Let's Get In Shape

[Japan]

When I went to Sakura Con 2010 this past April, one of my room mates was a guy training to become an Navy Seal. Ever since then, I have been pretty obsessed with running and eating the best diet to enhance my performance and get in better shape. At first my main focus was to lose the weight but now it is gaining weight in muscle mass and working on my endurance and speed. This is what I do for my workout every week.

Monday- Cross train (lift weights, crunches, suicides)
Tuesday - Run three miles
Wednesday - Cross train, walk 2 miles
Thursday - Run four miles
Friday - Cross train (lift weights, suicides, up and down the stairs)
Saturday - Run three miles
Sunday - Rest

I gave up soda and almost all greasy food. I am trying to give up caffeine but it is very hard. I don't eat any bread, red meat, citrus, or pasta. I live on veggies, chicken, fish, and bananas/milk. Are you guys doing any workouts to improve your health this summer? If so, what? Also, any experienced runners out there with advice?

[Ravenstorture]

That's very admirable indeed. May I ask why you have decided to give up bread and pasta? Actually, I don't understand the red meat and citrus either.

[Nerdsy]

[color=deeppink]I am ridiculously out of shape and that's something I've wanted to rectify. I've been trying to ease myself back into it; running and lifting weights on alternate days and stretching every day.

I still seem to be maxing out at 3/5ths of a mile at the moment in terms of distance, which I blame on my weight and the general rockiness of the driveway, because I can usually do more elsewhere. I don't really have access to good weights right now, either, so I'm going to plateau quickly until I can get back to school and have access to a gym.

I've been counting calories as of late, and by that I mean I was counting calories a few months ago, manage to lose 15 pounds, stopped and I've been stable since. I need to start again.[/color]

[Japan]

[quote name='Ravenstorture' date='20 June 2010 - 03:53 AM' timestamp='1277031186' post='695679']
That's very admirable indeed. May I ask why you have decided to give up bread and pasta? Actually, I don't understand the red meat and citrus either.
[/quote]

That is mostly doctor's orders. They don't know what is wrong with my digestive system so I have a strict diet plan that I must follow.

[eleanor]

I always become healthier during the summer because when I'm at college I'm too busy with schoolwork to care about my body LOL.

But yeah, now that I'm home again I wake up every day at 8 AM and run, and I count calories so that I don't exceed 1500/day and I aim for 1200-300/day. But an important thing for me is that I let myself indulge every once in a while, because otherwise I'd go insane. I usually let myself eat whatever on Sundays, because that's the day my family usually cooks a big meal for dinner.

My gym routine is usually just 30 minutes cardio, an hour of weight training every day with focus on different muscle groups every other day.

If you're focusing on building endurance, I suggest you use the sprinting technique rather than just jogging/running for X minutes every other day. The sprinting training is basically this:

# Warm up. Before sprints, warm up thoroughly with easy exercise for 5-10 minutes. Perform the same exercise you will be using for your sprints.
# Sprint. Perform your first sprint at about 60 percent max intensity. If you feel any muscle tightness or joint pain, back off and continue to warm up.
# Recover. Recover for 2 minutes by slowing to a comfortable pace, but keep moving. This can be an easy jog or a walk, depending upon your fitness.
# Sprint. Perform your next sprint at about 80 percent max intensity.
# Recover. Recover for 2 minutes.
# Sprint. Perform the remainder of your sprints at 100 percent max intensity or all-out efforts of 30 seconds. You should be pushing yourself to the max for each one.
# Recover. Recover for 2 to 4 minutes after each sprint to allow your breathing and heart rate to slow to the point that you can hold a conversation without gasping.
# Repeat. Repeat the sprint/recovery routine 4-8 times depending upon your level and ability. For your first workout, you will want to stop at 4 sprints. That's fine. Try to build up to 8.
# Workout Goal. The goal is to do this workout six times in two two weeks and then back off to twice a week for maintenance for six to eight weeks before you change your workout.
# Rest and Recovery. Allow at least one to two days of rest or other easy exercise between sprint workouts.

The important thing to remember is that you should ALREADY be in good shape, and that you do ~3x/week. Any runner knows that their knees and ankles are at danger, so doing this every day is just asking for it. But it works much faster at building endurance.


