Remaining physically fit after leaving the military

[Exascot]

Whilst in the military we were all subjected a certain amount of physical exercise during training and had to undergo annual fitness checks. What is the consensus of opinion on the amount of personal fitness training we should ‘attempt’ to do each week. It may be interesting to know how people remain fit or indeed if they bother. I know that this is going to give rise to a number of inane suggestions. Sure, I also do a fair amount of weight training with a pint glass.

This post could be under ‘Medical and Health’ but I would be more interested in comments from military personnel, past or present.

[nice castle]

If you need to ask, you're probably not doing enough.

Wow, that was a really aggressive reply, and wasn't meant to be. I often don't do enough and have wondered the same. I think that if it of concern to you, alleviate those concerns by doing more until you feel healthy - then maintain.

Alternatively, listen to a physical fitness instructor type person, rather than my inane suggestion.

How does 3 mile run, one weights session and one core stability session a week sound? Do-able?

[Exascot]

Golly that was a very fast - not so aggressive reply, thanks.
For the record I walk 20 minutes down a gorge and back up the other side and back every day to get to the office (no road). Every other day I run 5km in the mountains, the first km goes up 160m. I then do 60 press ups and 60 sit ups. I then follow it by drinking far too much beer. BTW I am 56 this year. Perhaps I should drink more beer or reduce the exercise.

[Whoosh1999]

I'd go with the more beer!! :ok:

[Wander00]

In the same camp as Monroe (TV programme) - exercise can extend your life by 2 years - but if you spend the equivalent of 3 years of your life exercising, what's the point

I'l get my trainers

[lurkposition]

At retirement I used all my spare wonka to buy a small farm. The daily grind and heavy manual work keep me fit. Got a dog. We walk at least 4 miles daily.
To thos intersted in trying it please watch Steve Martin's Money Pit first, then retire to a proper job!

[jindabyne]

Exa

At your age, certainly more beer (and a little wine), and I'd be content with that 40 min walk each day - well enough, and think what the rest is doing to your back and knees! They need some TLC from now on -----

Oh, and don't forget the cod liver oil, statins and BP pills.

[Spot 4]

The Maverick element of me suggests that the day I no longer 'have to' do any phys is probably the day I buy a pair of trainers. However walking has much merit especially when used in conjunction with a healthy diet. ....and if my garden over the last few days is anything to go by, I will not be short of manual labour in my retirement and I am quite sure I have burnt more calories then sitting behind a PC screen. (Reluctant blunties missing the air beneath his wings).

[dctyke]

The RAF Pension Payout Dept reccomend sitting all day watching horse racing whilst eating burgers and drinking to excess whilst for breakfast cornflakes and fresh double cream is just the thing. An evening snack of an 24 pack of Walkers Crisps and a few double whiskies will complete the diet! Every month or so take sudden exercise or a hike up a munroe till you feel chest pains, pushing on a little futher will help them go away! :E

[ShyTorque]

I must be fitter now than when I left the RAF.

I can eat far more pies these days.

I run. Usually on errands for 'er indoors.

[Melchett01]

I have to say I rarely if ever get to do organised / compulsory PT; either it doesn't exist (my current unit) or the bosses suddenly find things for the officers to do just before PT starts! As a result, I have always done my own PT, usually 45-60 mins after work, interval training / light weights but still manage to get light blue on the tests. Now as the only Olympic medal I am ever likely to be in contention for is the most useless individual in the stadium, I would contend that means that getting and staying fit is reasonably easy if you keep it up.

The way I see it having observed my parents, when a gentleman reaches a certain age, the idea of fitness subtley shifts from being able to pass a military fitness test to staying healthy, keeping the old ticker going long enough to enjoy your pension and generally being in a fit state to enjoy life. So if I were you, I would be looking to do enough fitness to keep me mobile and enjoying life whilst also balancing out the odd drinkie and slice of Brie after dinner.

