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Aug. 7th, 2011 10:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
panda posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
exercise_every_dayHi! Newbie here! My name is Panda, and I'm one of those people who always hated exercise. But recently I've realized my mood is better and I have more energy if I exercise regularly, so I'd like to start exercising for 30 min every day. The gym intimidates me, but I've got a workout DVD I really like. I also just started the couch 2 5k program, and I'm really excited about it.
Now I have a total newbie question: like I said, I'd like to exercise for 30 min every day, because I just feel better on days that I exercise. Couch 2 5k is only supposed to be done 3 days a week though, with rest days in between. Is it okay to alternate doing couch 2 5k with doing my workout DVD? My DVD has a 30 min cardio session and a 30 min strength session. On the DVD it says you are supposed to alternate them, and do the cardio workout 2x per week and the strength workout 2x per week. In gym class we were always told you're supposed to take days off after you work out, to give your muscles time to rest and recover, but if doing the cardio and the strength and the running all uses different muscles, is it okay to do them every day, as long as you alternate?
Also, what are you guys' thoughts on what one should eat for a post workout snack/meal? I tried googling for information, but there is so much out there, and a lot of it is contradictory. Eat complex carbs, eat simple carbs; eat peanut butter, don't eat any fat; eat lots of protein, eat lots of carbs; etc etc. Once school starts again, I'm hopefully going to do a fitness assessment with a trainer at my uni's gym, and will ask them about workout foods, but that won't be for a while, and I need to eat things in the meantime. Any advice is very appreciated! Thank you!
Now I have a total newbie question: like I said, I'd like to exercise for 30 min every day, because I just feel better on days that I exercise. Couch 2 5k is only supposed to be done 3 days a week though, with rest days in between. Is it okay to alternate doing couch 2 5k with doing my workout DVD? My DVD has a 30 min cardio session and a 30 min strength session. On the DVD it says you are supposed to alternate them, and do the cardio workout 2x per week and the strength workout 2x per week. In gym class we were always told you're supposed to take days off after you work out, to give your muscles time to rest and recover, but if doing the cardio and the strength and the running all uses different muscles, is it okay to do them every day, as long as you alternate?
Also, what are you guys' thoughts on what one should eat for a post workout snack/meal? I tried googling for information, but there is so much out there, and a lot of it is contradictory. Eat complex carbs, eat simple carbs; eat peanut butter, don't eat any fat; eat lots of protein, eat lots of carbs; etc etc. Once school starts again, I'm hopefully going to do a fitness assessment with a trainer at my uni's gym, and will ask them about workout foods, but that won't be for a while, and I need to eat things in the meantime. Any advice is very appreciated! Thank you!
Oh hai!
Date: 2011-08-07 04:48 pm (UTC)In general, if forms of exercise use different muscles, it's fine in principle to do them on consecutive days. And alternating something like running and strength training is usually fine.
It's more likely to be a question of how strenuous your exercise sessions are, and how your body copes with the overall volume of exercise you're doing.
If you haven't been exercising a lot up 'til now, you might find you need to gradually build up to being able to exercise every day (or nearly every day -- it seems to be common advice to take at least one rest day a week, though a "rest day" can mean doing something that's more low key, like gentle yoga).
The crucial thing is to pay attention to your body and its signals. If you're trying to do too much for you right now (a.k.a. overtraining), you'll know it -- over time, you'll feel run-down, maybe be illness-prone, and find that your performance (how fast/far you run, how much you can lift, etc.) goes down instead of up. In which case, you need to back off and rest, then try to build things up again much more gradually.
On the other hand, if you're feeling like you've got energy to burn, you can crank up the intensity and do more.
Eat complex carbs, eat simple carbs; eat peanut butter, don't eat any fat; eat lots of protein, eat lots of carbs; etc etc.
IM-not-especially-qualified-HO: it all depends on the type of workout, the intensity, and what your exercise goals are. Oh, and your individual body and how it responds to different types of food, and what you like and find easy to digest after a workout. *g*
Basic rules of thumb I'd suggest: it's a good idea to eat Some Stuff within an hour of your workout, as that seems to be a time when nutrients get absorbed into your body especially well.
The balance of protein and carbs you want to aim for will vary depending on whether your workout has been more about strength (in which case, you especially need protein for rebuilding muscle tissue) or cardio/aerobic exercise, e.g. running (in which case you'll need some carbs to top up your blood sugar levels), but in both case, you'll want some of each.
