Exercise routines, tips and chatter?

[paradise lost]

Well, at least you get your wish CQ! As i'm sure you know, one of the after-effects of anorexia is that those around you are always going to be worried about your weight and such. Believe it or not my instructor, an incredibly fit and healthy woman, and an elite runner, has monthly blind weigh-ins year round and can be dropped from training without warning. She nearly died of heart failure during her anorexic illness, and her coach's view is that he cannot trust her judgement on health without supervision, so he supervises. Your trainer is just worried about you. You wrote your goals at the start, one of them being to get to 18% bodyfat, and you hit that target less than halfway through - that's dramatic. From his POV he has to be concerned about your health FIRST. It's possible your plan has room for cheating because almost everyone does, and thus if you don't you will lose faster, kwim? DP's got his personal training cert and he says you always over-prescribe to allow room for lack of dedication. LOL.

I got my run in today (by running to the supermarket and then home again with my shopping in a gym bag - my toothpaste box got bashed, but why is toothpaste in a box anyway!?) which means this week is officially my first back on the wagon! I'm not promising a full-on mojo return, but it's a start. I'm planning a step session tomorrow as i'm feeling podgy (been eating too much, plain and simple!).

Help me out CQ - how can i lose about 6kg without having to weigh myself...? Could i use a tape measure? Would i be able to see a difference on the tape week to week say?

Bx

[C~Q]

Yes! Don't weigh yourself, esp if you are changing your body shape. Say if you are adding resistance training then your weight may well go up so it's really not a good indicator. Measurements are great although i've only been going from measurements during the challenge so I don't have any experience of using them long term. I think as long as you do it in the right place, I can tell you where but your DP will prob know, and it's done by the same person everytime then you should see changes Does your DP have calipers? If he does you can do your body fat % although it's pretty horrible having someone pinch, poke and grap you (unless you're into that kind of thing ) and then write down how much fat you have!
Do you want me to do you a plan? If you do PM me your details age, weight, height etc and when you can train and the sort of weights you're already doing. It's not going to be really accurate as I can't see you lol but I can give you a basic idea

Thanks for the above, I know he's just doing it for me but I also feel he wouldn't be too bothered about it if he didn't have all these negative women (and dare I say jealous?) who aren't doing the challenge and want to ruin it for those who are, who are in his ear telling him and everyone else how much weight some of us are losing. But I guessthere are always people like that around, esp in a gym environment, most people are pretty self-absorbed!

He did say that everyones bodies are different and the results you see from 2 people doing the same workout can be different depending on the person. I obviously have a body that adapts well to change and quite quickly too.

Well done for getting your mojo back (shame about the toothpaste!)! Is the Step class freestyle or Les Mills? I love Body Step but I did some freestyle Step classes while I was in England and omg they were so hard lol!

HAve fun, let us know how you go! Had my first night without the kids last night (they all went to their Dads) so i'm feeling well rested and off to do Combat and weights, see ya!

[paradise lost]

HEY!

I didn't PM, i'll post my stats out here, i don't care. LOL.

Here's my story so you have background - get a cuppa it's probably gonna be giant.

My main problem is that i overate to get overweight at about 18-19, then stayed overweight no matter WHAT i did for about 6 years, then got PG, gained 3-4kg all up during the pregnancy (6kg gained between 11 and 41+4, but was 95kg at 11weeks and more like 98kg before i got PG), lost all the gain on the day of her birth, and another 18kg in the following 5 months. I didn't diet. I exercised but not for weightloss, for stress relief. The weight just came off. The only 2 times in my life i've "tried" and successfully lost weight were a) when i was 15 i only ate fruit for lunch (normal breakfast and dinner) for 2 weeks, lost about 4kg, & b) when i was 20 i spent 3 weeks eating 600 calories a day and swimming a mile a day and lost about 12kg, all of which AND MORE went back on when i began eating normally again. I wouldn't call it an eating disorder because it was very conscious, and when i decided to stop i just stopped, there was no internal effort or struggle. I did it very consciously to lose weight no matter the cost. Though the loss was extreme i got down to about 87kg, so not tiny by any means (i'm 181cm).

