Vintage Exercise Techniques

[KittyT]

Also, I have an hourglass figure. Right now my measurements are 42-30-42. I was advised to stay away from kickboxing, the stairmaster, weight lifting with high resistance, and walking/running on an incline. Is this true?

By whom, and why?

 

[MissAmelina]

Lifestyle ie diet, exercise regimen and spiritual perspective are what works for me.
Now back to my :coffee: and

OK....Those are the most beautiful donuts I have ever seen.

Exercises where you twist alot are supposed to be good for maintaining an hourglass figure....like tennis and yoga and calesthetics. I have read the pilates is not good for whittiling the waist because it encourages muscle growth on your abdomen, which can give you more of a ruler shape.....This could all be a load of crappola, though. I think any kind of movement and strength training is good, right?

Marilyn lifted weights and she was a hottie-patottie, so don't be afraid of that either.

According to my fitness guru, the crazy Susan Powter, you will melt off those saddlebags by doing this:

1. Eating Real Food
And plenty of it....at least 1500 a day...probably more like 1800.
NO JUNK. Those ladies in the 30's and 40's did not have McDonalds, bags of Cheetos, Velveeta, Twinkies or any of that garbage.
Chances are they were eating lots of whole foods...fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and meat occasionally as it was expensive. Lots of complex carbs. Your brain needs them to function properly.
You must eat to be lean. Otherwise you do yourself a great disservice by messing with your metabolism....and will eventually gain fat from doing so. I know alot of ladies of all ages who are having a heck of a time now because they starved themselves for years and years, so now their bodies cling to the fat. But by incorporating healthy eating, and plenty of it, they could change that.

2. Build lean muscle mass
Weight bearing exercises to build strength--low or high rep...does not matter...either increases your metabolism and makes you stronger. So you can lift weights, do pushups, power yoga...just some kind of strength training 2 or 3x a week.

3. Movement:
Cardio where you are *not* huffing and puffing and feel like you are gonna die. That does more harm than good. So a fast paced walk, swim, hike, bicycling, roller skating...for 30 minutes 5x a week.

4. Stay of the scale. We are slaves to that stupid number. And as you gain muscle, you will gain weight even though you are getting smaller. So use a measuring tape to keep track of your progress. Who cares what you weigh if you are a size 2? Which Susan is....and here is a photo to illustrate. She probably eats about 2000 calories a day. Did I mention she's FIFTY ONE? She lost around 160 pounds and has kept it of for 20 years :

She discusses this stuff here on her website.

Now if I could just practice what I preach and get off my butt.... It's been too hot to do much of anything.

 

[Mrs. Merl]

I very much agree with using more than just little weights. I am a very avid weight lifter (both high weight and high volume - different cycles) and I should post pictures as soon as I am done with my current cycle. We actually just finished a bulking cycle and then we will pull off the fat during this one. Point of this is, I won't actually be very bulky at all. It is insanely difficult to gain a lot of mass without massive supplements or steroids. We do neither.

We follow an actual vintage plan when we lift (admittedly originally intended for men - but I just adjust slightly for being a female.) We consume almost no supplements (only some straight whey protein - only because we would go broke buying protein like meat.) To put it in perspective - to gain the little extra that I did and not completely crash - I was supposed to consume at least 1000 extra calories a day. I actually got tired of eating. Anyway, I cannot stress how important I feel weight lifting can be for your body. For someone not as insane as we are - I think that what everyone has been saying is the best advice ever. Combine weightlifting (at least moderate weights) with a cardio program (again at least moderate) and a well-balanced diet and you should do well for yourself.

Some things I think everyone should take into account when setting up your program. Age - we need different things at different stages of life - look inot what is best for you right now. Health issues - this can drastically effect your workout - but especially - your diet. (I am a huge champion of health through what you consume - kind of holistic.) And most especially - your particular needs - my example would be this - My husband can live almost entirely on a high protein/high fat diet and feel fine. In fact just a few too many carbs of any sort (complex or simple) and he starts getting fat. I do not mean he eats no carbs mind you - but only healthy ones and in moderation. I, on the other hand, feel like I am going to die if I don't consume - at least - a fair amount of carbs and I do not store them up as fat as quickly as he does either. So listen to your body and always in everything practice moderation.

Be healthy!

 

[Mrs. Merl]

Paisley - what is the book you refer to - I am not familiar with it. I am trying very hard to learn as much as I can about women and the history of weightlifting (and physical culture in general.) I know a lot about the history involving men - I think my husband has assimilated enough physical culture information that he should, in fact, write a book. But there is very little about women. I have found tid-bits here and there about women and physical culture. I simply feel that it is very much a case of it being such a male dominated area that women are never mentioned. Though I believe very much that women were at least involved on the fringes at different times. The information we have at this time, exemplifying weight training - similar to what we think of today - goes back to the mid to late 1800's.

