Health and Fitness Cult!

Did I do my kale shake wrong if I'm chewing it? It's my first ever!

Now I'm at the bottom and it's all watery. First I didn't think I blendered it enough now I think I did it too much. Tomorrow I'll use more oranges and less water. Maybe some celery too.

Is that drink made out of salad?

Yes but the ranch and blue cheese dressings made it too milky.

I think I just threw up in my mouth...

Put it in the blender.

Should I add some Ranch?

lol

I'm doing this:

http://warriordash.com/register2012_east_texas.php

I have a month or so to get somewhat in shape. I'm sure someone here has run it before or at least something similar. It's pretty much just a mud run but it's kind of long. And you get beer at the end.

That looks FUN.

Obstacles!

This time I took out the cucumber and used cranberry juice instead of water and now it's delicious. I'm going to use more fruit than vegetables in the future.

I don't know if I mentioned it before, but bodybuilding.com is a great resource. They have tons of great articles about anything you can think of really - from nutrition to exercise to supplements and more.

They also have a huge database of workout programs:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/workout.htm

If you know what you're looking for, you can click the link on the side of the workout page and it will bring you to all the workout programs of that style (like if you know you want German Volume Training).

Or you can have them recommend a featured workout program (and they all look really good) by telling it your goals and about yourself.

Like Jaz wants to gain some mass, so this is her recommendations:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/find-a-plan-muscle-building-2039-female....

I'm thinking of trying out this program here:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kris-gethin-12-week-daily-trainer.html

It looks killer!

I run. I'm a bad runner because 1. I'm short 2. tits, but I'm getting better. I did 2.5 miles the other night. I'm trying to prepare for this 5k thing, and I'll probably stop afterwards because other than looking cool and feeling exhilarated, running kinda suxxx. I much prefer biking.
also my friend asked me to go to zumba with her because she doesn't want to do it alone. afterwards, I felt like shakira. except in pain.

so I guess I'm kinda active. but kinda not, because I spend way more time laying around reading and interneting.

You should do some core exercises or strength exercises instead of just the running. You don't need a whole big zumba routine for it, just build up some stamina. That's what the strength ones do.

Running is high impact, use eclipticals. If you don't hold the handlebars, its like running, only without the constant banging of your foot on the ground. After swelling some nerves in my feet and back preparing for the annual FK last year, I've shied away from running on pavement and treadmills but in extreme moderation. The woods you're supposed to run through, though.

Yeah - I can't street run. I think I have terrible technique haha. And when I run on a treadmill - I always put it at some kind of incline which is better on your knees.

The high school by my house, their track is made of recycled tires. I go there and run sometimes. It's pretty nice.

I hate running on treadmills. I'd rather be outside. except in the summer, then I'd rather be in the water. but I have a free membership at my school's gym and I go there to strength train and I used to take yoga there. thinking about rejoining yoga because I miss it a lot but I feel like I'm stretching myself thin if I do this zumba shit.

I may just keep running and join yoga and say fuck zumba. I go to clubs to dance, not the gym.

You have to do what you enjoy. Otherwise it's easy to skip it.

I love the elliptical machine! I hold onto 8 lb. weights instead of the handlebars for a little extra oomph.

I don't like running outside. If it's the least bit cool out there, my ears start to freeze-burn and it's excruciating. I don't want to wear a toboggan or earmuffs when I'm exercising, either. Gross. So when I alternate and use the treadmill over the elliptical, I hold the same 8 lb. weights and set the machine at a 7 to 9 incline and it feels awesome.

I agree with Pete about finding what works for you depending on your goals. Because I want tone and definition, I have to do more than cardio/aerobic activity. That helps lose and/or maintain weight, but it doesn't do much to really tone your body if that's what you're looking for.

Zumba looks like a lot of fun but I've not really tried it. I'm so uncoordinated that I'd probably just embarrass myself if I tried to do anything in a group!

Also, this is my evening for lunges and squats. Booooo and ouch.

