HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: stark@dwovax.enet.dec.com (Todd I. Stark)
Newsgroups: misc.fitness,alt.self-improve
Subject: Is techno utopianism justified ? (Re: Why?)
Date: 21 DEC 92 14:03:27
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
NNTP-Posting-Host: DWOVAX


denisl@bnr.ca (Denis Langlais) writes...
>In article <1992Dec17.132820.5755@linus.mitre.org>, m23364@mwunix (James Meritt) writes:
>|> 
>|> Given that you are reading this group, you presumably have at least a slight
>|> interest in improving yourself.  Why?

Let me use this as a springboard, Jim.

Is technical utopianism justified today ?    Are we living in an age
when some great scientific revolution into a post-modern world
is going to save us ?

One of the formerly most eloquent spokespersons for techno-utopianism,
B.F. Skinner of Harvard has stated publicly that he offers little hope
for our future.  And Bucky Fuller is gone.   :-(

Do folks think utopian ideals are justified ... on scientific grounds ?
... maybe on spiritual grounds, as in Marilyn Ferguson and crowd ?   

Is 'self-improvement' a self-indulgent activity or will it lead to 
our salvation or survival ?

(I don't have answers prepared, well reasoned flames are duly
solicited.  I was raised and trained a techno-utopian, but I have
second thoughts today).

						kind regards,

						todd
> 
> 
>I need to discipline myself further, especially in terms of
>time management.
>I need to improve my interactions with people.
>In this world of increasing technical sophistication people are
>training by taking technical courses.  My feeling is that to be
>effective today at work and at home requires more people skills
>than technical skills( 80%/20%)
> 
>In the past some people have posted excellent ideas in this newsgroup
>that have changed my life.  I look forward to more good ideas and
>also hope to post some of my own.
> 
>-- 
>Denis Langlais    Internet:  denisl@bnr.ca 
>BNR Ltd.         
>My opinions are my own
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Todd I. Stark				  stark@dwovax.enet.dec.com           |
| Digital Equipment Corporation		             (215) 354-1273           |
| Philadelphia, Pa. USA                                                       |
|  "I'm in a hurry, I don't know why.  All I really gotta do is live and die" |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: misc.fitness
From: djohns@elm.circa.ufl.edu (David A. Johns)
Newsgroups: misc.fitness
Subject: Too *little* fat intake?
Date: 27 Dec 92 18:32:25 GMT
Organization: University of Florida, Gainesville

I know about the recommendation to keep fat intake down to 20-40%
of total calories, which should mean between 50 and 100 grams per
day for me (around 2500 calories total daily intake).

But I can very easily get along on virtually no fat intake, eating
mainly grains, legumes, fruit, salads, and fat-free milk and yoghurt.
Even if I add some low-fat dressing and a bowl of soup, I'm not likely
to go over 20 grams per day.

So the question is this: is it possible to eat too *little* fat?  Is
there some danger in going too long on such a low-fat diet?  

David Johns
Newsgroups: misc.fitness
Subject: Re: new bike
From: galan@netlink.cts.com (Greg Gross)
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 92 12:20:39 PST
Organization: NetLink Online Communications, San Diego CA

betsys@cs.umb.edu (Elizabeth Schwartz) writes:

> I live in Cambridge, bike theft capitol of the world. I always buy a
> used 10-speed (actually they are all 12-speeds these days) and I
> deliberately let it get scuffed up. When possible, I chain it, with a
> large lock, next to the shiniest bike I can find. 
>   There are some FAQ's about bikes in the rec.bicycles hierarchy so
> let's not go into tech, but it does help to buy a decent bike. My
> current bike is heavy and a bit awkwards, and it does discourage me
> from attempting longer trips. A new bike in the spring, if my knees
> heal!
> --
> System Administrator                  Internet: betsys@cs.umb.edu
> MACS Dept, UMass/Boston               Phone   : 617-287-6448
> 100 Morrissey Blvd                    Staccato signals
> Boston, MA 02125-3393                      of constant information....


elizbaeth:
Am exploring the possibility of doing the Tour d'Isle in Montreal in 
June and am looking for people who might be willing to do it with me.

It's eclipsed NYC's Five Boro Bike Tour as the world's largest one-day 
event ride -- 43 miles around the island of Montreal, just you and 40,000 
or so of your closest friends on two wheels.

Have done the Five Boro, but not the Tour d'Isle, and have never seen 
Montreal. Could be a real kick.

