Do You Guys Stay in Shape? If So, How So?
- Thread starter Griffolion
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I eat foods that are horrible for you and sit in my computer chair all day. Somehow I'm at a perfectly healthy weight and can jog a mile.
Some really good suggestions here, and everything that could be suggested has. So I'll break them down into the ones I recommend, as well as expand.
Cardio, cardio, CARDIO! I cannot recommend this enough for someone in your position; running is (one of) the most accessible exercise(s), try to go for a 10 minute moderately fast run at least 3 times a week (and build up from there). Swimming is even better since you can work your whole body.
Sit-ups are also great for burning off fat around the abs if you do them right. There's no need to sit all the way up, it allows your mid section a brief period to relax (which is bad), you only need to raise about 60 degrees from the floor, and don't allow the top of your back to touch the floor during the exercise.
Press-ups are also effective. Try not to let any of your body sag out of posture during the exercise, and tighten your abs during them to work them a bit.
Squats are always helpful, especially with dumbbells. Not much more I can say about them, apart from add in a squat-jump for variety every now and then.
Finally, DO NOT take specialised protein shakes if you want to lose weight; it's like climbing a mountain that gets taller and steeper with each step.
Cardio, cardio, CARDIO! I cannot recommend this enough for someone in your position; running is (one of) the most accessible exercise(s), try to go for a 10 minute moderately fast run at least 3 times a week (and build up from there). Swimming is even better since you can work your whole body.
Sit-ups are also great for burning off fat around the abs if you do them right. There's no need to sit all the way up, it allows your mid section a brief period to relax (which is bad), you only need to raise about 60 degrees from the floor, and don't allow the top of your back to touch the floor during the exercise.
Press-ups are also effective. Try not to let any of your body sag out of posture during the exercise, and tighten your abs during them to work them a bit.
Squats are always helpful, especially with dumbbells. Not much more I can say about them, apart from add in a squat-jump for variety every now and then.
Finally, DO NOT take specialised protein shakes if you want to lose weight; it's like climbing a mountain that gets taller and steeper with each step.
i drop my cell phone in the ocean before. poseidon still has not given me my phone back; what a jackass.Tharwen said:
Diet isnt really much of an issue if you're exercising regularly, provided it's nothing crazy.
To burn fat, as others have said, running, swimming are good options. My advice is if you do something like the rowing machine (great work out, seriously) don't put the resistance on full as the movement will be working you muscles more, than say getting your lungs and heart going. Nothing wrong with that, but it's just tweaking your work out to you.
Swimming is great for burning fat, keep it up. I have known a few keen swimmers and I swear they had no fat on them. Crazy. I admit that they were keen, but doing lengths of front crawl most certainly take their toll.
If you start to lose motivation try and start doing different exercises, I get bored of swimming very easily so I try and do rowing instead. Obviously this isn't going to keep your motivation up in the long term, but it helps to vary what exercises you do.
Going to a class at the gym certainly has benefits, as the instructor motivates you and should provide varied workouts. I only have done mma but that had a massive cardio "warmup" :/ It also locks you in a time to go and do exercise, that sort of routine may help you get the motivation to go and work out.
I myself box and do weight training that is between toning and building muscle. I try cardio but I find it hard to do it consistently weekly. Hope this helps.
EDIT: When you first start exercising don't be alarmed if you go up in weight or stay on the same weight for a while, as it may be due to muscle mass increase. You know if you are working your self hard especially with cardio.
To burn fat, as others have said, running, swimming are good options. My advice is if you do something like the rowing machine (great work out, seriously) don't put the resistance on full as the movement will be working you muscles more, than say getting your lungs and heart going. Nothing wrong with that, but it's just tweaking your work out to you.
Swimming is great for burning fat, keep it up. I have known a few keen swimmers and I swear they had no fat on them. Crazy. I admit that they were keen, but doing lengths of front crawl most certainly take their toll.
If you start to lose motivation try and start doing different exercises, I get bored of swimming very easily so I try and do rowing instead. Obviously this isn't going to keep your motivation up in the long term, but it helps to vary what exercises you do.
Going to a class at the gym certainly has benefits, as the instructor motivates you and should provide varied workouts. I only have done mma but that had a massive cardio "warmup" :/ It also locks you in a time to go and do exercise, that sort of routine may help you get the motivation to go and work out.
