Sarah: Your Friendly ExRacers Personal Trainer! :D

[Lis]

How about getting past a plateau?

I lost about 45 pounds at 17-18. Now I'm at 150, go to the gym a few times a week, and can't seem to get below this.

[adcooper]

Mary's up on the Northeast side. She teaches at a school near Broad Ripple. She used to ride as a kid, but hasn't been interested for a long time now. She was the kid who'd get on anyone's pony and canter over jumps, but after adolescence she lost that nerve (or got wise!) She will go on a lazy trail ride with me once in a while, but it's just to please Mom, not because she really wants to.

PS, LIS! You rock! That's a lot of weight loss. I bet you are at a plateau because you are at the right weight for YOU, right now. Awesome. ;D

[Lis]

Thanks. But it's those last 10-15 that I'd like to get rid of that just tick me off.

[sariditty]

lis said:

How about getting past a plateau?

I lost about 45 pounds at 17-18. Now I'm at 150, go to the gym a few times a week, and can't seem to get below this.

So you're 24, right? How tall are you, if you don't me asking? And let me join you on wanting to lose that last 10-15 lbs.!
I'm 27 yo, 5'9" and about 152 lbs. What ticks me off is I was 132 lbs. November of 2003...and I just won't accept the extra 20 lbs. BUTTTTT I wasn't working out one iota back in 2003 around that weight time. I mean, back then, working out to me was taking the dog for a walk around the block. Whoo hoo....egh. Ever since I incorporated regular aerobic and strength exercises into my life, I've been steady at this 150-155 range. I'll say it 100 times as a trainer, but have yet to accept it as a [female] human being: "Muscle weighs far more than fat." Say it again. And again, if you have to. So anymore, I really focus more on how my pants are fitting versus my numerical weight.

Let me know more specifically what sort of exercise regime you're on, and maybe I can analyze that a bit more closely for you.

[Lis]

3-5 days at the gym typically at least 35-40 minutes of cardio (stationary bike, elliptical, sometimes treadmill - difficult due to knee)

oftentimes that's followed with weight machines - I vary which machines I use

I try and do pilates 2-3 days a week

in the summer I'm riding 2-3 horses a day, right now due to work and grad school...no riding

I'm 23 and 5'4. I know I'll never be a super skinny type, it's just not my body type and how I'm built. I've lost a pants size, but alas no weight in the past year. Even losing inches has plateaued...makes it a little difficult to stay motivated but I try to keep it up anyway because I figure it's probably good for me. To be honest, the weight doesn't bother me as much as just getting rid of the extra inches.

Now that work is calming down (year end is almost over) I'll probably start working out at 6:30 again which means I can devote more than an hour down there a day again.

Thanks in advance.

[sariditty]

Ok, Lis...I'll try my best, and we'll see where it goes!
1) I JUST posted a couple fyi's that I think you'll find the 1st one pertinent. Try switching your cardio and strength order. You'll end up burning more bad fat that way. (Check the post.)
2) For your knee, the elliptical and bike ARE your best bets. You're doing the right thing by watching the treadmill action. Is there a swimming pool available to you?? Aquatic exercise is AMAZING for the joints, heart, muscles, you-name-it!!!! Sometimes I'll just tread water for up to 10 minutes & swim laps. And believe you me, I am NOT a swimmer by any stretch of the imagination!! God bless kick boards!! ;D
3) Pilates is great!! Of course I'm a big advocate of it since I teach it! lol But that's a super way to strengthen your "powerhouse": lower back, abs, rear, thighs. And you'll find that through effective Pilates, you'll learn to stand and sit (and ride!) more upright...hence, your pants will feel better.

4) I'll never, ever be super skinny thanks to the rich German blood I inherited!! (I'm all butt and thighs! haha) That's the part where you just have accept your genetic make-up whether or not it sucks.

5) Try switching the strength exercises you do....a lot of the time, your body will adapt to the squats or chest press or bicep curls or whatever and you'll stop seeing results. Change it up!! If you can't think of or find any different ways, you can always ask me!
Also, try switching up your caloric intake and what it is you're eating. i.e. You could one day consume 1500 calories and the next day consume 2100 calories. It's exactly like keeping your body guessing like switching up your strength training. You might want to check, as well, your carb/protein/fat ratios. Think of 40% [good] carbs (whole wheat items, granola, etc.), 30% protein (I tend to steer away from heavy amounts of red meat.), 30% [good] fats (NOT oreos, donuts, brownies ....sad, I agree!!!).

