The Healthy Airsofters Thread

[PopRocket123]

After seeing a discussion on another thread I had the idea for a thread dedicated to those of us who want to lose weight, get physically fitter or just generally live healthier. Whether you're getting fit for airsoft, using airsoft as a way to improve your health or you're already fit and want to help and encourage others, you're all welcome to give advice or ask questions.

I will say though, try to avoid promoting things like keto diets and intensive CrossFit type things just because they aren't for everyone and aren't always healthy as an entry level or more casual non-athlete. 

[Madhouse]

I’m doing Southampton marathon in September - that count?

Normally I’m out on the mountain bike but wanted to tick a marathon off the list.

 

Need to lose a few lockdown pounds though but I think half my problem is a love of beer, I only drink at weekends but it’s a shed load of calories. Very enjoyable calories mind 🍻

[PopRocket123]

1 hour ago, Madhouse said:

I’m doing Southampton marathon in September - that count?

Normally I’m out on the mountain bike but wanted to tick a marathon off the list.

 

Need to lose a few lockdown pounds though but I think half my problem is a love of beer, I only drink at weekends but it’s a shed load of calories. Very enjoyable calories mind 🍻

I'd like to get to the point of doing marathons. For now I'm only built for more sedate speeds so I've been going on a lot of hikes. Keeps the moths out of some of my airsoft kit until I can get back to a game too. 

[Oneshotscott]

This advice is simple for those whose will power isn't strong enough to make you run/go through physical pain in order to burn fat. 

 

1) when your tummy rumbles and you feel hungry, force yourself to delay eating for two hours and eat a NORMAL SIZED HEALTHY MEAL.  don't go binging or having a XL portion just because you managed to fast for 2 hours. 

 

2)drink water only. No teas/coffees/juices/alcohol etc

 

3) stretch your body for 20 mins every morning and evening. 

 

4) cut sugar out 99% of your diet and only eat natural sugar, non of those artificial sweeteners. 

 

  This is the easy way to trim down without having to put on running shoes. 

 

You can all do it. 

[Barny]

I cant recommend these things enough... they are simply the single best thing you can buy for overall training and conditioning.

 

KETTLEBELLS

 

Plenty of workouts on YouTube to follow that you can tailor to your time/fitness levels. Its a High Intensity Interval Training session that you can fit in during your normal day. They take up hardly any room and i believe the prices for home gym equipment are coming down now the delivery pandemic shizzle is .... well a bit better. 

The good thing about these is you do this at home. There's no need to travel anywhere, you don't need to spend a fortune on gear or clothing, your not spending hours outside in all weathers.... 

 

Its just you, the bell, some space and some time. 

 

I'd recommend the cast iron type ones as their physical size is smaller for the same weight as the nylon ones are filled with concrete and can be massive in size. 

 

Aim for a 12kg one to start with. My 1st one was a 7.5kg and its was too light and ineffective. I have a 12kg + 20kg plus some home gym equipment. The main movement with KB's is the standard swing, which is mainly leg based and your legs are a lots stronger than you think! 

 

You will sweat, a lot, so have a towel and water to hand and sip between each set.  

[Shamal]

I won't sweat at all cause I ain't doing it! Lol

 

3 hours ago, Airsoft123 said:

 

 

You can all do it. 

Even me? 13st 8 3/4lb and only 5ft 8. With a big belly.dont use sugar or eat sweets.one slice of toast for brekky no lunch and a cooked evening meal.do have a few tinnies at weekend though.fairly active general builder.

Regards 

[Impulse]

I took up martial arts to go alongside my stealthy sneaky airsoft because I want to be Big Boss.

 

In all seriousness, I saw airsoft as an active hobby that gets me out of the house and running around nature. I always wanted to do martial arts too, but I just never got around to it, so in 2018 I just decided to jump in and thoroughly enjoyed it. Over the course of a year I got back into airsoft and started doing martial arts twice a week. I've always hated exercise for the sake of exercise, so going to the gym or jogging or anything like that was always a massive mental hurdle, but airsoft is just a fun game that I enjoy playing, and martial arts is learning a skill that hopefully won't be needed, but is good to know just in case.