I myself box and do weight training that is between toning and building muscle. I try cardio but I find it hard to do it consistently weekly. Hope this helps.
EDIT: When you first start exercising don't be alarmed if you go up in weight or stay on the same weight for a while, as it may be due to muscle mass increase. You know if you are working your self hard especially with cardio.
I admit I only skimmed this, but there are a couple of things I think need to be mentioned about diet:
It isn't strictly the simple calories in - calories out that people always make it out to be. In weight loss you NEED protein, it accelerates your metabolism and makes it easier to burn fat. Fruit juices are one of the worst things for you, they are filled with sugar, many having more sugar than cola (my cola has 110 calories per 250 ML my apple juice has 120). switching from juice or soft drinks to water is a good way to cut out calories. Coffee is another bad one, fancy coffees can have more calories than a meal and even a typical cup with cream and sugar isn't great, although black coffee and unsweetened tea both contain caffeine which will boost your metabolism, don't overdo it though as this can be bad for your heart.
Time of day is also an important thing to consider, If you go for a walk before breakfast and after supper your metabolism will be at its highest while you are digesting, kinda putting your body into "fat burning mode" if you are sedentary before and after your meals your body will try to save that energy for a later date IE make fat. Avoid eating 2 hours before bed and try eating a smaller supper with a large breakfast, while you can eat the same amount of calories, your body will burn more to give you energy.
As for an exercise routine, i found martial arts to be the best. There is something about an exercise program in which you get kicked in the head if you aren't fast enough that i found motivating, i don't know why. But I tried a bunch of em, learned a lot about punching people and looked great doing it! But if programs like this are too expensive, you could always wait for a birthday or Christmas or something and ask for a boot camp class. Waiting gives you the added bonus of getting in a little better shape before hand so it will be a little less brutal.
I personally was obese in my late teens, its not fun and its not an easy thing to change, but stick with it for a while and once you start to see progress you will feel a lot better about yourself. I lost over 100 pounds.
It isn't strictly the simple calories in - calories out that people always make it out to be. In weight loss you NEED protein, it accelerates your metabolism and makes it easier to burn fat. Fruit juices are one of the worst things for you, they are filled with sugar, many having more sugar than cola (my cola has 110 calories per 250 ML my apple juice has 120). switching from juice or soft drinks to water is a good way to cut out calories. Coffee is another bad one, fancy coffees can have more calories than a meal and even a typical cup with cream and sugar isn't great, although black coffee and unsweetened tea both contain caffeine which will boost your metabolism, don't overdo it though as this can be bad for your heart.
Time of day is also an important thing to consider, If you go for a walk before breakfast and after supper your metabolism will be at its highest while you are digesting, kinda putting your body into "fat burning mode" if you are sedentary before and after your meals your body will try to save that energy for a later date IE make fat. Avoid eating 2 hours before bed and try eating a smaller supper with a large breakfast, while you can eat the same amount of calories, your body will burn more to give you energy.
As for an exercise routine, i found martial arts to be the best. There is something about an exercise program in which you get kicked in the head if you aren't fast enough that i found motivating, i don't know why. But I tried a bunch of em, learned a lot about punching people and looked great doing it! But if programs like this are too expensive, you could always wait for a birthday or Christmas or something and ask for a boot camp class. Waiting gives you the added bonus of getting in a little better shape before hand so it will be a little less brutal.
I personally was obese in my late teens, its not fun and its not an easy thing to change, but stick with it for a while and once you start to see progress you will feel a lot better about yourself. I lost over 100 pounds.
I'm only 17, so I still have my awesome "eat whatever you fucking want, as much of it, and never gain a pound" metabolism, but I do things to keep in shape. I lift weights, and I run. At least 2 miles every other day. I also don't snack. I think that's where most people gain weight, is that they get bored and they snack. I've never been much of a junk food/nibbly guy in the first place so...yeah. Fun stuff.
Truth. "Spot training," i.e. burning belly fat by doing crunches, is a myth. The body does not burn fat from one place at a time. Crunches will make your stomach harder, you should absolutely do them. But fat will vanish from everywhere or nowhere, you can't take it out of just one place.DSK- said:
Isn't the second "so" in the title kind of redundant?
