Exercise/diet motivation...

[Roudy]

Count calories, stay away from bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, and corn, limit alcohol consumption, eat lots of fruits and vegetable, and maintain a vigorous exercise schedule. Here is a test by Northwestern Mutual Life that proves my point.

It's interesting that there are only 13 questions
Yet, they can predict how long you're likely to
live.

Lifespan Calculator – Test Your Life Expectancy || NM

Calculator said I will live to 120.

Okay, j/k. It said 93.

Mine's 89 right now. The questions are pretty generalized so I don't know if I really trust it to be anywhere near accurate but I would love it to be.

Working early again today so I can go workout. It was crowded yesterday but after, I drove around a little and I see the bike path we have in the city goes right by the back of the Y. This bike path is around six miles and runs through all kinds of nice places. One is a great metropark here. There's a good parking area there where you can hop on the path.

You can check your city for things like that, it's absolutely free and safer than riding on the streets.

The quiz isn't very accurate and I think doesn't take into account genetics and other anomalies, but it does give you an overall idea of the factors that Life Insurance companies believe contribute to longevity. I would consider their data pretty reliable as they are in the business of making money on people who live longer.

 

[Roudy]

As an addition to this post, however, adding exercise will lead to more weight loss than dietary modifications alone. That's why I said in terms of weight loss it is a compliment to diet. If you're only going to do one or the other, however, modifying your diet will have a much greater impact on weight loss by itself than exercise by itself would. In most cases.

I think it really depends upon the individual. In my case, I started working out when I quit smoking. Due to my new exercise regimen and quitting smoking, I began eating significantly more, yet I still lost weight. The thing is that my exercise routine was quite aggressive and I really did increase my metabolism.

Most people don't do aggressive, and if they do they don't do it for long. One hard workout for somebody who doesn't work out and that's enough to demotivate them for a long time.

Your workout needs to be individualized. The more overweight you are the more cardio you need to do. Some on the other hand need to gain some muscle strength for various reasons, such as building up their core or legs to prevent things such as back or knee injuries. It depends. But overall cardio or muscle, you can't go wrong.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

I think it really depends upon the individual. In my case, I started working out when I quit smoking. Due to my new exercise regimen and quitting smoking, I began eating significantly more, yet I still lost weight. The thing is that my exercise routine was quite aggressive and I really did increase my metabolism.

Most people don't do aggressive, and if they do they don't do it for long. One hard workout for somebody who doesn't work out and that's enough to demotivate them for a long time.

Your workout needs to be individualized. The more overweight you are the more cardio you need to do. Some on the other hand need to gain some muscle strength for various reasons, such as building up their core or legs to prevent things such as back or knee injuries. It depends. But overall cardio or muscle, you can't go wrong.

If somebody was very overweight I probably wouldn't recommend much cardio just on the basis that they might hurt themselves. I would advise they significantly increase the amount that they walk each day, but I would focus primarily on diet and then move them up to more intensive workouts.

The problem with cardio is that many people do too much. Running everyday gives no time for the body to rest and recover. You're simply keeping your body in a constant state of stress, and if you add other workouts on top of that you just compound the problem.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

This is a thread for those who are trying to exercise and/or lose weight but cannot get motivated. We can use this thread to post what diet/exercise activities people are engaged in to help us keep fit and to support each other in our diet/exercise routine.

"...some of us who are really interested in making changes can post articles and ideas...and make support friends to PM privately when we need to have extra encouragement." (drifter)

I guess I'll start off the thread by posting this article which maybe helpful to some.

Get off your butt: 16 ways to get motivated when you're in a slump

Exercise sucks while you're doing it, but as soon as you stop and the endorphins kick in it's like free safe heroin.

 

[Michelle420]

Don’t give me that “I don’t eat breakfast” bullshit. It’s too early to be an asshole. The fiber in the oatmeal helps control your blood sugar and keeps you feeling full until lunch. The quinoa gives your morning a little extra protein because why the fuck not? Start your day right by owning the shit out of it. CARPE FUCKING DIEM.