I grew up in a house with 2 women, my mum and my sister. My mum had been very lean in her youth but was a little overweight (about the same size as me) after her kids. She was VERY anti-fat (only for girls, for men she would buy them the special food they liked and talk about "the lions share" at mealtimes etc.). By the time i was 10 i knew how many calories were in SO many things. I remember being 11 and growing over 3 inches in 9 months. I got stretchmarks on my inner thighs (running around, from lengthening, not up and down from weightgain) and my mum told me to "eat less" and "think about what goes in your mouth". She approved when i went on my fruit-only diet at 15 and went on and on about my weight. My sister has been obese all my life, morbidly so for the last 15 or so years. My mum had her on every diet you can think of. She's 16 years older than me, so i never saw any of it, but i know when she was 8 my sister was only allowed mixed veg for every meal for 3 months. She lost nothing. By the time she was in her mid 20's she was dx with PCOS and Hashimoto's hypothyroidism. By then it was too late - she's been on so many diets, her metabolism is completely wrecked. She was once in hospital on an NGT and GAINED weight on 1000 calories a day. They have refused her gastric banding because her weight makes it too dangerous. So there was always this weird inner-and-outer extremism around food when i was growing up, tensions about it all, you know? I don't want that for DD.

After i weaned DD i was about 77kg i would say, between 76kg and 78kg depending on the time of day/month. As i said, i'm 181cm. I've got a really curvy frame, and i was pretty happy - i'd like to be about 74-75kg i guess. That's still in this size clothing but with room to move in it and not too skinny. I am tall and i don't WANT to lose my curves. The lightest i've been at this height was 64kg when i was 16 and my period stopped!

But slowly slowly the weigh is creeping back. I would guess i'm about 82kg (ish) now. I'm not willing to weigh myself because i know i CAN get worried about the number, and i know that i gained about 1.5-2kg within 3months of starting bodypump. DP felt my tensed quad last night and said "wow!" (and you should SEE his thighs!) so i definitely don't want to lose muscle just to lose weight.

Anyway, i basically lost the routine with exercise, until some weeks i was doing maybe 1 short run and one pump class, and i've been eating WAY too much, like chocolate/cakes/biscuits/something like that EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I do think that the "weight" i've put on (i can objectively see my tummy and hips and upper thighs are bigger, though i'm still able to wear my normal clothes - i have ONE pair of jeans and ONE pair of trousers which were the smaller end of the size which i now never wear - i can get into them but they're not comfy) has come on over the last year, not suddenly, i'm just seeing it suddenly because i've been out of the exercise routine on and off. Every now and then i try on those clothes and feel demoralised that they still feel uncomfy.

Do you know what though? I don't BELIEVE i can lose weight. I don't BELIEVE i can lose through effort. I know in my head this is a fairly silly belief, that all my struggles with weight in the past were due to my thyroid issue (back then it was undiagnosed) but somehow i find it really hard to convince myself that i could actually take charge of this. I've watched my sister struggle for her WHOLE lofe with her weight only to regain more and more...

I have a plan though. My plan is to focus on health and not size or weight. The joke is that when i weighed 98kg i would have done almost ANYTHING to be 82kg...now i want to be 75kg or at least the size i was at 75kg...

So, my mojo isn't back but my determination is. Today i ran 7.7km with the jogger. It took FOREVER (54minutes) partly because i'm not that fit just now, and partly because the jogger is big and i was running into a 30mph headwind most of the way. I have also drawn myself up a fruit and veg challenge - 9 portions/day. I've done this before and i find it a great focus because instead of restricting myself i'm adding food - i naturally eat less junk because i'm so full the whole time. Today i managed 11 portions. 5 veg, 6 fruit. Let's hope i can keep it up!

