Daily Exercise Thread 2/05 -- and a request for your assessment.

[Longhorn]

I did 20 minutes on the elliptical and then my usual upper body workout. I would love it if I could take a little Goldilocks quiz here -- am I doing too much, not enough, or just right?

For background, I am 49, female, and weigh about 185. I lost 60 pounds in 2003 on a fasting diet combined with strength training and the elliptical but in the last six months, I have gained back about 15 pounds. I really don't want to diet again -- I want to eat healthy and exercise. So my goal is to gain muscle, lose fat, and increase my metabolism.

This is my first week to get in three sessions and I should get in another tomorrow. I also climb six flights of stairs at least three times a week and I climb a hill that is about two blocks long pulling my book case two times a week (parking is a bummer on my campus, even for faculty, when you don't teach until 10:30 a.m.!)

I follow the Body for Life workout so I do sets of 12, 10, 8, and 6 reps, increasing the weights each set by 2.5 pounds on upper body and 5 pounds on lower body and resting one minute in between. After the 6 reps, I decrease to the same weight that I did 8 and then do 12 reps immediately followed by 12 reps of another exercise in the same muscle group. I rest two minutes and then start over with another muscle group. All of these exercises are done on my home gym which is a cable system. I alternate upper and lower body workouts but always start with 20 minutes on the elliptical, slowly trying to add resistance but being careful because of my knees.

Here's my upper body workout (first exercise, weight range; second exercise @ weight)

Chest:
Bench Press, 35 to 42.5; Flye, 30

Back:
Lat Pulldowns, 35 to 42.5; Seated Cable Rows, 40

Shoulders:
Upright Cable Rows, 20 to 27.5; Front Raises, 10

Biceps:
Biceps Curls, 20 to 27.5; Individual Biceps Curls, 10

Triceps:
Triceps Pushdowns, 17.5 to 25; Triceps Kickbacks, 15

Here's my lower body workout:

Quadriceps:
Leg Presses, 115 to 130; Leg Extensions, 30
(I can actually handle more weight but have had knee problems in the past so I worry about taking on too much.)

Hamstrings:
Deadlifts, 30 to 45; Leg Curls, 20

Calves:
Calf Raises, 130 to 145; Standing Heel Raises, 70

Abs: 6-Second Abs machine

Thanks for any comments or advice!

[laruemtt]

1. the exercises sound good, and

i'm happy to hear you are doing the eating healthy instead of the fasting. can't imagine trying to gain muscle while fasting, plus it NEVER lasts as a weight loss method. your plan sounds very good. make sure to increase the intensity as your fitness improves. the only thing i would add is drink lots and lots and lots of clean water! amazing how much difference this one thing can make. :)

[Longhorn]

2. Thanks!

I was concerned about getting adequate protein when I began the strength training so I had a chicken breast every day to help. I actually kept the weight off for nearly year but my diet was still not what you'd call normal or especially healthy.

Thanks for reminding me about the water. I was good about drinking it when I was losing weight but have slacked off. I drink water when I exercise but I need to have more during the day. :P

[wildeyed]

3. It's hard to know if you are doing too much or too little.

I listen to my body and try to do a variety of exercises to avoid injury and boredom. I guess I would ask two questions; other than the weight gain, how do you feel? and if you are procrastinating and missing workouts, why?

Congrats on the weight loss. And good for you on not dieting. Dieting always seems like a cyclical trap to me.

[Longhorn]

4. Other than weight gain,

I feel kind of tired and sluggish all the time, which answers the second question on why I tend to procrastinate and miss workouts. But I exercised regularly for more than a year and knew the feeling of strength and energy and muscle definition and I want it back!

Thanks! :hi:

[wildeyed]

6. So I guess the question would be, why do you feel tired and sluggish?

Not getting enough sleep? Eating too many carbs? Those are the two things that always slow me down. :hi:

[Longhorn]

11. Sleep is okay.

I need to do a better job on my diet. I don't think I overdo on carbs but I know I don't get enough veggies and fruit and I could use more protein. Gee, percentage-wise, that pretty much leaves a diet full of carbs, huh? But as far as total grams, they don't add up to that much because I just don't eat that much each day.

I went to the University of Texas Department of Kinesiology to have my body fat percentage measured and to determine my metabolic rate. I can supposedly consume 1800 calories a day to maintain, but if I eat that many, I gain. :shrug:

[Cobalt Violet]

5. I can't tell if your doing too much. I'm no expert.

I'm still trying to figure how much is right for me. I wish I could help more.

I did an hour of pilates and 20 minutes of cardio today. I have been on a restricted calorie diet.

