Health/healthy living

[Kyonovice]

I've recently started Kyokushin training, I am only 5ft 5 and weigh about 79 kg whihc apparently puts me in the obese range of BMI scale! Looking at my figure (even with a hyper-crytical eye on), I can't see where the weight is! I do not look fat (at least not that fat - no 6 pack but no major muffin top either), I am not full of muscle or anything either.

Together with the training, I have cut out take-aways and started to eat better in general, my only vice it appears is red wine!

Anyway, during training, I don't exactly go at it half hearted and seem to sweat immensely during my 90 minute sessions to the extent that my gi is dripping wet by the time I am 45 minutes into the session.

What am I doing wrong? Am I that out of shape? Or is it a matter of wrong/improper technique that is wearing me out? My sensei does tell me to relax more, use my body more rather than my arms etc but I can't seem to do it (in fairness I have only been training for a matter of 8 weeks now!)

HELP PLEASE

[DWx]

Honestly BMI is a rough tool to estimate your health and whilst it can give you an idea of your health, other stats are a better indictor especially if you do sports.

Take any average rugby or NFL player and their BMI would indicate overweight or obese. Current rugby union England captain Chris Robshaw is 188 cm tall and weighs 109 kg according to his world cup stats. That puts him at a BMI of 30 and classes him as obese. Doesn't exactly look obese:

http://www.englandrugby.com/england/senior-england-men/squads/chris-robshaw/

It seems like you are making the right changes. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, it has to be a lifestyle change and not a quick fix. Ultimately it comes down to calories in being less thsn calories out. I personally recommend https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ and suggest using it to track everything you're eating currently, then once you're in the habit of this, start cutting back.

That said training will get easier the longer you keep doing it as your body adapts. Good luck

[Kyonovice]

Thank you, had no idea that website existed!

[Lupin1]

Part of it is probably not being used to the exercise-- it takes awhile for your body to adjust. Just keep at it and it'll get easier and easier (and the weather cooling off in the coming months will help, as well).

The other part is probably improper technique, which is to be expected for a beginner. My Judo instructor once told us that you can tell the master because he'll be the one barely breaking a sweat (I'm sure he was exaggerating to make the point). The better your technique gets, the less you rely on effort and physical strength and the more you start relying on your wits and technique. Movements just get smaller and more efficient over time and there's really not all that much you can do to rush it.

[Spartacus Maximus]

Being out of shape is not what most people would imagine, nor is it always obvious by one's physical appearance. In fact, most people living a modern urban or suburban lifestyle are out-of-shape because of sedentary life.

The average person just does not get nearly enough physical activity. These habits combined with over-eating and consuming too much energy that is left unused makes everything a whole lot worse.

The best recommendation is to change slowly. Diet can be changed easily, nothing complicated. Balance, variety and quality over quantity are the best guidelines. As for activity, breathing rythm is something to practise. It can be learned from a good teacher or coach. Finally, Drink! Never underestimate the role of water.

[JR 137]

Contrary to popular belief, BMI is really only useful for populations, not individuals. Take 1000 random people (not 1000 athletes), and the average BMI will be a good indicator of the group's general body composition. Take 1000 random people with a certain BMI, and most in the group will fit that body composition. All this according to my exercise physiology professor who did a ton of research into diet and weight trends.

Forget about BMI. The mirror doesn't lie. You should have a good sense of how you are from a body weight/composition standpoint. If you're interested in knowing how "fat" you are, have a professional do body fat testing. There's several methods.

Body composition doesn't have as much to do with overall health as people think it does. If you've got an ideal BMI but you're sedentary, you're not as healthy as a person with a higher BMI who works out regularly at a good intensity. This is assuming there's no underlying health concerns of course; it's all things being equal.

How do you get in better fighting shape? Eat sensibly, train within your limits, and get appropriate rest. Train hard, but don't overtrain. The better you get to know your body, the easier finding that balance will become.

As previously stated, Rome wasn't built in a day. It takes time. Work through muscle tightness and soreness. Don't work through pain. There's a difference between the two, and knowing your body better will help differentiate the two.

When it comes to health and wellness, slow and steady wins the race. Make too many changes and/or too drastic of a change too soon, and you'll revert back sooner than later. Lose 30 pounds in a month, and it'll be back with interest before you know it. I've seen it first hand and in others countless times.

In regards to why you feel how you feel at karate...

Even if you were in great shape, karate is new to you. You're moving in different ways than you've done before. Your breathing pattern gets thrown off. You tense up when you should relax. Everything's new, and your body is adjusting to it and learning to become more efficient. No different than a swimmer now learning/practicing soccer (football to the rest of the world).

After a while, it'll get easier. When it gets easier, it means you're in better shape. If you're not sweating and getting tired, you're not doing enough and won't get in better shape.

[mazzybear]

It seems like you are making the right changes. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, it has to be a lifestyle change and not a quick fix. Ultimately it comes down to calories in being less thsn calories out.

This is true BUT the calorie deficit should not be extreme. You still still consume the recommended daily intake of 2500Kcal for men, or 2000Kcal for women as just normal every day activity you can burn around 1000Kcal and I've seen myself burn 900Kcal in a single class, so straight away thats 1900Kcal, so going by that you would actually have to UP your calorie intake so you have enough to fuel your body. It's about eating the right foods too and getting the protein/carb/fats ratio right for you. For me it's 40% protein 30% carbs and 20% fats but everybody does it different. The biggest thing to cut down on is sugar, most folk think fat is bad but it is in fact sugar that's the worst thing. See a nutritionist, or better yet, a sports nutritionist. They would be able to personally tailor a lifestyle plan to suit your needs.

But as you stated you've only been at it a short time, results will come soon.

Mo.

[Kyonovice]

It seems like you are making the right changes. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, it has to be a lifestyle change and not a quick fix. Ultimately it comes down to calories in being less thsn calories out.

This is true BUT the calorie deficit should not be extreme. You still still consume the recommended daily intake of 2500Kcal for men, or 2000Kcal for women as just normal every day activity you can burn around 1000Kcal and I've seen myself burn 900Kcal in a single class, so straight away thats 1900Kcal, so going by that you would actually have to UP your calorie intake so you have enough to fuel your body. It's about eating the right foods too and getting the protein/carb/fats ratio right for you. For me it's 40% protein 30% carbs and 20% fats but everybody does it different. The biggest thing to cut down on is sugar, most folk think fat is bad but it is in fact sugar that's the worst thing. See a nutritionist, or better yet, a sports nutritionist. They would be able to personally tailor a lifestyle plan to suit your needs.

But as you stated you've only been at it a short time, results will come soon.

Mo.

Thank you, that is excellent advice. I am a little confused by the calorie thing. Using the My Fitness Pal website, it says I need to aim for around 1200 calories per day, but this appears to be the remainder if you like...my goal is to "average" 1200 calories so basically inputting my food/drink consumption AND my activity for the day and the 2 subtracted from each other should leave 1200 calories (make any sense?)

Anyway, at the moment, my exercise outside of my karate training is not much, basically it is limited to walking with the odd bit of push up and sit ups. I monitor my activity using a Xaoimi Mi Fit band which basically records my steps etc and has a function to record the amount of sit ups done as well. I enter this data into the website on the evenings, it's the best I can do.

I did notice that 90 minutes of martial arts apparently burns 1100 calories according to that my fitness pal site!