I can swear by this - I've lost almost forty pounds since New Year's by cutting out the danishes, making my own lunches, and going to the gym regularly for weight lifting and cardio.<p>The only thing I'd add - working out is time-consuming, and getting started at a gym is both hard and intimidating. Gyms themselves are counting on you to stop going - that's how they make their money. If you're having trouble getting started, consider saving up your money and getting a personal trainer for a few months. The personal trainer will teach you how to use the equipment properly, get you more comfortable around the gym, and, most importantly, will be so godawful expensive you won't shrug it off and not bother to go to the sessions - the pain of wasting all that money will be too much.<p>Yes, I know this is silly - but I was getting chunkier and chunkier over the past couple of years and for me that was the only thing that worked. Personal willpower just wasn't getting it done.
Looks pretty good.<p>Two points that I'd <i>not</i> follow.<p>Diet: Eating grains. Gluten is pretty much evil for everyone, including non-Celiacs. Google for "paleo diet" or "gluten autoimmune" to get a sense of gluten's impact.
Also check out the "Save my Life" HN thread for more info about gluten-free/paleo.
<a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1399450" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1399450</a><p>Exercise: Cardio, long slow distance is pretty much useless. High intensity intervals, 200m, 400m repeats will have a much bigger impact.
If you really love endurance, check out <a href="http://crossfitendurance.com/" rel="nofollow">http://crossfitendurance.com/</a> and google for "tabata intervals"
some extra programs if you're looking for more templated options:<p><a href="http://www.rosstraining.com/nevergymless.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.rosstraining.com/nevergymless.html</a><p>Ross Enamait's "Never Gymless" - this guy will turn you into a freak of nature ... without a gym. Also be sure to check out "Infinite Intensity" and his other programs as well.<p><a href="http://www.defrancostraining.com/articles/38-articles/65-westside-for-skinny-bastards-part3.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.defrancostraining.com/articles/38-articles/65-wes...</a><p>West Side for Skinny Bastards 3 by Joe DeFranco - a four day split involving max effort, dynamic effort, and repetition days.<p><a href="http://www.aasgaardco.com/store/store.php?crn=199&rn=312&action=show_detail" rel="nofollow">http://www.aasgaardco.com/store/store.php?crn=199&rn=312...</a><p>Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe - one of the best books as far as learning the basics of barbell movements and how to apply them successfully. Also check out "Practical Programming" which will help you scale your workouts to beginner, intermediate, and advanced programs as you progress.<p>And finally, if you're looking for a way to get a quick and brutal (did i mention brutal??) cardio workout, I highly suggest high intensity interval training (HIIT) in the form of barbell complexes.<p><a href="http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/screw_cardio_four_complexes_for_a_shredded_physique" rel="nofollow">http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_train...</a><p>I highly suggest Cosgrove's Evil 8 complex, you'll be entirely gassed in about ten minutes. Complexes are GREAT for people looking to build mass and continue doing high intensity cardio without the catabolism (muscle breakdown) associated with slower, long duration cardio.
Good read, although the comments about saturated fat may be questionable in light of the recent research (e.g. <a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1332954" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1332954</a>).
This guy has built an home fitness plan with inexpensive tools:<p><a href="http://fitness.scoobysworkshop.com/" rel="nofollow">http://fitness.scoobysworkshop.com/</a><p>He has posted videos too.<p>Good for those who haven't got an (inexpensive) gym nearby (like me).<p>EDIT: His push-ups tutorial is highly recommended: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S990kHLMVFg" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S990kHLMVFg</a>
I really hate it how many people when talking about health talk about losing weight. It somehow undermines credibility of other things theys say.<p>What if I don't need to lose weight? What if I actually need to eat more? Haven't you thought about it, mister?
I agree with the author's recommendation to focus mainly on compound movements (squats, deadlifts, military presses, etc.) I stopped training arms directly and still packed on substantial muscle mass just by training back, chest and shoulders. I'd also point out that in my experience, training legs accounts for 50% of upper body growth due to the specific hormones released.
This article gets huge "Hell yeas" from me just for linking to published medical papers when making medical claims.<p>I saw the jama link and almost clapped right then and there.
Great article, agree with pretty much everything.<p>The one advantage of machines over free weights is that the machine will enforce your form. If you are able to maintain form with free weights, the effort exerted to do so is an added bonus, but if you aren't, it's not good. I started with machines, and every couple workouts replaced a machine exercise with a free weight exercise. This helped me get started, and let me concentrate on the form on one new exercise at a time.
<i>Eating healthy has to just become how you eat most of the time. Exercise has to become a habitual thing you do every day or two, like mowing the lawn or taking out the trash.</i><p>Yes! Yes! Yes! This is the key, "the secret," to fitness.
For those of us who have enjoyed running the past or would like to start up, I highly recommend getting Nike+ (<a href="http://nikeplus.com" rel="nofollow">http://nikeplus.com</a>). It connects to your ipod, and via a sensor in your shoe gives you feedback about your run. You can join challenges and make friends on their site. Having graphical feedback of your run is pretty cool too. Being able to visualize your progress is very motivating.
This is a great article, makes me want to get off my bum and do some exercise :) One thing I'd like to know is, for women, yoga and pilates and all that seems to be quite fashionable these days, but they don't tend to be either cardio or weightlifting -- what sort of effect do they have on the body?
How much does smoking pot affect your health and fitness? Is it in same category as bad food (i.e. you can smoke a joint a couple times a week and get away with it) or is it worse?