Wanting to head back to the gym, but feeling discombobulated

[Karli]

I am going to call my HA, but I really would like some advice here, too -- especially from experienced working-outters (but I am not picky, I will take it from anybody who can help). For some reason this is an area that has *always* easily overwhelmed me while I have been on MF and it's the main reason I have stayed away from excercising while MFing.

I guess I am paranoid about it making my journey slower, which is ironic since I have fallen off a few times and slowed my journey that way. BUT, you get the idea. I don't want to send mixed messages to myself, I guess (something like "working out = slower journey to health". I already fully get that "binging and stuffing = slower journey to better health" -- no mixed messages in the latter).

So, I would like to start getting back into weight-lifting and actual cardio excerise.

#1 : Is it true that I pretty much need to add a shake (or maybe another bar ?) for this, or does up to 45 minutes of heavier workout fall within the regular 5/1 guidelines ?

#2 : Could somebody please point out where "the guidelines" for exercise are ? I don't mind reading them, it's just I feel so overwhelmed in my stacks-of-papers-everywhere-life that I could just use a little helping hand here.

Well, I will just start there.



Thanks for any tips, and cheers,
Karli

[bikipatra]

This would be helpful fo me also. A big person like me burns 250 calories walking 2 miles and doing a workout DVD. (ivillage has a calorie burner based on weight.) That is a substantial mount of my daily caloric intake.

[alpha femme]

you should start out slow, and look more to light weight training than cardio. seriously. adding/maintaining muscle is your only prioriry during fat-loss, because (as much a we'd like to not believe it) your body doesn't only burn fat when we decrease calories. it burns quite a bit of muscle, even on the mf "muscle sparing" plan.

work your chest, back, and triceps more than your biceps. biceps are isolated muscle and don't give as much over-all benefit as larger muscle groups. pick a weight that leaves you feeling fatigued after 10 reps but not sore. you should never be sore during your workout. do three sets of 10 on each muscle group.

same with legs-- and don't neglect your hamstrings. add some calf-raises. if you have strong legs (most women do), do 3 sets of 15.

if you want to work your abs, have at it, but try to do hanging leg-lifts or reverse crunches. traditional crunches are ineffective and wasteful.

alternate your legs and upperbody on different days. you should always have a recovery day between working the same muscle set. muscle is basically scar tissue. when you work out, you create little rips in the fiber; the healing process is what allows muscle to build.

add in 20-30 of cardio, 3x a week, and you have a good starting place.

eat an hour before you work out. drink 8oz of water every 15 minutes at the gym. if you're doing it right, it isn't hard. if you need to, add a shake on the days you lift; some people won't need to. when you come home, drink another 20oz of water before you eat. don't sabotage yourself by giving into post-exercise "hunger" that is really dehydration.

have fun! it's all about keeping your workout varied and interesting. if you can using swimming as your cardio, it's ideal... in fact, it's the best workout around.

[bikipatra]

If I don't have access to a gym right now (long story about why husband would laugh if I asked about a membership after only a month and a half of MF'ing. Let's just say it involves a personal trainer and a case of beer), what exercises could I do at home? Should I get an exercise ball? Those resistance rubber bands? Lift soup cans? I am not kidding. The only stuff I have ever done at home has been aerobic-based, stretching/yoga or crunches which you say are pretty useless. And please don't recommend my dimply butt do anything vaguely resembling Richard Gere's home workout in American Gigolo...

[alpha femme]

the resistance bands can give excellent results.
also, grab a jump rope if you have good knees; it's great for cardio/lower body work.
pick up a couple of 5# weights at target or something, and you can really work your shoulders, arms, and chest. it doesn't take much at first.

if you have counters in the kitchen that are close enough to prop your weight up on your palms, you can do hanging leg lifts. reverse crunches are always good. stretch for 5 minutes 3x a day, and you will notice lengthening/toning after a couple of weeks.

if you have stairs or just one step somewhere in or outside, do some calf-raises. lunges, baby! if you are careful with your form, it's all about the butt.

lay on your back, legs raised, knees bent, feet parallel to the ceiling. put 3-5# of books on your soles and push the books up until just before your knees lock. do these slowly. muscle control, not weight, is what gives you the workout.

that last rule goes for all resistance exercises.

[Nova]

Here's my take on exercise while losing weight on Medifast. Some people can do it, some can't. You won't know which you are until you try. I could not exercise, even at a moderate intensity, while I was losing weight, because even with an extra shake, I wasn't getting enough calories. It would stop my weight loss, and I'd feel like crap afterward. Tired, sore, shaky, weak. But some people can, so I'd say try it. Following are my suggestions.

Eating: On days you exercise, add an extra shake and at least 2 more glasses of water. If you lift weights, have the shake within 30 minutes of finishing your workout. That's when your muscles are most receptive to getting the nutrients and building up, so you want to supply them with protein and carbs. No fat! If you're doing cardio, have a meal (any kind) no later than one hour before you start. Have a shake within 30 minutes of finishing and plan to eat another meal about 2 hours after that.

If you finish a workout and find yourself shaky or faint, drink water and have a shake immediately and rest. Next time, lower the intensity. If you ever feel faint or dizzy while working out, stop!

I've been doing some investigating, and it seems like the calorie counters on exercise equipment really overestimate how many calories you burn, but no one seems to know for sure.

Workouts - Cardio
I used to hate it, but it is good for your overall conditioning. Move at a brisk pace for 30 minutes 5 times a week. A brisk pace doesn't always mean out of breath and sweating. On this diet, you don't have a lot of energy to spare, so don't try to kill yourself. You just want to keep your metabolism active.

