bzchristina Posted January 18, 2014 Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Hello, hello! I'm Christina, and I've been a lurker for some time now. I credit NF as one of the resources that has re-sparked my interest to become healthier and fitter. I'm a 20-something university student from Vancouver, Canada. Once upon a time, I dated a bodybuilder who taught me lots about exercising and eating right. I was once in shape, but have let years and years of schooling and extracurricular involvement get in the way of being healthy and feeling good. I started my final year in Fall 2013, and just didn't feel healthy. Halfway through, I've made a commitment to myself to live a healthier lifestyle and get back in shape. I finally decided to join the forums because I'm looking for a community of supportive and like-minded people who I can share this experience with. GoalsReduce body fat to 20%Build more muscleWaist measurement of 26'' (66cm)Be balanced: Strength in both mind and bodyFeel, look and be strong! I'm not too concerned with my weight, as long as I get stronger, and achieve my desired measurements. Starting PointAbout 25% body fatWaist measurement of 31" (~79cm)I've been eating healthier and started exercising in mid-December. Since that time, I've gone down by about 2.5", and have lost 4lbs. I feel much more confident and stronger. I'm finding myself feeling very energized, and have been waking up earlier and not needing coffee to stay awake. So far so good! Exercise Plan4 days of strength training, consisting mainly of squats, deadlifts, pull-ups and pressesWarmups consist of a 10-15 minute run, along with jumping jacks, pushups, planks and burpeesEvery morning (including off days), I do sets of squats, planks and burpees15 minute meditation each morningDietMostly Paleo. Planning on moving to strict PaleoHave cut out grains, dairy and legumesBalance of vegetables and lean meats (mostly chicken, beef and seafood)Occasionally find myself cheating with tiny nibbles of friends' chips or chicken wings. No bueno! Lifestyle ChangesHave cut out coffee. Throughout the day, I drink green tea and waterTaking more frequent walksStarted meditating and journal writing again. Great way to keep track of progress and motivate myself So far, everything is working out and I'm seeing results. One of my concerns is cardio. For the goal I have of reducing my body fat (but also gaining more muscles), do I need to prioritize cardio? As of right now, I don't really do much cardio, except for some running for my warm-ups. Another concern is my diet. I started mid-December, which was probably the worst time to start. I managed to survive the holidays by reducing portions, but did break many of my guidelines (ate bread and rice). I've been able to transition to a mostly Paleo diet, but find myself breaking the rules again once in a while. Is an occasional cheat meal okay? Are there guidelines to 'cheating the right way'? Thanks, and looking forward to getting to know you! Edit: forgot to mention my nerdy interests! Back when I had free time, I played GTA, The Sims and Portal. I love documentaries about society, psychology, economics and history. I'm also a bookworm who always carries a book to read. My favourite deck to play in Magic are mono-green and green-red. Quote Link to comment
Becoming-Bane Posted January 18, 2014 Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Glad to have you. 1 Quote In brightest day, In blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight, Let those who worship evils might, beware my power, GREEN LANTERNS LIGHT! Link to comment
Barfly Posted January 18, 2014 Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Hi! Welcome to NF. You have some really great goals here; looks like you're on track.I wouldn't worry too much about cardio, unless you're planning to race. You'll lose fat mostly through diet - calories in/calories out - and by building muscle. Muscle burns calories.Cheat days? Meh. Whatever protocol I happen to be following, I use the 80/20 rule. That allows me 4 cheat meals each week. No big, I just don't go crazy with it. Good luck and let us know how you're doing.Barfly 1 Quote The past is only smoke in a dream. Lvl 6 Ranger Berzerker STR 9 DEX 4 STA 9 CON 8 WIS 2 CHA 8 Barfly ain't even tryin'... Link to comment