So, some resistance workouts would be very welcome. But, there are serious restrictions! LOL. All i have by way of equipment at home is a step (cheapo but fine for my own homemade step routines - i can't get to any more classes or the gym, there's no creche and XP and DP work when i could be going - step is a bit too small to double as a bench though), 2 dumbell-length bars and eight 2kg plates. It's possible to load up to 4 plates on each bar, quick changes are impossible because they're really old-fashioned (left here by previous tenant) and you have to loosen the clamps with pliers.... I'd really like some sort of whole-body strength routine for the house. I can only get to pump once a week and though i do squats and lunges during my step routines (i went to an online place that had an alphabet of step moves and built myself a few routines from them) and chuck some crunches, leg raises and press-ups in afterwards, i never feel like i'm doing much in that direction in between. I never really know what to "do" you know? I don't have a routine and i don't know how to make one up really.

There, this has been mammoth!

Bx

[C~Q]

Just wanted to pop my head in and say that I will get back to you on the weekend. I've got the second workshop for my course tomorrow and i've got some assignments to do this evening so I will get back to you soon, and be even more knowledgable!!!

[C~Q]

Ok I'm back!

Right i'm going to assume that you can work out 5 times a week. If you can do more or it has to be less then let me know. You need to be doing resistance training at least 2-3 times a week (so we're going to make you do it 3 times ) and cardio at least 200 - 300 minutes a week. Lets aim for 250. It's up to you how you break that down, if you want to do 4 x 1 hour runs then cool. If you want to do less runs and a few step sessions - cool. As long as when you are doing your own step sessions you are working hard enough. By hard enough I mean 50-85% of your Predicted Maximal Heart Rate (PMHR) how old are you and do you know your resting heart rate? If not just let me know how old you are and i'll work out your PMHR. Till then use the RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) scale. Think of how you feel on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being nothing at all, 5 being strong and 10 being very strong - maximal. You want to be working between 5-8.5.

It sounds like a lot of cardio but remember the initial loss is known as the "conditioning phase" and once ideal weight is achieved then maintenance is a lot easier. You can break up the cardio however you want to as long as you're using your major muscle groups (more KJ's burned). When you're doing your runs try and introduce some interval training elements to it (heart rate peaks and drops down ((slightly)) at regular intervale) some good ways to do this outside is by picking power poles and sprinting between one or two and then joggin between the next two. Or by using stairs or hills.

K so thats the cardio. Now for the resistance training. I'm assuming that you will be by yourself so here we go...

Start with a warm up, maybe on the step - just 5 mins to get your hr up a little and your muscles warm - don't forget to include your arms. Then start with the larger muscle groups and end with back and abs. I'm going to to program you somewhere between Hypertrophy (bigger muscle) and muscular endurance (help with Pump). This means that for all exercises you should be lifting a weight that is about 75% of your 1RM (one repition maximum - the heaviest weight you could possible lift, only once for that particular muscle). I can't work that out for you without seeing you but your DP prob can even if you can only make use of the weights that you have.

I'm also going to "super set" you. That means instead of doing a set then waiting and doing the next set we are going to put 2 exercises together and smash them! No, you do a set of one exercises then straight on to a set of the next ones, then rest. This saves time and makes you feel like you're working harder So for example one set of squats followed by one set of lunges. Then 2nd set of squats/2nd set of lunges...make sense?

You should rest for 30 secs inbetween each superset. And the tempo you do the exercises should be 2/2.


Please get your DP to look over this first as I really shouldn't be giving you a program without seeing you!

Legs
1. Weighted squats - 3 sets of 15 reps
1. Lunges - 3 sets of 15 reps (up to you to use weights or the bench if you want )
(So for this you do 1st set squats-1st set lunge right leg-1st set lunge left leg. Then 2nd set squat-2nd set lunge right leg-2nd set lunge left leg)

Chest
2. Barbell pullovers - 3 sets of 15 reps
(lie on somewhere that has space behind you, maybe accross the bed with your head at the end. With arms extended hold barbell in overhand grip, hands shoulder width apart. Inhale lowering the barbell behind the head bending slightly at the elbows ((not bent like a tricep ext)). Exhale and return to initial position.)
2. Pushups - 3 sets of 15 reps - I WANT TOES!!!

