Tag Archives: experience

What bike is best for fitness as well as toning of the body?

Ask:

I’m interested in purchasing a bike but i am unsure what bike meets my needs. i play at a high level of sport in soccer and need to keep my fitness levels high. I was curious as to which bike would accommodate my needs of keeping fit and toning the body e.g abs, arms, chest and obviously legs. I have heard of names such as a road, fitness and hybrid bike but need further advice. HELP PLEASE!

Answer:

If you enjoy cycling then get a road bike. Road bikes are the ones that you see on Tour de France and local road bike races. Spend at least $2,000 because anything less would be a waste of money. You need to invest in your bicycle because it requires that much money to get a decent bike nowadays. Of course you can get a bicycle that functions properly for much less. But I wouldn’t spend any less for a bicycle because once you try a bicycle that is designed by engineers then you’d clearly see the difference between that and a $300 worthless trash they sell at Walmart.

For a $2,000 road bike you typically get Shimano Ultegra or SRAM Rival group set for an entire bike that weighs around 17lbs. For $300 you would get a bike that shifts with a loud clunk and weigh twice that much. $2,000 road bikes are engineered by dedicated professionals. You would be amazed how quickly, smoothly and quietly the bike can shift when it is made and tuned properly. Continue reading What bike is best for fitness as well as toning of the body?

What is a good distance to start running when you are overweight?

Ask:

I am really overweight, and know that i need to lose weight. I figured the best way to lose the weight is to start running, but I dont know what is a good distance to start with. Obviously I am too out of shape to run the whole distance, so should I run as far as a can then walk when I am out of breath? I am embarrassed that people will see me walking and running, any tips?

Answer:

It is not so much about the distance that you can run until you can’t breathe anymore that is going to cause you to lose weight. From my own experience, I started out walking & then slowly incorporated some slow running spurts into a combination of a walk/run program until I could run without having to stop at all. I was so overweight that I could not walk up the stairs without being out of breath & my heart palpitating!! That was embarassing enough for me. I could not walk 10 minutes without my feet hurting so bad from my excess weight in the beginning. I made a choice/commitment to myself to lose 100 lbs in 1 year. Now it is 1 yr and 1 months later and I have managed to lose 101 lbs so I know that you can do it too. I knew I had to quit smoking in order to run so I quit cold turkey 1 1/2 years ago. I knew there was no way that I could run if I smoked so therefore I would never lose the weight.

I made a decision to make a ‘lifestyle’ change including what I ate. I eat more protein now to build leaner muscle which burns fat & calories faster. You can find protein in eggwhites, chicken and turkey. Eat more fiber such as apples because fiber tricks the body into thinking that you are fuller longer. Believe me I was just like you. I just couldn’t look at myself in the mirror anymore at the way that I looked or felt about myself.

I had lost weight in the past by running so I knew it would work again. At that time I only needed to lose 35 lbs and I did. All of this was no due to overeating, it was due to a medication side effect which caused a slowed down metabolism & therefore I gained more weight more quickly.

