Atari: help Atari get in shape

Atari 02.04.22	don't care what genre it is. will happily take any recs you lovely people have for me since I'm going to be listening to even more music now than I already do..
Colton 02.04.22	the best advice here is just to not overcomplicate it. all the stuff you’ve heard before actually works. eat fewer calories, eat less sugar and processed food, and less red meat/cheese. try to exercise 3 or 4 times a week. just go for a run, or if running is hard right now use an elliptical or a stairmaster or any cardio machine. if you’re disciplined and stick with it you’ll see results. and then once you see results it becomes very rewarding
Pikazilla 02.04.22	step 1: don't ever eat junk food again
Colton 02.04.22	don’t bother with specific restrictive diets like keto. just work out and eat healthier
MarsKid 02.04.22	I'm a hobbyist at best, but what I'd generally recommend: 1. Look up beginner programs/workouts/etc and find what's most appealing for you. Preferably something you enjoy! 2. Rest often. Your body will need to acclimate to exercising if you haven't in a while. Don't go too hard from the get-go. I'd say 2-3 rest days a week. 3. Eating habits are key. Definitely cut out things that can be cut out and try to eat as healthy as possible. 4. Come up with a reliable plan/schedule and hold yourself accountable to it. Don't hinge it on a day (i.e. a New Year's resolution) and do it because you WANT to. You'll feel more motivated to uphold it, since it's based on your feelings and not on something else. Godspeed on your journey my man!
Dedes 02.04.22	Hey good luck dude! It's never to late to do something good for your body. Just remember the simple mantra of calories in-calories out and find a routine that's immersive and difficult but that you enjoy. Also if you want good healthy food recipes n shit I can prolly help you a bit. If ur looking for jams tho uhhh tbh I find a lotta upbeat core really nice. This Is the Six by While She Sleeps, silly epic metal like Visigoth, tbh anything by August Burns Red, STUPID heavy chuggy jams like Aeolian by The Ocean. Hardly unknown recs but those are probably my personal favorites.
NorthernSkylark 02.04.22	Mgmt - she works out too much
Dedes 02.04.22	@mars Hard yes on 4. That's the ultimate "well I'm just gonna do it later and everything will change by magic" approach. News Years Resolutions are a bad idea more often than not.
Atari 02.04.22	really appreciate the early support and advice!! don't want this to come across as attention-seeking.. I've just seen over the years how Sputnik can be weirdly helpful with these kind of things so here's my support group workout jam thread I guess, haha :] and yeah my diet is dogshit, so between that and not getting the exercise I need created the perfect storm. I also drink 10 cups of coffee a day so have to cup back quite a bit..
Storm In A Teacup 02.04.22	Oh yeah Atari the hardest thing is just to do it everyday. Having a home setup is essential. Workout every part of your body and always do something every couple hours to keep your metabolism going. Even if it is 20 jumping jacks every two hours in addition to what you do, that will help a lot and it will keep your brain focused on your goals.
anarchistfish 02.04.22	Anything by the game or 50 cent
Storm In A Teacup 02.04.22	For me I try to use a bench press and lat pully at home every two hours or at least three times a day when I’m out more.
Sowing 02.04.22	Literally everything you said from the dogshit diet to being on a computer all day drinking coffee like it's water to having kids...it all applies to me as well. Reading this felt like a weirdly specific sign from the universe that I should get my blood pressure checked and make healthier choices as well.
Dedes 02.04.22	100 situps 100 push-ups 100 squats and a 10 kilometer run everyday And don't forget a banana in the mornings
WeepingBanana 02.04.22	I’m no paragon of fitness by any stretch of the imagination but a couple years ago I lost like 20 pounds in a month by 1) not drinking (if you drink already that is, in my experience this alone gets you like 80% of the way to losing weight) and 2) every morning id wait until like 11 or 12 to eat my first meal, which was half a diced apple + however much cinnamon you want, a couple handfuls of walnuts, and maybe 3/4 cup of plain yogurt. I really can’t recommend this as a diet breakfast enough. Super satisfying, and the way the juicy sweet apples pair with the tangy yogurt, and the textural crunch of the walnuts makes it one of my favorite meals. I still eat this like 3 or 4 days a week and I’m not even trying to lose weight rn Obviously this is super variable from person to person. Maybe you already don’t drink. Maybe you despise the taste of plain yogurt. But whether your vice is candy or something, or you substitute that breakfast for a different meal with dietary fats and relatively high protein, working new habits into your routine is the bottom line
MarsKid 02.04.22	Agreed hard with The Ocean, top tier workout jams. In terms of adrenaline fuel, my go-to used to be Tree of Tongues by Exotic Animal Petting Zoo. If you're moving heavy shit, I'd recommend some big time post-metalcore jams like We Deserve Our Failures and Abject Bodies (Bleak and Minors, respectively).
