Fitness - For Wedding ng and Beyond!

[mairelys]

Hello! K I am not anywhere NEAR you two girls... so overwhelming! But great that you guys can do that! 
I feel a little silly posting because I'm a complete amateur in fitness, and don't think I could ever compete in any way. 
Actually I'm not sure I have anything to add, but here goes.  haha

I'm also from the East coast, originally from Newfoundland but now living in Calgary. (Although my family is from New Brunswick, and I just lived in Fredericton for 11 months while going to school a couple of years ago!) 

In a thread linking to here, you said we could share our goals..so that's probably better for me! I'd like to tone up some before getting married, but my main goal to figure out an clean eating diet and getting a work out schedule figured out. I'm not really sure where to start. I'm good for cardio - I'm training for my first 5K end of June, and doing another 5K in August. I'm also a Zumba instructor, although not currently teaching. I just quit because it was too much being new in my career. But I still do it by myself. (Which isn't QUITE as fun, but still good!) I'm not sure how to start incorporating strength training, that's my hurdle right now. My goal is to spend the summer figuring it out and hopefully be ready for the next school year with a good meal plan and work out routine. 


Sorry you got sick SweetheartAggie, that had to be so frustrating. Hope things are turning around now!
& that's a really good suggestion for MrsShoreytobe, or maybe just eating disorders in general - a lot of those people will also need realistic fitness/nutrition advice. Good luck!

[MrsShoreytobe]

Mairelys! So glad to see your post! And you are right - this is for sharing our own goals and plans, everyone is different and that is what makes it so fun!!!! 

Wonderful to see some more east coasters in the house How come we all end up in Alberta!!? LOL

 

What you describe - wanting to get into weight training - is a perfect way to meet your goals of tightening up, etc. The thing with cardio is - it DOES NOT make you harder, firmer, more "toned", etc. Only weight training can do this, and the more muscle one has the more fat that we burn!

 

Cardio literally makes us a smaller version of ourselves, but does not shape our butts, thighs, etc. This is a very abbreviated version of what I could describe here, but I thought I would offer that. I know women especially (myself included) have a very difficult time letting go of doing cardio - we do it to try and compensate for food we ate (even though you can't out train a bad diet), they do it because they feel guilty over eating something, or they do it because they think that it will trim their thighs.

 

I am by no means saying this is how ALL women are, but I've been in this mindset myself before, and I see it so much in the female friends I have. 

 

It was only until I took the plunge, increased calories dramatically, lifted iron like mad, and STOPPED the crazy cardio bunny business that I finally witnessed my body transforming in all the ways I had hoped. 

 

Mind you, cardio is FANTASTIC for cardiovascular health and I am in no way knocking it. It can be therapeutic and it is wonderful to have performance goals with running a 5k for example! And heck, Zumba is a frikin party, I love it!

 

Personally, I like to commit to PURPOSEFUL cardio. That is, cardio that will help me meet my goals, without spinning my wheels. Everyone will differ, and this is the beauty of us as individuals. I am simply talking in terms of building a tighter body, etc. 

 

For example... someone wants to lose fat and gain muscle (this doesn't mean becoming the Hulk) - they keep eating the same calories day in and day out, and do cardio 5-7 days a week, running themselves ragged. This will not help you firm up, but rather, it can mess with your cortisol levels, you will be frustrated with seeing no changes, and you'll simply shrink in size but still have the fat in the areas you wish to reduce, etc.  

 

 

So with that babble, where are you with looking into weight training?

 

Are you currently at a gym where you could seek help from a local trainer to show you exercises etc? 

 

Are you hoping to dedicate a certain # of days a week to weight training, etc?

 

I am sure many of us in here would be happy to help in any way we can! I've helped a few of my girlfriends get started with weight training, and they were all taken with it immediately. I love "lifting things up and putting them down" (as the commercial says)

[MrsShoreytobe]

And thank you guys for the ideas re: eating disorders and fitness. I completely agree and see the need for this line of work!

 

As luck would have it, my masters thesis is entitled "the positive coping experiences of women with  bulimia" and I am very dedicated to working with populations of girls/young women who struggle with EDs. 

[MrsShoreytobe]

Sweetheartaggi, so glad that you are at least coming out of whatever that was... I can't imagine how frustrating and scary that must have been!

[mairelys]

Ah thank you so much for your detailed response! 

I am in the space now where I know just cardio alone isn't helping me, since I'm not looking to lose a lot of weight. 10 pounds, max? But I don't know how to start weight training.
My gym membership just ended and I'm not going to renew it, because I ended up being clueless and it was a waste of time/money. I tried 3 trainers - one was not the best and ended up getting fired (but they didn't tell me and I showed up for a session and she just wasn't there), one was crazy intense and then disappeared.. asked me to track all of my eating, I created a tumblr account where I documented what I ate with a picture & info, and I think he went to visit another country and never came back...  & then another one who changed gyms. I actually haven't found a good trainer and kind of gave up.
I'd really like to start weight training, but I'm leery about starting at another gym now that my membership is finally up. I'd like to buy some weights but I know they're crazy expensive... really I'm rambling here. I don't know what to do!
 