Alternately, buy a pedometer ($6) and try to get 10,000 steps in each day and don't worry about doing 'cardio'. Just walk around the house and keep track of your steps, and before long, you'll figure out ways to add another hundred here, a hundred there.

Workouts - Resistance
There's a ton of stuff you can do. Alex gave you same great ideas. She also hit on a sad truth. This diet, like all diets, eats away at your muscle. I'm so much weaker than I was before, it makes me sad. So don't go balls to the wall lifting because you can't eat enough to recover afterward. I'd aim for 3 sets of 6-10, and try to do compound movements. Those are exercises that move two or more joints. For example, bench press, overhead press, squats, deadlift, rows, pushups. And always do situps or crunches to build your core. You can PM me for tips about doing exercises correctly. When lifting, proper form is crucial both for muscle development and to prevent injury.

You can do 3 exercises, 3 times a week and get plenty of resistance work. Here's what I'm doing right now. It's quick and because they're all compound exercises, you work lots of muscles in just one exercise. Great for lazy people.
Monday: squat
bench press
bent over row
abs

Wed: squat
incline press (or overhead press)
deadlift
abs

Friday: squat
bench
bent over or upright rows
bicep curls
tricep extensions

For each exercise, do 3 sets of 6-10 using a weight that doesn't make you feel drained and out of breath by the last rep. If you can go to a gym, use a barbell and weights. If you're at home and can get dumbbells, you can do all these with dumbbells. Go to www dot exrx dot net and look through there for instructions and video on how to do the different lifts.

I picked up a set of dumbbells that are a bar and several 5 and 3 pound plates, so I can adjust the amount of weight on each dumbbell. Cost me about $40 at Sports Academy. It's a pain to change the plates all the time, but it's a lot cheaper than buying a bunch of dumbbells, and it takes up less space.

If you can afford it, I'd recommend a balance ball. They're great for doing situps and all kinds of exercises. I love doing bench presses on them because they work all my stabilizer muscles in the core too.

Finally, yoga is really really good for strength, balance and flexability. You could do that instead of weight lifting.

If you have no specific exercise equipment at home, you can do dips with a kitchen chair. Put your palms on the front edge, scoot your butt off the chair and lower your butt by bending your elbows. You'll feel it in your triceps. Do pushups. Oh, one-legged squats and lunges are fantastic for your legs and balance. Go to the site I mentioned above. I hate jump rope, but jumping jacks are fun.

Oh, here's an idea. Search for "The Hacker's Diet" and look at his exercise plan. It's set up for somebody to do at home with no equipment.

Finally, just look for opportunities. I'd put a bag of mulch over my shoulder and run to where I needed to put it, instead of walking there. If you've got a big rock in your yard, pick it up and put it down 10 times. Pick up a bag of cement or sand. Always make sure you use good lifting technique, ie, lift with your knees and make sure your back is straight.

I will say I disagree with Alex on the crunches. I think it's essential to work your core, and crunches are a great way to do it. There's a bunch of ways to do them. On a balance ball; lie on the floor with hands under your butt and lift your legs 12 inches off the floor, lower to 6 inches, repeat 20 times; sit on your butt with your legs up at 45 degrees and your upper body at 45 degrees, so your hips make a right angle, squeeze your abs to bring your legs in and release, repeat 20 times.

Flexibility
Stretch at the end of your workout, not before. Before your workout, do a light version of whatever your plan to do. If you're going to walk or jog, start out slowly for a few minutes. If you're going to lift, do a set or two that's super light, just to warm up the muscles and joints.

Sports
Find a sport you like and join up. That's a fantastic way to exercise, no matter what it is.

[alpha femme]

[Karli]

Okay, thanks *very* much for your responses . I am going to spend a lot of time on this subject and will go back through these posts and read in-depth. I want to post the lifts and the workouts that I had been doing before I started MF, but I don't have time right now.

However, I think I am going to go swimming tomorrow. Then a sauna. Nothing crazy, I just need to be underwater for a good little while (I actually need this sound in my ears, I have realized... hee hee). I think I will try adding a shake before or after I swim. I will read more in the posts here about that particular thing.

Thanks .

Karli

[Nova]

[bikipatra]

Thanks a lot kids. I am printing this page out for reference while I type.

[bikipatra]

I did the kitchen chair lifts and the one where you hang the back of your feet off a step (calf raises) and press up-wow, I am WEAK! The chair lifts just hurt but the leg stuff burned. Must be due to the acid buildup and fatigue from my 2 mile walk yesterday. My counters are too short but I will definitely keep working on these suggestions. Thanks so much!

[GucciGoo]

I usually stop the elliptical machine when I have burned 150 calories. That is my rule. Any more than that and I would risk going into starvation mode.

I do save my bar until right before or right after my workout to get extra energy and avoid feeling faint afterward.

And I have a whole bottle of SmartWater at the gym (32 oz in the bottle=4 glasses)

[DogMa]

Be aware, though, Beth, that the calorie counters on machines are notoriously inaccurate. They generally overestimate the number by a significant amount.

[bikipatra]

I did 45 calf raises and ten lunges this morning and my cheeks were BURNING!!!! Don't worry, I thought of you the whole time, Alex.

[Taangrl21]

Just wanted to see how the exercising was going for everyone so far...I cant wait to start next week!!!

Biki-congrats on the exercise,I hope my buns burn too...it means the fat is being burned! Oh yeah baby!!! Cant wait!