I would have thought a 40 min walk up and down hill would do wonders, but you might also want to throw in the odd light weight session once or twice a week to maintain strenght, tone and make use of the fact that muscle burns quite a lot of calories lb for lb, so more muscle means you can enjoy that extra drinkie :ok:

[Pontius Navigator]

At your age, certainly more beer (and a little wine), and I'd be content with that 40 min walk each day - well enough, and think what the rest is doing to your back and knees! They need some TLC from now on -----

Very true. While I need some assistance getting to my feet 9gives the upper body a workout :)) the 40 minute walk can be achieved in two sessions as the pub is just 20 minutes away.

[c130jbloke]

Sorry for the slow responce - just got back from the gym :confused:

FWIW, I like the idea of not dropping dead at age 56 and (not that its going to happen anytime soon) should the nightmare senario have ever happened, being able to run really fast for a really long time whilst being chased by Terry and all his friends or members of the Ghadaffi fan club :uhoh:

The RAFFT is a joke, but I know people who still make it look difficult. In the end, its all about self preservation - not so much "fit to fight" , more like "fit to live".

And now I am off to drink beer and watch Liverpool !

Happy Easter all, especially those out in club med / AFG :cool:

[soddim]

I am advised to raise my pulse rate to double for 20 minutes three times a week. Ideal at my age because sex does that but it's getting difficult to sustain for 20 minutes and to persude my wife that it is good for me!

[SASless]

Exercise extends your life by two years???? Does that mean you have two additional years reclined in a rocker with druel dripping down your chin or you just get the same rocker time two years later?

[Laarbruch72]

druel dripping down your chin

Is that a cross between gruel and drool? That's plausible, I suppose.

[airborne_artist]

Just completed my annual civvystrasse CFT. 20 miles over (ie up and down, mostly up) the Berkshire Downs in four hours, in 24C. Not bad for nearly 52 :\

[charliegolf]

20 miles in 4 hours? Yer car's buggered mate!:ok:

CG

[alisoncc]

I would suggest that by far the most critical aspect of maintaining fitness comes about through a change in attitude. A person needs to recognise that the body won't always be there when they need it unless they incorporate a regular maintenance regime. As the chronology mounts up "Use it or lose it" must become an unspoken mantra.

Up to the mid thirties, for most their body will fulfill any demands placed upon it. During the next twenty years, there is a gradual deterioration, often ignored. By mid to late sixties, bits start to fail unless adequately maintained.

Whilst the medical professions can "patch up" worn bits, the repair will never work as well as the original. So ongoing maintenance becomes a daily neccessity, with a need to keep pushing the envelope, because once relaxed it becomes incredibly hard to retrieve the outer limits.

As a regular golfer I never cease to be amazed by the number who choose to drive around the courses in carts rather than walk. At 67 plus, I never ride. If I can't walk the course then I would see very little to be gained from the time spent, believing that just swinging a club isn't much better than playing a game on a computer screen.

[scarecrow450]

I can still fit into my uniform trousers now after 12 years.

I was a fat git then as well ! :ugh:

[PPRuNeUser0139]

I've a friend in England who's a GP and he smokes cigars.. His philosophy is why live healthily with the goal of adding 5 years onto your life. He says these 5 extra years come in at the end where you don't want them rather than in the middle - where you do. I find that a compelling argument!

Me? I row 3 times a week - I average ~40km/week. A sport you can do sitting down. Highly recommended. I once read that it's second only to swimming for its health benefits. For sheer enjoyment, I'd rate it #1. It enables me to enjoy life as I want - wine every day and yes, the occasional cigar.

[Green Flash]

After a few years of dodging 107's on dodgy knees I now try to pushbike as much as possible. It's not some mental downhill weapon, just a robust hybrid that I can trundle down to the shops on. Low impact on aforementioned limbs, most recommended :ok: And I have a rule that if I can't be @rsed to walk to the pub, then I probably don't want a drink. Seems to work for me.

[mrmrsmith2]

left in 95, now have a job thats 30 minute walk away works for me. Oh and have a supermarket to pick the wine up on the way home sorted... not turning in to a fat person yet. works for me.....

