Weight Watchers

[funthing29]

MrG, you have definitely given me the kick up the bum I need! I haven't been as focused lately as I should be, just had a lot going on and been really busy.

I shall go b*y those scales now...

[aruif]

i've taken to getting off the bus 3 stops early and walking the log way home via the top of my road rather than staying on the bus all around the block that takes me closer to the bottom of my road. it's not a big change but it's a decent enough one.

i'm also doing 20-30 sit ups on my balance ball every night though i want to work that up to more like 50 then .. well my friend does 100 sit ups a day so err maybe that? but i'll aim for 50 for now!!

[TheyCallMeMrGlass]

I particularly have no idea what goals Id like, other than to maintain, Im working on my abs, and my thighs atm, im not too fussed about having a definite date to have toned up by though
maybe holiday next year? March 23rd?

Sounds like you might already be at an ideal body fat. Its worth having it measured just for your satisfaction. As you are at Uni, find out if they have the body fat displacment measurment tub in the Medical dept? Its the most accurate bodyfat measurment in the world and they charge about £100 for a measurment!! But being a student there, you might be able to get it free??? Second most accurate is professional 8 point caliper measurments, 3rd being disputedly, biometeric current scales (what I recommended to Havingascreen above). But if you are on a budget. A simple tape measure will suffice :)

Your goal then would be to maintain your body fat percentage and build some muscle definition. Maintaining is a goal in its own right

Looking great for your holiday next year is great but think of a more nearer long term goal, maybe a fitness challenge you can undertake?

[TheyCallMeMrGlass]

MrG, you have definitely given me the kick up the bum I need! I haven't been as focused lately as I should be, just had a lot going on and been really busy.

I shall go b*y those scales now...

Good girl. And also the tape measure is simply to measure your hips and waiste etc. I'll explain more about the tape measurements as this is another way to guage your outward dimensions as you progress to better health and fitness.

Lets all use this week to prep up. Everyone get yourselves a weighing scales (if you can up the budget a little bit for a body fat scales, even better), and a body tape measure.

Also start a food diary and post it here or by all means email it to me next week, I will pm you my email address. I will analyse your diary and make healthy modifications for you. It wont be drastic, it will gradual modifications over time. No one here will be going on any fad diet. What we are all going to do is ADAPT a healthier lifestyle that we can comfortably maintain and enjoy for life. That means we will all become fitter and healthier and achieve the goals we set our sights on :)

Also, plan your time. Think about where you can fit more exercises in your schedule. Believe me, no matter how busy you are, you can fit it in. And let us/me know your intentions :)

[TheyCallMeMrGlass]

i've taken to getting off the bus 3 stops early and walking the log way home via the top of my road rather than staying on the bus all around the block that takes me closer to the bottom of my road. it's not a big change but it's a decent enough one.

Now we're talking, girl

i'm also doing 20-30 sit ups on my balance ball every night though i want to work that up to more like 50 then .. well my friend does 100 sit ups a day so err maybe that? but i'll aim for 50 for now!!

OK, hold up...I applaud you for your determination and focus but allow me to make some important points about what you are doing.

Firstly. When exercising muscle groups, what is happening is your are putting stresses on the fibres in your muscles. As a result, the muscles have to repair themselves and when they do they repair themselves to handle the stresses they experience, its a marvelous marvelous mechanism, and so the muscles are stronger than before. BUT they need time to recover and repair themselve. This normally takes more than a day depending on the type of stresses put on them. SO you are doing sit ups, ie applying stresses on your ab muscles without giving it any time at all to recover and rebuild.

Secondly. You are only doing abs. You need to work on your whole body to maintain balance. Abs only need to be worked on 2 or 3 times a week. So for example Monday, work on upper body, 2 sets of 15 reps each on biceps, triceps, shoulders, back, and chest. Tuesday: REST. Wednesday: work on lower body. 2 sets of 15 reps easch on quads, hamstrings and calves and Core work, 10 situps followed by 10 situps with feet in air, followed by 10 twists, followed by 10 hip raises, followed by Plank. Thursday: REST. Friday: upper body(same as Monday). Saturday: Lower body and core (same as Wednesday)

Doing 100 sit ups is a waste of time. When you are able to achieve 25 sit ups, the next progressive step is to modify those sit ups to make it harder rather than making it longer. That is good news for you because it means you dont ever have to spend more time on exercising. Make sure before you do any exercises that you warm up your muscles with some cardio work then stretch those muscles to be worked on before you commence with the exercises. By cardio, I mean working up a sweat by running around the block or up and down the stairs or if at a gym, treadmill, cycle, cross trainer etc.