Does anyone use any apps for working out? Nike training club is good and also Workouts. You can choose what you want to work on, the level of intensity etc. I primarily want to slim down so I've been doing short high intensity workouts and some running but haven't been consistent enough yet.

one of my best friends has the nike trainers.

also alecia, I wear earmuffs when running. SHUTUP YOU'RE GROSS. hehe.

No, no, no...they don't look gross, they feel gross to me. I can't stand anything around my neck or ears like muffs, scarves, hats, turtlenecks, etc.

Thanks for the link Pete. Today I have to go to the gym, I've been away for too long. I'm never gonna build muscle mass if I don't eat more and work out harder than I have been. I think I'm gonna hate myself tomorrow.

Running is something I miss but am to afraid to do and get hurt. I was told by my sports dr. when I was running track that I was close to snapping my leg (fibula/tibia). I have to make sure I stretch properly which usually requires having someone with me to help me stretch and I would need the right shoes/surface to run on. That's the only reason I've been sticking to the bike but I don't feel like i'm putting on any leg muscle mass on from the bike. I know I need to do more squats, lunges, and a few other exercises but I don't always get the chance to do them because there is no room or the equipment I need.

Anyway, if I'm not complaining about being sore tomorrow I didn't do the gym right today.

I hit the gym yesterday and I am sore today. Not in the areas I planned on but it's all good.

My workout:

7 min bike warm-up
3 sets of 15 V-ups
3 sets of 10 pushups
3 sets of 20 mountain climbers
3 sets of bicep curls
3 sets of tricep dips
3 sets of oblique side reaches on each side
3 sets of lower back lifts

It's a lighter workout than I'm used to but since I've been out for so long it was perfect. Today I'm gonna work on my legs.

Damn, Rambo! Good job

Thanks Alecia

I want to talk about nutrition because, hell, I think a lot of people are clueless, and I have a pretty simple way to figure everything out. Well, not simple but "simpler" than most ways I've seen. Also - disclaimer - this is the way I use. There are tons of ways to break things down, so don't argue with me. haha

Figuring out the calories you need per day:

1. Take your weight and multiply it by 11
   - This is the amount of calories you burn sitting on your ass doing nothing. This is the amount of calories that you need to keep your lungs breathing and your heart beating.
2. Find your percentage in the chart below and multiply the your base calorie number by the percentage.
   - This is how many calories you burn being active. This is the amount of extra calories you need.
3. Now add the two numbers together.
   - This is the amount of calories you per day.
4. If you want to gain weight, add 500 calories. If you want to lose weight, subtract 500 calories.

Across the top row of the chart is your age range. Along the left edge is your metabloic rate.
- S is Slow burner. That means, you gain weight just buy looking at food. (Endomorph)
- M is Medium burner. Your weight directly correlates between what you eat and how you're eating. These are the easiest to work with. (Mesomorph)
- F is Fast burner. You would be the hard gainers. (Ectomorph)

_ |20'S |30'S |40'S |50's and up the pattern continues
S |_40_|_35_|_30_|=>
M|_45_|_40_|_35_|=>
F |_50_|_45_|_40_|=>

Ok, now we know how many calories we need per day. How does that break down into Protein, Carbs, and Fats?

According to the ISSA (which uses a split I really like), we use a 1, 2, 3 ratio.
1 part Fat
2 parts Protein
3 parts Carbs.

So what we do is take the amount of calories we need per day and divide it by 6 and hold on to that number.
For fats we take that number and multiply by 1.
For protein we take that number and multiply by 2.
For Carbs we take that number and multiply by 3.

So now we have our number of calories per macronutrient. To figure how many grams of each we need per day - more math!

There are 9 calories per gram of fat.
And protein and carbs each have 4.

So you divide them like this:
Daily fat calories / 9
Daily protein calories / 4
Daily carb calories / 4

And that is what you need to eat per day.

I like to make things easy on myself. So I divide those numbers by 6. That is what I shoot for each meal. (Since I eat 6 meals a day.) Granted some meals will have more than they should and others will have less. But it gives me a goal to shoot for.

Hope somebody reads this and finds it helpful.

that sounds complicated.

It's not. I'll do mine.

