Viewer Mail.

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I’m a newbie at the miz fit blog, but I must say i’m definitely a fan. Thanx for all the tips and info.

Now, the question goes a bit like this (plus the added extra info so that you can see where I’m coming from and I can whine a bit).

I’m a 21 yr old female (5’4 and around 140lbs). I’m aware that I’m nowhere near being fat and that I’m healthy as it is, specially since I have a larger bone structure and a decent amount of muscle (I don’t know my percentage but think 16.5in rock-hard calves in a 5’4 body).

SO… here’s the issue. I’ve always been a regular at exercising and I currently workout 3-5 times a week 2 hours at a time… 1 hour cardio and 1 hour arms or legs or whatever the day is. I dont really lift anything but dumbells but I’m not afraid of the weights still what I’m really trying to do is reduce fat and I can’t seem to do that.

Even while running/jogging 1 hour and sometimes even 2 and eating healthy every day and counting calories and its driving me insane.

I regularly eat well although I do admit that I could be better during the weekends and I even stopped drinking beer first and now every single liquid that has more than 1 calorie.

I still have strong yet pudgy arms and a bit of a pudge in my stromach that I want/need to get rid of.

Howwww do you get those fabulous strong arms and no fat surrounding them??? Any tip or special diet you could recommend? Thank you thank you thank youuuu….

Uh oh, People. On the tail of my consistency ramble, and yesterday’s QUIT WHY DONTCHA! is a (waitforit) sometimes less is more! cut back cut back! reply.

A great deal more.

The first thing I thought when I read this email is GIRLFRIEND, YOU ARE SO NOT ALONE.

Ive been there. I have a number of real world friends who have been there (I know. I do log off upon occasion.). And Ill bet a whole buncha members of the Bumbling Band have been there as well.

It is almost the American way. If a little is good (waves to a small sprite as purchased at a movie theater concession stand circa 2000) then more must be better (jaw drops at the new small sprite size. the almost the size of my toddler’s head small.).

We do this with everything from self tanner to botox to exercise (Id love for you international folks to chime in here. am I wrong? is this not uniquely American?).

And, in my opinion, with 99.9 percent of these things less is really more.

When I first started lifting weights (three days a week. full body. plenty of rest.) I grew like the proverbial weed. I was smitten with the iron and found that I couldnt *wait* to return to the gym!

So wait I didnt. I started lifting weights every day. And, much to my chagrin, my muscles started SHRINKING. By the time Id been lifting daily for a month or so I had pretty much lifted myself back to square one—-definitely not my plan.

Not knowing all the details of your workout or foodplan this sentence still gave me the AH HA! moment I look for when reading your emails (uh, everyone’s…not yours specifically. poor sentence structure): Even while running/jogging 1 hour and sometimes even 2 and eating healthy every day and counting calories and its driving me insane.

jogging an hour everyday? too much for me (Id immediately be overtraining) but two hours a day? too much for everyone.

That amount of exercise coupled with restricted eating & even the most resilient of bodies would cling to any available fat for fear it wouldnt be on the receiving end of any for a while.

You mention this: I currently workout 3-5 times a week 2 hours at a time.

could you, perhaps, workout less time per session and still not increase the number of training sessions per week? Maybe investigate HIT or high intensity training where you work *harder* but for a shorter period of time?

(that’s a post in and of itself. any interest?)

I have to say that, while the tone of your email was frustrated and slipping toward hopeless, your answer is, in fact, a simple one to execute.

I know that it can be scary to do less (I oft had clients stick with the pain they knew (overtraining. no results.) versus the pain they didnt (cutting back.) for that very reason)—-but I urge you to give it a try.

Ponder trimming your workouts to an hour to start (30 minutes of HIT and 30 for weights) and see what you find. What changes you see in a six week period (lower body fat? more energy in general? increased excitement about working out across the board?)

You can always go back to the old way (wink) if you find you truly dont like the new you.

MizFits? insights?

it’s tough to answer a question like this without knowing specifics or providing too many specifics which can be misinterpreted as a ‘prescription.’

you commenters, however, are free to say whatever you like sans any liability.

So git to it & you know I’ll chime right in.

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Comments

  1. Great answer MF (as always), when I was reading the question the thought that was running through my head was reduce the quantity, increase the quality (intensity).

  2. She is just like me! The poor thing!! All that crazy time in the gym and no results, I feel the pain.

    I also vote: Reshuffle. Workouts, as you describe, but maybe nutrients too. Maybe try upping protein levels in each meal? Muscles will get even more of a chance to grow back stronger if they’re given the right fuel to do it with. If her calorie count is very low, as I was prone to doing, perhaps try upping it a little (with more clean food, obv).

    Basically, any kind of reshuffle should, in theory, give the metabolism a kick up the arse.

    The key thing to remember though (so as not to freak the poor girl out) is that these changes are a TEST. If you change your methods and they don’t work (or you hate ’em), you can always go back.

