Ciaran

iTrader: (16)

need to know a good sport which will eliminate my beer belly a.s.a.p!! iv put n a stone in the last 6 weeks so recomendations welcome.

WRX Wannabe

Squash

welshy28

Swimming mate, works a treat

NACRO

Running, it's free, easy to start (just walk then run until you get fit enough)and you can do it anywhere, anytime with a minimum of equipment.
I noticed I was getting porky a few yrs ago and started doing a mile or so a day. I do a regular 5 miles a day now in preparation for a marathon attempt later this year.

Leslie

That will take you just over five days to finish then Nacro!

Les

StickyMicky

running to the shops for the aitkens diet book will probably do the trick

Little Miss WRX

I have lost an incredible amount of weight through diet and exercise.

Gone from a size 12 to a 10 in a matter of weeks. Been taking these diet pills, small meals mainly salads and keeping my calorie intake to no more than 1500 a day unless I am refereeing then I increase it slightly.

I referee three to four times a week doing two games on average per day. I also have a home gym set and do exercising on that.

Bonus about refereeing? Despite the abuse, you get paid too!

hades

I also find a rowing machine is a good thing. Spend half an hour or so on it, you can have it in front of a TV so you don't get bored, and it will make a real difference.

Whichever sport you're doing to lose weight, worth investing in a heart rate monitor IMHO. You can get a basic one for ~£30. Depending on your age etc, there will be an optimum heart rate range for you to work in to lose weight, when you're running or whatever. I tend to row for 20-30 minutes at around 155-160bpm, which works right for me.

Obviously, eating less of the wrong foods will help, as will drinking lots of water - especially if it's water instead of fizzy drinks or something.

Hobo_Jojo

dripping squack

Ciaran

iTrader: (16)

well think swimming sounds good may give that a try worked out last night that i drink a min of about 30 pints per week maybe cutting that down. does smoking help put on weight aswell?

Hobo_Jojo

Nicotine reduces your appetite so it actually has the opposite effect. People who quit usually gain a stone. Thats why supermodels all chain smoke like the filthy addicts they are rah

Ciaran

iTrader: (16)

well iv started smoking recently and put on a stone and a half in 12 weeks. worst thing is im going to be working offshore and was told to watch my weight. im now 14 stone and about 6ft tall is this realy overweight?

Tim-Grove

I put on 2.5 stone when I quit smoking a few years back, probably due to the all the crap I was eating and the a hell of a lot more drinking to keep my mind off the ****. I cut down on the junk food and beer but I couldn’t shift the weight[img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]. Until earlier on this year when I tried the Atkins diet, I wanted to lose 4 stone and this took 14 weeks. Been of it about 3 months now and haven’t even put a pound back on. I’m still probably a little over weight (13.5 stone and 5ft 11) but I’m happy and it miles better than the 17.5 stone I was earlier on this year. Obviously daily exercise would have been better but I’m a lazy git after a day at work.

Ciaran

iTrader: (16)

well i actually want too stop smoking due to pier pressure but i enjoy it to much and also scared if i give up il put on more weight. worst thing is all my weight has gone to my hips as they say!

Franx

Rowing is a very effective way of getting fit & losing weight. The only thing is, it's not really very accessable, & it takes ages to get to a good level

The better alternative, to that, in terms of what you want to do, would be running, I'd say.
I'd start off with just trying to build up endurance, by running first 20odd min, & build it up slowly, to 30-40 minutes. Once you've been doing that for 2-3 times a week, & a few weeks or so, You could move up a level.

I'm not talking about making youself into an athlete as such, but this'd be the most effective way to burn calories

Perhaps twice a week, don't just do a long steady run, but combine it with some sprints of ~30 seconds, then drop back down again to normal pace - around 5-10 times - & putting everything into it.

There you go. That's the way. Not easy, I'll admit, but you do get into it. Think of stretching, & carbohydrate drink as well - twill improve recovery times That's what my coach had us doing anyway, & he trained us up to GB rowing level
Give that one a whirl, & wou'll be fit in no time.

Rowing machines - very efective, but unbelievably boring, so you'll probably not last long on them, before wanting to move to summat else
I hear swimming isn't very good for burning calories though.

Have fun
C.


[Edited by Franx - 12/6/2003 4:04:39 PM]

Ciaran

iTrader: (16)

cheers loon need to start some of this soon may just wait till after christmas though cos anything i lose b4 it i will put on over christmas. will b my new years resolution!

ozzy

Well speaking from experience, I've tried:-

Squash (still play 3 times per week for an hour)
Badminton (still play twice per week for an hour)
Swimming (good conditioner and virtually risk free from injuries)
Cycling (great for working the legs)
Weight Lifting (good for strength, but won't work the heart, lungs as well)
Circuit Training (do this every day)
Body Pump (gives you muscle pump, but nothing else. waste of time unless you want to tone )
Spinning (that stationary bike thing, good CV but boring as hell)
Boxing (fantastic; join a local amateur club if you want to get fit)
Running (3-4 times per week. Fast runs 30mins, slow runs 2hrs)
Football (too many injuries, so don't play)

They're all good exercise and will get you fitter and help lose weight, but all to different degrees and effectiveness. i.e. I found I need to play Squash or Badminton with some one at a good level to get an effective workout. The work your heart & lungs, but aren't great for working the muscles in your legs or upper body. Your obviously running around a lot, but it's very short burts, so only good for training specific muscle fibres.

