any health/exercise aficionados out there?

6StringShooter · Nov 4, 2007

Hello folks,

I am planning to begin to seriously get into very good physical shape very soon (due to the career aspirations) but I don't know where to start! Before college, my metabolism took care of most of this, and once the freshman 15 hit (go Gators

) that all went down hill. I have never really seriously and consistently worked out, set up a diet, or anything like that. Is there a good resource online that could help? I am very weary of hiring one of the trainers at the gym...it just looks a little too much like a scam, but whatever. If that is a good way to go, yall just let me know. I don't know if this helps any, but I am working at a very physically demanding temp job while my police application goes through, so I'm always lifting heavy stuff, sweating, drinking a lot of water (I go through at least 9 cups a day) and constantly moving around. I have noticed that I have dropped in weight a little since I got the job, but not nearly as much as I'd like to. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank yall!

PA Dancer · Nov 4, 2007

Check around in your area for the places that do physical therapy/ injury rehab...etc.
Sometime they have an onsite gym and the trainers are also physical therapist.
I lost weight over the years and I can tell you the most important thing is breakfast. Don't skip it no matter what.
Good luck and congrats on the life change!

6StringShooter said:
Hello folks,

I am planning to begin to seriously get into very good physical shape very soon (due to the career aspirations) but I don't know where to start! Before college, my metabolism took care of most of this, and once the freshman 15 hit (go Gators ) that all went down hill. I have never really seriously and consistently worked out, set up a diet, or anything like that. Is there a good resource online that could help? I am very weary of hiring one of the trainers at the gym...it just looks a little too much like a scam, but whatever. If that is a good way to go, yall just let me know. I don't know if this helps any, but I am working at a very physically demanding temp job while my police application goes through, so I'm always lifting heavy stuff, sweating, drinking a lot of water (I go through at least 9 cups a day) and constantly moving around. I have noticed that I have dropped in weight a little since I got the job, but not nearly as much as I'd like to. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank yall!

John in Covina · Nov 4, 2007

It all depends on what you are interested in doing and the time you have to spend on it. I have a couple of friends that are into bicycling for health. They do racing these days over some distances on regular roads. It really keeps them lean. My cousin was doing the iron man thing for a while and she got pretty lean to but work eventually got in the way.

I had a friend way back that became one of those competitive dancers in ballroom style and that kept him pretty lean. My friend Yumiko is big on Hiking and camping and that keeps her lean too.

I know several that go to the gym and have their own routines they have researched. A personal trainer is supposed to be good to break you thru plateaus.

Swiming is suposed to be good if you have joint problems.

There are a ton of books on excercise and many magazines too, but if you can tie it to a hobby that you enjoy like biking you may find it work bettter if you lack disipline to go to the gym.

Miss_Bella_Hell · Nov 4, 2007

Since it sounds like you build muscle at work, the most important thing for you to do at the gym is cardio. I have a circuit training workout I stole from a fitness magazine that helped me lose about 12 pounds. PM me if you're interested.

SpitfireXIV · Nov 4, 2007

well, i'm going to say it: get a dog. it's hard to prop your feet up and turn on the telly when a dog with the saddest brown eyes looks at you as if to say "walk me." you'll get out, and a dog is a great social equalizer... make sure you have good shoes; you don't have to spend a fortune, about 50$ will get you some decent running shoes... just replace them when they start to wear out.

oh, and start with the little things: instead of soda/coffee/whatever, drink water. switch from 2% to 1% milk. start decreasing whatever "bad" foods you have and starts adding more of the fresh veggies and so on.

6StringShooter · Nov 4, 2007

Thank you all so much...I do think that a trainer of some sort might be the best way to go then...I just need some specialized individual kind of attention because I get very frutrated if I think I could be more effective/efficient in what I'm doing and I suspect that I'm not. I'll look some up then (unless yall know of any in Miami, FL). Thanks again!

nubsnubs · Nov 5, 2007

Everyone has been giving good advice. It is hard to say what you should try, since everyone has thier own routines. I try to balance anaerobic and cardio, thought the cardio needs to be at least 30 to 45 minutes to really work for me. Eating breakfast is very important, as is balanced meals. The hardest part for me is the time commitment. I am in law enforcement and have such a long work day most times that it is hard to keep from going straight home exhausted. You have to commit to it. Another thing I found helpful is trying to hit the gym at the same time each day. The more it becomes routine the easier it is. Try different things and you will find what works for you.