 

And now I want to be as good at my hobbies as I can be, and to be as good at martial arts and airsoft as I can be, physical fitness is a good way to do it and get a leg up on the stereotypical... mature and "well rounded" airsofter. I'm really feeling the fruits of my labours now, having dropped 50kg so far and being able to move a lot quicker, for a lot longer and handle firefights a lot nimbler is incredibly refreshing and invigorating. Still got 20kg or so to go, so I look forward to seeing how good I can be once I've shifted all this extra weight.

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

I do internal style martial arts and have started boxing recently.   I find that skipping and punchbag work are as good for cardio as running but a lot easier on the injured leg, whilst taiji keeps joints healthy and supple.   

 

High rep, low weight weight lifting is good stuff too, and dirt cheap if you get a kettle bell from LIdl or similar!

 

Food wise, I'm on a low carb high protein diet with no sugar.  I do enjoy a low fat scotch of an evening, but mix it with water rather than lard or cola, so it is basically an isotonic sports drink.  

 

The advice I would give is to spend on protective gear as you would in airsoft.  Decent trainers if you run, decent gloves if you strike.   I've too many injuries to list due to duff gear.

 

The thing I find difficult is eating early enough.  If I eat a huge healthy breakfast I'm set up for the day, but rarely actually do. 

 

I start the day with this ultra quick work out and then a few minutes with the medicine ball.   

 

 

[PopRocket123]

3 hours ago, Tactical Pith Helmet said:

I do internal style martial arts and have started boxing recently.   I find that skipping and punchbag work are as good for cardio as running but a lot easier on the injured leg, whilst taiji keeps joints healthy and supple.   

 

High rep, low weight weight lifting is good stuff too, and dirt cheap if you get a kettle bell from LIdl or similar!

 

Food wise, I'm on a low carb high protein diet with no sugar.  I do enjoy a low fat scotch of an evening, but mix it with water rather than lard or cola, so it is basically an isotonic sports drink.  

 

The advice I would give is to spend on protective gear as you would in airsoft.  Decent trainers if you run, decent gloves if you strike.   I've too many injuries to list due to duff gear.

 

The thing I find difficult is eating early enough.  If I eat a huge healthy breakfast I'm set up for the day, but rarely actually do. 

 

I start the day with this ultra quick work out and then a few minutes with the medicine ball.   

 

 

That looks like just the sort of thing I need to be doing. Going to have to try it

[alxndrhll]

I'm not going to give any advice on the 'actuals' of what to do (I'll be honest, the last place anyone should be taking fitness advice from is an airsoft forum) but I will pop some things that are worth thinking about below:

1) Though generally they go hand in hand, fixing your nutrition should be a higher priority than exercise. Changes to your nutrition should be sustainable, fad diets are all well and good for getting quicker results but are rarely ones most folks would be able to maintain for an extended period of time.

2) Though I'd tend to advocate talking to professionals, an easy way to start amending your nutrition is plugging your details into a TDEE calculator. It won't be 100% accurate but it gives you an ok starting point and calculating where you want to be for a calorie deficit. Cutting out fizzy drinks and replacing them with water is all well and good, if you're still taking in 4000 calories a day in other junk with shit macros then you're likely still in caloric surplus... and such, putting weight on.

3) Your motivation will be the first thing to cave, your willpower is going to be tested more than anything else in your body will be. Be mindful of this.

4) Starting point of folks health and fitness will vary, be careful following whatever the hot thing is on the internet. As much as folks will try to sell you on 'this works for literally anyone', that's not necessarily the case and linking to the previous point... all it'll take is falling at some early hurdles to wipe out your motivation.

5) Know what your goals are, if you go into it with 'I just want to be a bit healthier lol' it'll be really hard to maintain motivation as time moves on because you'll quickly realise you're not working toward anything and that initial drive you had at the start will fade.

6) You get out what you put in. Some would rather make non-intrusive small changes, others are looking for a lifestyle overhaul. Either way, the results are going to line up with what you change and how well you stick to it.