[Pontius Navigator]

I bought a new DJ about 5 years ago as the old one was getting a little tight. I got the old one in 1963.

[Rigga]

Left the rather sedate life of the 90s RAF in 1999 for an even more sedentry job.
Now cycling more than 30 miles each day at weekends and going to pubs a long way from home.

[Waddo Plumber]

At 62, I long ago gave up anything which twists my knees such as ball games so, living in Lanzarote, I use the all year warmth to enjoy swimming, and walking in the hills. That and staying out of the bar seem to work.

[Exascot]

20 miles in 4 hours? Yer car's buggered mate!And there is probably red, white and blue smoke coming out of his exhaust.

[Whenurhappy]

It's great to hear that some of us still try to stay fit and trim after leaving the Service. I eventually relented last year on Foreign Staff Course and got a 'new' set of Service Dress (second-hand, actually) and paid a local tailor equivalent of £8 to re-rank and fit medal ribbons and brevet (all salvaged from the old tunic). Perfect! Now I am living with Mrs WP on a pittance Abroad my weight has dropped and the No 1s hang on me. Oh well.

It is clear some who leave the Services give up any pretext of keeping fit. About a month ago when that Foreign Office 'team' got into a spot of bother in Libya, the BBC had an 'expert' on to discuss what was happening. The enormous bloater claimed he was ex Sgt SAS (THAT man on the Balcony) and wheezed complete and utter rubbish to the fawning interviewer. I'm sure what he said may have been OK, but I struggled to take seriously a guy who would have been uber-fit and now was probably hovering around 25 stone. Surely personal pride, inter alia, would want a relatively young guy (I guess about 50) to try and keep his weight down! Or am I being a bit mean?

[AR1]

I promised I'd stay fit, but I haven't. 17 years sat behind a desk/in a car mean that my fitness regime has to occur outside of work, and the reality is, it doesn't.

I'm 2 and a half stones heavier now than I was in my 30's. - Though I am making effort to reduce that now I have type 2 diabetes. Right, it's midday, must pop offline for a donut.

[Melchett01]

Surely personal pride, inter alia, would want a relatively young guy (I guess about 50) to try and keep his weight down! Or am I being a bit mean?

Not at all chap. I'm 35, and slimmer and fitter now than I was when I was 20 at university, and intend to try and keep it that way.

Whenever I visit my parents 'ooop north', I'm staggered to see the sheer numbers of people who have let themselves go in their teens and 20s. I'm convinced their idea of keeping in shape is realising that their clothes are a bit tight and popping into Primark to buy the next size up rather than eating less and being a bit more active. I call it the P-Plan Diet, and I'm sure it's now a British phenomenon rather than just a northern one.

I had an accident a couple of month back where I seriously damaged my shoulder and back, and as a result I have been off most forms of phys other than things like the step machines which are non impact / upper body weight bearing. As a result, I have had to modify my intake, watching what I eat and drink more than I would normally. I seriously doubt if many people you see waddling around our town centres these days would take the same approach. But frankly, I don't want to offend the world anymore than I already do with my presence by becoming a complete lard arse to boot.

Frankly, if I ever let myself go to that extent, I would rather go and get the Mess Webbley and put and end to the shame of it all.

Edited to add - before anyone says it, I acknowledge that I am not an Olympic specimen, and am more likely to appear on the Most Wanted List vice the cover of GQ or some other such glossy toilet paper. I just believe that above and beyond the requirement to pass a military fitness test, individuals should have enough pride (and desire to stay reasonably helathy) to look after themselves and keep in good order if for no other reason than to be able to enjoy life rather than spending it in the doctor's surgery with untold ailments and complaints brought on by a life of being lazy.

[Pontius Navigator]

Melchett, I admit I am a good stone overweight and well built for where I live but when I go on a cruise ship I get a terrible inferiority complex with all these overweight ****s stealing my space.