    I say this because it’s sometimes scary to start cutting down on gym hours when it’s become such a habit!

    TA x

  3. Running/jogging rock, but (to the Viewer) you may want to try switching up the cardio. I was addicted to the elliptical for months until I hit a plateau and had to switch. Running [for you, it could be something else] was harder simply because my body wasn’t used to it. It’s a matter of challenging *your* body uniquely by pushing it to do things it’s not used to; like Andrew said, quality not quantity. If you jog because you prefer being outside, many communities have outdoor classes that can be lots of fun (martial arts, for example, or hip hop). 🙂

    Oh, one more thing. I’m not sure how many calories you’re letting yourself eat, but eating too few (many people say less than 1200, others 1500) can screw with your body’s ability to do a bunch of things, including keeping the muscle you have. Less muscle = lower metabolism = fewer calories you can eat without gaining weight. Not a fun cycle; trust me, I’ve been there. And don’t forget to eat fat (the right kinds, obviously). It’s important to many body processes and will help stave off starvation mode.

    Sorry if you (Viewer) knew all that! Good luck! 🙂

  4. You and the first two commenters covered it nicely, so I’ll just add that I *am* interested in a future topic on HIT. I figured out a while back that I couldn’t keep adding time to my workout (stoopid lottery people), so I’ve been playing around with adding intervals into my walk/elliptical experience to get more out of the time I have. It would probably be even better to have a plan. 🙂

  5. ‘More is better’ is very definitely a quintessential American trait. It’s not that people from other cultures don’t think similarly, just not on the absolute crazy scale Americans tend to.

    I blame shows like the Biggest Loser for exacerbating this mentality. Though I often find the show inspiring, asking anyone to do 4-5 hours of exercise a day seems a bit excessive and influences other (who are NOT being monitored by doctors and trainers) to want to do the same. I admit, I was one of those people too. Maybe still am. I don’t know.

    Anyway, moderation seems to be the key to all things, so I am very definitely behind you on this one, MizFit. You are right as always. 🙂

  6. (cue that song Im Proud To Be An Americaaaan)
    GO US for thinking MORE IS MORE, huh?

    I know this who thought was beaten to death by SuperSize Me so I shall let it go at that (ok, one more thing: my Toddler loves the fruit at Chickfila and I always think “why caint we supersize that?!”)

    ANYHOO, thanks to all of you for chiming in, EXPANDING on this I missed and TA for saying again that, if the emailer is unhappy with the change, she CAN go back.

    change, especially in the arena of exercise when it is doing LESS, can be frightening.

    M.

  7. Yeah, a little bit compulsive in this country, aren’t we? Coming from a sport where “less” is still usually two-a-days, I totally feel this one.

    Here are a few articles that have been helpful for me on this topic: Ben Greenfield’s articles “The Secret to Busting Through Your Plateau” (http://www.trifuel.com/training/health-nutrition/the-secret-to-busting-through-your-plateau-part-1). Three parts. You should be able to find them all from that starting point. And here’s a triathlete who’s gone/going through the same thing: IM Able (http://im-able.blogspot.com/2008/02/no-longer-just-fine.html)

    Also, Miz Fit? Clean eating mebe?

  8. I won’t weigh in on the optimal training/nutrition solution, ’cause you’re getting plenty of great advice there.

    I would just wonder how much energy you want to keep putting into the quest for a certain body type that may not be natural for you? It sounds like you are strong and healthy, and you’re devoting a LOT of time and energy to trying to be thinner. I’m just not sure the genetic lottery is a fair one–in other words, it may just not be a realistic goal to have MizFit’s arms, and some of that time and energy could go into enjoying the healthy fit life you’re creating for yourself.

    Sounds like you have plenty of determination, so good luck!

  9. HIIT! Or if, like me, you’re not a fan or workouts based solely on HIIT, change up your running routine. Add a day of speed intervals and a day of hill runs. But remember to keep these runs shorter than an hour!

    In general, I agree with Miz and everyone else. Less quantity, more quality is the way to go. Try mixing up what you do regularly, too. Try different circuit workouts to keep your muscles guessing, and make up different running routes so your legs and mind don’t get bored.

  10. I’m with Amanda on the switching up your cardio – if your body gets too used to doing the same thing, it just goes into automatic mode and isn’t challenged. Changing your cardio can help you use muscles you don’t use while running and by doing so, help you get past your plateau. Interval training is a good option, as well.

  11. NOT TO RESTATE CONTINUALLY 🙂 but…

    I loved what crabby said about fighting ones natural bod type (which is a post in itself like the HIT) and what gena/fatfighter said about MIXING THINGS UP.

    Muscle confusion (and the B.R.A.I.N. fitness you’ll get as well (CLICK HERE)) is KEY to not plateauing & to getting the most BANG for yer workout buck (Im nothing if not trite ;))

    Miz.