It's annually held on the first Saturday in June, so there's six months 
to prepare.

One word: some people treat such event rides as races.  I don't.  I 
enjoy through new scenery, preferably with friends.  If anyone wants to 
hammer, they're free to go. I feel equally free not to go out hammering 
with 'em.

So please let me know what you think. It might be a lot of fun.
G.

--
Gregory Alan Gross      Welcome to life, where no good deed goes unpunished.
San Diego Union-Tribune         (619) 293-1270 (voice)
P.O. Box 191                    (619) 293-2333 (fax)
San Diego, CA 92112-4106        galan@netlink.cts.com (Internet)
Newsgroups: misc.fitness,rec.martial-arts
From: drury@helix.nih.gov (Richard Drury)
Subject: Shoulder Problem
Organization: National Institutes of Health, Bethesda
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1992 23:12:08 GMT

It seems I have done something serious to my left shoulder.  Ever
since an upper body workout a week ago, my shoulder has been
wasted.  The offending exercise was a series of pullovers on a
Nautilus machine.  Nothing I haven't done before, but it was 
a few weeks since I had done that particular exercise, and I did
about five sets to failure (instead of my usual three).  I've
heard of rotator cuff injury, but don't know whether that is the
right name for my problem.  Anybody know any quick and dirty
diagnostics?

Naturally, this is not making me very happy.  I don't power lift
or body build.  My lifting is to build and maintain strength for
my martial arts activities.  I work primarily with impact and
edged weapons.  Although I am right handed, the style I practice
often calls for a weapon in both hands, so this shoulder problem
is seriously interfering with my training.  One of my training
partners recommended some exercises designed to keep the joint
from losing range of motion as the tissue heals and to
strengthen the supporting muscles.  Does anybody else have
suggestions along these lines?

How long a recovery period am I looking at?
--
Richard A. Drury
drury@helix.nih.gov
From: psm@nosc.mil (Scot Mcintosh)
Newsgroups: misc.fitness
Subject: Re: Building Muscle
Date: 31 Dec 92 02:05:33 GMT
Organization: NRaD, San Diego

In article <1992Dec30.200538.3847@uc.msc.edu> jwabik@uc.msc.edu (Jeff Wabik) writes:
>
>NO MATTER WHAT your rep scheme is..  if you're doing 6's, or if
>you're doing 15's..  the ONLY way you're going really obtain the 
>results you want is by TRAINING TO FAILURE.  That is, if you're 
>doing 6's, that 6th rep should KILL you to complete.  If you get
>7, next week its time to up the weight.  Same is true for 15's.

Something I've been wondering: if I'm doing multiple sets of an
exercise, should I reduce the weight for the second set so that
I can get out the same number of reps before failure, or should I
extend the rest period until I can get out the same reps at the
same weight as on the first set? Or, should the early sets not
be taken to failure?



-- 
----
Scot McIntosh
Internet: psm%helios.nosc.mil@nosc.mil
UUCP:     I have no idea
Newsgroups: misc.fitness
From: sfjr@wam.umd.edu (Steve Russell)
Subject: Re: Request for info: aerobics/step music
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 15:39:07 GMT

In article <1992Dec23.210730.16594@ptdcs2.intel.com> sgadkari@ptdcs2.intel.com (Sanjay Gadkari ~) writes:
>I sometimes like or need to do aerobics at home.  Does anyone know of
>any precompiled audio recordings that are well matched to a 'typical'
>low-impact or step (I guess these should be different beats) workout,
>that I can buy? Alternatively, anyone have a list of their own
>compilations that you might care to share? I don't normally listen to
>'dance' music outside of aerobics classes, so I'm looking for an easy
>way out of wading through hours of pop with a stopwatch :) 
>Thanks
>Sanjay
>-- 
>Sanjay Gadkari                                                     Intel Corp
>M/S AL4-57, 5200 N.E. Elam Young Parkway            sgadkari@ptdcs2.intel.com
>Hillsboro OR 97124-6497                                        (503) 642-6140
>==============================================================================

Sanjay Gadkari-

	Get the latest issue of Shape magazine.  They have a review of
the current exercise videos on the market.

