PROVIDA SUPPORT COMMUNITY

Which cardio exercises
can I count toward NBU points?

As long as you stay within your THR zone for 30-60 minutes at a time,
the following exercises DO count toward NBU Cardio credits:

* Paced walking or jogging (no incline)
* Stationary bicycle - resistance as needed (no hills)
* Walk Away The Pounds (series of walking videos or DVDs - do not use weights) 
* Swimming (if medically recommended by a doctor or for those Living Lean)
* Gazelle (if medically recommended by a doctor or for those Living Lean)
* Elliptical machine 
 * Aerobic dancing (ONLY IF you can do it maintaining your THR) 
* Circuit training with machines or weights (ONLY IF you can do it maintaining your THR) 

But the following activities are generally TOO strenuous and will NOT promote fat burning
 (also, they may cause muscle bulk, hampering your weight loss).
So we do NOT allow you to count them for credits:

* Stair climbing
* Kick boxing
* Stair Step Machines (these are different than Stair Climber) 
* Rowing machines 
* Martial Arts 
* Boxing
* Power cycling (Spinning) classes 
* Sex
* Dancing
* Yard Work
* Shoveling Snow
For more information on cardio, please visit the Accelerated Fat Burning - Cardio Forum.
 

Contributions to this post by brwright and janiselain.

Which toning/sculpting exercises
can I count toward NBU points?

 

The same ones that are detailed in your 6WBMO Notebook. 

 

You CANcount the following:
* Resistance bands (these come with your 6WBMO kit)
* Free weights and weight machines

Please do not count the following activities as cardio or sculpting. 
Although these activities may challenge certain muscle groups,
the results will not be as consistent and reliable as the recommended exercises. 
So do NOT count these toward toning/sculpting:
* Yard work
* Mowing the lawn
* Raking leaves
* Gardening
* Snow shoveling
* House cleaning
* Painting
* Washing the car
* Pilates
* Yoga
* “Curves"
* Exercise ball routines
(Some of these are great but can not be used as a substitute for resistance training during the reduction portion of the programs unless medically directed to do so.)

 

For more information on reshaping your body, please visit the
Targeted Body Sculpting Forum .

 

Contributions to this post by brwright and janiselain.

Of course, if you’ve been inactive for most of your adult life,
making ANY improvements in your activity level
will produce SOME positive results.


But in order to get the most benefit,
you really need to BUILD MUSCLE (through toning exercises)
and BURN FAT (through cardio exercise). 


NOTE:
Always check with your doctor
before beginning any new exercise program –
especially if you have pre-existing medical conditions.


Contributions to this post by brwright and janiselain.

Many of us are coming from a background of inactivity or little activity.  Trying to "leap" into 60 minutes of cardio per day plus 2 toning sessions per week could be a HUGE leap!  Some might be able to do it (starting "cold turkey") -- and that's great!  But for others, the challenge is TOO BIG and feels TOO OVERWHELMING.

 

The solution is simple:  Start Small.

 

If getting out the door is a total struggle for you because you’ve never walked, get some comfy walking shoes, and start with 5 minutes a day.  Put on your shoes, walk around the block once, and you're done!  Feel good about yourself!  Put a sticker on your calendar (or a checkmark or whatever system you're using to track your progress).  Be sure to give yourself PRAISE for accomplishing a 5-minute walk.  Allow yourself to feel successful, and be proud of your achievement each day.

After a day or two, challenge yourself to go a little further.  Instead of walking around one block, keep going and make your loop a little bigger (encircle TWO blocks -- or if you're on the treadmill, walk 8 minutes instead of 5).  Or, take that one block loop in a day.  Again, take time to FEEL GOOD about your accomplishment.  Pat yourself on the back, congratulate yourself, and track your success using whatever method works for you.  Tell yourself, "I can do this!" and "I'm doing it!" and "I'm successful at this!" as you walk.

Every couple days, add a bit more distance and time.  It'll get easier and easier, physically, as your body adjusts to the new demands -- and your weight loss will speed up, too (so you'll be carrying around fewer pounds as you walk, which makes it even easier). 

 

If during a walk you're thinking, "I hate walking!  I'll never lose weight!  I'll never be good at this!  I can't do it!" -- then permanent change is unlikely.  But if you're thinking, "I can do this!  I did it!  This is actually fun!" then you'll want to do it again tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that.  And with each passing day, you’ll get stronger while your body gets lighter!


Contributions to this post by brwright and janiselain.

If I have time to do both cardio & toning
on the same day,
does it matter which I do first?

Yes and No.


Some say to get the most “bang for your buck”,
it’s better to do TONING first, and then CARDIO.
Others say that just getting both done is
more important than worrying
about the fractional differences it
might or might not make.


