DAILY WORKOUT THREAD TUES 3/8

[fountainfairfax]

Good morning!

Ok, I am officially back on the workout wagon- did my 45 min on the arc trainer and made it a little more difficult. I still need to start with the weights..I wish there was $$ in the budget for a personal trainer, maybe I can start next month after my annual review at work.

I have made up my mind to go back to weight watchers next week- in 2003 I lost almost 50lbs but have since gained it all back. I did it with very little exercise so hopefully ww, cardio & weights will be the winning combo. This time I''m going to try the Core plan route- I did a very short ww stint this past Oct, lost 11 lbs but got very tired of counting points- core was available then but I didn''t give it a try....I am so not a diet person, I can''t feel deprived and will-power is not one of my strengths....

I have a crazy week work-wise so I need your stories for inspiration to keep me going....everyone have a wonderful day!

 

[njc]

Well, i met with a trainer last night. That was AWESOME!!!! She totally kicked my butt and made me do things that i hate doing (out of laziness). Nice and sore today.

And something else wonderful... the pants i have on... not as tight as they usually are! YEA!!!!

I have another question for you ladies... when you go to the gym and are sore the next day, do you give yourself a day of rest and go the following day, or do you go the next day and suck it up? Im fairly sore today, know it will be hell tomorrow and was thinking of resting today, but i also feel like once i got going for a little bit, i could walk on the treadmilll or something else light and easy. Any suggestions? My body screams rest, but my wedding dress screams go!

 

[ammayernyc]

Good job FFF! You seem to really be on the right track.

I did the core program at WW last year for a month or so. Personally, I think the points are more effective since there is a definite limit to how much you can eat. But the core was good because it made you really concentrate on how hungry you really are and makes you become very aware of your body and when you really need to eat. I liked WW but, unfortunately, the most convienent time and place for me to go had this woman in the group who talked non-stop and I just couldn''t stand being in the meetings with her anymore. I figured that if I wasn''t going to the meetings, then I could weigh myself on my own.

As for myself, I''m still inspired by my pregnant-like apperence on my friends wedding video so I dragged myself out of bed this morning and did my 30 minute kick-ass treadmill workout. There''s something really satisfying with leaving the gym all sweaty and beet-faced.

 

[fountainfairfax]

njc- my gym requires that newbies meet with one of their trainers just to make sure we get off on he correct foot and he said he tells all his clients that after a very intense workout that they really should make the following day''s workout much lighter- treadmill, yoga, light stretching- still get a workout in but of the much lighter variety

ammayernyc- thanks for the kind words of support, the info on your core experience and GREAT JOB on the treadmill!!!! We have a christening to go to next month and I''m going to be avoiding the camera like crazy- I can''t stand how I look and what I''ve done to myself. I also dread seeing everyone at Javitz this weekend cause they always look so polished and thin....

 

[ammayernyc]

I try to avoid cameras these days when I can. However, if you must have your picture taken, I always try to follow these tips:

1. Turn to your side. It''s always more flattering than a full-frontal.
2. Make sure your elbows are bent and behind your back... it makes you look thinner for some reason.
3. Stand up straight and stick your chin forward a little. This will help avoid double chins and stomach bulges.
4. Smile. If you look unhappy, you look worse...

When I have a tough workout I do workout the next day... but I keep it lighter. Stretching and light exercise always helps the soreness for me too.

 

[NoonersMom]

Ladies, your doing a great job (and I admire you as I''m a bit of a slack arse lately)! It''s much easier to stay in bed in the morning while nestled under nice cozy sheets!

FFF - You''ll get there....just keep up with it & take it one day at a time. I think I''ve said this before, but one of my favorite quotes is "The miracle isn''t that I finished, but that I had the courage to start". Just keep telling yourself that everytime you are working on improving your health & your life! After all, that''s the main goal....looking great in your dress is just one of the by-products of that philosophy & hard work.

