Healthy and Fit

Thanks for the article link, Shugga... that's good to know. I would actually much rather lift weights than do cardio.... yuck! 

As long as I have my Ipod I don't mind doing cardio it helps motivate me & I'm usually in my own world as well.   

With cardio, you are only burning calories for as long as you do the cardio.

With resistance training, your body is repairing and rebuilding muscle long after you finish exercising (why you can feel sore for days after a workout) which uses up energy the whole time. So you continue to burn calories after you stop exercising.

People who intentionally use weight training to bulk up their muscles and look bigger have to eat a lot also.

I find lifting weights to be really boring.  The way it was explained to me (by Jillian Michaels in a book of hers) is that muscles are the furnace that burn calories so the stronger they are the more efficiently they work.  She did go on to explain that over working your muscles can be counterproductive, that they need time to heal.  She wrote that cardio is the fuel for the fire and you can do way more cardio than strength training. 

I think this is why the 30 day shred is working so well for me.  I don’t mind the short resistance bit and can definitely see how my arms and legs are stronger (I couldn’t do a single pushup when I started, now I can do loads).  I also like to do the strength and yoga stuff on Wii Fit.  I’d like to have a yoga dvd, but am struggling to find one that will motivate me to do it!

You need balance. Cardio and resistance training but also core strength and flexibility.  I'm amazed by how un-flexible some supposedly "fit" people are.

While I was on Yahoo this morning I came across this an thought it might be useful or interesting for others to read I liked it myself.   

http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Health/8-Common-Weight-Loss-Myths-Debunked.html?cid=yhoo

You need balance. Cardio and resistance training but also core strength and flexibility.  I'm amazed by how un-flexible some supposedly "fit" people are.

I don't think that being in shape means that your flexible.  Even when I was 17 and playing soccer 7 days a week (basically as in shape as I've ever been) I couldn't touch my toes. 

I'm back again! I did the 30 Day Shred today and I'm also doing South Beach diet. I don't do too well with carbs, I feel hungry right after I eat and things like that. I'm hoping this will get me back on track and I can add them back in and try to moderate them better. I made an awesome veggie dip if anyone wants to try it. I just mixed a cup of Fage Total 0 with half a cup of light mayo, then added in a clove of garlic and loads of fresh chives, parsley and dill, a teaspoon of dijon mustard, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. It's so tasty! I've just been having a couple of tablespoons of that with some celery, peppers and cherry tomatoes for a snack. I also made a huge pot of chicken and five bean soup with some veggies and fresh chicken stock, so I've been taking that for lunch. I'm drinking loads of water and I took the dog on an hour long walk yesterday. Hopefully I'll see some difference in a week or two! How's everyone else doing?

Last week was bad news as I was in Brighton Wed-Sun and my friend eats like a typical lad- pizzas and cheese on toast and chinese- all I wanted was vegetables when I got home!  Today has been all right (coulda done without the bleu cheese on my salad at dinner) but I went to ballet tonight and I plan on going back tomorrow.  I'm going to try that dip Jewlz- it sounds yummy!  My main goal for the week is no white bread, crisps, chips or mini-cheddars.  Wish me luck. 

Last week was bad news as I was in Brighton Wed-Sun and my friend eats like a typical lad- pizzas and cheese on toast and chinese- all I wanted was vegetables when I got home!  Today has been all right (coulda done without the bleu cheese on my salad at dinner) but I went to ballet tonight and I plan on going back tomorrow.  I'm going to try that dip Jewlz- it sounds yummy!  My main goal for the week is no white bread, crisps, chips or mini-cheddars.  Wish me luck. 

Mmmm... mini cheddars!   

I share an office with a different lady now, who was making me feel bad for eating so much yesterday. I snacked on my veg and dip over about a two hour period, then said I was going to the staff room to eat my soup - she asked "that wasn't lunch?" Um, no. That was just celery.  Anyway, I'm not going to let it get me down, as I'm hoping to speed my metabolism up by actually eating more throughout the day. Hopefully I'll show her! 

Mmmm... mini cheddars!   

I share an office with a different lady now, who was making me feel bad for eating so much yesterday. I snacked on my veg and dip over about a two hour period, then said I was going to the staff room to eat my soup - she asked "that wasn't lunch?" Um, no. That was just celery.  Anyway, I'm not going to let it get me down, as I'm hoping to speed my metabolism up by actually eating more throughout the day. Hopefully I'll show her! 

Booo to her!!  I wouldn't say celery and dip and then soup is eating too much. Besides, what business is it of hers what you eat?   I'd be starving if I had just celery and dip for lunch!  Besides some people are grazers and others are three meals a day. We're all different! Don't let her get you down!! You're doing great! 

I eat more than Celery and dip for lunch and I have an internal stomach the size of a chicken egg!

I don't know what it is about offices, but sometimes it brings out the crazy in people, I have a really healthy friend who exercises tons (she's a triathlete) and as a result eats loads (mostly raw carrots and cauliflower, apple slices with peanut butter but also piles of toasts before races etc). The girls at her old office pretty much got to the stage where they were torturing her every time she put anything in her mouth! She was a size 8 and regularly did half ironmans, she needed the food! I have absolutely no idea why people involve themselves in other people's lunches!

How very weird. So glad I work with geeks - we all eat whatever's in front of us (within reason) and don't comment on each others' dietary/fitness levels (except to occasionally mock the complete lack of the latter among the geekdom).

Booo to her!!  I wouldn't say celery and dip and then soup is eating too much. Besides, what business is it of hers what you eat?   I'd be starving if I had just celery and dip for lunch!  Besides some people are grazers and others are three meals a day. We're all different! Don't let her get you down!! You're doing great! 

Agreed.

At my old job here in the UK I used to get comments on my apples and hummus and crackers (not all three together!), but I never commented on their stuff!

How very weird. So glad I work with geeks - we all eat whatever's in front of us (within reason) and don't comment on each others' dietary/fitness levels (except to occasionally mock the complete lack of the latter among the geekdom).

Us too, the only comment I ever get about my lunch is "that looks nice, where did you get it?" as we all try and work out where the good places are around our new office.

I made an appointment at the gym for Thursday 10am....The guys was super nice as I want a full tour of the where the classes are and how to read the schedule ect...
I can get a plan of action and they will check on you if you dont want a trainer, which I dont as that would bug me.

They also run a thing called pounds for kilos - 12 weeks you start when you start
must come to gym 3X a week at the end of 12 weeks for every kilo lost you get a fiver!
So 20 lbs is about 9 kilos? so thats 40 pounds - cool!

Plus if I just suck it up and sign up I will more then likely go as I need to get out anyway.  The contract becomes void if/when we get preggo so thats a plus! Another goal to look forward too.