I'm 175 lb. 175 X 11 = 1925
Now look at the chart. I'm a Medium Burner in my 30's

1925 X .40 = 770

770 + 1925 = 2695 (calories per day)

Now divide that by 6 = 450 (rounded)

450 x 1 = 450 calories from fat
450 X 2 = 900 calories from protein
450 X 3 = 1350 calories from carbs

There are 4 calories per gram of carb or protein. There are 9 calories per gram of fat.

450 / 9 = 50 grams of fat per day
900 / 4 = 225 grams of protein per day
1350 / 4 = 337.5 grams of carbs per day

Now to figure out per meal. (I eat six per day)

50 / 6 = 8.5 grams of fat per meal
225 / 6 = 37.5 grams of protein per meal
337.5 / 6 = 56.25 grams of carbohydrate per meal.

Does that help?

If I wanted to lose weight, I would subtract 500 calories.
If I wanted to gain weight, I would add 500 calories.

Because I work out so much, I'm usually on the higher end. I probably eat 500 more calories per day.

I'm an ectopmorphic and I think this thing doesn't apply to me. No matter what I eat, I'm cruising in the 135-140 range.

Set your weight at 145. And run the numbers for that. Then add the 500 calories. Cut out cardio.

500 calories a day is only a pound a week. This is a safe way to gain or lose.

Then again, maybe you need closer to 3000 calories. And maybe you need to up your fat content and protein content and lower carbs. Different things work for different people.

You can try a 1, 2, 3 split with:
3 parts protein
2 parts fat
1 part carbs

Another thing I've done in the past is, instead of using your current weight - Calculate this thing using your goal weight.

That is the actual way I do it. I calculated this thing with 185 as my weight.

Cut to the chase Pete, how much pizza and ice cream am I good to eat? My ruler is only 15 inches long and couldn't reach my head, no matter how far I bent down, but I would call myself, "fairly tall for a girl". So I times that by 11, yeah? So I can have...some pizza.

This is really fucking complicated. I need a milkshake.

Haha, Amy.

..Dammit, now I want a milkshake.

I'm having a peanut butter and banana one later before The Woman in Black! I can't wait. I've been looking forward to this for days! /fatty

So have all the pizza.

This is with my current weight

I'm 112 lb. 112 X 11 = 1232

1232 X .50 = 616

616 + 1232 = 1848 (calories per day)

Now divide that by 6 = 308 (rounded)

308 x 1 = 308 calories from fat
308 X 2 = 616 calories from protein
308 X 3 = 924 calories from carbs

There are 4 calories per gram of carb or protein. There are 9 calories per gram of fat.

308 / 9 = 34.2 grams of fat per day
616 / 4 = 154 grams of protein per day
924 / 4 = 231 grams of carbs per day

Now to figure out per meal.

34.2 / 6 = 5.7 grams of fat per meal
154 / 6 = 25.6 grams of protein per meal
231 / 6 = 38.5 grams of carbohydrate per meal.

This is with my goal weight

120 lb. 120 X 11 = 1320

1320 X .50 = 660

660 + 1320 = 1980 (calories per day)

Now divide that by 6 = 330 (rounded)

330 x 1 = 330 calories from fat
330 X 2 = 660 calories from protein
330 X 3 = 990 calories from carbs

There are 4 calories per gram of carb or protein. There are 9 calories per gram of fat.

330 / 9 = 36.6 grams of fat per day
660 / 4 = 165 grams of protein per day
990 / 4 = 247.5 grams of carbs per day

Now to figure out per meal.

36.6 / 6 = 6.1 grams of fat per meal
165 / 6 = 27.5 grams of protein per meal
247.5 / 6 = 41.25 grams of carbohydrate per meal.

So if I wanted to gain weight but I wasn't gaining it with the figures above, should I switch the protein,fat,carb ratio?

Instead of shooting for your goal weight, I would add 500 calories. That equals roughly a pound per week.

So your current calories is 1848. Figure out the numbers if your calories were 2348 or even round up to 2400.

Gracias. I totally forgot you mentioned the adding 500 calories part. That's what I get for not rereading.

Really, you can break down the calories any way you want. I mentioned the ISSA one, because it's a pretty well known Sports Science organization.

