JoRaspberrii

Question: The more frequently I strength train, the more frequently I experience mood swings (esp. Getting irritated). I'm a 20 year old female and I've been noticing this for the past 2 to 3 years. Is it just an increase of testosterone, or might there be more going on?

It can vary, honestly, in my experience. I often hear something like "10 reps per side," or if it just says "10 reps" I'd still assume that's 10 for each leg. I would just recommend organizing your workout in whichever way makes the most sense to you. If you'd rather count a 10 reps as 5 lunges on each side, go for it! And if you're following a program set up by someone else and aren't sure, ask them if you can, or just go for what feels best for your body.

Any NF Rebels out there from Central Oregon? I've only got three on count so far and would love to find more of you! Mozy on over to our Facebook page if you're interested in meeting up and keeping in touch! https://www.facebook.com/groups/CONFRebels/ And/or, of course, take a moment to hello below. I can't wait to hear from you!

I take activities classes at school, so the physiology lab professor comes in to the classes every six weeks to measure with calipers. Thanks for the advice, I'll take a closer look at TDEE calculators for sure!

I edited the original post to answer those questions. I hope that's the sort of information you're looking for. Unfortunately I don't have much on specifics as a result of tracking my food intake, but I do plan on beginning to look at it more closely.

So I haven't been strength training for long and at first I was doing it just to lose some excess body fat. I managed that, but now that I'm starting to make a lot of progress on muscle gain, I'm just hungry all the time! In addition to gaining muscle mass, I'm also gaining that fat mass back and it's really frustrating me. I've noticed the biggest challenge for me is snacking continuously either before or, typically, after I've had dinner. So I'm not really sure how to eat appropriately to achieve my desired body composition (was last about 24% body fat, would like to be around 17%) and how to know when I'm eating enough, and of what (I have a big sweet-tooth, so I'm always overdoing the carbs). Any advice, tips, and/or guidance to help me manage a healthy diet would be absolutely wonderful and very much appreciated! Additional info: I use My Fitness Pal to track calorie intake (although on really busy days it gets hard to be diligent with this). Can't say I've had a very regular diet lately, however. I stopped using the tracker to meet goals and use it just for information instead, but I'm going to try switching back to having a daily intake goal once I get some more information.My weight has only increased since I began strength training, but in the first six weeks by body fat percentage dropped from 27.5% to 22.5%, although it has increased, as I mentioned, since then. Right now my weight varies between 150 and 155 and I'm 5' 10".

Hey, thanks guys! This was super helpful and I appreciate the time you took to collaborate together to provide me with the best info possible and also to gather all those resource links--I'll check them out ASAP, but I've got some finals to conquer first. =]

So I read the articles on Nerd Fitness about working out in a fasted state. It seems to make sense that without as much glucose in your blood from food, your body will turn more quickly to your fat storage for glucose. Then today I came across this thread in the bodybuilding.com forums: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=119186991. User Blenderate says about his daily routine, " I kept my carbohydrates low throughout most of the day to keep insulin low, but just before my weightlifting workouts four times per week, I would eat a large serving of fruit and have a glucose/protein/BCAA drink. I would continue sipping the drink throughout my workout, and then finish up with a whey protein isolate shake after I was done. This serves to spike insulin, driving nutrients into the muscles." So, I'm wondering how much truth there is to what this man is saying. Because I know that the only thing that insulin directly affects is the amount of glucose that is taken from your blood into your cells. Would this really have anything to do with the nutrient use by cells? tl/dr: Please compare and contrast the physiology of workouts while fasting and after carb loading.

