Take care of yourself

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

No, I hear ya. The problem is is that I see her one weekend a month, if that. She's busy at school, I'm busy at work. It was nice enough that I landed a job two hours away from where she goes to school. So when she visits we usually go walking or whatever. Like I said, it'll probably be easier if and when we move in together or at least live in the same town.

She has a free gym membership at school, it comes with tuition. It's just tough to motivate someone when they're 130 miles away...but alas I'll keep trying

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Plus, Adam, it makes a big difference whether you want her to lose those 10 or 15 pounds because you want her to look better or whether she has a weight problem that is becoming a genuine health issue. If it's the latter, then you may have to have some harder conversations about exercise. Not in a berating manner, but because you care enough about her health.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Yeah understood. Like I said before, she's not obese. She's what I would call "mildly overweight." Basically, she could lose 10 pounds, maybe 15, and be healthy. Any more I think would put her in an unhealthy range. And carrying around an extra 10-15 isn't a crime but I'm sure getting rid of it would make her happier and I as well.

Additionally, I'm a workout nut. I mean in the next two or so years I hope to do an ironman triathlon. So if we end up living together I'd love to have someone who can at least workout when I go...even if she can't keep up. Ahh well we'll see.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I've already scaled way back on fast food to focus more on eating right. Don't smoke, don't drink alcohol. The pop is gone from the fridge, too, replaced with bottles of water for as far as they eye can see. Just doing that much, I've dropped 10 pounds in two months. Now it's on to the next step, which is to actually do something and be active again.

I haven't done much to stay in shape since I left college six years ago, so I've got a slight gut. Some told me it's better to lift. Some told me it's better to run. I have also got a mountain bike, but that's for when the weather is warmer, of course. Any thoughts on what might be the best action for someone who wants to lose a few more pounds?

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Oz, you should do both - lift and cardio. The lifting increases your muscle, and muscle burns more calories and fat at rest. You need the cardio to shave calories.

Do a simple program to start - 3 days a week.
Chest, tri and abs on Monday
Back, bi, shoulders and forearms on Wednesday
Legs on Friday
plus 30 mins. of cardio on each of those days. Guarantee that will give you a kickstart.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Above all, I think running is the best, followed by swimming as far as cardio goes. I bike a lot too, but your arms just aren't used on a bike ride like they are when you're running or swimming. It's best to combine the lifting with the cardio. I'd say do cardio 5-7 days a week and lift 3-4. Of course, this is coming from a guy who works out for the endurance stuff and not a bodybuilder...so I am biased

However, I know people who despise running so they don't run. No big deal. The best thing to do is something you enjoy and won't get tired of. Personally I hate the stairmaster so I avoid it at all costs. Have fun with what you're doing, even if it's playing racquetball or basketball. Mix it up, that way you never get tired.

Getting rid of pop is a good step, that'll give you a ton more energy. And if you really need the fast food, just try to cut back on the fried stuff...there are some less painful things at fast food joints, I think.

The one other thing that has helped me boost energy a ton is vegetables. I've never been a huge fan of salads and veggies. So I force myself to eat two salads now each day...and I tough it up. Not a lot of lettuce...put spinach, carrots, tomatoes, celery, sprouts and broccoli. It's definitely not the highlight of a meal...but I can tell it's helping a bit. Oh, and quit drinkin' dem Aaahrn cities

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Hokie, are any specifics that tend to work best for you? I don't belong to a gym, but I got 25-pound dumbbells in the garage. You think I could create a workout that works just from home, or should I sign up at a gym to make sure I'm able work out all that I need to?

And Adam, I really like the mountain bike a lot, but also worry that maybe the cardio from biking, say, 11-13 miles a day (which I sometimes do in non-winter months here) still wouldn't be as good from running one or two miles. Any thoughts? I'm not a veggie person, so that might be a tough step. Now, no Aaahrn cities might be OK. But what about Primanti sandwiches? What about Eat 'n' Park? ;D

Seriously, thank you both for the advice.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Oz, go for the length of the workout, not the distance....for fat loss, you just want to raise your heart rate, the longer the better. Whatever keeps you moving.

I cannot say this enough here--do your weights before your cardio, you'll burn through the leftover sugar in your system, and burn pure fat when you do your cardio.

You do not need a gym to weight train, but you should add another set of dumbbells, depending on how heave (or light) you like to lift. One set won't cover all your needs.

Good luck!

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

21 (or should it be "Twenty-one" because I used it to start the sentence?), thank you for the reply. I was partly relieved to see the preference on length of the workout because I love to take out the bike. Running's tougher on me, too, because of asthma. Typically, I'm good for maybe a mile or so, but that's about it.

Again, thanks for the advice.

Edit -- Adam, I miss the smiley cookies! One wouldn't do much harm, right? Right? ;D

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Off the top of my head, this is what you can do with a pair of dumbbells and a bench at home ...

Bench press
Chest Flyes
Extensions (for triceps)
Curls (for bis)
Hammer curls (work the large head of the bis)
Wrist curls (for forearms)
Side bends (for abs/obliques)
Good mornings (for lower back)
Deadlifts (for hammys)
Shoulder presses
Kickbacks (for tris)
Lateral raises (for delts/shoulders)
Shrugs (for shoulders)
One-armed rows (for back)


.... so, yeah, you can do stuff at home with dumbbells. Maybe invest in dumbbells with removeable plates so you can up the weights (you'll obviously want to bench more than you use on bicep curls). Also, get a pull-up bar and put it somewhere. No better back exercise than that. And it feels awesome when you do them. Three years ago, I couldn't do more than one pull-up. Now I do three sets of eight at the gym.