You can do all equal amount of calories. I've done the three way split before (remember, you'll still get less fat because there is 9 calories per gram of fat).

It's something you kind of have to mess around with and find what works for you.

edit - basically all that calculating just helps you find a starting point. From there the tweaking is up to you.

I usually buy my Vitamins and Supplements and Vitamin Shoppe. And when I order them, I order from prosource.net.

My Mom has, for as long as I can remember, ordered her vitamins from Puritan's Pride. Just now I was comparing some of their prices, and it's ridiculous. They destroy Vitamin Shoppe's prices on just about everything. And they beat almost all of Prosource's prices too (which is shocking because Prosource's prices are great).

So I'm still undecided on where I'm going to buy my "sports nutrition." I'm pretty brand loyal and love the products I'm currently taking.

But vitamins, fish oil, and enzymes I think I'm going to start buying from Puritan's Pride.

Where do you guys get your Supplements and Vitamins?

I get all my supplements from Amazon. They have the best prices IMO and free shipping. Currently I use Syntha6 Protein powder (3lbs for around $21.00) and I use Universal Animal Pak multi vitamins. 44pk is about $20 and Universal Shock (preworkout) 1 container is usually $10.00 and it lasts a few months.

That price for the Syntha 6 shocked me. So I tried to find it for that price, and can't. Everywhere I see it for about $28 including amazon.

Syntha 6 is probably one of the best tasting proteins.

Have you tried BSN Lean Desert? I could eat a whole thing of that in one sitting it's so good. That Banana Nut can't be good for you. haha

My supps:
- Ultimate Mega Multi (or whatever it's called) by Vitamin Shoppe
- Fish Oil by Vitamin Shoppe
- Vitamin C by Vitamin Shoppe
- B Complex by Vitamin Shoppe
- Multi Enzyme by Vitamin Shoppe
- Creatine by Vitamin Shoppe
- Glutamine by Vitamin Shoppe
- HMB by Vitamin Shoppe
- Jack3d preworkout
- Whey Protein by Optimum
- Casein Protein by Optimum
- Liquid Amino by Twin Labs

The Liquid Amino is awesome. I take that the second I open my eyes. That way I start the day with instantly digestable protein in my system.

I'm thinking of switching my preworkout formula. I'm starting to get used to Jack3d. Or maybe I should just up my dosage. haha

It looks like I take a lot when you list it out like that... Though I feel like a lot of that stuff is necessary for everybody whether you work out or not. At least these 4:
- Multi Vitamin
- Fish Oil
- Enzymes
- Vitamin C

Try the subscribe and save feature on Amazon, you save 15% that way. My last shipment of Syntha6 came in a few weeks ago at about $21, but it goes range from $20-$24. Have you checked out Animal Pak? Its little packs of multi's in one siting. Each pack has 11 pills. Each for a different thing. Including Uniliver which is supposed to be great on its own.

I've tried Animal Paks before. Universal makes some great products. And those packs are one of them.

The only thing I don't like about vitamin packs is this - If I want to take 1000mg of Vitamin C today, I rather divide it into 2 or 3 doses to make sure that my body constantly has it in it (the reason I used Vitamin C especially is because it's water soluble and basically passes right through your body). Same thing with my multi, they are such high doses, I want to take one pill in the morning and one pill with lunch instead of both of those pills together. That way I'm ensuring I'm wasting as little as possible.

Personal opinion though. That's all. I'm still torn on that ideology too. Especially lately. I watched a video with Greg Plitt recently and he took like 3 times as many pills as I do. Half first thing in the morning on the way to his workout and then right after he took the rest. And he's much more knowledgeable than me.

From what I understand there is no way our bodies actually use all of that. We just piss out most of it anyways. What was that quote about the vitamin rich dark pee American's have?

Right, that's why I try to spread it out more. Give my body more time to process it. But what do I know!? haha

Have you tried any of the other Universal products? I've wondered about Animal Cuts. I've taken Animal Stak and Animal m-Stak. Got good results from both. There was another one I've thought about, but I'm drawing a blank.