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How "in shape" was the average knight or man at arms?

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Sir Wolf:
so far i've managed to to do a mile at least each day. not to bad from a guy that hasn't run at all since high school soccer hahaha

Sir Brian:
I think it is great that you are looking to take more consideration for your health and physical condition. It is far better to do it earlier in life than later when you are in your late forties and fifties!

I had talked about it for a couple of years but wasn’t inspired (or shamed) enough to start until Rosemary and I went to GLMF and met up with a friend I met a couple years back who is also into wearing armor and a lifelong student of chivalry and history. In the two years since I had seen him last he had completely metamorphosed into another person physically. His friends at the fair had aptly dubbed him “Conan”. Since he is only 4 or five years younger than me it was more than enough to inspire and shame me into taking my excess weight seriously and I have successfully adapted my eating habits and mentality towards losing weight and getting into better shape.

In my new lifestyle diet I only eat bread and pasta on very rare occasions. No cereals (except oatmeal), crackers, chips, etc. I eat more proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables. I also manage my portions better and eat smaller meals more frequently. Exercise consists of a vigorous 2.5 mile walk at lunch and some high rep/low weight workouts during my morning and afternoon coffee breaks.
My stomach workouts start in the morning before I leave for work in which I do approximately 100 – 150 stomach crunches on my “AB Scissors” machine. – so my core muscles are very solid, they just have a layer of fat over them! ;)

Good luck and don't give up! When I have a bad day and fall off the program, I start again the next day. I'm still enjoying the good stuff just not as much or as often!  :D

Sir Edward:
For me, what was working last year was a combination of mild dietary changes, and some exercise at the gym.

The dietary changes were to reduce needless carbs, which meant cutting out the useless snacking for the most part (with low-calorie snacks being OK, like those little 10-calorie jello snacks), and avoiding potatoes/fries and bread. Instead of pop-tarts for breakfast, I switched to a combination of raisin-bran (for the fiber) and cheerios. I made an effort to eat salads more frequently as well, and allow myself to leave some food left over more frequently. So nothing earth-shattering here.

The exercise that I was doing was to visit a local gym twice a week after work. They had these electronic bikes with an LCD screen that let you race against your own prior runs, while biking through woodlands and other virtual scenic trails. I'd do 25 to 30 minutes on the bike (attempting to always out-do my previous times per virtual lap), then spend 25 to 30 minutes using the various weight and resistance machines. The latter I don't think helped much, since if I really wanted to build strength, I think I'd have had to do a lot more of it. But my endurance improved considerably from the virtual biking.

I managed to lose about 18 pounds at my peak, in about 2 or 3 months. I've since put about 9 of them back on.

Ironically, I think I'm physically stronger now than any other time in my life, despite having the strength of a couch-potato. I was quite a weakling of a teenager, for instance. The endurance I gained while I was using the gym was very beneficial in my historical swordsmanship. I need to regain that.

Sir Brian:

--- Quote from: Sir Edward on 2010-09-07, 17:44:27 ---Ironically, I think I'm physically stronger now than any other time in my life, despite having the strength of a couch-potato. I was quite a weakling of a teenager, for instance. The endurance I gained while I was using the gym was very beneficial in my historical swordsmanship. I need to regain that.

--- End quote ---

That is peculiar since the opposite is typically the case. The friend I mentioned in my earlier posting had commented to me about how much weaker he had grown with age and that he couldn’t even come close to how strong he was when in his twenties (he is 42 now AFAIK). I certainly can’t do what I use to do but I think I am now physically tougher to harsh environmental conditions…of course wearing armor these past few summers probably helped that!  :D

Sir Edward:
Yeah, I certainly can't do a lot of what I could when I was in my 20's, but it's more of an endurance thing. I used to bounce back very quickly, and instead these days I can get crushing fatigue. I think my strength, in terms of what I can lift and move, has been pretty consistent for a good 10 years or so, ever since I "bulked up" so to speak. I used to weigh about 65 pounds less in my 20's.  (I'm 37, so I only exited my 20's about 8 years ago) :)

...

Dennis: I'm 37. I'm not old.
King Arthur: Well I can't just call you "man".
Dennis: Well you could say "Dennis".
King Arthur: I didn't know you were called Dennis.

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