I'm not sure what you are trying to achieve with the sit ups but if you are wanting to lose fat, you wont do it even with 10000 situps. Sit ups just build your abs muscles. you will sweat a bit if you do it intensely but not significantly. Fat has to be burned with cardio. But to burn fat with cardio we do need to have combine resistance training ie muscle strength to burn fat with maximum efficiency. I will post up examples this week and if you want, I will be more than happy to set you a program but you must do it properly. I will use the Sparkpeople channel that I posted a few days ago to demonstrate technique. All of this can be achieved in the home though I resommend the gym if you have the opportunity to go to one regularly.

One other piece of equiptment that I strongly recommend are stretch bands. Used properly, these can replace your gym and perhaps save you a lot of time while achieving the same all round body workout.

[aruif]

i'm just doing it to strengthen my stomach muscles and abs to help my back. my back is my main concern then the weight. if i don't strengthen my muscles enough then every time i try to exercise my back goes and i end up at square 1 screaming and then doing nothing and eating crap to top it all off.

the weight is coming off slowly. i noticed a huge difference being at a festival this year compared to 2 years previous and my back is much better at the moment. i know losing the weight will also help with my back problems don't get me wrong, but i can't exercise properly until my back will withstand it.

my actual main goal is to be more healthy in general rather than a goal of losing weight, that's just a by product of having a healthier happier lifestyle.

in general i'm feeling stronger and more able to try and tackle this stuff than i was a few months back but i'm still not feeling 100% kick ass. getting there. honest.

[TheyCallMeMrGlass]

i'm just doing it to strengthen my stomach muscles and abs to help my back. my back is my main concern then the weight. if i don't strengthen my muscles enough then every time i try to exercise my back goes and i end up at square 1 screaming and then doing nothing and eating crap to top it all off.

the weight is coming off slowly. i noticed a huge difference being at a festival this year compared to 2 years previous and my back is much better at the moment. i know losing the weight will also help with my back problems don't get me wrong, but i can't exercise properly until my back will withstand it.

my actual main goal is to be more healthy in general rather than a goal of losing weight, that's just a by product of having a healthier happier lifestyle.

in general i'm feeling stronger and more able to try and tackle this stuff than i was a few months back but i'm still not feeling 100% kick ass. getting there. honest.

Thats awesome Aruif. And you know what, your sentence of your goal to being healthier, is spot on. I couldnt have said it better. I hope you will notice that I never ever mention about losing weight. Being healthy is not about about losing weight. I only mention losing Body FAT which is a vital part measurement of your health. A significant measurement. So well done and soon you will feel 100% kickass girl. but still take heed of what I am saying about the frequency of your abs exercise. it is excessive. If you have back problems, your GP can refer you to a personal trainer on NHS funding! I would capitalise on that...do check it out...please :)

[aruif]

oh i will do. i got given 4 weeks of physio pilates but that was all. maybe i'll ask again! i wish they did gym memberships, i just can't afford to p*y anymore

[valda]

Right I've got these scales http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/lloyds ... ales-17840

I've got the gym membership - I want to try power plates waht can I get for at home, sitting on the internet and watching TV? vx

[TheyCallMeMrGlass]

Right I've got these scales http://www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/lloyds ... ales-17840

I've got the gym membership - I want to try power plates waht can I get for at home, sitting on the internet and watching TV? vx

Good find Valda, way to go!

I never tried power plates, its an area I need to find out more about.

Right, for those working out at home or in your local park, there many exercises you can do just using your body weight alone. However, I strongly recommend b*ying a set of stretch bands. Theses are a great great substitute for gym weights at very low cost. They are mobile and I use them all the time for full fbody workouts. There are cheap ones without handles where you just simply wrap the ends around your hands or p*y a bit more for stretch bands with handles on them.

Valda, when I watch TV or films I make sure I am in comfort zone, relaxed and chilled to enjoy my movie and even internet. When I exercise, I set aside that time to exercise, focus, dream of my goals, and give it all I got.

I would like you to do the same, girl :)

Enjoy your internet, and your movies fully. When you are at work, you can take your breaks by doing sitting down exercises. Here are some videos for you to try. BUT remember everyone, the reason why many people make a great start with doing exercises and then lose interest after 6 weeks is because you have to change your routines to something different every 4 weeks or so. And its not just to keep you interested but to avoid the body from getting too used to the same stresses. The body is not challenged anymore if doing the same thing after 4 weeks so the benefits become diminsihed. You have to keep introducing new shocking stresses to the body in order to continue the fitness progress and benefits.

Anyway, watch all of these videos that I selected from the Sparkpeople youtube channel. Honestly, I wish I could think of doing such a channel but these videos have the potential to make you reach your goals, I'm not kidding you. Everything I hear this girl say is what I have learnt from my fitness journey. There are 138 videos on this channel, explore them guys, you will learn so much and in very layman terms.