need some advice !

hellbells

id really like some advice..im currently trying to get back into shape after having 3 children..after giving up smoking 2 years ago i put on a little weigh which i managed 2 lose through taking up cycling ..im 5' 4 and weigh 8 st am very happy with that except iv got this weird layer of fat across my belly that i cant seem to shift ! i do cardio exercise 2-3 tmes a week and go to the gym and cycling...wot else can i do ?? ( besides go for lipo n a tummy tuck any tips ??

aye

what carido do you do?
what do you do in the gym?
do you do weight training?

and importantly, what is your diet like?

hellbells

i do a cardio-kickboxing class which is a mix of cardio and toning exercise .. i have my own gym equipment so i use it about twice a week usually i do a half hour programme on the treadmill n fifteen minute blasts on the cross trainer and spinning bike..as well as that i use 2 really good dvds for total toning ...my diet is quite good iv cut out all white bread and im eating the same size portions as the children..sometimes even less..i must be doing something wrong.. considering trying a supplement like thermobol ?? ..have seen some improvement just not enuff

aye

hellbells wrote: »

i do a cardio-kickboxing class which is a mix of cardio and toning exercise .. i have my own gym equipment so i use it about twice a week usually i do a half hour programme on the treadmill n fifteen minute blasts on the cross trainer and spinning bike..as well as that i use 2 really good dvds for total toning ...my diet is quite good iv cut out all white bread and im eating the same size portions as the children..sometimes even less..i must be doing something wrong.. considering trying a supplement like thermobol ?? ..have seen some improvement just not enuff

what do these "toning" dvds consist of?
do you do any sort of weight training?

could you elaborate on your diet?
what you eat, what times etc.

i dont think considering a supplement is necessary, better to get your diet sorted first.
have a read of the stickies on diet.

how often do you do the cardio kickboxing?

hellbells

well one dvd is exersizes for the abdominals and the other is target toning..for all areas of the body ..the only weights i use are hand weights..

the kickbox class is one evening a week n its an hour long and its pretty intense..
i tend to eat cereal 4 breakfast eg bran flakes..special k ..weetabix
then around 1 id have soup or salad..with wholemeal bread or sumtimes a pasta salad..then for dinner id have chicken or fish with 1 or 2 small potatoes or pasta and veg...i dont snack between meals but i do have a treat once in a while ..very rarely though so when i do it is a treat !!

GymJohn

hellbells wrote: »

well one dvd is exersizes for the abdominals and the other is target toning..for all areas of the body ..the only weights i use are hand weights..

the kickbox class is one evening a week n its an hour long and its pretty intense..
i tend to eat cereal 4 breakfast eg bran flakes..special k ..weetabix
then around 1 id have soup or salad..with wholemeal bread or sumtimes a pasta salad..then for dinner id have chicken or fish with 1 or 2 small potatoes or pasta and veg...i dont snack between meals but i do have a treat once in a while ..very rarely though so when i do it is a treat !!

Too many carbs not enough protein and good fats in your diet. Too much cardio too. It's really easy for your body to adapt to cardio so unless you keep doing more your results end up slowing down or even stopping.

If you changed your diet around and training sessions to metabolic resistance training 4 times a week you'd notice changes within 2-3 weeks.

billyhead

I disagree about too many carbs in her diet. She will need these if she is doing a lot of cardio to fuel her energy requirements. If I were you OP I would suggest you eat 5-6 small meals a day which will boost your metabolism and stave of hunger pangs. I would ditch the Special K for breckie. Weetabix is ok but if I were you I would have either eggs or porridge. Also try to include loads of veg and fruit in your diet and drink about 3 litres of water.

GymJohn

billyhead wrote: »

I disagree about too many carbs in her diet. She will need these if she is doing a lot of cardio to fuel her energy requirements. If I were you OP I would suggest you eat 5-6 small meals a day which will boost your metabolism and stave of hunger pangs. I would ditch the Special K for breckie. Weetabix is ok but if I were you I would have either eggs or porridge. Also try to include loads of veg and fruit in your diet and drink about 3 litres of water.

