The BEST exercise/fitness guide

[Rowan]

Allow me to begin by explaining something to you. I am not chubby or fat. Years of working out my arms and playing tennis and football have left me with the reletivley average body that I have today. If I hadn't played those sports as a kid, theres no doubt in my mind now that I would be a lot fatter than I currently am. My metabolism from an early age was kept in check by playing various sports and being incredibly active. By the age of 15, I had stopped playing sport all together and began playing guitar (typical, really). Having done so, I began to notice I was losing my physique over the years. At 21 years of age now, I am 5' 11'' or 178cm tall and wiegh 87kg. I have a slight gut and some love handles happening. A way of knowing your metabolism is slowing down is if you have stretch marks. They are an indication that the mass you are gaining is being put on faster than your skin can comfortably stretch in order to manage. Girls may understand this as when they go through puberty, their breasts can grow a great deal in a short amount of time (usually the skin tissue is more elastic in that area, but its not uncommon for there to be stretch marks in the surround area). Having known this, I knew it was time for me to do something. For the past 2 years, I have been privatly studying nutrition, bodybuilding, and fitness. The conclusion that I have come to is that if you wish to have a lean body and great fitness capacity, you would benefit the most from swimming. Some say swimming is the greatest form of exercise and I would tend to agree. Not only does swimming work most of the muscles in your body, it works the muscles you arnt often able to on land. It;s also a resistance free environment meaning that you cannot harm yourself since theres no pressure put on joints. Not only is this one of the greatest forms of exercise, it would be ideal for those who have trouble doing any other exercise due to joint paints or any sort of physical anguish they may experince out of water. There are many other things you can do in a swimming pool other than laps. You can go underwater and train yourself to hold your breath for as long as possible. The water itself has somewhat 11 times the pressure of being outside the water, therefor puts greater strain on your lungs and heart. Whilst this sounds bad, It is actual good for working on your overall cardio and lung capacity.

A person would benefit from swimming as little as twice a week for an hour. This does not mean consistent laps, but as much as you are able to within the hour you have. I swim about 3 times a week to get a better result, but I also lift weights mondays and saturdays just to give myself that extra edge on my overall routine. I work chest, arms (bicep, tricep, shoulders etc) and legs. Theres no point working abs until you have burned the belly fat, since you wont be able to see them until you have. Some people say swimming doesnt help you lose wieght. There is some truth to this, but allow me to explain. Swimming is exercise. Anyone who tells you its not effective is a fool and probably not a swimmer themselves and not giving you all the information. its true that swimming may not make you lose weight in the begining, but it will make you lose a lot of fat and take inches off your waist and anywhere else there is fat to burn. The reason for the weight remaining the same is that when you swim, you are building lean muscle, which is the equivelent mass of fat. Also, if you are swimming in cold water, make sure to have a nice warm drink after you finish swimming. The reason some people are finding the effects of swimming to be not as great for themselves than others is that they binge eat after their swimming session. The reason for this is that the cold water encourages your body to use up more calories to keep it warm (which is a good thing) but leaves you with incredible hunger. A lot of the time this is actually a thirst. You just dont realise it because you've been in water the whole time. The warm drink will help satisfy any hunger you might be feeling. This is a very important part of your workout if you are swimming, especially in water thats not heated.

Ever hear the saying muscle weights more than fat? Thats not true. You are burning the fat and building the muscle. You are merely just replacing it. So when it comes to fitness, scales are not a good indication of where you should be at. Scales should really only apply to people who are heavily overweight or obese. Otherwise, you could be 95kg - 105kg (height considered) and be completly healthy and lean. I think its also worth mentioning that the more fat you have, the easier it is to lose. People who are leaner (like me for example) will notice results but not as big a results as someone who weighs 160kg opposed to 90.

But with all exercise, there MUST be a healthy diet that follows. If you are really picky about what you eat then I have a simple sugguestion for you. Its not so much about what you eat, its more about what you dont eat. If you want to lose weight DONT eat fried foods, dont eat take away, dont eat chips, chocolate, lollies etc. Its all junk and you know that its detrimental to your overall progress. Your main meal before a big workout should be carb loaded (pasta, rice etc) that will give you the energy to perform your workout well although I mainly reccomend meals as such before weightlifting than cardio since the benefits are greater, otherwise you should have a combiniation of things such as steak, vegetables and sidedish of rice. If you are after a snack, eat fruit, nuts or a muesly bar. Dinner should always be light since its the last meal you eat before sleeping. I dont reccomend carb loaded foods at this time simply because you dont need energy while you are sleeping, those carbs just turn to fat. A light dinner will make you feel great and hungry in the morning, which is the most important meal of the day that fuels your wakeup and energy until lunch. Breakfast should be wholegrain toasts, perhaps some jam, eggs, wheats, porridge, bran etc. If you can maintain a healthy diet, you are 30% on the way to your goal.