MarsKid 02.04.22	I personally eat a lot because I'm trying to add weight and have a very high metabolism, but I definitely cut out mostly everything generally considered unhealthy. You never need a strict diet sometimes, just need to make the right choices.
cvlts 02.04.22	did a pretty drastic lifestyle change in diet and exercise during lockdown. lost 40 pounds through just through diet and healthy eating habits alone (zero exercise), then finally dropped another 10 once I started to introduce exercise. couple beginning dieting/healthy food eating tips: cut alcohol out immediately. find a vegetable you like and make it your best friend. stay heavy on lean protein (chicken). research your basal metabolic rate (how much calories your body requires a day to function). PLAN YOUR MEALS. and finally download an app like MyFitnessApp and count calories. once you have something along those lines down it gets so much easier to start picking up an exercise routine when you're not constantly lugging around >25% body fat.
Uzumaki 02.04.22	My brother was doing keto for a bit last year and it seemed to work out nicely for him, so I’ve begun to kick around doing a diet as well…
Dedes 02.04.22	Keto is an extremely dedicated diet to execute properly from what I know. You HAVE to enter ketosis which is like 3 days of not a single carb. Afterwards you can reintroduce small amounts like once or twice a week. P much everything you're ever going to eat has at least a small number of carbs so getting that ketosis going is incredibly rough.
WeepingBanana 02.04.22	It really is stupid how much just not drinking does for you in literally all aspects of health lol. On the one hand it sucks cause I love drinking and being drunk, but on the other hand it’s great cause whenever I’m like “wow I feel like shit what should I do” the answer is super obvious. However I am extremely lucky that I can drink every day for weeks and then just stop for a while if I wanna. Prob not a great idea overall but hey life is a meaningless charade!
Uzumaki 02.04.22	@Dedes yeah, he got into it; bought a digital scale and everything to help calculate carbs
Dedes 02.04.22	Amen to that dude When I was drinking everyday I think I gained 15 pounds in like 3 months which isn't massive but for someone with a generous metabolism it's a fair bit. Think I'm like 175 rn but who knows. I'd be pretty surprised if I was back to 185 rn
Dedes 02.04.22	@uzumaki Respect to him man Most people who I know try doing keto don't realize how many things actually have carbs and that something as silly as like, a tomato could prevent ketosis.
Hyperion1001 02.04.22	some good advice already covered here but I’ll add my 2 cents. 1. don’t look at working out as a number in a scale. exercise to feel better and build strength. 2. focus on compound movements first and foremost (bench press, squat, deadlift, etc) 3. don’t overdo it. getting into shape is a process that takes time. took me about 3-4 months initially to start feeling like my body was changing. 4. Cardio sucks, but don’t avoid it. Look at it as an aerobic supplement for your anaerobic exercises. 5. Most importantly, trial and error to find what works for you. No routine is one size fits all. Tailor it to your needs and make the gym work for you. Good luck and feel free to DM if you have any specific questions. I’ve been weightlifting for going on 10 years at this point so I can help a bit with specifics.
WeepingBanana 02.04.22	I’m very very skeptical of keto. I mean if you try it and it works, great, but it seems insanely hard to actually go into ketosis, and I feel like cutting out refined carbs is actually what’s doing the heavy lifting. Medically prescribed keto diets for the purpose of preventing epilepsy have you eating heavy cream with every meal lol. I think you can just no do that, have bread and pasta every once in a while, and as long as you’re cutting out refined carbs and junk food you’re basically 90% of the way there without turning your diet into insanity
cvlts 02.04.22	Did keto for 2 months last year prepping for a beach vacation. Aesthetically, it did wonders. Dropped from 13% to just hovering above 10% bodyfat and looked as toned as I've ever have. Mentally, I was a wreck. Felt like trash. Lethargic, not explosive in my movements. Combining keto with my fight training routine was hell. Honestly, I would only recommend it for short bursts and only if you're already active. (unless medically prescribed, of course)
Hyperion1001 02.04.22	yeah nearly all of these fad diets are bullshit. eating is extremely simple if you ignore all the bullshit. 1. If you’re trying to build muscle, shoot for 50-80% of body weight in grams of protein a day. 2. Cut out most empty calories (I.e. refined sugars and carbs) 3. DO NOT FORGET FATS. phospholipids are extremely important to hormonal function and joint health. nuts or dairy are great for good fats (if you can stomach dairy that is) 4. basic thermodynamics. lose weight = calories in < calories burned, gain weight = calories in > calories burned. that’s pretty much all you need to focus on imo. everything else is just marketing bullshit for the exercise/diet industries.
cvlts 02.04.22	"It really is stupid how much just not drinking does for you in literally all aspects of health lol" Literally this. Once you're past 30 it's incredible how much it effects you.
