View Full Version : Fitness Motivation: Pavlov says Hello
What motivates you to workout if you don't naturally love to?
Well here is a new tool on the market for those that may respond to a kick in the arse... or an electric shock. :D
Pavlok website: http://pavlok.com/
Colbert Report clip on the Pavlok: http://www.hulu.com/watch/684575#i1,p0,d1
It could be effective for some but I just can't stop giggling.
Pedaling Fool
09-09-2014, 19:50
I didn't open the links and get the sense that it's primarily a shot a humor, but since this is in the Health, Safety & Hygiene (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?25-Health-Safety-amp-Hygiene) forum, I'll give my serious comment.
My primary motivation is from observing old people. I will not be fighting with gravity just to walk across a parking lot; I will never become a responsibility of others.
I've been seriously working out ever since my AT hike in 2006, actually my hike was an official kick off to my new approach to fitness and to this day I'm still at it and I can say I'm healthier today than I was ~20 years ago when I had to ride my bike 50-miles per day just to get to work and back (when I was stationed in Norfolk and lived in Va Beach).
The age thing is my primary motivator, but it is easy to get bored with working out (I'm not one of those people who are naturals; I very much have to work at it).
Some of the things I do is to always make up different goals, like running a given distance in x-amount of time or doing very fast speed work with X-number of repeats or being able to do the gymnastics iron cross...
Those are the little motivators that keep my workouts fresh, but also what I've found out is after a certain point (measured in years) you kind of get addicted to working out, so much so that I do have to force myself not to workout, better to just do something else, but it actually can be difficult to force myself not to go on a run. And I'm a person that took years to even warm up to running, I never liked it and was very tough to make it a habit. Again that's where my 2006 hike helped; I started running again just a couple months after getting home and I've been running ever since. And to think I use to hate running more than anything else:)
I didn't open the links and get the sense that it's primarily a shot a humor, but since this is in the Health, Safety & Hygiene (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?25-Health-Safety-amp-Hygiene) forum, I'll give my serious comment.
Yes, sorry if I've placed this in the wrong sub-forum.
However I do thank you for sharing. :) Goal setting is a great motivator. Also easier once you reach a level of fitness where your mind and body enjoy pushing further, exercising more.
rocketsocks
09-09-2014, 20:10
Wow, talk about flagellants in the 21st century....Righteous Workout! crazy world we live in.
rocketsocks
09-09-2014, 20:19
I didn't open the links and get the sense that it's primarily a shot a humor, but since this is in the Health, Safety & Hygiene (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?25-Health-Safety-amp-Hygiene) forum, I'll give my serious comment.
My primary motivation is from observing old people. I will not be fighting with gravity just to walk across a parking lot; I will never become a responsibility of others.
I've been seriously working out ever since my AT hike in 2006, actually my hike was an official kick off to my new approach to fitness and to this day I'm still at it and I can say I'm healthier today than I was ~20 years ago when I had to ride my bike 50-miles per day just to get to work and back (when I was stationed in Norfolk and lived in Va Beach).
The age thing is my primary motivator, but it is easy to get bored with working out (I'm not one of those people who are naturals; I very much have to work at it).
Some of the things I do is to always make up different goals, like running a given distance in x-amount of time or doing very fast speed work with X-number of repeats or being able to do the gymnastics iron cross...
Those are the little motivators that keep my workouts fresh, but also what I've found out is after a certain point (measured in years) you kind of get addicted to working out, so much so that I do have to force myself not to workout, better to just do something else, but it actually can be difficult to force myself not to go on a run. And I'm a person that took years to even warm up to running, I never liked it and was very tough to make it a habit. Again that's where my 2006 hike helped; I started running again just a couple months after getting home and I've been running ever since. And to think I use to hate running more than anything else:)Funny you would post this, funnier still I thought of you about three weeks ago when leaving VA. beach on Vacation and we drove by Mt. Trashmore (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Trashmore_Park) and this fella was bolting up the side of the thing, we watched for a few mins as he did this several times...what a workout.
...the picture does not do it just, it's actually quite steep...he ran the path alongside the steps.
rocketsocks
09-09-2014, 20:22
Funny you would post this, funnier still I thought of you about three weeks ago when leaving VA. beach on Vacation and we drove by Mt. Trashmore (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Trashmore_Park) and this fella was bolting up the side of the thing, we watched for a few mins as he did this several times...what a workout.
...the picture does not do it just, it's actually quite steep...he ran the path alongside the steps.http://cdn1-www.webecoist.momtastic.com/assets/uploads/2009/04/mount-trashmore.jpg
http://cdn1-www.webecoist.momtastic.com/assets/uploads/2009/04/mount-trashmore.jpg
Just imagine working out there with a Pavlok on. Break for too long and ZAP!