 

[Paisley]

Mrs. Merl, I've referred to two books. Rome 1960 is about the 1960 Olympics in Rome, when women athletes weren't taken very seriously. Wilma Rudolph (the Black Gazelle) and the rest of the Tigerbelles helped change that. Some of the men in track and field started lifting weights as part of their regimen, but it wasn't something you announced back then.

The other book is Body for Life by Bill Phillips. This is the diet and exercise regimen I have followed since 2003. There's also a web site devoted to the program. Basically, it consists of cardio workouts and weightlifting and an eating program that balances carbs, protein and vegetables.

I know what you mean about individual requirements. Although grains are allowed on BFL, I don't process them well. I bloat, gain weight and my skin breaks out. So it's mostly trpoical fruit and potatoes for me. Some people recommend an ancestral diet; I've long suspected that my black-haired mother and her brown-skinned father's family is from a warmer climate than their German surname suggests.

 

[Mrs. Merl]

Paisley - I was curious about the Rome 1960. It depends on what circles you were in whether weightlifting or body building was acceptable, I suppose. I know that much earlier it was becoming very "cool" in places like "Muscle Beach" in California.

By the way, I am very familiar with Body for Life. I applaud your keeping up with it for so long. Everyone I know who tried it gave it up eventually - but I believe they would not keep with any sort of program anyway. My husband was on Body for Life for a while, but he would be a complete gym rat if he wasn't married! So he wanted something more, which was the reason he quit that program.

Ancestral diet information makes a lot of sense in some cases. We actually follow a similar idea. But it is more generalized. It is more just about eating more like they did before all the processing happened in the food world. Very natural, very unprocessed, very whole, or traditionally processed. I feel healthier for it.

 

[Paisley]

I'm way ahead of you with the diet change suggestions! I've completely revamped my diet and eat more fruit and veggies than any other food group. I've cut out the sodas and fruit juices and drink mainly water (and lots of it). I've always been a light eater, so I average about 900 to 1,000 calories a day (I tend to burn average 1,200 per gym visit). This sounds extremely unhealthy, and it may be, but honest to goodness I am full the entire day and I really do feel like I am stuffing myself like a Thanksgiving turkey!

If your numbers are correct, this is really unhealthy. Your body's ability to recover from exercise is limited--and it needs calories from good foods (including protein-rich foods) to do so. Regardless of how well the endorphins are making you feel, you're burning the candle at both ends. There are more important things than weight loss, and your long-term health is one of them.

 

[Mrs. Merl]

Paisley is very right. Please consider what you have said. For many people even the "2000 calorie diet" may actually not be enough to support their lifestyle. Research may be a really good thing here.

 

[Shirin]

I've always been a light eater, so I average about 900 to 1,000 calories a day (I tend to burn average 1,200 per gym visit). This sounds extremely unhealthy, and it may be, but honest to goodness I am full the entire day and I really do feel like I am stuffing myself like a Thanksgiving turkey!

Some people think its unhealthy, but the way I see it is you are very good at listening to your body. If your body tells you its full and you stop eating that is very good self control. I don't think people should eat until they're full, only until they're content or not hungry anymore. Everybody's calorie need are different, and 1000 sounds pretty normal to me depending on your activity level. Of course if you're active all day and sweating a lot, then you would need to eat and drink more, but if you're pretty calm except for your workouts, there's no need to eat too much. What for!? I'm also in the process of revamping my diet same as yours, and I'm also keeping an eye out for portion sizes and unnecessary extras.
Whats your workout regime like? I'd like to know how to burn 1200 each gym visit.

 

[Paisley]

According to this site, for someone 155 pounds, to burn 1200 calories would require about 2.5 hours of stationary cycling or a couple of hours of raquetball or not quite two hours of swimming or jumping rope.

According to this site, a thousand calorie diet would consist of, say, oatmeal with skim milk for breakfast, a few nuts for a snack, a scrambled egg on a slice of toast for lunch, and chicken salad (hold the mayo) for dinner. Those are pretty skimpy rations for someone doing a few hours of hard exercise every day.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

another factor is that if you are -consistently- under fueling your body, you won't even actually lose weight....your body will -hoard- the precious fuel you give it and your metabolism changes instead....