  12. I agree with what Crabby said about getting caught up in looking a certain way. It’s maddening to work so hard and still not match a certain ideal, but a lot of times you can get so caught up in that “perfect” mental image, you miss all the great accomplishments you may have racked up! Any time I start to look at my legs critically, I try to change up that negative thought pattern by reminding myself that those “imperfect” legs carry me through 13-mile runs and 90-pound squats. Go, legs, go!

  13. That poor girl!!!! Granted, I am no expert on anything besides boxed wine and things covered in cheese (I kid, I kid) but at 21 to be THAT obsessed with exercise is a scary thought for me. When does she have FUN?

    She is restricting herself sooooo much! I bet she looks amazing and I agree with the posts above– LOVE THE BOD YOU’RE IN! Most women are trying so hard to fit this ideal of what’s beautiful. If the average woman had millions of dollars to spend on personal trainers, chefs to prepare calorie free meals and unlimited time to exercise we’d all look like celebs.

    P.S.- I read someplace that the biggest loser people gained weight back once they stopped the show

    P.P.S. Whatever happened to those Botticelli chicks? They were chubby and beautiful!?! Can we go back to THAT era?

    P.P.P.S- I should probably take my own advice

  14. FGF? you need your own show. or at least a standup routine (“what’s the deal with the new wineinjuiceboxlikeCONTAINERS? And why dont they come with straws attached?!”)

    yet your LOVE THE BOD YOUR IN is serious, I know, and so true.

    for *me* the moment I realized (Hello sophomore year of college! How I dont miss ye!) it was not at ALL about the vessel——all things fell into place.

    I appreciate it when you all say how great my arms look or WHATEVS but IMO the piece Im working the hardest on, the one I focus on ALL DAY (and not for the 40 minutes or so Im working out) is the inside.

    the core.

    the person I strive to be (or, in more vernacular terms, the person my dog thinks I am).

    (tangent tangent I know…)

    M.

  15. oh, wow – this comes at a perfect time for me b/c I have the same question! I don’t workout nearly as long as this reader, but lately I feel like I’m stuck a bit and need something to shake my routine up so I can get some different/more muscles going. I’m actually meeting with a personal trainer (with rehab experience, for my neck) TONITE! I just want to learn how to make the most of my workouts, how to tweak it a bit and learn some new moves so I’m not doing the same, boring curls and lat raises over and over and over. I’ll send pics when I get super cut!

  16. Wow, that is a LOT of working out!
    I too would advise for less, more efficient time spent training.
    Running wise, you could do speed intervals, or mad hills for 45 min and end up with a form of H.I.T. 2 hours? What are you running a half marathon every other day or something? Yikes!
    When it comes to food, one would need to see the specifics to give any advise, but I know by experience that it can take some time to find a happy balance that works for both your psyche (you are not driven crazy by counting calories or something) and your body.

  17. There are so many variables that could explain why she’s not having anymore progress. One thing I’m sure, she’s at one of the hardest part, because any slip on the food or training will affect the results.
    It’s always good to change your routine, I would say something between 3 to 6 months. I think that mizfit suggestion was great, to change to high intensity training could be a good option.
    And she can’t forget that perseverance is key, sometimes you hit a plato, but if you keep doing your routine, you will start to see the results.
    I wish her good luck.

  18. That’s terrific advice. I’m cutting back on my running because I don’t think I need so much of it! Plus my poor little knee was saying “QUIT IT!”

    Great post.

  19. Fantastic news! Thanks for the insightful answer. In honor of you, I did bench presses on Mon. night. (I hope that is the right phrasing).

    – Heather

  20. ok HangryPants—–lay it on me:

    did you enjoy the bench press MORE than the pushups?

    I so do.

    I just feel more—-POWERFUL when Im doing it (which is all in my head, I know.)

    Miz., who is doing the push up challenge ANYWAY.

  22. Hmmm…MF, you just keep writing posts to which I can only say, Amen. 🙂

    Too much, too often, and I also second the question – why the body angst? Emailer sounds very healthy and fit, numbers and “pudge” aside. One of the things I liked about the Ayurvedic book I was reading (one of the few things, unfortunately) was that the first question was “WHY do you think you need to lose weight?” I.e., is it about living up to an external standard? Do you not feel comfortable in your body or are you trying to look like what you think is the ideal based on external cues?

    I agree with the “non-prescription” too…the body needs rest, and pushing it too hard is going to make it want to hold on to every reserve it’s got because, after all, it’s not getting a lot and it’s being asked to do so much. There’s some physiological panic going on there, at least that’s what it felt like to me when I (so often) got myself into that state through endless cardio, excessive strength training and insufficient calories (particularly protein!). I finally learned, by experimenting with different levels of each, what my body does best with – and was surprised at how little exercise I actually needed to get real results. 30 – 40 minutes of cardio a day, a day or two off, and moderate strength training about 4 times a week. (GOT to get back to that routine soon…)

    And I have to say, MF, I love your statement about “working on the core” – the REAL core. That is SO how I roll these days…

    V.