Anyway, I'm not in shape now, I'm trying. I'm taking a bunch of PE classes this next semester, and I'm improving my eating habits. (Did you know weight loss is 80% diet? It's true!)
Anyway, I'm not in shape now, I'm trying. I'm taking a bunch of PE classes this next semester, and I'm improving my eating habits. (Did you know weight loss is 80% diet? It's true!)
Nothing.
My weight is in fact quite low for my height, despite the fact that I rarely do any exercise and eat and drink unhealthy shit all them time.
I have to say that my job requires me to walk around and carry boxes all day. I work in a warehouse full of spare parts for the machinery that my employer delivers, it's our job to fetch replacement parts from the shelves and send them to customers in case of a malfunction. So I guess that helps.
My weight is in fact quite low for my height, despite the fact that I rarely do any exercise and eat and drink unhealthy shit all them time.
I have to say that my job requires me to walk around and carry boxes all day. I work in a warehouse full of spare parts for the machinery that my employer delivers, it's our job to fetch replacement parts from the shelves and send them to customers in case of a malfunction. So I guess that helps.
I generally just resist temptation of foods. I have water at my side at all times so I'm not being lured in by the copious amounts of soda in the house. I swim and bike regularly. Then I go to the gym (since you said you don't have a membership spending time with the treadmill and the dumbbells will suffice.) Your main goal is to burn off more calories than you gain. And just a word of advice, it's better for you to eat several small meals a day to keep your metabolism up more so than if you have three big meals a day. Thus losing weight.
I'm well fit but I probably have to work harder since I'm a smoker and a heavy drinker so if you do these things then I'm sure you'll do better than even I do.
Edit: Forgot to mention I'm 23 and that age is a key factor to staying in shape. I'm not sure how old OP is.
I'm well fit but I probably have to work harder since I'm a smoker and a heavy drinker so if you do these things then I'm sure you'll do better than even I do.
Edit: Forgot to mention I'm 23 and that age is a key factor to staying in shape. I'm not sure how old OP is.
I went from 280 pounds to 210 in about a year, thanks to my (ex) wife joining Weight Watchers. I didn't follow the plan exactly but it gave me some good habits that worked for me.
Watch the fiber to fat ratio in foods. You want lots of fiber but BE CAREFUL YOU DON'T GET TOO MUCH TOO FAST! Your body might need to get used to more fiber.
We also joined a gym at the time and I have to agree with those who say bigger muscles burn more fat. Lift them weights, do sit-ups (get some leg lifts in too), push-ups, squats, pull-ups and jogging on the treadmill. Protein shakes are great, but I'd advise to avoid soy protein. Take your vitamins.
I also joined an Ultimate Frisbee group, practice martial arts, and ride a bike almost everywhere I go when it's not too cold here. Swimming is great too.
It'll take a while, but after some time has passed you'll realize you actually look forward to your workouts after you start to see results.
P.S. One great way to sneak in extra exercise: Get one of those core-ball things people sit on and do crunches while watching a movie or playing video games. When I play Monster Hunter Tri online I use my downtime on loading screens or waiting for other players to get a few more push-ups, squats, or sit-ups into my day.
Watch the fiber to fat ratio in foods. You want lots of fiber but BE CAREFUL YOU DON'T GET TOO MUCH TOO FAST! Your body might need to get used to more fiber.
We also joined a gym at the time and I have to agree with those who say bigger muscles burn more fat. Lift them weights, do sit-ups (get some leg lifts in too), push-ups, squats, pull-ups and jogging on the treadmill. Protein shakes are great, but I'd advise to avoid soy protein. Take your vitamins.
I also joined an Ultimate Frisbee group, practice martial arts, and ride a bike almost everywhere I go when it's not too cold here. Swimming is great too.
It'll take a while, but after some time has passed you'll realize you actually look forward to your workouts after you start to see results.
P.S. One great way to sneak in extra exercise: Get one of those core-ball things people sit on and do crunches while watching a movie or playing video games. When I play Monster Hunter Tri online I use my downtime on loading screens or waiting for other players to get a few more push-ups, squats, or sit-ups into my day.
I'm lucky, in that I eat whatever I like and nothing ever seems to change. Built like a lamppost.
I'm 6ft and 17stone (that's around 238lb/109Kg) - clearly, I don't do much to stay in shape 
. The weird thing is that I am most definitely overweight by a large margin, but none of my friends would describe me as obese - think more carrying around a large beer-belly than "Biggest Loser USA" - as I used to work out when I was younger, and I generally have a broad build anyway.