I am amazed that the lifts can accommodate 18 people. Certainly not 18 of those specimens.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Got teaching job after service flying - coaching sport meant I put on 1 stone only. Stopped coaching when I got a management position; put on another 2 stone. Emigrated and am building my own 2 storey house by hand (slowly); lost 3 stone. There are no fat carpenters! Gardening is a good substitute (apparently).
Can recommend the Canadian Air Force exercises (google '5BX') for getting you back in shape. They do work for all ages, but note the sit-ups should now be crunches.
...and try to stay out of the bar Mon-Thu.:(

[Romeo Oscar Golf]

As a regular golfer I never cease to be amazed by the number who choose to drive around the courses in carts rather than walk. At 67 plus, I never ride. If I can't walk the course then I would see very little to be gained from the time spent, believing that just swinging a club isn't much better than playing a game on a computer screen

Couldn't agree more Allisoncc. Same age, couple of major heart attacks, AF and full time carer for my wife. Leisure time in short supply so the only "real" exercise I get (once a week) is walking five miles with a bag of bats and an enormous supply of balls to relieve the boredom of "just" walking.

[NutLoose]

walking five miles with a bag of bats

Didn't think you were allowed to disturb them as they are often endagered species :rolleyes:


I still manage 20 miles a week, but if petrol goes up much more I will have to cut down the distance I drive..

[[email protected]]

exascot - I think the answer to your question depends entirely on what level of fitness you maintained when you were in. If, as your nom-de-pprune suggests, you are an ex-truckie used to eating your own body weight 3 times a day (gear up, flaps up, breakfast up etc etc) then not much effort required;)

[Diablo Rouge]

Mindset is what it takes.

Speaking with Ms DR this morning, I confess to working on the principal of I have paid for it so I am eating it. (Mess food due to unaccompanied service) whereas when at home I eat very little balanced by quality restaurant visits once or twice a week. I have been home now for 2 weeks, done a little gardening, driven the hoover around as DCoS is working, done no formal phys whatsoever, and have noticeably lost weight.

Unless it is all that exercise I am getting that remains behind closed doors!! :E

Seriously, the well known fact that guys who can run ragged around a rugby field yet cannot pass a RAFMSFT demonstrate that weight and fitness (and I believe the two are directly linked) is a balance of lifestyle, calories, and moderate exercise. For me running is very boring, yet lugging a camera bag miles along a river footpath at a sedentary pace on a warm day is fantastic and has its rewards in quality photographs when opportunities are exploited. I used to cycle a lot as a teenager accompanied by a guy who had just left the service after 22 years aged 40. That was enjoyable at that time. As reluctant as I am to admit it though, a 45 min gym session in the morning a few times a week to maintain RAFMSFT currency does set you up nicely for the day; just dont tell anyone I said so!! Once that facility is removed (retirement), I will rely upon prime time in the countryside to maintain fitness, and if that includes the occasional pub lunch then so much the better.

[Exascot]

exascot - I think the answer to your question depends entirely on what level of fitness you maintained when you were in. If, as your nom-de-pprune suggests, you are an ex-truckie used to eating your own body weight 3 times a day (gear up, flaps up, breakfast up etc etc) then not much effort required

Actually, not guilty. I have always eaten like a sparrow but unfortunately drink like a fish. Always run wherever I am in the world. Got chased by a pack of dogs in Botswana last month! I bet that I can still get into my mess kit which was never altered since OCTU.

[Whenurhappy]

Diablo Rouge - I concur. When I have attended courses or been staying in a Mess, I eat like a horse, with predictable consequences. I also agree with the earlier post basically stating that your attitude to fitness before leaving the service determines fitness/BMI after leaving.

I know that when I leave, there won't be any 'slipping down to the gym for some phys' when it is a bit quiet at work. My new job is likely to come with a top gym membership, yet when I speak with city folk few, it seems, find chance to visit the gym - either too busy mixing with clients, or headhunters!

I received last week an email from a US military facility near where I am working advising, that due to 'numerous requests' the gym would be open form 0500. Keen or what? But then, our American Cousins do tend to be in bed by 9 pm.

[Al R]

The gym at Ramstein used to be open all night.