QUINOA OATMEAL

1 cup steel cut oats (they aren’t all mushy like regular oatmeal)

½ cup quinoa (I used scarlet quinoa but you grab whatever you can find)

1 teaspoon olive or coconut oil

4 cups water

½ cup almond milk (or whatthefuckever milk you prefer)

Heat up the water in a kettle on the stovetop or in the microwave until it is near boiling. Put the quinoa in a strainer and rinse that shit so it isn’t bitter after you cook it. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the steel cut oats. Stir them around and cook until they smell kinda toasty, like 1-2 minutes. Add the quinoa and the water and bring it all to a boil (this won’t take long because the water should already be hot as fuck). Turn down the heat on the pot and let it simmer. Go check your tumblr or Facebook shit while it cooks for about 20 minutes. It should taste done now, not hard but still a little chewy. Add the milk and turn off the heat. Serve with fresh fruit, nuts, maple syrup, brown sugar, whateverthefuck will get you through your day.

Thug Kitchen: Don?t give me that ?I don?t eat breakfast?...

 

[DGS49]

My logic behind my statement that "You cannot lose weight by exercise." Some of these numbers are in dispute, but it's hasically like this:

A 175 pound man burns an EXTRA (above basal metabolism) 100 calories per mile of running. If he runs three miles three times per week, that's an EXTRA 900 calories burned per week. In four weeks, he has burned an extra 3,600 calories, roughly equivalent to ONE POUND.

That's ONE POUND IN A MONTH.

Assuming he has not increased his calorie intake due to the extra exertion.

But this is all theoretical. His body will adapt, the amount of extra calories per mile will gradually decrease, and that one pound per month of weightloss will just fade away. It won't happen.

BUT, if the modest running program is accompanied by a diet - a reduction in calories - then I believe (based on personal experience) that there will be a synergistic effect. The combination of diet and exercise will result in MORE weight loss than the sum of the one pound per month what what would have been lost without the exercise.

I have seen people lose weight by WALKING, but I'm talking walking a couple hours a day, which is not realistic for most people. I actually think walking is better for weight loss than running, because running burns sugar and dietary carbs, while walking can burn fat directly.

To make a specific reference to something in the public domain, there is a commercial being aired constantly now by the makers of a walking machine (it looks like a cross between a treadmill and an elliptical machine). They claim that it burns 500 calories per hour MORE than either a treadmill or a cross-trainer, AND that people are losing 40 pounds after buying one of them (diet is not mentioned).

Also they show people walking on these machines, grinning like idiots, and claiming they are getting the best workouts of their lives.

This is a blatant misrepresentation of reality. There is no fucking way that machine burns more than a treadmill, or that people are losing "40 pounds" ONLY using the machine, which is clearly the representation they are making.

This pisses me off. The implication is that people who seriously work out several times a week are STUPID for not seeing that this goofy machine is the best way to lose weight and get in shape.

They should be shot.

 

[BlackSand]

This is a thread for those who are trying to exercise and/or lose weight but cannot get motivated. We can use this thread to post what diet/exercise activities people are engaged in to help us keep fit and to support each other in our diet/exercise routine.

"...some of us who are really interested in making changes can post articles and ideas...and make support friends to PM privately when we need to have extra encouragement." (drifter)

I guess I'll start off the thread by posting this article which maybe helpful to some.

Get off your butt: 16 ways to get motivated when you're in a slump

One of the aspects talked about in the article was the "ebb and flow" in regards to motivation.
Something a lot of people don't realize is that they will not feel better after about two weeks.

It takes time for your body to adjust to the new routine ... And working out will make you feel better in a lot of ways.
There is still a threshold you have to get past concerning the ability for your body to transform from a rather stationary machine to an effective fat burning machine.

You will feel like crap from about the second week of steady exercise well into the first month and a half.
Your muscles will be sore from building ... Your metabolism will be screwed up from diet changes and the reassigning of fuel use.
Fatigue can be more noticeable at times ... And you can actually feel worse when it is time to exercise again.

Get past that transition period and you will be home free ... The way you feel between exercises sessions won't be as bad.
Your body will eventually shift to the new demands ... And will get settled into the new routine ... Making you feel better all the time.
In fact ... You may actually start to feel worse when you skip your routine exercise session.

