everyone's diet and exercise routines

aWiiPeanut started this discussion · 5/17/2010

Ok... So most of us are always looking for new ways and healthier ways to live our lives, or lose weight, or tone up etc. I see these amazing pole dancers and I see how fit they are and how awesome they look. But I don't know what it took to get them there. I just thought this would be a good place to start a thread about everyone's diet and exercise/training routines. I'm talking DETAILS!! =) I need encouragement, as we all do from time to time, and I would love to find out what YOU do do keep fit. Maybe some of us will find out new nutritional food, or new exercise techniques. Especially the famous polers on this forum...because we all see the results and know how awesome you are and look. We just want to know what it took!!

22 replies

shayshay21489 · 5/18/2010
This is a good question. I'm interested in hearing what other people are doing, considering my weight keeps fluctuating. Yesterday I realized I lost 4lbs. Thats it! It sucks. I've cut out soda completely, have been taking flaxseed oil tablets with every meal because they have fatty acids in them (last time I lost 15 lbs in 2 weeks!), I have been drinking more water, exercising, not eating after 9pm, and poling 4 times a week. It seems like it's not working. So now I'm eating salads, drinking water, poling, exercising, taking flaxseed oil, not eating fried foods, still avoiding soda, and I'm miserable! I am lacking on energy seriously. I need a list of foods I can eat besides the ones I can't. I also need a routine exercise thing I can do on a day to day basis so that I have something to follow and motivate me to lose this weight. I'm so freakin tired of this damn belly roll! I want to have the confidence to pole with a sports bra and shorts too. I also want to go shopping and find clothes that fit instead of buying clothes in a bigger size to cover my flaws. I also want to be able to wear jeans instead of resorting to strecthy pants (that create more rolls). I need some advice because my self esteem is falling. I feel like I'm working hard for nothing. 🙁
Kobajo84 · 5/18/2010
I usually try to work out on my pole every other day- but sometimes it turns into once a week only. 🙁 When I do pole, I try to incorporate some hula hooping as a warm up with some weights then I will move onto a pole warm up then a full on pole workout. I cool down with my exercise ball and some Pole-Yoga (major stretches utilizing the pole) and exercise ball followed by some pole crunches on the floor using my leg on the pole to pull myself up and down. Thats just what I do. 😀
minicoopergrl · 5/18/2010
I work out 4 days a week, 2x pole, 2x gym. At the gym I split up what im working on. One day is arms,chest, abs, cardio; the next day is legs, glutes, abs, cardio. I always work on my rotator cuffs and my wrists as well. I like to change up what im doing so my body cant get used to it. As for the diet dept, I started clean eating. Ive seen a very slow weight loss but overall I feel better. I was reading the clean eating book and Tosca brought up a good point - weight loss is 80% diet, 10% exercise and 10% mental. When I get to convention I am gonna talk to Zoraya. I look at her abs and think "shes got 2 kids, ive got 2 kids - why dont I look like that'.
NightFall · 5/18/2010
I have a bunch of food allergies, (gluten and wheat, any starch or sugar dervied from wheat or gluten sources whether classified as gluten or wheat free or not, seafood, dairy and now soy. Oh my!) so most things that are processed are off limites to me. In some ways this helps as I can only eat things i prepare myself and carry around with me, but in other ways it means i go nuts when i get home and raid the plain salted potato chips. Or when I cave in and bake allergy free brownies I don't just have one slice once a week, cos theres MORE in the fridge just waiting for me. Defintily, it helps to prepare food in advance and carry it with you, i think. I didn't notice before how much I'd snack while doing other stuff without noticing. I base my meals on veg as its easiest for me, then try and get most of my protein from plant sources (quinoa, lentils, beans, etc). I eat meat once or maybe twice a week (more cos of me not liking to buy factory farmed meat but then not being rich enough to afford more of the non-factory farmed type). despite all this, I looove food so much! I'm a total foodie and trowl the foodie blogs for ideas and make up fany stuff on the weekend (quiche from rice flour, etc) and gluten free pasta is higher GI, so actually turns to fat faster than regular or wholewheat pasta, so I don't really lose weight as such from my diet, although it helps offset what I guess I might othewise