Lots of questions/advice needed

1. What kind of exercise should I do to get in better shape specifically for construction work (building a stage) and hiking? My arms are weak af and I don't think I could spend more than a couple hours working on the stage at a decent pace, and if I bring my poles or have to do scrambles it could even be a problem hiking. I do a lot of walking, like 10-20 miles a day with about a 20lb pack, but there's not a lot of elevation gain. My goal is to hike at least one NH48 with my partner (2000-6000 feet of elevation gain in anywhere from 2-11miles one way depending on which mtn it is, and, depending on water sources and if we're going for a planned overnighter, my pack could be about 30lbs too). And NH was like "fk switchbacks, we taking the rockiest steepest way up the mountain" when designing the trails. Partner is extremely fit, and I don't want a DNF on BOTH our belts just because I can't go uphill, or fall on my arse on the way down because my legs are too tired to get the good footing
   
   Oh yeah, I can't afford a gym membership or "real" equipment either, but I certainly can jerry rig anything
   
   
2. What to do about bulimia bloat? I know walking, waiting, yoga, probiotics, eating regularly, and peppermint/ginger tea. Been doing that kind of stuff (well, tbh not yoga), but I feel like this is never-ending and it's kinda making me think the effort to recover is more effort than it'll be worth especially considering I have opportunity to binge now, and I'm kinda surprised when I survive another day right now.
   
   
3. How do I maintain a healthy weight when in kinda recovery from an eating disorder? I'm F and 5'6". End of December I was severely underweight (95 lbs), beginning of February I was at the upper end of a healthy weight (140ish lbs, not sure exactly, only weighed myself once at a buddy's place. Other than that didn't have a scale). I went on a trip (travel wise and drug wise) for like three weeks and by mid-April I was back to around 110lbs, but I just weighed myself, not even three weeks later, and I'm 130 and feel fat af because I don't think I have a lot of muscle, don't look good, and can pinch quite a bit on my stomach and sides. Yesterday someone literally asked me if I was pregnant (not the case, but I seriously do look like 4 months pregnant, and I know some of that is the bulimia bloat, but like I said I have a lot of pinchable fat).

Look up "calisthenics" on YouTube. There are a lot of workouts avaiable and you don't have to go to the gym.

Also, try not to be too hard of yourself... look at all the good stuff you're doing and practice self-care and give yourself rewards: a nice bath for instance or a long shower, listening to music you like... etc.

Long walks are good. 130 is a good weight. Try to eat the same things every day to keep you at that weight

You are currently at a very healthy weight. I know you might not like to hear that, but it's true. Those big weight fluctuations are hard on the body too. And just keep thinking about the negative heath effects of bulimia, especially to your teeth. Not to mention having your electrolytes get wonky b/c of that is not going to help you out on a long hike.

1. Sounds like if you reframe the stage-building work as exercise rather than work, you might gain strength and endurance from it. This idea comes from reading Ellen Langers, who wrote about a study in which two cohorts of housekeepers were studied. One cohort was instructed to think of the job as an exercise program. At the end of the study, this group showed improved fitness compared to the control group.

Some exercises that don't require a gym membership:

• Abdominal crunches with and without a twist to add in the obliques. This should "strengthen the core" which will help stabilize the heavy backpack.
• Stair-climbing. Do you live or work in or near any tall office buildings? Run up the stairs. Then run up the stairs with increasingly heavy backpacks. Or run up the stairs two steps at a time. Take the elevator down and stretch the hamstrings. Will folks think you're weird? So what? Tell them you're training for NYC's elite emergency rescue team if they stare.
• Ankles. During regular walks, try to alternate between supination and pronation of the feet, as well as toe-walking for about ten steps each every so often. This is to protect the ankle from twists and sprains, which are likely to occur on rough terrain.
• Breathwork. The only thing I took away from "Chi Walking" was to mindfully synchronize my breath with my steps. I might breathe in for two steps, hold for two, breathe out for two, hold for two (which is essentially box breathing). Then go from two steps per breath phase to three, then four. This should strengthen the breathing apparatus, stretch the rib cage and improve breath capacity. The walking is done at a comfortable (meditative) pace, IIRC.

I thought I"d post before losing all that content.

But I'm not done with you yet!

Breathing is so important. In martial arts, a strong exhale punctuates every strike to make it most powerful. You've heard the Sensei yell "Kiya" as he or she breaks a stack of flaming boards. My thought is that also it distracts you from the pain you'd feel when your fist strikes the target.

And now for something different.

2. I have no idea about what you're writing about in #2, sorry.

3. When I met my wife for the first time, she was about your size, perhaps 140lb. We enjoyed hiking, and eventually we honeymooned in the White Mountains and hiked nearly every day. I was much better than her going uphill. (But my childhood prepared me for this. I was born the third child in a home meant for only two children. When I was old enough to go up and down the stairs, my parents got a humidifier for the basement and made my bedroom there. So I was stair climbing a great deal earlier than most.) Yet my wife could zip back and forth in the kitchen faster than me, and shop for hours in a huge soul-draining department store whereas I could barely walk to the furniture department and do my seated mannequin impression, and she could navigate the NYC streets while I was dazed and overwhelmed and afraid she'd leave me behind.

Weight fluctuates. I think the menses play a role in a monthly fluctuation. Inflammation also mimics weight gain. If I could stick with a paleo diet, I'd be back to a comfortable weight. But once I eat some bread, then, Bam, my stomach protrudes and I feel myself in a stronger gravitational field (heavy legs and like I'm walking through waist deep water).

I used to post my stats weekly on my blog (weight, % body fat, waist size). But I've kinda given up on that for a while. If you're interested, you can see it here:
Thoughts of a Square Peg on a Round World: Weight-o-Meter

Right now, all my numbers are going up because of my summer "*****et List"

What’s your status these days?

Did you find exercises that worked for you?

RDM

Oh gosh, now I suppose I have to read all that stuff I wrote? Or were you writing to someone else (hopefully)?

Update: My crazy weight fluctuations and eating habits have settled, although I gained a lot of weight (some muscle, more fat than I'd like). I started a med that historically caused crazy weight gain for me too, so that's part of it. I haven't really had a solid "exercise program," but I have more energy so I'm dog walking, playing football/soccer whatever with some neighbor kids on occasion, doing more walking around town and going out, and I've gone on some hikes (I'm at 14 on the NH48 now after doing Osceola last week which was more technically than physically challenging given angled slabs with melting ice. Planning #15 now).

I've only done two major hikes in the past two weeks (big break with just smaller hikes with ~1,000ft elevation gain max), and I already feel way better. Clear headed, regulated, motivated.

That's great, MB! I'm guessing that some of the trails are in wooded areas. So I wonder if "forest bathing" might be adding to your improved feeling (along with the exercise).

Yeah, I did this one last Thursday that actually approached the alpine zone (summit was ledgy and had scrubby trees, but not totally above treeline). There's something about the air on ridges that just feels right. I've hiked a lot of mountains, but the best are ALWAYS ones with a ridge walk. Even if the idea isn't hiking. Cannon Mtn ski area has this neighboring area called Mittersil that didn't used to have its own lift, but we'd hike the ridge over to it while patrol looked the other way, and on a good day that hike was better than the skiing. (And on the rare day of an undercast? AAhhhh!!!!!)