Dedes 02.04.22	@banana Yeah man It's extremely effective when done properly but it's too cutthroat. Tbh you're better off just keeping overall calories down based off how active or inactive you are.
Colton 02.04.22	hyperion is right. when people say "eat less and work out more" it sounds flippant and reductive but it's actually completely true. and it's empowering to know that you can control your own health by following such simple procedures
robertsona 02.04.22	my #1 workout essential is music lol electric exercise bike or treadmill music easy pace but not too easy. long but not too long. boom?
robertsona 02.04.22	even as a kid I always craved physical movement while listening to music. as a kid I would use the swingset and power my movement using my legs and feel so cool and kinetic and like I was vibing extra hard with the music. 2018-2020 it took the form of dancing my ass off to live music. now I do the bike (usually) or treadmill and it's really nice. get some upbeat classics on there. u gon kill
Colton 02.04.22	I feel that big time, I almost need some kind of physical movement now to really unwind and enjoy the music. I'm almost always walking somewhere or at the gym when listening to music these days. only time I'm sitting still is if I'm on the bus or driving, and then the movement of the vehicle substitutes for me moving. if I just lie down before bed and listen to music it's usually great, but I'm just never in the mood to do that
Storm In A Teacup 02.04.22	I tried so many times to use a bike as exercise but could never get a good form down that didn’t hurt my balls.
Colton 02.04.22	stairmaster is the ultimate cardio machine. low impact, so it's easy on your back and knees, but it's a hell of a cardio workout and works your leg muscles more than other forms of cardio too. plus it's a good functional workout, never know when you're gonna need to climb some stairs
MarsKid 02.04.22	Stairmaster is killer for your calves especially. Love ending a calf session with those, feels insanely satisfying.
Storm In A Teacup 02.04.22	I don’t like doing much leg workouts, used to get charley horses in my calves a lot from working out and working on feet. Haven’t had them in calves last two years, now I get them at bottom of my feet 😭
FR33L0RD 02.04.22	Some useful information in these comments, for anyone who is willing to take action for his health. Hyperion1001 has a pretty good compact essentials infos in 2 comments. Taking care of oneself health is a fun challenging long term process including a lot of curiosity, experimentation, knowledge seeking & personal growth. Take care all & have a good day!
grannypantys 02.04.22	a friend of mine had the same problem with blood pressure. They started walking up hills everyday for half an hr. In a month or so their BP was back to normal.
SlothcoreSam 02.04.22	PROPAGANDHI The workout music of Adonis.
Drifter 02.04.22	50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
Sinternet 02.04.22	the key i've found is to find a form of exercise that you can really get motivated from and stick with and indulge that. i know a lot of folks who love lifting and general gym exercises, but i always found i felt uncomfortable in that setting and unmotivated. when i took up running outdoors instead, i suddenly found that i did really strive to better myself and push myself to do more. i could see concrete progress in the form of stats tracking like distance and split times, and the changing scenery would give my brain enough stimulation to keep myself going, so finding the right exercise for you is the most important. i also really love swimming too, but that's too cost-prohibitive for me usually. as others have said, the key is not to burn out too quickly or overexceed your limits. usually as a starting point i'd work out one day, then rest the next. if you find you need an additional day because you're sore or unmotivated, don't stress about it and accept that it happens to everyone. create achievable and manageable goals for yourself, even if thats just to attempt exercising three times a week. not much help on the jams front im afraid though, i usually just shuffle my mega playlist, which will intermittently swap between orchid, kate bush and carti or similarly esoteric combos
Colton 02.04.22	also don’t be afraid to do simple and relatively easy exercises if youre just starting lifting. just bang out some bicep curls every now and then. when you see your arms getting bigger you’ll wanna keep going
robertsona 02.04.22	I hate that Painting With (2016) is my fav exercise album
JKing92 02.04.22	I mentioned this in the COVID gym thread, but mid-'90s Green Day really gets me going during workouts. Though if I had to recommend one specific song, I'd go with "Jaded." Only a minute and a half, but as someone who has run recreationally since high school (definitely don't have a good enough body or, perhaps more honestly, enough ambition to run competitively, let alone professionally), that song always makes me pick my knees up.
Colton 02.04.22	I find I can listen to anything at the gym as long as it's something I like. doesn't have to have a certain energy or tempo
Hyperion1001 02.04.22	my workout playlists are either slam/grindcore or techno. I really vibe to heavy, steady rhythms while exercising. Like robertman said it just makes my body want to move and the steady rhythms are good to sync movements to. but again just find what works for you. I know a few people who prefer podcasts while working out.
robertsona 02.04.22	I can listen to a range of stuff exercising but def prefer uptempo stuff and essentially cant do anything real slow
Calc 02.04.22	no one said meshuggah? bunch of posers in here.
