I gotta chime in… lol.

1. I agree with Lance… when you’re training for a specific performance goal, things get more focused and a lot faster.

2. Think of these two things when you’re exercising 1. Energy flux 2. Work

Energy flux is the velocity of the amount of calories that you’re burning (it also accounts for the amount of food you eat as well but that’s another story). In other words, for overall fat burning purposes, it’s much better to burn 200 calories in 20 minutes than it is to burn 200 calories in 45 minutes (in the “fat burning zone”… which is a total joke).

Think of “work” in the physics term ie force x distance.

Most people do sculpting exercises like curls which create little to no metabolic disturbance in the body…

However, exercises like squats, squat presses (nasty little buggers), curl and presses, pull and press downs… these all take a certain weight through a MUCH larger range of motion and create a better fat burning environment for the REST OF THE DAY… up to 72 hours after exercise.

Throw in some interval training and a day or two a week of intermittent fasting and you’ve got a nasty fat burning program…

Brad’s last blog post..It’s a Doggy Dog World

Oh being over 30 certainly doesn’t mean, nor is it an excuse for, extra chubbiness. It’s just that little bit harder to control and keep off. You do have to pay attention to what you eat a bit more, and you certainly have to cut back on the high fat, high cholesterol, crap food, that’s for extra damn sure. You just feel it more than you did at 20ish.

One meal at a fast food place, and I feel like garbage the next day. All the sodium etc is harder on your body the older you get. So quite frequently, people (especially with kids) tend to eat whatever is easiest. Bad idea. A lot of water weight from high sodium can add that extra bit of pain at the scales…and the feeling that ‘none of my clothes fit’ or you just feel blah.

In my experience anyway. It’s harder to balance it all, so it’s a really good idea to get into the habit of making time for an exercise routine while you can, then it becomes a lifelong habit that doesn’t need any extra effort to ‘fit in’….

Rake’s mention of Tim Ferris and hiring a cheap trainer actually gives me an idea. There are plenty of people that have a ton of weight training knowledge just floating around, even if they’re not professionals. It would not be hard to find and hire one of these guys to train you for supercheap, like $15/hour. How about a grad student that is studying exercise physiology? I actually work with a young woman (age 23) who is working on her MA in sports science, and she went through a brief stretch as a body builder. She would be the perfect person to hire as a trainer and not break the bank. If you work at a college, like Honey, you could poke around and find someone like this.

One a pesonal note, I’m sucking in the fitness department myself. I only sleep 4-5 hours per night, my appetite and my diet sucks, and I’m lucky if I can get in 60′ in a gym or a 30′ run in daily. I feel like shit and I need to fix this, stat.

Wow, this is actually more of a hot topic than I thought when I read your headline.

First I have to say that age doesn’t have to be an issue. I’m 38, have 2 kids and look great, better than I did at 28 and pre-kids. I’ve always been thin but yeah, I let myself go when married but only at the end when it was unhappy and I was depressed. But gaining weight post-30 is definitely not a given.

I think the whole thing with fitness is just finding a way to fit it into your life. For me that means going at least 3 days a week to the gym in the morning after I drop of my kids at school and then doing other stuff in between is bonus (running, dog walks, etc). Whatever time you go, make it one you can keep up regularly.

I also go to a gym where I have gotten to know some of the regulars. One of the guys said “when you are not here, we notice”. That, along with “hey, when you take your top off running, you are killing us”, ha ha. Whatever, it is nice to go to a gym where you are noticed, better yet one where you get to know people, its encouragement for me to keep up with it.

As far as diet, I do not believe in “dieting”. Eat reasonably and rationally (we all know what is good for us, right?) and stay active. Oh and fuck a lot, I swear that keeps your metabolism high….

Great post, as usual!

Getting in shape was one of my top goals when I became single again last October. I must say, it was the wisest move I made all year. I now can simply “peacock” with my body by wearing form-fitting (tailored) and simple clothes. I’m 31 yo., 5′7″, 155 lbs., and at 6% body fat as of last week. Not to brag, but I really do have drunk girls open me here by touching my arms (I must emphasize that they’re drunk or high when they do this; haha).

What’s worked for me:
1. I got a trainer. In Beijing, I found the most amazing trainer, who’s become a good friend, for only US$14/hour. Cost of living in China can be much lower. He really pushes me and knows exactly when to push me harder and when to rest me. This was the biggest factor in my change. Also, knowing I’ve paid good money (esp. as a student) really motivates me to show up for our regular, three times a week appointments.

2. Diet. I have Met-RX meal supplements (shakes) twice a day, which is about one full packet. And then have one solid, balanced meal per day. For an idea of a well-portioned, nutritious meal, I got my inspiration from Tim Ferris’s blog post on how he got into shape and his diet. And then I have one Met-RX protein shake before going to bed, and one right after my workouts. In between meals, I’ll have a banana or some other snack of fruit or vegetables. Then once a week, I go crazy, eating whatever I want (to reset the metabolism), going to the best dessert buffets I can find, and indulging in dark chocolate. Yummy. I first learned about the value of this from that Tim Ferris blog post.

3. Sleep. At least 7 hours a night, and ideally, 9 hours.

My dissertation has taken a back seat to #1-3. Maybe this will come back to haunt me though… haha.

As for the personal connection, I’ve cherished my 2 hours in the gym partly because it’s my own time away from my girls. I have plenty of motivation to do this on my own. It’s become a ritual. And I encourage my girls to do their workouts at their own gyms while I’m at my gym. But this is my personal time, and it’s all about me. I meet my girls afterwards for dinner or something, but my gym time is my time, and I like it that way

Peace and joy, The Asian Rake.

I haven’t exercised in two days. It’s been raining, and I walk for a mile (or more) every day. I’m dragging my ass off the couch as we speak.

I think Heidi Klum lost that weight cause she’s a fembot.

lol

In dating after divorce, my married friends (especially the women) say it’s unfair for me to want to date a woman in good shape, even though I keep fit from cycling. They say I should lower my expectations since I’m in my 40s and the pool of dateable women is probably not in good shape.

To which I ask, “were you attracted to your partner when you met and married them? Yes? Then why shouldn’t I be now?”

As for shedding pounds - try one that gets rid of candida yeast. That’s how Heidi Klum lost post-maternal weight. An ex-girlfriend of mine swore by it. It really works!

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I don’t think that the solution is a specific short term diet.

Its all about lifestyle change. And as a “couple” you guys can change your lifestyle, to do and eat things that are healthier and better for you.

So its kinda of like .. instead of spending the weekend in and watching a movie.

Go rock climbing or do something that requires you to exercise instead of just sit on the couch.

When you go out to ur favorite pizza joint, try something healthier instead. N replace that instead of the pizza joint.

But hey i know its hard sometimes when you get in a relationship and you start to get really comfortable. Happens to the best of us!!

Hot Alpha Female

Hot Alpha Female’s last blog post..Do Guys Really Like Plus Size Chicks?

Well, I have worked with personal trainers (over a year each with two different people) and had yoga, weightlifting, and healthy eating columns in a student newspaper in college…but that was coming from a place and time where I was totally beastly anyway, not a place where I was 20 pounds overweight. I know a lot about the things above, but not in a way that pertains to my specific situation.

I think the way to get more out of my workouts with the BF is to start playing racquetball more and join the league at our gym. I’m not very good now, but I am a fast learner and I know he’d like to play more (and to have us play with other people).

Honey’s last blog post..We?re Both Getting Fat!