EAT LESS, EXERCISE MORE

WHAT A WONDERFUL IDEA ..!



Really don't have a whole heck of a lot going on these days ... trying to get used to having a 'piece of a peace of mind'. Arriel left a comment about working out ... and I will try to answer her straight away, and not confuse her with anything.



With weights, any weight you can do ten reps (a rep is single count of any movement, from start to finish) comfortably, is a good place to start. It would follow that the next lighter weight you can do 12 -15 reps, and the next heavier weight you can do 6-8 reps. This applies to fitness machines as well.



Balancing out what muscle groups is another item than many beginner's and novice fitness types make mistakes on. You work out groups where the action 'pulls' the weight, together, and exercises that 'push' the weight, you do on a different day.

A better way to say it, is that chest and legs should be worked together and arms and back should go together. This is a general thing, and if you want specifics, fly me out and you will get the intense, full service treatment!

One of the reasons it helps to have a 'coach', is they can push you to the next level, if they know how to relate to you. 'Partners' are overrated. Blind leading the naked (which is the name of a way cool Violent Femmes release!). If you can get someone who knows a little bit about working out, or just look at others in the gym training, you will get a good idea about what machine and exercises do what.

...IF I WAS YOUR TRAINER...

First two weeks, 3-4 days of training would be as follows:
Bench Press
Dumbell Shoulder Press
Flye exercise
Leg Press
Calf Raises
Jog or Cycle for 20 mins.

The set count would be 4 sets with 8-10 reps, the objective to be set at 10 (I put '8', so that you wouldn't feel bad if you didn't get up to 10, but I wouldn't tell you that if I was working you!)

One of the things that I remember most about starting to work out as a kid, that I see get a short shrift in a lot of fitness magazines and stuff, is that working is working, and there is a benefit to it. I keep hearing about how after you do so many reps of this, then you stop getting benefit from the exercise, yadda yadda.

The problem is, on higher levels of athletics, I see people breaking the rules all the time. There are things that occur beyond measurement, so if all you have is a 5lbs dumbell, and you can do 3 sets of 50 curls, who is to say that it did not benefit you?

See, I have always thought you need to skip a day or two when working out big muscle groups like the legs and the chest, so that they recover. But your arms, calves (I know they are part of the legs ... but you can 'seperately' work them as well) back, and your stomach, you can train until the cows come home and get benefit from the effort.

What I have posted, is the classic Mark workout, particularly when I have been away from a gym. Gets your body used to making an effort, and after two weeks, that should be enough time for you to feel something, stronger, maybe even slimmer.

One of the lamest excuses that I hear from people, particularly women, is that they are embarrassed to go, because they don' want to get 'looked at', as fat and in poor condition. Uh, this just in: WE KNOW ALREADY! You think that people don't know that you are bigger than you may want to be, as you down the carmel strudel as you look longingly at the picture of Katherine Heigl, wishing you could look like that ... or Jessica Alba ... Rihanna ... you get the picture.

Another one that they use, is that they don't want to get hit on ... and that is a hard one to argue down. 'Keep you eyes on your luggage', is all I can say, and trust your instincts. If you go regularly, you will end up talking to someone ... is he on the make or no? IMO, most EVERY guy in a gym will take a crack at an attractive woman, working alone. Hey, it is what guys do. But it is a small issue, when you know that you are still going home to whatever it is there. Myself, I don't worry about people in the gym, trying to be anything to me. Never took home any numbers nor asked for them.

Be prepared for the long haul. A good six months to really see anything, but so much depends on you. The more you put in, the more you get out. One way is to re-frame it as something that is helping you, than something you have to sacrifice for. The reason diet don't work, is that they are DIETS! Subsitute the negative connotation by telling yourself you are doing something that is giving you something.

I will prolly do a little entry about stuff you can do at home that will help you out. It isn't easy but geez louise, it ain't hard! It is about effort, and if you don't give it, you won't get anything out of it.