Can anyone recommend a good magazine/book/exercise log for someone beginning exercising after a long hiatus. I have goo mobility but I am not in great shape due to 3 babies in 4 years. I would like to find something to tell me what strength training I can do at this level and also a logbook to record reps. I have been exercising every morning for the last three days - 3 miles every morning on the treadmill alternating fast walking with incline walking.

Janine

Wow, you are off to a good start! I just started an exercise routine the beginning in April. I can only tell you what I did and I'm no expert. I have a gym log and I write down everything I do. Each week I set a goal to increase my progress. I might add 10 min on my cardio routine or I will increase the difficulty. I also started using nautilus machines. First without the weight and then I added weight every week. I also buy health and fitness magazines for women and try to incorporate some of the routines in there to help me reach my goals. I am currently doing 60 min of cardio on the eliptical machine and 30 min of strength training 5 days a week. Two days a week I swim laps for 30 min. I had to build myself up to this level and I am now ready to progress from the nautilus machines to free weights. Its amazing how your body will respond with the proper daily attention. I'm actually seeing tone to my biceps, triceps and calves.

Dr. Atkins said "Exercise is non-negotiable" and I try to always remember that. I haven't missed a day of exercise in over two months because of that mind set. I truly believe its all a part of the LS.

Best of luck on your journey to health and fitness! HTH

You didn't mention if you had access to a gym and personal trainers. That would be key to building a good routine with a great base knowledge. If you don't...I'd stick with the magazines and gain your knowledge from there.

You might want to look at the Body for Life website's training pages. It has an exercise_guide.pdf chart that I use to keep track of weights/reps. Most of the exercise choices include dumbbell only work, in case you don't have/or want to join a gym.

(p.s. Obviously, skip the BFL low-fat diet advice pages....)

I went to the book store and found a book called "Strength Training Anatomy for Women" and it is an illustrated guide to all the muscles in you abs, butt and legs. I found the areas that I feel need to most work and made up my own routine. I started at one weight and then if it was too easy, I added more. Then I found the all over version of the book and did the same thing for my upper body. I write it all down in a notebook and just put a date at the top and check it off when I do it. I also do cardio 3 times a wekk for 45 minutes. Oh and in between the weight sets I jump rope or step ups, something to keep up my heart rate. I do that after every two weight exercises. The Shape magazine web site has some good tips too.

Getting Stronger by Bill Pearl and Keys to the Inner Universe by Bill Pearl are awesome books on excercise and body building excercises for both men and women.

You can find them on Amazon.com and probably pick up a used one somewhere cheap. Great with illustrations and pictures and lots of info.

If you have access to a gym and can afford it, I highly recommend hiring a personal trainer for a month or so. I did that and it really helped. He had me doing things I would never have tried!

Other books that I like: Smart Girls Do Dumbbells, The Little Strength Training book and the Body for Life book.

Or you can use http://www.exrx.net/ and create your own routines. This site is good because it shows you what to do to get started, along with showing you the movements using a variety of equipment.

If you are looking for a good DVD, I really like the Walk Away the Pounds videos. These are an excellent way to get started. Since you are already doing some cardio, I would start with the 2 mile version. It incorporates a little bit of strength training using the resistance bands.

Good luck!

these are all great tips! I need to start doing some exercise. I am working my way up to it. LOL Thanks for starting this thread!

Thanks for the advice. I think the biggest lesson is maybe increasing the length of my sessions would be good. I am going to a gym, so I have access to everything including a pool. I can work out mostly in the morning before work. I am hoping to increase from an hour (roughly 3 miles on the treadmill, alternating speed with incline) to two hours eventually incorporating free weights and a little swimming at the end.

Janine

Hi Janine!

This all sounds great!

I do want to urge you to keep your goals doable, and your expectations reasonable. Every time (until this time - so far) that I charge into a new diet /exercise plan, I over do it. I end up starving, and injured.

Normally most injuries happen to people on new plans in the first couple weeks. I was "lucky" last time, that it was 5 months in when I ratcheted it all up and totally wrecked both my feet - for months.

Remember it takes weeks and weeks for your bones, ligaments, tendons, etc to get used to serious weight bearing exercising (like that heavy treadmill work). So your muscles and your lungs may be saying "let's have at it!" and then the weakest members of your team (ligaments or whatever) give up the fight.

What I like about you adding the weight training and the swimming is that it's more - but it's different.

Your body will try its hardest to do everything you ask of it.

Very good luck to you.

Sarah

That is very good advice. I am very easy on the treadmill as far as impact is concerned but I will be very careful. I am in a slightly different position in that I don't own a car, so a three-mile or even a four-mile walk just to do errands for me is not unusual, so I am not as out of shape as I would be otherwise. Of course, treadmill walking is a little different.

I did wait for forty pounds to pass out of me before starting to exercise because I have the tendency to exercise and not stop eating bad things, getting very strong but remaining very fat. I wanted to break that cycle. I binged on chocolate over the weekend while doing some heavy garden work so this remains a problem - no more sugared chocolate in the house! Now I need to work on not overdoing the exercising!

Janine

I found it hard to not think of "rewarding" myself with a treat when I started out, particularly on those treadmills that give a calorie read-out: "I've just jogged 3 miles, expending 365 calories?! Well, that's worth a snickers bar...." But as I've progressed, I find that exercising actually drives my diet in other directions. It's as though my body tends to want different things, ever since I've been exercising regularly. For instance, I don't drink carbonated beverages anymore, tanking up on water without really thinking about it. (And the snickers bar is a distant memory, particularly after I learned that the calorie estimates on treadmills are notoriously inaccurate.)

So does anyone else find that workouts make you eat differently?

Cheers--
Terry-24

Oh mannn - I knew it! You're secretly my sister! She weighs more than I do (who knows - 20? 30? 40?) but she's in way better shape than me. You've got this HUGE advantage on me! You can push yourself a little harder - and all you have to do is watch your food. I bet you've got tons of muscles under there. I'm just fat and organs. Awesome for you!

Actually it's easier. It's why I like it - cause I'm lazier than you! The treadmill keeps moving, and you just need to lift your feet up. And the only level changes are what you add yourself. Of course it's not EASY - but the outdoors is harder.



Ooo - this is a problem. But that's why you're here. And start a journal - talk about what you're thinking/doing and people can directly support you!

And by "heavy garden work" I really did deduce you are my sister. When I visited the garden stores with her, I couldn't even lift all the stuff she needed into the truck. Gardening is serious business. Again this is good for you. You just need to tap into the food changes. And low carb is great for that. The only reason I can stand low carb is that it controls (and sometimes kills) my appetite. Thank goodness.

You're gonna do awesome. You've got the energy, the muscles - now just to peel off those extra outer layers! You're not a bear and hibernating for the winter, so you don't need them.

Sarah

And btw, you already are doing awesome!! 40 pounds gone!! That's great!

A good mindset on the excersise is to keep the weight at something you can do for 20 reps.When I first started lifting I chose to do a 4 set 20 rep type workout with one big lift then three smaller ones.
Most machines in a gym are pretty user friendly and help you target the specific muscles vs freeweights where you are more prone to injury.
Hiring a trainer is spendy but worth it .If you cant afford a trainer but yet still go to the gym most of the staff can help answer questions on a certain excersise.