Fat Kid turned Trainer, looking to help!
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HI going to add you for when I do have questions0
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Hi! No idea if you can help but you seem to know your stuff so no harm in asking...
I was wondering if you have any tips I can use to help my mum. She's really overweight (needs to lose at least 70lbs) but she finds it hard to exercise because of various injuries (some of which were caused by her being so overweight!).
She has arthritic hands and knees (one of which was also bashed badly ina car accident - it was a long time ago but she still gets pain from it occasionally), and has recently had steroid injections for a problem with her shoulder. She will be 60 next year. I just feel so sorry for her - she has been overweight for a long time and the older she gets the less she believes she can lose the weight. She lacks a lot of confidence and because she cares for a disabled child her time is limited. She also takes medication for hypothyroidism, which doesn't help!
I paid for her to have swimming lessons once but she was very nervous in the pool and while she did okay for a while, her teacher got changed, she didn't like or trust him so she stopped going. I know swimming would be the best exercise for her because it's low impact and would support her joints etc, but it's going to take a long time to get her back in the water.
Do you have any other ideas for exercise she can do? I really want to help her as much as I can but I'm running out of ideas for cardio she could manage to do on a regular basis!
Any suggestions or advice really gratefully accepted!
Swimming is fantastic for people with joint issues! I would say try to encourage her to get back into that if at all possible.
She could also try a recumbent bicycle (or the equivalent piece of cardio equipment at a gym.) They have 0 impact on the joints, but if her knees are really bad, it might still cause problems.
The other program that seems to be very manageable for people with joint pain is called Body by Science. It's actually a strength program, but it would cause her to burn calories as well as building some muscle and strengthening her bones. It uses exercise machines, but at a very slow pace, minimizing the force placed on joints and muscles while still giving them a good workout.
Hope that helps a bit!
Best,
Kent0 -
Do you have any ideas about what to do for lower abs? I feel like even when I have lost weight it always stayed there. Feel welcome to friend/message me!
Unfortunately there is no way to target fat loss to a specific area - it will come off from all over when you lose weight. However, some spots tend to be stubborn: in women, it's often fat on the thighs, buttocks, hips, and lower abdomen that tend to come off last.
My initial recommendation would be to strengthen the muscles there! It won't cause you to lose that last bit of fat any faster, but it could look better if your lower abs are poppin'. Try hanging leg raises or reverse crunches to really hit the lower abs.
The other thing is just to keep your diet tight and do a bit of cardio to burn that last bit of fat away... It isn't always a fast journey, but if you stay committed, you can get there!
Hope that helps,
K0 -
Hi Kent,
I am gonna add you if that's ok! I have gone years of yo yo dieting, starvation, purging the lot and finally as I have matured I have realised there really id only one way to do it healthily! I am 5ft 5.5" and currently weight 146lbs. I lost all my post baby weight doing ww but once I got to goal "their goal for me may I add" I started military type training. This is when I saw my appetite go crazy and weight going up!!!
I started MFP last week and started the gym 3 weeks ago doing a variety of spinning, cardio, fartlek on the treadmill, kettlebells and circuits (I am trying to keep it varied to prevent boredom). However I have started struggling with not weighing myself everyday and after working so hard get so frustrated that my weight hardly moves?? Q - do you think I should eat back all the calories earned via workouts?? I am only eating around half of these?0 -
Carb Burning vs Fat Burning...
Is there a difference? If I am looking to lose weight which should I be aiming for? I usually do cardio 3-5 times a week, walking, elipitical, bike and just starting jogging.0 -
MFP seems to give such generous amounts of calorie burns, does it look right to you? And is working out for say 15 minutes here and there but adding up to 60 minutes really count for 60minutes? Don't you need to get your heart rate up and hold it there for a period of time? Really I am so out of shape 15 minutes of Aerobic Dancing is all I can handle right now and I don't feel like I am burning the calories.
If working out for 15 minutes is all you can handle right now, then yes, that absolutely counts as a workout! Slowly work up to being able to do more, but don't worry about it in the mean time... Constantly strive for improvement, and give each day your all. If you don't feel like you're burning enough calories, the easiest thing to do would be to eat a little bit less, to make sure you're at a proper deficit.
Hope that helps!
