Lifestyle Fitness!

@krillan - I'm gonna call you Krillan cause I have no idea what that name is. It's awesome that you know some of the fitness terminology; it means you're doing your homework. DOMs (delayed onset muscle soreness) usually results from working a certain muscle group extra hard or doing a certain exercise that you haven't done in a while or is new. The pain is usually a result of inflammation of that muscle. It's definitely not a bad thing at all. The key is to drink a lot of water and make sure to stretch that muscle to allow it to recover faster. As to when you can work out again, the general rule of thumb is to give your muscles 48 - 72 hours to recover, depending on the intensity of that particular workout. I make a habit to never workout a muscle group more that twice a week. Since I am on a heavy lifting program, I normally get a tough work out in each session, so the muscles need as much recovery time as possible. However, if you are on a lighter circuit type of work out where you workout three times a week, but each time you work the entire body, you might not need as much recovery time. The thing to keep in mind is knowing your body. It is okay to once in a while work out a muscle if it is still sore, but you never want to make a habit of it. This can lead to overworking the muscle leading to injury. As to your other question, it is definitely okay for you to continue a cardio regimen. Contrary to popular opinion, it is not going to cause you to lose muscle mass. Just remember to eat the proper nutrition to allow for muscle recovery and the energy output you would need. http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/calories-burned is a way to get a rough idea of your caloric needs per day. Now depending on your goal of losing weight or gaining muscle mass, you are going to want to increase or decrease the amount of calories you consume. Make sure to consume plenty of carbs and protein. Protein is used primarily to repair damaged muscle while carbohyrdates are the bodies main source of energy. With this in mind, keep doing what your doing!

@lenny - In previous centuries, cutting calories would be a great way to lose weight, because you need to burn off more calories than you consume for efficient weight loss. However, in modern America, this idea becomes a little hazy. With the amount of sugars and bad fats in the typical American diet, even if you cut calories, you may not always have the results you want. The most important thing to keep in mind is the type of calories you are consuming. A calorie of fat is not the same as a calorie of protein. Instead of counting calories, I would begin by following the type of calories you are eating. Begin by keeping a journal of what you eat and then at the end of the day look at what you are eating and how much of each type of calorie you're consuming. Over time you will begin to notice what kinds of food you need to eat. It is recommended that 45 to 65% of your diet should be in carbohydrates, 20 - 30 % should be in fat, and the remainder should be in protein consumption. The biggest concern with the carbohydrates is making sure it is a good source such as whole grains (wheat and whole grain breads) and fiber rich foods and vegetables (oatmeal, broccoli) instead of processed sugars (found in most junk foods) and refined grains (like white bread). A general rule of thumb is to always look at the ingredient list when purchasing food. Ideally, you would want the ingredient list to have as few ingredients as possible, hence the term whole foods. Once you gain a better understanding of what this entails, then you can begin to cut back on calories depending on your long term and short term goals. Hopefully this helps a little and you can always ask more questions or browse online. The Internet can be a valuable tool in any weight loss program. Just make sure the author of the article has some form of credentials. The more you know and understand, the easier regulated your diet will become! Good luck and have fun!

Thanks superluxus. I am doing the low and slow method of weight loss to re-calibrate my metabolism by gradual changes I started at the beginning of the year. Some people get discouraged because they try too much too soon expecting too much out of it. I got the way I did because of what I chose to (not)do the last 7 years so if I want permanent change I knew I had to make permanent adjustments. So I reprogrammed one habit every couple weeks and slowly migrated my routine to a more healthy one and love it. I lost 20 pounds before getting the gym card just walking 4 miles a week until my body felt right again for weight training. When the results started showing faster it just motivated me to push farther. I don't prescribe to using weird training diets and overkill workouts for weight loss because the second you stop the weight quickly comes back. IMHO to be long term successful it has to be a routine you can do handle doing long term. It is a lifestyle change, not meaning become a fitness junkie, just a more healthy lifestyle than the one you have if your body is wrecked and want to fix it. Like Ghandi said 'Be the change you desire'

Great points being made. I'll try the fasting cardio on my days off. Although I'm extremely lethargic in the morning, it's a good alternative so I can still eat a variety of food.

I have to bike off road for an hour each day("fastest" way to get to my university and back). Not the extreme type though.. not tired of my life yet. And since actual muscles on girls are doomed as unattractive I don't have to endure any comments on the effects of my laziness (just being slender.. not muscular). I try to keep a healthy diet... but it usually doesn't work since I have no time to properly eat or cook. But I feel fit, healthy and very comfortable in my body. So I guess I'm good.

I love bad food but my thighs do not I've thought about walking every morning, but my lifestyle does not agree.

It's awesome to see how many people are interested in being healthier and it's always encouraging seeing how people are trying to stay in shape. @Darku - One of my favorite Ghandi quotes is "be the change you wish to see in the world." He was an awesome guy. It's easy to point fingers and call people lazy, but it's hard to come up next to them and work with them and encourage them. This is one of the reasons I enjoy personal training and hearing from you guys. Just keep at it, it's a heck of a lot simpler to stay in shape then to be forced to try to get in shape by a doctor or something like that. @krillin - Ahh yes, burpees. They are great for overall body fitness, both strength and cardiovascular. The triceps make up most of the upper arm, and they are worked fairly hard during a push up. The main thing to think about is the specific part of the pushup. To target the arms even further, you can place your hands slightly closer together, and when at the top position, flex those triceps! Don't just use the top position as a brief rest, but force the triceps to flex to extend the muscle all the way up. This will hit the triceps a hell of a lot harder. Also when considering the arms, any pushing movement works the triceps, and any pulling movement will work the bicep. I would also suggest investing in some light kettlebells. They are a great tool for any exerciser to have. It's not too much money to get a set of 10 or 15 pounds bells. Eventually I'll also try to show you guys an awesome home work out that includes no weights, so that way anyone can do it. It will help build a lean Bruce Lee bod that everyone dreams off. But just keep doing what you're doing man! @Lenny - Hopefully by this weekend I will put up some more stuff on nutrition. I'll give an example of a typical days worth of meals and snacks that I would have. I'll try to show some of the best foods you should be eating. And then you can start to build your meals around it. Also, let others know, including myself, when you start dieting so people can keep each other accountable. Find someone who wants similar goals and encourage one another.

It's a good thing. Phsyical health is a very important factor and since many scientists have been trying to focus on "intelligence" lately... it got out of the focus a bit. However, physical health is very important for the gain of "intelligence" (at least the way it is definied in our society). There's nothing better than a 8km run and shower against a bad mood than anything else. It clears your mind. To make your brain work on full capability, you have to make your body work at least at half of your capability if not more... Make the best of what you get of Mum Natture.