Training...what to do?

[Myriad_Rocker]

What's the best way to lose weight and tone up? I don't want big muscles...just tone and definition.

Also, what kind of foods should I be eating while training?

I'm looking to make this an ongoing thing...not just for a specific period of time.

[Myriad_Rocker]

I'm sorry, I put this topic in the wrong forum...if a mod could move it, that will be fine. I don't want to double post it in the training forum.

[aefibird]

That's OK.

I'll move it to the Health, Training and Fitness forum.

[AnonymousOne]

Getting big muscles takes a hell of a lot of work and a very long time.

Its a misnomer to say weights automatically build big muscles. They don't.

So use weights, running and eat properly and you wont go wrong

[dtstiachi]

Good advice Anonymous One. Also watch your intake of sugar, (ie. soft drinks, sweets etc) they tend to gravitate towards the "problem areas" on both sexes.

[Myriad_Rocker]

Thanks for the replies. Here's the thing, though...I don't eat sweets. In fact, I don't even really care for sweets. If I have anything with sugar (usually tea), then it's always artificial (Sweet N Low, etc).

How should I start out? What should I be eating? I'm going to start jogging...coupled with doing martial arts twice a week. Then on weekends I'm going to go biking. Is that a good start? I'll work weights in later...

About 2 years back I was in great shape...working out all the time, lifting weights, blah blah...then I got married! haha....

[aefibird]

Make sure that you drink plenty of water and eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. It is easy to get dehydrated when you're doing a lot of physical activity, so make sure you regularly have water.

[fangshi]

As far as diet goes , don't go crazy on one of those fad things . Just be sure to watch a few of your dietary intakes . Fat , sugar , and salt are not good to overload on . Trade poor sources of nutrition for good ones . ie whole grain high fiber instead of high sugar carbs - whole wheat instead of white for bread and pasta - oranges instead of orange juice . Lean or vegtable sources of protien instead of fattie or greasie . Skin off chicken instead of on - lean beef instead of regular . Tofu or other bean protiens if you like them are lower in fat , but they are best paired with a solid carb like a whole grain pasta or rice . Choose your fats wisely - Olive oil over margerine .

Also important to watch portion sizes . If you eat until you are 3/4 full you will be full as it takes time to feel full . This is part of the digestive process . If you eat untill you feel stuffed than your stomach will have a difficult time breaking down the food into useable components before they are stored . An example my professor told us was to put 10 crackers in your mouth and then try to swallow quickly . Doesn't work very well .

You do need to find a dietary program that you enjoy . There are a million sites on the internet for recipes .

As far as exercise aerobic and anaerobic in combonation works well as one burns fat (or the calories that contribute to fat storage ) and the other builds muscle . Muscle take more energy to maintain so it burns calories which contribute to fat . You also need to find an exercise program you enjoy .

GOOD LUCK

[Mr Pockets]

Reps in the 8-12 range, good cardio 5 or 6 days a week. I'm talking about something that gets your heartrate in the highest range healthy (180-200 if you're in your early twenties, 160-180 late twenties... you can look it up for fifteen to twentie minutes- much more and you

ll start breaking down muscle mass), lowered calorie intake (some carbohydrates, try and avoid the simple ones, and instead of them all the time replace some with, say, a banana.) Approximately a gram of protein per lb you weight a day, and spread out your meals so that you're eating five or six times a day in smaller quantities.