Help getting physically fit

[EskimoJoe]

Hello AH Community 

I've been looking for some tips on good eating habits and good work-outs. I want to get more physically fit than I already am. I know that some of the community aren't "phat" nerds that sit on their behinds all day long, so, yeah.

I'm not looking for anything in particular, just general tips on good eating habits, and what type of workouts I should do, and when.

Thanks in advance, 
~EJ

[Masherbrum]

Portion control
Walk more

I now refuse to eat:

I try and avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup like a fiend.   This stuff is bad.
Foods with MSG (Beef Jerky, some Soups)
I restrict Sodium, Fat, Carbs

The key is to NOT lose too much weight at a time.   If you do, you'll end up burning Muscle instead.   You'll keep it off longer too.    I've lost 45 pounds in 13 months.   I've noticed a difference because my body is adjusting to the weight loss easier.    I've got about 50 pounds to go. 

[EskimoJoe]

Cool, thanks. Just a side-note though, I'm only 14. 

One other thing I learned is that you should eat breakfast, because after 12 hours of fasting, or going without food, your body needs to eat. If you skip breakfast, your body will be like "Hey, whoah buddy, you're starving me" and the next time you eat, it will store a little of it's fat. Just a tip for any others looking to lose some weight 

[Masherbrum]

Cool, thanks. Just a side-note though, I'm only 14. 

One other thing I learned is that you should eat breakfast, because after 12 hours of fasting, or going without food, your body needs to eat. If you skip breakfast, your body will be like "Hey, whoah buddy, you're starving me" and the next time you eat, it will store a little of it's fat. Just a tip for any others looking to lose some weight 

Breakfast is the MOST important meal of the day.   If you needs to skip a "meal", skip Lunch.   Every couple of hours in between, eat an apple or something light. 

Also, if you eat the Majority of your Carbs for Breakfast (Oatmeal, etc), your body will be burning them off a lot easier throughout the day.   

[EskimoJoe]

Alright. So if I plan my meals something like...

• Breakfast : Bowl of Cereal, orange juice
• Lunch : Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwich, white milk, few crackers
• Dinner : Say...Maybe Bagel Bites and fruit?

And water, plenty of water...
Would that be alright?

[nirvana]

Multiple small meals of HEALTHY food to keep your metabolism going, skipping meals actually causes your metabolism to slow down which is bad juju.  You can eat whatever you want so long as you can burn it off, but try to skip the sweets and processed foods.  Don't eat out very much and stick with whole grain breads, brown rice, etc.  In my opinion they have more flavour anyway.

What are you trying to do?  Get 'in shape', get ripped, bulk up...?  If you want to get 'in shape' you want to concentrate on cardio and calisthenics, running, biking, swimming etc.  I'm not too sure about getting ripped because I've always taken the cardio route especially for my current line of work.  I'd try to get with an athletic trainer at a gym or something like that and have them work with you personally.  You want to start small and work your way up SLOWLY.  When I do free weights it's the lightest weight first, 8 reps then move up 10lbs and do 6 reps, another 10lbs and do 4 reps.  You can do protein shakes and the like if you want to bulk up but you'd better be sure to follow the instructions.

You also want to give each muscle group a few days to recover.  Example: Abs/core and back on Monday, legs on Wednesday, and arms on Friday.  I finish each session with 10 minutes of cardio and then get a really good stretch.  You want to stretch before and after but after is where it really counts because the muscles are warm and more able to stretch.

Take a look at the food pyramid and try to follow it the best you can.  If you are eating fairly consistently throughout the day it's not hard to get all the portions in, just don't eat to excess.  Mix up what you eat on a daily basis.  If you find yourself getting hungry eat a bowl of oatmeal or other food with a good amount of fiber.  If you want to sweeten it, use a tablespoon of jelly and maybe throw in a banana, some berries, whatever you like.  Fiber is good

I'd skip the bagel bites for dinner just because they are processed to the nth degree.  Eat something with a lot of fiber to prevent cravings for midnight snacks and eat dinner fairly early say around 6ish.

[EskimoJoe]

What I'm trying to do is get in shape from my current condition (chubby calves, thighs, abs, pecs, and arms), to average muscle mass, then to a little above average.

