What is the best way to tone body, lose body fat and look better?

recumbent exercise bike or treadmill image

soberlunat

I want to transform my body and am open to any ideas. I usually ride a recumbent bike, use a treadmill at home. Don't have any weights. I eat pretty healthy, but have an addiction to sugar and carbs (like most people or hormonal women). I know about weight gain associated with gain of muscle and I haven't experienced that problem. Let me know what you do, or what you KNOW works. If you can, attach websites?

Answer
find daily calorie intake calculator on the net, enter all your stats and it will tell you how many calories you need a day to maintain, take off 300-400cal off that number and thats how much you need to lose.
eat 5-6 small meals a day (eat every 2-3 hours - it optimizes your metabolism)
5-8 servings of fruit and veggies a day
8 glasses of water
have complex carbs for breakfast - they give you energy
have protein (lean meat, legumes etc) for dinner - repairs muscle
cardio exercise 4-6 times a week for 30-50min, light weight training
dont consume foods that are made of white flour (white bread, cakes, pasta etc.), sugar loaded foods (cookies, icecream, candy etc) and nothing fried, oily.
ofcourse you can spoil yourself once in a while with a little treat:)

What exercises should a pregnant woman avoid and what has worked great for you?

Angel in C

Are you allowed to do any kind of stomach exercise at all? What about cardio workouts?

Answer
Pregnant women should avoid:
any contact sport
scuba diving
water skiing
surfing
horseback riding
downhill skiing
cross-country skiing
riding on a snowmobile or jet ski
and anything that requires laying on your back after 16 weeks.
You can do pregnancy workouts, workouts specifically designed for pregnant women. There are classes some people or places offer and if not there are DVDs or books you can buy like Pilate's pregnancy or yoga pregnancy. These are good for the mother and baby and can help ease pain during labor and help your pelvic muscles return to more normal after baby's delivery.
Good exercises suggested are:
walking
swimming
low impact aerobics designed specifically for pregnancy
water aerobics
stationary bicycling
regular cycling (if you are experienced)
jogging (if done before pregnancy)
tennis (played moderately)
yoga (but remember don't lay flat on your back after week 16)
walking on a treadmill
using a stair stepper or stair climber
riding a recumbent bike
using a nordic track ski machine
Most women who are in good health can exercise during pregnancy but should still okay it with their doctor. Take the necessary precautions and exercise with care. Don't overdo it.
During the third trimester water aerobics, swimming, cycling, and walking are the best.
I have a prenatal postnatal workout book I got some of this stuff from.
Pelvic floor exercises help too, and if you need help with those, just ask your doctor how to do them. All the best of luck with the baby.
Good luck and I hope I helped.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

How do you deal with the terror and fear when your child is injured?

best exercise bike deals image

fantamusue

My 6 year old caught her foot in my exercise bike while playing on it. A knot as big as an egg appeared, all blue/black. Her first real injury of her life. I kept my cool and was calm but man I was shaking with worry. What an awful feeling seeing your child hurt. The worst thing I have ever felt in my life was the death of my friends 7 year old, my kids best friend. It was from sudden swelling of the brain, a seizure. She didn't suffer. Knowing how my heart hurt, I can't imagine her mothers' pain. How do you cope with things like this?

Answer
YOU JUST HAVE TO REMEMBER THIS ISN'T THE WORST OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE YEARS TO COME. I HAVE 3. MY KIDS HAVE HAD CUTS BRUISES TEETH KNOCKED OUT IN SPORTS AND MY OLDEST IS ONLY 7 THEN MY SON WILL TURN 4 THIS WEEK AND MY YOUNGEST IS JUST 2. ACCIDENTS HAPPEN ALL THE TIME YOU SHOULD ALWAYS REMEMBER ONE THING AS LONG AS THEY ARE OK A LITTLE PAIN AND BRUISING WILL GO AWAY IN TIME. MY HARDEST THING HASN'T BEEN PHYSICAL IT'S THE EMOTIONAL MY 7 YR OLD HAD A KNIFE PULLED ON HER AT SCHOOL. AND THEY SUSPENEDED THE BOYS YES MORE THAN 1 WITH A KNIFE SHE WENT BACK TO SCHOOL AFTER SPRING BREAK HER TEACHER HAD THE NERVE TO SET THE BOYS NEXT TO HER IN CLASS. SHE IS AFRAID TO EAT ANYTHING WITH A KNIFE BECAUSE IT SENDS HER BACK TO THAT DAY. PHYSICAL UNJURIES WILL HEAL JUST COMFORT THEM AND ALWAYS REMEMBER IT COULD BE WORSE.

How do i ad an I/O port to an exercise bike?

Marcello

I have bought a inexpensive exercise bike that gives a screen readout of information form the pedals. The info is speed, RPM, distance, etc. I know there are some very expensive exercise bikes out there that have a port that lets you connect a cable from the bike to a computer and read the information into a computer of which you can manipulate with some simple programming.

I would like to use the bike I have, crack open the screen and access the output that is sent to from the pedals to this screen, and hook it up to my computer so that I can write some software to manipulate it.

I am knowledgeable enough on the software end of the deal to make this work, but I am not certain about the hardware. Any advice/thoughts?

Answer
it may be easiest to modify a cooling fan ( with an rpm meter)
hook it to to the motherboard ( where a fan would normally go, and read the rpm in that way. distance and speed could be figured using math in the program,
I searched a little for a usb rpm tool, didn't find anything,
but that may work too, install it over the wheel, much like how they hook up a generator....
then again use the programing to figure all the other stuff....
there may even be a 9pin serial device,

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

What exercise should i do to get bigger thighs?

best exercise bike for big people image

What exercise should i do to get bigger thighs?i have really skinny thighs and i would like them to be bigger then they are now. i eat a lot of food but that doesn't make my thighs any bigger. Will exercising on an exercise bike help? what workout should i do and how long do i have to work at it?