Summing up: Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise not only physically, but mentally. It is an enjoayable experience and I find myself thinking about the calmness of the water during the day and looking forward to the next time I go. Its almost... Zen, if you will. Theres something really peaceful about the water. I only started feeling that way after going maybe 7 or 8 times. But its something I really look forward to and I think thats what exercise should be about. You need to enjoy something to thrive at it. And swimming is an enjoyable experience with the greatest benefits.


Since I started my routine a month ago, I have lost 1 inch around my waist and my physique is looking more toned. I was never fat to begin with, but Im going for the six pack ive always wanted to attain. Not only for looks, but to prove to myself that im right and that I did it on my own. Theres really no greater joy than achievment and thats probably the most important outcome for people when it coems to physical health/appearance. When you realise that what you are doing has worked and you have the results to prove it, you will only be even more motivated to push yourself even furthar and inspire others. I hope I can do the same for those who are unhappy with themselves and be an example for others.

[OnOneRyder]

Swimming is great yes, but any healthy fitness regime needs to include some form of weightlifting. Even if you're a girl and not looking for bulk, the benefits from weight training are huge and should be a part of your routines. Many forms of cardio will work individual muscle groups, but for a body to be at it's peak you have to target muscle groups with weight training.

Muscle by volume does weigh more than fat. So if you have two individuals of the same height and same volume, one being in great shape and the other a lazy slob the one with muscle will weigh in much heavier than the fatter individual because of the additional weight muscle adds to a frame. You are 100% right about scales though, they're very deceiving! The only thing I use mine for is for lawls to weigh before and after a big poo (yes I'm childish).

Cutting out the shitty food is obvious, but your body wants certain nutrients to perform properly. If you don't supply it what it wants, you're going to be disappointed with the results. You CAN give your body the good foods it needs with terrible food piled on top and still achieve a reasonable level of fitness, but you're going to have a lot of fat. You cannot expect to reach the same level if you do not give yourself what your body requires and simply cut out sugar's and the bad fats.

Last but not least, fat isn't bad! If you're not running marathons competitively, cutting for bodybuilding competitions or taking part in other extremely demanding physical activities you're going to have fat. Those athletes with six packs all the time are that way because they either have great genes, or their body has adapted to a long life of fitness. Most bodybuilders, people focused 100% on muscle growth and definition do not have abs when they're not cutting for a show. It's extremely demanding on a body that isn't naturally like that, 75% of bodies out there want a certain level of fat! Embrace it.

Good to see you're taking care of yourself, just wanted to add to places where holes were present.

[Alpha]

This is actually pretty cool. I like that it's nice and concise. Although I understand most of that already (I'm a moderate yet lapsing health nut), my problem us that I can't swim.

I don't know what was with my tuition (during primary school), but I could never pick it up. It got to the point where I was held back by several years in the swimming classes. All my friends were in the adult pool while I was still blowing bubbles and learning about flutter boards.

That was a little humiliating, so I cared less and just gave up.

When I try and swim now, I do my best to approximate the technique, but I find it incredibly exhausting. I can only do a single length before having to get out. It's probably a combination of my incorrect technique and traumatised childhood, haha.

Still, I can doggy paddle and stuff so I won't drown. I want to swim for exercise though. I've tried aqua jogging and enjoyed it, but there's something about it that just screams 'old lady'... Perhaps it's all the old ladies aqua jogging in the next lane.

I should probably avenge my childhood and attend adult swimming lessons.

But I prefer medium-distance running, and cycling. I'm actually good at those. I also extoll the virtues of incidental exercise. I walk 15 minutes to the train station (flat), and then 20 minutes to uni (uphill), and then the same in the evening to get home. That in itself is a good healthy bite of exercise. Just leaving your car behind can change a lot, especially as 'getting to work' is the most solid routine anyone has.

I have a relatively small physique. Not sure how tall, but around 170cm, and 63kg. I'm thin, yeah, but I've actually put on about 5kg this year alone, which worries me. I'm sure that's not all muscle gain, and intend to take my fitness more seriously this summer.

But thanks for this. I'd rep you if I wasn't on an iPod.

