Would You Like That With a Side of Frustration?

[so_gauche]

I guess I decided to make that extra entry after all.

I've had a lot of thoughts in my head lately about losing weight. I have a co-worker who is currently doing Jenny Craig. This is in the midst of my own personal struggle with weight loss (and gain), so it has struck a particular chord with me. After loosing all those pounds in May, and since

Comments

[dudgeon_e]

I've said it a million times over for a million people but I'll state it again...

The goal is to make your body an efficient machine. Muscle conditioning excersizes (weights, pilates...) and cardio together are essential for maximum results. The more muscle you've got the more calories you burn at rest and in motion. Developing larger muscle groups (i.e. #1 should be your legs+heiney) will give you more bang for your buck, so to speak. Squat and lunge type of excersizes are the best for this. Also, look for excersizes that work multiple muscle groups at once (http://trainwithmeonline.com/exercise_254_Bosu_Squat_and_Row.html .....this one is very difficult to do. I don't do it myself though engaging groups like your arms and your legs is what I'm talking about) Work each muscle group 2-3 times a week. It's counter productive to work your muscles too much, it's in the rest period that your muscles are beefing themselves up for the next time you go to the gym to burden them again. If you want to spend a little time at the gym everyday, focus on certain muscle groups so you're not overworking anything. That's where the "focus on isolated muscle groups..." advice comes from.

If you do weights alone you'll plateau** in a matter of weeks just like you would if you strictly jogged. Jogging/running/biking etc... builds cardio vascular endurance (keeping your heart healthy is good) as well as burning calories. Big muscles + jogging= more calories burnt than either one alone. Slow jogging "burns fat better" than balls out sprinting because they're engaging your muscles in different ways. Look up fast-twitch/slow-twitch and you ought to find something informative. Alternating between sprinting and jogging will give you both benefits.

Begin your workouts gently and when your muscles are "warm", then give'r. When finishing your workout, "cool down" by taking it easy, espescially true for cardio. This is for the sake of managing lactic acid. That's the stuff that your muscles get smothered in when you're working them really, really hard and makes you feel really shitty about doing anything physical the next day. That's because if you don't cool down all that lactic acid just stays there and won't be fully gone for 24 hours after. Don't forget to stretch each muscle group worked for at least 30 seconds. It's really essential you get in their when your muscles are still relatively warm for best results. It'll make you more flexible which means you'll be less prone to injury and you'll also have a greater range of motion letting you do your excersizes more efficiently. i.e. if your pecs are really tight, it makes it more difficult to do a dip, let's say, since that position and movement will pull on your pecs in a nasty way. See basic dip here: http://www.trainwithmeonline.com/exercise_20_Tricep_Dips.html

You'll want to fuel your body appropriately for maxmimum efficiency. Unproccessed, whole foods are by far the best. Eat your fruits and vegetables. It's nutrients, fibre, and good carbolic fuel. I eat oranges all the time because they're delicious and they come in their own earth-friendly wrapper. You'll want to shop around the perimeter of the grocery store because that's typically where the good stuff is. There's enough evidence suggesting preservatives, food colorings, etc... is bad for you so to air on the safe side, avoid it. It's inorganic and your body doesn't know how to use it up so it ends up stewing in your cells like "fat on your ribs" is my bastardized explanation. Naturally you need your calcium, dairy's allright in my books but there's other means of getting it and it's usually easier than you think. Beans are incredible fuel thats often forgotten about. Protein, fibre, carbs, and sometimes other important nutrients. Soy beans and their by-products (tofu) is a prime example of such. Also, don't forget to stay appropriately hydrated. If you're jogging you'll likely cramp up in the muscles and you'll feel lethargic. That 8-glasses a day crap is partly true. You don't need to chug 8 glasses of fluids but you do need roughly that much in fluids which you also get in your food if you're eating right. Vegetables and especially fruits have high water content.

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