getting fit/excercising

ok so i started uni last sept and have put on alot of weight around my stomach and i just feel generall floppy and squidgy and not at all like showing off my flesh in summer clothes. Last term i went to the gym for about an hour 4 times a week, mostly just doing cardio and sit ups, and as i sit here typing i know i should probably be getting back into the routine of going. but i really really dont enjoy it. i dont like running on treadmills or having people watch me because im pretty poor when it comes to excercise.
so i was wondering i really like walking - if i go for walks instead would this help me tone up/lose weight/get fitter. how many times a week and how long would you say i should go for.
or if not walking id like to run outside since its almost summer, again how many times and how long for.
also with situps i do about 150 crunches a day now in 6 sets of 25. is this enough, im not a real bloater so i figure after a few weeks of cutting back on calories i should have lost some of the belly. but will this be enough situps to tone up my muscles.
im a girl by the way if that makes any difference.
arg excercise is such hard work

Reply 1

Ting-Ting

Any exercise is good for you, whether it is just a brisk 30min walk to half an hours jog. If you want to lose fat, then you must do cardio for a minimum of 20mins i think to get your muscles heated enough to burn fat. I used to go for a quick 20min jog up and down the hill everday and its quite refreshing!but i dont do that anymore...too lazy! :biggrin:

Crunches would only pump your muscles but won't burn the fat around it. To burn fat you just have to do stuff that makes you sweat and heat up. Constant star jumps for a whole minute works out just as nicely as jogging.

I recommend maybe getting an aerobics DVD coz you could do that in your own room without having people looking at you. then maybe if you feel fit enough, you can go to the gym again! I've always used Carmen Electra's fit to strip dvd and it has made a difference coz in my 1st year, i awlays went on alcoholic binges and ate unhealthy foods too :tongue:

Hope this helps! :wink:

Davina McCall's one is amazing! I started using it for the first time yesterday and I sweated so much and muscles ached loads!

Reply 2

Sprog

Briskly walking at 3.5 to 4 miles per hour (a fast pace, but not impossible) burns nearly as many calories as jogging at a moderate pace. You will burn approximately 100 calories per mile, either walked or jogged!!! Also I agree with Ting-Ting, get a fitness DVD. The cheesier and more stupid the better!

Reply 3

Ron Stoppable

Sprog - are you from Leighton Buzzard?

Fitness DVDs - check the person presenting is actually going to be the lead instructor.. Jade Goody's latest effort was widely slated as she was just in the background once the actual workout started. Read reviews on Amazon.co.uk for a good idea of which will suit you best.

Getting fit - eat consciously, be aware of what's in what you eat. Coax bad habits downstairs one step at a time; don't try to trhwo them out the window. Do a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise (be it running, CV circuits, repetitive stretching, yoga, etc) a day... and it's best just before breakfast if you want to burn off squidge.

Bear in mind that getting and maintaining fitness as well as being more disciplined, aware and proactive in selecting what you consume isn't a slog, It's not hard work. It's about making more time and energy for you to embrace more of the things you love.

Have fun!

Reply 4

Sprog

Ron Stoppable

Sprog - are you from Leighton Buzzard?

No! Next guess!! :p:

Reply 5

Mush

Building muslces is a good idea and it will help you loose a hell of a lot more fat than if you just did cardio. More muscle = more active tissue = more calories burnt. Cardio 20 minutes a day probably be fine, i would recommend jogging rather than running because again, it's more effective for building leg musles and is more effective at increasing you CRE. So my recommendation, find a nice 10 minute route. Run it, run it back. Then do some basic weight training when you get back(press ups, sit ups, crunches, etc etc)

Reply 6

Bis

Run.

Reply 7

Ron Stoppable

... Forrest, run!

Reply 8

parag

Cross trainings ace for the calories and not as hard as treadmill :biggrin:

Reply 9

spunk trumpet

Mush

i would recommend jogging rather than running

What's the difference?

Reply 10

Ron Stoppable

^ Pace.

Reply 11

Mush

spunk trumpet

What's the difference?

Running uses more energy(calories) per unit time and is more intensive for the lungs and muscles which means that CRE and lung capacity will increase as well as increasing muscle fibre which means more active tissue and more calories are burnt by active tissue than fat etc. Running also raises the metabolism etc etc.