Answer
Exercising on an exercise bike will not make your thighs bigger. That's more of an aerobic activity and will actually burn body fat making your thighs look even smaller (but more toned).

If you want big thighs, you have to do what the bodybuilders do... squats. Lots of squats. And with heavy weights.

Don't overdo it and don't kill yourself. Start out with a weight that allows you to do 8-12 reps. If you can do more than 12 reps, you don't have enough weight.

If you can't do at least 6-8 reps, you have too much weight. You should be doing 3 sets of 8-12 reps per workout. As you get stronger, progressively increase the weight, always striving for 8-12 reps.

Keep this up (and eat correctly) and your thighs will definitely get bigger. Good Luck!

AuralX
http://www.Design-Your-Own-Tattoos.com

will using an exercise bike just make my calves and thighs bigger?

Michelle

i dont have that much muscle in my legs and i want them to get thinner. Will using an exercise bike get them thinner or will it just make them bigger with muscle?

Answer
It's difficult to accurately answer this - everyone's bodies respond differently to exercise. Generally, I'd have to say that as a female, first your legs will be thinner. You would notice toning before an increase of muscle.
And then if you keep doing it and use supplements, you'll probably see an increase in muscle. But it would most likely be very gradual.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Does anyone know where I can find a relatively cheap exercise bike?

exercise bikes walmart image

Kayti

Ok, I bought a stationary bike a few years ago from Walmart for about $100 but the thing is crap. It's very noisy and it's pretty much garbage. Does anyone know where I can buy a fairly priced exercise bike? $100-250 would be preferable. THANK YOU!

Answer
look in the classified ads in your local newspaper

if you don't have any luck that way place a classified ad for 'want to buy', you are sure to find one!

you can also call around pawn shops & thrift stores

p.s. if you get a used one clean it with BLEACH to kill the stranger-germs, lol

Where can one find an exercise bike that has a weight capacity of 620 pounds or higher?

t_anonymou

I am a very large man and I weigh far too much, and I am tired of it. I have decided to try everything I can to get down to a decent weight, a very strict diet, exercise, and possibly if needed surgery. I would like to get an exercise bike that will support my weight so I can exercise more often, but most I have found support only 300 to 400 pounds. I realize I am much larger than most people ever get, but I hope somebody knows of a machine that can hold at least 620 pounds. Thank you in advance for any help to point me in the right direction.

Answer
Congratulations!!! First things first, I want to say how proud I am that you've decided to get healthier. I hope that you stick with your plan and make some changes for the better! At times you may get discouraged, but please don't give up.

As for an exercise bike and other equipment you could use, I honestly don't know where to find this information. Perhaps you should ask your doctor to find you a good dietician and a good physical therapist to help you. These people are highly trained and can help you in your journey by giving you advice, teaching you about how to lose the weight, and encouraging you along the way. They may also know places for you to find what your looking for as far as equipment.

In the meantime, before you go investing in lots of exercise equipment, try some small things if you haven't already.

Go for daily walks (even if you can only make it around the living room for now). Do this a couple of times a day, every day, and each day or each week increase the distance. Maybe now you can only make it around the house, but work your way up to going around the house twice, then more, then down the street, increasing your endurance a little at a time.

Another idea is to buy a cheap work out video and some cheap little wieghts at walmart or someplace. Even if you can't do 30 minutes of hard core workouts jumping and dancing around like the 20 year old fitness-guru on the video, at least try and do just the arm movements with the wieghts, or try and do just the leg movements. Again, the goal is to steadily increase your activitiy each and every time.

It's hard to give you advice because I don't know your baseline level of activity. Remember, you aren't going to runa marathon overnight, your goal for now should be to increase your activity level each week, to burn more calories. burnburnburn!

It will take little bitty achievements, small steps, one at a time. But in a matter of weeks, months, years you will look back and see how far you've come.

Again, consult your doctor, try to find a good dietician, physical therapist, and trainer to help you along the way. They can give you better advice than anyone here, as well as cater it to you personally and help you along the way.


GOOD LUCK!

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

How much did pay for the exercise equipment that you never use?

recumbent exercise bikes at sears image

lifescircl

Answer
Ha! ha! This is a great question. We were just cracking up on Saturday because I had a yard sale and my gf's were like "D*mn! You have an ENTIRE gym in your garage and it's covered in dust and cobwebs!" LOL I always think I have to have the "best" of everything so I would never settle for the $200.00 Sears treadmill ... Nooooooo .... I had to have the $1,600 treadmill ... the gym quality $2,500 Stairmaster, the $1,200 recumbent bike, an entire dumbell set and heavy duty weight rack worth about $ 2,000.

So did it pay off in the end? Well ... you'd think I look darn good with a complete 24 Hour Fitness at home ... but, uh, did ya catch the part about cobwebs? =) You'd never look at me and think I own all that ... but the equipment looks d*mn good ... yea ... it sure does ... and that's all that matters right??

Ummm, perhaps I am missing something here ...

LOL

Peace ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Exercising Bikes. Are they worth it and which one?

chiefredwa

I was thinking of buying an exercising bike, a stationary one. Are they worth it for building up stamina and oxygen flow? And if so, is it better to get the one where the pedals force your legs frontward more so as not to put too much pressure on the knees. ( as going straight up and down on a regular bike ). PS I am not in the greatest shape...plus I do have some back issues. Thanks!!

Answer
get a recumbent stationary bike.
especially if you have a bad back.
i've had one for over a yr. and really like it.
i ride it about 1hr every day.
i bought a schwinn recumbent bike off of amazon. it was about the cheapest and i picked it because it had so many positive reviews even though i could afford a more expensive one. Sears has some pretty good choices too and does almost any sporting good store. test ride them in the store and see how they feel.
btw. i have a regular bike too. i use to ride it outside until i had a crash and cracked my helmet.
it's more fun but the stationary bike is safe.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Why has the Schwinn 231 recumbent bike become unavailable?

exercise bikes with back support image

justme75

This seems to be the most recommended model, so why is it impossible to find? Any suggestions as to which recumbent exercise bike to go with?

