Help my sister to shed 10-12 lb..

[TerraNoble]

My sister decided to get in shape and to shed 12 lb , so she is taking aerobic classes . After the first session she was so sore that she couldn't even climb the stairs and the second tiem she was exhausted after half an hour.

Could you give her some pointers in terms of fitness, please?

She just wants to shed 10-12 lb and to be in shape...

She was told that during the aerobics and one hour after not to drink any water in order to shed lb faster...I thought the person who told her that was a dimwit as water is very important during and after the aerobic session. WOuldnt you agree?

Thanks

 

[circusgirl]

Shit, she should drink at least 1 litre of water per hour of aerobics. Get your sis to the weights room if she wants to get in shape BTW .

 

[slinky]

Oh yeah. Get your sister to begin weight training!

And your instincts are correct: the person who said NOT to drink water after aerobics is plain stupid.

 

[Nonerz]

I can understand sipping water during workouts...but to stop your water intake is just plain stupid! I guess at first she'll drop "weight" if she doesn't drink any water but her body will think it is running low & hang on to every bit of water she gets through other sources...at least that is how I understand it.

She just wants to shed 10-12 lb and to be in shape...

Pointers...

a) eat a minimum of 5 x's a day...smaller portions
b) hit the weight room
c) drink lots of water!

 

[gingernut]

1 hour of aerobics is a lot for a begginner - she will be sore. The next session will also be difficult as her body is tired from the first one. Eventually, if she perserveers her fitness will increase.

 

[FitFossil]

Great advice already given, but I'll add a few things

She should not focus solely on "losing weight" but on improving her fitness level and her body composition (bodyfat %).

Remind her that muscle is denser than fat. This means the same poundage of muscle takes up less space than the same poundage of fat. Even if she trades only 5 lbs of fat for 5 lbs of muscle, her scale weight will stay the same, but her measurements will be smaller, and her body much firmer and tighter. With more muscle, less bodyfat, and even a scale weight gain of 10 lbs, I've dropped 2 pant sizes, so she need not be afraid to gain muscle thinking she'll "get big" . Muscle burns more calories, even at rest, than fat - (this alone was enough to convince me to weight train!)

All the training in the world will not make up for a crappy diet. And by crappy diet, I don't just mean junk food, etc. (that's obvious I hope ) Even a clean diet that's too low in calories and nutrients to support training can severely hamper progress. It takes fuel to train hard and for muscles to rebuild. It takes fuel to stoke the metabolic "fire". That's why splitting up her meals into 5-6 smaller feeding a day is good. It keeps a steady flow of energy coming in, and keeps hunger in check.

Just as important as diet and training is rest. That's when the rebuilding takes place.