Alright, so Nowfist, Cobra and I (as inactive as we are, especially the former two), we've decided to start on our way to a healthier lifestyle. We've decided on getting back to weights, cardio (smaller cardio workouts in my case due to my severe asthma), etc. We're also going to be working on a healthier diet (nothing severe or anything, but yanno. Keep us slim, in shape, lots of protein for muscle mass, etc.).

Just posting this so that, perhaps this'll influence people to do the same, or for people to give tips to us or others, just a little thing for even the most miniscule portion of the community to use and take into consideration.

Also, you could even post progress you've made if you'd like, or even your workout schedule/diet.

Us three, we're working with very limited space and equipment though. All we've got is what's in my basement; which isn't much. I'll try to get some pictures of the setup in the basement some other time. For now though, we're gonna be running outside, my treadmill has no room to be folded back out. xP

Anyway, yeah, just putting this out there for anyone else who would care to join in or possibly anyone who already does the same and would offer any sort of advice or whatever.

I don't have as much time to exercise as I used to, so I've had to sign up for PE classes. I'm taking step aerobics and water aerobics this semester, and I'll probably do weights again next semester. Anyways, considering my lack of time (stupid homework), what I've done is make sure that I have a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and veggies, especially since most of my roommates don't do anything with them when they cook. A good way to get a few servings of fruit in one go is smoothies. Plenty of room for experimentation with different fruit and juice combos, and you can add vitamin supplements as well. It may be a good route to go if you don't want to eat meat all the time to get your protein. Plus, fruits are chock-full of vitamins and antioxidants that maintain the health of your body. If you're going to do smoothies, consider checking the prices of bags of frozen fruit at your local supermarket; those work the best, and they don't spoil as fast if you want to save some for later.

Also, something that's always good for a healthier lifestyle is water, and plenty of it. It cleans you out, helps your metabolism, and it's refreshing. Sure, sports drinks and such may have the electrolytes to help you keep going with workouts, but they're no substitute for water.

Yeah, I was thinking about the whole blender deal, I could totally work something out there, perhaps get Nowfist to drive us to IGA or something and I could spend a portion of my paychecks every week on fruits and stuff for the three of us.

I've been trying to cut down on the soft drinks for the longest time now but I'm not getting anywhere with it, but maybe this'll be a good kick in the ass for me, who knows.

Sodas are tough to quit, believe me. Don't do it cold-turkey, though; unless you're very determined, it's just gonna drive you nuts. Reduce the amount you drink at a steady rate. If you're drinking a can a day, for instance, reduce it to a can every other day, and so forth until it's at a minimum.

Soda's are a treat, and every once in a while we deserve to spoil ourselves with something that's bad for us. =P

Oh trust me, I got down to three a week, but when I'm gaming, I drink soda. When I'm depressed, I game to cope. I'm constantly depressed, especially lately... but that's another reason for this, excercise helps me cope, but I hate doing it alone. Now I have my two best friends, two people who I can call my brothers and get away with it, so I might manage.

What I used to do at home is I would eat dinner off a smaller lunch plate. This helps you feel like you're eating more than you are. Also drink water when you eat, or before, it helps fill up your stomach.

As for the soda here's a trick I read somewhere, I haven't actually tried it because I don't like normal sodas because I've grown up on the diet ones. Add lots of ice to your soda, or a little bit of water, add a little more over time until you just want the carbonated drink. At some point buy carbonated water and start mixing it with the soda. Eventually just drink the carbonated water.

It's great that you're doing that.

I walk home from school most days, and drink loads of water (never soda--but I'm not giving up my sweet tea. I'm a Southerner only in that respect). We don't have any good gyms except the bodybuilder one across from the Mexican restaurant though

I suggest getting a power cage before getting any other sort of equipment; even better if you get a free bench to go along with it. It allows you to perform the basic lifts (squat, bench, deadlift) and can even allow for you to do pull-ups.

Warm-ups should be light; avoid static stretching, and doing a bunch of push-ups before you bench, for example, won't really help too much: you are, after all, just warming up.

Look into Starting Strength if you can. It's a strength building program in book form by Mark Rippetoe involving those basic lifts I mentioned before, + military presses and power cleans.

Are you just trying to stay fit? Tone up? or build muscle? But myself I just do a lot of calisthenics. I also working on trying to "tone" up so I'm getting some advice from someone I work with so I can get results faster.

If by someone you work with you mean any sort of personal trainer, I suggest quitting, by the way, since they'll tell you a lot of nonsense...seriously, being a personal trainer is one of the best ways to rip people off these days. Just fyi.

However, yes, knowledgeable friends are very, very helpful when it comes to fitness. Genuinely knowledgeable, anyway.

By work with, I mean someone who's doing the same thing I am, as it helps me keep my interest for some odd reason.

Also, I'm doing this to add a little bit of muscle mass, it won't hurt to seem any more intimidating (because I already am quite intimidating around here for some reason), as well as to tone my muscles even more (which I've heard I don't even need to do, but what the hell, I'd rather be happy myself than listen to seven of my female friends).

Anyways, it wasn't exactly my choice to get these things, I've had all of them for a few years now, just that my mom got them and never used them, so now I'm taking advantage of them. Another thing is the weight room at school; for what we lack here, I'm gonna ask the gym teachers about using the weight room after school hours or something.

Find a gym. Really, it's an enormous benefit to live near a gym. I've dropped a large amount of weight and gained muscle by attending the gym during the week. Also, you want to measure the amount of food you eat. It does help with reducing the overall amount of food eaten. Also, try chewing gum and drinking lots of water; both prevent unnecessary eating. Celery is also excellent, as you can literally eat all you want, and it burns calories!

To build muscle, do weight-lifting every other day and resistance training daily. Also, eat food that's low in fat and high in protein. Soy, poultry, and eggs are bestfor this. With eggs, cook two or three at a time, but only cook one yolk. This hugely reduces calorie intake while retaining most of the protein. I've found that for example, a meal of three eggs with one yolk and soy beans keeps you filled for the day, and it's very low fat, high protein.

With soda... well, I'm personally a soda addict, and doesn't feel right without drinking a can each day. Drink diet soda, and just limit yourself with it.

Otherwise, make sure to do cardio and resistance daily, and eat well. Finally, if you have a particular goal associated with healthy living, it becomes far easier. I'm training to join the military, and that goal helps enormously for me.

No Denning I mean someone from work that I work with. Personal Trainers fail IMO.

I can't really verify the validity of your (mom's) trainer since I've no idea what routines he's been giving you two. If he's really effective, though, then nothing I tell you will sway your opinion.

However, I've seen and heard of personal trainers who will tell clients things such as: calisthentic exercises and bicep curls are among the superior exercises to heavy volume work-outs such as the squat and bench press. While they've got their benefits that should be respected, it's well understood that those two high volume work-outs are better for building strength overall.

Plus, if you know enough of fitness overall, having a personal trainer is a massive waste of cash as it is.