Barfly Posted January 18, 2014 Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Hi! Welcome to NF. You have some really great goals here; looks like you're on track.I wouldn't worry too much about cardio, unless you're planning to race. You'll lose fat mostly through diet - calories in/calories out - and by building muscle. Muscle burns calories.Cheat days? Meh. Whatever protocol I happen to be following, I use the 80/20 rule. That allows me 4 cheat meals each week. No big, I just don't go crazy with it. Good luck and let us know how you're doing.Barfly Quote The past is only smoke in a dream. Lvl 6 Ranger Berzerker STR 9 DEX 4 STA 9 CON 8 WIS 2 CHA 8 Barfly ain't even tryin'... Link to comment
Barfly Posted January 18, 2014 Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Oops Quote The past is only smoke in a dream. Lvl 6 Ranger Berzerker STR 9 DEX 4 STA 9 CON 8 WIS 2 CHA 8 Barfly ain't even tryin'... Link to comment
Basement Cat Posted January 18, 2014 Report Share Posted January 18, 2014 Welcome to the rebellion, Christina! As Barfly has pointed out: don't worry about cardio. Just pick an exercise you enjoy and stick to that. Here is an article by Steve talking about this: cardio VS interval training VS Weight training Also: what level of fitness are you at right now? If you are a beginner, don't work out the same muscles every day. your body is not accustomed to quick recovery yet. If you are more advanced, go ahead. Diet wise: first don't think of them as cheat meals. You are making a conscious decision to eat the stuff: own it! The 80/20 rule is good, as is the "never two days in a row" rule. You might want to try the "30 days Hard Hat Challenge" On that note: good luck with your goals and keep us posted! 1 Quote Current form: Chubby House Cat (lvl4) Weight objective: 20% S. 4 P. 6 E. 4 C. 7 I. 8 A. 4 L. 5 Battle log Current Challenge Handy linky. Link to comment
citizenkade Posted January 19, 2014 Report Share Posted January 19, 2014 Hi, Christina! It looks like you have similar goals to Teagarden, you might want to check out her battle log for inspiration. Regardless, you just kicked open the door to the greatest support group on Earth! Good luck, and welcome to the Rebellion! WOOOHOOO!!! 2 Quote Race: Half Elf/Human. Class: Wildling Ranger. Level: 3 STR: 6 DEX: 2 STA: 7 CON: 5 WIS: 3 CHA: 0 First Campaign Second Campaign Daily Campaign Battle Log MY FITNESS PAL LOG Link to comment
CommanderFrou Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Welcome fellow Canadian I would also tell you not to worry too much about cardio. For me at least, diet was definitely the biggest game changer in how I looked and felt. Do something that you enjoy, you'll be more likely to stick to it If you want to get a little cardio in your routine without taking up all your workout time, you might want to give interval training a shot. I've been doing my cardio this way for a while and I really enjoy it because it leaves me with more time to lift things Here's another NF article on it if you're interested! Good luck with your goals! 1 Quote Commander Frou | Level 2 Ranger Wannabe STR 3 | DEX 1 | STA 1 | CON 3 | WIS 3 | CHA 3 Challenge #1 - Jan 6 2014Battle log Link to comment
Barfly Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 Canadian? I thought that said Californian..... nevermind... Quote The past is only smoke in a dream. Lvl 6 Ranger Berzerker STR 9 DEX 4 STA 9 CON 8 WIS 2 CHA 8 Barfly ain't even tryin'... Link to comment
Basement Cat Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 Canadian? I thought that said Californian..... nevermind... Well, she is in British Columbia, which is just above California. It's not that far off. Quote Current form: Chubby House Cat (lvl4) Weight objective: 20% S. 4 P. 6 E. 4 C. 7 I. 8 A. 4 L. 5 Battle log Current Challenge Handy linky. Link to comment
Barfly Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 Ok, close enough 1 Quote The past is only smoke in a dream. Lvl 6 Ranger Berzerker STR 9 DEX 4 STA 9 CON 8 WIS 2 CHA 8 Barfly ain't even tryin'... Link to comment
bzchristina Posted January 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2014 Thank you so much for the warm welcome! It looks like you have similar goals to Teagarden, you might want to check out her battle log for inspiration. She sounds awesome, I'll definitely be checking out her battle log! Also: what level of fitness are you at right now? If you are a beginner, don't work out the same muscles every day. your body is not accustomed to quick recovery yet. If you are more advanced, go ahead. I'd say that I'm somewhere in the middle. A few years ago, I used to exercise much more often, but went through a period of inactivity. You definitely make a great point though. When I started working out again last month, I thought I could just pick up where I left off. Wrong idea! Body was extremely sore afterwards. Quote Link to comment
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