[laruemtt]

7. you might want to get a blood test

just to make sure everything's ok, especially your thyroid. of course, at 49 the fatigue and sluggishness could be part of the change. i'm 52 and am still feeling that. but just for your peace of mind you might think about the blood work. :)

[Longhorn]

10. I suspect it's the beginnings of the change and lack of exercise.

I've had my thyroid checked, along with everything else they check, at annual physicals and I'm always within normal limits. My sister has a thyroid disorder and I understand the tests don't always detect it but I don't really have any other of the symptoms. I do always have a low blood count, usually too low to donate blood, but nothing close to anemia.

I've been working more hours since last fall but it's still fewer hours than what most people work so that hardly seems an excuse. I was so much more energetic when I was exercising regularly that I just assumed I could get that feeling back if I get back into the swing of things.

Thanks for your help!

[Poiuyt]

8. One change I'd make:

I would lift weights first, then do your cardio. The reason for this is that lifting is an anaerobic activity and would thus burn off carbohydrates in the form of muscle glycogen. You want to deplete the glycogen before doing cardio (aerobic) so that when you start your cardio, your body will be burning fats.

If possible, I would also up your cardio to 40-45 minutes.

And never, NEVER drink wine with popcorn.

[Longhorn]

9. LOL!

Thanks for the chuckle.

That's a good suggestion about saving the cardio. Upping the time could be a problem as my workout already lasts an hour and finding the time to work it in before school has been an issue, especially since I'm not a morning person. But I could certainly do that on the days I don't teach.

Thanks for the advice!

[Maestro]

12. Your workout seems fine

but I would like to add like another poster that you do your weight lifting before cardio for the reasons listed above and also because you will seem more tired and not really push yourself with the weights becasue your body will be recovering from the cardio.

In addition, I want to add that on 2/5 I ran six miles. Yeah!

[Longhorn]

13. Thanks. That's one change I'll definitely make.

And I'm sorry for hijacking the daily exercise thread. I realized later that I should have posted this separately.

Congrats on the six miles! :yourock:

[Fleshdancer]

14. Please no more fasting diets!!!!

When we starve other people, it's called torture, but when we starve ourselves, we label it "diet". :(

I've done BFL a few times now and I love the program. I'm not an expert, but your workouts look good to me. How many weeks have you been on the program? I try to increase my weight a little every two weeks or so and and change the exercises in the 6th week. It helps break the monotony.

Have you been following the nutrition plan with BFL? I was strict with it at first, but I have a hard time downing that many meals in one day - 4 or 5 is good for me. I also don't buy into the whole supplement shakes/bars thing. It's a marketing tool, they cost too much, and eating actual food is better anyway. Besides, I'm trying to limit my sugar intake and those things are loaded with sugar.

For nutrition, I just make sure my meals are small, I eat more than three meals a day, and they always contain a portion of protein and carbs. Aside from that, I don't restrict what I eat as much as the plan says to. It's easier for me to have one "cheat" thing every other day or so than to smash it all in one day. It gets difficult for me to get back on track after a free day. But that's just me. That's what I like about the plan though...do it long enough and you'll not only see results, but you'll be more in tuned with your body and can alter the program in a way that best benefits you.

[Longhorn]

15. No more fasting diets for me.

However, the fact is that it did work when nothing else would. :shrug:

Though I was able to maintain a strong exercise program for about 18 months, I slacked off last semester when I doubled my teaching load at community college. I still have a busy schedule but I'm determined to do a better job of prioritizing and fitting the exercise in. When I was still exercising last year, I followed the BFL program for about four to six months.

I've had some EAS shakes (AdvantEdge) but haven't really followed the nutrition program. I still have some Medifast shakes to use up for breakfast and snacks.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions! :hi:

[semillama]

16. If you aren't following the nutrition program, that's probably it.

If I recall correctly, doesn't the BFL program also say you separate cardio from weightlifting? I think you should try that.

If you don't like the pushing of shakes and meal bars (Which admittedly, I think are really good for their convenience alone), try a look at the ABS diet, which is the first one I've found that is really enthusiastic about eating food and enjoying it. Not very strict, but similar to BFL in meal frequency. (If you think of meals 2, 4, and 6 as snacks, then it doesn't seem like you are eating 6 meals a day - but snacks really are meals, when you think about it).

The key for you is to get your protein intake up - you are putting a lot of stress on your muscles and you need to feed them. Again, the ABS DIET book does a great job of explaining why diets such as fasting are actually really bad for muscle development, and why muscle development is really good for losing weight.

so, more protein, eat more fruit and veggies, and keep the cardio and weight lifting separate.