Answer
Check out this website below for Schwinn 231 recumbent bike deals. All bike reviews are available there for you to browse. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE SCHWINN 231 RECUMBENT EXERCISE BIKE for attaining and maintaining your desired level of fitness, especially given the fine support can expect from SCHWINN FITNESS/NAUTILUS Customer Service if/when needed.

A month of diet and exercise without ANY results, will it ever work?

Crazykid C

I am 5'5" and a female and I weigh 150 pounds. I've been counting calories, drinking only low fat soy milk and water, eating a lot on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and watching my protein. I've also been running, lifting (light) weights, and using the exercise bike for at least 45 minutes a day and really been tiring myself out. All of this for a month so far, with not even the tiniest change on the scale or in my physique. Not even the smallest indication that I've worked out hard for a month. Am I about to start seeing results but panicking a little early? Or am I just wasting my time?

Answer
With your counting of the calories that you consume, you should be able to figure out how many daily calories it takes for you to stay the same weight (support calories).

To lose one pound of fat, you need to take in 3500 calories less than the support amount. if you take in 3500 calories less than support during a period of three days you will lose one pound in those three days. At the same rate you will lose ten pounds in 30 days.
As you diet, your support calorie amount will change. Be sure to monitor it.

Here is the address for a great diet method and a ton of diet tips, hope it helps you.
http://infinitelydensetom.blogspot.com/
.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

does jogging on the treadmill burn more calories than the stationary bike?

stationary bike 6 pack image

Hank Ferri

After I build my muscle, I want to get down to 10% body fat so I can see my six pack. Well, I want to lose fat and increase my cardiovascular endurance at the same time, so I was wondering, which would burn more?

I would run at 6-7 MPH for about 10-20 minutes 3-5 times a week. Or, I would go on the stationary bike 15-20 MPH for about 20-30 minutes. It says that the bike will burn more, but I would think that the running would because you're working the whole body.

Answer
You can get down to 10% body fat by incorporating both the bike and the treadmill. Here's why:

1) If you limit your exercise to just the treadmill, your body and muscles adapt; you become so conditioned that the aerobic benefits may decrease. By alternating, you will not become overly, aerobically efficient at one type of exercise.

2) By alternating between the bike and the treadmill, you work your muscles differently which means you vary your body's "stress points"- this greatly reduces risk for joint pain and shin splints (which can be show-stopper for your work-outs).

3) Whether you are on a bike or treadmill, obtain maximum fat burning benefits by exercising at around 50 percent of your maximum capacity (give or take some....50 percent is an estimate). This will increase your metabolism so that you will continue to burn calories AFTER you finish your work-out. If you are unfamiliar with training within your target heart rate, this link will give you the details:
http://www.thewalkingsite.com/thr.html

4) Whether you are on the treadmill or bike, increase your cardio endurance by doing interval training, which is a style of cardio exercise that alternates periods of high-intensity exercise with periods of low-intensity exercise.
This link more fully describes the concept:
http://www.ksuccess.com/blog/104/interval-training/

Excercises to get rid of my beer gut ?

Phishr

I have been going to the gym two or three days a week doing set classes and stationary bikes mostly. My arms and legs are fine, I need to work more on my gut more then anything else. Are crunches my best bet, or are there other things I should be doing to achieve the results I want? I don't care if I end up with a 6 pack, but I need to get rid of the keg!
I guess I should have stated that my beer gut isn't actually from beer. I drink a couple of beers once or twice a month. Thanks for all the answers.

Answer
You can do crunches and sit ups until the cows come home but you won't see the results unless you burn off the fat covering your abs. You need to examine your diet. Find a calorie calculator online. This will get you the number of calories you need in a day to maintain the weight you are at. Cut that number by 500 calories. THese calories should be 30% proteins 50% carbs and 20% fats. Then get on a more intense workout routine. Here is a good one:

Day one: Upper Body
Day two: Cardio
Day three: Lower Body
Day four: Cardio
Day Five: Upper Body
Day Six: Lower Body
Day Seven: Off

Then start over with lower body being on day one. Pick two different exercises for each body part. Upper Body: Back, Shoulders, Triceps, Biceps, Chest. Lower Body: Quads, hamstrings, calves. Do 4 sets of 12,10,8,6 reps for each exercise.
You will need weight resistant training to lose fat fast. Not just cardio. Give this a shot and monitor your results.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Would it be possible for me to lose 30 more pounds by April 17th?

best exercise bikes on the market image

This Is My

Hi, I recently lost 30 pounds by dieting and exercising, I went from 212 pounds to 180, but I would like to lose 30 more by April 17th(my birthday) but I want to know if its even possible. So what do you think?

Here are a few details about myself(In case they're necessary to know)

I'm 20 years old
My height is 5'3" and my weight is 180
I eat about 1200 calories a day
I do about an hour and a half(sometimes two hours) on my stationary exercise bike(My speed while using the bike usually stays between 110 to 130).

Thanks for the help!

Answer
yes it is possible.


3 major things are important to speed up your metabolism and lose weight:

1. Consuming only the most "organic", natural, & healthiest foods. (Fruits, Vegetables, Grains , Legumes (nuts, peas, beans, lentils etc), Honey & Milk , Natural Yogurt & plenty of Spring Water.(and if you are meat eater Lean Meat only..Chicken and Fish using ony baked, grilled or steamed methods) . You will not believe the difference you feel after eating ONLY above and avoiding junk food , sweets, and fattening foods of all types. * Also, if you can find a small oriental market maybe that sells it.....consume daily what is called "Green Tea" or "Jasmine Tea.".(very healthy and helps your body lose weight )

2. Excercising as much when possible each week. (at least do some walking or physical activity for 6 hours per week.) This helps your body speed up its metabolism and get your heart pumping the fat out of your body tissues.

