On behalf of a new 2morro I have opened an exercise thread! I have extensive experience in lifting and exercise. Any questions or problems please post and I will be more than happy to help!
Breton, OK, lets address the ABS first. If you want a 6 pack, you have to let the sweets go! LOL Its not going to happen without doing that. Second, DIET I recommend you eat 6 small meals per day. It will boost your metabolism and help you with binge eating.
<I don't have to have a six pack, but reasonably flat would be good. How long will this take if I cut back on sweets (which I am not that bad with in the first place, really) and am exercising 20-30 minutes 3-4x week? I mean, I am a single mom here and I do not have money for babysitter or much time to myself at all!>
3RD Cardio ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY! Breton, there is no magic pill, sorry to say!
<Yeah, well, if you had that answer, you would be a billionaire.>
LOL On the other hand, cardio doesn't have to mean running all the time, you can walk, do yoga, areobics, lots of different things.
<Well, are we talking 45-60 minutes of reasonable exercise here or does this have to be heart-pounding? I love yoga, but does that really count as "cardio?" >
Weight trainng with no weights. Chellenging but doable! Start with pushups, situps, chair dips, squats, lunges, step-ups. I have several lifts I can set up for you any of them will help tone you. I would start out with a plan like that until you built enough strength to handle weights.
<How much of this before I can have reasonably muscular arms? I don't care for chicken wings....>
Breton, if you will exercise, I promise that back pain will go away. It might hurt initally, but you will strengthen your back and it won't be an issue.
<Well, that is not 100% the case, because I tried and it most definitely did NOT help. It was sort of like making a machine work when the parts are not in the right place (I was out of alignment--one leg was actually shorter than the other)--it just wears incorrectly on some parts. Working harder just caused me more pain--it was awful. Once I had the RIGHT exercises to do, it pulled me back into alignment and things got better. But I am surprised by how easy it is to run into problems again...>
Any other questions, please feel free to ask! I will help you anyway I can!
M: 16 years Bomb 4/07 OW 20s long gone Divorced 11/09 I remarried New Guy Cooperative r w/X regarding D
Breton, First, lets look at your ABS Question. Everything goes in sync together, diet, cardio, and exercise. If you want a nice looking hard body, these all must be in place. Cutting out or down the sweets is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Sweets have sugar and bad carbs and when ingested will turn into fat. A common misconception is that a high fat intake will make you fat. I agree that a high BAD FAT intake will make you fat, but good fats are vital to losing weight. If you cut down seriously on the sweets, only have them every now and again and in reasonable portions, yes you can have a flat belly in a relatively short period of time, providing you are not seriously overweight, which you say you are not. 2ND CARDIO- Cardio doesn't have to be "gut busting" in fact, it shouldn't be. Your optimal heart range should be about 60% or so, this is the best range to burn fat. To find this you will need a heart monitor. There are many on the market and according to your budget, I can recommend one suited to what you can pay for. If you can spend a little money, I recommend POLAR. POLAR is what is built into the LifeFitness Cardio machines, the best on the market IMO. 3RD Weights- Breton, I think you need to build some basic bodyweight strength before you get into weight training. Can you firm up your arms, legs, butt, chest? The answer to that is yes you can firm them up. Can you build that hard look just doing those, my answer is no you cannot. I feel that weight resistance training is critical to this. Can you weight train at home? Sure you can!! Sears offers a good home gym line at a reasonable price. Bench with several attachments, olympic size bar, 300 lbs. of free weights, all for about $300.00 Throw in some hand dumbells at wal-mart and you are in pretty good shape! INJURIES- Breton, I would argue that your exercise technique is what was hurting your back, not the weight itself. I have 3 herniated discs in y neck, calcium deposits in my knee and 2 ACL surgeries, all from playing football. Weight training is what has kept me strong and healthy, not a doctor or a bunch of pills. I deadlift 650 lbs and squat the same. I would focus on the correct technique of your lifts. Any other questions, hit me with them!!!
Can you do about 20 lunges for me every other day so I don't have to do them for myself??
((((hugs))))
BND, There is a word for you...... SORRY TAIL!! LOL I'll tell you what I am going to do to you, I'm going to make you do some heavy squats! LOL When you get done, you will appreciate being able to sit on a toilet! LOL
"INJURIES- Breton, I would argue that your exercise technique is what was hurting your back, not the weight itself."
Yes, this was the case, but it was something I could not correct on my own, and it was very difficult to correct so I definitely don't want to go back to where I was!
The problem related to having my daughter and required physical therapy for much longer than I would've guessed. I had to strengthen one side of my body more--even if I was doing an exercise correctly, I was still improperly aligned.
I am not necessarily thinking a super hard body (although I must say that I find myself thinking that it could be interesting, since I've been in OK shape but never great shape).
I am not sure what my goal is. What if I am not concerned about pounds?
I just finished my exercise bike. I am finding that feeling better is pretty good motivation.
M: 16 years Bomb 4/07 OW 20s long gone Divorced 11/09 I remarried New Guy Cooperative r w/X regarding D
"INJURIES- Breton, I would argue that your exercise technique is what was hurting your back, not the weight itself."
Yes, this was the case, but it was something I could not correct on my own, and it was very difficult to correct so I definitely don't want to go back to where I was!
The problem related to having my daughter and required physical therapy for much longer than I would've guessed. I had to strengthen one side of my body more--even if I was doing an exercise correctly, I was still improperly aligned.
I am not necessarily thinking a super hard body (although I must say that I find myself thinking that it could be interesting, since I've been in OK shape but never great shape).
I am not sure what my goal is. What if I am not concerned about pounds?
I just finished my exercise bike. I am finding that feeling better is pretty good motivation.
I can help you with your technique from afar and I can recommend some books and videos to assist you. Breton, don't worry about pounds, worry about CLOTHES SIZES! LOL I'm serious, its not your weight, but how you look and feel. Let me give you an example, I weigh 260 Lbs. but I wear a size 36 pant. You betcha feeling and looking better is terrific motivation!! The better you look, the better you feel, and the more others want to be around you!!!
Today I had wanted to start my first Zumba class....it's a kind of dance class...supposed to be a real calorie burner and great cardio... But wasn't feeling up to it, so next week ...beware of Cinders !
Love Cinders xxx
"In the depths of my winter, I realized there is within me an invincible summer" Albert Camus
Hey Braveheart! Great thread! As part of my GAL I joined a gym in September. Id describe myself (back then) as 250LBS with a spare tire that would fit a bus. I'm now down to 215 and getting slimmer and toned. The gym says my ideal weight for my age and height should be 195 (I'm 40 and 5'11") My question: Is the elliptical the best way to loose body fat? I think I'm in my plateau stage. I work out 5 days a week for a half hour each day. That's what my schedule allows. I usually do weights and the machines on Monday wednesday, friday and the elliptical on Tuesday and Thursday. I don't want to look like Arnold but I do want to look good Any ideas? Thanks!
Gman Me 40 W 30 kids B 11 B 10 D 8 Been here off and on since 06. PA Confirmed Dec 08.. With God, anything is possible. Do or do not there is no try. Sometimes you have to roll the hard six...
