Advice

S

susan57

Member
Happy New year
I have posted a few times with only two responses. Could someone please give me advice on how to get started. Cathe's emails always come back as no such address. I have worked out for 15 years. Nothing has ever changed. I am not firm enough, and I want definition. My most troubled areas are my lower half. Legs especially. I have just started jogging think that might help. I am 47 and have 4 children. I just ordered Slim in 6 with beach body .
I could loose about 10 pounds but Im more worried about being firm and tone. I have tried the Firm, which was a easy to me. I hired a trainer last month she worked me out great but I didnt loose an inch. Any help would be appreciated.:)
 
Hey Susan,

You've got to give yourself more time than a month to loose inches, weight & get firm. I know that sounds discouraging but those goals take time, sometimes a looong time.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you are going to have to change your diet, even if to just get firm. Diet is 80% of the battle in most cases.

So, my advice, stay out of the kids cookies, watch your fat intake, & lift heavy & stick to it.

I'm sorry if this is the same advice you've been given before but that's the only advice I've got.
 
Hi Susan,

I'd say for your legs, keep up with the jogging and keep challenging those leg muscles, using as much weight as you can while keeping good form. The legs and butt are large muscles and need a good amount of weight to work them! If you found the FIRM easy, I'm wondering if you perhaps could have used more weights with it?

My legs happen to be my least favorite body part, also, although they are decently strong. Squats, lunges, leg presses seem to have helped my butt very nicely, but I'm still trying to figure out how to improve my legs more. I suspect I haven't given it enough time/dedication. I'll be playing soccer this Spring, hopefully that will help as your jogging will. I think for squats, a narrower stance will place more emphasis on the legs and less on the glutes so I intend to do that for now on; also on leg presses, standing closer to the step will place more emphasis on the quads over the glutes and I think perhaps a narrower stance on lunges may do the same. These are all changes I decided to make after last leg workout. I had been concentrating on my saggy butt for so long but those exercises did the trick for that part of my anatomy, time to adjust for the legs!

Yes, I agree it may take time. Make sure you eat well and get plenty of rest (or as much as you can, with 4 children!). Make sure you get adequate protein for your muscles to build also!
 
A lot of people are emphasizing strength training over cardio these days. Not that you should give up cardio. It's crucial to good health. But maybe focus the majority of your effort on heavy lifting for a while and see what "shapes up?" Cathe's Slow and Heavy Series would be a great start!

Shari
 
Hi, Susan!

Since you are working out and not seeing results, you might want to tweak your diet. If you alternate days of running with days of strength training and make sure your diet is balanced, you should see results. Can you post what you are currently doing for exercise and what you eat? It would be easier to help you formulate a plan if we know what you are doing right now.

If you are interested in adding Cathe, her CTX is a great starting place and would fit in nicely with running. The CTX strength can be done as 1 body part per day or you can double up. There's also an upper body split to do a total upper body workout and her CTX Leaner Legs is an awesome lower body workout. I think it's imprortant to look at your immediate goals as well as developing a long term plan.
http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/coollook.gif Bobbi
 
Thanks Bobbi
I'm sure I'm not eating right. I cant never eat enough protein. I will order the CTX tapes. I just order slim in 6 with beach body Debbie S . Have you heard of her? Thanks again
 
Susan,

My sister, who does the Firm and loves Kathy Smith in addition to her running has been talking about ordering them as well as the Fitness Made Simple tapes.

The important thing is finding something you like and will stick to!

I'll give you an example of my menu and it might help you to formulate a plan. Have you checked out http://www.fitday.com? It has a food intake calculater I find very helpful for tracking my intake. I eat between 1600 and 1800 calories a day.

For breakfast I chosoe a whole grain cereal and yogurt or a couple of eggs and whole grain bread with tomatoes or grapefruit or whole grain waffles with boca links and peaches and 1 tbs of maple syrup. Lunch is usually tuna on whole grain bread or tofu and black bean enchiladas with a salad and a little dressing. I love to eat leftovers for lunch and often cheat by eating Amy's organic frozen entrees which they carry at Walmart and very reasonably too. Dinner is fish or chicken breast or steak, usaully 3 to 4 ounces with a green salad a vegetable like asparagus, spinach or broccoli and potatoes, rice or pasta. I eat lots of brown rice and whole wheat pasta but I also eat white pasta and white rice too. We eat potatoes a couple of times a week. I snack on nuts, and apples and carrots and green beans. I try to keep a variety of things on hand and eat what is appealing to me at the time. I love peanut butter and avacadoes and am trying to eat more fish and sweet potatoes although my family hates them! I like to toss beans on a salad for extra fiber and protein and carbs and I tend to eat about 30% of my calories from fat, 15 from protein and 55 from carbs. I eat cheese and butter but also chose olive oil and a terrific vegan non-hydrogenated butter they carry at Trader Joe's. By varying everything, I don't overdo anything and it keeps my palate happy. I have store of dark chocolate I eat a small piece of most evenings and I drink coffee in the morning, green tea and lots of water. I buy junk food occassionaly and the kids wipe it out before I get too much and it keeps them from lamenting about how awful it is to have a health food crazy mom! By making sure there is protein, fat and carbs in each meal and snack, I find I feel satisfied and don't go hunting for sweets too often although I will indulge in cookies and cake sometimes.

I have been doing heavy strength training and short cardio since I am trying to build muscle and strength right now. In aobut four weeks I am going to change my strength to lighter weight and more cardio to blast my tummy fat. I store my fat very specifically in the ab area so this is my two pronged approach to more strength, less fat! It's been very good so far and I have lost some om my belly as I have put on muscle but I hope to get more size out of the little buggers which is very hard for me.