3. Stopping all bad habits such as drinking, smoking , etc. These cause your body to not work normally or irregularly (slows down your metabolism too over time)....making you feel pathetic after and as well makes it much more dificult to lose weight.

On average ,,,,you should lose about 10 lbs per month...but it might take a month to get your body in gear. You should look to do this in a healthy, natural way..and avoid any "Quick fixes"..as they last about as long as they might work.

How can I get my friend to be my exercise buddy?

Believer

I told my friend I planned on losing weight and she said that she didn't plan on exercising this year. She kind of needs to for her health( she isn't fat, but she has health problems where she needs to). And I really want her to exercise with me since she is my best friend and we live close to each other.

I know I can't force her to, but how can I persuade her to?

Answer
There's nothing worse than having a little weight problem and everyone treating you like you don't know how to deal with it. To have everyone only see your weight problem, and ot have them treat you like you're stupid or out of control or whatever. To have everyone giving you advice about you weight as if losing a little weight would solve all your problem. And it doesn't even matter if you're not fat as long as someone thinks they know what you need to eat or how much you should be exercising. It's so annoying!

I myself have stopped talking to a lot of people because of this.

So don't talk to her about exercise or whatever. Instead, invite her along to some active amusements like walking on a hiking trail, going to a farmer's market, riding bikes around the park--just don't ever let her know that it's because you think she needs it or that it's exercise. Just say it's fun.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Any one have any tips on losing 5 lb?

exercise bike 500 lb capacity image

potc_pirat

I want to loose 5 lb,
does any1 know any tips on toning thighs and calves? =] These are my "chunky" spots, hehe

Answer
Well, exercise (particulary cardio) is a perfect way to tone - some ideas are...
Run
- you burn many calories, (especially if you add hills and sprints)
- A 145-lb person can burn 300 (at 5.2 mph) in 30 minutes.

Bike
- 250-500 calories in 30 minutes, depending on how fast you go and how high your resistance is.
- you use all the power in your legs for this too :)

Swimming
- you use your whole body
- 30 minutes doing breast-stroke and can burn almost 400 calories.

Step Aerobics
- Step is one tough workout that targets your legs, butt and hips while burning almost 400 calories in 30 minutes

Walking
- 180 calories in 30 minutes. Adding hills, sprints or even a few minutes of jogging can increase the amount of calories you burn.
- walk briskly
- keep you head up, back straight and swing your arms.

Cardio is also good as...
It's one way to burn calories and help you lose weight
It makes your heart strong so that it doesn't have to work as hard to pump blood
It increases your lung capacity
It helps reduce risk of heart attack, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes
It makes you feel good
It helps you sleep better
It helps reduce stress

This will have more information:
http://exercise.about.com/cs/cardioworkouts/a/cardio101.htm

wat are some diet tips for 12 year olds?

:] :p twil

i would like to go on a diet. i dont want those extreme ones where you starve yourself, i just want one where it helps me cut back on foods, and some tips on excercising. help??? please??? :) please no rude answers
im not quite looking at pills for weight loss. just plain exercising if i need to lose weight

Answer
Drink lots of water and green tea (cause they 1) fill you 2) have barely any calories 3) speed up your metabolism [but the water will have to be cold for this, green tea is fine at any temperature to speed your metabolic rate])

Exercise

Dont eat 4 hours before you sleep - your metabolic rate slows down as you sleep

Read the calorie labels

Set realistic goals

Identify your ideal weight (this table will tell you - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/bmi_tbl.htm
)

Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night to raise your metabolism

-----------------------
Exercise:
Cardio

Run
- you burn many calories, (especially if you add hills and sprints)
- A 145-lb person can burn 300 (at 5.2 mph) in 30 minutes.

Cross-Country Skiing
- A 145-lb person burns about 330 calories during 30 minutes of skiing.
but, ease into it as its hard :)

Bike
- 250-500 calories in 30 minutes, depending on how fast you go and how high your resistance is.
- you use all the power in your legs for this too :)

Swimming
- you use your whole body
- 30 minutes doing breast-stroke and can burn almost 400 calories.

Step Aerobics
- Step is one tough workout that targets your legs, butt and hips while burning almost 400 calories in 30 minutes

Rock-climbing
- 380 calories burnt in 30 minutes,
- you use strength and power with your arms and legs

Walking
- 180 calories in 30 minutes. Adding hills, sprints or even a few minutes of jogging can increase the amount of calories you burn.
- walk briskly
- keep you head up, back straight and swing your arms.

Cardio is also good as...
It's one way to burn calories and help you lose weight
It makes your heart strong so that it doesn't have to work as hard to pump blood
It increases your lung capacity
It helps reduce risk of heart attack, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes
It makes you feel good
It helps you sleep better
It helps reduce stress

This will have more information:
http://exercise.about.com/cs/cardioworkouts/a/cardio101.htm

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Am I going to overtrain this Winter Break?

exercise bikes sydney image

The Guy

I'm a swimmer and I really need to get faster because I have barely decreased my time the past year and a half. I'm 14 and my fastest time is 24.8 seconds, and that took about a year to bring down from a 25.38 (i dropped from 25.38 to 24.8 this summer, after a year of training) and I decided that I need to work out more than I do (I swim 4 times a week and weight train the other days, sometimes on days I swim also, depending when my practice is) and I was going to try a huge workout about 4 hours to 5 hours a day. Here is my plan:

Bike to swim practice (about 45 minutes away)
Swim until practice ends (1-1.5 hours)
Get out, go to the gym and work our for 1.5 hours
Get back in the pool and do a swim workout that I found Phelps did for Sydney (2 hours)
Bike home (45 mnutes)

This is what I'm going to do for eveeryday of the week except for Saturday, where I'll just wight train, and Sunday, where ill take a day off. My question is, Am I overtraining? I'm worried about Overtraining so I want to know if this will make me overtrain.
I said this winter break because I will do this for my school's winter break which is December 21 to the second week of January.

