ValdisMori

So I recently respawned and have taken up swimming! And I have to say it surprised me how good an experience it's been. You see normally I'd go to the gym and lift weights or do cardio, the usual stuff really. But after getting injured the last time I was there I kind of fell off the wagon for a bit. I tried really hard to get back into it but it was rough because things kept coming up (my grandpa passed away so we had to miss the gym for a while in order to arrange that) and before I knew it my month's membership was up and my financial incentive wasn't there anymore. This made forking up another monthly membership fee a difficult decision for me, especially since recently I haven't had a trainer to work with and all of my personal attempts at exercise felt either unsatisfactory or left me in pain. Then the idea of swimming came up. Now I'd normally turn down something as far out of my normal routine as swimming, but given that I'd seemed to have run out of options I tried it out for the heck of it, and I was not disappointed. I ended up getting the same type of muscle burn I would feel from lifting weights at the gym without the strain that would come from lifting. In addition to that it was almost always a total body workout so I did not feel like I was missing out on anything I could have done at the gym. Plus, my new swim coach is great and he immediately picks up on my strengths and weaknesses and has really helped me to improve my swimming. And...it's fun! And not at all as burdensome as the Saturday morning boot camps I used to do or as lame as though dance aerobics classes gym trainers seem to ALWAYS encourage women in the gym to do. I'm mainly writing this article though, to send a message. Don't be afraid to try new things, or even pick back up some old ones. I haven't swum this hard since the 6th grade and I had no idea how much my body missed it. So who knows? Step outside your comfort zone or respark an old flame. You'd be surprised at what you might discover.

My name is Zoe. I'm 20 years old, 5"3 and about 170 pounds. As you can imagine I'm here to trying get fit and gain better control of my body, not just lose weight. The problem is that often times I end up trying to work out and being met with millions of mixed messages on what to do. One week someone would say that I should focus more on cardio and then work on muscle exercises once I "slim down". Another week someone will tell me that I should focus more on weight training and that cardio is mainly for warm ups or strictly for persons doing marathons or other running events. Sometimes people say I should use machines, while others say I should stick to dumb bells and body weight exercises and the list just goes on... I would really love it if someone could just give me a program to start with. Or at the very least suggest to me where I could get one personalized for myself (hopefully online?). Note though that I seem to get muscle injuries easily so I can't push myself too hard or lift heavy just yet. I also have no idea where I'd fall in that career category so I'm hoping someone might be able to explain that to me too.

I typically do 10-30 minutes on a treadmill or step climber or if neither is available I'll do 40 jumping jacks. My most problematic spots are my arms though, mostly in the shoulder and tricep areas but I have had pain in the back of my legs (my hamstring I think?) before.

So I'm 20 years old, 5"3 and about 170 lbs right now. My weight is not that big of an issue to me but I am looking to lose a bit for the sake of my health and fitness. My mum is a BIG supporter of this (she's a weight loss fanatic) and is always advocating for my sister and I to eat healthy. My main problem is the gym. Don't get me wrong, I love the gym. I love feeling the burn that comes with pumping some weights or doing some aerobics. (I especially love squats and dead lift days.) Plus the results Ii get really boost my self esteem and morale and often keep me positive and help me start my day right. But my problem is that my body's limits and my mind's don't quite mesh. More often than not, I end up in a good place with my exercises, getting a decent rhythm and even starting to move on to heavier weights when...a muscle pulls or some knot develops in my muscles. Then I'll be down for the count and for days at a time just trying to get over the pain. The worst bit is though, that I don't even lift that heavy. I mostly work out with 3-8lb dumb bells or 5-10 lb barbells. And everything else is mostly body weight exercises. Now before I used to have a personal trainer who was working with me to overcome this, but as I have begun to start saving up for college I've had to let him go and now I have to deal with this issue on my own. Does anyone have any advice on what I could do? Do you think I should see a doctor about this?

-Floats into the topic at the mention of Girl Genius- This is actually the first time I've posted in these forums and I'm a total noob. But Girl Genius! <3 Also, do you any of you have any advice on how to eat healthy on a budget? I'm heading to college soon and I fear the "freshman 15" overtaking me as I get used to living on a more restricted budget. (P.S. Do you guys read Romantically Apocalyptic? Or The Less than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal? Or even...Homestuck?)