Exercise advice needed please page

[Paleomom4]

I posted this accidentally in the athlete section so I'm reposting here where I think it fits in better.........


So, I think I'm getting my exercise all wrong. First I'd like to say I LOVE to exercise. I have no problem motivating myself to get out there and do it. Even with four kids and way too many animals. I'm a SAHM and my husband works a lot but I still get it done. Fitness is a priority for our family. So, I'm asking for help to tweak my exercise routine because I've gained ten pounds since going primal 4 months ago. (And yes, I just started counting calories so lets just not go there).

My current routine:

5-7 days a week I walk my dogs for 45 minutes to an hour. I live in a very hilly area but I hike on trails by the lake near our house. I don't power walk but I don't stop to smell the daisies either. I usually walk in the morning before the kids get up, before I eat.

2 times a week I do what is called "boot camp" at my local gym for one hour each. We do a lot of high intensity, interval training with a lot of body weight and high rep/low weight stuff mixed in. Most days I feel like puking after these intense sessions so they are pretty tough.

2-3 times a week I ride road bike for one to two hours. I'm going pretty hard because I'm trying to keep up with my husband who races.

I have four young children so I play A LOT. At the park, at the beach, in our yard. I'm very active with them.

The thing is, I actually really like exercising and I rather enjoy the feeling of having completely pushed myself after a boot camp session, or the leg burning feeling after a 40 mile bike ride.

I'm willing to give up boot camp to lift heavy twice a week. Would that help?

As I said, I feel great and I enjoy my routine just trying to figure out why I'm gaining weight and trying to figure out if I'm pushing too much cortisol or working out in too high of a zone.

Any questions or input or ideas for me?

[Richardmac]

Hey Paleomom4. Firstly It sounds like your working your butt off, thats a great start. Hows your fat intake,water, protein?

Id say that if you wanna stick with the boot camp, go for it. Enjoying your workouts is about 3/4's of the battle in my eyes. Marks Lift Heavy Things workouts are great. You can do them alongside the WOW workouts, or alternate back and forth (your still getting a bootcamp workout with some of them).

It could be that your putting on muscle which weighs more than fat and would make sense given your work load. It might be an idea getting a bodyfat test (have you had this done before?)

Richard

[PHaselow]

Paleomom4,

If I add it up, you are working out 2 hrs/day? I say back off. I found when I exercised at that intensity I ate too much, and wound up in a nasty cycle of working out-eating too much-working out more. It wears you out; mentally and physically.

Do you feel good? Energy level good, cravings under control, mood stable (with 4 kids!), sleeping well, no chronic illnesses/injuries? Did you perhaps need to gain a few of those pounds? Eating enough fat and protein?

I know many of us need to feel that euphoric feeling of pushing our bodies to the brink to be satisfied. That might be working against you right now...

You already enjoy being active, so you are ahead of the game. That isn't going to change if you modify your work-outs. I'm not about to tell you exactly how to structure your exercise week, but I wonder if it would help you if did switch to a total body strength or gentle movement (relaxation!) routine for a few of those days. I know that life of a SAHM with a busy husband and too many animals. Take some time at the end of the day to relax; really relax. Maybe in the morning, too.

Take care. I hope you find some helpful suggestions from more experienced members.

Pam

BTW, I gained 2lbs in my first 3 weeks living Primal (my goal is not weight loss). For me, it was most likely not watching my portions. I was just making sure I was eating Primal foods. I am now paying attention to how much I eat, and it was an eye opener.

[Paleomom4]

Hey Paleomom4. Firstly It sounds like your working your butt off, thats a great start. Hows your fat intake,water, protein?
It could be that your putting on muscle which weighs more than fat and would make sense given your work load. It might be an idea getting a bodyfat test (have you had this done before?)
Richard

I just started tracking but I think my fat % is about 50%. I don't shy away from fat. I drink to thirst and I don't think I'm low on that. I'm working on upping my protein. I think I get 60-80 g's per day.

I know I've put on muscle as I was mostly vegetarian before paleo and I've really noticed I'm adding more muscle since eating meat.

But I have about 20 pounds to lose so I'm definitely not in that category of needing to add a few pounds. I just turned 40 and I've got 4 kids. I have some fat to get rid of.

Don't know my bf %. My lame tanita scale says 33% but that seems a bit high to me.

[Nigel]

So, I think I'm getting my exercise all wrong.

I do about 15 minutes a week of high intensity strength training (once) or rowing (once or twice depending on when I do the strength) and I walk a couple of miles a day (five days a week) to do the shopping carrying it home in a rucksack. In a couple of weeks time, I'll up the strength training to every five days and so the rowing will only be done three days after the strength session. At a five day interval, if I can not up the weight or reps, I will increase the recovery time between sessions again.