regp03

I found this app about the same time as you. I've been using it to get in some sort of activity while I've been snowed in and just got my 200 minute trophy. The yoga workouts are not my favorites, I prefer the Yoga Studio app for that. But the combo cardio/body weight strength workouts are kicking my butt! I've mostly stuck with the 45 minute workouts that don't require much more than a mat and some of the Get Focused sessions and have done some from each level. The beginner level is definitely not beginner though and I think they may cause some undue frustration to fitness newbies.

Buca is great. They actually cook their stuff in house with real ingredients (which is impressive for such a big chain), so asking for a change is really no issue for them. The grilled chicken salad is good or you could get the tuna or salmon and grilled mediterranean veggies without really any change. Ask for the veggies without pesto and the salad without parm if you don't eat cheese. You could also ask for meatballs served over veggies instead of pasta and be in pretty ok shape.

Always some sort of bruises. Lately on my arms from failing overhead press reps. Sometimes the bruises are from random bumps, but don't be surprised if you see bar shaped bruises when your lifts start getting heavier. I bruise easily and had about an inch and a half thick line across my upper back as soon as my squat hit 85 lb. It stuck around until I got nearer 100 and then I guess my skin/ blood vessels toughened up.

I don't have any recommendations, but I have the same problem. I'll chime in that Old Navy compression leggings also slide down. I keep thinking maybe someone makes a legging with a drawstring waist?

I love the Yoga Studio app. It has a lot of built in classes that you can sort through based on skill level, duration, or focus. It shows each move and has fantastic flow. Once you get a feel for what you like, you can also create your own classes by choosing the poses you'd like to include and it will automatically add linking poses to make the flow make sense. It's a bit spendier than some other apps, but it is absolutely worth the $4.00.

Another successful no 'poo-er here (BS/ACV). My results have been very much like skinnyLara's. I used to have to clean hair out of my brush a couple of times a week. Now it's more like once a month. I'm also playing with tea rinses to try to bring out the bits of reddish tones in my hair. Hibiscus tea definitely does something, makes it seem like a richer color. Hoping for more red with a few more rinses. The stuff I use has a berry and tropical fruit flavor, so it smells like kool-aid when I rinse.

Letters out so they are easy to grab when I unload. Is there actually an issue with putting heavier weights to the outside? For example, right now, my squat sets are bar, 70, 100. I load as 2.5s inside and 10s outside then swap the outer plates for 25s. So right now, my tiny plates (the 2.5s) aren't really shifting the weight much, but is this going to be an issue as I add weight?

From what I've read, fat cell number is established throughout childhood and adolescence. It is possible that such things were still being set for you at 18 because males take a little longer than females to reach full physical maturation (I've read upwards to age 25 for males to be fully mature). I haven't seen any specific ages put with these data though, so that would just be speculation. However, I wouldn't go so far as to peg that as an excuse for your difficulty losing fat until you've examined everything else. We spend so much time establishing habits unknowingly, that sometimes we don't see that even though we are trying to set new healthy habits, we are overlooking something key. Maybe your body doesn't handle gluten or carbs well. Maybe you put creamer in you tea or coffee and have done it so long that you don't think about those calories. Maybe you have insulin resistance issues. Maybe you take in too many calories, or maybe you eat too few. I know for me, the estimated calorie need calculators suggest anywhere from 1700-2500 kCals per day for maintenance. I probably eat in the 22-2400 range, so if the lower number was right for me I should gain nearly a pound a week. Keep lurking and posting around here. The conversations are great for making you think about all these little things. As for your question about muscle cells, my knowledge here is quite a bit more cobbled together. Despite my degree being in biomedical science and my career being in medical research, I'm actually a microbiologist and deal with STDs/STIs. I have never had an anatomy or physiology class, but can synthesize a little bit from my cell bio, histology, and biochem classes. All that to say, I could be really wrong about this.... My understanding is that muscle cells are in a phase of the cell cycle called G0. This is a phase that they halt in when they stop undergoing replication and division, meaning no new cells. I think this is part of why physicians care so much about catching heart attacks early- once the heart muscle cells die, that's it. When we lift, we go though phases of neural adaptation (the nerves learn what you want your body to do and how to send signals from the brain to make the muscles do it- think of this as plugging in a lamp) and hypertrophy (lots of things happen here including changes in how your body metabolizes glucose, something about glycogen usage, damage repair to small tears in the muscle leading to greater strength, .... seriously still learning on all this- think of it as changing the lightbulb out for a more efficient bulb). But one really important thing that happens during hypertrophy is that your muscles make more mitochondria- these are little organelles within the cell that make ATP, aka energy. Basically you can think of these as the power plant. The more of them in a muscle cell, the more power that cell has. Okay, so if you survived that little biology lesson, I think you might pick up on strength again quickly after a break because you've already been through neural adaptation and have made all these little mitochondria. Back to my analogy of the lamp- you've plugged it in and put a high efficiency bulb in it. Getting back to lifting then is like flipping the switch to actually turn it on. Hopefully this is helpful information. I'm really passionate about the ideal the science should be accessible to everyone, so how it is communicated is really important to me.