Paisley · Nov 5, 2007

I can't recommend Body for Life highly enough. You eat six small meals a day and work out about three hours per week. It's gotten me into the best shape of my life. And you'll feel great and get results quickly. Check out the Web site: the before and after pictures were taken 12 weeks apart.

I've been doing BFL for most of four years (I had to quit for awhile due to an illness and injury) and really like it. As I mentioned, it gives great results and I work out at home with free weights and an aerobic step. There aren't any clubs to join or fees to pay. The eating plan is really simple--you just count portions of protein, carbs and vegetables (a portion is about the size of your fist). That's about it. If you're interested, check out the book Body-for-Life by Bill Phillips.

Ben · Nov 5, 2007

The first question is: what are the physical requirments for the police job?

That should give you a lot of guidance in setting your goals.

Also, John and Spitfire have it right -- if you can tie it to something else you enjoy doing and make little changes along the way, you will probably have more success.

Maybe the thing for a guy like you would be to join a martial arts class or boxing gym. Then you could get some physical activity and maybe some skill that applies to your career.

Another possibility is to sign up for things like 5-K races or triathlons. Sometimes having a competition in sight helps people.

As far as books, I awlays liked Bill Pearl's Getting Stronger for a basic primer on weightlifting. You might also look at the Men's Health site, particularly the training section of the message boards for ideas.

I also wrote one very basic article on maintaining minimum physical fitness for antoher website that I can send you, if you would like. But it is not really for people who are looking to get in the best shape of their lives.

Valhson · Nov 5, 2007

www.fitday.com works great in keeping you on track and really seeing what you are eating and doing.

For a good workout that is practical to moving instead of showing....

www.crossfit.com

both are free and worth much more than that to me. I lost all my after college weight and getting back to my rugby/lacrosse fitness llevels.

SamMarlowPI · Nov 5, 2007

my 2 cents

I suggest running first thing in the morning before a breakfast...the body will burn the stored fat instead of having to burn off any food consumed during the day, like running at night will only burn off the meals from that day and not work on the stuff you want to get rid of...hope that makes sense, and yes a dog is great motivation and good, supported running shoes are a must to get the pressure off the pelvis and other joints.
My personal routine is at about 6am, jump up and do lots of stretching. few push-ups, couple situps or crunches and more stretching. out in the garage hittin' the heavy bag for a light warm up and getting in the mood with the "Rocky" soundtrack(trust me, it works)...there are little or no cars at 6am, so on goes a sweatshirt, gloves and beanie depending on the time of year, ipod loaded with more "Rocky" and off to the races...work your way up in distance so you don't overdue it. this routine is by no means the sure fire way to go and not for everybody but it feels great, lots of breathe and wakes you up for the rest of the day...maybe this was more like a buck and a half rather than 2 cents but oh well

Gary Crumrine · Nov 7, 2007

I was at a kung fu seminar last year and finally met a really delightful young man whom I'd been exchanging emails with for serveral months. Great personality, but overweight. Six, maybe seven months later we met again at another seminar and I was slackjawed. He was lean, hard. I inquired and he said, "Just eat less and move more". I mentioned the conversation to my wife later that evening and we were both taken with the ultimate simplicity of the recommendation. Eat less. Move more. Once you begin, you're on the train. A fast train (Eat MUCH less. Move MUCH more) will get you to your destination sooner, but as long as you're on the train you will one day arrive. Elegant.

Paisley · Nov 7, 2007

I actually ate more after I went on Body for Life. Before, I hadn't been eating enough protein (which builds muscle) or carbohydrates (which gives you energy). I was constantly hungry, but I was getting fatter. And I did aerobics once or twice a week.

BFL isn't the only way to get in shape, but it's a very efficient way. Did I mention that it gives you a free day every week where you eat anything you want and don't exercise?

