wow, exercise - a great way to start the day

[beanbear]

missrumphius:

beanbear:

[quote=\"missrumphius\"]Hi beanbear,


Very inspired to read about your exercise routines. Hubby and I are looking to kick-start our exercise routine. Can you share details about your fitness trainer? Thank you very much!

Hi there! Great to hear you & hubby will work out together. I'll pm you the details of my trainer. I just went to his new gym yesterday and had a great workout. I'm looking forward to looking good and feeling great during the chinese new year.

Previously when I started looking good, my hubby was inspired and went to workout with me also and he lost so much just after 2 months because men have more muscle mass. After our recent Sydney trip, he's put on so much coz of the drinking of beer & wine every day!! For men, that's usually the key obstacle. They like to chill out & drink but that's alot of calories.

Hi beanbear,

Thanks again for the pm. I read through the website carefully this time, and I quote from it \"Only the priviledged, high society people and serious exercisers are patrons to this studio.\". Their fees are not easily affordable for most people. I sincerely thank you for your generous sharing, but I have to say it is a bit intimidating given their fees and the kind of clients they service. Not sure it is suitable for us. Thanks again.[/quote]hehe, my trainer does work with some \"who's who\" in society but I'm certainly not one of them!

It's best you give the trainer a call and just talk to him. He's very nice, I assure you, down to earth and simple kind of person but he's serious about his clients and I guess some of the stuff he writes on the website is to ward off those who are not serious about doing this. His rates are negotiable so it's ok to just have a chat with him.

[cimman]

contrary to popular belief, longer exercise time does not equate to weight loss. It is not the quantity of time that contributes to weight loss, but rather the quality of time spent.


By quality of time spent, I mean the rate at which your heart is beating. For fat reduction, that should be >80% of maximum heart rate.
Someone who engages in high intensity workout can just spend 20 mins a day for 3 times a week and will burn more calories than someone who exercises 1 hour a day (5x a week) doing a brisk walk.

The difference between a high intensity workout and a low to medium intensity workout is that after the high intensity workout, calories are still burning hours after the workout and even while you're asleep. In the low to medium intensity workout, the calories stopped burning as soon as you stop exercising.

However, high intensity workout is not for everyone. To keep your heart rate >80% is a killer. One may take 1 to 3 months go from couch potato to high intensity workout trainer.

The good thing about high intensity workout is that the training is very short. Good for people who don't have much time. You get your heart rate to >80% for about 15 secs to 30 secs (more advanced folks), and then rest for 30 secs to 45 secs and start the cycle again for about 10 cycles and then you're done. You can do this by sprinting up a hill, or cycling on a stationary bicycle at maximum speed, or sprint swimming. However, unless you're a good swimmer, I don't suggest swimming as a high intensity workout because you'll lack the skills to swim that fast, and if you're swimming slowly, you're not going to make a difference.

You'll first start with 3 to 4 cycles of 10 secs each and gradually build up to 10 cycles of 30 secs each. Once you're there, load the bicycle with more resistance or if you're sprinting, sprint up a steeper slope, or if that is not possible, put on ankle weights. Go back to 3 to 4 cycles of 10 secs each. Adjust the resistance or weights till you know that you're giving your max at 3 to 4 cycles of 10 secs each. Work you way up to 10 cycles and then reload with more resistance and start the cycle again from 3 cycles.

You'll find that at the start, achieving >80% heart rate is easy. Once you're fitter, it takes more effort to reach the target heart rate. This is because as you get fitter, it takes a more intense workout to reach >80% heart rate.

You get toned abs not by doing more crunches, but by reducing the fat content around the tummy area. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as spot reduction exercises. If an article or someone tells you that there are exercises to reduce fat in a specific area, that is erroneous. If you do high intensity workouts, the fat is reduced, however, you have no control on the body part in which the fat is reduced. The reduced fat could come from your arms first, then your face, then your thighs, then your buttocks, then..... and then finally, your tummy. Sad to say, most of the time, for most of us, the tummy fat is the last place in which fat is reduced. So people, you'll have to keep at it till the workouts hit the tummy fat area, which could very well be the last area in a whole string of body parts first.