gain if I were able to add cheese to my food (sigh) or what I would have gained from eating a lot of gluten free pasta/bread. to shayshay: the thing with salads is that I notice its easy to make a skimpy one then be starving later and snack a lot. The best advise I got was to add two or more calorific sources to it, so pick any two from: tofu (not for me, obviously), tuna, beans, avacado, falafil, boiled eggs, grilled chicken, puey lentils, etc. I haven't lost any "weight" according to the scale because of muscle weight, but I can see a difference in my body =). I would love to be thinner again, but it'll happen slowly. I need to up my workout to be honest. I used to eat a lot less than I do now portion wise. Workout wise: truthfully, it's between 30-40 mins every other day. I would love to do more, but it's not easy to fit in. I do pole and then some pilates for my abs cos I want to be able to invert and this is my weak spot. maybe later i'll do some yoga stretches (seperate from my cooldown stretches) for my legs and back, but ..it's not regular. When my bf is aways I'll stretch while watching tv, but when he's around around i'd rather cuddle :">. I've found a kettlebell class on the saturdays that I hope to make so hopefully that'll help. xx
chemgoddess1 · 5/18/2010
Pick up a copy of The Clean Eating Diet at the library. I also subscribe to Oxygen Magazine and Clean Eating Magazine which are both put together by Tosca/Robert Kennedy. Clean Eating is NOT just salads....you will slow down your metabolism too much by starving yourself which in turn will slow down your weight loss. Also, what kind of dressing are you using on those salads? Those are the killers! There are some great recipes in her cookbooks also which will give you ideas of changing the way you prepare foods. As far as exercise, it is constantly changing. I have been into Zumba for the last few months but with summer approaching I see that changing.
aWiiPeanut · 5/18/2010
Yea the hardest part for exercising, i think, is changing it up after you actually find something that works...so that your body doesn't get used to it. That or trying something new and not feeling like its helping so you try something else. i know i really need help in the diet department but i also know i need to explore the exercises too.
SissyBuns · 5/18/2010
When I get to convention I am gonna talk to Zoraya. I look at her abs and think "shes got 2 kids, ive got 2 kids - why dont I look like that'. That's genetics my friend. We all have specific body types and I know for a fact no matter what I do...I will never look like that. I'll always be soft and squishy. LOL
poletrickster · 5/18/2010
I just got serious again with my "diet" so I still have a ways to go to reach my goals but I follow Intuitive eating and I pole everyday at least 45minutes sometimes more and do the old Buns Of Steel workout which also works arms and abs, I just took up geo-caching and that is a great workout with all of the hiking from rough terrain.
SissyBuns · 5/18/2010
Clean eating can change your life. I strongly recommend getting the book and cook books. You can get them on amazon.com for pretty cheap. It's so easy to do and so good for you. Basically cut out anything that comes in a can or a box. Eat all natural fruits and veggies and lots of lean meats. I've been eating clean for almost a month now and I have never felt so good. My weight has always fluctuated ( a pound or 3 depending on the day and where I'm at in my cycle) but now it's fluctuating about 5 pounds lower on the scale, LOL. Shay you probably feel like crap because you're depriving yourself of important nutrients that supply you with the energy and vitamins that you need to feel awesome. Don't focus on eating less, try to eat less crap. And more good stuff. As for my routine I usually lift weights 5 days a week and pole whenever I can, which can fluctuate from 1-3 days a week usually. Depending on my muscle soreness. I used to run before my feet went bad and haven't done any cardio (aside from poledance) since this time last year. Since my post op foot is feeling a lot better, I started the insanity program yesterday to try and get back in shape cardio wise and see if I can get some serious fat burning going on and still have strength left in my muscles to pole more often. We'll see how that goes 😉
nymphdancer · 5/18/2010
clean eating fan here too, although with kids around we are not a 100% clean eating family. But try to limit the processed junk food we have. I work out here at the house and at the gym when I can. Weekly pole class. Pole play whenever I can get it in. My big nemesis is my schedule, i work overnight, and really don't get the sleep I should which kills what little metabolism I have left.
