I have found running after work always makes me less hungry. But the meals I now eat on plan are never so big that I can't exercise AFTER eating. Huge bonus, because there are some times where I can't wait to eat when I get home and I still want to exercise later in the evening.
I have also rediscovered my love of yoga. So between weights, yoga, volleyball, and running I am getting plenty of exercise. (I hope).
PS - the coach put me on the Alternative Program to compensate for the Half Marathon training I'm doing. So far, so good. I'm still seeing nice losses. Down 11 pounds over these first two weeks.
Plyometrics or jump exercises, and other high intensity exercises, burn fat and give you more shapely,toned legs.
If your exercise program is stalling your progress, ramp up the intensity of your workouts. Jumps, sprints and circuit weight training are good examples that help you burn more fat and lose more weight—sooner!
If you have been doing your squats, lunges and step-ups that’s great. Keep doing them. But, you need to mix it up a little with some jump training. Jump training has many benefits which include: burning body fat, strengthening bones and increasing power.
Plyometrics is high intensity training, placing great stress on the bones, joints, and connective tissue. Jump training places you at greater risk of injury than less intense training exercises. It is important to perform the exercises correctly before implementation of full-speed exercises.
Jumping and landing techniques should be mastered. Exercises should be performed on safe surfaces such as rubber mats, sprung floors, grass or sand. Concrete or other similar hard surfaces expose you to injury. And, you should have good core and lower body strength to reduce chances of injury.
Here are some workout tips for jump training:
1. Jump rope for at least 10 minutes every day (if your knees and back allow). A 10 minute jump rope warm-up before your workout always gets the job done. Actually, a 20-minute interval jump roping session is one of the best fat-burners and body-sculptors available. Try it for cardio at least once a week.
2. Do at least one workout a week that includes mainly jumping exercises. Squat jumps, tuck jumps, cone jumps, jumping jacks, jump rope and pike jumps are some examples. Full speed jumps will give you more fat loss and weight loss.
3. Include at least one jumping exercise in your regular workout routine.
4. If you need a change up from jumping, run sprint intervals. Sprints are also top fat-burners and body-sculptors.
I completed a Half Marathon last Saturday and while it wasn't a PR, I have to say it was a good run, especially being 27 lbs. lighter! AND someone (a stranger) commented that (to her) based only on my "looks" she presumed I was one of the faster runners! Best compliment so far!
So maybe, just maybe, I will reach my goal of no longer looking like a short, round runner (or worse, "presumed" to be just "a walker"), and instead I'll be categorized as the short, FIT runner of my dreams!
I completed a Half Marathon last Saturday and while it wasn't a PR, I have to say it was a good run, especially being 27 lbs. lighter! AND someone (a stranger) commented that (to her) based only on my "looks" she presumed I was one of the faster runners! Best compliment so far!
So maybe, just maybe, I will reach my goal of no longer looking like a short, round runner (or worse, "presumed" to be just "a walker"), and instead I'll be categorized as the short, FIT runner of my dreams!
Keep on keeping on!
Congrats! Fantastic job. Every race doesn't need to be a PR! You are my hero. I can't wait to run another half.
If you go looking you'll find the following information buried in this thread. Here's a synopsis: Some people find that using Callanetics is a very good shaping set of exercises and no strain on your heart. Recently I've discovered TTapp, which I think is even better, (Did Callanetics in the 80s and liked it.) http://www.ttapp.com/ On her website Teresa Tapp has posted a number of her exercises that you can try to see if you like the program. Heck, you could probably just exercise off the website. But the DVDs are great because she, patiently, explains how to do everything.
You can shape a sexy body regardless of your body type! I will discuss various training techniques for different womens’ body types. Keep in mind that you probably are a combination of any of the following 4 types. So don’t worry, just do the hard work based on your body type (and follow your meal plan)!
Jump training (plyometrics) and other high-speed exercises can be incorporated into any workout for all body types. Plyometrics and high-speed training will give your body better definition and give you faster results. That is why athletes’ bodies are so well defined. Good jump training exercises are squat jumps, pike jumps, depth jumps, jump rope and box jumps.
