diet

[blondie2]

ANyone have suggestions for diet? I have been injured and unable to exercise for 3 months because of a broken neck. I know that I have put on weight and really need to buckle down and start a good diet and exercise program. Also, Any suggestions for abs? Should I but the abs dvd from cathe. I know it will take a while to work my way back into shape but hopefully soon. thanks for any suggestions.
blonie2

 

[Imafitnessfreak]

I'm a big fan of a "clean" diet. Mines not sparkling clean but making every effort to make it so while allowing occassional treats has worked well for me.

As for the abs question, you cannot spot reduce. Notice how you never see a person with a ripped 6 pack and flabby everything else. Use ab work to strengthen the muscle, cardio to burn the fat off and a clean diet to make everything "pop". Diet is 82% of it.

 

[Sekcy_Gymnast]

Hi blondie,
I agree w/ Sarah about "eating clean"... The majority of the time;-)

For ab work, I suggest goin on a tread or outside and do a walk/job. This will burn soem fat and moderate/fast walk or job also is good for your abs at the same time. Then do some good ab exercises or try a segement from Cathe's core max to start with. I agree w/ the rest Sarah said, the ab exercises, the burning fat w/ cardio, and the eating clean.

Good Luck!


Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry with your girlfriends.
-Laurie Kuslansky-

~Adri~
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[kathryn]

It would be helpful if you let us know what your eating is like now, so we can make suggestions for change that would be healthful and help you lose weight, but not be too drastic.

I agree that good abs are much more than just ab work. One of the best ab exercises is actually squats, because they use a lot of muscle, and therefore a lot of calories.

Ab and core work is important for back health, and to support your other muscles when you work out, but rather than spend too much time on abs, you'd get more bang for your exercise time by doing resistance work for large muscle groups.

For cardio, 1-2 interval workouts a week are a good addition to a program, because they are more efficient than steady-state workouts (just don't do them two days in a row, or more than 2 a week).

And, of course, a clean diet. Every time you eat, you always have a choice of what you are going to take in. By making the best choice (or at least a better choice), you can make good progress.

 

[gym_mom]

A clean diet will definitely help. If you're familiar with the WW plan that's a good place to start too. WW covers portion control, the clean diet covers healthy choices. Combine the two and you've got the makings of a great eating lifestyle.

As for exercise, I'd start off slow, walking for cardio because it's the most basic exercise out there that almost every one can do. (I'm assuming you still have some limitations on your activity because of your injury, sorry if I'm wrong there). My physical therapist said the only way to flatten your abs was to lose fat. You can do crunches til the cows come home, you'll have strong ab muscles, but you won't see definition and those beloved six packs until you lose the fat around them. He also told me that you need to do a minimum of 30 min cardio 4-5 times a week in order to burn fat. 20 min isn't enough because you aren't dipping into your fat stores, only your immediate energy stores (I hope that makes sense beacuse I'm not sure how else to explain it). Add in strength training 2-3x a week to build muscle and ultimately boost your metabolism.

This is probably more general than you wanted. I guess the specifics depend on what you are currently eating and what you can currently do for exercise. Give it time, it wont' happen overnight, but with persistence you'll get back in the shape you were.

As for buying Cathe's ab workout. Well, I've never gone wrong buying any of Cathe's workouts, but then again, I'm a glutton for punishment .

Claude


"Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." Satchel Paige

 

[Imafitnessfreak]

Throw rocks at me if you wish, but I've only done Cathe's Core Max workouts from the Hardcore Series once...that is, once each (there are 3 workouts on the disc).

I personally do not think Core Max is the golden key to a strong core. The combination of strength, cardio and diet is the golden key...you need all three...or awesome genes and blessings from above. Still, you need all 3 for all aspects of health and fitness.

 

[gettingstrong]

No diet suggestions- just wanted to say I'm glad you are recovering! A broken neck sounds just awful! Take your time getting back into it. Marnie