  23. I’m going to have to blog about this blog! (You know how the blogging obsession gets–anything you get excited about you’re ready to blog about it.)

    I also don’t work out as much as the emailer, but I do push it harder than I think I can handle. I’m a 33-year old mom of two small boys and I’m exhausted ALL THE TIME. I just saw my doc yesterday to ask her about the fatigue and she seemed to think the 2 little boys with me bouncing off the walls were the reason. Plus I told her how much I work out and I think she was surprised to hear I was claiming to be tired but able to work out that much (though I often compare myself to others and think I’m not doing enough). So her advice was to get more sleep, but how do I fit that in my day?

    Anyway, I keep planning 6-day workout weeks, but then, even with a day of rest, I end up overtraining and exhausted. I tell myself I can do just 4 or 5 days and maybe that’s all that I personally can do,but I always end up pushing it up to 6 again. Thanks for this timely post. I will seriously reconsider next week and try to change it up.

    Also, interested in the HIT–I’ve tried it before but had trouble with keeping the intensity up when I can’t leap around too much with wonky knees. Maybe a little paragraph about low impact high intensity?

    OK, now I just blogged on your blog. Maybe I don’t need to blog on my own blog.

  24. Everyone is giving great advice! I would say variety variety. When your body gets use to do the exact same thing all the time…it slumps! Try switching it up. HIT sounds like an awesome idea for you or maybe taking your workout outdoors? Have fun, play around!

  25. Lainie you are too funny.

    And nailed it with the overtraining thing.

    For me doing 30 minutes of cardio 6-7 days a week isn’t overtraining.

    I still get my period (TMI. I don’t care.), sleep, am not irritable (more that my usual snarkyself anyway) & don’t find that I’m growing progressively weaker.

    If I did even 10 more minutes a day I’d be a permanent resident of Overtraining City.

    (The OC & not the fun kind)
    It’s all about trying a routine, LISTENING TO WHAT YOUR BODY SAYS & then tweaking if need be.

    My thumbs? Methink they’re overtrained via typing…

    Miz.

  26. Definitely time for some new cardio. My favorites:

    jump-roping

    medicine ball slams

    burpees

    Doing 10 minute intervals of any of those (30 seconds on, 30 seconds off) will probably do much more for you than an hour of jogging.

  27. “here’s the issue. I’ve always been a regular at exercising and I currently workout 3-5 times a week 2 hours at a time”

    Yeah, the first thing I cued in on was the over training. Rest can be the hardest part of getting fit since it seems so much like our previous time of being lazy or at the least inactive. However rest is essential to any fitness program. Without it your body can’t recover and you won’t progress- at least not for very long.

  28. Wow lots of great responses. I almost fell out of my chair when I read about the two-hour-a-day workout. I feel super-accomplished when I can do an hour. My vote is (and this was suggested above) to mix it up a bit. Try some new exercises…maybe try one of the classes at your gym to work some different muscle groups. Also, it sometimes helps to take a hard look at what you’re actually eating every day. Whenever I feel like I’m slipping into unhealthy mode, I like to log onto my CalorieCount.com website to keep track of the things I’m eating.

  29. you guys are awesome and very generous with your tipsinsightsandTIME.

    I know I speak for our emailer when I say thanks….

  30. I think your reply will be an eye-opener to so many Mizfit. Less is more? It doesn’t make sense sometimes, but that’s the way it works for so many things in our life. Great advice……I hope it works for the emailer. Also, wondering if the emailer may just have a poor image of herself and is seeing fat that may not be visible to others? Perhaps a body fat measurement may be beneficial to see what is really there 🙂 Just a thought!

  31. So right-on with the less is more, but such hard advice for us to follow sometimes.

    If the emailer wants to continue to run and try to lose, in addition to reducing the lengths of her runs, I’d recommend replacing length with speed and hills. Since I’ve been consistently running hills, I’ve gotten so much fitter and trimmer. Same weight, different shape.

  32. wow, this blog perfectly describes the dilemma that i myself have dealt with for the past year.

    i’m a personal trainer. i know you don’t need that much cardio. however, i still feel like when i decrease the duration of it, i’m decreasing the quality which totally isn’t true. it’s much more impactful to do 20 minutes of HIIT as opposed to walking for an hour. even though i know these facts, the act of making myself cut it back is where i have problems.

    last summer, i did two hours of cardio and one hour of weights every day. (i didn’t work, and we were living in nc for a short amount of time before the af moved us here to georgia) i was seriously overtraining and i looked diiiiisgusting. i’m 5’5 and weighed about 110, which was WAY to low for me and i was “skinny fat”. every day i was burning away my muscle with so much cardio, leaving the “pudge” for all to see. i was very skinny, but had a soft look about myself, especially in the tummy area. as soon as i decreased the cardio (i still do 45 minutes to 60, 6 days a week), i saw amazing results and got the more toned look i had been wanting all along. i’m pretty sure (well i’m positive) this means that if i focus on the quality, rather than quantity, of my cardio, i’ll get even better results. it’s just convincing myself to actually do it that’s going to take a little work!

    i might just have to give it the 30 minute 6-week try as you suggest 🙂

    thank you mizfit!!!

