Advice regarding activity level.

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joybedford
joybedford Posts: 1,680 Member
Hi all I need your advice I think I might be overdoing it with the working out. My husband thinks I am and has given me a telling off this morning. My goals are to build muscle and drop body fat. My current weekly level of activity is as follows:-
Monday- Jillian Michaels body revolution, 40 minutes strength training, 2 hour dance class.
Tuesday- Jillian milchaels body revolution, 40 minutes strength training
Wednesday- run 40 minutes about 4 miles
Thursday- JMBR 40 mins strength
Friday-JMBR 40 mins strength
Saturday run 40 minutes
Sunday yoga or rest
All these are interchangeable depending on work etc.
On top of this I am attempting to work a 30-40 hour week and look after 3 kids. Me and my daughter have a dance show in 3 weeks so we are rehearsing 2-3 times a week this involves lots of travelling and major organisation skills. I work a lot of nights and rarely get enough sleep. I am quite honestly exhausted.
I am going to drop the body revolution I think and just do the strength and running. I love running in keeps me sane and with special needs kids I need sanity.
Any advice or tips. We go on holiday soon and I am considering a total break from working out whilst I am there. I have never taken a total break and my last easy week was last August. Looking forward to your advice. I am not sure a break is possible as I said working out keeps me sane.

Replies

  • sarahorange55
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    WOW you are one busy lady!! I would certainly look at cutting back on something - as not many rest periods in there

    I would personally look at keeping the stuff that keeps you sane and cut out the ones which are not really doing to anything other than taking up your time?

    Whats your food intake like as with that exercise schedule you must be eating a high amount? if not - you need to I would have said - exhaustion - doing too much OR not eating enough or combo of the two?

    Good luck either way!!
  • joybedford
    joybedford Posts: 1,680 Member
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    I am eating 2000 calories a day. My TDEE according to my fitbit is 2400ish per day, never lower than 1900 and sometime 2900. Depends on activity for the day. Do you think I am eating enough.
  • kathleenjoyful
    kathleenjoyful Posts: 210 Member
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    What kind of strength training are you doing? Regardless, you need to let your body repair and rest, to build that muscle. Lifting will help the most with fat loss and muscle gain of course, so focus on building your strength. Agree with Sarah to keep what keeps you sane! Cut Jillian Michaels Body Revolution, it isn't necessary if you're doing dance, running and strength. Consider cutting back on running until the dance show is over, or maybe taking two days rest a week instead.

    I never get enough sleep either, and in the long run it becomes really detrimental to our emotional and physical health, especially while training. Slow down lady! You must have so much energy and I relate to it, I go through periods where I DO EVERYTHING! socially, training and work. I've seen more dramatic results in my physique and greater strength gains, when I've just focussed on that and cut unnecessary or excessive amounts of cardio though. My feelings about cardio is that it should be fun and short (unless hiking or swimming at the beach) -- seems like you might have that covered with dance and running.

    Do you log your strength workouts in your Fitbit? Your TDEE might be much higher, factoring in more intensive cardio like dance and running, and strength training on top of that. Are you hungry? Are you tired? I would reduce your cut to 10%, so that you are really nourishing your metabolism and so you have enough energy for your busy life! Protein is important for muscle building, but make sure you're getting enough carbs for your energy levels and workouts too.
  • sarahorange55
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    I would have thought 2400 for your busy life might be a bit low - however instead of taking a full fitness break maybe eat at TDEE for a week or so - we are supposed to that anyway every so often to make sure how body isn't resetting our TDEE lower again

    if that gives you way more energy then you can say that you probably should be eating more

    and yeah repair and rest!! good points above ;)
  • joybedford
    joybedford Posts: 1,680 Member
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    Thankyou for your replies. Up till yesterday my fitbit was linked to MFP so I didn't need to log my workouts, I just did and it didn't make a difference to my TDEE. . We go on holiday on the 12th April so I will save eating at TDEE for then. I currently have my cut at TDEE-15% but I havnt truly noted what my TDEE is according to fitbit will need to pay more attention. Today TDEE is 2500 . The strength training I am doing is day 1 shoulders and triceps, day 2 biceps and back, day 3 legs, day 4 traps and abs, I think I need another leg day. I am not so much hungry as have the munchies I have a sweet tooth and like to finish off my meal with a dessert. I have lots to learn but I will get there.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Oh yes you do have to manually log some exercise, read Fitbit's site on activity it is NOT good at estimating, because it's not step based.

    Your TDEE is under-estimated because you don't manually log your strength training, and that counts a whole lot more than Fitbit is giving you credit for.
    Ever look at the steps and calorie burn during your lifting workout? Very low compared to reality.

    You need to go back to a test week and log your lifting as Strength training. It may seem low compared to cardio, but it's better than the nothing you are getting.
    That will give you a better indicator of TDEE.

    Since I'll presume you are wearing the Fitbit to improve accuracy of TDEE estimate, if so, wouldn't you want it more accurate if possible.

    Also, as others are pointing out.

    Exercise if done right tears the body down.
    Rest for repair and recovery is what allows it to be built back up - stronger if diet allows.

    Just to confirm - where is your rest?
    Add to that, recovery is impaired in a diet, takes longer and you of course don't get the stronger part nearly as much as eating in surplus.
    It's good to see you space out the lifting workouts, and the classes are probably not nearly the workout they used to be, efficiency of movement and what not. But I wouldn't be surprised if they are impacting getting a good lifting workout in.
    I figure, if you are going to spend time doing the lifting, why not do it best for best effect?

    Might want to think about your focus, because your TDEE is going to go up once you have lifting entered in, and if you can hit that goal, that will help with recovery. Probably not enough though. You'd probably be shocked at the improvements you could have been making with a different laid out workout schedule.
  • joybedford
    joybedford Posts: 1,680 Member
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    To clarify do you mean to add lifting on the fitbit website or add to MFP and eat back those calories. Just want to be sure. I don't get enough rest because I am so busy with my children/work etc but I like to lift/run as that is my me time. I have decided to drop the body revolution and the Sunday yoga so i have a total rest day. Also if I am really busy like a night shift I will skip working out . I do tend to prioritize working out over sleep which I know isn't right. As I said lots to learn. Thanks for the advice will mull this over throughout the day.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    To clarify do you mean to add lifting on the fitbit website or add to MFP and eat back those calories. Just want to be sure. I don't get enough rest because I am so busy with my children/work etc but I like to lift/run as that is my me time. I have decided to drop the body revolution and the Sunday yoga so i have a total rest day. Also if I am really busy like a night shift I will skip working out . I do tend to prioritize working out over sleep which I know isn't right. As I said lots to learn. Thanks for the advice will mull this over throughout the day.

    When you have it synced you add them on MFP, and you replace their bad estimate. Then of course that is accounted for so in essence yes you will eat them back to maintain a reasonable deficit.
    But you mentioned unsynced now, so just add them to the Fitbit site as weight lifting - then you'll have to decide was it an easy maintenance type lifting, or it was actually hard for you power lifting type lifting.

    But I thought you were merely trying to find your TDEE level, so doing it on the Fitbit site should be enough to see what the adjusted TDEE is.

    And so true on sleep, since that is major time for repair, and lack of it just adds stress.

    So with lack of sleep you have that stress, and then you have badly recovered workouts that end up just being more stress to the body.

    At least your lifts are spread out so really a chance for recovery.

    Question on that though, have you been lifting for a couple years to do an advanced program like one body part once a week?
  • joybedford
    joybedford Posts: 1,680 Member
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    I have been lifting on and off for a couple of years. I have just made up my own programme to be honest.