how to mix it up?

lin7604

not sure what happened to my post so i will try this again, sorry if it's a double somewhere.

to give a brief summary, i started exercising on Oct 22nd, doing 45 min 5 days a week. after 1 month, i saw no difference at all in weight or body changes. So when dec came i threw in 30ds and changed it up. i did that daily and did 20 min of cardio to warm up. so i was doing in total 43 min a day of exercise. I have only lost 4 lbs in total since oct 22nd. I just came back from a vacation and am getting back on the horse... now i want to re-do the 30ds dvd and keep it as my priority, should i keep doing what i was doing for another 30 days till i'm done the dvd again or should i mix it up some how? doing just the dvd isn't enough i guess as i only burn about 160 doing it. I do want to burn at least 200 cals a day. I only have 1 hr a day to exercise... so what do you think? should i keep it the same for the next month and a bit or mix it up some how?

bjfmade

I mix it up with the elliptical, bike riding, and C25k. It is about what works for you! As long as you are moving, it can't be wrong.

lin7604

so should i keep doing it the same day, before / after the dvd? i was trying to do elliptical one day and treadmill the next. I just didn't know if that was a good thing and to keep doing it since i am having trouble getting this weight off.

what's c25k?

tigersword

You didn't say anything about how you eat. Weight loss is all about diet, the calories you burn from exercise really don't matter, since you should be eating them back. Exercise is for your body composition, not for losing weight.

Losing weight is about eating right, strengthening your body is about exercising. They are mostly, but not completely, mutually exclusive.

thatsnumberwang

One thing you haven't mentioned is what your intake has been like. If your calories are too high (or too low), it's hard to expect exercise of any kind to make a huge difference.

tigersword

Also, changing up exercising just for the sake of changing it up is useless. It's just marketing, so people in the industry can sell you their next DVD, or the newest magazine issue. The best way to change up in exercise? If it's weight training, lift heavier weights. If it's running, run faster or longer. All you have to do is change the stress level, not the entire movement.

If all you do is change from running to the elliptical, how do you know you're improving your health and performance? Rather than just switching to an easier exercise? While if you go from running a 12 minute mile to a 10 minute mile, well, that's progress you can track. Calorie burn really isn't that useful as a marker for health, since as you lose weight, you will burn less calories anyway.

lin7604

oh sorry i have been on 1200 cal a day and i always eat back my exercise calories. I cut our pop pretty much, except one in a while if we are out ( i used to drink a 2 liter a day) so that is huge progress for me. The one thing i did notice is that i don't crave chips and sweets since i started all of this, so that is next to nill now. we have changed dinner to making sure we get in 2 fish days a week now, only 1 beef day and 2 chicken days. i am portion controlling and measuring my food a lot more. I know i could eat more veggies and i am trying ( as we do a stir fry weekly now too), i have limited my fruit as i can eat it all day and i had no idea that 1 med banana could have 100 cals in it. so i know i have been doing a lot of positive changes which has been hard at some time and then not seeing any results is discouraging. I just didn't know if i should of changed up my exercise or what? i like the 30 ds dvd and want to keep that up daily as long as i can till i get sick of it,lol... but with only 1 hr a day that i can squeese in exercise i need ot make the right choice...

lin7604

Also, changing up exercising just for the sake of changing it up is useless. It's just marketing, so people in the industry can sell you their next DVD, or the newest magazine issue. The best way to change up in exercise? If it's weight training, lift heavier weights. If it's running, run faster or longer. All you have to do is change the stress level, not the entire movement.

If all you do is change from running to the elliptical, how do you know you're improving your health and performance? Rather than just switching to an easier exercise? While if you go from running a 12 minute mile to a 10 minute mile, well, that's progress you can track. Calorie burn really isn't that useful as a marker for health, since as you lose weight, you will burn less calories anyway.

well isn't it true that your body gets used to your exercise and that is why you have to change it up? i am asking b/c i am new to this exercise thing and that is what i keep hearing. everyone says maybe my body is getting used to what i am doing? i didn't think that was possible yet since it really hasn't been a long time doing it.... but i have no idea.

i don't run, i can't b/c of knees. So do power walking on either the elliptical or treadmill and i try to up the speed every few weeks or the incline to give me a challenge... but then again i don't know how often i need to change that ? how long do i really need to work out for it to be beneficial, and the pace i'm doing right now is i think my max, but i am unsure of when to push myself to a new challenge...... sorry if i sound dumb but like i said i am new to this and just am trying to figure all this out to get it to start working for me. i don't want to just keep getting discouraged and give up.

so my question to you is do you think i am doing good then doing a 20 min warm up of cardio and doing the 30ds dvd a day or should i also be adding a cool down on the treadmill of 20 min and get a whole 60 min in a day? or just change up that 20 min to 30 or just increase the incline, etc...