If anyone here is looking for an easy way to get into shape, I highly suggest Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred. It's 20 minutes a day and it absolutely kicks your butt if you're not in tip-top form, but the results are awesome. Edited June 22, 2010 by eleanor

[Ravenstorture]

[quote name='Japan' date='21 June 2010 - 01:09 AM' timestamp='1277050148' post='695686']
That is mostly doctor's orders. They don't know what is wrong with my digestive system so I have a strict diet plan that I must follow.
[/quote]

That sucks. Bread and pasta is a vital source of energy, and meat... well, meat is just awesome. Going without is better than being sick, though! So best of luck with that journey.

Great advice, Eleanor! I have a friend who is a competitive body builder, his diet plan is very strict but his rule is on Sundays, he can eat anything at all and as much as he likes. It works, too! Edited June 22, 2010 by Ravenstorture

[Claire]

I am so ridiculously out of shape, it's ridiculous. I'm apparently at a healthy weight, which is great, but I'm still not happy with my body and I can barely do anything physical without getting exhausted and sore for days. I ran as fast as I could for about twenty feet a few days ago and had to stop cause I was out of breath; about ten minutes later my legs felt like jelly, and today they are still aching. It's stupid.

I almost got on the elliptical bike this morning, but after about twenty seconds I decided I absolutely did not feel like it and left.

I try to do Wii Fit every now and then, but I can't make myself do it every day. I'm so jealous of people who have great bodies and can do awesome things with them, but I rarely have the motivation to work towards that kind of goal.

At the very least I try to eat decently. I've been a vegetarian for about three years now; in the first year without meat I lost about forty pounds without adding any extra physical activity to my daily routine. I don't like to eat junk food and I just recently gave up soda. Every now and then I try to go vegan, but too many of the foods I rely on contain some kind of dairy product.

When I'm at school I usually pack a healthy lunch, like peanut butter and banana on whole wheat bread, raw veggies, and yogurt. Plus my school is HUGE so I do a ton of walking. I never gained the notorious "freshman fifteen." Unfortunately, I've been out of school for almost two months now, and I'm afraid I'm gaining weight. Uggh.

[quote name='Ravenstorture' date='20 June 2010 - 06:53 AM' timestamp='1277031186' post='695679']
That's very admirable indeed. May I ask why you have decided to give up bread and pasta? Actually, I don't understand the red meat and citrus either.[/quote]
I haven't studied this stuff, but I would guess that the red meat thing has to do with enzymes. My mom can't eat beef because she doesn't have the enzymes that help digest it. Or at least that's what she says. We could both be totally wrong.

Citrus is pretty acidic, too, which could probably harm someone whose digestive system lacked the necessary stuff (yes, stuff, that's how informed I am). But like I said, I don't actually know, I'm only guessing.

I wish I could give up bread. My family isn't exactly health conscious, though, and my mom will occasionally bring home giant baguettes that are nearly impossible to not eat in foot long increments. Edited June 24, 2010 by Tonks

[eleanor]

[quote name='Tonks' date='24 June 2010 - 06:47 PM' timestamp='1277419625' post='695947']
I am so ridiculously out of shape, it's ridiculous. I'm apparently at a healthy weight, which is great, but I'm still not happy with my body and I can barely do anything physical without getting exhausted and sore for days. I ran as fast as I could for about twenty feet a few days ago and had to stop cause I was out of breath; about ten minutes later my legs felt like jelly, and today they are still aching. It's stupid.

I almost got on the elliptical bike this morning, but after about twenty seconds I decided I absolutely did not feel like it and left.

I try to do Wii Fit every now and then, but I can't make myself do it every day. I'm so jealous of people who have great bodies and can do awesome things with them, but I rarely have the motivation to work towards that kind of goal.

[/quote]

If you're striving to get a more toned body, I'd recommend weight lifting if you find cardio too boring/tiring. Weight lifting will help start everything-- it helps visually more than cardio does.

[Anakoni Stark]

[FONT="Times New Roman"]I traded in skateboarding for surfing and running parkour after moving from LA to Miami, probably the best decision I've made since coming back to the US.

No, actually going from a regular diet to vegetarianism and ending up vegan actually was.
Aside from riding the waves and running like a maniac in a fluid motion to help me stay in shape I've been working on my Muyi Thai kickboxing skills (which are really rusty at the moment.)[/FONT]