Shoulders
3. Seated front press - 3 sets of 15 reps
(Sit with back straight and hold bar with an overhand grip resting on chest. Inhale and extend the bar vertically, exhale an return to starting position)
3. Barbell front raises - 3 sets of 15 reps
(Stand with legs slightly apart and back straight inhale and raise the barbell with arms extended to eye level, exhale and return)

Back
4. Bent rows - 3 sets of 15 reps
(you know these from Pump. They're just 15's not triples or singles!)
4.Upright row - 3 sets of 15
(you know these from Pump too - let me know if you're not sure)

Arms
5. Bicep Curls - 3 sets of 15
5. Tricep dips - 3 sets of 15
(Do them off your sofa or something else that feels like the right level. Knees bent or straight legs for harder. Hardest - put one foot on top of the other in straight leg position?

Abs - If you've been bracing your abs properly the who session you shouldn't need to do abs but if you are so inclined

6. Crunches 3 sets fo 15
(make sure your knees are up at 45 * angle, this dissengages (sp?) your hip flexors)
6. Side plank - each side for 45 secs, only once per side cause i'm pretty sure you're now knackered! (longer if you can or less if you have to).

Ok, reading back this is quite a lot so if you want to only do one exercise per body part! If you can then go smash it!!!! And don't forget to stretch - stretch is so important and often gets overlooked. Stretch each body part for 30-45 secs at a level of slight discomfort but not pain.


Some things to remember - 1. Never lock your joints out in the middle of a movement. You can straighten your limb but don't lock out the joints. 2. Shoulders back and down (you know this from Pump). 3. Neutral spine. 4. Chin in. 5. Brace the abs and back (by doing this you turn on your TA ((transverse abdominals)) which do not get worked enough and cause that fat band under your belly!).


Ok, now i'm knackered! It's so much harder to program for home using only a barbell then it is in the gym with all the equipment!

Let me know how you go...Good luck!

PS Just thought I should add that 6 portions of fruit is waaaay too much! I know that the sugar found in fruit is natural but it's still sugar and a lot of it! My dietician told me about a lady who developed diabetes and the only treats she had were fruit You shouldn't really have more than 2-3 servings of fruit per day.

Also on nutrition, you said you eat lots of cakes, biscuits and stuff. You'll definatly see the best results if you combine the exercise plan with healthy eating

[paradise lost]

Oh dear. Hopefully you found the writing of that to be a useful exercise, because i'm afraid i am NOT going to be a good subject!

You need to be doing resistance training at least 2-3 times a week (so we're going to make you do it 3 times ) and cardio at least 200 - 300 minutes a week. Lets aim for 250.

That's not 5 times a week hun, it's SEVEN! I can work out 4 times a week (total, not cardio-only), maybe 5 if i push for it, but there's no way my legs/feet will take that much high-impact cardio, or my lifestyle medium-impact, and the pool (no impact of course) is only an option for 1 session/week, and only during 3 weeks of every 8 week period (don't ask, crazy childcare issues). Currently that takes the form of 1 bodypump class and 3 50ish-minute runs. This week i also had a small (1100m) swim, because i could, but i cannot again until late November.

I'm afraid DP is not your greatest ally - he pinched the chub of my love-handle and murmured "You're *perfect* into my ear and then, well i'd need to hop over to AO to share the "and then"

Right this second i'm nursing plantar faciitis of my left sole, and i've no idea where it came from, because it came on on my 3rd day off running. I'm a bit scared it's systemic (shonky immune system, eats bits of ME as if they were diseases) as i was once pretty much disabled by achilles tendonitis for 2 months in Uni due to this, and i had an episode of PF in my right foot basically all summer, but i have it at the ball not the heel on that side - the heel is definitely worse! Will have to wait and see. It does feel better after a day of rest, but if i have to stay in the house tomorrow i'm going to murder DD so it will need to heal on the run or not at all...