06/08/14 Oh lordy! I've gotten so busy with school this term that my health got pushed to the back burner! Today I noticed the appearance of cottage-cheese-thighs on myself. =[ On the upside--we do so many crunches everyday in my hip hop class that I can actually feel my abs when I flex them! They're not visible, but they are palpable! I just need to keep it up when this term is over. =P So what I really need to focus on is just taking down my body fat percentage by a notch and just continuing to build muscle. My arms are more toned now than ever just because I try to do 20 push ups whenever I think about it. However, my legs have certainly been neglected. Dat LotR workout, dough! So much fun and my friends and I love doing it together! It's just so difficult finding a time when it's convenient for all of us to get together in order to work out. However, while I'm away at work this summer, I'm going to make sure I focus on getting in shape because I won't have school distracting me. I'm gonna need help sticking to it, for sure, but I'll make sure to get a work out buddy!! =D And the very most up of the upsides--I have fun when I work out! Even if it's actually just a series of lunges, push up, etc... and not just exercise disguised as something fun. Haha. Purely just moving my body and getting my blood pumping and feeling my muscles working hard gets me in such a good mood. So hopefully after finals this next week I can start to re-prioritize. I do have to keep studying hard for my certification exam, however, but that's still only 3 weeks away and then I'm free! So even though I've basically failed the entire past month (or more), I've decided I'm not giving up again. This was just my vehicle stalling in the middle of the road. But I'm still on the same road heading in the same direction and I'm still excited about it! And since I brought it up, here I go with those 20 push ups.... How many can you whip out right now?? (And like I said, I'm instantly in a better mood just for doing some push ups. Haha! =D ) EDIT: I was just reading this NF article: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/03/25/robin/ . And Robin said some really awesome things that hit home with me. So I just wanted to make sure I recorded them somewhere where I could look at them again and again. "...my routine involves eating clean (as much as my sweet tooth will allow), cardio or bodyweight work, and walking my dog. That’s it. I don’t stress the small stuff or go into hyper fitness mode, because I don’t have to... What I’m doing is called living my life. I’m not done and I haven’t arrived yet, but where I am now is a way better place than where I was headed!!!" "My happy reminds me daily that I am worth fighting for and that no one will ever fight as hard for me as I will. I have value beyond measure..." "...wanting to morph into a better version of [my]self — not someone entirely new."

04/18/14 Hey-o, hey-o, hey-o-yo! I been doing about the same diet-wise. Some really great awesome decisions. And then a few really bad decisions sprinkled throughout. But luckily I eat mostly healthy. =P And tomorrow some of my fellow rebels and I are going to do a big strength-training extravaganza thing! =P So I wanted to plan out some framework for it (because you should always have a plan! Wandering around aimlessly is not going to help anyone level up). And I figured this would be as good a place as any for me to create this outline! So, I'm thinking a basic warm-up, workout as much of the body as possible, cool down. =P And because we're all at different fitness levels, rather than planning sets by reps, I thought I'd do it by time (and just do as many reps as you can in the time frame). Warm up--jog 10 min. stretch (hamstrings, calves, quads; spine and abs; chest, shoulders, arms, neck) additional cardio 3 min Workout--(30 to 60 sec of rest between sets as needed) 90 sec squats " push ups " lunges 45 sec rows (L) " rows ® 90 sec sit ups/crunches (I can only do crunches because my tailbone is too sensitive) " jumping jacks 45 sec plank 90 sec step-ups " bench press Cool down--5 min jog Yoga (Ashtanga (I think is what it's called...?), downward dog, warrior (1, 2, & 3), dancer, tree, child's pose)

04/11/14 So, no news is bad new, in this instance. Not writing on here means I haven't done anything. Grrr.... I'm battling exhaustion this week and that always makes it difficult to get motivated to do anything or have the willpower to avoid bad things. But I'm enjoying my hip-hop class and my yoga class. The yoga just helps me relax (because it's a Yin practice), but I think that helps me in the long run with these tough decisions of to-do or not to-do. And hip hop gets my heart rate up-ish, but it's just not sustained at that level because there are so many pauses while we wait for the teacher to give us the next set of steps. Still, it's better than absolutely nothing. And my campus has lots of stairs--that's always a bonus! =P