Susan, feel free to email me. I have been doing this diet stuff for a long time and I know it can be a bit overwhelming. I remember wondering how the heck to figured out how many of your calories come from fat, carbs and protein but the interesting thing is that if you strive for balance and have an good idea of how many calories you need, the ratios work out to what they should be!

I am getting long-winded so I'll close but any questions, shoot them right off and don't be shy. There are so many resources to teach you the simple ways to get your diet on track and I'll bookmark some pages for you and you'll be a pro in no time!
http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/coollook.gif Bobbi
 
Thank you Bobbi for the good advice. I will visit the site you posted as well. I just received my beach body tapes Slim in 6 by Debbie Siebers, Im going to try them and then order Cathe's Ctx tapes. The slim in 6 tapes say you have to do 30 aeorbic activity as well as two tapes a day. So it looks like 1 hour and a half a day. That ought to show me something. I will keep you posted. My bio says Im a male How do I change that? Thanks again.:)
 
Tell me how you like them. My sister is interested. Click on Cathe Friedrich or Show All Forums and find the tool bar across the top of the page. Click on User Menu, then to your left you'll see a number of options. Click on Edit your profile and you're there.

I have been a total scatter brain since the New Year but a group of us check in with each other daily and you might want to join us! We touch base on our workouts and diets, our sucesses and failures. It's great! Helps you to stay focused in a mad, mad world!
Bobbi "Chick's rule!" http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif
 
Hi Bobbi,
Well the slim series with Debbie Siebers are a joke. EASY. I am going to order Cathe now. Which ones do I order? You had once suggested the CTX series. I want a total cardio, I guess or do you think I should start back running? I worry I am hurting my joints and knees. My friend just broke her ankle and she too is 47 running and has been running for 25 years retired sarg. major!! Wow HUH !!
But anyway, I want to Firm and tone all over. I need something Tough!!!! Dont forget concentration needs to be on lower half, cardio ??? All over body Toning and Firming, mostly definition.
Thank you for any advice. I have been following your diet info too>
Susan :)
 
Susan, I think running is the most perfect cardio! It can be done interval style, long and slow and everything in between. It is best to cross-train with other types of cardio, and to do some less high impact work to prevent injurybut if you can run, it's awesome. Great shoes and not oveding it are the most improtant thing!

CTX is both cardio and weights. Thirty minutes of intense cardio followed by 1 body part per workout (10 minutes) and an awesome additional lower body workout, called Leaner Legs, which we call Meaner Legs!:) You can of course, opt to do more than one body part per day. It is wonderful and I think it could really kick you into high gear.

Then there are workouts like Muscle Endurance and Power Hour which are great for tone and definition The complimenting cardio, Imax 2 for ME and Rhythmic Step for PH, are fabulous. Additionally, you can chose from BootCamp, which is ultra-intense circuit training and Cardio and weights. Both are relentless and move from cardio to weight work with very little recovery. Body Max and Step, Jump and Pump start with step cardio and move into circuit training. Body Max has lower body circuit and an added upper body workout, weights only. Once you have it down, I know you'll be clamouring for more Cathe cardio and strength and there are so many, it's easy to use Cathe exclusively and never be bored nor have to do the same thing twice! I first started using Cathe to compliment running, particularly her weight training stuff. Now that I am not running, I love her cardio too! Step Blast and Kick, Punch, Crunch are so much fun and tough too! Have you checked out the video clips on the home page? Do you enjoy tricky choreography? I definitely think CTX is an excellent starting point and the new Timesaver is awesome too. I highly recommend checking out the clips to get a feel for these workouts and then deciding where to start. I know you'll be an addict in no time and you'll start adding to your first choice. Maybe you should chose CTX because it's a sort of condenses Cathe cardio and strength and if you like it, you can then decide where to go next and add on longer cardio and strength workouts. I have to warn you though, it's hard to chose because they are amazing workouts!

What a bummer about your friend! Still, I think breaking an ankle is a rare running injury. It's the overuse injuries that usually do us in! If you ran smart, joints handle it really well. I personally am not well designed for running because my feet roll to much toward my midline but you probably have a more neutral gait. Most people do!

Let me know if you come to a decison or if you want to discuss your choices further!
Bobbi "Chick's rule!" http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif
 
Hi Bobbi
Thanks again for answering me. When I order these tapes the CTX should I run with them. Like Monday Run, CTX Tuesday? You understand what I am asking??? Or should I run everyday and then do weights after my run??? I have about an hour a day at the most to commit to this. Or how many days a week do I run , and how many do I do of Cathe? Or do you think jogging should be in the past for me I never was good at it anyway. 12 minute miles. Wow!!! Thats really fast walking. Thanks again for taking the time to answer me. I just want results for once in my life. I surely have put the effort into it, just never got anywhere. I love your chicks rule!!

Susan:)
 
I would alternate running with CTX cardio. I find step cardio much easier on my tootsies than running was! It's good to diffeent types of cardio on alternating days. Reduces the chance of overuse injuries. You can also do one or two body parts per day with your cardio and do them again as a total upper body workout. I do recommend strength training each body part twice per week.
Bobbi "Chick's rule!" http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif
 
Thank you Bobbi
I will order CTX immediately and keep you posted. I will run tomorrow until I receive them and do my slim in 6 till they arrive.
You have been so helpful.
Susan:)
 
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