What I did was start out with the walk for a couple of weeks at least 3 times a week for 15-30 or as much as you can tolerate. You will begin to feel better mentally just by being active & when the endorphins kick in even for just walking. When you are comfortable enough then try doing some really slow running & focus on your breathing. That is the biggest thing to overcome & tackle in running in the beginning to go any distance. What worked for me was deep breathing from my abdomen and then slowly breathing out of my mouth and ‘feeling’ my body be relaxed as I just jogged in ‘slo mo’ and I do mean really slow. I didn’t care what other people thought at this point. My determination to keep it going and to lose the weight was stronger than what other people thought of me. As I have heard other people say; those people that you think are looking at you funny are just doing that — looking…not running or moving physically at all. That is the point, you are doing it and they are not. I said to a running friend ‘when does it ever get easier?’ and like a day later I read somewhere in a running book that “If it was so easy than everyone would be doing it”. It makes alot of sense doesn’t it? don’t be so hard on yourself. The fact that you are willing is 1/2 the battle. Trust me, stick with it and don’t over do it. Listen to your body. If you have pain, never run or walk through it. Give yourself a rest day so the muscles can repair themselves. In the end you WILL run and get to a certain distance that you will feel good & confident about. I feel so much better about myself. I could not even lift or drag 100 lbs if I had too. I still have more work to do but I need machines in a gym to do some weight or strength training which down the line will help also build more leaner muscle. If you stick with it, I guarantee that you will see the results that you want. You just have to be patient & look at the ‘big picture’ if you miss a day or two and say to yourself that ‘I have the rest of my life’ to get out there & walk/run. Your legs will be more toner and more of muscle and so will your butt. My face is alot thinner and my waist too. You will feel great both mentally & physically and running can be very addictive so hang in there for the long haul. One day at a time is all you have to handle. I still stop and walk sometimes because I am trying to go faster but I have read that is better to do rather than to keep on running because you will tire your body out & get fatigued quicker and in the end ruin what your intentions where anyway. I really wish you luck & I would love to know how your progress is coming along. Think positve thoughts & affirmations while you are out there. That also helps alot & motivates you more too and eventually trust me you won’t even think twice if anybody is looking at you. You will just feel so good about yourself and what you are doing and you will just keep feeding on that feeling. Good Luck. This probably has to be my longest answer to anyone ever but I can truly relate to where you are right now. : ))

My own experience, learning from others and reading alot more on health and wellness and I did lose my goal weight. In actuality I gained alot more than just losing the weight, you will see what I mean…

Answer 2:
I was 40 lbs overweight when I started in Mar 08, I found the best way to run and stick with it, is to make a rountine of getting out there, not worrying about time or mileage but just making the effort to do something. In the begining I scheduled *bc I’m a sahm and husband works alot* a time where he was home to look after the kids. Usually 5 am more often than not and I set a goal of going out around the block and if I had to walk, I did but only for a minute maximum. My first time out was 10 mins, and it took me a bit to get past that. Once I could get that block mastered I went to the next block and repeated that I’d run more than I walk and I found the best way to do running is to pace yourself slowly and build up endurance gradually.  Continue reading What is a good distance to start running when you are overweight?

When can I realistically set a goal to run a marathon?

Ask:

I am 250+ pounds and as motivation for losing weight I would like to run a marathon. If I start walking and jogging and slowly increase in distance and speed, when can I realistically run a marathon? There is a marathon near by in October. Would October 2010 be too soon?

Answer:

It’s usually recommended to have a running routine in place for at least a year before you begin training for a full marathon. The marathon-specific training is then usually another 12-16 weeks. Your body does need an extended period to adapt to the basic pounding of running, and people often do have things with weight, shoes, diet, etc. to get somewhat sorted out, too.

October 2010 would be slightly on the early side compared to what’s often recommended, and you may or may not have your weight down as much as you’d like by then. There are pretty good odds you’d likely be able to at least complete it as a run-walk by then though.

Anyway, targeting a marathon can certainly be a good motivational goal, but you might want to consider things a little later (like the many that happen in January/February/March) too.

You don’t have to actually start registering for most until closer to the event. Four months or so out usually means the start of your training, and spaces are usually still open then with prices still down. Continue reading When can I realistically set a goal to run a marathon?

Do you have any personal experience on losing weight fast?

Ask:

I’m 19 and want to lose at least 7 kgs till my birthday which is in 15 days. Anyone with good diet plan or anything please help me lose weight. I weigh 65 kg n m 158 cms . pls help, any personal experience?

i workout everyday for about 2 hour but m not sure with my eating habits

Answers (2):

Answer 1:

Hi , please read carefully what all I want to say , it might help 🙂
Exercise : 45 minutes cardio that is brisk walk or treadmill walk or jogging and 15 minutes of weights like dumb-bells , this is muscle strengthening exercise , sit ups will have same effect . secondly
Diet Chart :
8:30 breakfast
Tea or Milk 1 cup +
whole wheat bread with salad filling /Dalia with vegetables/egg boiled ( white part only) { chose any one option}
11:00 mid-morning
sprouts or roasted gram ( 10 gm )
1:30 Lunch
salad /soup + chapati 2 small ( no rice) , dal,vegetables ,curd of double toned milk
5:00 Evening tea
Tea/fruit ( one apple or one pear , no other fruit is allowed )/upma/poha add vegetables in these things.
8:00 Dinner
should be of same things as lunch
Bed Time :
around 10-11 pm pudding without sugar

