a little advise (exercise related)
Discussion
After a bit of advice on a fitness regime I can stick with and some understanding what the difference is between cardio and weights does for weight loss and tone. Bit of history – I’m 30 and about a year ago I used to be 15.5 stone (5ft 10) after rising from an un-toned 12 stone when I was about 22. I’ve never done any exercise in my life and I used to eat a lot and used to get through at least 5 bottles of wine to myself a week. I have always walked 4 miles during the working week at a quick pace from and to the station and to work and occasionally do 40 mins at lunch around Regents Park too.
I hold my weight on my tummy and a little around my neck too! Legs and arms are “normal”.
The wife and I will do a 6-10 mile walk at the weekends, say 2 times a month. I’ve also renovated a house mostly on my own over last 2 years, I did find during the periods of heavy lifting (i.e. hanging plasterboard on all the ceilings) bulked my arms and shoulders out quite a bit.
Last year I started running and got up to 5K quite after 8 weeks. I stopped and took it back up again 3 months ago and built up to 8K over 10 weeks (I did have to walk half way up the steepest hills on this run) but can comfortably run 5KM in about 25 mins and had been running 6km per week for the last 2 weeks of that phase of exercise (this stopped a week ago, see 30 day challenge below!). I now weigh 14stone.
I also have a cross trainer and rowing machine at home. I use these periodically when I get bored of running (I would do 20 mins on each, 3 times a week) but do go for a few months not doing anything except walking. I also have 2 x 20kg weights.
At the moment I am bored of running and have switched to this 30 day challenge exercise which consist of pushups, situps, squats and lurches. You start low and end up doing 80 pushups, 100 situps, 250 squats and 60 lurches at the end of 30 days. You do something every day and take a rest from one of the exercises every 5 days.
I have also added 3x 10 bicep curls, 3x 10 over head lifts & 3 x 10 upward rows to the regime. I am at the end of week 1 and enjoying it and feel different already (maybe that’s in my head). I didn’t notice a massive difference during running?
So appreciate I am bit all of the place with my exercises. I do not understand the benefits on cardio over weights and vice versa. I want to be more toned with less tummy, what should I be doing?
In terms of diet, this is accurate to the last 5 months:
Alcohol – 6 light beer bottles a week across Friday and Saturday nights
Breakfast – sugar free muesli or toast with marmite + coffee. We have red topped skimmed milk and have done for a year now. I’ve probably had 3 fry ups over the last 5 months.
Lunch – at work mon to fri, I make a variation of ham/cucumber/tomato sandwich (2 slices) + 3 pieces of fruit. I buy lunch a max of 3 times a month from. I drink about 3 cups of coffee at work and drink 3 x 75cl water bottles worth of tap water
Dinners – whatever is going, could be pasta, a pizza, meat and salad, curry, stir fry, bit of fish and salad + potatoes. I have cut down on the portion size and stopped going back for seconds 5 months ago.
Weekends – wife and I will have crisps on a Friday night, big bag to share. Lunch will be like work but a bit more interesting, perhaps with some mayo in the sandwich.
I try not to snack and have fruit where possible. I eat 5 yoghurts a week, usually when I walk in the door after work.
Cheers!!!
Matt
I hold my weight on my tummy and a little around my neck too! Legs and arms are “normal”.
The wife and I will do a 6-10 mile walk at the weekends, say 2 times a month. I’ve also renovated a house mostly on my own over last 2 years, I did find during the periods of heavy lifting (i.e. hanging plasterboard on all the ceilings) bulked my arms and shoulders out quite a bit.
Last year I started running and got up to 5K quite after 8 weeks. I stopped and took it back up again 3 months ago and built up to 8K over 10 weeks (I did have to walk half way up the steepest hills on this run) but can comfortably run 5KM in about 25 mins and had been running 6km per week for the last 2 weeks of that phase of exercise (this stopped a week ago, see 30 day challenge below!). I now weigh 14stone.
I also have a cross trainer and rowing machine at home. I use these periodically when I get bored of running (I would do 20 mins on each, 3 times a week) but do go for a few months not doing anything except walking. I also have 2 x 20kg weights.
At the moment I am bored of running and have switched to this 30 day challenge exercise which consist of pushups, situps, squats and lurches. You start low and end up doing 80 pushups, 100 situps, 250 squats and 60 lurches at the end of 30 days. You do something every day and take a rest from one of the exercises every 5 days.
I have also added 3x 10 bicep curls, 3x 10 over head lifts & 3 x 10 upward rows to the regime. I am at the end of week 1 and enjoying it and feel different already (maybe that’s in my head). I didn’t notice a massive difference during running?
So appreciate I am bit all of the place with my exercises. I do not understand the benefits on cardio over weights and vice versa. I want to be more toned with less tummy, what should I be doing?
In terms of diet, this is accurate to the last 5 months:
Alcohol – 6 light beer bottles a week across Friday and Saturday nights
Breakfast – sugar free muesli or toast with marmite + coffee. We have red topped skimmed milk and have done for a year now. I’ve probably had 3 fry ups over the last 5 months.