Hi. Your question makes perfect sense. As a scientist, I'd prefer if you called the "units" cells (makes my brain happier). And what you've heard is kind of true, at least for fat cells. Adults make new fat cells at about the same speed old cells die, so they have a constant number. However, obese kids make fat cells at nearly twice the speed of lean peers, and the number of fat cells made as a kid sticks around as a constant for life. This is why it is so important to teach kids nutrition and activity. Here's an article summarizing the findings of some really interesting research done in this area in 2008. The writer. Ed Yong, does a great job making hard scientific concepts accessible to the masses, and even as a Ph.D. holder, I'll often look to see if he's done a review if an article is tough for me to understand.

Piddip, I could probably be more helpful if I knew how you eat. I hate cleaning my food processor, so when I do, I make 4-5 things in a day starting with least messy and proceeding to messiest- a nightmare for anyone worried about cross contamination. This salad would be a good start- shredding everything in the food processor is the key to making these flavors meld. Seriously. It's not the same if you finely chop everything. Just substitute coconut aminos, chickpeas, whatever as your dietary needs demand (these would be good subs for the soy sauce and edamame).

Firstly, oil and water don't mix, so don't expect to get a delicious broth-like concoction if you try ColoQ's idea (makes for a pretty inedible soup actually....). Secondly, it doesn't look like the entire cup is fat, and I wouldn't expect it to be. You probably have mostly pan-drippings/juices, which are delicious watered down and used as stock. Put the cup in the fridge overnight- the real fat will solidify as a hockey puck of sorts on top and you can easily separate it from the juices. Like any (edible) fat, you can cook in it, but it is really high in Omega 6 fats (like 20%). Most of us are already getting too many Omega 6 fats in relation to Omega 3 consumption, so be cautious. Too much Omega 6 is linked to increased blood pressure, blood clots, and inflammation. My dog is a big fan of getting chicken or bacon fat poured over his food on occasion, so maybe that's an acceptable use.

Interesting that the going consensus is actually something of a bait and switch- "sure I'll help you (but before you get unhealthily skinny I'll trick you into loving how strong and awesome you are and understanding how to properly fuel all that awesome.)" She plays basketball, but more because it's what the cool girls at her school do than because she loves it or is great at it. I've attempted getting her to train for a color run with me, but she says she doesn't run. My next thought is exploring some hiking trails this spring/summer and telling her that I want to help her find cool stuff to photograph with her new camera (she's into photography). We live near the AT, so there are quite a few trails around, and I could pack a healthy picnic to have while we're out. Introduce her to delicious things like sugar snap peas and find sights that require more and more difficult trails to get to. What else is active and so fun that she may be tricked into it?

And, yes, ideally I want to encourage a mind set of "wow, look what your awesome body can do," but I don't think she'll get off of the weight focus until she feels like she looks skinny and is not overweight according to BMI.