shayshay21489 · 5/18/2010
Well I do think that I am depriving myself. I mean I am so focused on what I can't eat that I don't know what I can. I have to admit when groceries are low and so is money I'll go to burger king or mcdonalds to grab something to eat. I want to eat right so that I can have more energy, but shopping for healthy food is expensive. 😮 I'm going to buy that book and maybe buy a dvd for some motivational exercise program. I thought about weight watchers program, but I dunno. I find myself pushing myself to pole instead of poling when I have the energy. I thought of weight loss pills but last time I took slimquick my heart wouldn't stop racing and I was just standing up! I know I need some kind of help though. Oh and temptation is a beast. My bf is on a so called eating healthy to lose weight thing. But he comes home with oreos, chips, cookies, etc. You know what I have.....fruit snacks! lol I dunno I'm just going to try to stay positive and motivated. I cut out soda but I kept drinking fruit punch which has a crap load of sugar so I felt that was defeating the purpose. So I'm drinking water, water, water, and occasionally crystal light. I just got to find like meals so that I'm not hungry. I know Rena told me to eat more not less. I'm avoiding the fried foods. I had a salad from Zaxby's and it had grilled chicken and some nasty fat free vinegar strawberry dressing 😲 I forced it down. I hate salad but felt it was my first step. I try to eat wheat bread instead of white bread. I am also trying not to eat out but it's hard when funds are low. I feel like I'm focused more on what I eat than how much I exercise. Someone said its 70% eating healthy and 10% exercising and the rest like mental. I think that is true. I have been under a lot of stress lately. I was laid off and its been hard to find a job. I'm in college so I try to focus on that but staying in the house is killing me. Jobs keep putting me through a series of interviews just to not call me back. I just feel I'm in a slump. 🤸 (boredom) Anywayz I wanna look great and feel great about myself. I see people with kids and they look like bombshells! (thats a good thing) Then I see myself and I look like I have had kids and ..... 😕 no. Urgh! I want to start seeing some results, I'm growing impatient. Well we are going grocery shopping tonight. I will try to find some fruits and veggies. Someone said avoid canned food? AWE MAN! I loved canned fruit! 😮 AHHH. I need a diet buddy 🙄 lol.
minicoopergrl · 5/19/2010
Well I do think that I am depriving myself. I mean I am so focused on what I can't eat that I don't know what I can. I have to admit when groceries are low and so is money I'll go to burger king or mcdonalds to grab something to eat. I want to eat right so that I can have more energy, but shopping for healthy food is expensive. 😮 I know how you feel. Thats why when I see something thats on sale, I try to stock up. for a family of 4 we spend about $100/week in groceries. I noticed I got more healthier stuff at the Super Walmart than anywhere. I also look at the labels - sodium is not a good friend of mine. But most frozen meals are made w/sodium since it is a preservitive. I stock up on lots of fruits and veggies, luckily my kids love veggies so there are no complaints from them.
chemgoddess1 · 5/19/2010
Seriously, when you eat better foods you do not get cravings for junk. I know that does not seem like it would ever happen but it does. Don't get me wrong, I still love my chocolate, but a few ounces a few times a week won't kill you and if you get the good stuff then it really is not horrible for you. I still get cravings for a burger every now and again and I get one, but I usually feel like crap afterward. Too bad there are not aldi's near you. Are there any type of discount food stores? You state that eating healthy is expensive but think about health issues that you may have because of unhealthy habits. One girl that I know from Zumba has lost 70 lbs over the last year. Her breaking point was having to pay over $40 for specialty bras because she could not find any in the regular stores that fit her. You cannot look at it as just the cost of the food itself, you need to look at the big picture. Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, joint issues, back issues..... think about all of the things that may happen later in life that could be prevented with proper diet. As for fat burners and diet pills, yes, they work for those that are trying to get really lean for competition and may help you in the beginning to curb your appetite but most trigger a cortisol rebound once you stop taking them and you will gain more weight back. If you do not understand the biochemical reactions of these types of supplements I strongly suggest not ever taking them.