.

 

[BlackSand]

My logic behind my statement that "You cannot lose weight by exercise." Some of these numbers are in dispute, but it's hasically like this:

A 175 pound man burns an EXTRA (above basal metabolism) 100 calories per mile of running. If he runs three miles three times per week, that's an EXTRA 900 calories burned per week. In four weeks, he has burned an extra 3,600 calories, roughly equivalent to ONE POUND.

That's ONE POUND IN A MONTH.

Assuming he has not increased his calorie intake due to the extra exertion.

But this is all theoretical. His body will adapt, the amount of extra calories per mile will gradually decrease, and that one pound per month of weightloss will just fade away. It won't happen.

BUT, if the modest running program is accompanied by a diet - a reduction in calories - then I believe (based on personal experience) that there will be a synergistic effect. The combination of diet and exercise will result in MORE weight loss than the sum of the one pound per month what what would have been lost without the exercise.

I have seen people lose weight by WALKING, but I'm talking walking a couple hours a day, which is not realistic for most people. I actually think walking is better for weight loss than running, because running burns sugar and dietary carbs, while walking can burn fat directly.

To make a specific reference to something in the public domain, there is a commercial being aired constantly now by the makers of a walking machine (it looks like a cross between a treadmill and an elliptical machine). They claim that it burns 500 calories per hour MORE than either a treadmill or a cross-trainer, AND that people are losing 40 pounds after buying one of them (diet is not mentioned).

Also they show people walking on these machines, grinning like idiots, and claiming they are getting the best workouts of their lives.

This is a blatant misrepresentation of reality. There is no fucking way that machine burns more than a treadmill, or that people are losing "40 pounds" ONLY using the machine, which is clearly the representation they are making.

This pisses me off. The implication is that people who seriously work out several times a week are STUPID for not seeing that this goofy machine is the best way to lose weight and get in shape.

They should be shot.

The best way to lose weight while exercising is what is called intermittent fasting.
It works in regards to what you are talking about with calorie usage ... And how to get your body to start burning fat stored over fuel intake.

The way it works is simple ... You have eight hours a day to eat (there is also alternate day fasting).
It doesn't matter when you start eating as long as you stop eating for the day within eight hours.
You eat a regular healthy diet combined with a normal exercise routine ... But you don't eat anything for the 16 hour stretch in between.

This will trigger the transition between burning stored fat and caloric intake ... And you only have to do it until you start to lose an acceptable amount of weight.
Once the transition is triggered ... The body will burn some of both stored and intake fuel.
Excess intake fuel with be discarded with waste as normal ... But you have to trigger the response for your body to properly manage fuel concerning weight loss.

.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

This is a thread for those who are trying to exercise and/or lose weight but cannot get motivated. We can use this thread to post what diet/exercise activities people are engaged in to help us keep fit and to support each other in our diet/exercise routine.

"...some of us who are really interested in making changes can post articles and ideas...and make support friends to PM privately when we need to have extra encouragement." (drifter)

I guess I'll start off the thread by posting this article which maybe helpful to some.

Get off your butt: 16 ways to get motivated when you're in a slump

Look at yourself naked in a large mirror every night for 3 minutes.

Count calories and fat calories and carbs. No more than 1500 calories a day for women and 2000 for men. Go light on fat, carbs, and gluten. You will start dropping weight right away and then start brisk walking every morning beginning with 5 minutes and working your way longer. Up to 20 minutes a day or 30 minutes every other day.

Weigh yourself naked every morning, after relieving yourself and before ingesting anything at all. Make sure the bathroom scales is in exactly the same place everyday, and the line marking the zero is in the center. ( this has always worked for me and some weight-loss experts agree and others don't. )

Every time you have a negative thought about something, look for the positive one. There is a positive and negative side to everything.

“There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” – W. Clement Stone


Good luck and get going.

Count calories, stay away from bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, and corn, limit alcohol consumption, eat lots of fruits and vegetable, and maintain a vigorous exercise schedule. Here is a test by Northwestern Mutual Life that proves my point.

It's interesting that there are only 13 questions
Yet, they can predict how long you're likely to
live.

Lifespan Calculator – Test Your Life Expectancy || NM

I eat bread, pasta, brown rice, corn, drink alcohol, eat strictly vegetarian, usually vegan ... predictor says 94.

George Bernard Shaw said that was a downer about being vegetarian - that he outlived his friends.

I say, do what works for you. We all make choices every single day. My family is loaded with heart disease, cancer, diabetes so I made conscious decisions that address that.

We all know we shouldn't eat as much as we do, we know we shouldn't eat meat and we know smoking kills.

Its all pretty easy really.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

My logic behind my statement that "You cannot lose weight by exercise." Some of these numbers are in dispute, but it's hasically like this:

A 175 pound man burns an EXTRA (above basal metabolism) 100 calories per mile of running. If he runs three miles three times per week, that's an EXTRA 900 calories burned per week. In four weeks, he has burned an extra 3,600 calories, roughly equivalent to ONE POUND.

That's ONE POUND IN A MONTH.

Assuming he has not increased his calorie intake due to the extra exertion.

But this is all theoretical. His body will adapt, the amount of extra calories per mile will gradually decrease, and that one pound per month of weightloss will just fade away. It won't happen.

BUT, if the modest running program is accompanied by a diet - a reduction in calories - then I believe (based on personal experience) that there will be a synergistic effect. The combination of diet and exercise will result in MORE weight loss than the sum of the one pound per month what what would have been lost without the exercise.

I have seen people lose weight by WALKING, but I'm talking walking a couple hours a day, which is not realistic for most people. I actually think walking is better for weight loss than running, because running burns sugar and dietary carbs, while walking can burn fat directly.

To make a specific reference to something in the public domain, there is a commercial being aired constantly now by the makers of a walking machine (it looks like a cross between a treadmill and an elliptical machine). They claim that it burns 500 calories per hour MORE than either a treadmill or a cross-trainer, AND that people are losing 40 pounds after buying one of them (diet is not mentioned).

Also they show people walking on these machines, grinning like idiots, and claiming they are getting the best workouts of their lives.

This is a blatant misrepresentation of reality. There is no fucking way that machine burns more than a treadmill, or that people are losing "40 pounds" ONLY using the machine, which is clearly the representation they are making.

This pisses me off. The implication is that people who seriously work out several times a week are STUPID for not seeing that this goofy machine is the best way to lose weight and get in shape.

They should be shot.

To be more exact, losing weight by burning calories in exercise does not work. It just doesn't.

Remember when we looked at calories expended by Olympic champions? It was damn depressing and that's not the biggest reason for exercise.

After my knee surgery, I did PT. Got on a bike and pedaled like my life was at stake and I'll be damned if after a gazillion miles, I had burned something like 25 calories.

I still work out every day, use a gazelle and a bike. Our lake house is on a very hilly peninsula. I swear, its uphill both ways so I don't do the walking here that I used to. So, I do other exercise. Our exercise equipment faces out over the lake so its easy to just watch the eagles and pedal away.

 

[Roudy]

Most people don't do aggressive, and if they do they don't do it for long. One hard workout for somebody who doesn't work out and that's enough to demotivate them for a long time.

Your workout needs to be individualized. The more overweight you are the more cardio you need to do. Some on the other hand need to gain some muscle strength for various reasons, such as building up their core or legs to prevent things such as back or knee injuries. It depends. But overall cardio or muscle, you can't go wrong.

If somebody was very overweight I probably wouldn't recommend much cardio just on the basis that they might hurt themselves. I would advise they significantly increase the amount that they walk each day, but I would focus primarily on diet and then move them up to more intensive workouts.

The problem with cardio is that many people do too much. Running everyday gives no time for the body to rest and recover. You're simply keeping your body in a constant state of stress, and if you add other workouts on top of that you just compound the problem.

There are many ways to do cardio that is just as effective as running, but with minimal or no impact on knees, ankles, and lower back. Horizontal bikes, the elliptical machines at the gym, swimming, etc are examples of that. But like you said, for people who are severely overweight, or as they say morbidly obese, then strict diet is definitely the number one important thing, and some form of bariatric surgery, if possible. But many who are severely overweight do not even qualify for those surgeries because they also have other health issues such as heart problems, or diabetes etc. which makes surgery a huge risk that no surgeon would accept.

