[caption id="attachment_11040" align="alignright" width="300"]
Image created using Bitmoji[/caption]
I know several people who's fitness goal is to lose weight without even realizing they may already be in the ideal range for their height. They look at their flabby middle section and think they have to get onto a bicycle and try to sweat out the extra fat they believe they have despite how tiny they might be.
It's quite likely they need to gain muscle or tone rather than lose any pounds.
This chart may be a decent guideline on how much you should weigh if you are concerned about your weight. It tells me I'm already in my ideal range, but I look down at my tummy while I type this and wonder if I'll ever see my abs. When people are sitting, it's normal for our bellies to bulge out. You may not have as much work to do as you think. Your thighs also look fatter when sitting. Also, sometimes you might just be having a bloated moment that makes your belly seem bigger than it is. This is especially common in people with digestive issues/food allergies like Celiac Disease.
I'm not saying your shouldn't be exercising. Everyone should be. You could be going to the gym and not achieving much because you're working on the wrong thing though. Regularly going to the gym is a great habit to have. And if, like me, the gym isn't really your thing, there are many other ways to get exercise in.
I mainly do cardio, take walks, and do core exercises outside of the dojo. Swinging my sword about is helpful for upper body fitness and the lower movements we do regularly in kata are pretty much lunges. I do some upper body work outside, because sword work would leave me a little lopsided otherwise. I prefer to do something like play a sport rather than hang out in a gym. And I love to dance.
Lately, I'm also looking at my diet. I was feeling much better when I did roller derby and my diet was rather ketogenic and I think I'm going to try and go back to something similar. A little less carbs, good proteins, good fats, and lots of veggies.
It's also worth stating that the same volume of muscle weighs more than that of fat. I often focus more on the inches around my waist as a measurement and keep track of what I'm physically capable of before getting tired. I use things like FitBit to see how active I'm being.
I'm planning to get more active after this weekend. Why wait? Well, I'm off to a cottage to party and I plan to start one of those challenges that has requirements that I don't want to be vacationing in the middle of. Once I'm recovered from the weekend, I'll get at it. It's supposed to be 30 minutes 3 days per week and doesn't go higher than 40 minutes at the end, so it shouldn't be that hard to fit in. It lasts for 8 weeks. More on it later this month.
Like any goal, you need to figure out your needs otherwise you'll be stumbling around in the dark. Your body responds differently than my body. Spend time getting to know yours and pay attention to what works and doesn't for you. If you know you hate squats, you shouldn't aim to do hundreds of them. Find an exercise that works the same muscle groups that you don't hate.
My needs? To perform better at martial arts, I need to strengthen my core as more than one high ranking practitioner has advised me that my posture is 80% of where my issues lie. If I fix this, I'll get the most bang for my buck. I also need to practice cuts and seiza/tate hiza more. Also, I'll be walking a lot come September judging by the size of the campus, so I want to be physically prepared for that.
Basically, fitness is about far more than weight and you do yourself a disservice when you only focus on that piece.
I meant to post this earlier but I got distracted. It's not tomorrow yet though!
Salut,
R~
Image created using Bitmoji[/caption]I know several people who's fitness goal is to lose weight without even realizing they may already be in the ideal range for their height. They look at their flabby middle section and think they have to get onto a bicycle and try to sweat out the extra fat they believe they have despite how tiny they might be.
It's quite likely they need to gain muscle or tone rather than lose any pounds.
This chart may be a decent guideline on how much you should weigh if you are concerned about your weight. It tells me I'm already in my ideal range, but I look down at my tummy while I type this and wonder if I'll ever see my abs. When people are sitting, it's normal for our bellies to bulge out. You may not have as much work to do as you think. Your thighs also look fatter when sitting. Also, sometimes you might just be having a bloated moment that makes your belly seem bigger than it is. This is especially common in people with digestive issues/food allergies like Celiac Disease.
I'm not saying your shouldn't be exercising. Everyone should be. You could be going to the gym and not achieving much because you're working on the wrong thing though. Regularly going to the gym is a great habit to have. And if, like me, the gym isn't really your thing, there are many other ways to get exercise in.
I mainly do cardio, take walks, and do core exercises outside of the dojo. Swinging my sword about is helpful for upper body fitness and the lower movements we do regularly in kata are pretty much lunges. I do some upper body work outside, because sword work would leave me a little lopsided otherwise. I prefer to do something like play a sport rather than hang out in a gym. And I love to dance.
Lately, I'm also looking at my diet. I was feeling much better when I did roller derby and my diet was rather ketogenic and I think I'm going to try and go back to something similar. A little less carbs, good proteins, good fats, and lots of veggies.
It's also worth stating that the same volume of muscle weighs more than that of fat. I often focus more on the inches around my waist as a measurement and keep track of what I'm physically capable of before getting tired. I use things like FitBit to see how active I'm being.
I'm planning to get more active after this weekend. Why wait? Well, I'm off to a cottage to party and I plan to start one of those challenges that has requirements that I don't want to be vacationing in the middle of. Once I'm recovered from the weekend, I'll get at it. It's supposed to be 30 minutes 3 days per week and doesn't go higher than 40 minutes at the end, so it shouldn't be that hard to fit in. It lasts for 8 weeks. More on it later this month.
Like any goal, you need to figure out your needs otherwise you'll be stumbling around in the dark. Your body responds differently than my body. Spend time getting to know yours and pay attention to what works and doesn't for you. If you know you hate squats, you shouldn't aim to do hundreds of them. Find an exercise that works the same muscle groups that you don't hate.
My needs? To perform better at martial arts, I need to strengthen my core as more than one high ranking practitioner has advised me that my posture is 80% of where my issues lie. If I fix this, I'll get the most bang for my buck. I also need to practice cuts and seiza/tate hiza more. Also, I'll be walking a lot come September judging by the size of the campus, so I want to be physically prepared for that.
Basically, fitness is about far more than weight and you do yourself a disservice when you only focus on that piece.
I meant to post this earlier but I got distracted. It's not tomorrow yet though!
Salut,
R~