've even been seen on a road bike ffs!