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Sunday, April 13, 2014

Getting Started

Defining Your Goals

Most beginners to the fitness world have one of three basic goals: 1) they want to stop being fat, 2) they want to stop being skinny, or 3) they want to "tone up". All of these goals are achieved the same way - by losing fat and building muscle. The only difference between these three goals is the degree to which each applies. Improving the way you look is 80% about diet. To lose fat, gain muscle, or "tone up", you have to eat correctly. This should be your first priority and your only priority for a period of time. Getting your diet in check is that important.
Two notes on common terms:
"Toning"
Toning is just a matter of losing fat and building muscle. Fat does not "turn into" muscle - fat is lost, and muscle is gained. Additionally, losing 3lbs of fat is done in exactly the same way as losing 30lbs of fat. Building 3lbs of muscle is done in exactly the same way as building 30lbs of muscle. It's just a matter of degrees. So for those looking to "tone" - be aware that you actually have two goals: to lose a small amount of fat and gain a small amount of muscle. Be aware the many people in the community do not appreciate the use of this term as its use in this context is incorrect.
"Skinnyfat"
The term "skinny fat" was originally coined to describe people in the normal BMI range (healthy weight) but who had blood markers showing an increased risk for many diseases and health conditions similar to those people in the obese BMI range. So, while they appeared healthy on the outside, upon closer inspection they were not. The technical term is metabolically obese, normal-weight individuals. In recent years this term has been co-opted to become a euphemism among people with fat in the wrong places and not enough muscle in the right places. In this instance, it's a fairly meaningless term and does not change the applicability of any information or section in this FAQ.

Fixing your Diet

"Fixing your diet" means being conscious of what you eat, and how much you eat. The best way to do this is to track the calories of everything you eat during the course of the day. Use a calorie tracking application or pen and paper. A food scale makes for much more accurate assessments. To get an estimate on how much you should be eating, you need to figure out your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or TDEE (calculate it here or here). Adjust your calorie intake to match your goal, whether that is muscle gain or fat loss. If you wish to gain muscle, eat over your TDEE. If you want to lose fat, eat under your TDEE. The better idea is to remain conservative and stay within 500 calories above or below, respectively.
Important Note: The value returned from a TDEE calculator is only an estimate of your daily caloric needs. You still need to track your daily calorie intake and compare that to your weight loss/gain to determine a more personalized approach. For example, if you are accurately tracking your calorie intake and are consistently eating at a "500 calorie deficit" (i.e. 500 calories under your calculated TDEE) but still not losing weight, your actual TDEE is probably lower than the value returned from the calculator. Adjust your daily intake downward by 100-200 calores and reassess for a few more weeks. Repeat this process until you are losing weight at the speed predicted by your daily deficit. Also, consider that regular adjustments in calorie intake will needed along the way, as losing (or gaining weight) means you will be burning less (or more) calories each day due to the changes in your body weight.
Remember: it took you a long time to get in the state you're in; it will take a long time to get out of it. Be patient; be persistent.
See the Diet Details section for a more in-depth look on what and how to eat better.

Adding Exercise

Once your diet is in check and you're confident you can eat properly, it's time to add exercise into the mix. What type of exercise you choose depends on your goals and what you like to do with your free time. The most important thing is that you find something that you either like doing, or really want to do. You don't need to choose a certain type of exercise because it's what you feel you're supposed to do. There are many choices. If you find one thing boring, then try something else!
As a beginner, the best thing you can do is leverage someone else's knowledge to learn how to exercise properly. To do this, use a plan that a professional has created for specifically for beginners, not one you created yourself. You wouldn't work on your own car, why try to work on your own body in the same manner?
Exercise can roughly be broken down into four categories:
Resistance Training
Using your muscles to move an external load. This is how you get stronger and build muscle mass. Popular beginner programs are:
For more general info on Resistence Training, see ExRx's Weight Training Guidelines
Conditioning
Training your cardiovascular system to pump blood, and thus oxygen, throughout your body better. This is how you improve cardiovascular health and general endurance. Popular conditioning programs for beginners include:
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