Posts by fitnessgirll

Have not read throught other posts, therefore, excuse me for any repitition. Lifting weights/strength training should be a person's primary exercise - if one is not sport specific training. Most people that casually start to exercise do so to lose weight and 'look better'. Well, do you want to lose fat or muscle? Doing only cardio will eat way your muscle faster than that run on the treadmill you just took. Strength training will help you maintain muscle, and invite fat loss.

I always look at cardio as the X tra in the caloric burn. It's ESSENTIAL to do at least 120 mins of endurance cardio a week - for your heart, lungs and overall physcial fitness. For a person that wants to lose weight, adding in an extra 30-60 mins a week...to get in that extra cal. burn would be optimal.

FYI, I run and am a competitive runner. Have read and heard often that runners can't lift...booooyah. I lift HEAVY/compound 3x's a week and do an extra day of just legs..then try and get in one day of endurance strength training every week. This is really not a lot. 4-5 hrs a week...then it's about an additional 5-10 hrs a week of endurance cardio. Sometimes more..sometimes a lot less. Certainly, a person just looking to get in shape needs to ignore everything except the 3 heavy lifting days and the 120 mins of steady state cardio.

Remember, the word heavy is relative. Don't let it mislead/intimidate you.

That all depends on the type of step class and the intensity the individual puts out.

I covered a step class -[VERY high intenisty interval workout] last week and in 52 mins -which included warm up, abs and cool down, I burned 824 calories.

Original Post by shannonedaughtry:

my head is spinning trying to figure out the formula for me!

I am just starting out my weight loss journey at 5'0 and 160 lbs...  i have been eating 1200 cals a day, spending about an hr a day cardio and strength training every other day...

what would my protein requirements be?? 

THANKS!!  I just can't figure out the formula! lol

 Just have to make a quick comment on your caloric intake..take it or ignore it..but..

BE careful with the very low amount of cal. you are consuming. Unless you're under the care of a physician, nobody should be consuming fewer than 1,200 calories a day. And, honestly, 1200...is just one cal. away from the ''fewer'' in that equation.  Although such a restrictive plan might give a quick weight loss, you're depleting your body's resources and there's nothing to draw from. It's not a lifetime plan and I would much rather see people on a LIFETIME plan of ridding fat, getting stronger, more flexible and giving your heart and lungs the longevity they deserve. The problem with going on such low cal diets is that your body will adjust to your new weight/diet and then will require fewer calories to function. Although this may seem like a betrayal, it's actually a mechanism to prevent starvation. Behind cheating, this is the most common reason for plateaus and eventual weight GAIN.

Original Post by schnooder:

And is it just me or did Rita get like, super fricken hot lookin this season. I swear she took like, some magical "make me look like a damn hot barbie doll pill" or something.

If I was into chicks.........

 Ha!

She has gotten hotter. But, her nagging has also reached new heights and they sort of x each other out in the end.

What exactly are you eating? It is impossible, just going from a number, to understand what is going on with your nutrition. But, I suspect something IS going on with your nutrition.

Also, if you start to dread working out..PLEASE take a week off [at least].You will be OK - weight wise, I promise. EVERYONE that is working out CORRECTLY takes a week or two off every 2 mos. or so. Taking that week doesn't mean sitting on the couch. Walks and other forms of casual activity is great. Even leisure bike rides. Also, you honestly should take a least ONE day off a week from vigorous exercise.

Get a refund on the ankle weights.

During your walks...do a set of 15/each lelg walking lunges...then continue your walk. Try getting in 3 sets of those.

And, BMX, when I think of 'good' shoes - for fitness that is - I never think heavy. I think light and very little cushion..don't know why you attribute the word 'good' to 'heavy' fitness shoes?

Original Post by melkor:

Or improvised weights - check out the stuff I started with ;) Anything that's got some heft to it and you can get a good grip on is a potential weight; backpack full of books, a shopping bag filled with water bottles, small children if you've got any, a bucket of sand or rocks, a wet towel for isometric grip work, the lexicon your dad bought in college - it doesn't need to be a formal weight to provide some resistance and a useful training effect for a beginner-to-intermediate trainee.

 Unless the OP is familiar with lifting and form, I still would suggest bodyweight exercises. They will be able to learn and master proper form, which is the most important aspect of lifting. Once form is mastered, and sets are easily completed, then I recommend progressing towards weights.

Improvised weights can be very useful..but as time moves ahead, investing in some db's..adjustable would be optimal and most cost effective for long term usage..is something I would recommend.

Before I can hopefully help you, I need you to elaborate on what exactly you mean by challenging your fitness? What type of goal[s] do you have in mind?

I do have a question though...why so much cardio?  You are biking up to 50 miles EVERY day? And, yoga everyday? Plus walking everyday?

Can you incorporate some strength training? Take some of those cardio days OUT [you can keep the walking] and add in some strength training. Start off by doing bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges, push and pull ups, dips, planks...etc.  Do them in sets of at least 3 with 12-15 reps to make it a cardio strength circuit! It will definitely help you burn the fat and shape your whole body.

You need 1gr of protein per bodyweight. You seem to have time to exercise all day...so make the time to eat smaller meals [6x's] during the day. It keeps you body's metabolism pumping. Doing these things will help your body at least maintain muscle ..not to mention, help you not to destroy the muscle.

With your nutrition and cardio schedule, your body is more than likely storing fat and 'eating' away at muscle first.

I always tell people that they need to get their nutrition in check before they begin an exercise program. Nutrition is 70% Exercise is 30%, regardless of an individuals goals.

But, back to my initial question..what exactly are your fitness goals?

Holy Crap! And, here I was coming in here to brag about finally doing it in 15 mins. Well, to be exact..15 mins. 12 secs. My hr hit 98% and never dipped below 87% during the last 30 or so. Seriously...brutal!

Yup, that guy is "beastly", bmx!

The bolded words are the ones I sang instead of the correct lyrics. I still can't sing the right words...too many years singing the wrong ones, ha

I see a little silhouetto of a man
SARABUSH SARABUSH, will you do the Fandango
Thunderbolt and lightning, very very frightening thing
ME(Galileo)
ME(Galileo)
Galileo figaro (Magnifico)
I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from ONE POOR SAUSAGIE Easy come, easy go, will you let me go
MISHMELA! No, we will not let you go, let him go
MISHMELA  We will not let you go, let him go
MISHMELA! We will not let you go, let me go

Original Post by spirochete:

Spanx.

Grateful Dead.

The OP upped her caloric intake to 1800 per day..not 3500 per day.

I, on the other hand, do at times eat over 3000 cals a day...depends on my training. 

Original Post by amethystgirl:

Is it just my imagination/perception, or have there been a lot more dead threads revived lately?  Especially with people taking a thread that's been dead for a year, and giving advice to the OP, who most likely hasn't been on the site in months.

 IDK but I'll check it out and let you know approx. one year from now! ;)