7) The biggest one, the one we've all done at some point in time... and will likely all initially claim we haven't. Stop making excuses for not doing things.

 

[Rogerborg]

21 hours ago, PopRocket123 said:

I will say though, try to avoid promoting things like keto diets

 

Why avoid promoting something that works?

 

If you want to lose fat, the only way to do it is to go into ketosis. It's not scary witchcraft, it just describes the state of burning fat instead of carbs for energy.  You can do this by either exercising enough to burn all the carbs  that you've eaten (congratulations, you are now in scary-ketosis), or by eating less of them in the first place.  If it helps, stick a different label on it: low-carb diet, paleo diet, or whatever you fancy.  It doesn't mean zero carbs, you'll always get some, it's just about keeping them low.

 

There's nothing healthy or necessary about sugar (including fruit / "natural" sugar), bread, pasta, crisps, chocolate.  You can make an argument for some carby fruits and veg, but if you eat them, you'll need to burn those carbs off, and there's very little in in there that you can't get through vitamin and mineral supplement, or just sticking to non-carby greens.

 

Keto doesn't mean nothing but cheese and bacon (unless you're trying to maintain or gain weight and are highly active or in training, and I wouldn't recommend it for that).  Weight loss keto can mean mostly above-ground veg, nuts, fish and chicken.  Just keep all the healthy things from your regular diet, and drop the starch and sugar.  Last night's dinner was cabbage, kale and broccoli with finger chillies, mushrooms and cashew nuts fried in a little butter with lashings of garlic, ginger and then pan-steamed in rice wine vinegar.

 

I've been doing it for about three months to lose the lockdown lard.  The first week is tough, sugar and carbs really are addictive, and you'll curse anyone in your household who toasts bread or bagels.  But once you've kicked the habit, wow, the benefits.  I don't eat breakfast now and don't miss it, so it's also a restricted-hours diet.  I've shed significant visceral fat, my blood pressure has come down, I'm clearer headed, have more energy and more consistent energy, and feel far less hungry - hunger pangs seem to be a symptom of burning the last of your carbs, and your body saying "No! More cheap energy! Don't starve me, bro!"  - but the only way to burn fat is to starve, it's not a dirty word.

 

I'm aware that this is the zealotry of a convert, but I really would suggest giving it go if you want to lose fat. It's sustainable if you can get over that first week or two, and change your shopping habits.  If you crack and give in, well, then you'll have learned something interesting about carb addiction.

[noctu]

6 minutes ago, Rogerborg said:

[ ... zealotry of a convert ... ]

 

I see all your points and do agree with them, but what about beer?

[Madhouse]

what @alxndrhll said.

 

When it all boils down, weight loss is simple maths - put less fuel in than you burn and you'll lose weight. It can be whatever kind of vegan/keto/fast food diet you like but as long as you're burning more than you put in you'll use those fat reserves that we all want to get rid of. It's the focus on calories and the knowledge that it gives you that'll help loads, when I first started using an app to track them I was amazed at exactly how many calories a large bowl of cereal could have, at how easy it is to have used up a days calories by lunchtime and also how portion control is a really useful thing to keep an eye on too.

 

Biggest thing is willpower though, it'll be tested and tested again both in terms of food (we're all guilty of late-night nibbles!) and also any kind of exercise you do, the hardest part of exercise is always getting out the door / starting - you feel great after but sometimes when you ache or it's raining or there's something good on the tv it's far easier to not do it. Training buddies help a lot so why not arrange something with a mate and have a catch up over a ketlebell or run rather than a pint? or have the pint afterwards, you gotta rehydrate after all 😉

 

Get some scales, but don't use them too often and don't get down when they go the wrong way. Weighing every day does no good at all, weigh yourself on the same day each week at the same time. General consensus is first thing in the morning after you've been to the loo, but the same time (whenever that is) helps to reduce the variables. The scales will go the wrong way, don't ignore them after that and don't throw them out the window, it's just a reset - ok, what did I do this week that's caused that? what am I doing differently this week? Losing a load of weight can be daunting, so those weekly targets can be good as stepping stones along the way, losing 20kg is a big number but making that 200g a week, well that sounds more achievable.