[Airscrew]

First Joe you need to find out what your dietary and caloric intake needs are to get through the day... then develop a menu ....

for example... my menu

Breakfast 2 apple fritters, pint of 2% milk, and 3-4 cups of coffee (no cream and sugar, dont want to over do it)
Lunch: Double bacon Cheeseburger w/ jalapenos, fries, and small coke
Dinner: baked chicken, mash potatos, corn, or pizza, or fish, mac/cheese, peas...milk

[EskimoJoe]

First Joe you need to find out what your dietary and caloric intake needs are to get through the day... then develop a menu ....

for example... my menu

Breakfast 2 apple fritters, pint of 2% milk, and 3-4 cups of coffee (no cream and sugar, dont want to over do it)
Lunch: Double bacon Cheeseburger w/ jalapenos, fries, and small coke
Dinner: baked chicken, mash potatos, corn, or pizza, or fish, mac/cheese, peas...milk

And how's that working for you...

[indy007]

Hello AH Community 

I've been looking for some tips on good eating habits and good work-outs. I want to get more physically fit than I already am. I know that some of the community aren't "phat" nerds that sit on their behinds all day long, so, yeah.

I'm not looking for anything in particular, just general tips on good eating habits, and what type of workouts I should do, and when.

Thanks in advance, 
~EJ

Eat multiple small meals a day instead of 1 or 2 large ones.
Learn to enjoy skinless chicken breasts.
Learn a lot of different recipes for skinless chicken breasts, you'll need them.
Learn some healthy, but very tasty recipes like gordon ramsey's broccoli soup (takes 5 minutes to make, tastes great & healthy)
Don't drink Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, or any other sugar in a bottle.

Get your parents to enroll you in a martial art with full resistance sparring (brazilian jiu jitsu, boxing, or greco roman wrestling).
Gets you in shape, gives you a valuable life skill that you can pass on, and they''re all excellent fat-burning exercise.
Go twice a week, and don't whine, your training partners hurt just as much as you.
Spend 30 minutes to an hour each other day doing regular workouts. Push-ups, situps, jogging. imho, great cardio > big muscle size

The most important thing is to have the discipline to stick with it. Without that, you'll train, workout, and eat right for like... 2 weeks... then it's all downihill from there.

[AWMac]

for example... my menu

Breakfast 2 apple fritters, pint of 2% milk, and 3-4 cups of coffee (no cream and sugar, dont want to over do it)
Lunch: Double bacon Cheeseburger w/ jalapenos, fries, and small coke
Dinner: baked chicken, mash potatos, corn, or pizza, or fish, mac/cheese, peas...milk

"CLEAR!!!!"  Slaps on paddles     ZAPPPP....  "Stay with us Airscrew!!! CLEAR!!!"   ZAAAAPPP.

_____________________________ ________________

"Dam.... Someone wanna call time on this?"

 

Mac

[Airscrew]

And how's that working for you...

47 years old, 6 foot, 190.  no heart attack... yet...only occasional minor gastrointestal problems, usually relieved by relaxing the sphincter and releasing some of the built up pressure...

[EskimoJoe]

Posting in the O' Club. What kind of idiot am I. I think I'm just gonna stick with my diet of rockstar, bagel bites, fruit, cereal, and pizza and workout for a couple hours at max intensity every other day...

Thanks for the help, those who actually bothered with serious posts

[cav58d]

Personally, I feel the best work outs are the kind you can actually enjoy and don't have to be in a gym environment.  I have a small cabin on a lake literally 5 minutes from my house, and from the Spring-Fall I wake up every morning before work, do a quick jog the the cabin and either go out for an hour in my row boat or kayake.  Both are awesome work outs and very enjoyable.

[tapakeg]

1. Don't eat food that can be handed to you through a window. NO fast food.
2. Throw away the scale.  Don't do it for a number, use the mirror and a "feel good" test.
3. Avoid anything "enriched" or "hydrogenated"
4. Try to avoid artificial sweeteners.
5. Get in the mindset it is not a diet, it is a new lifestyle.
6. Work out 3 times a week for 20 minutes or more.  Switch it up between cardio and muscle.
7. Yes muscle weighs more than fat so you may gain weight while doing this, but muscle naturally eats fat, so once you get the ball rolling you are burning fat by just sitting there.
8. Don't cut out EVERY donut or ho-ho, live a little.