 

[auditor0007]

Count calories, stay away from bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, and corn, limit alcohol consumption, eat lots of fruits and vegetable, and maintain a vigorous exercise schedule. Here is a test by Northwestern Mutual Life that proves my point.

It's interesting that there are only 13 questions
Yet, they can predict how long you're likely to
live.

Lifespan Calculator – Test Your Life Expectancy || NM

Calculator said I will live to 120.

Okay, j/k. It said 93.

Mine's 89 right now. The questions are pretty generalized so I don't know if I really trust it to be anywhere near accurate but I would love it to be.

Working early again today so I can go workout. It was crowded yesterday but after, I drove around a little and I see the bike path we have in the city goes right by the back of the Y. This bike path is around six miles and runs through all kinds of nice places. One is a great metropark here. There's a good parking area there where you can hop on the path.

You can check your city for things like that, it's absolutely free and safer than riding on the streets.

The only time I run the streets is when I run actual races. The rest of the time I run the trails because concrete is just too hard on the knees. While Toledo doesn't offer much, it does offer one of the best Metropark system's in the country. We have fantastic running trails and bike paths at about ten different parks throughout the metro area.

 

[auditor0007]

As an addition to this post, however, adding exercise will lead to more weight loss than dietary modifications alone. That's why I said in terms of weight loss it is a compliment to diet. If you're only going to do one or the other, however, modifying your diet will have a much greater impact on weight loss by itself than exercise by itself would. In most cases.

I think it really depends upon the individual. In my case, I started working out when I quit smoking. Due to my new exercise regimen and quitting smoking, I began eating significantly more, yet I still lost weight. The thing is that my exercise routine was quite aggressive and I really did increase my metabolism.

Most people don't do aggressive, and if they do they don't do it for long. One hard workout for somebody who doesn't work out and that's enough to demotivate them for a long time.

That's why it is important to start out slowly and build up. Secondly, being too aggressive in the beginning can be very dangerous. The heart needs to be strengthened gradually before going all out.

 

[auditor0007]

I think it really depends upon the individual. In my case, I started working out when I quit smoking. Due to my new exercise regimen and quitting smoking, I began eating significantly more, yet I still lost weight. The thing is that my exercise routine was quite aggressive and I really did increase my metabolism.

Most people don't do aggressive, and if they do they don't do it for long. One hard workout for somebody who doesn't work out and that's enough to demotivate them for a long time.

Your workout needs to be individualized. The more overweight you are the more cardio you need to do. Some on the other hand need to gain some muscle strength for various reasons, such as building up their core or legs to prevent things such as back or knee injuries. It depends. But overall cardio or muscle, you can't go wrong.

This is very important; it doesn't matter if you are trying to lose weight or just improve your health, lifting weights is as important as the cardio. While cardio helps drop pounds, which are mostly fat, weightlifting helps build muscle. It's important to understand that it takes more calories to support muscle than fat, so increasing muscle mass will increase metabolism even while resting. Secondly, when a person begins to lose weight, they lose mostly fat but also some muscle, so it is important to make certain there is no long term loss of muscle. Weight training a couple days per week in addition to the cardio is an absolute necessity.

As with cardio, you should start your weight training regimen slowly. You need to work all muscle groups, so a full workout should take about 45 minutes. When starting out, you should lift enough weight so that you can perform at least 15 reps per set. As you become stronger, increase the weight so that you can only do 8 to 10 reps per set. If you follow this routine, you will gain some muscle, but mostly you will just tone and strengthen current muscle. You are not likely to add a lot of muscle. To add a lot of muscle, you would need to lift heavier amounts of weight so that you max out at about 3 or 4 reps per set, and you also have to have the right body type to build serious muscle. If you naturally have the body of runner and have smaller bones, adding large amounts of muscle is not very likely. It's important to work your body based on your body type.