Nice looking park in that photo, btw.
rocketsocks
09-09-2014, 23:58
Yup, they did the best they could with the trash they had, like to see more parks where land fills use to be.
Pedaling Fool
09-10-2014, 08:13
http://cdn1-www.webecoist.momtastic.com/assets/uploads/2009/04/mount-trashmore.jpgI used to live just down the road from there and would ride past there every morning on my way to work. I lived across from Lynhaven Mall in Magic Hollow.
rocketsocks
09-10-2014, 17:16
Yup, been to the Lynhaven mall...Barns & Noble. My buddy loves those Lynhaven Oysters.
...and to keep it on track, I think I've told this story before.
Once time (no not at band camp) at my buddy's house he had just put a electric dog collar on his dog and installed the invisible fence...I did not know this. When I arrived the dog was real excited to see us and I called to her from the driveway, she ran and jumped in the car. My Buddy comes running out out of the house yellin' "get her outta there, she's getting shocked" yikes, apparently we were past the line.
...later that day as party ensues, and many beers later, I call the dog over, take off her collar and put it around my neck, apologize to her one last time, and start walkin' towards the forbidden zone.
What the #$%@& mild electrical correction my ass, took me off my feet...Povlov's was right, and his dog should be lucky he wasn't friends with Tesla.
What the #$%@& mild electrical correction my ass, took me off my feet...Povlov's was right, and his dog should be lucky he wasn't friends with Tesla.
Its not on topic but I can't help myself, I have to comment.
The company may have sold it saying it uses a "mild" correction but that is simple marketing. As "mild" is still a relative term - there is no law against them using it. Similar to a food brand using an "all natural" tag on their product.
Know that an electric fence system uses an avoidance level of correction, which is always high, because the goal is to clearly teach the dog to avoid an object or boundary. It worked on you just as well... You didn't want to get near the boundary again, did you? You may not like the product but the results can speak for themselves. Granted there are weaknesses in that type of system... I'm gonna shut up now 'cause this isn't the dog forum.
rocketsocks
09-10-2014, 18:42
Its not on topic but I can't help myself, I have to comment.
The company may have sold it saying it uses a "mild" correction but that is simple marketing. As "mild" is still a relative term - there is no law against them using it. Similar to a food brand using an "all natural" tag on their product.
Know that an electric fence system uses an avoidance level of correction, which is always high, because the goal is to clearly teach the dog to avoid an object or boundary. It worked on you just as well... You didn't want to get near the boundary again, did you? You may not like the product but the results can speak for themselves. Granted there are weaknesses in that type of system... I'm gonna shut up now 'cause this isn't the dog forum.I suppose I should have used some funny emoticons, Naw I don't have a problem with the system as a teaching/training tool, and no, I would not repeat my idiocy again...it really weren't all that, but made for a better embellishment. You've only been around a while, most here no I'm full of Poo. :D
rocketsocks
09-10-2014, 18:45
Yup, been to the Lynhaven mall...Barns & Noble. My buddy loves those Lynhaven Oysters.
...and to keep it on track, I think I've told this story before.
Once time (no not at band camp) at my buddy's house he had just put a electric dog collar on his dog and installed the invisible fence...I did not know this. When I arrived the dog was real excited to see us and I called to her from the driveway, she ran and jumped in the car. My Buddy comes running out out of the house yellin' "get her outta there, she's getting shocked" yikes, apparently we were past the line.
...later that day as party ensues, and many beers later, I call the dog over, take off her collar and put it around my neck, apologize to her one last time, and start walkin' towards the forbidden zone.
What the #$%@& :jumpmild electrical correction my ass, took me off my feet...Povlov's was right, and his dog should be lucky he wasn't friends with Tesla.fixed it ;)
No worries, I didn't think you were "full of POO".
Goober, maybe. :P
rocketsocks
09-10-2014, 18:57
No worries, I didn't think you were "full of POO".
Goober, maybe. :P
That too 28300
Pedaling Fool
09-13-2014, 10:22
Here's a good article on why you need to lift heavy things and put them down http://www.npr.org/2011/02/21/133776800/seniors-can-still-bulk-up-on-muscle-by-pressing-iron
There's an audio link on the above link, but here are just a few excerpts:
As we age, our muscle mass decreases at surprising rates. According to Dr. David Heber (http://ccim.med.ucla.edu/?page_id=203), director of UCLA's Center for Human Nutrition, an average male who weights 180 pounds might after age 60 lose as much as 10 pounds of muscle mass over a decade.
But can we turn that around?
Heber says absolutely.
Take the success story of 73-year-old Sandy Palais of Tempe, Ariz., who does resistance training six days a week for about an hour each day. Palais started lifting weights about 10 years ago, shortly after she was diagnosed with osteoporosis. Weight training builds both muscle and bone mass.
