Trying to get healthy, any tips?

[Imahottguy]

im a little bit older than you, but other than that we are almost the same when put on paper. but really weight doesnt matter.

175lbs of muscle = 175lbs of fat (for a lack of a better comparison)
175 w/ 20% body fat =/= 175 w/ 6% BF (see where im going?)

so dont worry too much about the weight. look to the mirror more and even BF calculations.

as to (as much as i hate the word) "tone" and lose the belly, there are 2 ways ou can go: lose fat 1st, or gain muscle (which raises your metabolism). i suggest, as you stated, losing the fat 1st.

the best way i have seen to do this is HIIT (high intensity intraval training) and steady state cardio. the steady state is pretty self explanitory (running at the same speed for the whole duration fo time). for the HITT, you can use a machine or sprint. you go about 60-70% your max (essentially jogging) for about 30-45 seconds, then go 80-90% of your max for 30-45 seconds. repeat this for about 15-20 minutes and you are DONE!

HIIT has been shown to increase fat oxidation for up to 6-8 hours (if i remember right). steady state cardio, studies show, stops burning fat a little while after you stop. but a mix of both is helpful to balance things out.

as for building muscle, that is a whole different story....



PS i hope i didnt bore you with all my typing.

Trust me, you're definitely not boring me. I want to get in shape, and will listen to anyone who has a good idea. The HIIT sounds good. I'm sure that this could be applied whilst running/jogging outdoors. I start running in just a few hours, so I will report back my results/thoughts later. After working out this morning, I felt great. It was awesome, my upper body was burning (I love the feeling), and my abs were so tender to the touch; it was great . Oh and I def know about the fat vs. muscle in weight talk, I bet that I may even weigh a bit more after I get into the shape I want to be in, and that's ok.

[Zeal]

And thats because Muscle weighs more then FAT!.. So.. thats actually good

[minivinny95]

I'm going to get my blood drawn today so I'll tell u the results!!!!!

[Taniban]

Yes the HIIT training works big time. It's what I do for my 20 min cardio and it knackers the hell out of you. I have done it for like 3 months with my regular training and I have got more defined. But yeah, high intensity is the way to go, I super set everything with my weight training.

[Chefanim]

@IMAHOTGUY

Nice to see another old Motofan here

[Imahottguy]

^^ Def dude, too bad about moto...

I tried HIIT this morning with my running, I couldn't believe how intense it was. 30 seconds doesn't sound like much, but man, it's terrible.