 

[auditor0007]

Most people don't do aggressive, and if they do they don't do it for long. One hard workout for somebody who doesn't work out and that's enough to demotivate them for a long time.

Your workout needs to be individualized. The more overweight you are the more cardio you need to do. Some on the other hand need to gain some muscle strength for various reasons, such as building up their core or legs to prevent things such as back or knee injuries. It depends. But overall cardio or muscle, you can't go wrong.

If somebody was very overweight I probably wouldn't recommend much cardio just on the basis that they might hurt themselves. I would advise they significantly increase the amount that they walk each day, but I would focus primarily on diet and then move them up to more intensive workouts.

The problem with cardio is that many people do too much. Running everyday gives no time for the body to rest and recover. You're simply keeping your body in a constant state of stress, and if you add other workouts on top of that you just compound the problem.

I disagree with this. If you want to lose weight, you need to do cardio every day. You are correct that a person should start out slow and build up, but I would recommend cardio at minimum four days per week. For those who are severely overweight, the treadmill is probably not the best way to get your cardio workout in, nor is running. Use an elliptical or ARC Trainer. The problem with running when you are very overweight is that you are risking doing damage to your knees. The Elliptical and ARC Trainer do not put much pressure on the knees and you can burn as many calories as you can running.

 

[Michelle420]

Your workout needs to be individualized. The more overweight you are the more cardio you need to do. Some on the other hand need to gain some muscle strength for various reasons, such as building up their core or legs to prevent things such as back or knee injuries. It depends. But overall cardio or muscle, you can't go wrong.

If somebody was very overweight I probably wouldn't recommend much cardio just on the basis that they might hurt themselves. I would advise they significantly increase the amount that they walk each day, but I would focus primarily on diet and then move them up to more intensive workouts.

The problem with cardio is that many people do too much. Running everyday gives no time for the body to rest and recover. You're simply keeping your body in a constant state of stress, and if you add other workouts on top of that you just compound the problem.

I disagree with this. If you want to lose weight, you need to do cardio every day. You are correct that a person should start out slow and build up, but I would recommend cardio at minimum four days per week. For those who are severely overweight, the treadmill is probably not the best way to get your cardio workout in, nor is running. Use an elliptical or ARC Trainer. The problem with running when you are very overweight is that you are risking doing damage to your knees. The Elliptical and ARC Trainer do not put much pressure on the knees and you can burn as many calories as you can running.

I need to tone up. I quit working out when my sister died in June.

All winter I ate shitty and slept all the time.

I have been eating better now and since this thread started I went to the gym one time.

My problem seems to be lethargy.

 

[auditor0007]

My logic behind my statement that "You cannot lose weight by exercise." Some of these numbers are in dispute, but it's hasically like this:

A 175 pound man burns an EXTRA (above basal metabolism) 100 calories per mile of running. If he runs three miles three times per week, that's an EXTRA 900 calories burned per week. In four weeks, he has burned an extra 3,600 calories, roughly equivalent to ONE POUND.

That's ONE POUND IN A MONTH.

Assuming he has not increased his calorie intake due to the extra exertion.

But this is all theoretical. His body will adapt, the amount of extra calories per mile will gradually decrease, and that one pound per month of weightloss will just fade away. It won't happen.

BUT, if the modest running program is accompanied by a diet - a reduction in calories - then I believe (based on personal experience) that there will be a synergistic effect. The combination of diet and exercise will result in MORE weight loss than the sum of the one pound per month what what would have been lost without the exercise.

I have seen people lose weight by WALKING, but I'm talking walking a couple hours a day, which is not realistic for most people. I actually think walking is better for weight loss than running, because running burns sugar and dietary carbs, while walking can burn fat directly.

To make a specific reference to something in the public domain, there is a commercial being aired constantly now by the makers of a walking machine (it looks like a cross between a treadmill and an elliptical machine). They claim that it burns 500 calories per hour MORE than either a treadmill or a cross-trainer, AND that people are losing 40 pounds after buying one of them (diet is not mentioned).

Also they show people walking on these machines, grinning like idiots, and claiming they are getting the best workouts of their lives.