Also, sprinting is one of the best body sculptor exercises available. Avoid long, steady-state cardio sessions (defined as 40 minutes or more) unless you are a beginner or recovering from illness or injuries. Too much slow, long, steady-state cardio has been shown to waste away your valuable muscle mass.
Body types for women can be broken down into 4 basic types. Keep in mind that every woman needs to do core exercises like planks, ab ball curl ups, leg raises, back extensions, trunk rotations, medicine ball chops and bridges regardless of body type. And, sprint interval cardio sessions (20 minutes per session) are superior for fat-burning and heart-health purposes. Some women may need extra ab work.
Body Type 1
A woman with a thin, linear shape (ectomorph). Muscle mass needs to be built on the entire body. A woman with this body type has trouble gaining muscle mass. Good exercises: Concentrate on compound exercises like squats, bench press, leg press, deadlift, lunges, step ups, shoulder press and bentover row to build major muscle groups and add definition to your body. Calf raises, tricep dips, bicep curls and leg curls are also needed.
If this is your body type, you also need to make sure you eat enough! Many times, a woman with a thin, linear body type can “eat anything she wants” and still have trouble gaining weight! Or, she will “eat like a bird” and remain skinny. So, weight training and proper eating is critical for building muscle if you have this body type.
Body Type 2
You have thin arms and legs with excess fat in the mid-section of your body. You need to burn abdominal fat and build muscle mass in the other parts of your body.
Belly fat causes serious health problems! Scientist have learned much more about fat cells (adipose tissue) than ever before.
Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that abdominal fat cells secrete inflammatory proteins that cause damage to blood vessels and other cells, leading to diseases like cancer, heart disease and Metabolic Syndrome!
Of course, don’t just focus on your belly fat! Focus on burning total body fat with full body circuit strength training and short, intense cardio sessions.
Strength exercises for fat loss should focus on maximizing your time at the gym… build more muscle mass to speed up your metabolism and burn more fat.
Lower body: squats, lunges, step ups, leg press, deadlift, calf raises and leg curls.
Abdominal area: ab ball curl ups, reverse knee ups, hanging leg raises, back extensions, bridges, planks, medicine ball chops and medicine ball trunk rotations.
Body Type 3
You are petite in your upper body and heavy in your lower body. Build muscle mass in your upper body and burn fat and tone your hips, thighs and butt. Exercise your body in all 3 planes of motion to improve the 3-D shape of your arms, shoulders, chest, back, butt, hips and thighs! An example would be a grouping of walking lunges, side lunges and transverse lunges.
Good exercises:
Upper body: Bench press, tricep pushdowns, shoulder press, one-arm bentover row and bicep curls are all good exercises. You will need to challenge yourself with heavier weights to build muscle (you won’t get bulky)!
Lower body: Do light weight circuit training with high repetitions (10-12) to burn lower body fat (squats, lunges, step ups, leg curls, cable leg abductions/adductions, etc.). Also, incorporate many one-legged exercises such as power step ups, single leg squats, single leg good mornings, single leg medicine ball exercises, etc. These types of exercises are more intense than two-legged exercises. High-speed jump training is also effective for this body type.
Good jump training exercises are squat jumps, pike jumps, depth jumps, jump rope and box jumps. Sprint interval cardio also works well for this body type.
Body Type 4
You have a type 4 body type if you have wide shoulders and a narrow waist. If you have this body type, you tend to gain weight evenly throughout your body. You are probably athletic.
You will need a full body “fat blaster” program. Do full body light weight circuit training with high repetitions (10-12) to burn total body fat. High-speed jump training is also effective if this is your body type.
You tend to be muscular with large bones and thick joints. Due to you having more muscle mass, you usually don’t have weight problems unless you overeat and undertrain. You also respond to weight training by building muscle mass much faster than other body types.
You probably know where your body stores the most fat. When you train, don’t neglect areas of your body. For instance, it is critical to stabilize and strengthen your body’s core first. This will aid you when you train other areas of your body.