  33. I’d love to hear more about HIT, Mizfit!

    I totally agree with your answer–I’ve done this to myself countless times with running. I increase my mileage to the point where my body is running on empty, and just like clockwork, my speed starts to plummet. From then on, the more I run, the worse I run…

  34. I love all this feedback.

    What it does for me is reinforce what my trainer has been telling me. I got my new, very different, strength circuit yesterday, and I really like it. I can feel new muscles going “WTF?” She even mentioned HIT. I am supposed to shoot for one HIT day. Mine will not be as rigorous as the HIT site recommends, cuz if I tried 9 on the treadmill it would shoot me thru the wall and into the Chinese restaurant next door. But I am going to try to max out my intensity. SOME DAY! I will get to 9 or better, but it wont’ be terribly soon.

    Awesome advice and feedback everyone!

  38. I think it’s all been said here 🙂 And excellent advise it is.
    My thought is that it’s so true that the less is more is a scary concept to a lot of people! Even for me at times.

  39. I’d say to vary it up, give the muscles a shock. Doing the same exercise routines over and over again gives good results at first, but then eventually you will plateau.

    Try some boxing, some Zumba, kettlebells…. you have to keep your bod on its toes! That’s how I do it! 😉

  40. and it IS scary, Suzanne, as we’ve all worked to be where we are & the very thought of letting that *go* is frightening.

    I’m hoping that ALL ya’ll chiming in will serve as even more evidence and, in my mind, even with all that it shall require a certain amount of blind faith.

    Never easy in any realm, huh?

    M.

  41. hmmm…I agree that you can overtrain – but as I have mentioned, I am training for a 1/2 marathon and am trying to follow a running schedule that sounds like overtraining, but I want to be prepared. help!

  43. Missicat? Without even knowing what program you’re following I’d say FRET NOT if it’s designed by any kind of running expert/trainer!

    Those are designed with an eye to optimal performance and to STAVE OFF overtraining!

  44. Wow. Lots of smart people around here. I agree that change is good. Training for a marathon now and I only run 2+ hours once a week w/specific plans and goals for the run.

    If you love to run, then I’d rec. getting on a running plan to take you up to a 10km. Run with a purpose and a plan. Running to running will cause you to burn out or get injured. Also, you need INTENSITY to burn more calories.

  45. I totally agree with you MizFit.. my first thought was she is overtraining.. she may need to mix it up since her body is USED to what she is doing.. add some core classes with a little flexibility and even a few aerobics.. her body will work in a different way.. and burn fat differently 🙂

  47. I would say definately change up the workouts, make sure that your eating enough. Common recipe for failure (and burnout!), eating to little, and exercising too much.

    HITT worked wonders for me when I first started running, as I hated it. lol, nice and short, done and over with.

  48. ok, I’m shutting up for a while but all of this has been on my mind this morning and I wanna take a moment & be sure our emailer, if she’s reading, doesn’t feel ‘attacked’ or criticized.

    That she knows not only are all the comments because people wanna help/spare her mistakes they have made but also becasue we’ve *all* been there in one form or another.

  49. I agree with all of the points above, especially Crabby’s point on whether she is fighting what her body wants to be.

    I also wonder if the e-mailer is taking the amount of calories burned in her workouts into consideration with her daily totals.

    And, I would love a HIIT article. You can title it “MizFit teaches you how to HIIT it”. Just a suggestion.

  51. Yes, you are on (as usual) track Miz! Mix it UP! Shorter workouts, with a variety of cardio experiences (hiking, biking, running, eliptical, a kickboxing class, aerobics, chasing small children, WHATEVER!) in addition to the lifting. And, as you may or may not know, this gal LOVES to run and thinks that regular 2 hours of jogging is DEFINITELY over the top for someone not in serious training for the Olympics.

    Backing off a bit might also give your reader an opportunity to inject other non-exercise related activities into her life . . . which tend to boost self-esteem, too. Too much focus on one area tends to wear a person out physically, mentally and spiritually. Variety breaks the frustration and makes life so much more colorful and enjoyable. That is what it is all about anyway, right?

    Enjoy life and who you are in it!

  53. That was good advice Mizfit. I think some folks go obsessive crazy trying to shape their bodies a certain way. Sometimes less is just better. Work out following a “smart” plan…and be realistic about your goals. I have a certain amount of eye lid fat that no amount of blinking will cure.

