For the Girls - Toning, Diet and Excercise a very basic guide - Please read!!

do not take paracetamol, ffs, what awful advice.

All you've done is strain a muscle,just make sure to stretch your legs and most of all rest them, that's all it needs, not drugs

advising a beginner to take drugs after they feel their muscles aching after a workout...scary

aches, strains and pulls is your body telling you to slow down, and you telling novices to take drugs and to train through them,just scary

she just needs to rest them, do very light exercise and when they recover, do the exercise again. In time she will notice them getting stronger and will no longer need long recovery times.

Your attitude is the one i see a lot, people who want to take short cuts. There are no short cuts to success.

advising a beginner to take drugs after they feel their muscles aching after a workout...scary

aches, strains and pulls is your body telling you to slow down, and you telling novices to take drugs and to train through them,just scary

she just needs to rest them, do very light exercise and when they recover, do the exercise again. In time she will notice them getting stronger and will no longer need long recovery times.

Your attitude is the one i see a lot, people who want to take short cuts. There are no short cuts to success.

You're repeatedly proving how dumb you are with your posts.

Please explain to me what is 'scary'?

If you knew me at all you'd realise I don't take shortcuts. Neither do I take unnecessary delays. We're not talking about broken leg here. This is plain, ordinary run-of-the-mill DOMS. Everybody gets them in the beginning. They don't mean sh**.

Part of this stuff is knowing when you've got pain that needs to heal, and pain that you can train through. This is pain you can quite happily train through.

Please spend some more time under the bar before spreading your e-pinions so adamantly.

I was reading somewhere that swimming doesn't help you lose weight, and it quoted a study saying that participants who swam three times a week for 13 weeks had gained 5lbs by the end. Is this TRUE?!

I try to do lane swimming for at least 2 and a half hours a week (I think recommended cardio is 30 minutes 5x a week) on top of weights and classes. I know that any exercise is better than no exercise, but am wondering if it's actually hindering my weight loss aims rather than helping it?

Sorry if this is a really stupid question

I was reading somewhere that swimming doesn't help you lose weight, and it quoted a study saying that participants who swam three times a week for 13 weeks had gained 5lbs by the end. Is this TRUE?!

I try to do lane swimming for at least 2 and a half hours a week (I think recommended cardio is 30 minutes 5x a week) on top of weights and classes. I know that any exercise is better than no exercise, but am wondering if it's actually hindering my weight loss aims rather than helping it?

Sorry if this is a really stupid question

Think about it for a minute. Losing weight = calorie deficit.

Calorie deficit = eating less and/or burning calories.

Swimming = burning calories.

Burning calories = DOING ANYTHING WHERE YOU MOVE AROUND A BIT. ANYTHING at all.

Your advice regarding the painkillers helped a lot, thank you.

One other question I have is regarding eggs. Is there such a thing as having too many eggs? I know there are all the things about cholestrol but how many eggs is too much? Also is it ok to have eggs (boiled of course) and coffee before a work out and how long after should I wait before beginning the work out.

Thank you.

Eggs are fine, if you are tolerant. Some people have some autoimmune issues and can have inflammatory responses to eggs. You'll know. Don't worry about cholesterol, dietary cholesterol has almost no impact on serum blood cholesterol at all. Just make you are getting at least a couple of grams of fish oil each day, or some other omega-3 source. They do omega-3 enriched eggs which are a really good idea, but they can be more expensive than the cheaper eggs.

Coffee is great before a workout. Eggs? Dunno, I suppose it won't hurt. But see how you feel. If you seem to fatigue earlier than you think you should, try getting some carbohydrates before you train. Something starchy you can have an hour or so before hand. Sugary stuff nearer to training time.

Thank you

Final question is about stretches. I know Powerlifter said to do them on rest days, but what exactly should I be doing? I mean what type of stretches.

I'm not all that clued up on stretches tbh. I generally just stay as flexible as I need to be. If I'm getting some stiffness or difficulty getting into positions required for my normal activities, then I'll do some specific stretches related to my issue. I'm not sure about general stretching.