Steve R
From: jonathan@cs.pitt.edu (Jonathan Eunice)
Newsgroups: misc.fitness
Subject: Re: Low Body Fat Percentage but Spare Tire
Date: 1 Jan 93 23:51:05 GMT
	<1992Dec18.170508.16516@leland.Stanford.EDU> <1i2hf4INNbk@uwm.edu>
Organization: University of Pittsburgh Computer Science


   >[...] I still
   >have flabby upper arms and stomach (where I used to carry a lot of the
   >extra weight). Is there anything I can do to tighten up these areas short
   >of losing extra pounds?

   Just firm up the muscles.  You're down to 18% already, but nothing you
   mentioned indicates that you're exercising those body regions.  So the
   flabbiness is probably lack of muscle tone, not too much fat.


And I thought the Myth of Spot Reduction had been completely exposed!

As unfair as it may seem, exercising a specific body part or region
does nothing whatever to reduce fat in that part/region.  Fat stores
belong to the entire body, and are not linked to nearby muscles.
There are many studies in which participants have done tens of
thousands of excercises over periods of many months in attempts to
"spot reduce" fat, but without success.  Men, in particular, love to
do enormous numbers of sit-ups to reduce spare tires.  But it does not
work! 

The only direct way, short of liposuction, of reducing fat from your
arms or whatever other parts you're having trouble with, is to reduce
your overall percentage of body fat.  Building muscles is a good idea,
as this will help you lose body fat.  But building specific muscles
will not eliminate specific spots of fat.

Covert Bailey's _The New Fit or Fat_ might be good reading for you.
It costs about $8, is widely available, and does much to and dispel
the pernicious myths of losing weight.
Newsgroups: misc.fitness
From: alter@rchland.vnet.ibm.com (Eric Alter)
Subject: Re: Questions about Skipping Rope
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 14:55:02 GMT
Reply-To: alter@rchland.vnet.ibm.com
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM Rochester Mn

In article <2B421671.26460@news.service.uci.edu>, robin@fisher.bio.uci.edu (Robin Bush) writes:
|> 
|> 
|> 
|> To experienced rope skippers:  
|> 
|> I was thinking about incorporating rope skipping into my routine, which  
|> otherwise consists of low-impact aerobics and weight lifting (37 yr old  
|> female in pretty fair shape). 
|> 
|> Are there any problems I should watch out for?  In particular, I had a bad  
|> case of shin splints this last year, and don't want to get them again. Is  
|> that a frequent problem for rope skippers?  
|> 
|> Why isn't rope skipping very popular? 
|> 
|> ----------------------------------------------------------
|> Robin 

Well, I can't say I'm experienced, but I do/did skip rope quite often.
I think it's a great warmup excersize and very good aerobic workout.  If
I remember correctly (and remember from many years ago), 10min of skipping
rope at at "moderate" pace is roughly equivalent in aerobic excersize to
running 3 miles.

I used to skip rope for about 45min many years ago.  You kinda get
"runners high" when you go that long.  I only go for about 5min now before
I start aerobics.  The only real problem is boredom.  It helps if you have
some good music playing.  I find that I tend to skip to the beat (or some
multiple of it).  Another suggestion to help eliminate boredom when you'r
just starting is to make a game of seeing how long you can go (skips or time)
before you miss and have to startup again.

You might try changing how you move your legs every minute or so to help
vary the exersize.  I usually just pick up my off foot for 1 min, then
kinda kick the off foot for another min, then go back.  Helps to eliminate
boredom if you're always changing the activity.

-- 

Eric Alter
From: sritacco@wet.UUCP (Steve Ritacco)
Newsgroups: misc.fitness
Subject: Re: Aerobic Results
Date: 31 Dec 92 07:37:08 GMT
Organization: Wetware Diversions, San Francisco

> Question:
> 
> 1.  How long, what type of and at what intensity (pulse etc) of
>     aerobic exercise have you been doing?


I've been doing about 50 minutes of cycling (an average of 4 days a week)
at a heart rate of about 160 (my max is about 192).  That takes me about 20
miles.  I also have been doing some cross training on and off for the last
6 months, running 3-5 miles sometimes the same day as cycling and other days
only running.  When running, my heart rate is also around 160.

> 2.  How long before you noticed results?

I think my weight started to go down the first few weeks, and has been in the
same range (5 lbs. or so) ever since.

> 3.  What weight did you start at, how much fat did you lose?

Around 145 (I'm 5'6") now I'm in the 135-140 range.  Not too much, but when
I started doing some weights and pull-ups I noticed that my body's shape
changed (for the better) quite a bit. 

> 4.  Where you very overweight or trying to lose the last few
>     stubborn pounds?

