Pageant Entry

Question
Lawrence, I am a 20 year old college student and I am in my junior year.  I am 5'7" and weigh 160-165 pounds.  I have always wanted to lose weight, and have done so in the past, but I never really know why or how I did.  It seems that if I get really amped up to eat healthier and exercise, the more cravings I have to eat badly and the less motivated I am to exercise.  I want to have fun exercising and want to eat a diet that is healthy, but doesn't require so much thought everyday. I enjoy running, but need a plan that would help me lose weight and increase my endurance.  I have a pageant in six months that I am going to participate in and I want to tone my body and lose 15-20 pounds.  I feel like that is reasonable.  Do you have suggestions for me?

Answer
128 Pounds would bring you to 20 on the BMI scale. You are currently at between 25.1 -25.8 on the BMI scale, 25 is max over 25 is considered to be overweight. Exercise should be done daily. Cardio should be done 30 -60 minutes daily depending on your fitness level. I personally have found that a diet consisting of mostly fresh fruit and vegetables has proven to be the quickest and healthiest way to lose weight and keep it off. As for endurance, running is great for teaching your body to go the distance. Before running I would go to a foot doctor to make sure that your feet are in good working order. I would also check with your primary doctor to see if you are healthy enough to perform this type of exercise. If you clear you doctors evaluation then log on to active.com and they are a great resource for beginning runners. Remember your target heart rate and your max heart rate. These are important to monitor for optimal exercise effectiveness and your safety. At 20 years old your max heart rate is 220 and your workouts should bring your heart rate between 50 and 80 percent. Don't push it, start off at 50 percent and work your way up to 80 percent in a few weeks. Eventually you will be able to go up to 85- 95 percent. I always leave that last 5% as a safety buffer. Loosing 1-2 pounds a week is safe.

You can also have your RMR taken at most gyms to see how many calories your body is using at rest. Knowing your RMR will help you to monitor your calorie intake and keep you loosing 1-2 pounds a week till you are at your goal weight. After you obtained your goal weight RMR will also help you to maintain what you have achieved. Remember to incorporate resistance training into your weekly fitness schedule. Three days a week will keep your muscles from being beaten up to bad by running.Thirty to forty five minutes of resistance training on these days will take care of that for you.

Good Luck

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