healthy stuff

a different push-up with the same reps. Same with the sit-ups. Usually this lasts me around 15-20 minutes with a 30 second to a minute break between each set.

yikes! sorry that it took so long to reply, nick. i’ve been trying to catch up with private questions that people have been asking, causing me to be pretty MIA with updates and “public” Qs.

anyways, after reading your answer to my first question, your diet is definitely the problem that needs to be addressed. that wide range of weight fluctuation kinda proves how much diet is a factor in your weight.

and i know you said that you’re not interested in losing weight, but if you want to “lose some of the leftover fat,” you may have to— at least in terms of dropping some of that fat mass.

still, based off of your height-to-weight proportion, i’d say that you’re at a weight in which stubborn fat (that is, the last layer of belly fat that is such a challenge to lose) is what you have to target. 

so the first thing that i’d suggest is to really take a look at what you’re eating (count your calories for at least three days to gain a perspective on your diet). then it’ll be time to make some changes.

regarding your cardio, i wholeheartedly believe that it’s necessary to get rid of fat. if long distance bores you to death, then i’d like to introduce you to HIIT (high intensity interval training)— which is actually better than regular old long distance.

…the subcutaneous fat loss was ninefold greater in the HIIT program than in the traditional long slow distance cardio program. 

(source: http://www.balancedexistence.com/cardio-fat-loss/)

and finally, i’m not too sure about just doing push-ups and sit-ups. i mean, it’s still a workout, don’t get me wrong. but i always suggest a little diversity in workouts simply because certain muscle groups need to be isolated. in this regard, i’d recommend doing more than just push-ups and sit-ups (especially because sit-ups can be bad for your back).

if you could, i’d appreciate a little more detail on these “various push-ups and sit-ups.”

hi there! yay, i’m glad you’ve fallen in love with exercise! :)

ideally, i’d love to say that if you keep at it, you’ll achieve the super-flat stomach that almost everyone desires. however, the fact of the matter is that it’s harder than most expect.

in order to achieve this goal, it’s not simply about doing the right amount of exercise. there’s more to it than that. typically, diet is the most important factor, and still, there are other things that can prevent you from achieving a flat tummy:

• Retaining water can make you look and feel fatter than you are. The amount of water our cells retain has a lot to do with the balance of sodium and potassium in our body fluids. Too much salt (sodium), the curse of modern diets, is often the easiest cause of water weight to fix.
• The body fat level required to get flat abs is lower than you can sustain with your current lifestyle/schedule, or the body fat level required is lower than is healthy for your body to function. (the level of fat in your body has to reach a certain low in order to have a flat stomach or six-pack.)

(source: about.com)

rain? snow? no problem!

bundle up with the right gear, and you should be A-OK. weather should never stop you from a good run— unless it’s lightning haha. 

but if you really can’t, there’s plenty of things you can do indoors. jump roping’s a great cardio alternative, and even if you don’t have a rope, you can always jump in place to achieve the same result.

i definitely recommend checking out my workouts and looking into plyometrics (jump training) as well as calisthenics (push-ups, crunches, all’a that type of stuff). 

i’m glad you want to stay in shape, despite the weather. good luck! :)

hi there! there’s nothing wrong with working out at night. if it fits your schedule best and doesn’t mess with your ability to sleep, then go for it!

kudos to you for trying to build up your endurance! :)

—-

Not necessarily; it depends on the person. Some people sleep better after a run, but others feel wide awake due to getting their blood moving.

-Martin

Thanks for including your intake. Next question to ask would be what your weight and height are. What you are doing right now for cardio (sounds like you’re doing HIIT) is fine. Actually, if you truly are going as intensely as you say, I’d personally scale it back a bit (say, 3-4x/week).

As for your target weight loss of 2 lbs/week, be aware that this is easier to achieve the more weight you have to lose.

It’ll become progressively more difficult to attain this level of weight loss as you become very lean due to a number of factors (lowered resting metabolic rate, water retention, low leptin, the presence of orexigenic peptides driving hunger). Your body is going to work against you.

-Martin

1. Because those exercises are more intense than walking, the chances of nausea, syncope (fainting), and other side effects are higher.

2 and 3. I lumped these questions together because they both boil down to an issue of your environment making it difficult for you to make good choices. A variety of whole, unprocessed foods is the safest route, with multivitamin/multimineral use kept to a minimum.

A good way to improve your chances of success is to allow yourself moderate consumption of some of your mom’s oily cooking, chocolates, chips, and candy. Working them into your diet will lower the chances of you overindulging in them later.

-Martin

jump roping can be an amazing addition to any workout. now i say addition because really, you’re not gonna want to jump rope for a solid hour. i know it may not seem like much but jump roping can be pretty demanding.

to answer your question, this exercise is a great way to tone your legs and buttocks. however, it doesn’t stop there, as jump roping engages all the major muscle groups in your body.

it can be an excellent all-over toner, especially when you do a workout like this.

when done properly, jump roping is actually a low-impact form of cardio— and it’s so good because it increases your aerobic capacity, builds stamina, and also improves coordination. 

extra info? a lot of people jump way too high when they incorporate this into their workout. you really only wanna come 1-2 inches off the ground. additionally, competitive jump roping coach roger crozier says to 

stay high on the toes. when you walk or run, you impact your heel. with rope jumping you stay high on your toes and use your body’s natural shock absorbers… rope-jumping is lower impact than jogging or running if done properly. if not, it’s considerably more impact.

just like with any exercise, to benefit the most, make sure you’re doing it properly. good luck! :)

hello! :)

• first of all, sleep properly. seriously, getting enough quality sleep is one of the easiest ways to boost your metabolism.  
• drink cold water - your body burns calories by making up for the loss of temperature. it seems insignificant, but it’s one of those tiny changes that can add up over time.
• drink green tea, it’s another natural metabolism booster.
• eat right - that one’s obvious.
• cycle your calories. it helps trick your metabolism from slowing down!
• eat spicy food every once in a while.

there’s always gonna be the little tips to improve your metabolism, but really, the best way to do so is through exercise— there’s no way of avoiding it. 

however, if you really wanna focus on metabolism, the absolute best way to maximize your efforts is through strength training and interval training. incorporate some weightlifting into your workout, or if you don’t have access to any weights, do some calisthenics (e.g. push-ups, bicycle crunches).

additionally, during your cardio, don’t just stay at the same pace the whole time. switch it up but including bursts of high intensity activity.

why? doing this will help increase your lean muscle mass, which means that you’ll burn more calories when you’re not exercising. in fact, according to john berardi, PhD, president of precision nutrition:

putting on just 5 to 10 pounds of lean muscle mass will rev up your resting metabolism — the number of calories your body burns to maintain life — by roughly 100 calories, each and every day. 

good luck!