6) At 5'4" (and not knowing much about you personally: your genes, your bone structure, seeing you workout), anywhere from 114 (for a teeny, tiny body frame) to 151 (for a larger body frame) is acceptable. (I'm going to post something about BMI soon - check that out too!!)

And you're most welcome I really do enjoy this (if you can't tell!)!

[Kim]

Feel like giving more advice?

I'm 19...and have gained about 30 pounds in the past 2 years. perhaps some of it was needed, but the rest, not so much.

I think that the meds that I'm on probably contribute to the weight gain, but I'd like to get it back under control now. I need to get up the motivation to go work out more often. But I get there, and it's almost like I don't know what to do. I use the elliptical, and I enjoy that, and it burns stress as well. But I'm not sure if I'll get the results from that? I also probably need to modify my eating habits....

Any advice?

[adcooper]

Kim, I know you'll get a good response from Sarah, but I'll pop in, too. You say you don't know what to do when you get to the workout place? Is there someone there who can coach you and recommend how/what/when, etc? I guess that's the kind of service that is making me really like Curves. I wouldn't have a clue, but the staff showed me just what to do, and gave really easy-to-understand advice. Maybe your place has someone just waiting to be asked?

[FlipFlop]

sariditty said:

"Muscle weighs far more than fat." Say it again. And again, if you have to.

Sorry but I need to clarify this because its a major pet peeve of mine. No, muscle does NOT weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. The difference is in the volume weights. If you have the same volumes of fat and muscle, the muscle will be heavier and weight more because it is more dense. Just like if you have the same weight, say 5lbs of muscle and 5 lbs of fat, the muscle will have a smaller volume because its denser. But a pound is a pound is a pound.

There is a common misconception that you gain a ton of muscle when you start exercising and therefore youre weight doesnt change. This is not true, you would need to do a ton of weight lifting AND increase your caloric (and % prot in the diet) to have this sort of muscle growth.

Chances are if you are working out a few times a week and not seeing a change in your weight:
-you are not excercising enough to lose weight. Most doctors recommend 60-90 mins a day 5-6 days a week to lose weight
-you are consuming more calories than what your body requires, but by excercising a few days a week you are burning off the excess and therefore you are not losing weight but you aren't really gaining either (maintaining the balance).
-you are eating extra calories on days you are working out because you went to the gym ("I can have that cookie-I worked out today") Im guilty of this sometimes!

[sariditty]

Thanks, FlipFlop!! You described exactly what I was too lazy to get into! Sometimes I forget that some people would read into it exactly the way it sounds, and I don't explain it as in depth as I ought to. Muchas gracias!!

Kim...I'll be with you soon!!! Busy day today & not enough time to sit and write!

[fancyhorse]

Ok, do you do tendons too? If so here is mine.....

Riding racehorses cause a lot of strain on my tendons in my hands. I have this one that bothers me here and there. Besides "rest" what else can I do to improve it?

[nybabyz]

Hi, Sarah! I have a question, if you don't mind. I decided in December to purchase an elliptical machine - which I love! I splurged and bought a professional model and it's soooo nice. I bought it because my schedule is impossible and having it here at home makes it much easier for me to actually set aside some time for exercise. At this point I have been able to carve out 30 minutes a day to work out - am I doing myself any good? In that 30 minutes I can get in a little over 2 miles. I have been steadily upping the level so that I continue to challenge myself. Anyway, I'm just curious as to what you think. Doing myself any good or do I have to strive to devote additional time? Thanks!

[sariditty]

An exercise for all to try!! This works absolute wonders for your inner thighs....gripping that saddle!!

On an exercise ball, sit straddling it. Shift so your hip-to-knees are pointing straight down the ball and into the ground. Your knee-to-feet part will be bended at the knees and pointing a bit behind you. Do 3 sets of 8 squeezes into the ball. Then take 2 counts to squeeze in and 2 counts release. Then hold the squeezed position for 8-16 counts. Back to a set (or more if you can) of the 1-count squeezes.
1-ct squeezes....3 sets of 8
2-ct squeezes....1 set of 8 (initially)
Hold squeeze.....8 counts
1-ct squeezes....1 set of 8 (build up to more)

ENJOY!!!! (And don't yell at me when you're aching! )

and I haven't forgotten about you, nybabyz & kim & fancy!!!! answers soon....i'm too wiped out to think that hard! lol)

[Luci]

What a great resource you are! Thanks so much for offering to help us crips . I'll have to log back in later when I have more time to read everything and post. Haha right now I have to stretch my poor back before work. Bucking horses are not kind to stiff, lived the active life backs when you've reached my age. ;D

[BoyleHeightsKid]

This is a wonderful thread! Thank you Sarah!