Great post.

I don't really want to lose weight so much as have some cardiovascular endurance and a little more tone. Still I've dropped 5+ lbs since before Christmas, and in the last month I've gotten more strict about doing some working out. Yeah, it's just DDR followed by crunches and toning exercises plus some yoga, but it's certainly better than the nothing I had been doing.

I can't wait for warmer temps to return so I can bike again.

Corey Hart said:
Not to be a know-it-all or anything but gaining muscle is a really great way to burn more fat. So maybe you guys should consider doing more than just cardiocardiocardio all the time!

Good advice, but, both cardio and weight training is for shit if you dont have a proper diet to go with it.

50% of losing weight is what you put down your stomach. The other 50% is a good balance between cardio and weights.

Amanda said:
There's a capeoira studio on the bottom floor of my apartment building and I'm considering signing up for a class. Does anyone here know anything about the discipline and how crazy/crappy/awesome it is?

It really depends on your professora, but capoeira, at least when I was taking it, is a great way to not only get in shape, but learn rhythm, culture, and balance, much like an martial art. What sets it apart in my mind are the concentrations on gymnastics, flourish, and music.

It's certainly a little more involved than a simple workout, but for the time i was a part of it, it was one of the most fantastic experiences I've had getting fit.

motherhoodlum said:
yea, I noticed when I first signed up for a trainer, it was really only to serve the purpose of getting a regimen started. After she developed my workout, I had no reason to continue paying her an extra $40 per month.

Yes, but eventually your routine will no longer work for you because your body will be used to it and you'll get bored.
That's how they got me.

Corey Hart said:
Not to be a know-it-all or anything but gaining muscle is a really great way to burn more fat. So maybe you guys should consider doing more than just cardiocardiocardio all the time!

I had always heard that, but I read an article in Time a couple months ago that said the difference isn't really as drastic as people make it out to be.

http://...time.com/...ealth/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html

Somebody said:
...the muscle-fat relationship is often misunderstood. According to calculations published in the journal Obesity Research by a Columbia University team in 2001, a pound of muscle burns approximately six calories a day in a resting body, compared with the two calories that a pound of fat burns. Which means that after you work out hard enough to convert, say, 10 lb. of fat to muscle — a major achievement — you would be able to eat only an extra 40 calories per day, about the amount in a teaspoon of butter, before beginning to gain weight. Good luck with that.

People tend to focus on the wrong things when it comes to exercising and just generally losing weight. Pushing people into doing weights or classes they don't want to do/have no interest in is counter productive. Being active is the key, no matter WHAT you do... You'll see much better results by altering your lifestyle then you would doing some workout routine you hate and will eventually stop doing.

Do what feels good for you, I personally think a good balance between cardio/weight training is the way to go.

I notice that a lot of people's muscle-to-fat ratio doesn't calculate well regarding the mass between their ears. I wish I could find a good brain diet. Just birds and sunshine and the occasional jog around a Voltaire passage.

Amanda, My friend does Capoeira and it is indeed awesome. If I had a place that close to me that taught it, I'd hop on that shit.

Weightwise, I lost 65 pounds doing fuck-all but eating properly. I didn't exercise at all, but I am thinking that this last 15 lbs is really going to require getting off my butt. I've belonged to PF since August, but I had a knee problem for a bit and now I just haven't gone back. Motivation, where are you?

Amanda said:
There's a capeoira studio on the bottom floor of my apartment building and I'm considering signing up for a class. Does anyone here know anything about the discipline and how crazy/crappy/awesome it is?

I took capeoira a few times and loved it. Makes you feel very ninja like. It will pretty much kick your ass though. I've danced my entire life and was still sore after those classes!

Amanda said:
Depending on the PF location, their selection of weights also vary. One by my house has virtually NO free weights while another has an OK selection. I say it's a great place to get started and from there you can figure it out.

100% true! This place is great if you want to blast out some cardio but for all other stuff its kind of lame. They only have 2, maybe 3 of each machine, and free weights only up to 40lbs. Or maybe it's 60. I don't pick up stuff that large!

Paging Sasha to talk about Capo and being all gay and dance fighting.

So, this semester I am taking a Strength Training class at my school as well as Kung Fu! I'm also getting a gym membership and I've so far been pretty successful to lessen how much I eat at each meal.

We'll see how this goes! I want to look good for Bootycon.

Corey Hart said:
Not to be a know-it-all or anything but gaining muscle is a really great way to burn more fat. So maybe you guys should consider doing more than just cardiocardiocardio all the time!

This is page 1 of the thread. I have no idea where you are getting off telling us what we are doing wrong when no one has suggested doing exclusively cardio as their guaranteed weight loss workout.

Not saying your advice is bad. But you could have said it with a lot less snark.

Daddy Warbutts said:
eople tend to focus on the wrong things when it comes to exercising and just generally losing weight. Pushing people into doing weights or classes they don't want to do/have no interest in is counter productive. Being active is the key, no matter WH...

this is why my exercise regimen is exclusively limited to sex

This morning I picked up my packages of wrist and ankle weights (10lbs each). Going to wear those, get back on my elliptical, and see what results I get this time.

Ankle weights are bad for your knees dawg.

Amanda, I just started capoeira with a campus organization out here, and it's a pretty intense workout, for certain. The focus seems to be on core mainly and slight emphasis on upper body mobility, because there are lots of handstanding/cartwheeling maneuvers and if your core isn't up to speed, it's fairly embarrassing.

It could have just been my class though, our teacher seemed to want to drill more of the established people there over anything else.

The Body Plan / Abs class is a weights class and it teaches you and gives you the tools to build muscle on your body.

Having classes/routine that balance each other out is the key.

With all the positive stuff about it, perhaps I'll check out a Saturday morning class! It's so incredibly convenient, I'd be kinda dumb not to hop on it!

I have gained a good few pounds in Egypt due to the all meat and rice diet and not being able to work out like I normally do. It also doesn't help that whenever you go to visit anyone they give you tea or coffee and cookies. Im looking forward to getting back into my normal diet and workout routine, I hate feeling so fat.

I also bought some incredibly slutty costumes here and I need to look good in them. TIME TO GET SMALL.

Corey Hart said:
Not to be a know-it-all or anything but gaining muscle is a really great way to burn more fat. So maybe you guys should consider doing more than just cardiocardiocardio all the time!

+ >9000.

More muscle = higher metabolism = more energy and therefore, fat burnoff.