:applause: I believe its important to set goals for the year! Last year I made a goal and reached it! It was kind of a big goal, and I'm pretty proud of myself.
This year my goal is to get super in shape! Two years ago I went for a health check and the doc said I needed to stop smoking. I don't smoke! Clearly I was unhealthy. This year I went to the same hospital for a health check, and they said I was fine. But, fine is not enough, I want to be very healthy. This year, that's my goal.
I know starting something new can be tough, so if there are any out there who've made a similar resolution (male or female) I'd love to hear from you, your tips, progress, and anything related to exercise and healthy living.
-Right now my favorite exercise is running.
-My favorite vegetables are cucumbers!!
-And favorite health snack is strawberries with yogurt.
:purpleangel: :yay: :bouncy: What about you? Also, got any secrets that you might want to share for people getting in shape?
Hey Pixy, I think I used to do Paula Abdul�s cardio dance. Is it the one where it�s sort of a mixture between Latin dancing and a hiphop mix?
StandingOnTheRock, 10 pounds is pretty good. Ha Ha! One of these days I�ll get there. Taebo is cool, highly inspirational and wipes you out. That Billy Blanks guy is cool. Sadly my usual liquid intake consists of coffee, more coffee, and milk/yogurt. Yeah, I haven�t been very faithful with vitamins, but I have been taking Osteoform, which has something to do with amino acid calcium, and I also take vitamin C. But that�s really good advice about the vitamins. Thanks for praying for us ladies, StandingOnTheRock.
Oh, Katiekatie, don�t listen to people who talk to you about your weight. I mean, my super close friends call me all kinds of names, but people should know their limits. Ephesians 4:26 says �Be angry and sin not�, so I take that to mean you have to get a little upset at rude behavior in order to fix the problem. Exercise DVDs are good. I can�t play basketball, and seriously can�t ride a bike. For reals. God bless you, Katie.
I really like this one passage of the verse Deuteronomy 33:7 �underneath are the everlasting arms�, (the rest of the verse isn�t really applicable), but that part always reminds me of how much the Lord loves and takes care of us.
Weight training is a great suggestion. Here's a good article I came across recently: http://health.yahoo.net/rodale/WH/lose-your-fear-of-lifting
If you have the commitment and access to P90X, I very highly recommend it.
I love working out, but lately I've gotten out of the habit, which makes it pretty hard to start back. I have to work out really hard to put on any muscle though. Last semester, I rode 8-16 miles/day on my bicycle, and didn't put on any muscle in my legs. It's ridiculous.
Hey, Tulip89 good article. Did you go through P90X? How was it? I have a friend that used it and really enjoyed it but I seemed to have similar results from continuing to do grind out hearty workouts at the gym using a rotating muscle group isolating schedule for the week. It is tricky to notice size change from biking because you actually use different muscles than you would from running.
If you want to put on size from weight training be sure to use low reps-high weight, this also includes working your abs (10-15 crunches on the decline bench with a medicine ball/plate weight builds a lot more muscle than >100 sit-ups). A lot of reps of low weight ends up being more like a cardio workout. Be sure that you are drinking plenty of water and giving your muscles time to rebuild. Another important thing is to eat some protein within one hour of your workout because your muscles need it to rebuild stronger (there are protein supplements which work well, or even a glass of milk with a peanut butter sandwich will work) . Getting enough sleep is important too. Please also make sure that your technique is correct before you start adding quite a bit of weight.
Live, I'm sort of addicted to coffee too. Coffee really isn't that bad for you if you don't put any creamer or sugar in it. Ha Ha! I also have some other shoulder exercises that use the 85 pound dumbbells for.
I have been fairly busy the last several months and found it easy to put off going to the gym but I really want to start going back to working out regularly weekly (except Sunday). Perhaps it would be nice if we check up on and encourage each other in our goals but remembering that God is our greater goal.
Standing, good call on the weighted sit ups. You should see how quickly my abs jump out when I actually work them out. I swear they're the only part of my body that I can easily improve.
As for P90x, I thought it was great. It got me out of doing the same workouts I was used to doing, and I felt like it gave me a more well-rounded workout. I can't guarantee that it will be worth it for someone who already does a wide variety of workouts, but for 99% of people out there, it's great.
Well, actually I take that back. It's probably only good for 49% of people out there. Considering obesity rates, I doubt that 50% of people in this country are in good enough condition to do such an intense workout.
I read the article. It was quite interesting, Tulip. I do think though that muscle being �eaten� during exercise is not a bad thing, it�s the whole concept of �we need to tear you down so we can build you up� they use in the military, because the muscle heals itself stronger.