I have a really bad habit of jumping full force into things only to get discouraged when I don't see immediate results, so I'd like to start out slow and increase from there. So hard for me but I did that with running and it's the longest I've kept up with anything. (Other than Zumba.. and while that's a great work out, it's not going to help me tone at all... I have my Zumba Toning certification but I mean we use 5 pound weights). 

I actually did have an awesome trainer when I went to school in Fredericton.He was the best ever... I was sad to leave that gym when I came back to Alberta! Here was one thing I did with them! (Sharing this video because I never get too! Way too embarrassing to post on FB! haha)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lX-HNbkP3dM

[SweetheartAggie]

I think that looks like a fun/hard workout. I agree with most of what is said above... Cardio is necessary though... You need it to help facilitate your metabolism and to build the strength of your heart/cardiac muscles. Heather Jackson - an ironman triathlete - is crazy ripped and she trains cardio for 4+ hours/day... So to completely say cardio will disenegrate muscle is a fallacy. It's about the right combination of diet and weight lifting and cardio for your body/goals.

[MrsShoreytobe]

Originally Posted by SweetheartAggie 

 

I think that looks like a fun/hard workout. I agree with most of what is said above... Cardio is necessary though... You need it to help facilitate your metabolism and to build the strength of your heart/cardiac muscles.

 

Heather Jackson - an ironman triathlete - is crazy ripped and she trains cardio for 4+ hours/day... So to completely say cardio will disenegrate muscle is a fallacy. It's about the right combination of diet and weight lifting and cardio for your body/goals.

 

Oh no doubt! Which is why I wanted to be clear that I was being super short in my response. Maintaining muscle whilst performing copious cardiovasc work is most definitely doable, but most women don't eat to maintain the fruits of their labor, which means they end up whithering away! 

[MrsShoreytobe]

Originally Posted by mairelys 

 

Ah thank you so much for your detailed response! 

 

I am in the space now where I know just cardio alone isn't helping me, since I'm not looking to lose a lot of weight. 10 pounds, max? But I don't know how to start weight training.

My gym membership just ended and I'm not going to renew it, because I ended up being clueless and it was a waste of time/money. I tried 3 trainers - one was not the best and ended up getting fired (but they didn't tell me and I showed up for a session and she just wasn't there), one was crazy intense and then disappeared.. asked me to track all of my eating, I created a tumblr account where I documented what I ate with a picture & info, and I think he went to visit another country and never came back...  & then another one who changed gyms. I actually haven't found a good trainer and kind of gave up.

I'd really like to start weight training, but I'm leery about starting at another gym now that my membership is finally up. I'd like to buy some weights but I know they're crazy expensive... really I'm rambling here. I don't know what to do!

 

I have a really bad habit of jumping full force into things only to get discouraged when I don't see immediate results, so I'd like to start out slow and increase from there. So hard for me but I did that with running and it's the longest I've kept up with anything. (Other than Zumba.. and while that's a great work out, it's not going to help me tone at all... I have my Zumba Toning certification but I mean we use 5 pound weights). 

 

I actually did have an awesome trainer when I went to school in Fredericton.He was the best ever... I was sad to leave that gym when I came back to Alberta! Here was one thing I did with them! (Sharing this video because I never get too! Way too embarrassing to post on FB! haha)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lX-HNbkP3dM

LOOK AT YOU GO IN THAT VIDEO, IRON WOMAN! So glad you shared that. 

 

You are definitely not alone in this! My gosh, that is terribly unfortunate about your previous experiences with trainers not working out. I would be feeling lost too! 

 

The results do come, like you said, but with patience and consistency. I found setting long term goals can be helpful in maintaining my focus. You may have physical (appearance) related goals, but also those based on performance, overall health and mental well being, etc. 

 

Would you see yourself working out at home with the needed equipment or do you envision yourself back at a gym? 

 

You could maybe ask around to people you know, and see what gyms/personal trainers they would recommend..? Just some thoughts.

[mairelys]

Originally Posted by MrsShoreytobe 

 

You could maybe ask around to people you know, and see what gyms/personal trainers they would recommend..? Just some thoughts.

 

That's a good idea. I've been considering signing up again the last few days pretty much because of this post. Definitely value your thoughts!

I know you're in Edmonton but I'm sure we have some similar places - are the specific gyms you like? I might just do a Booty Camp again, I did two and actually found them pretty effective.. just expensive to continue to do them. 

[SweetheartAggie]

Oh no doubt! Which is why I wanted to be clear that I was being super short in my response. Maintaining muscle whilst performing copious cardiovasc work is most definitely doable, but most women don't eat to maintain the fruits of their labor, which means they end up whithering away! 

Definitely! After sending that, I realized I may have come off brash, abrasive, and mean... None of which I am... I'm just black & white... But you're right! Eating is the #1 key to getting your body the way you want it... Most gals don't eat enough or eat properly to support a highly active lifestyle... Eat to lose weight seems like such an oxymoron! LOL!!!! Hope y'all are doing well!!! Many hugs!