In the past, a good high intensity workout is when you see people vomiting on the floor. The good news is that vomiting is now no longer a prerequisite for a good workout. Not to worry though, start slow and work your way up. Just don't listen to stories about spot fat reduction, there is no such thing.

er.. no need to mention that you need to couple workouts with a good diet program. No point eating buffet every lunch time and then wondering why you aren't getting any slimmer.
Remember, when it comes to eating, the human body is like a bucket. Once the bucket is full, and you continue eating, the excess energy is turned to fat and stored. Most of us eat past a full bucket, since our stomach or our satiation feeling is not really calibrated to a full bucket. Most of us feel satiated only when we're way past a full bucket.

btw, if you're working out on weights as well, you could be losing fat and gaining weight at the same time. This is normal. The BMI is not an accurate indication of healthy weight as it ignores muscle mass. When you workout with weights, you put on muscle mass and lose fat at the same time. The net result is that you gain weight, but this is the good weight, because it comes from increased muscle mass. A more accurate indication of health is the fat content in your body. You can either take the pinch test, by pinching your waist and see much you pinch off with a caliper or get a body fat measuring device. You hold the device with both hands and an electrical signal is sent from one handle to the next. Body fat is measured by the returned signal strength. Use the body fat measurement to see how you're progressing with your workouts. Like i've said, tummy fat may be the last body part for fat reduction, so be patient.

[sleepy]

beanbear:

if you put in some resistance weight training during your 30mins, you will be gaining muscle, then your body continues to burn even after your workout has ended. Do this over several months, you'll find that your body is burning calories more efficiently and inches fall off your waist!!

Been lifting weights in gym since March. On top of machines, I use dumb bells to train too. But muscle gain is negligible. Don't know why :scratchhead: And my waistline remained the same

Took my monthly measurement at my gym earlier today. My fat% constant but lean muscle reduced
My trainer said I need to increase my protein intake further, to build muscles. I thought I've been consuming protein rich food but apparantly stilll insufficient.

[sleepy]

Hi ladies


Rec'd quite a number of PMs regarding Zumba so I will share here.

I'm taking Zumba at community centers.
You can go to PA website. Click on advance search (top right hand corner), type in keyword zumba and also type in your postal code in one of the fields. All the nearby CCs with zumba class timing will pop up

http://one.pa.gov.sg/CRMSPortal/CRMSPortal.portal
http://www.facebook.com/PAssionZumba

Fees are pretty standardized. $45 for 4 sessions, $90 for 8 sessions if passion card members.

Some instructors are running classes at Sports councils too. Need to call up your nearest Sports council to enquire.

Happy dancing

[sleepy]

Here's another website to find a class near you


http://www.zumba.com/en-US/

just type in your postal code

[micollh]

how’s yesterday marathon people ? i went for 10km… fun ! shiok ! running is addictive ! started my kid on kids dash too !

[mummybeebee]

After a decade of trying slimming salons, crash diets, appetite suppressants and all where the weight loss returns with a vengeance, I have found that the most effective weight loss is a combination of diet, exercise and a life-style change.


Some of my learning:-
- Understand why are you trying to lose weight? Is it to look good or for health reasons?
- Having a buddy helps as you would encourage each other.
- Vary the type of exercise - so that boredom does not set in
Agree with the earlier comment that cardio exercise does not sustain the weight loss. Consider a combination of resistance and cardio exercises.

[jasmineong]

Is it possible to exercise with light weights when pregnant?

[micollh]

jasmineong:

Is it possible to exercise with light weights when pregnant?

you can continue to exercise (low impact) even pregnant. i run until 4 months plus.i swim until i was 7 months preggy.

you can do yoga too. better. i stop yoga as i feel some strain to my back , back then. i swim instead.

[micollh]

read some work out book, best time to burn fat is morning… suggestion is to start at like 5plus am… any way to motivate working mother to start this??