Burlesque Womens Institute

Miss Honey Bare · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 200 Location: London

Waaaggghhhh!

I'm going to cry.
I weighed myself for the first time in ages, because all of my clothes are ceasing to fit me of late and I have put on 2 STONE in the last 12 months Crying or Very sad

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm lacking some motivation here.
I have nothing to wear and it's making me feel so sad.

How do the rest of you keep in shape/stay motivated?

I don't feel like myself anymore and uncomfortable and unfit. Sad

Someone give me a poke up the bum!

Diva Hollywood · Joined: 15 Jul 2007 Posts: 1927 Location: UK

Hi honey
I no how you feel I have been having such a sweet tooth lately I just can't stop I think its the lack of sunshine. As I have said before weight watchers worked for me it means I do eat sweet stuff but then when I cook I cook very low fat but yummey food so it balances out. Good luck
Diva x
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Miss Honey Bare · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 200 Location: London

Awh, Diva, thanks.

I've decided to dust off my workout DVD's at the end of the week and go and do a big healthy shop on pay day.

Why does getting into shape have to be such hard bloody work?

Herr Geist · Joined: 10 May 2007 Posts: 4956 Location: Brighton, England

I'm getting in shape. Right now the shape is sorta... round. But I'm doing what I can to remedy that.

Honestly, there's only one true way to stay in shape and that is to exercise and eat right. No way around it. No diets. No supplements. Burn more calories than you take in each day and stay physical. Unless you're in need of a gastric bypass or something like that, there's just no other safe option.

Eat right, take in the right amount of water (and only water), eliminate things like caffeine from your diet, and work out. That's it. Unless you wanna end up unhealthy and cause long term damage. But, hey, who needs to be mobile at age 50? haha.

That being said... the best thing about getting in shape is the feeling you get when you feel your stamina, strength, and agility getting better. Working out can be just as addictive as drinking, smoking, or sex. Problem is, it's an acquired taste. You gotta do it for a while before it takes hold.
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Miss Honey Bare · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 200 Location: London

That's the problem, I was so used to being active that I took being fit for granted. Having had a rather lazy lifestyle over the past 12 months has left me squidgy and in a state of shock tbh.

And that's the problem isn't it? You have to stick with it for awhile, but I always lose heart after about a week 'cos I don't see any results (I know it's stupid).

You could be my trans Atlantic mind coach...give me a poke every now and then (I'm aware that sounds kinda rude).

Laughing

Herr Geist · Joined: 10 May 2007 Posts: 4956 Location: Brighton, England

Well, here's a few tips to keep you from getting discouraged.

First.... as you start working out, you're going to start building muscle mass even if it's only a tiny bit. Muscle weighs more than fat so at this stage a scale is NOT your friend. You will lose fat but the weight of the building muscle will balance out your overall bodyweight for a while. Instead of measuring progress with a scale, do it with a measuring tape. Measure your waist. It might take up to a month before you notice you've lost an inch, but after that it will snowball.

Second... focus on conditioning your body before you start really shooting for the stars. A month of training your body to run and do calisthenics will prevent you from injuring your vital areas when you start getting really intense with your workouts. The first month should be done in slightly increased stages each week. For example... I started with a running program that would get me to running 3 miles within 10 weeks. My body will be able to handle extremely intense workouts once that's complete. Then I can really focus on losing weight and toning muscle with no fear of joint injury.

Basically, you really just have to get it into your head that your body needs to adjust to the fact that you're going to be abusing it before it will start shedding fat.

Also, make sure your workouts are being done right. Keep your heart rate elevated for at least 20 minutes a day. Running and aerobics can do this, but it's a good idea to figure out where your heart rate needs to be kept as you work out and get a heart rate monitor to wear on your wrist so that you can stay where you need to be for those 20 minutes.

I understand what you mean about being physical. I was physical my entire life and weight gain was never an issue. I had pretty good stamina and agility and strength because I did all of this every day. Since I started young and thin, I never got fat. The fact that I'd been doing it so long translated to above average conditioning. Just like you, life got in my way and I had to park my butt in front of a computer more often than not for work. Now I'm overweight and extremely out of shape. It takes a lot of determination to get back in the swing of things. If I don't do it know, I'll be a wreck by 40. I'm not cool with that.

Just keep your mind on what it is you're trying to accomplish with all of this while you're working out and you'll be able to push through a little easier.

There... a long post to help you out. haha.
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Diva Hollywood · Joined: 15 Jul 2007 Posts: 1927 Location: UK

Thanks for that advice HG I never new all that. I really need to start working out again for health reasons I no it will really help me but I have really let it slip and I can feel the difference when I come off stage. Computers are the worst I put on so much weight after I did my post grade in Electronic Imaging.
Diva x
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Herr Geist · Joined: 10 May 2007 Posts: 4956 Location: Brighton, England

You're welcome. I can usually answer any physical fitness questions a person has. I've only been stumped once or twice in the past decade and the questions they were asking me would probably be best answered by a doctor or a very experienced physical trainer.

If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Working out and losing weight is a lot more simple than people make it out to be with all their talk of fad diets and different workout styles.

It really just comes down to pushing yourself. If you DON'T push, you won't make much headway. It's physically difficult and that plays tricks on your mind while you're working out. Just because your mind is telling you to stop does not mean that your body really needs to. There have been times in my run training where I've thought, "I gotta stop!" and I was so tempted to just quit, but I pushed and completed the run. Completing that run meant the next training day was just that much easier. If I'd quite when my brain was telling me to, I wouldn't have made any progress at all.

Unless you're feeling lightheaded or ill, just keep pushing. You'll know the difference between your brain telling you to stop and your body telling you immediately.

The advanced stuff like Pilates and all that jazz does work for certain things, but you gotta get through the basic conditioning first.
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Miss Honey Bare · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 200 Location: London

Awh, thank you so much for the advice HerrGeist, I really appreciate it.

I used to run a lot actually, but was ordered to stop by my doctor due to a bum knee (the side effects of an old sporting accident rearing it's ugly head).

I'm ok on aerobics if I wear well cushioned trainers, so I'll start with getting my heart pumping (alas, which means quitting the fags again) and some resistance work to tone a little.

I may check in with you every now and then if I'm feeling deflated, if that's cool?

Right, I start Friday....*deep breath*

Shocked

Herr Geist · Joined: 10 May 2007 Posts: 4956 Location: Brighton, England

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Minnie the Minxtress · Joined: 07 Feb 2007 Posts: 766 Location: Kent

Ohh HG.. I have a question for you.

What's the best exercise(s) for getting a toned butt and making it go up a couple of inches. Mine is currently hovering around the back of my knee caps. Seriously, I hate my butt.. it's flat and flat and more flat. Help me HG.. I beg of you. Razz

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Herr Geist · Joined: 10 May 2007 Posts: 4956 Location: Brighton, England

Variations on deep knee bends and leg lifts (the hands and knees positions kind) will help with that. Also, normal running helps a lot.

I don't want to try to type out descriptions of what you need to do here and I'm not entirely sure how you want your butt to look, so just search around for the exercises that I've listed. It shouldn't be too hard to find something that will help you.
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Minnie the Minxtress · Joined: 07 Feb 2007 Posts: 766 Location: Kent

Thanks lovely... I'll do some research. Smile

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Miss Honey Bare · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 200 Location: London

Hehe...this could be a new forum...'ask HerrGeist'.
All your exercise questions answered, and a dash of motivation
to boot!

Laughing

Herr Geist · Joined: 10 May 2007 Posts: 4956 Location: Brighton, England

haha I'm not sure I have the energy for all that.

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