1 minute ago, noctu said:

 

I see all your points and do agree with them, but what about beer?

 

About 200 calories a pint. Just factor them into a weekly meal plan, or do some extra exercise to balance it out. For me, a pint is about 15mins of cardio.

[rj1986]

I recommend using myfitnesspal to help track calories in/out.

 

The free version is enough to see what's what. Been using it on my long awaited cut and it (depending on the person) makes you thik about what you're eating- do i need that bag of crisps at 10pm or is it because im bored? Can I have a banana or some more protein instead?

[Rogerborg]

1 hour ago, noctu said:

 

I see all your points and do agree with them, but what about beer?

 

Mostly verboten, heretic.  Spirits are better, and you can make trash wine from low-sugar cranberry / raspberry juice and vodka.

 

Just be aware that alcohol trumps both fat and carbs as an energy source, and at 56 calories a unit it can add up fast.  Madhouse is right, it's all about calories in versus calories burned, and keto low carb works well because it cuts out a lot of empty calories while not leaving you hungry.

 

I'd emphasise that latter part, it's remarkable just how little hunger I feel now, with zero snacking or cheating other than some weekend alcohol.  Mrs Borg bought some doughnuts and put them in the fridge, and - hand-on-heart - I found that I could reach past them without feeling any temptation to sin.

 

Oh, I should have mentioned, I'm also cycling a fair bit, both real world, and an indoor exercise bike.  I'm putting in a quick 5k as I type this, with keyboard and mouse on a board cable tied across the bars.  Indoor means fewer chances to make excuses, and easier to get into a routine - I get on it before logging in each morning.

[PopRocket123]

2 hours ago, Rogerborg said:

 

Why avoid promoting something that works?

 

If you want to lose fat, the only way to do it is to go into ketosis. It's not scary witchcraft, it just describes the state of burning fat instead of carbs for energy.  You can do this by either exercising enough to burn all the carbs  that you've eaten (congratulations, you are now in scary-ketosis), or by eating less of them in the first place.  If it helps, stick a different label on it: low-carb diet, paleo diet, or whatever you fancy.  It doesn't mean zero carbs, you'll always get some, it's just about keeping them low.

 

There's nothing healthy or necessary about sugar (including fruit / "natural" sugar), bread, pasta, crisps, chocolate.  You can make an argument for some carby fruits and veg, but if you eat them, you'll need to burn those carbs off, and there's very little in in there that you can't get through vitamin and mineral supplement, or just sticking to non-carby greens.

 

Keto doesn't mean nothing but cheese and bacon (unless you're trying to maintain or gain weight and are highly active or in training, and I wouldn't recommend it for that).  Weight loss keto can mean mostly above-ground veg, nuts, fish and chicken.  Just keep all the healthy things from your regular diet, and drop the starch and sugar.  Last night's dinner was cabbage, kale and broccoli with finger chillies, mushrooms and cashew nuts fried in a little butter with lashings of garlic, ginger and then pan-steamed in rice wine vinegar.

 

I've been doing it for about three months to lose the lockdown lard.  The first week is tough, sugar and carbs really are addictive, and you'll curse anyone in your household who toasts bread or bagels.  But once you've kicked the habit, wow, the benefits.  I don't eat breakfast now and don't miss it, so it's also a restricted-hours diet.  I've shed significant visceral fat, my blood pressure has come down, I'm clearer headed, have more energy and more consistent energy, and feel far less hungry - hunger pangs seem to be a symptom of burning the last of your carbs, and your body saying "No! More cheap energy! Don't starve me, bro!"  - but the only way to burn fat is to starve, it's not a dirty word.

 

I'm aware that this is the zealotry of a convert, but I really would suggest giving it go if you want to lose fat. It's sustainable if you can get over that first week or two, and change your shopping habits.  If you crack and give in, well, then you'll have learned something interesting about carb addiction.