As it happens, I am starting a regimen of eating more healthily - generally cutting out the crap that I eat (chocolate, biscuits, crisps) and getting more whole-grains, fibre, protein as well as fruit and vegetables (I want my skin and hair to look good, as well as my body, by the time I'm done). Trying to sort out meals so that I have a decent breakfast - which at the moment is whole-grain cereal and skimmed milk, though I am considering replacing that with a "protein shake" (skimmed milk, blueberries, blackberries, banana - once I have finished losing weight and am onto building muscle then perhaps a small amount of whey protein too). Still unsure of lunches, but trying to turn them into more of a "dinner" style thing than sandwiches, and dinner consisting of soups and other low-carb/starch foods.
Combined with this I have an exercise programme that consists of free weights on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday (consisting of 3x12 reps each of bench press, bent-over row, military press, squat, bar-bell curl, dumbbell tricep extensions), running Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday (for now I can manage to run about 100-200m at a time, but I fast-walk the rest of the distance, a good few kilometres, and this will increase as my stamina does, and my weight goes down) and the obligatory sit-ups/crunches/press-ups in an attempt to improve my absolutely dire core stability.
I'm only one day into this regimen (I was unable to start my weights on Monday due to a pulled muscle in my back from, of all things, stretching too hard when waking up in the morning), but after today's run - albeit it was more of a walk - I feel much better than I normally do.
This is only "Level 1" of a three-stage plan (the final stage of which is essentially the fitness routine required to get you through Selection for the SAS). I have no illusions that this alone is a massive change for me, and is going to be a struggle. However, once I have nailed this routine for several (I'm guessing a good 4-8) months, and can perform it capably and safely, and started to plateau in my weight-loss, I can jump up to the next level which has more muscle-building and more "high-impact interval training" cardio.
This is the type of thing that I would recommend, since it has worked for me in the past (and worked quite fast too). It keeps you nice and balanced, because due to the way the weights are designed, all the muscle groups get "active rest" whilst working another area, and you get a full-body workout which helps push your metabolism through the roof, aiding in the weight-loss provided by the alteration in diet and cardio exercises - yet you still space the various exercises out enough that your muscles get a day's rest between each workout so you reduce the chance of injuring yourself.
Hopefully the other posters in this thread, who doubtless are far more knowledgeable than I (I have researched and experimented with various routines, but I am merely a rank amateur), won't find anything dangerously wrong with what I am doing/(perhaps) recommending; and on a more personal level that they can confirm that this should shift some of my (incredibly) excess weight.
Not too sure what the point of my post is - I just thought that I would share, and let the OP know that they are not the only person trying to get fit from scratch, and do it whilst avoiding a gym if at all possible! And, well, they did ask if people stay in shape too!
. The weird thing is that I am most definitely overweight by a large margin, but none of my friends would describe me as obese - think more carrying around a large beer-belly than "Biggest Loser USA" - as I used to work out when I was younger, and I generally have a broad build anyway.As it happens, I am starting a regimen of eating more healthily - generally cutting out the crap that I eat (chocolate, biscuits, crisps) and getting more whole-grains, fibre, protein as well as fruit and vegetables (I want my skin and hair to look good, as well as my body, by the time I'm done). Trying to sort out meals so that I have a decent breakfast - which at the moment is whole-grain cereal and skimmed milk, though I am considering replacing that with a "protein shake" (skimmed milk, blueberries, blackberries, banana - once I have finished losing weight and am onto building muscle then perhaps a small amount of whey protein too). Still unsure of lunches, but trying to turn them into more of a "dinner" style thing than sandwiches, and dinner consisting of soups and other low-carb/starch foods.
Combined with this I have an exercise programme that consists of free weights on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday (consisting of 3x12 reps each of bench press, bent-over row, military press, squat, bar-bell curl, dumbbell tricep extensions), running Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday (for now I can manage to run about 100-200m at a time, but I fast-walk the rest of the distance, a good few kilometres, and this will increase as my stamina does, and my weight goes down) and the obligatory sit-ups/crunches/press-ups in an attempt to improve my absolutely dire core stability.