Palais started going to the gym three days a week. It didn't cost much, and student trainers were there to help. Within a year, she was able to compete in the local senior Olympics.
"My top score was 380 pounds: I squatted 135; I benched 80; and I deadlifted 165," she says, laughing.
Now Palais has a drawer full of silver and gold medals.
Exercise physiologist and researcher Mark Peterson (http://sitemaker.umich.edu/paeir/personnel) first met Palais when he was a student trainer at Arizona State University. Now, Peterson works at the University of Michigan where he authored the new research published in Medicine & Science In Sports & Exercise that looked at whether older people can reverse the process of muscle loss.
"The time in which we say that older adults can't do more exercise is long gone," he says.
In Peterson's analysis of 39 studies, he found that among more than 1,300 adults over the age of 50, muscle mass could be increased by an average of nearly
2.5 pounds in just five months.
Not only did that reverse any age-related muscle loss, it actually built lots of new muscle. Related research found the greater the intensity of weight-lifting programs, the more dramatic the outcomes. Adults who lifted the most weight boosted their upper and lower body strength by nearly a third.
bigcranky
09-13-2014, 17:27
My primary motivation is from observing old people. I will not be fighting with gravity just to walk across a parking lot; I will never become a responsibility of others.
I totally get what you are saying here, but I'll just point out the obvious, that none of those folks planned to become the responsibility of others. Stuff happens that we don't plan for. Just ask anyone taking care of an Alzheimer's patient.
Pedaling Fool
09-14-2014, 06:32
I totally get what you are saying here, but I'll just point out the obvious, that none of those folks planned to become the responsibility of others. Stuff happens that we don't plan for. Just ask anyone taking care of an Alzheimer's patient.A lot of people do put themselves in the position they find themselves. However, not all, life sucks sometimes and it requires one to fight back. Alzheimer's sucks. It's not off my radar, but I don't have much in the way of practical experience, only what I read, but don't feel qualified to say anymore than that.
I totally get what you are saying here, but I'll just point out the obvious, that none of those folks planned to become the responsibility of others. Stuff happens that we don't plan for. Just ask anyone taking care of an Alzheimer's patient.
Good point bigcranky, when I was in my 50's and early 60's I was singing the same tune as PF. I have always walked 5+ miles every day and always thought that my excercise habits would keep me healthy until the end. But last year I noticed some stiffness in my neck and numbness in my limbs and it was actually made worse by walking. MRI showed a severe narrowing of my Cervical Spine. I still am walking and hiking and I work a 40+ hour week but I now am coming to the realization that I may not always be so active. Some day I may very well be dependent on others.
rocketsocks
09-14-2014, 12:01
I don't know, the technology just seems unfair. What if your at your doctors office getting a proctological exam when your buddy decides you didn't do enough miles yesterday, now your doctor is screaming "let go" and your gettin' sued over a broken finger. :eek:
Pedaling Fool
09-14-2014, 16:58
I've been trying to think of some rah-rah motivational bullsh1t to say all day, but the fact is I've been down since Friday with no motivation for anything. I barley had the energy to do yardwork over the weekend -- and that took me two days to do; I'm so freakin' weak:(
I think I'm going to taco bell -- it worked last time :) <<<< I'm faking a smile, but I still respect you all ;)
rocketsocks
09-14-2014, 17:09
I've been trying to think of some rah-rah motivational bullsh1t to say all day, but the fact is I've been down since Friday with no motivation for anything. I barley had the energy to do yardwork over the weekend -- and that took me two days to do; I'm so freakin' weak:(
I think I'm going to taco bell -- it worked last time :) <<<< I'm faking a smile, but I still respect you all ;)
Hey...don't forget the peanut M&M's :D chacolate has tons of antioxidants, and peanuts, well, yeah they're good for ya too.:)
Pedaling Fool
09-21-2014, 09:07
Hey...don't forget the peanut M&M's :D chacolate has tons of antioxidants, and peanuts, well, yeah they're good for ya too.:)
Yeah, nutrition is way overstated. M&M's and weightlifting are all I need and everything else falls in place.:)
Despite all the little down moments I'm feeling better and better every passing year and I know I'll have the strength to keep it up thanks to heavy weights.
I remember when I was a little kid listening to Merv Griffin talking to someone on how to motivate one self to lose weight in keep it off, basically (IIRC) you just sit naked in a room full of naked fat people :D
I don't know why I remember that, but that basic principle is what keeps me motivated; I just go to walmart and look at all the decrepit people, both old and young either hobbling around or sitting in them motorized carts.