I come from a family in which all of the girls get really chunky around age 11-13 and then slim back down around age 14-15. I started 9th grade at 5'2" 189 lb and ended it at 5'8" 145 lb. It was a miserable year in terms of having clothes that fit and my wardrobe changed almost weekly. My baby cousin has just hit this age and is gorgeous and, um, amazonian for a 13 year old, standing at 5'9" and probably 170-ish lb. She'll probably be near six foot by the time she's fully grown. But she's feeling bad about her weight and wants to lose.... A LOT. I asked her what she thought was an ideal weight for her after she mentioned wanting to lose some and she said 120 (120!!!!! for 5'9"). Knowing her build and how our family tends to hold weight, I think a muscular 150-ish would be really slim for her. (For an idea of how we tend to hold weight, My mom and I are both 5'8" and I'm a size 6-8 at 155 lb; mom's a size 0 at 140 lb.) I'm trying to set a good example talking about how I eat lots of whole foods and lift weights focusing on full body strength, but the rest of my family swears by whatever is the newest diet/ exercise thing on the front of this month's women's magazine. I pointed her towards mybodygallery.com so that she could get a better idea of what different weights on different heights/ body shapes really looked like vs the photoshopped images she's used to, but I don't know what else to do. It terrifies me that she has such a skewed perception. Any ideas?

One of my colleagues teaches aerial dance with the silks and is starting work to get an aerial yoga class up and going. She thinks I'm strong enough now to go up without a knot and wants to get me in the studio to see if that's true. All of her dancers started training about the same time she did, so she's trying to get a good feel for where the difference between a true beginner and someone a little more advanced lies before she opens the yoga class for general public. I'd love to hear what anyone else has experienced with this.

It might be helpful for us to know what you have tried. I used to freeze broth in standard ball canning jars, but had several bust even when I left room for the broth to expand and left lids off until they were frozen. Thank goodness for bowls to thaw in and a fine mesh strainer to strain out the glass- I'm sure anything small enough to get through added to the mineral content.... or something like that. Then I read that it was an issue with the shoulders on the jars and that wide mouth jars that don't have the shoulders don't have the issue. Hubby found me some really cheap at a yard sale and I've been using them successfully since. Ball also makes special freezer jars.

Graduation and Christmas break over, it's time to re-enter scientist mode. The scan isn't the greatest, but it is readable: http://faculty.fullerton.edu/leebrown/PDF%20Files/Academic/Moritani%20and%20deVries-neural%20vs%20hypertrophy.pdf

I had a similar pain in both my knees when I started running. I kept going and ended up with bursitis bad enough to keep me from doing everyday activity, which then resulted in 6 weeks of PT. I don't advise this... If it is bursitis, then an over the counter anti-inflammatory and rest may help. Post a video for the form gurus to check and give your body a break, like maybe a week. Then do a few squats and listen to what your knee has to say about them. If the soreness persists, get in to see an orthopedic. It could be strain, or it could be something else. My knee problems all turned out to be foot issues- fallen arches, knock knees, unnecessary stress.

Awesome. I'd also go with it looks better now. The shoulders look more filled out.

Congrats SilverRapier! I grew up in a family that basically used fresh carrots, cucumber, and lettuce in salads, but otherwise everything came from a can. When hubby and I got married, we started out that way as well. Then I watched Julie and Julia and decided to make a recipe from The French Chef as a fancy New Year's Eve dinner. I had to watch videos on proper knife skills because I had no idea how to cut an onion. These videos got addictive and I bought more and more fresh produce so I could practice. Then I used the reward points from one of my credit cards to buy a really great knife. Turns out that was one of the best investments I ever made. That knife is pretty much attached to me during all meal prep and, because I took time to learn good technique, I can often chop faster than the onion fumes seem to travel. Food Network's Anne Burrell has some really good beginners videos for knife skills on youtube that you should check out. It really is worth it to spend a Saturday morning (or whenever) with some carrots, onions, and herbs, a knife, your computer, and a nice cup of joe working through the different cuts.

These are really interesting. I'd been using the EXRX standards, but like how these are laid out a bit more. However, I'm a lot closer to meeting the good weights for bench and press (I might exceed if I had a trusted spotter) than squat and deadlift and can't imagine that many good form push ups or dips yet. Can anyone comment on whether these seem like balanced standards? In other words, if I can bench half my weight should I really be able to deadlift 1.5x?