  54. I think you are getting plenty of great advice from these lovely people so I will only say that the text book definition of health is :

    Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

    Got that from the World Health Organization.

    You seem to be fit but I wonder if your mental and social well-being are as cared for as the physical part. If you are working so hard on the physical training that you are not going out and having fun or spending time with people you love or just doing something that you enjoy, then you are not healthy. If counting calories is making you crazy, then you are not healthy.

    I hope this helps a little.

    Also, MizFit, please do a post on HIT. I am definitely interested.

    HAPPY Training,
    Love Jenn

  55. Great advice MizFit 🙂
    When I trained for my first marathon last year, I really thought I needed to get all these miles in during the week and run 5 to 6 times a week. I was running up to 8 miles in the mornings before work.

    All this got me was extra tired, extra hungry, overtrained and injured. I gained about 14 lbs and ran the marathon with injured & overused hips. It sucked.

    BUT there is hope. I think I got it right so far this time. I am running every OTHER day, only 4 miles before work in the morning and just one long run per week. I feel great, I dropped back down to my goal weight and I’m faster!

    Workout smart NOT A LOT.
    Quality vs. Quantity.

    PS: When I first started to lose weight before running was my obsession, I did HIT on the precor and dropped 8 lbs in a month.

  56. MF hit the nail on the head, so to speak! I’m training for a half marathon and I don’t run that much! 🙂 When I was trying to lose fat, I ran or jumped rope or ran the stairs, whatever..hit style, for 20 minutes 3 days a week and hit the weights the other 3 days for no longer than 45 min at a time (also high intensity) and the weight came off quickly. I think it’s “hiit” for “high intensity interval training” and you can read more about it and even find a you tube demo on-line. Look for Shawn Philips hiit and type in hiit on you tube.
    thanks for your comments on my blog, MizFit! I’m icing and resting my knee! I want to keep running for a long time, so I can’t let training for this race get in the way of that big picture!

  57. haha! 3 days plus 3 days equals 6 days…the 7th day was/is rest and treat day. thought I’d let you all know that I can add after all!


  58. High Intensity Training?

    Duly noted.

    Feeling a whole lotta love for ya’ll?

    Fo’shizzle.

    You are beyond supportive, oh Bumbling Band of mine…

  59. Lots of great advice here, just popping in to say hello…still trying to get my life “transitioned” as people love to tell me. Will be back to regular reading hopefully by next week!

  60. Wow…that IS a lot of working out! I agree with all of the above advice (I could use some of that advice myself), but I know that I would get burned out SO quickly if I kept up with that hard routine!

    This “less is more” thing is very intriguing…I might have to give it a shot and let you know how it goes!

  61. Less is more, I agree. Yet the problem is your own damn guilty conscience.

    I just vented about that in my own blog: I spent waaaay too much time at the gym, and nothing happened. I never reversed my weight gain. Then I got so sick of it I ended up just going in three times a week for strength, and now finally walking outside, which is more relaxing than all that pressure to climb on that stupid treadmill (oh how I hate it).

    Maybe it’s a challenge to work your way up to doing less for more results…slap that stupid guilty conscience in da face!

  62. If she hasn’t tried it yet I recommend fitday.com for plugging in your meals and finding out exactly where you are for calories and macronutrients. If you are not consuming enough your body will go into starvation mode and your progress will be halted.

  63. So, um…counting the calories. What calories are we counting? Are these quality calories? ‘Cuz some bodies need different things to lose the pudge than others. My husband can literally step out of the pounds he drops when on low-no carb. I, unfortunately, step right into them. And how much of the no-calorie stuff? That can backfire on some people.

    What is HIT? I am in the same boat here…work out (ok, not like most of you though, I did chose Nautilus over nap yesterday, LOL), and am not losing the fat as fast as hoped. However, I can feel muscles! Woot! Gonna save up for a velour bikini!!!!

  65. I am having trouble “pulling back” as well, but more because I am afraid of quitting if I don’t go all-out and exercise twice a day, every day. A “day off” soon becomes skipped days, etc.

    Also, I’m concerned now, from reading all these comments, about too much cardio mixed with a low-calorie diet…

  66. Jenn, loved your post. made your link pretty above…

    Marianne? OF COURSE you chose that 😉 great points about A CALORIE NOT BEING A CALORIE NOT BEING A CALORIE.
    that they arent all the same.

    oh.

    and Ill lend you my velour. you’ll love it & its residual stickness from the fake tanning creme & adhesive gel.

    M.

  68. Yep, I think everyone has been/is/will be there! Its almost inevitable once you get interested in heath. You just push yourself and don’t even see when you’ve shot right past your limits. But your body can sure tell when you’ve reached your limits and gone beyond them!

    Its important to figure out whats right for your specific body though. Less is more but what KIND of less is important. Maybe lower intensity stuff works better for you. Maybe its short but super intense that makes your body happy. Either way, cutting back can definitely help lots.