NJ - Way to go! Typically you should rotate which muscle groups you work on. It is better to give your body a day of rest and recovery, especially when it comes to weight training. When I was weight training, I would focus on arms one day, legs the next or do it all one day & take the next day off. Additionally, your cardio work-out & weight training should be a holistic approach and in tune with each other for maximum benefit & to equally important, to avoid injury.

Hope this helps...otherwise tell me to stuff it. LOL.

 

[teebee]

Way to go ladies!!!

I did an upper body workout today then spent 25 minutes on the arc trainer!!! Still struggling a little bit to get back into a healthy eating routine... I made french onion soup yesterday and we have a ton of leftovers so I guess I know what I''ll be eating for lunch this week... I guess it could be worse, I did at least use nonfat low sodium beef broth... but I think that''s canceled out by the mozzarella cheese I bake on top of it... On the other hand, I''ve been doing pretty good about limiting my portions and going and eating a piece of fruit or some baby carrots as a snack rather than chips.

NJC ~ ditto NoonersMom. Here is an example of a "perfect" week for me:

Monday: Biceps & Triceps
30 - 45 minutes cardio (either 1st thing in morning on empty stomach or right after workout w/ weights)
Tuesday: Cardio & Abs
Wednesday: Chest & Back
30-45 min cardio
Thursday: Cardio & Abs
Friday: Legs (quads, hams, calf)
Saturday: Cardio & Abs
Sunday: REST

With this type of plan, each muscle group has a week of recovery time before you work it out again. And, for each muscle group I do 4 sets (12, 10, 8, 12 reps for each set respectively, increasing weight each set except for the last when I decrease back down a little) of 3 seperate exersizes. Also, walking or jogging should help ease some of the muscle soreness in your legs & I usually tried to do some sort of stretching each evening which helped the soreness also!!

Man, now that I look at that, how long has it been since I''ve had a perfect week????

 

[njc]

Thanks so much for the advice everyone! Teebee, i really like that workout you have with cardio and abs on the same day. Ill have to try that. I think i am going to try and at least walk on the treadmill tonight. We did an almost whole body workout last night (legs, abs, shoulders, back).

I guess i need to start streching too and see how much that helps me about being sore. As the day wears on, im getting more and more sore, and the 2nd day is always the worst for me, so i know i wont be able to move tomorrow.

 

[blue_chica]

Good afternoon everyone!

FF - There is a great book for beginning weight trainers called Sculpting Her Body Perfect. It's got lots of instruction and pictures, as well as programs and schedules. Also, http://www.exrx.net/ has a lot of lifting information. It's better to work with a trainer, but don't let that stop you from trying to get started. Go really easy to start though, until you get the hang of it.

NJC - Oh, I looooove the loose pants effect, good for you! As the others have said when I'm super sore, I generally try to get in a light workout. It actually helps with the soreness, gets that lactic acid out of your system and the stretching is important too (and you don't want to do that cold). Do take it easier though and listen to your body because hurting yourself now isn't going to help the wedding dress situation.

Also, like Noonersmom/teebee said, you can work out the parts that aren't sore so that you're rotating. There are different ways you can organize that, splitting into upper and lower body, splitting upperbody even further into the groups like teebee has, or differently like chest/triceps and back/biceps and shoulders...it all depends on what works for you, but that way you do give those muscles time to recover inbetween workouts.

Ammayer - Good job getting to the gym. I used to keep a crappy pic of myself on the fridge, that was very motivating. Of course I don't do that now that I'm living with BF because I'd rather he not see that everyday!

Teebee - Your perfect week looks just like mine (I do my UB split a little differently, but basically) and it's been a while for me too.

My trainer is great, but she doesn't follow my little plan, so after my sessions run out I'm going to try to get back to that. Mmm french onion soup, you've made me hungry, time for my belated lunch.

As for me, I got to the gym this morning, did an hour of cardio, including 2 miles on the treadmill, the last bit of which was a decent pace, so I'm pleased with that progress. I also sent in my check for spring soccer...um, we'll see if I'm ready for that in may. Fingers crossed! My eating has been on track too...now just to keep this up for the rest of the week.