Posts by kmw_24

Yea I know I figure since the whole spelling thing was already used I would just keep going with it.

My elbows actually do go past 180.. It's a little creepy .. no kinda gross looking but the doctor says that perfectly alright and there is actually a lot of people who can naturally bend past that point. 

I only eat 1200 to 1300 a day and I find it pretty easy. First I eat mostly fruits and veggies. I don't add butter or salt to anything and instead use herbs and spices to add more than enough flavor to whatever I am eating. I also eat all day long.. well I eat at least every two hours so that I am not actually eating full 'meals' but small ones and snack all day.  

I found that by adding more veggies to certain things you can get more filling for the calories. Like pasta which would normally be high in calories if you ate a serving big enough to fill you up. So instead stick to 1 cup pasta and add a cup of broccoli, some onion, chopped mushrooms and go easy on the sauce. Add basil, oregano, and some crush red pepper for extra flavor. By the time you are done you've got more than enough to fill you up for around 300 calories (give or take depending on your sauce and pasta). 

Or if making a sandwich make sure to buy a low calories bread and load it up with extra lettuce, tomato, onion, green peppers, and go easy on the meat or leave it out all together. I can even add a little avocado to most my sandwiches and still stay under 300 calories. Instead of any kind of mayo try using a low fat ranch for a sandwich spread or even a little low calories pasta sauce which has a lot of flavor without adding tons of calories. (or salsa which is fantastic since it has lots of flavor and is very low in calories and good for you)

Original Post by amcut:

Mm! I think a lot of you are movement curmudgeons!

We probably all should be trrrraining to have happy, flexible backs, yanno.

 

Ha ha ha I second that thought! Not gonna lie I had to look up curmudgeons to be sure of what it meant but I totally agree with you! 

Original Post by jblarghp:

Constructive criticism is one thing, but the people who post something completely off topic just to take a jab at the original poster...those are the ones that get to me.

Sometimes the original poster will run away from the thread, leaving the jerks to stroke each others ego's until the thread eventually dies.

 

Thanks this is actually exactly what I meant : )

I would strongly recommend taking pilates with a new instructor. No instructor should ever say that pain is good. Pain is an indicator that your body is not moving in a way that is healthy. 

Also 'sucking in' your stomach isn't really what you should do in order to get the great effects of this move. You want to make sure that you are tightening your abs not sucking them in. Oh and never ever do something that makes you unable to breath! Breathing is very important in any exercise... actually its very important in life.

Did you check out that your pilates instructor has the proper certifications? You would be surprise but there are instructors out there that aren't actually professionally certified.  

Original Post by ignayshus:

Are we having a My Little Pony moment?

whta is a My Little Pony moment and can I have one? It sounds nice :)

I used to have chocolate cravings at night and have the urge to binge so now I make a cup of sugar free hot chocolate (made with water instead of milk) and drop some strawberries into it. It works as a double snack you get hot cocoa that is sweetened by the strawberries making strawberry cocoa and at the end you get chocolate covered strawberries... well chocolate soaked strawberries but it's super yummy and strangely filling.

Can't really help with the why but this is a great solution that I came up with to help me.

Original Post by trhawley:

We're all jerks in certain situations.

I suppose that is true.

This makes me wonder.. If it is bad for the back to be able to bend forward, back, twist, or move side to side then shouldn't we not be able to do tasks such as bend over, look behind you, reach to pick up your coffee or paper. Don't we daily relay on our backs to have a range of motion to allow us to do simple tasks? I just took some time to concentrate on my body when doing everyday actions and if it was so bad for my body to naturally be able to move this way would I have experience serious back problems ?

I am very open to learning new things about my body and so am actually curious. Whenever I learn things through a fitness instructor, personal trainer or through a website I like to do further research in order to get all the fact straight that way I am not believing biased information in order for me to pay for more sessions.  

I am referring more to comments where people have outright made fun of others. There is a difference between tough love and being vicious to others who have legitimate question or concerns. If someone is misinformed about certain things it doesn't help that person to get mean and make fun of them when it would be more constructive to give them advice. Maybe even refer them to a site that could better inform them. 

I'm not overly sensitive I can take a lot but I noticed a trend of, and most of you are right it's been the same few people who have cut people down rather then trying to help them.  

I'm probably wrong in thinking it has increased, possibly it is just what I have seen in the posts that interested me. Especially when it comes to weight lifting of any kind, people seem to be more... intense.

Original Post by kmw_24:

Original Post by floggingsully:

Original Post by kmw_24:

In my personal experience I have never had an instructor tell me to do any position which involved 'forcing the lumbar spine out of it's natural alignment".