04/02/14 So I've done a shit job at this whole being healthy and active thing for about two weeks now. I have such a hard time making time for workouts instead of wasting it all away on my computer. And I'd love to just not use my computer on weekdays or something, but the problem is that a lot of my homework requires use of a computer. Does anyone have any tips to limit distractions/increase willpower while I'm on the internet for school?? I've considered using some sort of parental control program--know any good ones that are free?? What have a done? Well at least I've done a little bit. I've continued going for walks when I should be strength training. =P My room is just a mess right now because of a delay mid-renovation, so I just never feel like doing anything in there. And furthermore, our PS3 broke, so I can't use P90X DVDs right either. Grrrr! I know this sounds like a lot of excuses, and that's probably all it is, but I legitimately have not come up with any solutions around it. But this could perhaps be denial and laziness subconsciously overpowering my desire for change and to level up. =/ Anyways, back to the positive! I've also been eating good lunches, dinners, and breakfasts for the most part. It's just snacking and my dessert cravings that are really difficult. I'm trying to work out a grocery shopping plan/system with my parents (whom I still live with, yes), but we are all creatures of habit and it's been tough. I'm lucky my family has always been pretty good about healthy eating anyways, though. At least better than a lot of people in this day and age (and country). It's just a matter of convincing them to hop on board my whole-foods train. But I will do it! I must! And this summer I will be totally in charge of my own food choices, so lets hope I can make the right decisions! Lastly, this dude (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLogFAbTlDI&list=FLiO-cehtEBInVQTvJXuYvVA) pretty much represents my ideal level/use of fitness. But he trains 6 hours a day! How can I best make progress towards this when I've got a responsibility to my education (15 credits this term and at day 3 I'm already exhausted--mostly due to anxiety and anticipated stress because I'm fucking psychotic I swear to god (pardon that run-on sentence of a rant, I'm totally PMSing right now))? I don't even have a job and I feel like I'm never going to make it through this shit called school (it's likely I feel this way because I'm not pursuing the right path for me, but I'm doing the best that I can). I don't know how these other people do it, but much respect to them!! Any tips??? =P

I've missed so many days because it's finals week! And worst of all--I've missed my workouts! But next week is spring break and I'm really, really hoping to do a backpacking trip, or at least a lot of hikes/caving adventures. This week has just been one big fail. -.-

03/15/14 For breakfast today I had a doughy, egg & bacon roll/croissant thing. not sure what the pastry part was. I'm sure it wasn't uber healthy, but at least i got some protein! And my dad brought it home for me, so that was super nice, too. food that someone gives you is always so much better than food you make yourself, isn't it?

03/14/14 Just finished my workout! And I actually wore my HR monitor out walking the dogs today prior to my workout, and I'm hitting just about all the same numbers by walking as I am by strength training--in zone ~2/3 the time, max in the 180's, calories burned 500<700, take ~1 hr. Which is pretty intriguing! But I do like having muscles to squeeze when I'm bored (also, am I the only one who does this? Sometimes I wonder how weird it is...). Lol. Anyways, now I'm going to shower and then have breakfast. Or the other way around--I haven't decided yet. =P And all I can think about are those damned muffins! But I think I'll scramble up some eggs with kale, and some cheese to add the flavor boost that I'm craving right now. Also, since I have such a major sweet tooth, is it reasonable to allow myself one "bad" thing a day (ex: bowl of ice cream or 1/2 a muffin--not a whole tub of ice cream or 12 muffins)? Because I believe in everything in moderation and life should smoothly, but is daily not moderate enough? Evening time now. Pretty much skipped dinner and have been snacking since brunch (which was around 2:30--and, yes, I slept in). At first I was snacking well--fruits! But my mother made some savory chex mix and I've been devouring that ever since. Small amounts at a time, not constantly, but I know it's adding up. Grrr why does bad food have to be so delicious?! I was actually ranting to my mother the day (she's wonderful for listening to my crazy self and still making me snacks) about how insane it is that companies are promoting all of the junk foods and making it so difficult to access the healthier options. Granted, the good foods are more available these days, but they're still expensive--and that's the big problem. Everyone's after money. but I truly don't understand how processed foods can be any cheaper than natural whole foods--they don't require any money to spent on processing! Does anyone know what's behind the curtain of this paradox?? Lastly, what gets under my skin more than anything else about the greedy players of the food industry is that we're only subsidizing crops like corn and soy. Why don't we subsidize other veggie and fruit crops that are healthier for you, thus increasing the supply and lowering the cost of them at the grocery store? And why are we still using GMO crops that are all genetically identical when evolution itself has proven that genetic variation promotes population sustainability? Studies have even shown that non-GMO crops are more hardy in the face of unusual environmental conditions, as well as the introduction of new bacteria/viruses/bugs (I don't have link to this at the moment, but if anyone is interested let me know and I'll find it). Why are we letting so much of our food supplies rely on such fragile populations? Especially when GMO crops require much more pesticide treatment and in turn we are ingesting these extra chemicals and essentially poisoning ourselves. Not only do the pesticides cause damage in our digestive systems, but the unfamiliar genetic makeup of these foods is starting to cultivate increasing food allergies in our youths. Anyways, I digress! I had to click over to another tab so I would lose my train of thoguht and stop ranting and raving. Haha. But my point is just that it seems so much more reasonable to make health a priority over wealth, yeah?