I wasn't bashing keto diets specifically, I just meant that I didn't want people advising done of the more extreme diets or athlete's diets to people who wouldn't necessarily benefit from them and keto is one that gets brought up a lot. I'm massively cutting down my sugar and carb intake myself. 

[alxndrhll]

42 minutes ago, Rogerborg said:

 

Mostly verboten, heretic.  Spirits are better, and you can make trash wine from low-sugar cranberry / raspberry juice and vodka.

 

Just be aware that alcohol trumps both fat and carbs as an energy source, and at 56 calories a unit it can add up fast.  Madhouse is right, it's all about calories in versus calories burned, and keto low carb works well because it cuts out a lot of empty calories while not leaving you hungry.

 

I'd emphasise that latter part, it's remarkable just how little hunger I feel now, with zero snacking or cheating other than some weekend alcohol.  Mrs Borg bought some doughnuts and put them in the fridge, and - hand-on-heart - I found that I could reach past them without feeling any temptation to sin.

 

Oh, I should have mentioned, I'm also cycling a fair bit, both real world, and an indoor exercise bike.  I'm putting in a quick 5k as I type this, with keyboard and mouse on a board cable tied across the bars.  Indoor means fewer chances to make excuses, and easier to get into a routine - I get on it before logging in each morning.

 

If you've found something that works then great, but I would like to highlight that it is absolutely possible to have what I would call a complete diet where you're not feeling hungry all of the time. You can absolutely eat meals which are extremely filling while having good macros and the correct amount of calories (which will always vary from person to person). The anecdote regarding the doughnuts, while again I'm happy for you that you're able to resist the temptation, is more about willpower than anything with actual hunger.

 

The main downside of any diet relying on ketosis predominantly through nutritional intake is how strict you need to be with it. If you botch your macros and have a gram too many carbs you'll exit ketosis thus rendering the dietary sacrifices you're making pointless. That's largely why I land anything of that ilk as not being sustainable for most.

 

So much of all of this is entirely in your, or our, heads. If you truly think about it you wouldn't believe how many times a day you're actually hungry versus think you're hungry because you're bored/it's habitual. Again, to highlight, that's not to downplay any level of success anyone is having with however they choose to do it. However, if folks are serious about making a change that extreme that they should speak to a professional because the 'fastest and most efficient diet for burning fat' doesn't necessarily make it the healthiest. Health and fitness are significantly more than how much fat is body burning on a daily basis.

[Rogerborg]

2 hours ago, PopRocket123 said:

I wasn't bashing keto diets specifically, I just meant that I didn't want people advising done of the more extreme diets or athlete's diets to people who wouldn't necessarily benefit from them and keto is one that gets brought up a lot. I'm massively cutting down my sugar and carb intake myself. 

 

Fair point, and I'm talking about a diet for removing excess fat by keeping you in ketosis through consuming fewer calories than you burn, which is most easily done by reducing carbs.  But that's a bit of a mouthful.

 

That's as distinct from the original keto diet for maintaining weight while controlling epilepsy which was more like 90% fat, 6% proteins, and 4% carbs (calorie-wise).  That seems extreme, but it's worth noting that people can survive and thrive on it long term, and I'm experiencing only good things so far from binning the bread.

 

I'm going more protein though and less fat (sardines, not sausages), and slipping in a sneaky carrot here and there, but the key is to rethink carb addiction. Bread is cake, as far as our bodies are concerned.

[Just Joe]

I personally don't agree with cutting out carbs, they are far more filling then calorie dense foods such as fats. For me its as simple as calories in vs calories out. Don't get me wrong, I still eat fats as part of a balanced approach. There are 'naughty' foods that you can snack on that are low calorie dense foods, personal favorite is cheap microwave popcorn. One bag, which is a pretty large bowl is around 150 calories. 

You can't out train a bad diet however. 

Cannot recommend doing what others have suggest, martial arts, boxing ect to loose weight. Its fun, engaging and you burn bloody loads of calories doing so. Oh, and hiking/walking. Not like 20 minute walks, 2-8 hours of walking (if not airsofting at the weekend) is fantastic.