Lunch – at work mon to fri, I make a variation of ham/cucumber/tomato sandwich (2 slices) + 3 pieces of fruit. I buy lunch a max of 3 times a month from. I drink about 3 cups of coffee at work and drink 3 x 75cl water bottles worth of tap water
Dinners – whatever is going, could be pasta, a pizza, meat and salad, curry, stir fry, bit of fish and salad + potatoes. I have cut down on the portion size and stopped going back for seconds 5 months ago.
Weekends – wife and I will have crisps on a Friday night, big bag to share. Lunch will be like work but a bit more interesting, perhaps with some mayo in the sandwich.
I try not to snack and have fruit where possible. I eat 5 yoghurts a week, usually when I walk in the door after work.
Cheers!!!
Matt
Drop the alcohol. The body treats alcohol as fat, converting alcohol sugars into fatty acids
Someone else will be along shortly to explain better than I, but when you drink, alcohol prevents your body from digesting food properly, so anything you eat whilst you have alcohol in the bloodstream gets stored for use later too.
It also screws up the ability of muscles to use energy.
It's bad okay?
Build some guns.
Because they look good.
Someone else will be along shortly to explain better than I, but when you drink, alcohol prevents your body from digesting food properly, so anything you eat whilst you have alcohol in the bloodstream gets stored for use later too.
It also screws up the ability of muscles to use energy.
It's bad okay?
Build some guns.
Because they look good.
Cheers guys, wow I didn’t realise it was that bad! I’m pleased I’ve dropped the bottles of wine. I could probably quite easily give up the beer at the weekends and just have at special occasions. Don’t think I’d like to cut it out completely.
Thinking back the weight gain started when I got with the now wife and we started having wine on the table etc.
Is 4 miles of walking a day “enough” cardio to keep healthy? And then supplement (after my 30 day challenge!!) with weights and body weight exercise?
Thinking back the weight gain started when I got with the now wife and we started having wine on the table etc.
Is 4 miles of walking a day “enough” cardio to keep healthy? And then supplement (after my 30 day challenge!!) with weights and body weight exercise?
decadent said:
I try not to snack and have fruit where possible. I eat 5 yoghurts a week, usually when I walk in the door after work.
Cheers!!!
Matt
Snacking is good - IF you're snacking on the correct things.Cheers!!!
Matt
For example
Today I ate the following - spread out over the day
Got up, had a glass of water
Had two eggs (poached) on toast
boiled egg
half of my bacon sarnie (wholewheat bread, fat cut off, bacon grilled)
some nuts
banana
-GYM SESSION-
tin of tuna
other half of sarnie
boiled egg
sunflower seeds
When I get home, i'll have tea.
Eat little and often if possible, makes a massive difference with your metabolism..
Doing resistance training will build bigger muscles (if you're also consuming enough protein) these bigger muscles require more calories at rest.
I'd still suggest you do the running, at least once a week, twice would be ideal.
Good luck!!!!
I'm not eating enough protein.
You have 6 beers on Fridays and Saturdays? Try only having one per evening on these 2 nights if you must. Watch your diet too, pizza is extremely fattening, especially if it's a takeaway.
4 miles a day walking should be good (regardless of age) but walk as briskly as possible without looking too silly!
Try doing some squats with the weights too.
You're doing good, but there's more to do....keep it up.
4 miles a day walking should be good (regardless of age) but walk as briskly as possible without looking too silly!
Try doing some squats with the weights too.
You're doing good, but there's more to do....keep it up.
cool, i'll get back into the running. I was doing it 4 (x6km) times a week but have let it slip. Twice is do-able if I alternate different types of exercise activities to keep it interesting.
I have been having 6 (330cl bottles) of beers at the weekend. That's a massive cut down on the 5/6 bottles of wine over the week i used to have! Triming it to 2 on a Saturday is OK. Still want to enjoy some things in life.
RE: pizza, used to like Dominos but haven't had one in years. They taste nice but always felt awful the next day. Usually these days we either make our own with a prepared base or one of the american express ones. This is usually consumed bi-weekly.
Cheers
I have been having 6 (330cl bottles) of beers at the weekend. That's a massive cut down on the 5/6 bottles of wine over the week i used to have! Triming it to 2 on a Saturday is OK. Still want to enjoy some things in life.
RE: pizza, used to like Dominos but haven't had one in years. They taste nice but always felt awful the next day. Usually these days we either make our own with a prepared base or one of the american express ones. This is usually consumed bi-weekly.
Cheers
Some say eat less, move more. Others say not all calories are the same. It's also said that everyone is different.
Yet, if you eat 5000 calories a day and sit at your desk and then in front of the TV, your weight's only going to go in one direction unless the "different" is you have worms or something.
Decide what you want to reduce, do so, then do a lot of training to reduce the excess further.
Yet, if you eat 5000 calories a day and sit at your desk and then in front of the TV, your weight's only going to go in one direction unless the "different" is you have worms or something.
Decide what you want to reduce, do so, then do a lot of training to reduce the excess further.
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