joeknows Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 ok i know some of you here have to be fitness buffs. i could use your help. i am 38 years old and i am a bit out of shape and i want to change that! here is what is up.... i have recently made contact with a long lost love thanks to facebook. problem is .... she was cute back then.... now.... she is friggin phenomenal. turns out that we are still very much into each other as we have found through quite a few hours of chatting. now to look at me im not in THAT BAD of shape. im 5' 10" 210lbs. i have a bit of a belly but not too bad. my biggest issue is that i am a long term smoker. <please dont waste my time telling me the obvious that i should quit smoking.> we are far enough apart that between schedules and such... a reunion is about 6 to 8 weeks away, but will definately happen. i dont suffer from any real ailments that prevent me from exercising except the fact that my cardio is REALLY bad. can someone please suggest some exercises that arent too strenuous to get back into the fold of being active and how i can work into more rigorous exercises. obviously i am adjusting my diet reducing smoking etc but i want to make sure that i look my best when i finally get to see her. i am lucky that i have always been able to shed weight easily when i put my mind to it. i would like to drop about 20 to 25lbs and i know i can but i would like to improve my core not just lose the weight. please help me.... there may be a great future for me if i can make a great new impression on her! PS my blood pressure is about 120/85 so im good to go i have been to the doc recently and i am relatively healthy. also please dont recommend programs to buy because i just wont do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 You need to provide us with things to enable us, before we can give advice. Diet, limitations, preferences, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeknows Posted August 8, 2010 Author Share Posted August 8, 2010 You need to provide us with things to enable us, before we can give advice.Diet, limitations, preferences, etc. diet is not an issue as i am a chef and i have knowledge of eating right and i have the tools at my disposal to do so. no limitations other than i have been sedintary <sp> for too long so my knees dont like running too much yet. preferences.... i just want to be realistic in building my cardio in the fact that i am a long term smoker and yes i feel the effects of it rather quickly. but i realize i will have to suffer some in order to improve this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy Burner Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 Join a good gym. Trainers can get you there in six to eight weeks. Don't like running? Do what I do - walking four miles a day on the treadmill. I lift weights, walk 2.5 miles, bike for 30 minutes, lift weights again, walk 1.5 miles, and finish with another 30 minutes on the bike. You can be at 170 to 175 in two months. Need to really do it though. And yes, quit smoking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heytred Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 No one is going to be able to give you anything more than generic advice on what to do because none of us truly know where you are at. Even a personal trainer couldn't without an in person fitness evaluation. My advice is hop your butt on a treadmill or stationary bike. Start walking or start cycling... and gauge yourself from there. If you feel like you can push yourself harder, do so... pushing too hard, slow down, just be honest with yourself. Once you decide where you are at you can put together a program to increase your cardiovascular health. Just remember, anything is going to be better than nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinthePRF Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 Unfortunately, your self-proclaimed greatest weakness is the key to shedding the pounds, cardio. As mentioned above, cycling is the easiest to get started with as it will do the least to spike your heart rate from the start, whether it be on a trainer at the gym or otherwise. First off set a fitness goal outside of the goal of impressing your hot long lost flame. The most common goal is a target weight loss but a more lofty goal is sign up to finish something you know you can't at the moment, like a 5K race. You can choose either of those or something in between, whatever you choose write it down. Second calander your workouts. If you want to ride/walk/run 20 minutes a day, etc. write that down also. I promise if you just say you are going to do something, life will make it easier to present excuses not to get it done. Third, find others with your common fitness goal. Achieving a goal gets easier the more people you know working to achieve similar goals. Again through a gym, workout groups online. They are out there, you just need to find them. On that note, yea, quit smoking. Again don't try it alone, find others in your area that want to quit with you. You can do it all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corcaigh Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 If aerobic work is hard for you, start at an easier pace and do it longer. Do a mix of jog & walk intervals, and each outing reduce the duration of the walk . Before long you will be running continuously for 30 - 40 minutes or as long as you want. To make it interesting, and easier on the joints, do it in a park or on a trail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipwhich Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 preferences.... i just want to be realistic in building my cardio in the fact that i am a long term smoker and yes i feel the effects of it rather quickly. but i realize i will have to suffer some in order to improve this. Stationary bike to start, then move to treadmill after a week or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 I enjoy the eliptical runner. If you believe the numbers it tells you... I can generally burn about 600 calories in 40 minutes of running (at level 10). It seems to be the machine that gives you the highest bang for your buck. Otherwise, lot of abdominal exercises which makes do everything else easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redskins Diehard Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 I enjoy the eliptical runner. If you believe the numbers it tells you... I can generally burn about 600 calories in 40 minutes of running (at level 10). It seems to be the machine that gives you the highest bang for your buck. Otherwise, lot of abdominal exercises which makes do everything else easier. Not an indictment of just the elliptical....I would be very wary of any of the numbers that those machines spit out. They are about as accurate as the heartrate zone charts on machines and posted on the walls of the gym(which is to say they are accurate for maybe 5% of the population) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 I believe you are right. Nontheless, those numbers make me feel better and give me something to shoot for. The thing they do have going for them is that they seem to be reasonably consistant which means if 600 really equals 550 or 200 or 800 at least I have guage relative to me how I'm doing. Someone once told me that the numbers are reasonable plus or minus 20% (which is a huge variance, but still) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redskins Diehard Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 