Out of all these sports, the most effective (by far) has been running and circuit training.

Long, slow runs for basic cardio fitness, leg muscle stamina and fat burning. Fast running or sprinting helps your oxygen uptake and ability to deal with lactic acid in the muscles.

Circuit training for general conditioning, general strength and muscle stamina.

All the others can be used to vary your training i.e. rowing, cycling, swimming, etc..

Just about every sport I can think of incorporates either running or body weight circuits. Best combination IMHO for all-round fitness and weight control.

Stefan

scoobydooooo

EATING 3 LBS OF LARD A DAY !! oooppppss , that's not right is it ??

imlach

The trouble with swimming is that it is too easy to pad up & down the pool thinking you're doing some beneficial exercise.
However, doing a slow breatstroke or crawl can sometimes not be a good workout unless you're giving it a bit of effort.

Saying that, better than nowt!

A lot of exercise is boring. At least with outdoor activities like running or cycling, the ever-changing outside world can keep your mind off the banality of the exercise...and with cycling, you can even do it for a useful purpose of riding somewhere to do something, be it shopping, or another form of exercise/walking etc

imlach

cheers loon need to start some of this soon may just wait till after christmas though cos anything i lose b4 it i will put on over christmas. will b my new years resolution!

Without wanting to pi$$ all over your party, is this just not another form of "I'll start tommorow"

ie, yes, you will gain weight over the xmas period, but if you start now, at least you'll not gain as much as you would if you didn't start now, and there is also no time like the present!
Think of December as a easy-intro to it all, and so by Jan, it won't seem the ordeal or have the pressure of a Near Year Resolution!

matt85

basically anyhting active will help you lose the beer belly but to maximise it do some cardio that will shift calories initially rather than trying to get super-fit straight away.

as mentioned, swimming is a good way to start but resist the temptation to plod along and say to yourself something along the lines of, 'right, im going to do 10 lengths without stopping' and then evey time you go build it up a bit until you can do maybe 30 lengths without stopping. swimming also gives you a calorific 'glow' which means that for an hour after you finish your body is still burning calories.

other things that are similar are cycling and maybe sports such as five a side or squash, i think someone else said. these are similar in helping shift weight and also help make you fitter.

if i were you i would stay away from the gym, unless you stick to pure cardio, no weights at all, because these will not help you lose weight and building muscle underneath existing fat will make you look bigger.

what i did was at 16ish stone i got down to about 14.5 stone doing swimming running etc and then when i was happy enough i buit myself back up with weights at the gym so what i lost in fat i gained in muscle. im probably about the same as when i started but look and feel a million times better.

Ciaran

iTrader: (16)

well get the point about the new years resolution so il start 2moro by going 4 a run. will smoking stop me from getting fit enough to loose weight?

imlach

No, there's plenty of professional sportsmen who smoke!!
They're not doing much good, and probably have worse lung function, but it will not stop you getting fit.....

ozzy

Smoking will not stop you getting fit. What it does is restrict your lung function. Your lungs aren't as efficient as mine (since I've never smoked and exercise like a demon), but the point is they still work.

When you exercise, your muscles need oxygen to work. This is transported around the body in your blood and that gets it from your lungs. So, the harder your muscles work (e.g. your legs when running), the more blood is needed, so the faster your heart beats and the heavier you need to breathe to bring in all that oxygen.

It's a pretty simple system, but you're just not making it easier for yourself and it'll mean more hard work, but it's achievable.
You'll probably start coughing afterwards as the tar from your smoking aggrivates the lungs.

Exercising at different intensities affects you body differently and uses different energy stores. A 100m sprint lasting 10-20 secs doesn't have the same effect on your body as a 26-mile 3hr marathon for example.

So when you go for your run tomorrow keep it slow (you should be able to hold a conversation) and concentrate on time (forget distance completely). Go for at least 15mins and if that's comfortable push it to 20. Don't overdo things if you've not ran for a while. Try to slowly build up to at least 30 - 45mins, 3 times per week in the next couple of months.

If you start doing a lot of exercise, you should get yourself a heart rate monitor (drop hints for Xmas). That way you can monitor your intensity and make sure your exercise at the right pace to burn fat.

I'll not bore anyone on here by talking about heart rate zones, but if you fancy a read look at this

Good luck,

Stefan

jjones

stop eating

Leslie

When I was smoking and had an operation my blood oxygen level was about 90% which is not good they said. After I stopped, within six weeks the level had gone up to around 100%.

Les

Ciaran

iTrader: (16)

ok well the run went not bad today but m not giving up the **** yet. i managed about 10min then was fcuked

ozzy

Well done that man.

Keep it up at least 2 times per week (3 would be better) and add 5mins after a few weeks once you're feeling up to it. 4 yrs ago I couldn't last 10mins without stopping myself. Do it regularly enough and you'll make great progress.

Stefan

Ciaran

iTrader: (16)

cheers stephan

Franx

Nice one
Just try & keep it up for a few weeks, & you'll find it gets a hell of a lot easier. In fact, it'll be easier next time you go out, just coz your prepared mentally.

As I said, Carbohydrate drink within 15 min after you finish exercise - improves recovery by a long way. By this, I don't necessarily mean lucozade (not the fizzy stuff) or whatever, just squash or summat, of around a 6% carbohydrate (about normal), to maximise recovery.
Important, even if you're not trying to become an athlete, as you're less knackered next session, & it feels easier

Hope it goes well