reenie aka Mysfit · 5/19/2010
Hello all......... A pound is worth or costs 3500 calories. I generally have my clients lose a pound a week on average by a combination of diet and exercise. To break it down, I will have them reduce their calories by 250 per day and exercise to burn at least 250 calories per day. By the end of the 7 day week, they have reduced calories by 3500 or more sometimes and will find weight loss. Keeping in mind, that each human body is completely different and weight loss will vary. For the most part, a person who has just begun exercising regularly is likely to actually gain weight at first. This is completely dependent on how sedentary the person was. Initially, I try to hypertrophy-put muscle mass on-to expedite the fat burning capacity. Lean muscle tissue weighs more...........lean muscle tissue is a good thing. The more lean muscle tissue you have, the better equipped your body is to burn off fat stores. When I assess a new client, I advise them to stay away from the scale. I also advise them that scale wise-they may gain weight or see no change at all and not to be discouraged by this. To view progress more by being able to get through their cardio without dying, or being able to climb a set of stairs without being winded by the end of the flight. I explain to them that increases in max VO2, and stroke volumes are just as important as losing the weight. They always see differences in the way that their clothes fit and the increase in the amount of energy they have first off. Now, diet......I am not a firm supporter of the word. In a nutritional sense, diet is something I eat every day. It has been incorrectly used by weight loss companies and fads for too long. People have lost the true meaning of the word over the years. A fair amount of my clients have placed themselves(metabolism) into starvation mode. Meaning they do not consume enough calories period, which makes their body hold on to everything. It takes time to reverse that process but not as much as most people think. Again, each person can vary. I use food journals with my clients. They have to track everything that goes in their mouths for a few weeks so I can see if they are getting the RDA for nutrition. I also teach them servings versus portions as per the Canadian Food Guide, plus I teach them how to read it and use it. A common complaint I hear is - I can't possibly eat that much food in one day. Yeah....you can-when you look at the fact that a serving is very different from the portions we are used to. http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/oei_ss/menu.htm#sl2 That is a link to a slide show I will have my clients look at. I also use it in my nutritional workshops. Have a look, it is really well done. Oops....I gotta run. Client is here. I will try and get back in here to finish later on.......... I know there are a few of us on here that are personal trainers......anyone else have stuff to add?? Huge healthy hugs!! reenie
anngiern · 5/20/2010
i personally have not read this clean eating book but i don't neccesarily believe that exercise is only 10%. i believe exercise is about 60% to 70%. you have to burn off more than what you are putting in. i think sometimes people are doing the wrong exercises to attain the results that they want. i truly have the abs that i always wanted b/c i do ab work that targets the middle abs (6 pack), lower abs, obliques, transverse abdominus (abdominal belt) and my back muscles. now my ab workout is more well rounded. before i used to just do crunches b/c that is what i saw in the gym. now i found that pilates type movements really helped to get the body i wanted from a "toned" perspective. if you have been overweight a long time its going to take a while to get it off. it took me about one year to lose my 40 pounds (and then i gained 18 pounds back in muscle). but i was exercising like 5-6 days a week for about 1 hour to hour and a half and included a lot of intense cardio. now i exercise about 4 to 5 days a week with just pole and exotic dance and that helps me to maintain my weight. i was very fortunate that i came from a very active family so once i jumpstarted my metabolism again the weight came off. its so important from an early age (early childhood) to start your kids being active. i really believe that helps to prevent weight issues as you get older. i gained my weight about 3 years post college when i wasnt as active as i had been the previous 16 years. i also encourage my students that it is truly a lifestyle change. take the stairs instead of the elevators, park far away and walk...etc... once you start incorporating these things into your daily life it will become habit. as far as eating goes i do limit my fried foods (really b/c it is messy, smelly, and time consuming), i do not drink any soda (just juice and water...but that was b/c soda makes me so darn thirsty) and i dont eat very much fast food except subway.i do eat cupcakes and goodies though...if i do eat them it is only once a day. i remember when venus and serena (tennis players) were on oprah and they said they eat mcdonalds all the time...but all that running back and forth on that tennis court it will be gone. now this is not good for your arteries, cholesterol, etc.. i totally agree with reenie about portion control. restaurants pile it on. when i go out to eat i split a meal with someone...even dessert! i am finding that many restaurants are now starting to offer small portion sized desserts. and when i feel full i stop eating. the food diary is a HUGE eye opener. i give some of my pole students a food log so they can visually see what they are eating. it really helps to see what your eating habits are and where you can make changes. also i agree to stay off the scale..pay attention to how your clothes are fitting..that to me is one of the better indicators of weight loss.