Having driven a couple of thousand miles in the past week, I can feel every morsel that passed my lips. The body slows down; we slow down. The pace of life however, is relentless.. it even picks up (for me, anyway).

Best I get to the gym tonight and hit that jacuzzi hard.

[Bertie Thruster]

Easy! Just photoshop:


http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i97/nmhsu/DSCF1226-1-1-2-1.jpg
2008----------------------------2010

[Runaway Gun]

Bertie, why did you feel the need to show the topless photo of your wife?

[Pontius Navigator]

I bet that I can still get into my mess kit which was never altered since OCTU.

I only had one mess kit in 40 years. Can't try it on now as I sold it on eBay.

[Geehovah]

I'm waaaay fitter since I left.

My last tour was spent behind a computer. Occasionally, I was prompted to take my 3 weekly periods of exercise so I could pass the fitness test whilst still making sure the daily "trivia", mostly self perpetuating, was serviced.

Now I chose my own schedule, exercise when I wish and choose the time when I sit behind the computer.

I'm now making my last bid for 11 stones!

[Bertie Thruster]

Bertie, why did you feel the need to show the topless photo of your wife?

Wasn't happy with my moobs and extra 50 odd pounds! Just wanted to show that just leaving out modern dwarf wheat products, refined sugar and industrial seed oils (eg; rapeseed, sunflower, canola) can reverse metabolic (pre-diabetic) damage, rising blood pressure and fat storage in the 'older man'.

[TurbineTooHot]

Trying that 5BX thing that our Fox3wheresmybanana friend suggested.

Feels like its working, by which I mean I'm a bit sore from the 7 min miles.

Doesn't take that long either:ok:

See here: 5BX - How To Begin (http://www.fit450.com/HTML/5BX_Intro.html)

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Do remember that 5BX recommends you stay at each level till you're comfortable to move on. The competitive nature of military aircrew tends to make you want to lift the level early -resist this. It's a lifelong thing. If you overdo it, like all exercise, you risk it becoming a lifeshort thing.
Like basic training, it's after about 8-10 weeks you realise it's doing you good.

[TurbineTooHot]

Cheers mate, just realising that I ought to be starting lower down, tis a good workout though.:ok:

[alisoncc]

Bertie Thruster wrote:
just leaving out modern dwarf wheat products

When you consider that the vast bulk of modern convenience foods incorporate wheat in some guise or other, then just leaving that out will make a significant difference.

Think, no more - hamburgers, doughnuts, biscuits, cakes, sausage rolls, meat pies, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, etc. Put myself on a gluten-free diet after a period of not feeling too well. Lost count of the number of times I have wandered around my local shopping mall, almost dying of malnutrition - well very hungry, and not been able to find anything acceptable to eat.

So want to lose weight? Then just cut out all foods that incorporate wheat. It sounds easy, but it ain't.

[Al R]

Alison,

Tell me about it.. :{.

[bushveld]

My dear old Dad, who served for 39 years, just had his 91st birthday last week. He remains as fit as a fiddle and has all his marbles, and some of mine. His keep fit regime is working in the garden for 3-4 hours a day and at least one bottle of red in the evening, in summer preceeded by a beer.
I shall be following suit on my retirement.

[Bertie Thruster]

Been wheat free since Jan '09.

Think, no more - hamburgers, doughnuts, biscuits, cakes, sausage rolls, meat pies, sandwiches, pasta, pizza,

hamburgers; I usually have 3 'quarter pounders'. I just don't eat the buns!

cakes; last 2 christmas's had the usual xmas fruit cake, chocolate log, xmas pud, mince pies. All non grain. The visiting 'kids' didn't even notice the difference! (best thing is having as much whipped cream as you want!)

pizza; make loads. (many recipes on line to make non grain pizza bases.)

French fries? You bet! Just homemade and fried in animal fat. (Just like years ago when fish and chip shops all used dripping, before they all had to convert to using 'healthy' diesel fuel!)

Do I miss wheat? Beats moobs any day!