Fitness Goals Support Group
This community is dedicated to group support around achieving fitness goals, whatever they may be, through personal training, athletic activites, or other strenuous activity. Whether you are trying to get fit to treat a health problem, boost your mood, relieve stress, or tone your body, this group is a great place to meet other like-minded people who have similar goals.
Hey all. I joined this group recently. I haven't seen much activity, so I figure I can start with just telling why I'm here.
In my childhood I was always the scrawny kid. I had asthma, was skinny, and didn't develop much muscle. I was embarrassed to try sports or lifting weights because I was laughed at a few times for being weak. My high school marching band helped me ease into being a bit athletic.
In college, I ate more but still had a habit of not getting out for exercise much. I actually got a beer belly and am still skinny looking elsewhere.
Now I'm unemployed and trying to get more in shape. I am trying to keep the habit of running with my dogs about every other day. I am also depressed, and it is hard for me to stay motivated.
I want to emprove my endurance, strength, and self-confidence by exercising more. I might be joining the military soon too. I don't have a gym membership right now, although maybe I should get one.
In my childhood I was always the scrawny kid. I had asthma, was skinny, and didn't develop much muscle. I was embarrassed to try sports or lifting weights because I was laughed at a few times for being weak. My high school marching band helped me ease into being a bit athletic.
In college, I ate more but still had a habit of not getting out for exercise much. I actually got a beer belly and am still skinny looking elsewhere.
Now I'm unemployed and trying to get more in shape. I am trying to keep the habit of running with my dogs about every other day. I am also depressed, and it is hard for me to stay motivated.
I want to emprove my endurance, strength, and self-confidence by exercising more. I might be joining the military soon too. I don't have a gym membership right now, although maybe I should get one.
It's great to run, I always thought that was a great start for me. I've also suffered from depression, and when I began therapy I chose to try and see if I can stop smoking and replaced that habit with running.
Not only do I find it to be a perfect exercise, it is a great endorphin fix. You feel great, your mind is clearer and your moods are perked up. Just keep it simple as you are doing now, and when you feel you can handle more, then join a gym or take a class.
The important thing is to listen to your body and not push too hard at first. Work your way up to more intense workouts gradually and at your own pace.
Good luck :)
I like riding a bicycle, even the stationary bikes at the gym. It's much lower impact, easier on the knees and joints than running, strengthens my legs and core, makes me breathe heavy and sweat plenty, which makes me burn calories and lose fat. Drink water often!
And let's not overlook nutrition! Too many empty carbs, without protein to balance them out, as well as processed sugar, make us fat. I've been kinda following "the zone" eating plan, and it's been great. It calls for:
40 percent carbs (veggies, except for white potatoes, certain fruits like berries)
30 percent protein (lean meat, white meat chicken, fish like cod, salmon and tuna)
30 percent healthy (monounsaturated) fats (nuts like almonds, omega 3s from fish oil, olive oil)
The zone calls for only 1,500 calories per day for males, 1,200 for females. I'm male and am probably closer to 2,000, so I don't follow the plan that religiously, but I've still noticed a decrease in fat and an increase in muscle, which is good. The zone calls for eating small meals often, like 5 times a day, which keeps the metabolism moving, and I pretty much follow that.
It tells us to avoid bread, pasta, rice and potatoes, unless we're balancing them with close to the same amount of protein, and I pretty much follow that.
I love Italian food and I can still eat Italian, just forego the dough from pizza and pasta in spaghetti. I eat meat like Butterball Lite turkey sausage with marinara sauce, mushrooms and black olives, and it tastes just like pizza or spaghetti, but without that bloated feeling from dough or pasta noodles.
I also love to grill flounder in a pan with olive oil, lemon and lime juice, with mushrooms and green Pimenta olives with the little red centers, a little sea salt for seasoning. Mmmmmm! Flounder's a very light, fluffy fish, is easier to digest than chicken or red meat, and the body just loves those Omega 3 fatty acids, sucks them up!