This is a blatant misrepresentation of reality. There is no fucking way that machine burns more than a treadmill, or that people are losing "40 pounds" ONLY using the machine, which is clearly the representation they are making.

This pisses me off. The implication is that people who seriously work out several times a week are STUPID for not seeing that this goofy machine is the best way to lose weight and get in shape.

They should be shot.

Any machine can help a person burn calories, but you actually have to work hard to burn those calories. A person can get on a treadmill and walk at a pace of 3.0 miles per hour. In one hour, they will burn about 375 calories. On the other hand, I run for 30 minutes at about 8.0 to 8.5 miles per hour and burn about 450 calories. The problem is that if you don't push yourself, all you will burn are those few calories. If you are pushing yourself to the limit for at least parts of your workout, then you will continue burning calories throughout the day.

I laugh to myself when I see people walking on the treadmill at 2.5 miles per hour while reading a book. Granted, it's better than them doing nothing, but they are not coming close to getting the full benefit of a workout. When I'm done with a cardio workout, I'm drenched in sweat and I've lost a pound or two in sweat. Of course, I will drink that amount to rehydrate, so it's not a permanent loss. Another thing I find humorous is when people wear a full sweatsuit to workout in so they can sweat more. Losing water weight only creates a temporary loss. Also the body overheats if the workout is aggressive. The body sweats to cool itself. Trapping all that heat works against the body trying to cool itself.

 

[BlackSand]

I need to tone up. I quit working out when my sister died in June.

All winter I ate shitty and slept all the time.

I have been eating better now and since this thread started I went to the gym one time.

My problem seems to be lethargy.

In some cases ... Joining a gym is not the best way to start an exercise routine.
Gyms have benefits like community and easy access to equipment ... But they usually have one major drawback when starting a routine.

The drawback is making yourself go.

If you pick a gym that is on the way home from work it isn't that bad.
But ... If you have to make a detour or leave your house to go to the gym ... That can be a deterrent for some people.
If you are having problems with motivation or just getting up and going ... The idea that you have to make a trip to the gym can set you back and keep you from wanting to go.

In reality for some folks ... The time it takes for you to get from the thought of working out to the point you start working can be crucial when starting a new exercise regimen.
They have to make it very accessible and remove the opportunity to think about it too long ... Make excuses not to go ... Or just decide it is not worth the trouble getting to the gym at the moment.

The best thing these people can do is start off small with exercises that produce results ... But don't require a lot of equipment.
Believe it or not ... Standard exercises like sit-ups, push-ups and whatnot do work and have been used by the military for ages.
Cardio exercises like walking or jogging can be added initially to get your body in the mood for exercise.

Once you have made that transition to regular exercise ... It becomes easier to maintain a steady schedule at a gym or any other routine.
You don't ever want the trip to the gym to transform into an excuse not to go ... Especially if you have already paid for a membership.

Another thing you can investigate if you have the money and the space at your house ... Is buying your own equipment once you know you are going to stick with it.
I have a Bowflex and a NordicTrack at the house ... And having the equipment easy access helps out a lot.
If scheduling concerns arise that throw me off my regular routine ... It doesn't matter and I can still get to it before I go to bed.

If you are ready to exercise and just cannot get going ... It is also good to investigate swimming as an option ... Very low impact on the joints, great cardio and an awesome fuel burner.
Plus ... If you look like crap in a swimsuit, but want to stick with exercise ... It is a great motivator ... Especially when you get to buy a new swimsuit.

Edit:
You also mentioned just wanting to tone up ... The exercise you choose can assist with that.
Pick an exercise that targets the area you want to tone ... Find a comfortable middle weight to use.
Increase reps instead of overall weight as it becomes easier ... You can also double the reps and reduce the weight if you are still gaining more bulk than tone.

.

 

[Michelle420]

I need to tone up. I quit working out when my sister died in June.

All winter I ate shitty and slept all the time.

I have been eating better now and since this thread started I went to the gym one time.

My problem seems to be lethargy.

In some cases ... Joining a gym is not the best way to start an exercise routine.
Gyms have benefits like community and easy access to equipment ... But they usually have one major drawback when starting a routine.

The drawback is making yourself go.

