Any gym instructors online ATM?

as the title says.

got a couple of questions - if you dont mind

TIA

what do you need to know?

Hi

I am not a personal trainer (eg programs), but I am a group fitness instructor.

Fire away. If I can help I will smile

excellent!! thanks

well, as you can see by the ticker - its time to get off my lazy ar$e & do some proper exercise to lose the KG's instead of doing the shake diet - sure it comes off, but it certainly doesnt stay off.. ergh.. anywho - this year is MY year to be taking care of me & the family can come second for a while!! LOL

I am starting to exercise at the gym, but as i have never been a serious exerciser, i'm not sure of the right process to facilitate the weight loss - IYKWIM

so, my questions are:

- is it better to do free weight training before or after a cardio session - or on different days completely?

- is it better to exercise, cardio or weight, before or after meal times? as in, do i go before lunch or after lunch.. does it make a difference?? I am only working 2 days a week, so i have heaps of time to get this done

- is it better to stick to the recommended target heart rate for my age/weight or if i can increase it, should i?? When i am on say the treadmill, i can easily reach my 'fat burning' heart rate & keep it there, but it isnt a challenge, i can still easily hold a conversation with the person next to me, if i up my heart rate above the recommended 'cardio training' target, thats when it is a challenge to me, but is that detrimental to fat burn??

any other advice/tips would be much appreciated

I am so clueless... LOL

TIA

Firstly us fitness professionals often disagree about things so this is my opinions wink

I am completely and totally against shake and 'elimination' diets. Sure you will lose weight cutting carbs out, living on calorie restrictive diets ... But if you can't live on it forever it won't work long term ... And it will only stuff your metabolism to boot. It can take up to 12 months to reprogram your metabolism if you stuff it with yo yo dieting and restrictive diets.

Food is however the most important part of weight loss, you can't lose weight long term without adjusting eating habits. Everything in moderation. Don't cut carbs, but increase protein in your diet. It's not a bad idea to go online and just record the calories you consume in a week, some of the things you don't expect sabotage weight loss.

The simple solution to weight loss is consume less than your output. A couple of top tips are that the lower your body fat percentage and the higher your muscle tone ... The more calories your body is burning even while you are sleeping. You WANT to do weights and cardio. Women do not bulk up so don't be scared of weights. Low weights and high repetitions are great for fat loss. My fave is a circuit based class. Set yourself up 10 stations that work a variety of parts, and do each exercise for 1minute doing the circuit three times ( eg. Pushups, squat jumps onto a step, Burpees, bicep curls with a bar, leg presses ... If you google boot camp exercises you will get heaps of ideas ... Try and do exercises that will use as many muscle groups as possible)

As for weights after cardio ... Weights are best first as you will be able to put more effort into them if not fatigued after cardio. I personally have cardio days and weights days though.

It's best to exercise before meal times if possible.

I hear trainers talk of fat-burning range. When doing cardio I like to get my participants to a point of struggling to be able to hold a conversation ... You will burn more getting your heart rate higher. I teach hour long cardio classes. The first 30 mins you are working through your sugar stores ... The longer you can go after this time you will start burning into fat stores.

I would aim for 3 cardio sessions a week of 45mins-hr at a medium to high intensity, and 2 weights sessions a week, alternating days and making sure you have rest days ... Overtraining won't give results either

Lastly don't look at scales. You will go up before down when exercising while trying to lose weight with weights. Look at the difference in your clothing! I dont like BMI at all as a good indication

Hope some of that helps

'Ryjayd' has summed up everything very nicely! Nice work!

The only other option would be to interval train whilst doing your cardio session. So, instead of walking at steady/fast pace for 30 mins, walk at steady/fast pace for 4 mins, then every 5th minute go into a jog, for a total of 30mins. This way, your overall calorie burning is greater than a straight cardio session and you might find it a bit more challenging.

Drink heaps of water, even through winter, and ensure you have rest days.

Good luck smile

Awesome!!

You guys rock!

I have the diet down, i have been listening more to my body & working out what it does & doesnt need - like when i eat white carbs, i feel gross & bloated - went & got tested, have an intolerance to gluten... so on & so forth... so i feel like i am in a good place with diet, but exercise has always been a no-go place for me, but it is certainly way overtime to do something about that. I feel like i am not teaching my kids good things either by not exercising - i want them to be fit & healthy & monkey see monkey do IYKWIM.

I agree with the milkshake/eliimination diets, whilst they have been good for a quick loss for a special event for me, just not realistically sustainable. This time i am gunna do it & do it properly so that i can hopefully keep it off..

LindyLou - thanks for your input too! When i get a bit fitter & lighter, i will start the interval, run/walk!

I now have some direction - thanks ladies!