Those in favor of doing TONING first offer
a rationale based on "fuel types".
Different types of exercise burn different types of fuel.

In the process of sculpting your body,
TONING burns energy that is stored
in little “pockets” in your muscles.


CARDIO, on the other hand,
starts out burning the energy stored in the muscles “pockets” –
but then when the pockets are empty, shifts over to FAT burning. 
It takes approximately 30 minutes of cardio exercise
to empty the “pockets”.

Following that train of thought, 
suppose you do your cardio first,
and then do toning afterwards. 
For about the first half hour of your cardio workout,
your muscles will be burning the energy stored
in the “pockets” of your muscles. 
Once those “pockets” are empty,
your body will kick into “fat burning” mode. 
So if your cardio workout it 60 minutes long,
only the last 30 minutes or so will burn fat.


Under that same logic, doing the toning first
your muscles have the fuel they need to perform properly. 
Since you’ve emptied the “pockets” doing toning,
you’re ready to go IMMEDIATELY into fat burning
when you start your cardio workout! 
Your body should shift into FAT burning gear right away,
rather than spending those first 30 minutes or so to empty the “pockets”. 
So your entire 60-minute cardio workout
will be FAT-burning (not just the last 30 minutes)!

Does that mean you MUST do them back-to-back? 
No.  Most people don’t have time to do both workouts together.
So if you do cardio workouts separately from toning – and that’s fine. 


Still, the most important thing that will
produce the MAXIMUM benefit to your body,
is to get both the toning and cardio portions of your plan done.
It is equally important to fit them both into your schedule.
Don't worry so much about which should come first,
the BEST plan is one that fits into your schedule and
that you will stick with for the long run.
Make daily appointments with yourself, and KEEP them!


Contributions to this post by brwright and janiselain.

Let’s start with POINTS. . .
You get one point for each day that you do
between 30 and 60 minutes of cardio, up to 5 points max per week. 
So if you did 4 cardio workouts in a week, you would get 4 points. 
We recommend that you not do more than 5 per week allowing time off for rest.


Now let’s look at MINUTES. . .
In order to qualify for NBU,
a cardio workout must be at least 30 minutes long
(and preferably, 60 minutes long). 
You can only count a maximum of 60 minutes max per day 
(and a 300 max for the week). 
Any “extra” minutes from one day cannot spill over onto another day.


For example, if you worked out 70 minutes one day and 30 minutes the next,
you would add your minutes like this: 60 + 30 = 90
(not like this: 70 + 30 = 100, or this 60 + 40 = 100).

However, if your workouts are shorter than 60 minutes,
you may do an extra workout (6 for the week) and count the extra day’s minutes,
as long as your total minutes do not exceed 300. 
For example, if you do 6 workouts 50 minutes long,
you could count all 6 workouts for a total of 300 minutes.


Again, we suggest that you take at least one day per week to rest –
so 7 cardio workouts in a week is not recommended.


Contributions to this post by brwright and janiselain.

Whether you're already walking or just starting,  
what follows is a very easy method for increasing
your minutes and reaching that maximum goal
60 minutes of accelerated fat burning.


If you currently walk 30 minutes per day
and you increase it by ONE MINUTE each day:

Day 1:  31 minutes
Day 2:  32 minutes
Day 3:  33 minutes
Day 4:  34 minutes
Day 5:  35 minutes


How many extra minutes does this equal
at the end of the week?  15! 
Instead of walking 150 minutes that week,
you’ve now walked 165 minutes! 
Do it again the next week, and you’re up to 180 minutes. 
Again, and you’re up to 195. 
ONE MINUTE PER DAY
can make a big difference over time!

Now let's suppose you increase it by TWO MINUTES each day:

Day 1:  32 minutes
Day 2:  34 minutes
Day 3:  36 minutes
Day 4:  38 minutes
Day 5:  40 minutes


Just TWO minutes more per day
adds an extra 30 MINUTES to your week!
Instead of walking 150 minutes that week,
you’ve now walked 180 minutes!
Do it again next week, and you’re up to 210.
Again, and you’re up to 240!
TWO MINUTES PER DAY
can make a big difference over time!

When you're trying to go that extra minute or two,
encourage yourself (in your head or out loud).
Cheer yourself along--it will make a difference!

For example:

"OK, (Your Name), you can do this! 
Yesterday, you walked 22 minutes,
so today 23 (or 24) minutes will be easy! 
You can do it!  It won't be hard! 
Your body is STRONGER today than it was yesterday! 
Your body is LIGHTER today than it was yesterday! 
So this will be easy!”


Happy walking!


Contributions to this post by brwright and janiselain.