That's two. I'm not really eating paleo/primal, so forgive and substitute any unacceptable ingredients. 3. Smitten Kitchen's kale salad with pecorino and walnuts is delicious. 4. Sautee and mix with quinoa and gorgonzola. This is a great stuffing for winter squash. 5. Made into a soup with white beans, sausage, and tomatoes. 6. Simply sauteed in olive oil and finished with sea salt and lemon juice. I like this a lot with eggs and bacon for breakfast. I often roast whole chickens. Hubby will get two meals off the white meat and I'll get two off the dark. Then I pick off the rest of the meat for soups or chicken salad- when I can get a good avocado I use them instead of mayo. Then I make stock with the bones. Nothing particularly interesting. I'm a little jealous of any one that can get chickens complete with organs. We only have one local seller for pastured meat and they sell everything separately to maximize profit. Our next best option is the pre-cleaned organics from the grocery store and they also lack innards.

Yuen, This is exactly the sort of thing I'm wanting to know. Can you provide the reference on this study? Apparently the time to eat more is when the completely normal sniffles of a completely darling four year old knock you down for 3+ days. I've done nothing but eat and sleep in my free time since the weekend and can tell I've dropped the fluid I've been holding onto since starting to lift heavier- 3.5 lb worth and I can see it in my arms especially. Going to rest until my nose decides to function properly again.

Thanks for your reply Machete. I get the basics. Lift more, eat more. Just do it. Like a Nike ad. The thing is, there's a huge difference between worrying about something and being curious. I trust that just following SL will make me stronger overall and that I will improve strength in stabilizing muscles that keep me from running injuries allowing me to train more and make improvements there as well. But I want to know the how, why, and when. Even if it is technical. I do appreciate the comment about slow movements allowing for greater strength than explosive movements because of the time it takes to recruit all the muscles. That gives me something new about which to contemplate and be curious. Thanks Jacksson. I guess I do need to shift my thinking more to food as an energy source rather than just a belly filler. After so many years in grad school, I tend to assume lack of energy means I need (more) coffee or a nap.

(I'm not so great at knowing what background is useful and what is just a bunch of jibberish to read through, so this first paragraph is background that may of may not be necessary and then I'll start a new paragraph for questions.) From January 2009-July 2012 I gained quite a bit of weight due to stress and hormonal issues that I then lost from July-December 2012. I have since been maintaining by eating intuitively (though not sure following the guidelines of Intuitive Eating) and working out twice a week- initially arc trainer and machines and now running and free weights. I'm just now starting to get into heavier weights and am about two weeks in on modified SL 5x5 with numbers all over the place because some previous programming used the same progressive resistance and some of the same lifts. I know I probably should have started fresh, but everything has been new to me over the past 8-10 weeks, so I figured I hadn't really made enough progress to throw anything off. Squats: 55 lb, Bench: 45 lb (started with small bar because spotters are few and far between at my gym), Row (doing renegade rows to incorporate something that feels lengthening to my core, regular rows feel shortening- I know these things have proper terms): 15 lb per side and 10x3 instead of 5x5, OHP: 35 lb, and Deadlift: 115 lb. So far I'm making all of my reps, but the last OHP is freaking hard. Running 2 miles in 22-ish minutes, sometimes just running, sometime intervals, always about 2 miles in 22 minutes. Goal is to run longer faster and lift more. I know newbie gains can be extraordinary comparatively, and I'd like to get the most from them. It seems like most early gains are neural adaptation and take advantage of the nature portion of the nature v. nurture debate. In other words, your muscles are already this strong, your body just has to convince your brain of it and get everything working together to make it happen. Is this right? So when does one switch from gains made by neural adaptation to hypertrophy? Is there more to it than just how difficult the weight is to lift- like is there some standard to use so that I know I'm building new muscle? If early gains are due to neural adaptation rather than muscle gains, then my metabolism is only altered by calories burned by the workout itself and EPOC. Is this horrible logic? So then will my body know to eat more once I actually gain muscle and my metabolism increases? Thanks y'all.