    As for counting calories- it’ll make you go insane. I’m trying to wean myself off of it:)

  69. i have just “tagged” thee on my bloggy 🙂 I know you’re a busy girl (saving the world, toddler tornado chaser, fitness guru), but if you have time to do it, i’m anxious to see what your “unspectacular quirks” are 🙂

    have a happy humpday mizfit!

  71. Oh my. I have SO been this reader. You are right on the money, MizFit. After a certain point, adding on to workouts is only counterproductive. So sad but true. Dear letter writer girl, my heart goes out to you! Def. take the advice! Even if you are an admitted exercise addict (like me).

  72. I hear ya! Last week, I listened to my body and rested, two days in a row no less. I ate a little more than I wanted to, but healthy. I thought for sure I was going to gain weight, but alas, a big surprise: I lost 1 pound. Who would’ve thought? I guess, you, MizFit…!

  73. Everyone has made great statements on the original question. Nothing I could add would increase the insights.

    BUT… when I gave myself permission to work hard 3 days a week (1- 1-1/2 hours each) and take a lot of rest days? THAT was the point where I had the greatest change in body fat/lean muscle mass.

    At the same time, instead of concentrating on calories, I concentrated on making sure my proportions of carb/protein/fat were where I want them to be.

    So YES, please on a HIIT post! I do my own variation of this 2-3x a week, but I’m still not completely sure how hard the hard part should be, or how easy the easy part should be.

    And I so love the bench press more than the push up! BP makes me very, very happy.

  75. So much wisdom up in heeere. I would like to encourage your e-mailer to stop driving herself insane. Aside from the much needed tweak in the amount of training time, it seems like she’s building a good foundation for fitness and nutrition. This journey of health is a learning process. We all take a trial and error approach to finding out what works best for our individual selves.

    Sounds to me like she’s in great shape with a few problem areas. News Flash — We’ve ALL got ’em!!! While she might wish she had Miz’s arms, I’ll bet somebody would kill to have her calves. I say spend more time loving the skin you’re in.

    And at 21 years old, I guarantee she’ll be more excited about being 140 when she’s 31, and then 41. I’m 39, 5’4″ and 142 — yup, I’m a HOTTIE!!!!

  76. I completely agree that less is more. I have found that exercising 3-4 times per week, 30 minutes per day, makes a HUGE difference. I can’t imagine 2 hours per day – I would never stick with that.

    Oh, and counting calories – to me that takes the fun out of eating! I learned to trust myself to eat until I’m not hungry anymore. It’s easier when you eat clean, because then you don’t have as many cravings.

  77. you guys so smart.

    again, we could change the word if given a shot—at least I think so anyway.

    and Kellie? A friggin MEN.

    such an amazingly well phrased point.

    and vered? this struck me as BEYOND powerful:

    I learned to trust myself to eat until I’m not hungry anymore.

    that’s it. it is all about learning to TRUST OURSELVES.
    with food. with love. with listening to our ‘gut’ when it screams at us not to do something.

    with all of it.

    Miz.

  78. I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed this post. SO much insight on a never ending question. THANK YOU for sharing.

  79. I have no more to add. I just wanted to say I loved reading this entry and all the comments.

    Mizfit, I heart you and all your commenters.

  80. I totally agree with Mizfit – in this case, less workouts at a higher intensity sound like the right thing to do.

  81. OK so since my post waaaay long ago this morning I have been thinking and thinking about what a Massive Hypocrite I am.

    Basically, this girl IS ME at the moment. Her workout schedule is more or less identical to mine, as is her frustration. And I’M getting all up in HER face going “yeah less is more, mix it up, what the others said!!” and not taking any of the advice myself. Why? Because I am scared to cut down on my own gym hours, even though I KNOW it makes sense.

    So just to show it can be done, I skipped my pre-weights 10km run tonight, and found that there is actually a HIIT BUTTON on the treadmills at my gym. And I used it. For the first time, I switched the weary jog for some hardcore intervals.

    Woahhh it was TOUGH.

    But it was awesome. I’m going to do it again next time.

    TA x

  82. I agree. My hubby was a body builder in college. Even when training for a competition, he may have worked out twice a day, but never for more than 20-30 min at a time.

    Keeping on this path will result in Buuuurrrn Out. Been there, done that. Good luck finding a happy medium that will work for you! You will find it!

  83. My trainer was always big on what she called “shocking the body.” Every once in a while, she’d have me skip weights entirely for a week and just do light cardio (sigh…I loved those weeks). Then, I’d come back strong the following week and would almost always see the results on the scale and in the body fat measure during the next measurement.

    There’s a lot to be said for knowing when you need to mix things up a bit, whether it’s working out less at a higher intensity or trying something new altogether. It’s something I’m working on right now.