 

[jayem]

Some people think its unhealthy, but the way I see it is you are very good at listening to your body. If your body tells you its full and you stop eating that is very good self control. I don't think people should eat until they're full, only until they're content or not hungry anymore. Everybody's calorie need are different, and 1000 sounds pretty normal to me depending on your activity level. Of course if you're active all day and sweating a lot, then you would need to eat and drink more, but if you're pretty calm except for your workouts, there's no need to eat too much. What for!? I'm also in the process of revamping my diet same as yours, and I'm also keeping an eye out for portion sizes and unnecessary extras.
Whats your workout regime like? I'd like to know how to burn 1200 each gym visit.

My job isn't a quiet one, but I'm on my feet so much that I often forget to eat. Coffee is my biggest vice. But honestly, I would like to clarify that I am in no way shape or form starving myself. I do agree with Shirin's statement that 2,000cals is a general guideline, and is by no means a set rule. Some people honestly don't require that much food to stay alert, awake, and healthy.

Shirin-- I highly suggest investing in a good heart rate moniter. The Polar F4 is what I use and it retails for about $90 which is an excellent investment. Knowing your heart rate makes it MUCH easier and helps you build endurance. With this, I usually will do the elliptical for 60mins (HR 150-170 which is high intensity). Afterward, I will either walk 4 MPH for another hour (HR 140-150 which is medium intensity), or if I have time to kill and energy to spare, I will cycle for another hour (going 80-90 MPH with HR 150-160). The elliptical alone, on average, burns about 900cals an hour if you maintain a high heart rate. The great thing about the F4 is that it has a built in calorie counter, so at the end of each work out session it will tell me the exact amount.

It may not be vintage, but it sure works!

 

[Paisley]

From one week ago:

I'm currently in the process of losing 60+ lbs. One thin I've noticed I'm having a hard time with is shrinking those pesky saddle bags! All pictures I see of vintage women seem to not have them. Does anybody know any vintage exercise techniques they used to rid them or keep them off? The good ol' fashioned exercises seem to be the ones that work!

Your diet and exercise regimen doesn't seem to be giving you the results you desire.

 

[jayem]

From one week ago:



Your diet and exercise regimen doesn't seem to be giving you the results you desire.

It's been giving wonderful results except for in that area. According to my mother, those are genetic, but I highly doubt it.

 

[dhermann1]

I think in general the older the style of exercise, the less I'd trust it. 50 and 100 years ago we didn't know near as much about the human metabolism as we do today. 80 years ago people did deep knee bends by the thousands. We now know they can WRECK your knees.
I'd say stick with the most modern forms of health and fitness regimens. Not necessarily the latest fads, but the ones that are established.

 

[Paisley]

It's been giving wonderful results except for in [the saddlebags]. According to my mother, those are genetic, but I highly doubt it.

I seem to recall Bill Phillips stating in Body for Life that on a strictly aerobic (cardio) exercise program, you'll lose weight, but if start out with a pear shape, you'll still end up being a smaller pear shape. Weight lifting gives you a more balanced shape.

BTW, if you are interested in Body for Life, you can get the book with all the instructions in it; it's probably available at your library. On that program (developed in the past 10 or 15 years), you'll eat more and spend WAY less time in the gym.

 

[Paisley]

I think in general the older the style of exercise, the less I'd trust it. 50 and 100 years ago we didn't know near as much about the human metabolism as we do today. 80 years ago people did deep knee bends by the thousands. We now know they can WRECK your knees.
I'd say stick with the most modern forms of health and fitness regimens. Not necessarily the latest fads, but the ones that are established.

I read a book on yoga from 1959. It recommended regular enemas.

 

[jayem]

I read a book on yoga from 1959. It recommended regular enemas.

That's funny since enemas are useless in dieting and weight loss. The nutrients have already been absorbed. Any weight lost after an enema only is valuable water supply.

 

[MissAmelina]

That's funny since enemas are useless in dieting and weight loss. The nutrients have already been absorbed. Any weight lost after an enema only is valuable water supply.

But losing water weight is still "weight loss" for those who rely on the scale to judge their fitness level. That's why I think scales are so archaic, you know? Sigh.
There are also those who think you store lots of toxins in your colon, so by flushing them out you promote fat loss down the road. To be fair, fftopic: a friend of mine went to a naturopath to help her with a rash on her face and was prescribed coffee enemas. For whatever reason, it cleared up here face and she started losing visable weight. Who knows.

 

[jayem]

But losing water weight is still "weight loss" for those who rely on the scale to judge their fitness level. That's why I think scales are so archaic, you know? Sigh.
There are also those who think you store lots of toxins in your colon, so by flushing them out you promote fat loss down the road. To be fair, fftopic: a friend of mine went to a naturopath to help her with a rash on her face and was prescribed coffee enemas. For whatever reason, it cleared up here face and she started losing visable weight. Who knows.

As an avid lover of coffee, I can't imagine flushing my valuable french roast beans up my.... ahem....