Answer
Contrary to two other replies, the possibility of over training is an absolute.

First, you should know that glycogen is a molecule comprised of chained glucose molecules and is the way your muscle cells and liver STORE glucose.

HIGH LEVEL swimmers will swim, for a week or two of "hell week", up to 30,000 yards a DAY plus lifting. They swim for 5.5 to 6 hours a day (total for two practices) and lift for an hour. Swimming that far (over 17 miles a day) can cause what is called "glycogen depletion" in your muscles and liver. If you become glycogen depleted you will lose your ability to exercise with any intensity and exercising for competition without intensity is a total waste of time. Plus, extremely severe glycogen depletion can be dangerous to your health ... even deadly. Such low glycogen levels are incredibly rare.

But, it IS possible to over train. I'd suggest you don't have to worry about it.


A comment on another reply (Bob) to your question:
The replier said that lifting weights stunts your growth. This is a total myth. Shaquille O'Neil started lifting when he was 12 y.o. Although that is only one example, I'm not basing my "myth" comment on that anecdotal (occasionally observed) event like Shaq. If you go to google and type in "myth of weight lifting and stunted growth" you'll be able to read the research on this issue. You ABSOLUTELY should lift. Just alternate muscle groups (or chest, back, arms and legs, hips) each day. With regard to injuring muscles ... You must LEARN proper form when lifting (just like you do when you swim). When you LIFT with proper form and with a weight you can control with a spotter, your chance of getting injured is tremendously reduced. But, again, you must LEARN how to lift. It is not a matter of just going up to a weight and lifting ... you must learn.

My mum won't speak to me- PLEASE READ THIS AND HELP ME- SO CONFUSED!?

cutsie

I should probally tell you how this started!
Mums story!
My mum was born in 1975 and had major future as a young gymnast. She moved to the qas(queensland acadamy of sport) at age 9, then at 13 she accepted a scholarship to the australian institute of sport( same age as me, same thing happened but I don't want to go but still have to). After being at the AIS for 7 years she met a man, my dad and then on the the night of her 20th birthday they made love-very romantic. But not in mums case because it was September 1995, and mum was due to compete at the atlanta olympics in georgia in less than one year- nine months to be presise. Instead of winning her gold medal she had me, on the same day, what a coincidence. But I still think that she would of wanted me later and the gold medal back then. But she doesn't have one and there's nothing that she can do about it-except make sure that I win the 2012 London olympics- shes already brought tickets- trouble is I HATE GYMNASTICS!
My story
Born during the Atlanta Olympics I was mum and dads gold medal baby and I still am because I stand at only 4 feet 1 and weight 57 pounds- the average size of a six year old(i'm thirteen). But my mum constantly watches what I eat and has a dietitian prepare a diet plan for me each week. At eighteen months my mum eroled me in a gymnastics class. But problem was, I was far too young. So we packed up and moved to sydney-from brisbane just so that I could become a world class gymnasts- hello I wasn't even two yet I could hardly talk- let alone know what I wanted- except for food of course. I trained there for 6 years but when I told mum that I had enought at 7 and a half, she said I needed a fresh start and new club. Now there were plenty of other clubs in Sydney- but no she had to move to Perth in Western Australia- to the club that Monette Russo came from. (She finished 3rd at worlds in 2005) Here at age 8 I began training 26 hours a week,then I had a fall during my double front and dislocated my shoulder and whilst having scans they noticed that my back bone had been dislocated ever scince I was born. I had reconstruction on my shoulder- the youngest patient to ever have that done in WA. I also surgery in my back. Now for any other parent this would have been enough to make sure I never walked into a gym again- but only 3 weeks later my mum made me train with my team an extra 4 hours a week at 30 hours. I was sick and tired of gymnastics and all wanted for my ninth birthday was a big party with lots of junk food, nine year olds these days want way more stuff than I did. But once again mum pushed me too hard- she brought me a treadmill and an exercise bike- so much for barbie dolls and she also brought me a ticket to watch the 2005 world championships- trouble is i had also asked to quit gymnastics- but she wouldn't let me. So here I was watching- what I soon would be, a robot- dancing around in a pretty leotard discusted me, and when mum went to buy me a few more to add to my huge collection(currently 56) I was discusted and refused to try them on. Mum literally put them on for me! While all this was happening and I parading around in the bright pink leotad- size 4 I think. Guess who stopped by- Peggy Lidick(monette russo's very famous coach- she used to coach mum). And instantly reconised my mum. She asked if I was her daughter and then after finding out all my results much my discust she offered me a place in the AIS as simple as that. Mum answered for me saying of course I will but maybe I was too young. Peggy agreed and they decided that when I turned 13 off the AIS i go- fun, no not really. After that I yelled and screamed at my mum telling her that I hated her and gymnastics and ran away. But she found me- I tried to run away many more times but they were unsuccseful. That was the year that I won my first national championships- international level8, I was competing against teenager and I was barely nine. Between the ages of 9 and 12 I gave up and just did what ever my mum wanted- and i hated it. By then my hours had increased to 40 hours each week, I constantly missed school. On my 13th birthday exactly on month ago mum gave me a laptop and an I phone telling me that I would need to contact her everyday from the AIS-but then dad suggested why can't he go with me. So I got to keep my i phone and laptop as well as recieve 1000 dollars to keep me going. Still no amount of money would make me want to give everything that I love so that I could be everything that my mother never was. Oh yeah by the way I will 15 when I compete at the Olympics and one of the youngest competitors. But I really don't want to go so last night I had a talk to my mum and dad about my dreams of becoming an actor or a personal trainer/doctor and it resulted in a lot of yelling mainly from me and mum and now she hates me and she told me that she would rather have the gold medal than me! Now she refuses to speak to me- but dad I are all packed and soon en

Answer
We all want to make our parent proud, but you can't live her dream...YOU MUST FIND YOUR OWN. Your mother may be upset for a moment but she will be just fine. She'll get over it and understand that you must bloom into the flower she would want you to be.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

How many calories do I burn per day?

exercise bike 500 lbs image

BNM

I am 155 lbs and 5 ft 4 in. I am lightly active. I do housework, play with my 2 year old, but I do have a desk job. And I use my exercise bike almost every day for at least 15 min. How many calories should I eat per day and how many am I burning? I am 20 years old. I would like to lose about 35 lbs (be 120 lb). I would like to lose between 2-3 lbs per week.
And how much more exercise should I be doing?