Neither, I just wanted to feel better.  Since getting into shape my allergies
bother me a lot less and I don't seem to catch colds (maybe some of them were
allergy flare-ups ).

Steve
From: charriso@gssec.bt.uk.co
Newsgroups: misc.fitness
Subject: Re: Bodyfat Reduction (GO FOR IT !)
Date: 21 Dec 92 10:57:09 GMT
Organization: British Telecom, Glasgow Systems and Software Engineering Center

In article <1gqnubINN2c1@male.EBay.Sun.COM> sproule@gethsemane.EBay.Sun.COM (Dan Sproule) writes:
Path: gssec.bt.co.uk!axion!uknet!mcsun!uunet!olivea!spool.mu.edu!yale.edu!qt.cs.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!male.EBay.Sun.COM!gethsemane!sproule
   From: sproule@gethsemane.EBay.Sun.COM (Dan Sproule)
   Newsgroups: misc.fitness
   Date: 17 Dec 92 20:28:59 GMT
   Reply-To: sproule@gethsemane.EBay.Sun.COM
   Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
   Lines: 37
   NNTP-Posting-Host: gethsemane.ebay.sun.com


   >   * I've been training for a number of years now, and I'm very happy with my size
   >   * and shape. However, my body-fat has always remained between 11-14%. How do I
   >   * go about bringing it down into single figures (4-7%) ? Lots of aerobics ? What
   >   * about my diet ? Do I need any supplements ? Do I lay off the weights ? What
   >   * sort of time-scales am I looking at ? etc. etc.
       >
       >   A question to answer your question:
       >
       >  If you are very happy with your size and shape,
       >  why do you care about reducing your body fat from
       >  a healthy 11-14% down to a possibly unhealthy 4-7%?


       My response to anyone who wants to drop down to 4-7% bodyfat is: GO
   FOR IT !!!  Think about it. If you were to grab a hand full of the fat
   around your waste, ... what is that fat right there doing for you? It's
   not cushioning any muscle tissue nor is it providing cushion protection
   for the joints in your body from that location. It simply sits there and
   does absolutely nothing for you. The mere fact that your body can have
   enough excess fat to be able to grab denotes that you already have all
   of the necesary fatty material in between the muscles and organs. The ex-
   cess is excess. 
       I believe the reason why so many doctors and sports specialists seem to
   think, and I highlight the word think, that low bodyfat percentages are some-
   how dangerous is because almost everyone in America has anywhere from 10-20%
   bodyfat on their bodies. This is the current norm and it may itself not
   necesarily be the right norm. Personally, I'm down to around 7% bodyfat and
   I fully intend to reduce myself further to only 5%.
       Most of the current bantor raging today concerning this topic is at best
   opinion and assumption. As a matter of contention, current studies show that a
   calorie restricted diet, which also means lowered fat intack, is the healthiest
   way to go. Rats are shown to live five times longer than other rats not on
   calorie restricted diets.


   Dan S.


OK, OK, I want to "GO FOR IT !!!", but in my original posting, my question was
"What's the best way ?". Your bodyfat of "around 7%" would be the level I'd
like. What did you do ? How long did it take ? Did you do cut back your weight 
training ? More aerobics ? etc. etc.

Cheers,

Colin H.



























--
This is a test signature.
From: jwabik@uc.msc.edu (Jeff Wabik)
Newsgroups: misc.fitness
Subject: Re: Targetting lower lats
Date: 30 Dec 92 20:10:48 GMT
Organization: Minnesota Supercomputer Center

In article <1992Dec18.141541.4722@verifone.com>, rachim_t1@verifone.com writes:
> In article <42439@sdcc12.ucsd.edu>, jhussain@cs.ucsd.edu (Jabir Hussain) writes:

> > 	I have no trouble exercising (and feeling sore in :-)) my
> > 	upper lats (the ones between the shoulder blades) but I
> > 	cannot seem to target the lower lats (the ones at about
> > 	elbow-level and lower).  Even wide grip pulldowns do not
> > 	seem to hit that area.

> I've found narrow grip pullups (or pulldowns) hit the lower lats good.  
> Also, wide grip pullups(and downs) frontways (behind the neck gets upper lats).

I like to do underhand-grip rows.. . either bar or dumbbell for lower
lats.  Bring the weight up as close to the front thigh as possible, and
get a good squeeze on the top.  Try it [one arm at a time] with
dumbbells while supporting yourself on a flat bench with the other
arm/leg... Dont forget to keep your back flat.