You may disagree but if she has excess body fat she has stored energy which means she is exceeding her energy requirements. Also I did say to drop the cardio too.

hellbells

can you suggest some training exersizes or give me some examples so i can fit them into my routine?
theres no way i could eat 5-6 times a day but i will try to add in some protiens and less carbs where i can..

GymJohn

why couldn't you eat 6 times a day?

aye

The idea of eating more meals a day is to eat smaller meal so you get a more consistent intake of food, instead of 3 big meals, which lead to over eating.
Porridge for breakfast is a great idea. Eat more fruits and veg, and up your protein intake. Dont let yourself go hungry. Snack on fruits, or natural yogurts.

work out how many calories you need per day, and take in around 300 less.

read the sticky on diet.

I'm going to assume the hand weights are pretty light.

You could try these bodyweight circuits for your training.

6 station circuit, mixing aerobic and muscluar exercises.

1. Jumping Jacks
http://www.ehow.com/how_2060697_do-jumping-jacks.html
2. Push ups
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/exercises.asp?exercise=36
3. Jogging on spot
4. Lunges
http://exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/ss/bestbuttexercis_3.htm
5. Strides (Alternating legs forward and back, like a crosstrainer)
6. Prisoner Squats or chair step ups
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=CFvEgmVz61Y
http://www.expertvillage.com/video/58044_vacation-workout-stepup.htm

Or a 9 station circuit, mixing aerobic, anaerobic, and muscular exercises

1. Jumping Jacks
2. Push ups
3. Power lunges
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=_zLTDUFjbXA
4. Strides
5. Lunges
6. Squat Jumps
http://hubpages.com/hub/7_Minute_Plyometric_Workout_-_Squat_Jumps
(you dont need to have your hand behind your head tho)
7. Jogging/Skipping
8. Step ups
9. Squats thrusts/ burpees
http://exercise.about.com/b/2005/02/23/exercise-of-the-week-squat-thrusts-2.htm
http://www.expertvillage.com/video/8573_calisthenic-excercises-burpee.htm

Start with the 6 station circuit. Do each station for 30 seconds with a 5 to 10 second rest. Repeat the circuit 3 times, resting 90 seconds bewteen circuits.
If you find it too easy, do the same with the 9 station circuit.


After each circuit, perform the plank exercise 3 times for 30 second holds each.
This works your transverse abdominal, which will help give you a flatter look.
http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abexercises_10.htm
http://backandneck.about.com/od/t/g/transverseabdom.htm

I dont think you need to go down the road of supplements until you sort the diet out.
If you decide to buy a supplement tho, i think Slender pro would be a good choice.
http://www.nutritionx.ie/products/slender-pro/


You could try get some decent resistance bands for working out at home, with decent strength in them.
http://cgi.ebay.ie/Stretch-Resistance-Band-Fitness-Cord-Travel-Pack_W0QQitemZ160311710052QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Sporting_Goods_Exercise_Fitness_Fitness_Accessories_ET?hash=item160311710052&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1301|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318


Phew

hellbells

i do all those exercises as part of my kickbox class ..we do a circuit..a minute at each section..the dvds also consist of those types of exercises like the plank ,lunges ,squats, press ups ..the weights i use are 1.5kg so yea i suppose they are light 4 a bloke but there the heaviest i own lol...i can only think it must be my diet coz it seems like my exercise routine is well varied...thers no fat any where else just my lower stomach..

aye

Do you find the 1.5 kg weights heavy?
I think you could do with heavier weights tbh.

have a review of your diet, and get some decent strength weights, or resistance bands.

hellbells

i find the weights are just about perfect at the moment..im sure i will need to move on to a heavier set at some point ..im gonna try t get my hands on the resistance bands though ..if i did use a supplement like slender pro would i have 2 change my whole diet ? am not very clued up on these things ..