I am however, 25 and have never really been in a position to loose weight but have achieved 'good' levels of conditioning. 

[rj1986]

Interesting titbit - on a 7k run (back when i was doing cardio) or heavy leg day i burn around 6-800 cals.

I wore my heart rate monitor to airsoft a few weekends ago when it was hot out, and i burnt around 2200cals for the day.

[Lozart]

I lost 4.5 stone on a basic calorie deficit with realistic expectations. The main thing was that I cut out snacking and by the time I got down to the last stone or so the calorie deficit basically forced me to make better choices about what I was eating.

 

Before anyone starts cheering, I have put about 3 stone of it back on because I like cake and life's too short. That said I am aiming to drop some of it again but not to where I was as it wasn't sustainable for me.

[Rogerborg]

1 hour ago, Just Joe said:

I personally don't agree with cutting out carbs, they are far more filling then calorie dense foods such as fats.

 

Have you tried going very-low-carb in order to test that hypothesis?  I mean, for a week or more, not a day or two.

 

For me, it's quite the opposite.  A bit of Brie keeps me going for far longer than a packet of crisps or a piece of toast ever did.  Protein is key though, a tin of sardines can do me half the day.

 

I'm coming round to believing that carbs cause hunger.  All the plz-no-bullying in here depressed me so much that I cheated and had some slivers of melon, and now I've got hunger pangs.  My faith crumbled, and lo, I am being punished for it. 😭

[Just Joe]

2 hours ago, Rogerborg said:

 

Have you tried going very-low-carb in order to test that hypothesis?  I mean, for a week or more, not a day or two.

I have indeed, had good results. Ive also tried intermittent fasting on 8 and 6 hour eating windows. But similar, i wouldn't suggest them to the average joe trying to loose 2 stone.

 

When I say I don't agree with it, I dont agree that you should have to make such a huge change in lifestyle to achieve a more healthy weight / view on yourself / whatever the goal is.

 

If someone is trying to loose weight and opt for healthier life styles, I don't think it should be the go to option. People should focus more on there relationship with food. Knowing how many calories are in your meal, being able to deal with a bit of mental hunger cravings because youre frankly bored. 

 

I just think there is more sustainable choices for the average person; not disputing it doesnt work. I feel that most people with a bad relationship with food will struggle to see if through.

 

The most important thing is just doing what works for you and what you enjoy as ultimately that will be the easier to sustain.

[SSPKali]

My two big ones are cut out processed carbs (white bread, pasta, rice…) and switch to low/no alcohol beer (BrewDog Nanny State or Punk AF, BigDropBrewing Galaxy Milk Stout are all great!) to save a bunch of calories but still taste great.

 

Doing some short jogs and cycling to work a few days a week certainly adds up and burns off more and I certainly feel better mentally for it. Jogging with a set of weighted plates ups the burn and good practice for running a GBBR with 6 mags! 

 

 

[Impulse]

4 hours ago, rj1986 said:

Interesting titbit - on a 7k run (back when i was doing cardio) or heavy leg day i burn around 6-800 cals.

I wore my heart rate monitor to airsoft a few weekends ago when it was hot out, and i burnt around 2200cals for the day.

 

Yeah, this is where everyone's different. My BMR is about 2200 calories and I'm currently on a calorie restricting diet of around 2000 calories a day. I think on an active day of airsoft I burn way more than 3000, probably more than 3500 but not quite 4000 

 

I will probably hit the keto diet again once I've paid off debts, but it's far more expensive than my simple calorie restrictive diet; did it for 9 months last year and it was good. I might not need it though, since at some point I'll have to return to the office, meaning cycling three times a week to and from there, plus once I can get back into martial arts (as my school is still shut; thanks covid) that plus the cycle to and from there. Calorie restricting is still working well enough and the only exercise I'm doing is airsoft every two weeks, so once I add in all the cycling and the martial arts, the remaining weight should fly off. Then I can joke about having lost an average person's body weight as the total weight loss would be 70kg from start to finish.

Edited July 5, 2021 by Impulse