WRYN 02.04.22	If you find a typical gym environment rather unmotivating like me, you could try to get into outdoor activities like calisthenics, swimming or running, which are a very balanced way of exercising the whole body. The latter should be done with reasonable intensity (not too long) for an energizing effect and on bark mulch tracks to avoid joint erosion. Cycling is another fun way of spending time outside, depending on the conditions you could e.g. either pick up a regular touring bike with fast tires (Conti GP Urban are pretty good) or a mountain bike with enduro/mud tires. In terms of music I think it should either fit a specific tempo or decently fade into the background, with that in mind these might work in some way: The Stone Roses Jimi Hendrix - Axis Bold As Love Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik Ott - Blumenkraft Curve - Pubic Fruit
Hyperion1001 02.05.22	"no one said meshuggah?" rational gaze is on my workout playlist : )
Atari 02.05.22	damn I knew this might be a good place to discuss this but I'm completely overwhelmed by all the good vibes here! thanks so much to everyone who's taken the time to share their thoughts, wasn't expecting such in-depth advice but I'll definitely be taking it all to heart. also I had typed up some responses a while ago and SURPRISE.. the site ate them. really wish I had time to reply to each and every one of you but please know you all collectively made my night. I must say though @WeepingBanana, your breakfast description was a definite highlight, lol.. you could be a food critic or write a health column I think ;) as for the comments about drinking, I used to be an alcoholic so already gave that up several years ago. the problem is I basically traded it for coffee as my drink of choice and should have taken other steps to get healthier. I have a really addictive personality so I'm hoping once I get in the groove with things I can use that to my advantage.. would be nice to have a healthy addiction for a change
JeetJeet 02.05.22	listen to 4NEM by Chief Keef its the perfect workout album
Dedes 02.05.22	Get addicted to eating ur veggies pal
Atari 02.05.22	actually just had a bomb chicken salad light on the dressing and it was very satisfying. Had apples, blueberries, pecans and dried cranberries in it and the chicken wasn’t greasy. As long as I’m careful with the condiments/toppings I see a lot of salads in my near future
Storm In A Teacup 02.05.22	I’m obsessed with salad and sushi. Ugh, could live only on those two meals.
Senetrix666 02.05.22	Something no one has said yet that helped me a lot get lean was centering literally every meal/snack I ate around lean protein/fiber. If I ever felt like I was craving snacks/junk, I’d slam a couple quest bars or drink a 50g protein shake, all of a sudden my cravings would either be not as intense or go away. Also, I dare u to try overconsuimg calories from chicken breast, it’s literally impossible.
Atari 02.05.22	cheers for the tip :] some lovely people in this thread
WRYN 02.05.22	Taking in an overabundance of essential amino acids through animal protein isn't exactly a way of boosting one's health, it's always important to keep a reasonable balance. I also forgot another album that fits nicely to intense cardio exercises, somewhat radical: Enduser - From Zero
Senetrix666 02.06.22	^ this is a myth, the science is very conclusive that high protein diets are not harmful at all and in fact, they are extremely useful for weight loss and muscle gain. They can be a problem for someone who already has underlying kidney issues, but that’s a very small percentage of the population
Hyperion1001 02.06.22	well, he did specifically say animal protein, and there is some truth to the statement, especially when it comes to red meat. i was vegan for a while but then had to incorporate chicken back into my diet because of some gastrointestinal issues (body couldnt handle all that gluten in vegan protein replacements). lean white meats like poultry and fish are the ideal animal proteins. red meat is ok in moderation but there are also plenty of reasons to avoid overdoing it. as long as you balance your protein intake between animal products and things like beans, nuts, and vegetable proteins you should be fine. you are correct in saying that a "high protein" diet, in and of itself, is perfectly fine. just dont go eating a 10oz steak every night.
WRYN 02.06.22	With overabundance I mean more than one actually needs. A body builder will obviously have other requirements than the average person, but apart from that a high protein (essential amino acids) intake will just accelerate the aging process, that's actually proven in dietary studies.
Hyperion1001 02.06.22	id like to see those studies if you could find and link them. ive spent a lot of time reading exercise science research and ive never come across anything linking amino acid consumption to aging.
Senetrix666 02.06.22	i guess i see your point and we probably both agree that ultimately getting people to stay away from processed foods high in fat and carbs/low in protein that are going to boost cravings. I am a bodybuilder so i guess im biased, but I do think protein is instrumental in retaining/building lean tissue as well as suppressing cravings. Fiber certainly helps too so getting a healthy mixture of both through lean meat and vegetables is a great way to go. as for carbs, i like rice, pasta, and fruit. I found a chickpea pasta brand the other day with 30g protein and 10g fiber per serving (I wanna say like for 200cal i think). Its amazing how easy dieting can be these days.
PitchforkArms 10.03.22	like a year late to this - Atari, are you a "must get pumped up" sorta guy, or a "damn this makes me feel cool" kinda guy when it comes to workout music?