K0 -
Hi Kent,
I am a 28 yr old mommy to 7 children. I am 5' 4". I have about 7 more pounds to lose till I am at my wedding weight and would like to lose 10 more after that. My twins are 8 months old and I have recently started to really push toward my weight loss goals. I was doing interval running and 30 day shred. However, I am having lots of pain on the top of my foot. I think maybe a tendon is sore from all the running? It seems to feel temporarily better if I wrap it up and ice it, but hurts when I move again. My question is how can I minimize the pain so I can continue and how can I prevent further injury. If you need more info let me know. Thanks for being willing to help!
My cheeky response would be "if it hurts, don't do it," but that's not very productive, now is it...?
Interval running can be quite taxing, especially if you're really giving it your all. I'd recommend doing something with less impact, like interval rowing (on a machine) or interval cycling (again, on a machine.) They accomplish the same goal of a good HIIT workout, without all the stress on your joints.
It could also be something in the 30 day shred that's causing you a problem... but there are so many movements there it would be hard to pinpoint it.
Hope that helps!
Kent0 -
Tell Me Everything You Know!!!! Please c:0
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Hi Kent,
I am gonna add you if that's ok! I have gone years of yo yo dieting, starvation, purging the lot and finally as I have matured I have realised there really id only one way to do it healthily! I am 5ft 5.5" and currently weight 146lbs. I lost all my post baby weight doing ww but once I got to goal "their goal for me may I add" I started military type training. This is when I saw my appetite go crazy and weight going up!!!
I started MFP last week and started the gym 3 weeks ago doing a variety of spinning, cardio, fartlek on the treadmill, kettlebells and circuits (I am trying to keep it varied to prevent boredom). However I have started struggling with not weighing myself everyday and after working so hard get so frustrated that my weight hardly moves?? Q - do you think I should eat back all the calories earned via workouts?? I am only eating around half of these?
If I were you, I'd eat right around maintenance and, if weight loss is still a goal, don't eat those calories back. If performance / muscle gain is more of your goal at the moment, eat some of the calories back, or all of them if you're totally ravenous.
Hope that helps a bit!
Kent0 -
Carb Burning vs Fat Burning...
Is there a difference? If I am looking to lose weight which should I be aiming for? I usually do cardio 3-5 times a week, walking, elipitical, bike and just starting jogging.
It turns out that while lower intensity cardio tends to burn more fat IN THE MOMENT and higher intensity burns more carbs IN THE MOMENT, all that really matters at the end of the day is total calories burned. I always tell people the most important things with cardio are 1) You enjoy it and 2) it doesn't interfere with recovery from your strength training. Other than that, the (cardio) world is your oyster!
Kent0 -
Tell Me Everything You Know!!!! Please c:
I'm tryin! It's way too much to type here, but I outline my general approach to fitness on my site at http://www.kentmccannfitness.com/guides 0 -
Thank you so much for offering your help! I am definitely adding you, however, no questions at this moment.
Thanks so much again!0 -
I do have a question for whenever you have time and energy to answer! I want to know about heart rates. I have been using a heart rate monitor for over two years and I try to get to my MHR several times during a workout(cardio) and am not satisfied unless I can do this. I don't understand when you finish the workout why the HRM tells you 25% fat when I work out hard but 60% if I go to a wimpy class. I tend to focus on calories burned, which is much higher when I get to my MHR several times. What should I be striving for? I keep hearing mixed things! I am a 48 year old woman and my resting heart rate is about 50. I want to lose 7 1/2 pounds! Help me please!0
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Hi Kent,
My cheeky response would be "if it hurts, don't do it," but that's not very productive, now is it...?
I guess I was going for no pain no gain.
Oh well, I might try waiting on the interval running until I am done shredding and just keep walking till then. I only have a tredmill so I am limited as far as machine options. Thanks for the help.
Interval running can be quite taxing, especially if you're really giving it your all. I'd recommend doing something with less impact, like interval rowing (on a machine) or interval cycling (again, on a machine.) They accomplish the same goal of a good HIIT workout, without all the stress on your joints.
It could also be something in the 30 day shred that's causing you a problem... but there are so many movements there it would be hard to pinpoint it.
Hope that helps!
Kent
I guess I was going for no pain no gain. Oh well, I might try waiting on the interval running until I am done shredding and just keep walking till then. I only have a tredmill so I am limited as far as machine options. Thanks for the help. 0 -
I do have a question for whenever you have time and energy to answer! I want to know about heart rates. I have been using a heart rate monitor for over two years and I try to get to my MHR several times during a workout(cardio) and am not satisfied unless I can do this. I don't understand when you finish the workout why the HRM tells you 25% fat when I work out hard but 60% if I go to a wimpy class. I tend to focus on calories burned, which is much higher when I get to my MHR several times. What should I be striving for? I keep hearing mixed things! I am a 48 year old woman and my resting heart rate is about 50. I want to lose 7 1/2 pounds! Help me please!
Calories burned is what matters at the end of the day, don't worry about if it's from fat or not. If you can handle higher intensity cardio to burn more calories in a given period of time, go for it!
Working out should never feel easy... if it is, you're probably wasting your time. So push hard on that cardio! Just make sure it doesn't detract from your ability to recover from a strength workout, if you're doing any.0 -
Hi Kent,
My cheeky response would be "if it hurts, don't do it," but that's not very productive, now is it...?
I guess I was going for no pain no gain. Oh well, I might try waiting on the interval running until I am done shredding and just keep walking till then. I only have a tredmill so I am limited as far as machine options. Thanks for the help.
Interval running can be quite taxing, especially if you're really giving it your all. I'd recommend doing something with less impact, like interval rowing (on a machine) or interval cycling (again, on a machine.) They accomplish the same goal of a good HIIT workout, without all the stress on your joints.
It could also be something in the 30 day shred that's causing you a problem... but there are so many movements there it would be hard to pinpoint it.
Hope that helps!
Kent
I guess I was going for no pain no gain. Oh well, I might try waiting on the interval running until I am done shredding and just keep walking till then. I only have a tredmill so I am limited as far as machine options. Thanks for the help.
I like "no pain no gain" as a general philosophy, but there's a difference between a good pain (muscle soreness the day after a workout, some serious burn after a heavy set of squats,) and bad pain (can't walk because your lower back hurts, knees give out going up or down stairs.)0 -
Carb Burning vs Fat Burning...
Is there a difference? If I am looking to lose weight which should I be aiming for? I usually do cardio 3-5 times a week, walking, elipitical, bike and just starting jogging.
It turns out that while lower intensity cardio tends to burn more fat IN THE MOMENT and higher intensity burns more carbs IN THE MOMENT, all that really matters at the end of the day is total calories burned. I always tell people the most important things with cardio are 1) You enjoy it and 2) it doesn't interfere with recovery from your strength training. Other than that, the (cardio) world is your oyster!
Kent
Thanks for your time and for your information Kent :-)0 -
Carb Burning vs Fat Burning...
Is there a difference? If I am looking to lose weight which should I be aiming for? I usually do cardio 3-5 times a week, walking, elipitical, bike and just starting jogging.
It turns out that while lower intensity cardio tends to burn more fat IN THE MOMENT and higher intensity burns more carbs IN THE MOMENT, all that really matters at the end of the day is total calories burned. I always tell people the most important things with cardio are 1) You enjoy it and 2) it doesn't interfere with recovery from your strength training. Other than that, the (cardio) world is your oyster!
Kent
Thanks for your time and for your information Kent :-)
My pleasure holly! Best of luck!0 -
Hey Kent! I'm hoping to have gastric bypass surgery in a few months (just started all my meetings and what not). Any advice on what kind of exercises I should be able to do? Obviously gentle walking for the first few days...Feel free to add me as a friend!Hey Guys!
My name's Kent. MFP was an immensely useful tool for me over the last few years when I decided it was time to lose some weight and get in shape. I've since then become a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach, and now I'm looking to give back to this amazing community!
Feel free to add me as a friend and send me a message, or you can post questions here! You can also post questions on my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/kentmccannfitness (it has much better mobile support, so if I'm not at a computer, I could still field those questions easily.)
So you know, the more detail you can give me in your questions, the better. Age, height, weight, activity level, goals, exercise plan, etc.
I look forward to helping some of you guys out!
Edit: I work full time as an EMT, kinda weird hours, so I apologize if I take a bit getting back to questions some of the time. I'll do my best to stay on top of it though!
Kent McCann
Personal Trainer + Nutrition Coach0 -
Hi Kent -
What is your opinion on:
1. lifting light weights at the same time you do cardio? Any benefits other than raising the heart rate?
2. lifting light weights but doing so for lots & lots of reps? Just another way of getting in a cardio session or does it also tone?
Much thanks!0
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