03/13/14 Well, sh*t... today I failed miserably. It was my second rest day (with my current school schedule I do my workouts on Fri, Sun, Tues--it's weird, I know) and I didn't not stick to a good diet! Mistake #1: for breakfast I was in a rush, so I had half of a giant Costco muffin (yes, the kind that are basically cake), an orange, and a granola bar. Mistake #2: when I got home, I realized we were all out of fruit, which is my usual snack when I have a sweet tooth and unfortunately for me, there were still more muffins. So I had another whole one! I tried to get something good in later when i wanted a snack food by eating roasted edemame (sp), which is high in protein. But mistake #3 came along: I was out shopping with my mom and she wanted to go to Starbucks, so I couldn't resist since it's been so long since I've had coffee and I got a frap (but I did get light =P ). And then mistake #4: I had pasta for dinner--a lot of it. My tummy hurts now. Haha. I'm no stranger to abdominal pain/discomfort just because my digestive system is sensitive, so I'm really not sure if it's due to the sudden overload of pasta after not having any in a long time, or if it's just an overload of food in general. But eating to the point of a stomach is a terrible, terrible habit that I developed as a child out of guilt for not finishing my food and now I'm struggling to reverse that and hopefully get my digestive system on the right track. Anyways, much ramblings from a girl trying to distract herself from pain and nausea. =P This is embarrassing to put on the internet, but I guess that's the point--next time I'll be more careful so I won't have to report such a situation again! Hopefully my workout tomorrow goes well, though. My abs are still pretty sore since we work those hard in aerobics class, too, but the rest of me is feeling mostly better. Hope that means I'm adapting and building muscle (if I'm doing an all right enough of a job fueling it when I'm not failing it)!

03/12/14 So, my self control today when it came to food was pretty bad. Which isn't terribly surprising, now that I think about it, because I haven't been getting enough sleep this week. But I did take one of my dogs for a long walk today, even though it's a rest day for me. So hopefully that helped to even that out (even though I know you cannot outrun your fork). So I took a 2-3 hour nap this evening (not sure when I fell asleep) and just woke up, but I still have to do some homework before bed, so I'm not sure if I'll eat some dinner or not once I'm done. I've heard so many different things about eating before bed, and I'm pretty sure a lot of it is "wives' tales." Does anyone know a lot about this based on research or can anyone link me to a good study about it? I'll try to remember to look for one myself when I have time, although my memory is highly unimpressive, to say the least. =P

03/11/09 Just finished my workout and I feel wonderful! I prefer to do fasted workouts, but I had class today at 10 and even waking up in time for that was challenge, so I didn't want to get up super early for a workout. I was hoping I could make it until after class (12:30) without eating, but alas I dug into my "emergency" bag o' nuts during the break. 2/3 cup of cashews. I don't think it would have made a ginormous difference, but if you know more about fasting, exercise, and breaking fasts, please do tell! =]