Answer
You need roughly 1,800 calories per day to maintain your current weight. If you want to lose two pounds per week, you need a 1,000-calorie deficit every day, and you can't do that by cutting your diet because you'll starve yourself. When that happens, your metabolism slows down and your body greedily hangs on to every last bit of body fat that you have. Not good.

Here are some tips:

1. Try getting that 1,000 calorie deficit by eating 1,500 to 1,600 calories per day and doing enough exercise to burn 700 to 800 calories per day. 40 minutes of cardio will burn darn close to 800 calories.

2. Eat breakfast within an hour of waking up every day -- people who don't are 450% more likely to be overweight.

3. Eat six small meals or snacks per day instead of three square meals per day or one large meal per day. Eating smaller portions more often ramps up your metabolism.

4. Try to get at least 25g of fiber into your diet per day. Best sources are: Apples, beans/legumes, dried fruit, nuts, and whole grain breads/cereals/pasta.

5. Olive oil is a natural appetite suppressant, and it's very good for you. Try taking a tablespoonful three times a day, say, half an hour before meals.

6. Avoid fast food, junk food, soft drinks, and the four deadly C's (cookies, cakes, candy and chips) as much as possible.

7. Build your diet around the "good for you" stuff like eggs, nuts, lean meats, lowfat or nonfat dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables, and those whole grains.

8. Allow yourself one "cheat meal" per week where you can eat or drink whatever you want as long as you don't stuff. That'll help keep you from feeling deprived of all those things that are really bad for you but taste so good.

Good luck!

How long to use exercise bike?

SunnyDelig

I am in my 20's, 200 pounds & 5'8. I need to lose 50 pounds to be in the middle of my "healthy range."

I purchased an exercise bike. I want to ride 6 days a week. How many miles should I do each day? I am also cutting calories by 500 a day.

I can't go by the calories lost on the machine, I can't program my weight. I know I'm losing more than it says I am. (I doubt they program it for a 200 pound person ;) )

thanks!

Answer
You can get a good cardio workout in as little as a 1/2 hour at a good pace. As for loosing 50 lbs, forget about Acai, or any weight loss program or supplement that costs money or has a sales pitch to it. Next time you shop, don't buy ANYTHING with wheat, dairy, or sugar ( especially corn syrup) Don't use the fake chemical sweeteners to make up for the lack of sweetness either. You'll be surprised how few foods there are to choose from, well processed foods. Don't eat anything that has been packaged or canned. It pretty much leaves you with fresh vegetables, fresh meat, fresh eggs, and fresh fruit, and nuts and nut butters. Get organic everything as much as possible so your body can work on getting slimmer and not on trying to filter out pesticides and chemical fertilizers. You'll be doing what is called "perimeter shopping, which is buying food from the outer sections of the store, meat, dairy, and produce. try it for 6 weeks and see if it doesn't get you toward your goal quicker and safer than all those sales pitch items that have been hawked to people since the mid 1800s, sames sales pitch, different product, same results- nothing but an empty wallet ( purse) Good luck , it just takes self discipline to get over old habits. And don't cheat on yourself, stick with it for six weeks!

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Best exercise for me since I have had knee surgery?

best exercise bike to use after knee surgery image

zita

I had some minor knee surgery a few months ago and am still not totally healed. (I had 50% of the meniscus removed due to a bad tear) I desperately need to exercise to assist in losing weight. Does anyone have a suggestion of something I could do that would not be detrimental to my knee? I am sure that as the weight comes off, I will be able to do more. I just need something to get "jump started" with exercise. Thanks in advance for your help!

Answer
I would consult your surgeon to get a recommendation for physical therapy. Then your insurance would cover all but the co-pay. They will show you exercises that you can practice at home, gym or pool.

Swimming, walking, using a treadmill and stationary bike worked for me in addition to the maintaining a healthy diet and those exercises recommended by the PT. I tried the elliptical, but it was too difficult with my knee. (My surgeon wants me to wait until I am 70 to replace the knee, but I did lose 80#)

Good luck!

What one exercise equipment that is best other than treadmil?

Mr. LOL

I have a cyclo-simulator with my mountain bike on it, an elliptical machine, and a treadmil.

I can't do treadmil due to my bad knee.

I'm getting tired of my ellipticals and the bike.

I'm a hard core aerobic exerciser. Any ideas on other types of equipment other than treadmil?

Answer
Have you tried a recumbent bike? It was what my wife had to use after knee surgery. It helped her get her knee back in shape with low resistance.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Worried about girlfriend's fertility...any ideas?

recumbent exercise bikes for kids image

M S

To be honest, I was also worried about my own do to my history of "over-exercising"...but got a sperm test and all the motility/morphology/sperm-count results were excellent (IE 150 million sperm count, 57% sperm motility).

It has been three months (not that long, but short either). We are both on a diet of no wheat, no sugar, and no caffeine...plus tons of fruits and vegetables...plus she's on pre-natal pills. I try to get her to exercise 250 calories 2 times a day at a very slow pace on a recumbent exercise bike (slow enough she can easily talk while exercising). She also has regular periods and has for the 5 years I've known her.
One catch...she is borderline obese...though, of course, we both exercise and she's slowly losing weight (1.5-2 pounds.per week or so).
And, without going into details, we have sex every morning.