Right now, for phase I, am trying to limit my exercise as per the protocol but I am going to tap dance classes twice a week (one-hour classes) and I also walk quite a bit during a typical work day.
Girl! You are SKINNIE!!!!!!! Congratulations on sticking with the protocol! You are definitely inspiring!!!!
Hey, thanks!!!.. great to see you're still around... sorry I missed your post last week, must've been gone that day, & it doesn't take long for this thread to disappear off the front page...
How are you doing?.. how's IP maintenance working for you?.. got any pictures?.. hope to see around more often...
It's Official: Strength Training Keeps Muscle On Aging Bodies
Most people know that strength training builds muscle. Fewer know that between the ages of 50 and 70, people lose 30 percent of their muscle. Yes. Thirty percent of the muscle that allows us to maintain our sense of balance and our coordination, let alone enjoy an active life. Science Daily reports on research conducted at University of Potsdam in Germany that found just three workouts a week (each with 3 to 4 sets with about 10 repetitions per muscle group, at an intensity of about 80 percent of the one-repetition-maximum) will go a long way toward keeping muscle on aging bodies. File under Obvious: more intense workouts yielded better results.
ScienceDaily (June 11, 2011) — People lose 30% of their muscle strength between the ages of 50 and 70 years. However, maintaining muscle strength in old age is enormously important in order to maintain mobility and to be able to lead an independent life and manage everyday tasks independently. In the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Frank Mayer and colleagues from the University of Potsdam conclude that progressive strength (resistance) training counteracts muscular atrophy in old age.
The authors investigated the extent of the effects that can be achieved by strength (resistance) training in elderly persons and which intensities of exercise are useful and possible in persons older than 60 years. They found that regular strength (resistance) training increased muscle strength, reduced muscular atrophy, and that tendons and bones adapt too. These successes in turn had a preventive effect in terms of avoiding falls and injuries. Greater intensities of training yielded greater effects than moderate and low intensities. In order to increase muscle mass, an intensity of 60-85% of the one-repetition-maximum is required. In order to increase rapidly available muscle force, higher intensities (>85%) are required. The optimum amount of exercise for healthy elderly persons is 3 to 4 training units per week.
In the coming decades, the importance of maintaining the ability to work and to make a living will increase, as will the need for independence in everyday life and leisure activities. The increase in the retirement age to 67 years from 2012 means that one in three adults of working age will be older than 50 by 2020, and by 2050, the proportion of people older than 60 in Germany's population will rise to an estimated 40%. Currently, the proportion of elderly persons who practice strength (resistance) training is about 10-15%.
Exercise Shown to Produce Feeling of Satiation
Nov. 8, 2010
New research published in the Public Library of Science Biology (PLoSB) open-access journal reveals that exercise makes a participant feel full due to triggering of specific neurons in the brain. The research team at the University of Campinas Exercise in Brazil affirms they have found that an exercise-related stimulus can actually restore sensitivity of neurons involved in the control of satiety, and therefore contribute to reduced caloric intake and weight loss. It is also postulated that extreme consumption of fat can create neural signal malfunction within the hypothalamus of the brain, which in turn would diminish neuroendocrine control of satiety. This can lead to an irrepressible appetite response and consequent uncontrolled food intake and weight gain. The study team led by Jose Barreto C. Carvalheira established that exercising obese rodents promoted restoration of hypothalamic neuron communication and reduced caloric intake. As stated by Carvalheira, “In obese animals, exercise increased IL-6 and IL-10 protein levels in the hypothalamus, and these molecules were crucial for increasing the sensitivity of the most important hormones, insulin and leptin, which control appetite.” According to the study data, it appears that physical activity contributes to the deterrence and management of obesity not only via enhanced caloric expenditure, but also via positive hormonal modulation that can have an effect on orderly eating patterns. This knowledge has the potential to change the existing paradigm established between physical activity and weight loss. (Public Library of Science Biology, 2010)
Exercise Helps
Thank you ALL