I think BFL is pretty darn simple, but if you want something even simpler, maybe a good idea would be to eat a high protein diet, lots of greens, and a modest amount of good carbs (beans, fruit, sweet potatoes, etc.). Lay off the sugar, processed foods and fat. (Yes, corn syrup counts as sugar.) Just shop in the produce aisle and at the meat counter, and get some dried beans, spices and condiments and avoid all the expensive, processed junk. Get some light soup and healthy frozen dinners and nutrition drinks if you really can't stand to cook. Take up some form of exercise that you like and you'll stick with, and do it at least until you sweat. I really don't think you would get as good results as you would with BFL, but it should get you into pretty good shape.

Slim Portly · Jul 19, 2010

I am currently using the program at 100 Push Ups. The point of it is to get you to be able to eventually do a set of one hundred good-form push ups, regardless of your starting point. The idea is to do five to nine sets of small numbers three times a week, gradually adding to each set, until you are actually doing hundreds of push ups each day. Thus when you attempt one set to exhaustion, your body is eventually able to do the one hundred.

For the initial test I was able to do 14 (hold your applause). I am now doing Week 6, and I can do 46 at a time, although when broken into smaller sets I'm doing as many as 180 in one workout.

In addition I also do 320 crunches four or five times a week, and I have a set of dumb bells that I use for various arm exercises whenever I'm wasting time sitting at the computer. Watching a DVD is now an excuse to workout.

This coming payday I'm buying a chin up bar so that I can start doing leg lifts to better isolate the lower abs, and of course various types of pull ups to work parts of the upper body that I'm not currently hitting.

My next step is to lower the fat in my diet so that I can cut the subcutaneous fat on my body that covers the muscles. I want to have a six pack, and at 46 years of age I don't have to tell anyone what a challenge that is.

I'll post a picture when I look like this gentleman:

Slim Portly · Jul 19, 2010

I should add that with the 100 Push Ups program (along with the dumb bell exercises), not only have I greatly improved my endurance, I have also added one inch to the circumference of each upper arm in just six weeks, going from 13 ¼ inches to 14 ¼ inches each.

plain old dave · Jul 19, 2010

Before anything else, get checked out by your medico of choice. If you have a recent (i.e. 180 days old or newer) physical, this isn't quite so important.

Stretch thoroughly.
10 minutes of strength building (setups, pushups, some weight training)
20 minutes of cardio training (RUNNING or other CONSISTENTLY strenuous activity)

Repeat 3 times each week.

HodgePodge · Jul 19, 2010

Gary Crumrine said:
. A fast train (Eat MUCH less. Move MUCH more) will get you to your destination sooner, but as long as you're on the train you will one day arrive. Elegant.

Starving yourself down to a weight isn't healthy. You just have to make better choices in what you eat. I still have two coffees in the morning (with 2% milk, and atleast a teaspoon of sugar), a can of pepsi and four cookies with lunch; but muffins and banana bread and super-sweet coffee concoctions on a regular basis are out the window. I take extra apples with me to work so that when I'm starving for something, I don't go buy a chocolate bar and a bottle of pop. Every other weekend or so I still drink like a fish and throw my 'diet' to the wind. If you balance how you eat with how you exercise you can get away with a lot more than with losing weight by depriving yourself of foods, because if you cut out the foods you have to keep them cut out to keep the weight off.

Paisley · Jul 19, 2010

I'm now doing low-carb and slow burn.

The Lonely Navigator · Jul 19, 2010

I can't say I'm very much into gym workouts because of my CFS, but I do enjoy walking.

I'm very much into organic foods, all natural foods, natural toiletries and cleaners (mainly due to chemical sensitivities), and natural healing (including energy healing - like the Bach remedies). I'm not vegan or vegetarian though and don't plant to become one.

Two places that are great for price to buy many brands are -

Vitacost and Lucky Vitamin

Mr Vim · Jul 19, 2010

Valhson said:
For a good workout that is practical to moving instead of showing....

www.crossfit.com

both are free and worth much more than that to me. I lost all my after college weight and getting back to my rugby/lacrosse fitness llevels.

Crossfit is great and if you go to a crossfit gym, which I used to, then its even better. Having that said that it kicks your butt.

I also highly advise swimming as one of the best, non stress impact workouts you can have, it takes you and stretches you out leaving nothing but muscle.

any health/exercise aficionados out there?

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