So, either you've never seen a pilates class or you don't understand proper positioning for a neutral spine (which would be worrysome since your a yoga instructor and people entrust their health to you).

The first page that came up when I googled 'pilates moves' showed the following: rounded spine,  rounded spine, rounded spine, hyperextended spine, rounded and twisted spine, and to finish it off another rounded spine.

I think you may have me confused with someone else, I am not a yoga instructor. I am one of the people that is taking both  yoga classes and  pilates classes (and i have videos as well).

The moves in the link are moves that your body can do naturally with the support of your muscles and the ones involving laying on the floor and 'rounding' your body up is like a crunch or a sit up but it is more controlled. They are use to strengthen your abs as well as your lower back. During most beginner classes or videos the instructor explains the importance of strengthening your back and ab muscle in order to support your spine and better help your posture so when sitting or standing you have better alignment.  

 

This article is really informative it is from the University of Maryland Medical center. 

http://www.umm.edu/spinecenter/education/reha bilitation_for_low_back_pain.htm

" The natural curves of the spine are the result of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that attach to the vertebrae of the spine. Without these supporting structures, the spine would collapse. They support the spine - much like guide wires support the mast of a ship. This guide wire system is made up mainly of the abdominal and back muscles. The abdominal muscles provide support by attaching to the ribs, pelvis, and indirectly to the lumbar spine. The muscles of the back are arranged in layers, with each layer playing an important role in balancing the spine."

"xercises that increase flexibility reduce pain, making it easier to keep the spine in the neutral position. Tight muscles cause imbalances in spinal movements"

"The next stage of exercise focuses on the strength of the muscles that support the spine. These muscles help bring the spine into the neutral position and keep it there"

Original Post by irishmum:

Thanks for that amethystgirl, my lower back only usually gets sore if I'm standing/sitting for long periods of time. I think they suggested yoga or pilates for its 'toning' abilities'- though I don't know if they're appropriate for what I'm looking for having read the arguments on here? I was looking for something to tone my flabby bits as I lose- maybe free weights is a better option? I don't know- I'm pretty clueless, sorry?

Octo-luv- I'm pretty rural. The nearest gym is a 30min drive, the nearest physio (according to the phone book) is an hours drive.

Thanks for all the help everyone.

What's the saying that opinions are like butt holes, everybody has one? (sorry I guess that's kinda gross, lol) Anyway I would strongly recommend trying things for yourself and seeing what works for you. No one can tell you what kind of experience you will have as an individual and so the best thing is to research it and try it out yourself. You can find the DVDs real cheap on ebay and amazon so you could buy a couple used and if you don't enjoy it and it doesn't help you then toss it. I don't know what the libraries are like in Ireland but my local library is where I get all my workout dvds to try out for free for a couple weeks then if I really liked it I will go out and buy it.

Ok so I admit that using the term 'longer' when describing the benefits that I have gotten from my pilates and yoga classes in this post sounded rather strange and inaccurate outside of class. I am fully aware that muscles do not get longer or shorter. It would have been more accurate a description if instead of using longer to describe an increase in my flexibility as done as a term in my classes to just have stated that I had increase in flexibility allowing a better and easier range of motion.  It is not a statement used to describe the way the muscle LOOKS but rather how it FEELS as you become more flexible. 

I had this whole discussion the first week that I was taking the classes as the instructor explained it to me and I admit that outside of a yoga/pilaties class that term sounds really bad.

Sorry about the misunderstanding  : )

Congrats on trying something new! I think it is wonderful to learn about new things and I think that once you get the ball rolling this will all make since and you will be counting calories like a pro!

My first suggestion would be to start a food journal, this will help you keep track of your daily calorie intake. This would be where you would write everything you eat and drink for the day as well as the calories in them. I also kept track of how many glasses of water I drank to make sure that I was right on track with that as well. In my food journal I also had a section for the foods that I enjoyed but didn't come neatly packaged with the calories already on it. For example I wrote down the calories in apples, bananas, eggs, carrots, avocado, lettuce, onion, tomato, ...etc.. you get the point. Then every time I prepared a meal I referred to my list and adding the calories to give me a total (like when putting together a salad). 

I also included a mini workout note on each day to be able to determine the calories burned that day to be able to judge my actual calorie deficient. I'm not sure if you are aware that it is suggested that your calorie deficient ( which is the difference between what you consumed and how many you burned) should be around 500 a day for weight loss. This helps you to better understand and recognize your progress and what works for you.