I'm only one day into this regimen (I was unable to start my weights on Monday due to a pulled muscle in my back from, of all things, stretching too hard when waking up in the morning), but after today's run - albeit it was more of a walk - I feel much better than I normally do.
This is only "Level 1" of a three-stage plan (the final stage of which is essentially the fitness routine required to get you through Selection for the SAS). I have no illusions that this alone is a massive change for me, and is going to be a struggle. However, once I have nailed this routine for several (I'm guessing a good 4-8) months, and can perform it capably and safely, and started to plateau in my weight-loss, I can jump up to the next level which has more muscle-building and more "high-impact interval training" cardio.
This is the type of thing that I would recommend, since it has worked for me in the past (and worked quite fast too). It keeps you nice and balanced, because due to the way the weights are designed, all the muscle groups get "active rest" whilst working another area, and you get a full-body workout which helps push your metabolism through the roof, aiding in the weight-loss provided by the alteration in diet and cardio exercises - yet you still space the various exercises out enough that your muscles get a day's rest between each workout so you reduce the chance of injuring yourself.
Hopefully the other posters in this thread, who doubtless are far more knowledgeable than I (I have researched and experimented with various routines, but I am merely a rank amateur), won't find anything dangerously wrong with what I am doing/(perhaps) recommending; and on a more personal level that they can confirm that this should shift some of my (incredibly) excess weight.
Not too sure what the point of my post is - I just thought that I would share, and let the OP know that they are not the only person trying to get fit from scratch, and do it whilst avoiding a gym if at all possible! And, well, they did ask if people stay in shape too!
I do something like cross-training. Push-ups, crunches, pull-ups, and a resistance trainer. After about 20 minutes of that, I go on 20 minute jog. Then I finish it off with yoga/cooldown.
I don't know if it would work for you, but I lost 30 pounds since summer '09.
Also, adding a jumprope to your routine is a great way to get some cardio between sets.
EDIT: Now I'm adding burpees. Because apparently that shape the thighs.
I don't know if it would work for you, but I lost 30 pounds since summer '09.
Also, adding a jumprope to your routine is a great way to get some cardio between sets.
EDIT: Now I'm adding burpees. Because apparently that shape the thighs.
I wouldn't say it's "shallow" to care about somebody's physical appearance; I'm a lot more attracted to women like my wife, who is fit and thin, than I am to women who are much heavier than her. When I see an overweight woman smoking cigarettes, that has to be one of the ultimate turn-offs to me - in my mind, it says, "I just don't care about my body."Griffolion said:
That having been said, I studied exercise physiology for a time and I used to run half-marathons - never wanted to put my body through the stress of a full marathon. I am somewhat of a homebody, though, and I'm not really one to hit the gym now - I'm 32 and the gym was more of a past time for me when I was 23.
I also really dislike leaving my house every day and will often spend an entire week without venturing out, just enjoying my cool basement with my custom video projector and local-area gaming network. Sounds like a recipe for inactivity and weight gain... and it was. Especially back when I drank a lot of beer.What I did was adopt a healthy diet - not to lose weight, but a "way of eating" for life - and get daily exercise on a treadmill. I set the incline on my treadmill to about 12% and jog for around 45 minutes a day; even walking fast at that incline is a decent workout. I sometimes use an exercise bike but weight-bearing exercises such as treadmill, walking, jogging, etc., are ultimately more effective for most people in my experience. I also do a combination of pushups, crunches, and chin-ups/pull-ups every day, to stay in shape. It works pretty well for me, I'm 5'9" and have a lean, fairly muscled 140lb body without having to exert much effort beyond an hour a day. (And if you say you can't afford an hour a day for physical activity, that is part of the problem right there.) It doesn't have to be an hour of running every day - just something to get moving. Do some crunches, do some push-ups, jog on a treadmill and watch old episodes to Stargate SG1 like I do on Netflix Streaming. By the time a 45 minute episode of "Farscape" or "Stargate" is over, I'm done with my workout and I've entertained myself. Combining something I'd do anyway - watch TV - with exercise - makes it easier. Just walking on a treadmill with no outside stimulus like TV, music, or a magazine to read is deadly boring and you'll never stick with it.
Just my thoughts on the matter. Good luck and getting more "fit" you'll see has advantages far beyond being more attractive to the opposite sex - you'll be healthier overall, save money on healthcare, lift depression, etc.