03/10/14 So, today was a rest day, but I still had my hip-hop aerobics class at school. Because there's so much stopping in that class (to learn the next section of choreography), I don't usually don't sweat very much. And this was one of those minimally sweaty days. So it was kind of like a warm-up and then a cool-down, with no workout between, which I think actually helped work the stiffness out of my legs. And it does get my heart rate going at least a bit, so that's good. So anyways... I can't remember where I was going with that. But I'll leave it for future reference, I guess...? Been eating well today! Food really is the biggest challenge for me. But I enjoy whole foods, so that helps. Wait I just remembered...I had a toaster waffle for breakfast, but it did have peanut butter on it. =P Breakfast is tough to do well because I'm always running late. Haha. But other than that I've just had fruits and nuts, a cliff bar, and an almond butter and jam sandwich. Gotta be honest, I've never had almond butter before, but I loved it! So I think I'm going to make exclusively AB&J sandwiches from now on. =P Tonight, I'm making sauteed kale & mushroom paninis topped with pesto and some barbecued deer steak for some protein. I hope it turns out well! =]

03/09/14 Today is a workout day. I'd like to do P90X Shoulders and Arms, but our Playstation (which we also use for DVDs) has suddenly malfunctioned and my legs are much too sore for all of the squats and lunges of the BBWW. So I'm trying to be creative and figure out what to do, but I've never been very good at developing my own workout routine. Any other resources that y'all enjoy?? For now, I think I'll find a resistance band routine because I got some for Christmas that I haven't even used yet because I'm not sure how. =P But I need to workout soon because I am huuungray! I found this webpage, which turned out to be very helpful: http://www.lifelineusa.com/files/Lifeline_CableExercises.pdf . However, the bands I received for Christmas are way out of my league for the time being, so I modified the sets that I used for dumbbells. I ended up going with as many reps as I could do in 90 seconds for 3 sets of the following: Curl to overhead press, "bent over rows", "sky punches", bench press, sit ups, and jumping jacks. I tried to make it parallel the BBWW, with just a shifted focus from legs to arms. and it went well! =] Now for some foods... Ate well today. Brunch: oatmeal w/ cranberries and an egg. Snacks: Banana, pistachios. Dinner: Cashew & chickpea curry (made by my wonderful mother and it was yummy). Snack: (this is where I always fail--my sweet tooth post-supper) bowl of frosted flakes with banana sliced on top. I don't even know why we have frosted flakes in this house! But if we have something sugary, you know I'm going to find a reason to eat it. =P Other than that, I've noticed that I have a much harder time finding enough willpower to eat healthy when I haven't gotten enough sleep. Have you noticed this? Also, when I'm working out regularly, I seem to lean much more towards rage tendencies than pathetic tendencies when I get frustrated with things. Has anyone else noticed either of these two correlations or is it just coincidence?

03/08/14 Yesterday I began my 2nd 6-Week Challenge (unfortunately I'm not really synchronized with the actual 6-Week Challenge timing, but I don't mind if you don't). It's been a good 10 weeks since my last one. Yikes! So after going at the BBWW as intensely as I could, I've found my legs extremely sore today! The maxes I have posted above may no longer be very accurate since it's been so long and I've been lazy. I've been walking my dogs regularly and I've been in an aerobics class, but that's doesn't make up for so much missed strength training, but I'm glad I did at least that or else I'd be a lot worse off right now. So my current 6-Week Challenge is the same as my last, since it's been such a huge gap and I began to fall out of the habit again. And that is to workout at least 3 days a week. The good news is that I continued to after my last Challenge period for quite some time (until the new term started and my school schedule made it a lot harder to do so), so I know that I can do it again and keep the habit (since after this upcoming term is summer and I'll only have to worry about my work schedule). I'll mostly be doing the BBWW, but considering how sore my legs are right now, I'll most likely incorporate some P90X workouts as needed. =P Eating habits are improving slowly but surely. I'm challenging myself to get more familiar with my kitchen and it's been fun. I'm glad I'm starting to make more responsibility for my own food! I did take my friend out to dinner tonight for here birthday, however, and I don't think the French Dip I had really qualifies as health food. But prior to tonight, I've been doing well this week in the food department. =D Other than starting up again, nothing big to report! Although I do need to test some more maxes, huh....