But honestly, unless you're a professional athlete, a bodybuilder, or doing super-intense exercise, you don't need to be super-precise about post-workout nutrition. "Get something to eat, with some carbs and some protein, so you don't falldowngoboom" is a perfectly good basis to work on.
Really, one of the fun things about about all of this is that you get to treat it as an ongoing process of self-experimentation. Try stuff out on yourself and see how it works.
Re: Oh hai!
Date: 2011-08-07 06:06 pm (UTC)I should have said I've been averaging exercising about 3 days a week for the past month or so, so I'm definitely not going from "exercise zero days a week" to "exercise 7 days a week!" I'd like to be able to at least do something every day, because if I've got a streak going, I'm more likely to stay motivated, whereas if I take a day off, then I want to take the next day off, and it's all downhill from there. But having "light" days is probably a good idea.
The crucial thing is to pay attention to your body and its signals.
... I hear this a lot, in all aspects of my life. I suppose I should listen, haha XD
Basic rules of thumb I'd suggest: it's a good idea to eat Some Stuff within an hour of your workout, as that seems to be a time when nutrients get absorbed into your body especially well.
I drank some pulpy orange juice after my run today, and then was like ... am I Doing It Wrong? The websites I found seemed to be geared towards more serious athletes/people focused on putting on muscle, and I was like "but what about little old me? :<" But Some carbs and Some protein seems like an easy enough thing to do.
Really, one of the fun things about about all of this is that you get to treat it as an ongoing process of self-experimentation. Try stuff out on yourself and see how it works.
*nods* this is a helpful way to think about it, thank you!
no subject
Date: 2011-08-07 05:08 pm (UTC)So I'd take the C25K and the DVD strength training seriously, and the DVD cardio lightly. See how it turns out, if you feel great, it works, if you feel exhausted and don't see much progress, change something. Especially when you are just beginning, progress should be significant and visible.
For post-workout, I like a nice mix of protein and easily accessible carbs. (And a large glass of water or two.) Usually I have a big Latte and an apple, some hot milk with honey, or cooked oatmeal with milk. If you use protein powder (I do, because I am about 100 grams of meat a week from being a vegetarian, and I dislike soy), you can mix it in when stuff is cool enough to eat/drink: Any hotter and it gets rubbery. Again, whatever you do, it should make you feel good and help you recover. If it makes you sick or bloated or shaky, try something else.
If my "workout" was longish cardio (more than two hours of bicycling or four hours of hiking), I know that I need a hearty meal, or I'll be in trouble the next day. Pasta with olive oil, herbs and nuts are a favourite, or whole grain bread with butter and full-fat cheese. If the weather was especially cold, all bets are off. I don't run well on fumes.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-07 06:13 pm (UTC)See how it turns out, if you feel great, it works, if you feel exhausted and don't see much progress, change something.
This is good advice. Keeping a workout diary is kind of annoying, but I should probably do it, because in 2 weeks, I won't remember how I felt after this morning's run.
I've had bad experiences with protein power tasting nasty. Granted, this was strawberry flavored powder, and it tasted too sweet and fake fake fake. Is there unflavored powder? Do you have any brands you recommend? I'm lactose and gluten intolerant, but I should be able to eat whey powder, assuming it has no added gluten ...
How soon after your workout do you usually eat? Some of the websites I was reading said within 30 min is optimal.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-07 06:35 pm (UTC)Cookie dough protein balls
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Date: 2011-08-07 06:58 pm (UTC)I happen to have almond butter, brown rice syrup and GF chocolate chips sitting in my cupboard right now. All that's missing is the whey powder. Hmmm.
*plots trip to the store*
no subject
Date: 2011-08-07 09:07 pm (UTC)Haven't found a neutral powder yet, not for lack of trying :-/
How long, hm. I do 10 to 15 minutes of stretching after a workout... then changing, bicycling home, usually I shower before eating, today I was so shaky that I had to eat first... some preparation time... 45 to 60 minutes, I guess.
I don't worry too much about the details. I trust that my body will tell me if I mess it up, I just have to pay some attention and overcome gym class conditioning. (The one that says, "If you don't feel miserable, it's not exercise.")
no subject
Date: 2011-08-07 11:18 pm (UTC)*nods* ahahhahahah oh gym class. or "exercise must be public humiliation." *sigh*
thank you for the input!