Tinkie, I do not go to silhouette everyday! I am not a gym cat. And I do drink quite a lot during weekend and am a happy social drinker.
Nir, thank you for putting me back to the honorary list I deserve.
Since you asked and I had promised to tell you if you put me back to the swimsuit donation list, here are my personal humble and subjective opinions about your and tinkie's inquiry.
I do some exercises everyday. Normally yoga one day and jogging another day, tennis once a week, weekend hiking or others. It has been like this for years.
I do not really do much weight though. For me, it is rather boring to just pumping iron, lifting bars… I get bored in seconds.
And I am not obsessed and actually against all these body building promotion stuff. Behind all those bright and beautiful fashion beauty and an affluent industry, the truth is millions of teens are suffered from anorexia and bulimia, due to all those fake fashion commercials, it is a shame and just not right.
You asked where those muscles are from but building muscle is never my goal. I was a gymnast with some basic foundation due to training at young age but that was really long time ago.
The reason I am doing sports in a daily basis is because I enjoy it very much, in deed, I need it and I am also addicted to it.
I am addicted to the feeling after a tough jog. It is really a biological addition to Endorphin which produced feeling of euphoria as well as calmness. I think all the regular joggers or other sports lovers know what I am talking about. It is also the only way I can deal with a demanding work. I am hyper and sometimes restless and have had hard time to be focused since I was a kid. I did ok in school but teachers always punished me by not able to sit still in the classroom (our teachers did hit kids badly long ago, and the teaching was quite static, but now beating kid in school is forbidden. It is really a good progress).
Then I found jogging and other sports calm me down, to be able to willing be locked in the classroom. I have been a committed jogger for years.
Simple tips
If building muscle is your goal, you should actually do cardiovascular (aerobic) sports rather than weight training, at least in the initial stage….
It is cardiovascular sports that reduce body fat so those existing muscles can stand out more and not hidden below body fat. Indeed, all human being have same amount of muscle cells. Contrary to a general belief, the number of muscle fibres cannot be increased via exercise, they just get bigger after training.
I do not think I am muscular but I do have very low body fat due to engaging in a very regular and good amount of a cardiovascular sport.
My exercise level increases alone with external workload. Moving to Geneva in the first few moths created a good amount of stress due to new job, could not find a place to live, dateline of publication and grant applications, I’ve jogged like crazy and have lost 4 kg since I arrive. Not in a bad way since I do feel very healthy but due to over-jogging:). I am literally lighter than I was 16. It is not normal since my body weight has been still since 18. My recent change is to reduce jogging and increase frequency of my yoga practices, maybe eat more chocolate and french toast. (Can anyone help here? to get my normal weight back)
Anyway, feel free to eat whatever you want. Diet is not really helpful to most people but stuff yourself with a good amount of vegetables and some water first.
Do a cardiovascular sport against your own median record...
A lot of people go to gym very frequent but the effect is not satisfying!
Why?
Although I studied physical education as minor and was a qualified trainer and gymnastics teacher, the following opinions are my personal habits of doing exercise which obviously does not apply to most people…
You figure out your baseline capacity/level against a cardiovascular sport such as fast working, swimming, biking, or those cardiovascular machines in the gym in terms of distance verse time. (Jogging is not recommended if your BMI is too high, means if you are overweight a lot, jogging maybe too much for your knees)
For instance, my baseline for jogging is 6.5 km/30 minutes (median level). I jogged against this capacity level every time. I need to make quite a good effort to finish 6.5K in 30mins. When I feel good in any particular day, I try to challenge 7.5k/30 minutes which is the best I can do (maximum level, feeling like dying after finishing it) ….There are times I do not feel good, I low down to 5.5k/30 minutes. For instance, yesterday was really hot, 30 C; I only did 5.5K/30 minutes.
You need to know your current capacity and start from there, then against your current level each time determinedly, and always try to compete with, and even beat that median level(the level you feel pain in finishing it but not too tough). Download a sport calender from the internet, wirte down and record a your sport daily in the initial stage....It is a good way to make yourself commiteed to a goal.
If you are not a regular cardiovascular exerciser, you would be surprised by how much progress you can make in comparison to your entry level.
Enjoy sweating… it is one of the best things in life.. And you will be a happier person
P.S. What is a cardiovascular/aerobic sport?
Heart rates are a good measure of exercise intensity. In general, the maximize heart rate is 220 minus the person's age in years. When you engage a cardiovascular sport, your heart beat should be around 60% plus minus maybe 10% of your maximize heart beat.
Since people do not necessarily have a heart-rate monitor, a common idea is to get your shirt soaking wet after your section …really soaking wet…That would be a good indicator of having a good amount of calories burn.
Tinkie, I worked as a part-time peroanl trainer in NYC when studied there. I had some clients who still write me about their fitness conditions. Some said I'm their inspirations, flattered and happy to hear that. Be happy to do work out with you...but you can not just disappear since last time we met at Silhouette...
wayne, Jun 21, 2007 @ 10:16
