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Group: General Fitness & Exercise

I need some advice!

brittany82 Posts: 9 Joined: 2006/04/03	2006/04/04, 02:25 PM I obviously haven't ever taken my health to seriously cause I am finding out I have no clue about diet and exercise. I had posted my first posts yesterday and a nice man told me to do some reading on the other forums. I did alot of reading last night and still have a few questions and I am hoping someone could point me in the right direction. So here we go: I was wondering when are the best times to exercise? I never exercised regularly on my own til the past week. I am averaging walking (3mph) for 3 miles a day. Is this to much to do 7 days a week? Should I eat before I exercise or after, or even both? What type of foods should I eat at what times of the day? How long should I wait to go to bed after a meal? What percentage of what foods should I eat a day and when? If anyone knows of a good website that answers most if not all of these questions please let me know or if anyone can answers my questions for me! Sorry so many questions thanks everyone!
flyonthewall Posts: 1,823 Joined: 2005/01/18	2006/04/04, 02:39 PM Hi brittany and welcome to FT. Good for you for starting a healthier lifestyle. You're off to a great start with your 3mile/day walking. As far as nutrition goes, a good rule of thumb is to eat every 3-4 hours during the day so that you're eating 5-6 small meals per day. This could be 3 regular meals- breakfast,lunch,dinner plus 2-3 snacks in between. Try and make your food choices healthy--check out the grocery list for healthy eating thumbtacked in the food and nutrition forum. For each meal try and have protien (lean meat,fish, chicken, egg, low fat cheeses), healthy carbs (brown rice, whole wheat, oat meal, veggies, fruit) and some healthy fats (olive oil, nuts). I've been logging my nutrition in the fitness logs if you want to get some ideas of what to eat in a day. How much you eat will depend on your goals and current weight and body fat. For fitness, what you're doing is great. Ideally one would work up to doing some kind of cardio workout 2-3 days per week and then some resistance training (weight lifting) 2-3 days per week. When you work out intensely, it's a good idea to take 1 full day of rest per week. It really doesn't matter when you work out, just make it convenient so that you'll stick with it! Hope this helps and feel free to ask all the questions you want. There is loads of information already on this site and lots of people happy to help you reach your goals Good Luck! -------------- Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.
MannyMaster Posts: 515 Joined: 2006/02/01	2006/04/04, 02:45 PM Hi brittany82 and Welcome to FT! First of all you should fill out your profile so this comunity can give you personalized advice. Amounts are different for everybody depending on your size and goals. As far as when the best time to exercise is, some say first thing in the morning. To me, I think whenever you can make the time to work out is the best time. As long as you are consistant. The rest of your questions really depend on your goals. All the answers are right here on this website you just need to give us some more info about you. Also try fitBuddy on the bottom of the page to find some answers:) Good Luck! -------------- "One Ring to rule them all; One Ring to find them; One Ring to bring them all, and in the Darkness bind them." -LOTR Trilogy
MannyMaster Posts: 515 Joined: 2006/02/01	2006/04/04, 02:47 PM Ooops, looks like fly posted this while I was typing my post. -------------- "One Ring to rule them all; One Ring to find them; One Ring to bring them all, and in the Darkness bind them." -LOTR Trilogy
brittany82 Posts: 9 Joined: 2006/04/03	2006/04/04, 02:48 PM Thank you flyonthewall ! I am afraid of getting to muscular to lift weights. I definitely need to lose weight and tone muscle but I don't want muscle muscles! (if that makes a bit of since lol) I am afraid that with me walking so much my legs will get huge. I had a baby and need to take off the aftermath of the weight I continued to gain after giving birth. I actually let myself gain 15 more pounds after my delivery weight. AGH! Should I eat so much protein if I don't want to bulk up? Sorry I am so clueless! These are probably common sense questions I have.
brittany82 Posts: 9 Joined: 2006/04/03	2006/04/04, 02:50 PM Oh man I thought I had already filed that profile out! Where is the profile adding button?
flyonthewall Posts: 1,823 Joined: 2005/01/18	2006/04/04, 02:50 PM Ha Ha...beat ya to it:big_smile::big_smile:
flyonthewall Posts: 1,823 Joined: 2005/01/18	2006/04/04, 02:51 PM There's been some problems with the profiles...not sure what's up...
brittany82 Posts: 9 Joined: 2006/04/03	2006/04/04, 02:52 PM Oh man I thought I had already filed that profile out! Where is the profile adding button?
brittany82 Posts: 9 Joined: 2006/04/03	2006/04/04, 02:55 PM HAHAHAHA I knew I had already filled that out cause I see my gender is missing and I remember filling out a profile asking me my gender!