Logic for advising five meals a day : when ever we eat some thing , intestine work to digest it , in that process intestine use calories to digest food , so we give intestine to work but we do not provide calorie high foods , that way body is benefited .
Lot of salad in diet , steamed food like broccoli , beans , any kind of leaves like spinach etc , peas etc. Use lentils also. Add soya bean flour or black gram floor to wheat floor to increase protein value & decrease caloric value ( 75%wheat flour+25%soybean flour)
Drink plenty of water. Any thing made from refined flour like biscuits , bread , noodles ,anything from bakery is a bad food .No sweet thing for you , no sugar at all .
Avoid :1) potato , Arbi , yam , sweet potato
:2) sweets,sugar,gur,honey,jam,jelly etc.
can substitute chapati with :
one chapati is equal to : one serving spoon of parboiled rice or one small plain dosa or one cup upma/ poha , add green vegetables anywhere & everywhere you can.
Oil : olive oil preferably virgin olive oil 500 ml ( half liter only ) in whole month for one person.
Since Diet is restricted in many ways , it is advised to take some vitamin supplements like tab supradyn one on alternate day .
Finally one must try to figure out why the weight has gone this way , is it simply over eating ? if not then Thyroid hormone should be checked by finding out TSH level . secondly in girls hormonal issues can be underlying cause as indicated by delayed periods , abnormal fat deposition especially around waist line .. if that is the case then an ultrasound examination of uterus and ovaries should be done. . Feel free to ask any thing on narain1949@yahoo.com , all the best!

Answer 2:

I would avoid a 2 hour workout everyday as you will exhaust yourself and run the risk of making yourself sick. Stick to one hour a day of good, steady exercise and you’ll have the results without the negative side effects.As for eating, you want to consume less calories a day than you burn. The average calorie intake is set around 2000. This means that if you sat in a chair all day and did nothing, on average, a person still burns 2000 calories. You want to eat less than that. I would set your intake at around 1400-1500. DO NOT eat less than 1200 calories a day or your metabolism will suffer and your body will enter starvation mode, which will make it harder to burn those calories and will again make you sick.
Whole grain, skim milk, chicken, fruits and veggies. Big helpings of veggies, chicken or fish for protien. Avoid fast food, fried food, pasta, heavy dairy like ice cream, and no sweets like cookies

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WORK/LIFE BALANCE FOR PEOPLE WITH BIG DREAMS

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” ~Thomas Merton

The vast majority of people I know have two different types of work: the kind that pays the bills, and the kind they wrap their heart around.

For some people, those are one and the same, but often that takes time, dedication, and a willingness to blur the traditional boundaries that separate work and social life.

Because let’s face it: It’s not always easy to make a living doing something you love.

The first challenge is to figure out what that is; and it’s often complicated by what we think weshould do based on what other people think and what we’ve done up until now.

The next step is to figure out how to do it smart. It’s all good and well to decide to you want to run an online fitness, beauty, or personal development empire, but unless you have a unique value proposition and a solid idea of who needs your services and why, you could end up just spinning your wheels.

And then there’s the easiest part, which is simultaneously the hardest: the choice to work on your dream every day, knowing there are no guarantees, and that it may take a long time to make the kind of progress that allows you to devote your full-time energy to your passion.

This has been my experience with Tiny Buddha, and it’s the same with people who have contacted me for help with their blogs. Everyone wants the freedom to do more of what they enjoy and less of what they don’t.

What makes this kind of complicated is that turning a passion into work can sometimes strip the joy out of it, particularly when you give up freedom now in the pursuit of freedom tomorrow.

Really, that’s what we’re doing when cram our hours full of tasks that leave little time for play and decompression: We’re deciding tomorrow’s possibilities are more important than today’s. Continue reading WORK/LIFE BALANCE FOR PEOPLE WITH BIG DREAMS