I believe you are right. Nontheless, those numbers make me feel better and give me something to shoot for. The thing they do have going for them is that they seem to be reasonably consistant which means if 600 really equals 550 or 200 or 800 at least I have guage relative to me how I'm doing. Someone once told me that the numbers are reasonable plus or minus 20% (which is a huge variance, but still) They are probably useful as a tool to gauge the relative "work" you put in compared to other workouts on the same machine. Although the formula the machine uses does not factor in your personal increased level of fitness which would decrease calories you used. Personal opinion is that you would be better served just comparing "distance covered" with a constant time and level to gauge how you are doing. Whatever you do don't use those calorie numbers to justify increased consumption! While they are only rarely accurate I think they ALWAYS err on the side of overestimating calorie burn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 Losing weight is all about diet. I'd assume a good lifting program and cardio3-4 times a week for 20 minutes or so while in a 500-600 calorie deficit. You need to track calories with this approach. Fitday.com is great for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deacon511 Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 The bast 5 months I have lost 40 pounds from 197-157 i am 5'8" I did this my doing an hour of weight training 4-5 days a week and 30 minutes of cardio 4-6 days a week. Weight training is key to losing weight. Muscle burns more calories than fat. I have not done this but I have personally seen some amazing results with P90X. And yes diet is important. I will say it even though you do not want to hear it exercising will be easier if you quit smoking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teller Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 Go ahead and laugh (I would have too before I started it) but Wii Fit is terrific if you have access to it. Lots of good core exercises on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bzapf Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 You should look into doing some yoga. I'm sure you can find free quality workouts on youtube or something like that. It can be viewed as kind of "girly" but you should consider it if you want to avoid running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC_RedskinsFan Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 My advice is to get out and run. Do it every other day. That with a good diet will drop pounds off you fast. I love to run, i did not used to till i started seeing results. Also it is a great stress relief.... And if you need motivation sign up for a race. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 See, I love running but I wouldn't recommend it someone who clearly has no love for it. It's summer, why not swim? You get more bang for the buck per hour than any other exercise, IMO. Or play a sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeknows Posted August 8, 2010 Author Share Posted August 8, 2010 hey guys thanks for the advice. unfortunately where i am there is not gym. im in BFE. however a good buddy of mine who is in worse shape than i, have decided to start walking daily. from our hood to the town park and back is 5 miles exactly. and as a bonus the park is built at the lake our town is built on. so..... what im thinkin is starting tomorrow we are gonna get up and head out at about 6 am and walk the 2.5 to 3 miles to the beach.... take a quick <20 minute> swim and then walk the 2.5 to 3 miles home. i think that is a reasonable start. someone mentioned running is the way to go but i know my knees cant handle it yet. maybe in a couple of weeks i can start running some of this route but right now i dont want to overload my knees all at once. once again i appreciate yalls suggestions! PS. im still lookin for more low impact exercises so .... keep the suggestions comming. im thinkin i may take some pics before and after so i may revive this thread in about 2 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy Burner Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 If there is a pool nearby you can do a very unique "running" technique. Purchase a vest that fits around your chest and back. Get in a pool that is at least seven feet deep. Only your head should be above the water - then "jog" for a while. It's great exercise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 I still say running is good to maintain a great physique, but running is not good for fat loss. It's great at keeping you in shape, though. I have a feeling I just opened a whole can of worms with that post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeknows Posted August 8, 2010 Author Share Posted August 8, 2010 If there is a pool nearby you can do a very unique "running" technique.Purchase a vest that fits around your chest and back. Get in a pool that is at least seven feet deep. Only your head should be above the water - then "jog" for a while. It's great exercise. excellent idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Die Hard Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 I still say running is good to maintain a great physique, but running is not good for fat loss. It's great at keeping you in shape, though. I have a feeling I just opened a whole can of worms with that post. People offering advice on topics they know nothing about it... so much so that it borders idiocy to anyone who does.... is a large pet peeve of mine on ES.com I wish people would refrain from offering advice and defer to professionals. And don't see just any professional.... get referrals and do your due diligence. Due diligence doesn't include asking random people on a message board. Not if you're truly serious about the topic... and especially about matters of health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 diet is not an issue as i am a chef and i have knowledge of eating right and i have the tools at my disposal to do so.no limitations other than i have been sedintary <sp> for too long so my knees dont like running too much yet. Huh? Being a Chef is one of the most physically demanding job there is. The only fat chefs you meet are celebrity chefs who haven't been in a working kitchen in a decade. So, just thought that was strange. On another note, good luck with your reunion! I know you don't want to hear it, but your best bet to make a good first impression is to quit smoking. Just sayin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted August 8, 2010 Share Posted August 8, 2010 People offering advice on topics they know nothing about it... so much so that it borders idiocy to anyone who does.... is a large pet peeve of mine on ES.comI wish people would refrain from offering advice and defer to professionals. And don't see just any professional.... get referrals and do your due diligence. Due diligence doesn't include asking random people on a message board. Not if you're truly serious about the topic... and especially about matters of health. DH what's your background/expertise on the matter? I've always found KDawg knowledgeable about matters fitness. Lighten up a little too. It's a Redskins message board. It's the "tailgate" akin to bs'ing before the game with usually non-experts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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