  84. My hubby is a Marine and his cardio includes short bursts about 1 min each enough to get your heart racing then recover for a few minutes then do it again – He only does cardio for about 30 – 45 min then weights – He has taught me that too much of one thing can be counter productive and your body develops almost an immunity to it – You need to change it up as well so you do not get stagnet.

  85. At the end of the day, I think you have to first get your diet right. It’s not just about cutting calories, but eating the right macronutrients, especially laying off grains and sugars, and getting enough protein. If you don’t do that you run the risk of burning muscle instead of fat when you’re calorie burning exceeds your output (whether from exercise or diet). I will be doing an article on why this happens soon on Emotions for Engineers.

    Tony

  86. *WELCOME TO LOSERVILLE.*

    POPULATION? MizFit

    how much do I adore that the #2 commenter returned and is also commenter number 80.

    when I do a post—-ANY POST—it lingers with me as a backdrop to my day.

    I consider myself honored if it in a small way does the same for you.

    too many fab insights above to comment on as the Tornado is going full tilt.

    Miz.

  87. MizFit: Have you heard of PACE? It’s basically what you describe here: do less cardio but at a higher intensity (short bursts where you run, bike, or whatever as fast as you possibly can, and then you slow down and let your heart rate go back down). A lot of people swear by it.

  88. Not sure what your diet is like, but if you cut out sugar and most complex carbs (while upping protein and fat), you’re basically guaranteed to lose that last bit of fat. Remember that weight loss/maintenance is about 70-80% dependent on what you consume.

    As for cardio, I love SPRINT 8, or any variation of the interval type of cardio involving brief, intense all-out intervals (30 seconds), followed by rest (1.5 minutes on lower intensity). Since switching to this type of work-out, I’ve noticed shrinkage all over my body, particularly thighs and tummy. Plus, they’re more fun and don’t take nearly as long (20-25 minutes is plenty) as steady state 1-2 hour cardio!

    Good luck to you and everyone!

  90. Ah, I think I’ve found my problem here, in doing barely any exercise on a regular basis I’m obviously doing too much, so I need to drastically cut down! This is what you were saying, yes? sigh. No, rather not.

    Also?
    you have been tagged, missus

  91. 1) I wish I could run for two hours at a time. I would be so chuffed with myself if I could do that!

    2) I wouldn’t do it every day though. It’s too much exercise… and besides, who has 2 extra hours a day?

  92. Hey Mizfit: great ideas!!!!! I have been working out (weights, cardio, etc. )for a long time. The past few months I have added interval cardio training. Wow, the results are incredible. I got the idea from Mark Sisson. I love the blog and Marks Daily Apple. Keep up the great work!

  94. It’s been an interesting ride for me recently since I’ve been cutting back. Been sticking to cardio and abs, at most an hour a day- but rarely does it go over 40m. I’ve been feeling pretty good. Which IS good since I’m starting practice at ksu in 2 weeks! I know that I’ll enter college with a sound body (if that makes any sense).

  95. I know that I’ll enter college with a sound body (if that makes any sense).

    it makes COMPLETE sense.

    so smart…

    M.

  96. I can def. relate.. since I got into marathoning it is hard to cut back on cardio but I know i should… it is just mentally sometimes i feel the need to.. I am trying to add yoga and pilates in order to move away from the cardio… I do track wo and hill wo to mix up the cardio too

  98. I for one would DEFINITELY be interested in a post on HIT. I’m having trouble not having enough time for my workouts…so yeah, that would be a good one for me ^_^

  99. I *definitely* have an opinion on this as it sounds like you are describing me, but four years ago. I completely agree with MizFit’s advice. I found that when I ate more and exercised less, but enjoyed each more, the weight slipped off. It was, indeed, scary at first – and I gained about five pounds initially – but I had made a decision that I wanted to be at a weight I could maintain for my lifestyle rather than constantly struggling to be something else. I have no idea if you would get the same weight loss results that I did, but it sounds like you have really high energy needs with the amount of muscle and activity you do. Anyway, that was me.

  100. thanks for sharing that, ann.
    having read your comments for 4 or 5 months now Im really surprised that you struggled with this as well and APPRECIATE you commenting.

    what you said about the FIVE POUND GAIN is something Ive been wanting to talk about more as well.

    that you CAN gain some when you change (be it diet or exercise) but dont quit (even with tuesdays post :)) as it will all level off at the point where your body longs to be and can REMAIN without starvation or overexercise.

    M.

  101. my best tips for arms is swimming – front crawl and breast stroke in particular. it’s a cardio and resistance workout in one… and doesn’t last for 2 hours so you won’t get bored. 🙂 i agree that less can be more!

  103. I just came back to this post to reread something and 1 month later I am here to tell you that, yes, I do enjoy the bench press more AND I can do a few real push ups now (not the BAD girly kind).

    Question – does it matter if I put my feet on the ground or bend my legs and put them on the bench? What about arm placement on the bar? Pretty basic questions, I’m sure, but why not ask an expert.

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