City-Data Fitness Progress Thread (bikes, fast, running, cardio)

[DFWgal]

This week DH and I started exercising again. We've gone to the gym, to the pool and we rode the bikes around the lake. It took us almost 2 hours but we are proud, considering our horrible physical condition LOL.

Now I'm waiting for a miracle to give us motivation with healthy eating.

Let's see how this works

[CGSA]

10 weeks ago I made a commitment to myself to get back into shape. My goal was to try to go to the gym and workout every day for a year. So far, I have been to the gym every day for the past 10 weeks.

I have been working out an hour to an hour and a half every day doing 45-60 minutes cardio (elliptical machine and stairmaster stair mill) and spending the rest of the time using weights.

Working out inspired me to eat better and I have been making much healthier choices.

I weighed in today and I have lost 37 pounds and I have gone from a size 16 to a size 10.

I have 30 more pounds to lose to reach my target weight and my goal is simply to reach that weight by the end of my one year commitment (April 2010).

I'm just excited about the progress that I've made and wanted to share!

[scarletfire]

I've been working out and eating right since the end of last August. So far I've lost 34 pounds but it's come off very slowly and (not to be gross) but the belly flab still won't go away. Any ideas?? I was around 170lbs last year and now am fluctuating around 136 and am hoping to lose another 6-8 lbs -- or at least get rid of this excess stomach fat. I'm a 40 yrs old female.

Here's my schedule
twice a week one hour strength training with personal trainer
Cardio four days a week (one day 50-min spin class, two days running, and one day "other" - either stationary bike or cross-trainer 30-40 min)

Recently I started working with a dietician and eat about 1400-1500 calories a day.

I've also been trying to work up to a 5K but I've never been able to run so I'm starting at a snail's pace. When I started I could only run about 1-2 minutes. Now I can run 7-8 minutes, walk 2 minutes and do that three times in a row. Has anyone else followed one of those couch to 5K plans? Have you had a hard time transitioning from running on the treadmill to running on pavement? I'd love any advice.

Thanks all!

[Crustedfilth]

2 more weeks until I'm a certified trainer. My alternate career choice. LOL

Meanwhile I've increased my pull ups to 16 on the first set, bench press to 300 lbs for 3 reps, and my DL's are up to 280 lbs (thanks Lola!)

Since being off work I've ramped up my exercising 20 fold.

[nat_at772]

Now that the wedding is over I've kinda lost my drive. Haven't been to the gym once this month and have pigged out on more than a few occassions. My mind keeps telling me not to do this but my body isn't listening.

[yayoi]

I've been going to the gym regularly for the past 2 months. About a month ago I added a strength training class to my routine. I used to hate strength training but now I'm starting to really enjoy it. I think part of the reason why I used to hate it was because I completely relied on machines. Now that I've gotten comfortable with using free weights I "discovered" some exercises that I really like.

[lynnevans]

Interesting information you have shared here. Exercise and yoga are really very important to keep our body fitness and for good health.

[yayoi]

I switched up my weightlifting routine. Since some of the folks on here told me that one day of ‎weights isn't really enough, I went ahead and added another day of weights. I eventually want to ‎work my way up to three days of weight training. I also dropped the weightlifting class because I was ‎too sore afterwards to add another day of weights. I figured that I would see more results if I trained ‎more often but not as intensly. ‎

I also picked up a book from the library called "New Rules of Lifting for Women". I've been following ‎the the first two workouts for a week now. ‎

The first workout involves squats, push-ups, seated rows, step-ups, and reverse crunches. I'm ‎supposed to do a prone jacknife instead of the crunches but I'm still uncoordinated and weak in the ‎upper body. The second workout involves the deadlift (my favorite!) dumbbell shoulder press, lat ‎pulldowns, lunges (I hate those!), and crunches.‎

I did the deadlift for the first time with a regular barbell. That thing was so heavy that I couldn't even ‎add any extra weights! Plus there isn't really a lot of room in my gym to comfortably use a seven foot ‎barbell. If I don't find a shorter barbell I'm going to have to switch to dumbbells.‎

My left knee still bothers me sometimes. That's why I hate the lunges. I can feel that my left leg had ‎less muscle development than my right. I had my knee x-rayed (is that a word?) a couple of weeks ‎ago. The doctor said the fluid between my knee joints was a little low but everything looks fine otherwise. ‎I'll have to figure out some exercises to strengthen the muscles around my knee without actually ‎irritating it. I do plan on hiring a personal trainer but I can't afford to do so right now. ‎

I'm not seeing the scale go down as quickly as before. I did lose four inches from my waist and two inches from my hips since I changed my diet and started exercising. ‎

[thepinksquid]

During the past 3 months I've lost 22 lbs from taking up a running program, and watching what I eat more carefully. I wasn't "fat" per se, but I certainly wasn't fit. Now my body is trimmer and I'm more slender...which feels great! I'm working on maybe another 10 lbs to go.

I can honestly say that losing this weight has been the biggest boost to my self-confidence in a long, long time!

[music2myears]

Finally dropped 5 lbs!....All that beer and dinner every night. I cut back on sodas last month and started drinking more water. I cut back on my eating and I have already dropped more than 5lbs!