It really gets to me though...so many people our age (30-31) are both obese and eat tons of fast food (and may very well not be exercising at all) and seem to be very easily popping out kids. My doctor suggested and prescribed Clomid, but a friend with fertility issues said Progesterone injections are a much better idea (both for overall health and fertility effectiveness). I am not quite sure where to turn or what to look for...it's to the point my g/f seems angry at me for the whole thing (and, yes, I want the baby as much as she does). Again, any ideas?
BTW, in case anyone wonders, I call her borderline obese because that's what all the BMI charts I've read say IE BMI 30+ = obese. I'm just a tad over borderline underweight by the same BMI standards.
And yes, I'm also torturing myself with the "crazy fertility diet", it's not just her. :-D

Answer
3 months isn't long by any means. It can take a healthy couple with no fertility issues whatsoever up to a year and in some cases a little longer to get pregnant. If nothing is wrong its just a matter of timing which can take time. Exercising and eating right are great moves but be careful and remember that any drastic changes can throw her cycle off. Having sex everyday (literally everyday) can deplete your sperm count as well. Try every other day. She also needs to start charting her cycles or taking ovulation predictor tests if you guys are wanting to dive into TTC head first. That will give you a better idea as to when she is fertile.
Good luck!

Has anyone ever used this MAchine?

Ansam

I started using the recumbent bike machine at the gym for an hour, i sweat a little and it says i lost 420 calories, will this exercise be an effective way to lose weight?

Answer
Biking is the most effective way to do low intensity fat burning aerobics. A recumbent bike is great for people with weight issues or back problems as youâre sitting comfortably and your body is in a position that lighten your upper bodyâs weight on your ischium (the bony end of your pelvis on which youâre sitting).

The downside is that it could be boring, unless youâre reading or watching TV but that can become an upside as you can completely zone out and almost forget youâre biking, until your speed starts to decrease (when youâre running out of blood sugar) so you cool down and stop.
Be flexible and donât âbike for an hourâ. You warm up for 5 minutes (getting up in your THR zone), then you do 20 minutes, then you go from there. Some days, youâll stop and cool down for 5 minutes (for a total workout of 30 minutes). Other days, you can keep going for 1 or 2 hours (you slept very well and ate a good high carbs meal 2 hours prior).

You need to train your upper body (like swimming/aerobics and weight training/anaerobics) as a bike does not do that, unless youâre using an upright stationary bike with moving handles.

Fit people who use recumbent bikes outside (or runners) have to train their upper body with some other forms of exercising.

Walk too. Walking wonât burn as many calories as biking but you do it for 3 main reasons: itâs the most basic form for the human body to move forward (even on a treadmill), it challenges your body in different ways (youâre still using the lower body but differently) and last but not least, it allows you to avoid boredom as youâre not doing the same thing every day.

For weight loss, synchronize your meals with your exercising so you get a high carbs meal 2 hours prior (for energy, for an easy and efficient workout), like breakfast (morning workout) or lunch (afternoon workout) and then you get the next meal post exercise, once you cool down, stretch, stop sweating, take a shower/bath, allow enough time for your body to stop releasing chemicals (to prevent pain so you can keep going). Those natural chemicals (endorphins, epinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine that are released after 30 minutes) make you feel goodâ¦happy, energetic. Then hunger strikes as you need to replenish your blood sugar level. If you time it right, youâll dive into your next meal and not have to snack.
Use a slow cooker. You can cook healthy as you donât need extra fats. You donât need how to cook. Just add the right ingredients (if you use online recipes, use fresh veggies and avoid processed food...those recipes are from companies pushing their products). You donât need to supervise. If you open the lid, then you have to add 20 minutes. I was annoyed at my husband and kids opening the lid out of hunger and curiosity because it smells so good. I told them not to do that, but if they do, they have to tell me so I will add 20 minutes to the cooking time...if youâre hungry, you donât want to do something that will make dinner time 20 minutes farther away.
You can time a slow cooker to coincide with the end of your workout. Your food will not burn as it is very low temperature cooking all day long. Even if itâs ready, you can use the warm setting to keep it warm while you exercise. Youâll get great home cooked meals.

And eat enough calories to cover your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) or your body will adapt to a low caloric intake and lower your metabolism, making it very hard for you to use your body fat. And then, as soon as you would eventually start eating normally again, you would make body fat very easily, because you would have a lower metabolism and therefore regain all the weight you lost and keep going up, unless you exercise A LOT.

Womenâs BMR:
655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - minus (4.7 x age in years)

Menâs BMR:
66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - minus (6.8 x age in years)


Do not rely on machine readouts (even high quality gym machines can still have a crappy piece made in China for the readout). Know your own personal average calorie expenditure per minute so then you just have to time yourself and not worry about your speed or what aerobic activity you do.
As a point of reference, I would burn 8 calories/minute average. For biking, I can also calculate 32 calories per mile and burn 400 calories in an hour at a slow 12.5mph speed. So your recumbent bike readout is somewhat accurate...not like some people thinking that they burn 700 calories in an hour on a stationary bike because the readout says so!

Still, one pound of body fat is 3,500 calories of exercising (if you eat enough to cover your BMR) so I would have to bike 109 miles to burn one pound of body fat...maybe not even on the scale, as I would hopefully gain some muscle mass, biking 109 miles, especially during the first 3 months of getting in shape.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Best bike for beginning to use as exercise?

best exercise bikes for beginners image

BellaCata

I would like to add cycling to my exercise routine and looking for some recommendations for a reasonably priced, comfortable bike for a beginner? I haven't ridden in at least 10 years and am slowly getting back in shape.