	-Jeff
From: ekennedy@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Edward Kennedy)
Newsgroups: misc.fitness
Subject: Re: Abs Question
Date: 23 Dec 92 12:03:08 GMT
Reply-To: ekennedy@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Edward Kennedy)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Carderock Division, NSWC, Bethesda, MD

In misc.fitness, krw@cbnewsk.cb.att.com (keith.r.smith) writes:
>In article <28875@oasys.dt.navy.mil> ekennedy@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Edward Kennedy
>) writes:
>>
>>
>>I have been on a pretty good exercise regimin for the past 8 months
>>or so.  I have been doing a lot of lifting and running with some bike riding
>>thrown in.  This has been pretty successful to drop body fat, but
>>my problem is this:  even though my body fat has dropped about 8 - 10 percent
>>my waist(around my handles) has increased in size.  This is exactly
>>the opposite of what I wanted.
>>
>>I guess what has happened is that muscle tissue has built under the fat that
>>remains.  My question is "How can I keep toning the abs without there
>>being growth?
>>
>>Thanks in advance for your input.
>
>Has your weight changed?
   
   My weight has gone up by about 5 pounds, but I have added alot of muscle
   in the same time period.

>What is your diet like?

   I don't eat that much, but I'm sure that I don't eat as good as I should.
   On a typical day I eat no breakfast, have a sandwich and some chips for
   lunch, and have spaghetti or something like that for dinner.  

>What is the duration and frequency of your areobic work?

   I ride a stationary bike for about 30 minutes three days a week and I run
   about 3 - 5 miles three or four times a week.  For information purposes, I
   also lift weights 4 days a week.

>Are you getting enough fluids?

   I don't drink much water, but I do drink a lot of coffee.  I know this is a
   wrong approach but I am up for work at 4:30 am and the coffee is my
   lifeline.

>Are you getting enough fibre in your diet?

   Probably. 

>
>Keith R
Newsgroups: misc.fitness
From: kenl@origami.cc.bellcore.com (Ken Lehner)
Subject: Re: Weight Lifting posts
Organization: Bellcore
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 92 21:33:44 GMT

In article <Bz293u.JBM@mail.boi.hp.com> smay@boi.hp.com (Scott Smay) writes:
>
>A little background: I'm 34, 5'9", 155 lbs. I can run a 10k in about 37
>minutes, ski 25km in about 80 minutes. I do a lot of whitewater kayaking.
>I lift weights about 9 months a year, though I'd never done bench presses
>until this last year.          
>
>On bench press, I will be (or would have been until this thread started) happy
>when I can do 3 sets of 8 reps of my own body weight. Right now I can do
>3X8@135, and I've done an occasional single set at 155 with great effort.
>Watching around the gym, this is definitely lower than the average, though not
>by a lot. I see lots of people working with about 200 lbs. Those who work with
>the 150 lb range seem to be in the 10-20 rep range. What is a little 
>confusing and sometimes irritating is that most of these guys have slighter
>builds than I. 
>
>My objective is to build strength, not mass. Advice or references would be
>welcome. I read this group daily, and don't see my workout being radically
>different than some successful ones described here. One possible difference
>is that I tend to use weight training as an adjunct to more aerobic sports.
>However, I am not using a low weight X high rep routine. I rarely get reps
>above 8 or 9 (or below 7) and do work to exhaustion except on warmups. Am I
>just up against a genetic limit?
>

(A little background:  track in college (jumps plus a decathlon), masters
swimming last 7-8 years, triathlons/road racing last few years.  I'm
a sprinter by physiology, not a distance person (37:25 best for 10k, and
4:55 for a mile this year (at age 34))

Do you want strength that you can use toward some particular activity
(e.g., running or kayaking), or do you want strength "in the abstract"
(e.g., lift more weight)?  To run sub-6 minute miles for a 10k, you've got
to be a pretty reasonable aerobic athlete.  You've trained your muscles
and energy systems for that.  I think it is difficult to train for both
aerobic and non-aerobic activities at the same time (that's why it's so
hard to be a world-class decathlete, and why there are so few decathletes
who are really fast 1500m runners).

Do you want strength in particular muscle groups, or just strength that
will increase your max in the bench press?

The more specific you are in stating your goals, the better I (and others)
may be able to give advice.
Newsgroups: misc.fitness