MannyMaster Posts: 515 Joined: 2006/02/01	2006/04/04, 03:00 PM There really is no profile adding button. You just fill it out. I've noticed that other people are having a problem posting their profiles. Did not see anything yet as far as how to solve that problem.... Don't be afraid of lifting weights. You would have to train really hard and for a long time to even come close to bulking up. If you want to be tone, you'll have to add lifting weights to your healthy diet. It's the only way to get that lean body.:) -------------- "One Ring to rule them all; One Ring to find them; One Ring to bring them all, and in the Darkness bind them." -LOTR Trilogy
MannyMaster Posts: 515 Joined: 2006/02/01	2006/04/04, 03:01 PM Fly beat me to it again:big_smile::big_smile::big_smile: -------------- "One Ring to rule them all; One Ring to find them; One Ring to bring them all, and in the Darkness bind them." -LOTR Trilogy
flyonthewall Posts: 1,823 Joined: 2005/01/18	2006/04/04, 03:03 PM Brittany, do not worry about bulking up. I weight train very heavily and if anything I've gotten much tighter, not bulky! Women do not have the testosterone needed to get big...it is even difficult for men to bulk up. Walking certainly won't give you overly muscular legs. Don't worry about eating too much protien either. I have substantially increased my protien intake and I've found that I don't get the munchies as bad, my monthly hormonal rollercoaster has calmed down and I stay full longer. Get your diet in order and start some resistance training, you'll be amazed at how your body changes!
flyonthewall Posts: 1,823 Joined: 2005/01/18	2006/04/04, 03:04 PM OK, this time you beat me Manny....shouldn't one of us be working????:big_smile:
brittany82 Posts: 9 Joined: 2006/04/03	2006/04/04, 03:06 PM Thanks so much ladies! I think I will go buy some smaller weights today and start my NEW game plan lol. Should I switch up my routine from week to week so my body doesn't get immune to what I am doing?
MannyMaster Posts: 515 Joined: 2006/02/01	2006/04/04, 03:06 PM shhhhhh, don't tell my boss:big_smile::big_smile::big_smile: oh wait, that's me:big_smile::cool: -------------- "One Ring to rule them all; One Ring to find them; One Ring to bring them all, and in the Darkness bind them." -LOTR Trilogy
MannyMaster Posts: 515 Joined: 2006/02/01	2006/04/04, 03:08 PM Yes deffinately. Switch up your routine at least every 2 weeks. -------------- "One Ring to rule them all; One Ring to find them; One Ring to bring them all, and in the Darkness bind them." -LOTR Trilogy
MannyMaster Posts: 515 Joined: 2006/02/01	2006/04/04, 03:12 PM Acually, if you go to Exercise Program at the top of the page, you can customize an 8 week program to fit your needs. It does the switching up of the routine for you. :) -------------- "One Ring to rule them all; One Ring to find them; One Ring to bring them all, and in the Darkness bind them." -LOTR Trilogy
flyonthewall Posts: 1,823 Joined: 2005/01/18	2006/04/04, 03:12 PM You could also try one of the workout programs here on FT. The weight loss and definition would probably work well for you. If you chose it, try it for 2 days per week for the 8 weeks, it would be a great way to start and the 8 weeks will set a good goal for you. Information on how to do each exercise is also on the site.
flyonthewall Posts: 1,823 Joined: 2005/01/18	2006/04/04, 03:12 PM OK Manny...this is just getting silly:laugh::laugh:
MannyMaster Posts: 515 Joined: 2006/02/01	2006/04/04, 03:14 PM :big_smile: