Soldato
Hi all,
I’m looking for some tips to get generally fitter and healthier after the better part of 40 years pretty much abusing my body!
I’m almost 40, about 6’3” tall and currently weigh around 16st (although I've been up as high as 17st before!). I wouldn't say I’m overly fat and it would appear I don’t look as heavy as I am as whenever I tell people what I weigh, they always say “yeah, but you’re tall so it’s OK!” – great, except it doesn't help me while I’m trying to run around after the kids (3 & 1) at a play centre!!!
I've got a gym membership and try to go 3 or 4 times a week in the evenings on weekdays (I have to help get the kids to bed so don’t tend to go until 7 or 8 o’clock at night!) - weekends are just too hectic with the kids!
My gym routine consists of:
I know this isn’t the best routine and I’m probably doing some fundamental bits wrong (like not warming up properly – I tend to use the treadmill as my “warm up”) but it’s sort of the routine I had made up for me when I had a session with a personal trainer when I first joined a gym in my mid-twenties!
The areas I’d like to work on are my general fitness and stamina as well as trying to get rid of my gut, double chin and my moobs!
Diet-wise I’ve always thought along the lines of “well as long as I’m doing some form of exercise (I’ve dabbled with the gym, squash, football etc over the years) then I can eat what I want” but it’s becoming abundantly clear that I simply cannot do that at my age!!!
For the last few days I’ve joined my wife on Weight Watchers (she has been doing amazing on it and is almost at her target weight!) keeping to their “fill and healthy” routine – again I’m not sure why, I just wanted something to follow to aid in my weight loss!
This week my diet has consisted of:
I know some of the above will seem strange/wrong but on the WW “fill and healthy” plan you can have as much as you like of certain foods, including chicken & bacon etc!
I work in an admin-type role so spend a lot of my day sat at a desk or in my car so I do have a few cups of coffee throughout the day too!
Not looking to become Mr Universe but would like to get down to around 14 stone – according to the BMI calculator on the NHS website I’d be considered healthy at between 10st 8lb and 14st 5lb but I dread to think how gaunt I’d look if I was at 10st 8lb!!!!!!!
Anyway, I guess what I’m after is a few tips on a decent gym routine to try and target my concern areas mentioned above as well as other general nutrition tips to get myself fitter!
Thanks for any comments guys, the other “help me I’m out of shape” threads seem to have been very constructive!
I’m looking for some tips to get generally fitter and healthier after the better part of 40 years pretty much abusing my body!
I’m almost 40, about 6’3” tall and currently weigh around 16st (although I've been up as high as 17st before!). I wouldn't say I’m overly fat and it would appear I don’t look as heavy as I am as whenever I tell people what I weigh, they always say “yeah, but you’re tall so it’s OK!” – great, except it doesn't help me while I’m trying to run around after the kids (3 & 1) at a play centre!!!
I've got a gym membership and try to go 3 or 4 times a week in the evenings on weekdays (I have to help get the kids to bed so don’t tend to go until 7 or 8 o’clock at night!) - weekends are just too hectic with the kids!
My gym routine consists of:
- 15 minutes on the treadmill at speed 11 (no incline) with 3 minutes cool down
- 3 sets of 12 reps on an arm weights machine (usually the one where you sit facing the machine and pull the handles down from above – sorry I don’t know the names of the machines!)
- 50 (or sometimes 100) sit-ups (I tend to lie flat with my arms by my side and lift my head and back about 6-8 inches off the mat rather than the full “arms-behind-head curl to my knees” type – this is because I have had back problems pretty much all of my life and it’s the way I was shown by a physiotherapist!)
- 3 sets of 12 reps on another arm weight machine (generally the bicep curl one!)
- 15 minutes on a stationary bike set to “random” and difficulty level 8 and then 3 minutes cool down
I know this isn’t the best routine and I’m probably doing some fundamental bits wrong (like not warming up properly – I tend to use the treadmill as my “warm up”) but it’s sort of the routine I had made up for me when I had a session with a personal trainer when I first joined a gym in my mid-twenties!
The areas I’d like to work on are my general fitness and stamina as well as trying to get rid of my gut, double chin and my moobs!
Diet-wise I’ve always thought along the lines of “well as long as I’m doing some form of exercise (I’ve dabbled with the gym, squash, football etc over the years) then I can eat what I want” but it’s becoming abundantly clear that I simply cannot do that at my age!!!
For the last few days I’ve joined my wife on Weight Watchers (she has been doing amazing on it and is almost at her target weight!) keeping to their “fill and healthy” routine – again I’m not sure why, I just wanted something to follow to aid in my weight loss!
This week my diet has consisted of:
- Breakfast: Bowl of porridge made with skimmed milk
- Snack: Apple/banana
- Lunch: A couple of those brown Warburtons “thins” with wafer thin chicken and lettuce
- Snack: Apple/banana
- Evening meal: Chicken breast, bacon medallions (cooked in a tiny bit of low fat oil/spray) in a salad
I know some of the above will seem strange/wrong but on the WW “fill and healthy” plan you can have as much as you like of certain foods, including chicken & bacon etc!
I work in an admin-type role so spend a lot of my day sat at a desk or in my car so I do have a few cups of coffee throughout the day too!
Not looking to become Mr Universe but would like to get down to around 14 stone – according to the BMI calculator on the NHS website I’d be considered healthy at between 10st 8lb and 14st 5lb but I dread to think how gaunt I’d look if I was at 10st 8lb!!!!!!!
Anyway, I guess what I’m after is a few tips on a decent gym routine to try and target my concern areas mentioned above as well as other general nutrition tips to get myself fitter!
Thanks for any comments guys, the other “help me I’m out of shape” threads seem to have been very constructive!