All right, all right. I'm finally making a Daily Battle Log. My main challenge is just that--daily. Some days I manage myself wonderfully, other days I don't even try. And after some self-study, I've come to find that it's typically not a conscious effort to just "screw it" and not bother with this whole self-improvement thing; it's more like I forget to do it. I'm finding more and more everyday that it really is all about habits! I know Nerd Fitness tells us this a lot, but I never realized just how impactful habits--of all kinds--were until I started seeing it in myself and my own lifestyle. So here I am, trying to make daily a habit by creating something that will help to hold me accountable. And right now I'd like to thank the amazing Nerd Fitness community for encouraging me to do so--whether directly or indirectly in the past you've given me a helping hand, just reading this now is helping to become a more awesome version of myself. So thanks! Now, onto the business at hand! The following is what I've developed so far for myself to encourage and guide my progress. I've never done any sort of training before, so I'm really not sure what some realistic goals are. So if you have any suggestions for me, I'd be very happy to hear them and I'll continually update this "profile" as needed. Race: Elf (Tall; slender; difficult muscle gain) Class: Druid, with particular Assassin aspects (Whole foods diet; agility; flexibility; body weight mastery; endurance) Main Quest*: Mind-Body-Spirit Connection (For exercise to become a "therapeutic" aspect of my lifestyle) 1) Exercising must become a meditative practice. a. Always be in the moment during physical activities. b. Apply breathwork techniques. c. Exercise with mantras/koans. 2) Improve cognitive function. (Due to whole foods diet and practice of mental exercises) a. Improve concentration. b. Improve memory. c. Improve reflexes. (How can I best measure these things?) 3) Push/strengthen Mind by pushing/strengthening Body a. Build core/legs (squats, lunges, steps, jump rope, abs, etc...). I: Accomplish jumping # ft high and # ft far. (What seems reasonable?Plus, are these even good indicators of fitness anyways?) b. Build upper body (curls, bench press, pull ups, push ups, rows, flies, etc...) II: Accomplish handstand for # sec/min. (What seems reasonable?) c.Be able to do parkour/free running without stopping for # min. (what seems reasonable?) *This is all prone to change as I get further into my journey and figure out what truly motivates and what I enjoy most about exercise. Current Stats: (Last updated: 03/08/14) Age: 18 yo. Height: 5' 10" Weight: 140 (most ever and considering my lack of muscle right now, that's not good) Est. Max HR: 202 (220-age; know a better way?) Est. Anaerobic Threshold: 160 (80% of est. max; know a better way?) Est. HR Workout Zone: TBD(how?)<160 Max Reps: (I don't think I did these right because I gave myself (short) resting periods) Squats: 172 Lunges: TBA Sit ups: 99 Push ups: 20 real, + 57 knees (What else would be a good indicator of fitness levels?) Attribute Points: (Last updated:) (Still haven't decided on the value of 1 point or how I earn the points to distribute; suggestions?) STR --> DEX --> STA --> CON --> WIS --> CHA -->

Awesome, thanks for your input! P.S. You have the coolest superpower of all the super heroes! (I don't understand all of the enthusiasm over Batman, to be totally honest...)

Hi there! I'm just beginning my fitness journey (just finished week six!) and I want to test to find my max reps on body-weight squats, lunges, step-ups, push ups, and sit ups (any other essential moves you suggest testing, too?). I've been doing fasted workouts in the mornings, but I didn't know if it was a better idea to shoot for maxing out after eating something, as my body has yet to be put under that much stress (I've only been working out as much as time allows for). Or would it be safe, or even better, to do this when fasted as well? Also, since I tested a few before I thought of asking this question, I noticed that after doing squats, i was too shaky to test my other leg workouts within the hour. Would food fix this? If it's not a matter of diet, how long do you suggest waiting before testing the others? Because I wanted a fair shot at every move, I decided to do one leg move and one non-leg move today and I'll do the same pattern (but different moves) the next time I workout (which I've start off with doing a M/W/F schedule). But I'm still asking because I might like to do the it differently next time I test them. TL;DR: What protocol do you suggest for testing max repetitions? Thanks so much for your help!