I guess I�m a heavier build, so I�m learning to use my body as the weight, so to speak. Like, I�m trying to do planks. And on days I exercise, I do those for a bit. I also like Lotte Berk, they're kind of a mixture of yoga and physiotherapy. I only did it once but, I�d like to continue it.
Oh, StandingOnTheRock, 85 pounds? You must be Mr. Muscle! I�m there on about five coffee�s a day. Two of them I drink at home, I make em with no sugar. But when I�m out I have no choice but to buy pre-made coffee with sugar, as that�s all they have.
Its super hard for me to exercise Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as by the time I get home on those days from work, I just want to vegetate, read, watch a movie or listen to music, so tired. But Monday-Thursday I�m pretty faithful with exercise and its fun.
Yes, that�s a wonderful suggestion that we could check up on each other�without being bugging, haha And encourage each other in our efforts to stay fit.
And you're right about needing to be torn down before being built back up, but that really applies more to the muscle itself needing to be "torn" in your workouts so it "heals" stronger. If it just atrophies, all you've really done is made yourself weaker.
it's good to see I'm not alone in the fight to get fit... though I'm sure I have the longest way to go of those who've posted so far.
I actually have been able to cut my caffeine intake from the equivalent of a pot of coffee a day down to zero. I went 2 months without any caffeine but over the last couple weeks I've had a total of 4 bottles of pop so not doing so good but back on the wagon this week.
I have up'ed my water intake from less than a liter a day up to a minimum of 3 liters a day but havent made it past a 4 liters a day... 4 is my limit.
I've knocked my calorie intake down from 1600 to 1300 with only a small number of days being closer to 1500 calories. I'm still working with keeping it at or under 1300 to keep from gaining weight.
I'm bad on the exercise front due to working 8 to 10 hours a day then having 3 to 5 hours of school work along with a 1hr and 20 min drive time (round trip to work and home) along with taking care of my dogs... I'm hoping this quarter since I've been able to drop to part time I can use the extra time to work in more exercise. As of right now I'm only exercising for 1 hour 2 to 3 times a week. I really need to get that bumped up to 1 hour a minimum of 5 days a week. That is what I was doing when I was able to lose a pound a week back before I injured my knee.
Now, I am limited in what I can do due to a torn medial meniscus in my knee as well as a torn rotator cuff that has never healed properly but my insurance wont cover the care of. But... I can be determined enough to work through most pain... to a certain level anyway.
So... I'm open for suggestions for ways to work exercise into my routine or reduce my calories without being so hungry I can't concentrate... or worse so hungry I get physically ill (which I've done recently :eeks:)
Wow, that�s awesome that you�re able to cut your coffee out! You�re drinking so much water! God bless you!
You injured your knee!? How!? Hmm. I know swimming is supposed to be a good exercise that takes all pressure off your knees. Sorry about that though.
Oh, paschen, you�re such a good sample to me. You�re so busy but still really living a healthy life. I�m inspired.
You could look into that Osteoform compound calcium amino acid chelate capsules as I believe they strengthen bones. I know that�s helping. Vitamins A and B, C, iron, water and protein have also helped me get what I need to feel better. I got this bag of dried lemon slices which is probably for tea, but I put it in my water bottle and it kind of gives me more incentive to drink water.
I know, exercise is tough. Busy schedules tend to block it out. I actually haven�t exercised in four days! But, I will exercise today. Yey!
Something Tulip�s article mentioned is that exercise doesn�t have to be an hour long affair. It can be an 8 minute rep and still see results. So that�s inspiring. Often if I�m not exuding energy I won�t exercise at all, but less is more because if you do less then you will have the strength to do it more often.
I admire you for being so busy but living a healthy life!! God bless!
I haven't been on in a while, so sorry for the delayed post. Tulip, thanks for telling me about P90X. Now I have to try it some time. What dumbbells did you use for it?
Live, they sound familiar but what are planks? Ha Ha! Thanks for the compliment but I just view myself as a regular guy that tries to keep in decent shape.
paschen81, Live gave a great suggestion of swimming which sounds like it would work best if it is feasible. Using an elliptical or bike might also answer. If your up for it, some push-ups and leg raises could help out too. No one likes feeling hungry but several small meals instead of a few bigger ones will give you more energy and you will feel more full. What I heard is that if you can healthily snack every 2 hours, you will be constantly burning food and have energy. Granola bars and decent cereal are good (I like cliff bars and honey bunches of oats is a decent cereal) and be careful not to eat within 2 hours of going to sleep. I also know what its like to be busy (50 hours a week w/ a 40min. drive, no college this semester though) and I applaud you for your effort. Try to keep in mind that for some people, a full body work out only 2-3 days a week has more effect than individual workouts every day of the work week.
Take care and God bless, I'll pray for your various goals.