Answer
It all depends on where and how you want to ride. Your local bike shops have people qualified to help you select the bike that best meets your needs. Tell them about your goals and budget. Then, and most important, test ride the bike. Go to other shops and do comparison shopping, test riding as many bikes as you can. Buy the bike that fits and feels the best regardless of brand name. Ignore marketing hype and fancy brochures. You can't ride them. The bike that fits and feels the best is the one you will enjoy and use the most.

HTH

Starting to cycle to reduce stress on knees and ankles but have a few questions?

Ernest S

Where can i get an affordable road bike for beginners?

Any known places to ride in Shreveport or Bossier LA?

Any know clubs in Shreveport or Bossier for beginners?

Any other info is welcomed and needed. Thanx a ton

Answer
Ernest

Get a good used bike off of Craig's list, Ebay, classifieds , or garaga sales. Try rto saty with Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, or Giant.... BUT KNOW THE SIZE FRAME YOU NEED!

More importantly. to exercise with out the stress on knees and koints you need how to prosperly pedal. To do that you need to learn how to 'spin' the pedals. If you do not know use this forum to get the info. Do Not 'mash' the pedals, ie pedaling at too slow of a speed with too mush pressure. 'Spinning' is the proper way top ride a bike. Mashing will cause you almost as much stress and strain as running!

Soccerref

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

My mum is trying to make me climb a mountain?

exercise bikes edinburgh image

lng liv

Lately my mum has been so obsessed with trying to make her kids better and force us to do stuff we don't want to do, it's so annoying. She put my name down to volunteer six hours every Saturday in a charity shop from 9am-2pm, then she said I have to get the bus home for no particular reason and she knows that I get panic attacks when I'm out too long. Now she's trying to force me to do the Duke of Edinburgh Award, which I wouldn't mind if it didn't mean I have to do hikes and camp in a tent on a mountain for three freaking days. I finished cancer treatment last year and I'm still not really in any position to be heavy lifting or running or any form of extreme exercise, never mind climbing a mountain! Plus, I'm afraid of heights which just makes everything so much worse. She's also trying to find a shop that will take me every single day this summer. I'm not kidding, this woman is driving me insane! She won't see reason, any time I tell her I don't want to do something she just yells and says I have to and to get on with it. She's just so obsessed with getting kids that she can boast about no matter how unhappy we all are. I don't have a dad to make her lay off and it's only me, my mum and my two little brothers. She's forced my brother into the cycling club and she's trying to do the same with me, despite the fact I can't even ride a bike. I swear she's just picking everything I can't do and making me do it. Advice?
I like the shop, but she did it behind my back so she's almost trying to sneakily make me do stuff.

Answer
sounds like she's trying to at least push you to do constructive things even if she's going about it wrong. My suggestion...come up with some things you'd like to do around the same guidelines as she has and compromise with her. for example...mom I don't like working at this shop but I love animals what do you think about me volunteering at the pet shelter.. find things you like to do and then give her a list....I don't agree with the way she's pushing you into things but at least this way you can do something you'd like instead of something she's forcing you to do...

Need motivation to exercise?

Evoo

I despise exercising - I hate the grueling grind day after day of a solitary excursion on the elliptical machines or the tedious counting inside your head that goes along with lifting weights. I've tried swimming, tennis, dancing, and can't bring myself to sweat away thirty minutes of my day after I've had to deal all day with a job that gives me panic attacks (working on switching career paths, but hard in this economy).

I need motivation. I've overweight for my size - not so much that I can't still fit my pants from two years ago, but enough that I've developed the dreaded muffin lining around my hips. I know that with some iron clad determination to I could easily go back to being the petite size that I was.

But wanting some veg time for myself, and wanting to hang out with my husband (who I barely get to see on weeknights due to his class schedule), it always goes on the back burner. I've never been the type of person to appreciate the "after burn" of a good workout. But I went to laser tag recently and was sore for days after.

Any tips from the masses who hate excerise and manage to get it done anyway? What did you do? How do I pick myself up from my bootstraps and get started on a regime I can keep to rather than telling myself, "eff this, I'm going to go build something on Minecraft."?

Answer
Well believe it or not. Just over 4 years ago I was very overweight, extremely unfit, and also had high blood pressure.

Exercise was something I had never really participated in (apart from when I was a young girl at school). I just hated exercise so much and could never manage to keep going with it. Yes, I bought various exercise bikes, aerobic fitness/dance dvds. And all of them after a couple of weeks just put them away in the corner to collect more and more dust.

But after a family get together one afternoon. We decided to put on some old videos/dvds of when we were that bit younger. And one of them was when I first got married and the other was after I had my youngest son. Well I really could not believe how much I had changed.

This was when I decided to change my lifestyle. I set out to eat a healthy, balanced low fat diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. But secondly embark on some regular form of exercise. So I initially started walking at a fast pace. Around 3/4 times a week. For about 30 minutes at a time. Then after a few weeks incorporated a little bit of running into it. I kept this up and at around 6 weeks I was running without having to stop and walk.

I managed to lose 52lbs in just over 6 months. This has now just be over 4 years. I have since then been able to maintain my weight with ease.

I am now a regular runner. And run around 5/6 times a week. I started running at the age of 46 and I will be 50 in June. There is saying it is never too late. I can really vouch for that. I have run various marathons. I ran the Edinburgh Marathon, New York Marathon and London Marathon last year and I have also a place in the London Marathon this April too.

The benefits have been absolutely amazing. I feel so healthy. My blood pressed is not high anymore. In fact it is low. I have so much energy. Feel very confident.

Try to find an exercise that you enjoy. This way it will be easier to incorporate it into a regular routine. Make exercise part of your daily routine. Just as you brush your teeth in the morning, or wash you hair in the evening. 30 minutes 4/5 times a week is really easy to fit in.

Anyway, I wish you lots of luck and hope you have the success that I have had.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers