For the elite gym goers out there.

iKristine · December 2011

I have eased onto fitness training over the course of about 12 weeks. It started first by changing my diet. I eliminated nearly all processed foods, and educated myself on nutrition. So now I eat to live, not live to eat. And I rarely make compromises on this value since starting. I always get good sleep, keep my protein above 80 grams a day and drink plenty water.

I then started at the middle august in training. I hit it pretty hardcore for me, who was sedentary by all standards. I started walking to school. It's 1.5 miles each way. I did this 3 times a week. That was pretty tough at first, to go from no walking really at all - to blisters. It took some time, had some experiences with overtraining, took roughly a month, but now I can handle that easily. While my speed has not necessarily improved, my stamina, ability, willingness to engage has. It's rather effortless now. I remember at first my calfs burned! Now, not so much. Check.

Well during this time I eased into weight training as well. So I walk the 30 minutes each way covering 1.5 miles, and now I alternate upper, lower body days. EX: day 1 I choose upper body. I might choose strictly machines, tricep, chess press, rotary lats, biceps, lower back. Then day 2: Leg extension, leg curls, leg press, hip abductions in/out, abdominals. Then day 3: choose 5-8 exercises either machine or free weight. I try to not be too stingy on this, and try to not do back to back body groups without at least a day recovery. But no matter what when I leave I make sure I had at least 5 exercises, 3 sets and 10 reps. Now I average 3-4 days a week with this and has been the going for at least a month and half.

Since my diet is good, my DOMS has minimized to non existent. I'm okay with that. But I'm curious to know, what really constitutes healthy. I get my diet is good, I get I am being active walking and weights. But, I just feel as though there is something more I should be doing. But I'm not going to run out and start soccer or anything like that. Cardio is a weak spot for me. While I can handle more cardio, I cannot sustain it really comfortably. Maybe that's something I can challenge myself with, but by the time I walk, weight train I am in no mood to cardio.

I did sign myself up next semester for Hatha Yoga and Kempo. So I will add these onto my workout for 4 days. But I might not necessarily choose to work out on the days I do these activities. I will listen to my body on this one. Get a feel for what I can handle reasonably and go from there.

What do you guys do? What's your going.... When did you begin to feel as though, you accomplished enough that this is maintenance?

Art2011 · December 2011

I am hardly an elite gym goer, but I would still like to write a reply. First, I am 55 years old, I have been in and out of good condition many times in my life. I have learned a lot from my success and my being not so successful.

First, you have a very intelligent program started. You have taken steps to gain fitness levels and have avoided over training. BRAVO! Hopefully, you will never reach a level where you say that is enough and stop challenging yourself. If you do, this will be the death toll on your program. You don't need to set goals to be an ultra athlete, but you need goals. When the weights become easy, add weight. Vary your programs ever three or four months. If your are walking 1.5 miles in 30 minutes, aim for 29 minutes. When you succeed there, aim for 28 minutes. Soon you will find that you are easily jogging to your workout.

Keep up the good work. Keep challenging your self!

HollyMac20 · December 2011

Congrats on making the changes, sounds like you have a good handle on things.

I find that you need to have something to shoot for, a goal, event, time or weight to keep pushing. That is one thing with fitness is that your body adapts. Your 1.5 mile walk once seemed hard, not you say you do it almost effortlessly. Time to bump it up. Maybe you take the long way home now, or start to jog at intervals. Look into a couch to 5k program, especially if you have recognized that cardio is not your strong suit.

I do a lot of classes at my gym. There are always modifications to make it harder and I try to be the one that people want to keep up with. That keeps me going. Running is another activity that you can alway keep making improvements. Weight lifting is another. I found Crossfit and there is no ceiling on accompishments. You are always pushing for a higher weight or faster time. You are making improvements if you feel out of your comfort zone.

Sounds like you need a goal, something is missing in your fitness. Healthy is a state of mind and a feeling. In my opinion, if you feel healthy, you feel like you can take on the world.

savlyon · December 2011

My goals have changed constantly as I have improved. I could do little cardio at the beginning, but 8 months later I was running a half marathon.
Would a doctor determine you are "healthy?" Meaning...your bmi and body fat content are "normal"? Cholesterol, etc, is all low? Exercising 5x a week (30 minutes a day) and you are at a low risk for developing diseases...I think then your goals should be your own. But I don't believe anyone will ever tell you they are "maintaining." Most people believe they can continue to improve themselves up until they no longer breathe.

iKristine · December 2011

Thank you.

I have spent many hours researching and experimenting that I feel as though I know what I needed because I have literally exhausted all resources possible in finding out the right way to do it. That's how I know this is a lifestyle change, when I never experienced a lack of motivation.

I do have goals. I want to be my ideal weight by this time next year, but more importantly to me are the short term goals of being on Onderland by Spring and 170-180 by summer. That officially would mark the smallest I have ever been in my adult life. I think by that point I might consider letting up just enough that it's not a 24/7 drive anymore.

I think the longer routes idea is excellent. I think I will incorporate that starting next week.

Scarlett_S · December 2011

I agree that once your walk is effortless, you need to speed it up or start doing interval jogging or sprinting. As soon as something becomes "not hard" in my journey, I have to bump it up to make it hard again, and that keeps me gaining muscle tone and losing weight.

I don't know what all of your options are, but five or six months into my weight loss, I hired a trainer. She took me further over the last 12 weeks than I could have ever done on my own - she pushes me, teaches me things I never would have known with just a barbell or hand weights, and doesn't let me stop. When she sees that a week or two of something is becoming easier for me, she ramps it up. I've gotten more muscle tone in the last three months than I did in the six previous on my own, and I have increased things like reps of pushups from 13 at a time to 50. I've gone from doing ONE unassisted pullup to doing 18. Things like that.

For the elite gym goers out there.

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