[OnOneRyder]

As a thin guy if you want to put on weight you have to make it a job to eat. It's actually quite difficult to take in the essentials needed to bulk, 5 medium sized meals a day beats 3 big ones. To give you an idea, people on muscle building routines are consuming roughly one gram of protein for every pound of body weight....it's a job! Before you make any serious changes to your fitness spend a few weeks keeping track of everything you eat, and I do mean EVERYTHING. You're probably not getting nowhere near what you need to gain mass if that's your goal. I'm a skinny guy too, it's an uphill battle to get the weight on, and to keep it on.

[Alpha]

Actually I meant that I've put on fat, but yeah I know what you mean. When I was using weights more often, I gained strength but little mass. Although I don't really care for a bulky physique, I just want to ensure that I'm healthy -- which I am, but I can do better.

[OnOneRyder]

Good stuff, staying fit should be the goal not achieving some look. The first changes everyone notices is the way they feel, especially with your lungs in cardio and strength in weight training.

[Rowan]

I was really skinny as I mentioned before as I was younger, my metabolism slowed down but I was trying to bulk up as well. It just worked too well and I wasnt doing any excersize to keep it under control. I thought it was hard to put mass on, but its actually quite simple. Contrary to what either of you might think, just eat more. A human burns roughly 2000 calories a day from breathing and functioning normally, so make sure you eat more calories than you burn. Simple. I reccomend eating lots of protien rich foods and complex carbohydrates as well as packing in those vegetables. The more you eat = more mass you gain. Just remember to swim to build muscle and shape yourself up. Oh and as for having trouble swimming Alpha, if you get one of those kickboards (the thing you hold with 2 hands in front of you) and practice kicking and keeping your legs up and not letting them sink, as well as practicing your breathing, you should get the idea soon enough. Dont expect to learn anything or get anywhere by practicing once a week though. Try going consecutive days 3 times a week if you're serious about it. Theres no one right technique either, many people swim freestyle different ways, Its about finding the way that works for you.

[Musashiden]

I've actually found that the big "whole grain revolution" is a bit of a whopper.

Yes, whole grain foods that are high in fiber are good for you, and have a relatively low glycemic index which is what determines how it's converted into sugar, as well as how insulin is distributed. The problem, especially with breads, is that they are touted as being high in whole grain while lacking any real proof that that fact alone makes them healthy. In order for a whole grain food to be worthwhile (aka, not sugar spike inducing) it has to be high in fiber, and baked with natural yeast. This makes things like Rye, Pumpernickel, and Sourdough good options. Things like Whole Wheat, which sounds healthy, are actually rather staggeringly high on the glycemic index. They're also made with manufactured yeast which is difficult for the body to pass.

It's also not about taking in less calories than you burn, it all boils down to what is done with what you take in. If you eat a lot of carbohydrates and don't use the energy they give you (I mean by vigorous exercise, not just daily activity), they get converted to sugar, wake up your insulin, and get stored as fat. Also, eating a lot of foods made with hydrogenated oils (canola, palm, corn), even though they are generally low in fats, makes the cholesterol and saturated fat you do intake work against you. Cholesterol is not the big bad evil monster it's made out to be, it's actually a big building block of many of the major parts of your body. Your cells, your glands, your hormones, are all made of cholesterol. Saturated fats, also considered evil, are actually more like taxis that guide and remove cholesterol to and from where it is needed, such as cracks in your arteries. Cholesterol, in this case, serves as sort of an epoxy that closes them up. When you take in hydrogenated oils, the saturated fat in your body becomes oxidized, and instead of depositing cholesterol and retrieving it once it's done its job, it pushes it through these cracks, leading to the cholesterol build up that's often attributed to Heart Disease.

So, basically, a lot of what you say is true, but avoiding fats and going whole grain is more detrimental that anything. Just ask my father-in-law. It's what he does, and he has the beginnings of heart disease, and he's not even 40. He runs nearly every day (Half Marathons 1-2 times a month) and barely weighs 150 pounds, follows what's generally considered a healthy lifestyle, yet has heart problems.

I've actually lost a decent bit of weight just by cutting out high-carb foods, frying with coconut oil (non-hydrogenized), and eating low-glycemic fruits and vegetables. Coconut oil is the big winner there, though. It kicks your thyroid into high gear, stimulating weight loss. It strengthens hair, skin, and nails. It also cleaned out my gut offering some less than pleasant to discuss benefits. Also, some light exercise has helped a bit, too. Nothing more than busting out my PS Move and playing Sports Champions.

Once I lose enough weight to feel comfortable shirtless, though, I'll probably start swimming too. You're definitely right about that. Swimming kicks ass.

[Rowan]

Interesting information you've pointed out about the whole grains. I would have merely used whole grains as an alternative to white breads, but now id probably consider having something else entirely. This is the kind of information im after. The more you learn the more you can understand how to take care of yourself. Its something I pride myself on.