Fitness

[tanodle5]

Hey guys,

After a bit of a delay speedo weather has finally hit Northern California, and I couldn't be happier. I posted a few months ago about grooming tips and the help has been appreciated. Seeing as how I'm now into my early 30s metabolism has slowed to the point where just running and eating okay isn't enough to keep my stomach toned. I'm not looking for six pack abs or anything; just trying to keep my self feeling and looking confident when I show up to swim in my speedo. any of the guys on the board have exercises they like or have found are particularly effective. Much appreciation!

[zaps]

I've put on some weight in the last couple of years because of stress in my life and less time for exercise. I got motivated to get more serious about exercise again because I was on vacation with family and wore my speedo and all the pictures I'm in I can see the weight that I've put on very clearly. I'm still comfortable with my body, but definitely not where I want to be. Right now I'm doing about 3 days a week of weightlifting, and cycling as much as the weather permits, along with hiking periodically. I enjoy cycling, but it is also a very rapid burner of calories too!

[ExBex]

One thing I love about speedos is the motivation to get more fit!

A flat stomach is all about body fat. You can have the best ab muscles but won't see them until you get below 10-12% body fat. There is no exercise that targets fat loss in one body area. And unfortunately, men tend to get the most fat around the stomach, and it's the last to go. Some research has shown that large-muscle exercises like squats or presses (or even swimming!) do more for a flat stomach than any ab-targeting exercises, just because they burn more fat calories overall.

But I think it is still 75% a nutrition issue, and only 25% exercise. In my experience, the single best thing I ever did to improve my stomach and overall muscle tone was to eliminate polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) from my diet. In other words, no added oils (except coconut oil or olive oil, and grass-fed butter in moderation). That eliminates most junk food, processed foods, fried restaurant foods, and commercial salad dressings. Medical research has shown that as PUFAs accumulate in the body over time, they suppress the thyroid and act like estrogens. It is those effects that create the so-called age-related metabolism slowdown, IMO. Vicious cycle!

[PNWGuy]

Yoga is good for me, as it helps with both core strength and overall flexibility. At 63, my metabolism is definitely slower than when I was 33. We cut out most bread / pasta / rice / potatoes from our diet and that helped a lot bringing weight down. I'll never have a sixpack, but I'm trim and generally fit. I do a lot of walking / hiking, as well as gardening.

[BJE]

Besides swimming I lift weights and do Taekwondo. However I think the most important thing is to cut back on calories. You can never out exercise you ability to eat. Through diet and exercise I have managed to never be fat. I've always had a "six pack". It's degree of definition has varied though. Often times even from morning to evening I can see a difference. I always look best in the morning after not having eaten all night.

[rmf]

....A flat stomach is all about body fat. You can have the best ab muscles but won't see them until you get below 10-12% body fat. There is no exercise that targets fat loss in one body area. ..... But I think it is still 75% a nutrition issue, and only 25% exercise....

ExBex,
You mentioned this before and I 100% agree with you. For the majority of the people, you gain weight strictly by what is eaten... period. I have to say - it really takes a lot of will power and determination to make the change to a clean diet. Eating clean isn't really hard if you look at it as a simplifying your life approach. Steaming, broil and dry spices (for flavor) is what our neighbor who is a nutritionist likes to tell people about simplifying/cleaning up their diet. Eating a low but 'dirty' caloric diet really doesn't produce great results in the long run. Once you have a good handle not only the amount but also the TYPE of food you are eating and add moderate exercise routine will start to benefit your body.

Tanodle5,
if you think 30's it slows down... it will only get worse. After I had kids, I noticed myself that I started to keep some weight around the waist. Before it became an issue, I made some personal changes. I adjusted my diet, eliminated about out 85% of my beer intake (too many calories), and added some more to the work out routine (swimming, walking when possible and some cycling in the summer). The workout routine came easy since I look at it as 'me time'. With some adjustments of what I was currently doing, I was able to shed about 4-5% body fat and it wasn't too difficulty. Now, I'm able to maintain my body fat at the 12% range - not bad for someone in their upper 40's.

Honestly, it probably is about running and diet and not really much more. You are doing those two main things for a toned stomach but not achieving it, then you might not doing one or both of the two things right OR you need to do more of both. Think about your diet and see where you can seriously improve it and then think about your exercise routine and think where you can add some more hours to getting some calories burned down.

[Thom]

Besides swimming I lift weights and do Taekwondo. However I think the most important thing is to cut back on calories. You can never out exercise you ability to eat. Through diet and exercise I have managed to never be fat. I've always had a "six pack". It's degree of definition has varied though. Often times even from morning to evening I can see a difference. I always look best in the morning after not having eaten all night.

Good point on the time of day. I have better tone in the morning than the evening. When I'm tired at night, I know my spine compresses and I don't look as good.

Watching carbs works best for me.

After shrinking from 70.5 to 69 inches in height a few years ago, my last measurement of height (my company has an annual fitness check, so it's a standardized measurement), had me back up to 70" in height, which I thought was amazing. I think Yoga helped. Recently, I renewed my drivers license and could list 5'10" as my height again. It's a real incentive to keep watching my health.

I've got to work on my stamina. I've found an aerobics method recently that may help. I also bought a waterproof watch that measures heart rate.

[tanodle5]

Awesome suggestions here! I think probably regulating my diet better is the thing to do. I sometimes work pretty late into the night which has made it hard for me to get a good home cooked meal all the time. I've also started (this week) doing some upper body exercises on the days I don't run.

[Thom]

Awesome suggestions here! I think probably regulating my diet better is the thing to do. I sometimes work pretty late into the night which has made it hard for me to get a good home cooked meal all the time. I've also started (this week) doing some upper body exercises on the days I don't run.

If you can avoid eating a big meal late at night, that helps. Also, and I know it's difficult with work schedules, getting to bed before eleven, or even ten, is better for your overall health. A good book for general health is "Eat Right 4 Your (blood) Type, by Peter D'Adamo. It's a good starting off point. The book's been out for about twenty years now, it's still in print, and people still find it has value. It even recommends the best types of exercise by blood type. And as in all these things, which are just guides really, the thing that works best is to listen to what your body is telling you with a quiet mind.