As soon as i'm back up to strength i'm going to try adding 2 of your muscle group workouts onto the end of each run and see how i go. I kind of wish i had time to do all you're suggesting, but equally i think i'd be sick of the sight of my running shoes and weights within 3 days if i did (it really looks like A. LOT. to me! Lol, maybe i'm naiive!).

Some bits i didn't put in which DP tells me are very relevant (and the reason he always declines to suggest more activity for me when i ask him to): I don't have a car, i walk about 38-40km (wow, never added it up like that before!) a week, about 24 of those with (15kg) DD in the meitai on my back, about 8 of THOSE with an additional 5-9kg of shopping as well. Of the other 16km i probably push DD in the stroller about 10km and the other 6km i'm (blissfully!) alone My running distances (about 20-25km/week) are additional. He also told me to tell you about my (embarrassing) games with DD, like when i sit on the kitchen worktop and she sits on my feet and i do leg-extensions...or when i lie on my back and lift her straight up and down and count "ONE baby girl" (kiss nose) "TWO baby girls" (kiss nose again) "THREE...." and so on. He basically thinks i do plenty and am healthy and this is how i look, and reading back my messed up mess above i'm wondering if he's right.

Re: diet... The cakes and biscuits are generally contained to 1-2 days a week, but recently things have been sliding out of control - hence the fruit and veg kick. I actually KNOW i feel better without the processed and fake sugars of that stuff, but the weather turns chilly, or i have a period of stress (DD has been quite difficult the last 2 weeks or so) and i reach for the sugar/carbs. I think i'm back on track with that - i just had a weekend with chocolate, cake and biscuits around (it WAS my birthday!) and i didn't care either way - there's a box of biscuits sitting in my kitchen right now and i have not the slightest temptation to touch it, i've already promised it to XP. The fruit is generally low GI (i have 2-3 medium-high GI fruits/week), and that woman was either addicted to drinking overripe banana, grape and mango smoothies 8 times a day, or a LIAR! There are 3 diabetics in my immediate family, we have the genes for it. Two type 2 and one type 1 and BELIEVE ME the type 2's didn't get that way from fruit. My dad was long-term debilitating stress and over-eating and my sister was diet and pre-existing insulin-resistance factors (PCOS) and over-eating. ALL of the fruit-induced diabetics are anecdotal, they have never been able to reproduce the effect in a study except using high amounts of high GI fruit in incredibly unrealistic amounts (like, do you know anyone that eats 11 over-ripe bananas, 4 mangos and 2 whole pineapples every DAY?). Don't get me wrong, i know a WeightWatchers leader who often has to say "Maybe cut out the bananas" but as she says, she can only advise on what they write down, and often they just don't write it all down... Maybe you can remember me when your first denial-ly client says "But i only snack on fruit!"

Anyway, thanks for your giant post, and i hope my lukewarmness isn't a big kick in the guts! Your resistance stuff is really helpful (if a bit overwhelming ) and i'll definitely look at adding it in somehow.

Bx

[C~Q]

No worries Hoobs thats fine! I should have put that I meant for you to spend no more than about 20 mins on the resistance training TOPS so I thought you could do it on the end of a run or before or maybe in the afternoon or something, I didn't mean do it all on seperate days . To be honest I know i'm getting a bit carried away, I tend to assume everyone is like me and if they mention they want to change something I assume they will go flat out till it's done. The thing is I have to get past that or i'm not going to be a very good trainer

Ok, just use the exercises as something to look at when/if you have the time and you're in the mood. That way it's there if you need it. Maybe if you dropped the legs and did back and chest one day and chest and shoulders the other a couple of times a week after your runs.

And don't worry, it was beneficial to me, even just to program someone not using gym equipment (a lot harder).

Re the plantar faciitis, have you had it looked at? That can get really bad (as you know) without rest...hope it gets better soon X