Interesting reading
http://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/20/science/a-secret-of-health-in-old-age-muscles.html
http://www.forbes.com/sites/juliewilcox/2012/05/31/health-benefits-weightlifting/
..
Pedaling Fool
09-29-2014, 10:48
This lady should be a motivating force https://uk.screen.yahoo.com/powerlifting-pensioner-gym-going-granny-101421887.html
Pedaling Fool
03-24-2015, 08:59
There's too much emphasis on cardio health. Weightlifting keeps the body young and healthy as you age in ways cardio exercises can not do. Result: You can hike later in life with less chance of injury.
Note: Article is directed towards women, because women seem to not stick to be attracted to weightlifting, because they assume it's going to “bulk” them up. However, it makes it clear that weightlifting is for everyone.
http://news.yahoo.com/women-lift-weights-130351017.html
Pedaling Fool
04-07-2015, 07:44
Another study saying that vigorous exercise helps people live longer. Personally, I don't care so much about longevity – it's all about staying independent as I age. However, I agree in part with this study, in that for true health you need to incorporate vigorous exercise in your life – the common recommendation of 30-minutes of moderate exercise 3-4 times per week is just wrong.
Where I differ on this issue is pitting one form against the other, i.e. short vigorous exercise vs. longer, but less intense exercise. In my opinion you need both. It's like the old nurture vs. nature arguments – it's not one or the other, it's complicated mix....
http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/04/06/vigorous-exercise-may-lengthen-lives-study-finds/
Excerpt:
The question of how much vigorous activity we should get has made for some hot debates in recent years. Some studies have suggested that we should routinely engage in vigorous exercise to prevent chronic diseases and early mortality; others have suggested that moderate exercise, but more of it, is just as good. Others have even argued there’s an upper limit to the strenuousness of exercise, beyond which its stress on the body may negate its benefits. But now, a large new study (http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.0541) in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that indeed vigorous exercise, regardless of body weight or chronic disease status, can reduce early mortality significantly. And the authors suggest it may finally be time to change those exercise recommendations that are standard in pretty much every corner of the globe.
The researchers from James Cook University and the University of Sydney looked at data tracking over 204,000 participants, 45 and older, for an average of six and a half years. They were divided into three groups: those who engaged in only moderate activity, like leisurely swimming, social tennis, or even household chores; and people whose activity was vigorous (jogging, aerobics, or competitive tennis) up to 30% of the time, or more than 30% of the time.
People who exercised vigorously up to 30% of the time had a 9% reduced risk of dying; those whose exercise was vigorous more than 30% of the time reduced their mortality risk by 13%.
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The researchers controlled for a number of variables, like BMI, diet, age, alcohol use, and whether the person had a chronic illness like diabetes or heart disease. And the mortality benefit was still there.
“The benefits of vigorous activity applied to men and women of all ages, and were independent of the total amount of time spent being active,” said lead author Klaus Gebel.
“The results indicate that whether or not you are obese, and whether or not you have heart disease or diabetes, if you can manage some vigorous activity it could offer significant benefits for longevity.”
Most guidelines say that two minutes of moderate activity offers about the same health (http://www.forbes.com/health/) benefit as one minute of vigorous activity – but this assumption may need to be changed, given what researchers are learning about the relative benefits of each. “The current physical activity guidelines from the World Health Organization, and those for the US, UK, Australia and other countries,” says Gebel, “recommend that adults should accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity or a combination of both in which 1 minute of vigorous activity counts as much as 2 minutes of moderate activity. So these guidelines leave individuals to choose their activity patterns according to their preferences and abilities.” But it may be more complex than this, he adds. Vigorous exercise may not give just twice the bang for the buck as moderate exercise; it may actually give a lot more.
Traveler
04-07-2015, 09:10
Another study saying that vigorous exercise helps people live longer. Personally, I don't care so much about longevity – it's all about staying independent as I age. However, I agree in part with this study, in that for true health you need to incorporate vigorous exercise in your life – the common recommendation of 30-minutes of moderate exercise 3-4 times per week is just wrong.
Where I differ on this issue is pitting one form against the other, i.e. short vigorous exercise vs. longer, but less intense exercise. In my opinion you need both. It's like the old nurture vs. nature arguments – it's not one or the other, it's complicated mix....
I think the mix idea is spot on, relative to good health. As an added benefit, there have been studies that associate walking in complex environments (forests and undulating ground being one of those) to have a positive effect on mental acuity. As I have gotten older I can see in people I have known for years, those who do not do a lot have lost not only a step or two, but have lost some mental agility. Its all connected, we just can't say how right now.
I don't need extra motivation for moderate exercise; I find it relaxing and helpful in maintaining good health. But exercising to the point of exhaustion? No way. I'd rather put my energy into productive work around the yard: gardening, pruning, raking, moving firewood, and so on.