Feeling the burn

[ShelleyCowie]

I took it upon myself that i had to start eating healthy and exercise...alot more!

So this week i have been doing a daily ritual of walking (basically power walking) up and down hills with athrun in the pram for at least an hour. Doing 200 sit ups, leg stretches and other exercises.

All junk food - Gone! (im just as shocked as you are)

But....can anyone maybe help me because i want to do different exercises to tone different parts of myself. IE Stomach - Sit ups etc etc...

So want to do my hips, sides (love handles) and buttocks aswell.

Whats the best exercises for them?

I know its not going to be an overnight thing that i just drop a stone and gain a 6 pack. But im in it for the long haul! :Razz Want my confidence back!

Cheers in advance!

[Tristan]

Great getting started on a new exercise regime. Just remember you can't spot reduce so doing good whole body exercises are probably best. Lunges, squats, pushups, get a chinup bar for pull ups or reverse rows etc. For abs add the plank or reverse crunches. I would also recommend getting a swiss ball. They are great for flexibility and strength.
Remember muscle burns more calories than fat so the more strength training you can do the better. You won't get huge muscles but it will tone them, strengthen them which helps burn up the calories.

[S&LHEN]

wii fit you cant beat it and it encourages you along as you do it and its fun :lol:

[igglepiggle]

got to agree with S&LHEN, i just got the wii fit and it is brill, very sore the day after for the first couple off times but worth it, and it is fun! i like the hula hoop!!

[Bobinovich]

LOL I have a rowing machine you could use while I sit on the Org, insult you, and torment you with Jaffa Cakes & Galaxy [lol] (Then have to work it all off on the machine once you've gone lol)

[Fluff]

Tristan raises a good point, it is best to work the whole body than one point. Keep up your cardio, that will improve your fitness, your squats and weight training will help you to tone up. Just don't too much at once. well done for starting

[Gene Hunt]

Shelley,

My wife recommends having a look here for a lot of good fitness and health tips ... http://www.womenshealthmag.com/

Lots of workouts and exercise plans, the other half says she does this one and can recommend it .. http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/total-body-workout-8

[ShelleyCowie]

LOL I have a rowing machine you could use while I sit on the Org, insult you, and torment you with Jaffa Cakes & Galaxy [lol] (Then have to work it all off on the machine once you've gone lol)

Lol! U have a rowing machine, dont worry if u hear someone breaking in tonight then! I will steal jaffa cakes and Galaxy whilst im at it! ;)


Cheers for the other websites and advice from people.

I would join a gym but dont want to spend money for something i can do at home for free! (Or at bobs!) lol! :lol:

[teenybash]

An easy and fun way to do a total body tone to crisp up your outline is really simple............take Athrun to the local swimming pool twice a week and play in the water...............garanteed to work and no expensive gym equipment needed. Athrun would love it too.:)

[ShelleyCowie]

An easy and fun way to do a total body tone to crisp up your outline is really simple............take Athrun to the local swimming pool twice a week and play in the water...............garanteed to work and no expensive gym equipment needed. Athrun would love it too.:)

I love the idea of swimming teenybash. But being in a swimsuit makes me very uncomfortable. I was waiting too loose a wee bit of weight first and then take him swimming! :)

Once i get my confidence i will definetely be going!

[Bobinovich]

As someone who has taken both their kids swimming regularly since they were toddlers, I can say that you don't really get good exercise until they can swim well themselves. You probably spend more time on your feet alongside them and, up until they hit 8, you have to stay quite close to them which all but rules out swimming as an aid to toning. I was warned for leaving my then 6 year old (but already able to swim a couple of widths non-stop) just a width away as I swam across & back!

[grumpy1]

well done shelly..just making that committment deserves praise in my book..i start an stop every other week,,i got the wii fit but i also invested in a couple of fitness dvds..i really like the davina's 30 min workout...quite intense but it doesnt last long....

good luck with yr quest hope u reach yr goal xxxx

[ShelleyCowie]

As someone who has taken both their kids swimming regularly since they were toddlers, I can say that you don't really get good exercise until they can swim well themselves. You probably spend more time on your feet alongside them and, up until they hit 8, you have to stay quite close to them which all but rules out swimming as an aid to toning. I was warned for leaving my then 6 year old (but already able to swim a couple of widths non-stop) just a width away as I swam across & back!

Dont worry i would drag himself along and he can muck around with athrun so i can swim for a while. baby steps for me though....maybe in a month or so once i see some results with the exercises im doing now!


well done shelly..just making that committment deserves praise in my book..i start an stop every other week,,i got the wii fit but i also invested in a couple of fitness dvds..i really like the davina's 30 min workout...quite intense but it doesnt last long....

good luck with yr quest hope u reach yr goal xxxx

Thanks very much indeed! :Razz I have no set myself a massive goal! A week at a time. Dont want to say i will loose a stone in 6 weeks...im saying "i aim to loose 3 pounds this week" or something like that!