XXXivyXXX

C25K means Couch to 5k, its an app which helps you get off the couch and run 5k.

tigersword

Also, changing up exercising just for the sake of changing it up is useless. It's just marketing, so people in the industry can sell you their next DVD, or the newest magazine issue. The best way to change up in exercise? If it's weight training, lift heavier weights. If it's running, run faster or longer. All you have to do is change the stress level, not the entire movement.

If all you do is change from running to the elliptical, how do you know you're improving your health and performance? Rather than just switching to an easier exercise? While if you go from running a 12 minute mile to a 10 minute mile, well, that's progress you can track. Calorie burn really isn't that useful as a marker for health, since as you lose weight, you will burn less calories anyway.

well isn't it true that your body gets used to your exercise and that is why you have to change it up? i am asking b/c i am new to this exercise thing and that is what i keep hearing. everyone says maybe my body is getting used to what i am doing? i didn't think that was possible yet since it really hasn't been a long time doing it.... but i have no idea.

i don't run, i can't b/c of knees. So do power walking on either the elliptical or treadmill and i try to up the speed every few weeks or the incline to give me a challenge... but then again i don't know how often i need to change that ? how long do i really need to work out for it to be beneficial, and the pace i'm doing right now is i think my max, but i am unsure of when to push myself to a new challenge...... sorry if i sound dumb but like i said i am new to this and just am trying to figure all this out to get it to start working for me. i don't want to just keep getting discouraged and give up.

so my question to you is do you think i am doing good then doing a 20 min warm up of cardio and doing the 30ds dvd a day or should i also be adding a cool down on the treadmill of 20 min and get a whole 60 min in a day? or just change up that 20 min to 30 or just increase the incline, etc...

I'll use weight training, since that's currently what I'm doing, to illustrate what I mean about the changing it up concept. I do barbell squats. If I do barbell squats with 100 pounds every time I do barbell squats, yes, my body will adjust to it, and eventually it will stop being effective. However, if I change from 100 pounds to 150 pounds, I'm still doing barbell squats, but it's now a completely different exercise that my body certainly is NOT adjusted to, as the resistance is much higher, and the effort needed is much greater to achieve the same result. In a nutshell, that's all you need to do to "change it up." You said you keep bumping up the speed when you exercise, that's exactly how it should work. As long as you keep upping the speed, you are continuing to challenge your body. As for how often? Bump it up a notch every time.

As for your routine, I'm not too familiar with 30DS, but if it includes a cool down as part of the routine, there's no need to add an extra cool down afterward, unless you feel you still have the energy to do it, and you enjoy it. I only work out 3 days a week, for about 30-40 minutes at a time, IMO, it's not how long you work out for, it's how much effort you put into it. Yes, eventually you won't be able to increase it any more, but I bet it will take a lot longer than you think.

Also, as far as your food, 1200 may be too low a number for you. 1200 is a very low target for anybody. Believe it or not, a lot of times you have to eat more to lose weight.

lin7604

thx you , very helpful info!!!! so now my question is when i bump up my speed or incline how am i going to get it to still be a effective workout as i can't run. so i can only get to about a 4.0 power walk and if i do a bit of intense training and do 2 min faster and then 2-3 slower is about all i can do but not consistent. so when i get to that level easily, what next since i can't run?

tigersword

If you get to that point where you max out on speed, start boosting the incline if you can. Raising the incline a little at a time will definitely increase your burn. Just don't hold onto the treadmill, use your body to balance yourself. You'd be amazed at how much harder you'll have to work once the incline starts going up regularly.

lin7604

so go as fast as i can before increasing the incline, correct? when i was on holidays last week the resort i was at had new treadmills and they had programs on it, so i selected a program, wasn't sure what to expect. well it went up and down the entire workout, it was actually good. I kept at 3.5 pace the entire time... so that i shouldn't do until i am maxed out with speed, right.....

addisondisease

You don't HAVE to max speed first then incline, but you will see progress if you continue to challenge yourself.

Still using tigers squat example, say she is squatting 100lbs, she could either go up to 150lbs OR squat 100lbs FASTER. Either way she is forcing her body to do more each time. THAT is what you should take away from this. To always push yourself.

lin7604

so what does one do when they max out on speed and incline,lol....