If you pick a gym that is on the way home from work it isn't that bad.
But ... If you have to make a detour or leave your house to go to the gym ... That can be a deterrent for some people.
If you are having problems with motivation or just getting up and going ... The idea they you have to make a trip to the gym can set you back and keep you from wanting to go.

In reality for some folks ... The time it takes for you to get from the thought of working out to the point you start working can be crucial when starting a new exercise regimen.
They have to make it very accessible and remove the opportunity to think about it too long ... Make excuses not to go ... Or just decide it is not worth the trouble getting to the gym at the moment.

The best thing these people can do is start off small with exercises that produce results ... But don't require a lot of equipment.
Believe it or not ... Standard exercises like sit-ups, push-ups and whatnot do work and have been used by the military for ages.
Cardio exercises like walking or jogging can be added initially to get your body in the mood for exercise.

Once you have made that transition to regular exercise ... It becomes easier to maintain a steady schedule at a gym or any other routine.
You don't ever want the trip to the gym to transform into an excuse not to go ... Especially if you have already paid for a membership.

Another thing you can investigate if you have the money and the space at your house ... Is buying your own equipment once you know you are going to stick with it.
I have a Bowflex and a NordicTrack at the house ... And having the equipment easy access helps out a lot.
If scheduling concerns arise that throw me off my regular routine ... It doesn't matter and I can still get to it before I go to bed.

If you are ready to exercise and just cannot get going ... It is also good to investigate swimming as an option ... Very low impact on the joints, great cardio and an awesome fuel burner.
Plus ... If you look like crap in a swimsuit, but want to stick with exercise ... It is a great motivator ... Especially when you get to buy a new swimsuit.

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Yeah I always feel better when I workout.

From a mental standpoint it makes the rest of my day great and from a physical standpoint a lot more energy.

When my sister died in June I think I got grief stricken so bad that I just wanted to shut off from the world and I just slept a lot and watched netflix.

Now I am starting to feel better but not all the way and so maybe you are right working out at home might be better for me right now, school is about as social as I can get right now.

The thing is I share the house with several people and it gets on my nerves when I am working out and they come in and out of the room.

 

[Zoom-boing]

Like drifter, I also lost many family members last year (sil, aunt, dad and mom between May 20 and June 10, hubs uncle late June, both my brothers had their cats put down in Oct, my mother's last living sibling her oldest sister 12/14, hubs aunt 12/24). Like many in this situation I gained some poundage.

My eating and exercise routine went out the window and after mid-July or so I found it impossible to do much of anything ... stopped exercising, stopped watching what I ate, stopped cooking, sat around most of the time. For some reason going to the grocery store became very difficult for me. I would just get so freaking sad there. Maybe because I was usually by myself and was just grieving but I avoided it as much as possible.

From Sept on tried many, many times to get some semblance of an exercise routine going and failed every time. Eating right wasn't any better. Cripes, the poor dogs have even been affected as their daily dog walks became practically non-existent.

Am slowly starting to get back to exercising and eating right. Sometimes it's two steps forward, one step backwards. I'll take that.

There are still days that I am too tired to even try. I don't know if it's still part of the grieving process or that I'm not getting enough sleep. Maybe both?

Prior to all this I had a great routine of walking/running on the treadmill (had even run 5K a few times on there!) and a variety of strength, hiit, cross training, yoga workouts plus nearly daily dog walks of 1.5 miles. Now I'm just trying to walk a brisk pace for 1/2 hour on the tm and doing some yoga and pilates to get myself moving. Some days are better than others.

I've been down this (weight loss) road before and know what it takes to see results ... it's just harder this time.

I can tell you that motivation is fleeting, determination and commitment are what will get you to your goals.

I've always been a calorie counter type because that's what works for me. 1500/day is my goal and know that once I lose even 5 lbs that often pushes me to stay on track. Also, sticking with a strict number of cals per day can cause plateaus after some time, so zig-zagging your cals (eating say 1300 one day, 1600 the next, 1450, the next, etc) can help get past that. Kind of like what interval workouts do, keep your body from becoming used to everything.

Great thread, pacer. Thanks for starting it.