I think Balto was proud o me eday at toddlers, i said no to a biscuit! And there was jaffa cakes in there! lol

And...the OH and his kids had hot dog chips tonight for dinner (i cooked them) and the smell was getting to me. But i stuck to it and had a ham and tuna salad. Turns out they all wanted the salad because it looked good! Typical!

[ShelleyCowie]

After all my hard work in the last 2 weeks(ish) i have now done injury to my knee and tail bone.

Dont care about muscles aching! And i have it in my head my mummy tummy is never gonna go!

I have lost just over 2 inches from my stomach and about an inch from my hips. So not too bad.

Back to Scottish slimmers tomorrow. :roll: Luckily i have a membership card when i went when i was 17. (thats right 17, i wasnt even overweight)

Fingers crossed i loose some weight!

Any other help/exercises or foods to avoid would be good! Thanks!

[emszxr]

hi, i started a diet and exercise regime 2 weeks ago. walking between 3 and 6 miles a day whilst oldest is in nursery and push one in buggy and 3 month in sling, that a work out in itself seen as he 15lbs.
i was doing a low carb diet and no junk but i found i didnt have enough milk to feed baby so having to not cut too much food out now, but i am keeping up the walking. my baby is more important that my waistline at the moment. :lol:

[joxville]

LOL I have a rowing machine you could use while I sit on the Org, insult you, and torment you with Jaffa Cakes & Galaxy [lol] (Then have to work it all off on the machine once you've gone lol)

Remember Bob, men can get away with carrying a few extra pounds.....women just look like Flumps. [lol]

[Fluff]

What, multi-coloured and twisted?

[achingale]

I've started to cut down on my tea and coffee intake by having only 1 a day and drinking water the rest of the time. I feel a lot better for it. And I've begun to eat more healthily. Maybe it's because summer is just round the corner and I don't want to have the extra pounds around my waist.;)

[ShelleyCowie]

I usually have about 10+ cups o coffee a day. Im down to 1 now too. Im still just as hyperactive tho! :lol:

I found it really hard to cut out my fizzy drinks. So now drink the low calorie fizzy water with orange juice.

My daily diet will now consist of.

Breakfast - My 1 cup of coffee and a low calorie yoghurt

Lunch - 4 ryvita crackers, 2 low fat cheese triangles, 1 tomato and 2 slices of ham.

Dinner - Chicken cordon bleu tonight with brocoli, sprouts, caulifour, green beans and some other (no check) vegetables from the scottish slimmers book.

i found a merangue (sp) to be quite satisfying for the need of sugar as they are only 1 check in the SS book.

Also eat plenty of fruit through the day. Went and topped up on 4 bags of apples, 1 large bag of pears and 3 bunches of oranges the other day! Not forgetting grapes which are great to sit and pig out on! :Razz

How good am i doin! :D

[Fluff]

Make sure you brush your teeth at night, all the sugar from the fruit is bad for the enamel.

[A_Usher]

Great getting started on a new exercise regime. Just remember you can't spot reduce so doing good whole body exercises are probably best. Lunges, squats, pushups, get a chinup bar for pull ups or reverse rows etc. For abs add the plank or reverse crunches. I would also recommend getting a swiss ball. They are great for flexibility and strength.
Remember muscle burns more calories than fat so the more strength training you can do the better. You won't get huge muscles but it will tone them, strengthen them which helps burn up the calories.

Ok, Muscles do burn calories but not the extend that people think, i think they are roughly 6 calories to the pound of muscle per day. Also, strength routines require you maintain or build muscle which means maintaining via routine, and whilst strength training is great,in can be daunting for a beginner. To start loosing weight a control of calories in versus out can be more effective.

You can expend your calories best if you use heart rate monitor training, and work out in your optimum zone.

As an example, a 4 minute Tabata excercie (not for a beginner) can expend anywhere from 40 calories to 80. 4 mins does not sound much, but if you do them right can be highly effective, just ask the guys who came to training on sunday :)

When you start out you need to go low and slow, walking is great, especially if you go faster for 1 minutes, then slow for 3, etc. The most effective way to burn calories is to increase your heart rate (not explode it), incorporate diet, include some strength training and go by how you feel, and how clothing changes, and how you look, not necessarily the scales.

If anyone wants info then email me at the surgery, andrew@dunbeathsurgery.co.uk, i would be more than happy to set up a forum on our surgery area etc, and to even put a group etc at minimal costs.

Andrew.

[ShelleyCowie]

Well im back at scottish slimmers. Last time i went it was very successful. Got to my target and lower in 6 weeks! I know i wont do that this time, but im in it for the long haul!

Its good to know i dont have to cut out all treats! I can save up checks and use them for a nice choccy biscuit at the end of the night, but somehow i still opt for a low fat yoghurt and some fruit! :D

I walk alot anyway. Today was walking to and from the school then down the street and back home. A good solid walk up a killer hill!!