Posts by kobusdv

For a long period in my life I did both swimming and one extra sport each day. Some days it was squash, others it was martial arts or rugby. These days I don't exercise that often any more. The biggest benefit will come from cross training. Use other forms of training so that you don't over train certain muscles. Most importantly, listen to your body. It needs sufficient rest and constantly exercising will reduce muscle mass.

To OP, yes, that would be considered vigorous or high intensity workout. Just remember that all high intensity workouts are not HIIT. The Interval training part of HIIT is the important component and as mentioned above if you do not recover completely then it is not technically HIIT. On the other hand, high intensity or vigorous training is the best form of cardio, no matter if it is HIIT or some other program. Don't sweat the small stuff, just try to stick to a program that works for you and you will see the results.

That really is sorry to hear. All I can say is try not to go down that road. I was retrenched at the end of March when the financial crisis finally hit our company as well. Almost 15% of the employees were let go and our whole department closed down. For the next 3 months I did nothing but overeat and feel sorry for myself. Needless to say that I gained lots of weight and now I'm suffering the consequences.

It is easy to let go, but much more difficult to get back on and reverse all the bad choices. I'm slowly getting back to a regular routine and recovering, but it is a long and hard road.

It is the same battle each day. I get up and realize I don't have a work to go to and all I want to do is eat to forget. But I do my best to work past the issues and eat what I know I need. At least I'm no longer buying ice cream and chocolates, that seems to help when there are no sweets to binge on.

Not sure this helps, but try not to fall into the trap. Best of luck.

Well done and congratulations.

Sometimes it is the body that just takes a while to adapt. I've had times when I see no change on the scale but I know I've been doing the right things. The key is to trust in your plan and just stick it out. Many people react differently so don't let it discourage you when you don't see instant results. Don't make the calorie deficit too much. That will lead to starvation and can account for less weight loss as well.

10% to 30% deficit seems a good starting point. And adapt when necessary.

I've been jumping rope for years now and it definitely burns more calories than the treadmill. In the end it depends on fitness level. I jump at least 180 per minute and do it constantly for 10 minutes. In most cases that is equivalent to my high intensity treadmill of 25 minutes. If you spice it up with double jumps and other moves then it can be exhausting very quickly. I recently posted on my blog about it and if you are interested I'll suggest buying the Buddy Lee book for a great jump rope workout.

I want to feel good about the image I see in the mirror each day.

It is about looking good and feeling good. The other things are all side shows. I had a body that I loved and let it slip away. Now I am back trying to uncover the body that I used to have.

Just know that the cardio machines are notorious for being very optimistic about calories burned during exercise. What I do is to enter my weight 5 lbs below what it actually is and then rounding down to the nearest 25. That way I don't over compensate and shoot myself in the foot.

Use high intensity cardio exercises to make sure you get the benefit from cardio. Doing it slow and steady is not going to burn that much as your body get used to exercise.

Add some weight training if you like.

Good luck.