Tracy1974 · 5/21/2010
Hello Everyone, I haven't posted in a while, but when I saw this thread I wanted to post. I have tried to lose weight on my own and I generally can, I put it on a blog last September about my new regime and I pretty much fell at the first hurdle. As part of my regime I put my pole up but only for a week last September, when I realised that I had absolutly no strength and was sooooo unfit that I felt really bad about myself. I took the pole down while I had visitors and it has not gone back up as yet. I was a weight watchers member about 8 years ago and lost over 100lb and was 5lb of my goal but never got there, tho the weight was maintained until about 2 years ago and I put (pretty much) it all back on. About mid March I decided that I would give my health another go and signed up for a 5k run The Race For Life for cancer research in July and I managed to get the 5k done in stages of 2 to 3 min jogs (more feels like a skip) and 1 min walk and I felt the benifits It was when I was on holiday about 2 weeks ago that I decided that I was going to rejoin WW as I don't want to be here in 6 months time wondering (like I am now) why I never kept trying to shed the weight. I had managed to lose about 10lb before joining WW last week and on my visit this week I lost a further 4.5lb. I am sooooo chuffed that I feel that there is light at the end of the tunnel that is not a flame thrower...... I also want to get the pole up this weekend as I am on a little bit of a high, even tho I know I need to learn it and won't be able to do much. I don't have that many friends were I live so support I suppose is key for me, even getting it of strangers, that will probably become friends due to the same experiences is also a benefit. I am jogging, cycling and doing core work with weights to prevent flabby skin, drink lots of fluid. No alcohol and track the food I eat. I know this time its coming off
reenie aka Mysfit · 5/21/2010
Hey Tracey~~ Hang in there..........It does get easier. You have all the support you could ever need on here I am sure~so just keep up with us and pop in often to vent, brag, cry or whatever else you may need!! Strength in numbers!! We all support each other and accept unconditionally!! Huge HUGE hugs!!! Where do you live? I am up in canada....BC. actually. smooch!! reenie
Tracy1974 · 5/22/2010
Where do you live? Thanks Reenie I'm the UK, Wirral right next to Liverpool which is were I'm from. As for this site, I love reading the posts and the support everyone gives, its great. As with everyone life happens you take it as it comes, just like I have to go and get an inner tube for my bike then I'm out on it as it is a beautiful sunny day here, lots of factor 30 on. ☀️ Have fun. Tracy
Reyn · 5/24/2010
Hmm, I've been looking at my diet since I saw this post and, while not eating anything amazingly horrid, I'm definitely not eating "clean". I want to eat more healthy so I can feel better and be less fatigued and such, I'm just afraid of losing weight if I do eat "right" - I wish there was a book out there on how to eat right but maintain weight! I don't wanna be a toothpick!
aWiiPeanut · 5/27/2010
I'm interested in knowing Fleur and Karol's diet/exercise routines. Is alethea on here?
MissJulie · 5/28/2010
I've seen the most improvement when I am lifting heavy weights 3-6x a day in the 6-12 rep range, much less so when I am doing martial arts and yoga and gymnastics type stuff, where my flexibility gets better but my strength goes way downhill. I'm currently training for a fitness competition and haven't seen pole improvement yet, but have seen a lot of improvement in my straddle handstands. Hoping Chinese flag or flag to BM will come soon? Currently, weights 4x a week concentrating on shoulders/back twice a week, including olympic lifts. I try to get 1.5-1.7g of protien per body weight and have to track my diet to make sure this is happening. My ratios are around 40/40/20 with 20 percent being fat only from fish/nuts/seeds/egg yolks. Cardio 4x a week (this is a lot for me and I'm hoping strength doens't decline), combination of hill running and track drills (lunges, plyometric). I eat 6x a day, around 200-300calories per meal with mostly lean meats, veggies, and low GI carbs. Anyway, back to work.
Miccalicious · 5/30/2010
i try to work out everyday, weights and cardio. Ill do running outside and weights at home on days I just can't drag myself to the gym. I find it helps if your WRITE DOWN everything!! I've been trying to write down all workouts and food i eat for a long time but always get carried away and stop. I have been doing it about a week straight now and it really helps. I work out more if I make a plan as to what exercises i'm gonna do at the gym or at home. Instead of just doing whatever I can think of as I wander the gym. lol. Exercise wise I feel like Im doing good but its the food that is killing me! Ive always been active and strong but you cant tell cause everything is surrounded by a layer of fat!!! Which im trying to get rid of ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!! When i write down what I eat and when it really makes me aware that I need to start eating more earlier on in the day and less at night. Also its harder to write and visually see all the junk I eat, so it helps me avoid it cause I don't want it to be written down as proof!!(if that makes sense) It helps me make better choices in meals cause I can see what I need to change and what i should keep doing. I believe that food is very much 80% or whatever the number was. With out proper "fuel" it dosent matter what exercising you do. This is what Im trying to work on, im slowly starting to eat clean , but i refuse to never indulge...i need just a little. he he 😁 im going to order the clean eating books and hopefully that will help. I already read oxygen mag which has TONS of great tips on food and exercise, i love this mag and it serves as a "bible" to me haha! I suggest writing down all your food intake ALL THE TIME. Pre planning your meals and exercise routine. and reading advice on here and in oxygen magazine. Also at the bottom of every page i write down what I need to work on for the next day and what i should countine doing. It helps me stay focused!!!