lifetime exerciser needs workout advice.

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cpriebe77's picture
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Joined: 18 Oct 2007

i have worked 5-7 days a week since i was 14 years old. i am now thirty.
for the past 10 years i have participated less in actual sport and more of a gym workouts. they included a lot of cardio and running. exercise has always made my head feel good and my body looks fit and healthy.
BUT
i think i workout too hard and have trouble recovering from workouts. i feel light headed, like my blood sugar is off. i am a protein type and eat accordingly, but feel like i need carbs post workout? but then that also defeats part of the purpose of working out if it just insights me to crave carbs?

i feel like i don't know what is best for me work out wise any longer?

Dr. Winnie Abramson's picture
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Joined: 11 Sep 2007
strength training

Hi,
Diet will help but not by itself. You need to find the right work out plan too. For legs, I would consider doing fairly light weights and higher reps- 15-20 at a time and 3 sets of each. Or ignore the weights and focus on lunges, squats, and other movements like this- these are great because they do not bulk you up. At the same time, focus more on strengthening other areas of your body such as your arms, abs, and back with push-ups, dips, crunches, etc. Pilates and yoga are good for stretching and strenthening as well. I would not necessarily stop exercising- I would look for a different way to exercise :) We will soon have exercise videos on the site- stay tuned!
Dr. Winnie Abramson

cpriebe77's picture
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Joined: 18 Oct 2007
lifetime exerciser needs workout advice.

thanks for the quick response. looking forward to the exercise segments on the site.
so this is the thing with me.
i have a lot of muscle. i have been an athlete my entire life and develop muscle easily. i just get bigger with weights and resistance training. i have been using the less cardio more resistance plan. my blood sugar is more stable but i am bulking up in my lower half.
i am attempting to reduce my body fat.
i am guessing for me that is really only going to happen via diet?
i don't know what to do with exercise? part of me feels like i should stop working out for awhile, which would curb my appetite? is there any validity to that?
i am trying to find my homeostasis.

Dr. Winnie Abramson's picture
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exercise question

Hello,
We are working on getting our exercise portion of the Enlita program ready...in the meantime, it sounds like you are having trouble recovering from your workouts. I think you are doing too much cardio, so I would recommend backing off on that. Start to incorporate more strength/resistance training, and limit your cardio for a little while and see if that helps. Also, if you are very active, you may need to eat more food overall throughout the day so that you don't crave carbs after your workouts.