Former Athlete looking for some advice

G

Greg34

0
I hope this in the right section, if not, feel free to move it.


Hello all.

I am a 21 year old college student who recently became upset with the way that my body looks. Before I ask the questions let me give you a little background...

I was a 6 sport athlete in High School; I'm not talking your average kid that plays sports in his spare time and tools around on JV squads. I had offers to play football and baseball at Division 3 (and 1 Ivy league) schools and offers to run Track (sprints) at some Division 2 schools right out of high school. After weighing my options I decided that I would forego my athletic career and focus on academics so I decided to go to a more well known school with an excellent business school. I was never a big guy, about 5'9" 140-145 lbs in high school, never had huge muscles, always just a lean athletic body, and I liked it that way. I rarely ever did distance running, even when I was in the best shape of my life I could barely bust a 7 min mile (200M was another story though!).
When I decided to quit sports and just be a full time student I knew that I would have to be more disciplined in my work outs and fitness because no longer would I have practice of some sort after school everyday. To add on to that I now had the temptations of a college student, mainly beer and fast food (No longer did my PhD in Nutrition mother cook my meals).

Fast forward 3 years and you have me today. I'm still 5'9" and thank god I only weigh between 145-150 (less than a 5 pound increase from HS). The problem is that I have lost almost all definition in my body. I'm not really carrying any extra weight, but I feel like crap. I don't have much of a gut but it’s a far cry from what it was just a mere 2 years ago.

I'm not a health nut, but I know how to eat right (That’s what happens when your mother is a dietitian). I try to stay away from saturated fats and sugars, I drink beer but only a few times a week; so I think the problem is my lack of exercise.

Basically the advice I'm looking for is this...
I don't want to bulk up... at all. I really just want to tone. I wouldn't mind gaining a few pounds (obviously I would, muscle weighs more than fat) but I don't want to weigh anymore than 160.

I'm obviously not overweight so it’s not like I'm looking to shed pounds. I basically want to shed some fat and get that pep in my step back. I'm afraid that if I keep my ways up then it will only get worse once my metabolism slows.

I have good genes, not one blood relative that is even close to being obese, but I want to get back to where I know my body can/should be.

Any comments/ suggestions would be great.

I hope this makes sense. I posted at work and had to bang it out fast. If I need to clarify something just let me know.
 
Looks like you might have lost muscle and gained fat. Which shows that a weight scale alone may not be a good way to measure progress or lack thereof. You may want to look at body fat measurement, or other simpler measurements (e.g. waist size), and taking pictures of yourself for comparison from time to time.

What were the other three sports (besides football, baseball, and track)?

It may be too late now, but university athletes in most sports do as well as or better than non-athletes in academics. However, "most sports" usually does not include the high profile ones like football and basketball.

Perhaps you can take up one or more of those sports or some other sport at a recreational level.

The other thing you can do is put exercise into things you normally do. For example, walk, run, or bicycle to school instead of driving or riding the bus. Walk up the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator.
 
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The fundamental advice that I can give you is get back into it. There really is no "golden" advice for you. In one point in time you had everything you're talking about wanting now. So that you means that you are capable of it. Do as you did in old and you should achieve your goals. Become the person you once were and you will achieve these goals. Don't sacrifice academia of course, but find a harmonious balance between the two. Stop and think sometimes. If something you're doing doesn't seem to be helping, don't do it, and vice versa.

Best of luck.
 
tjl said:
Looks like you might have lost muscle and gained fat. Which shows that a weight scale alone may not be a good way to measure progress or lack thereof. You may want to look at body fat measurement, or other simpler measurements (e.g. waist size), and taking pictures of yourself for comparison from time to time.

What were the other three sports (besides football, baseball, and track)?

It may be too late now, but university athletes in most sports do as well as or better than non-athletes in academics. However, "most sports" usually does not include the high profile ones like football and basketball.

Perhaps you can take up one or more of those sports or some other sport at a recreational level.

The other thing you can do is put exercise into things you normally do. For example, walk, run, or bicycle to school instead of driving or riding the bus. Walk up the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator.
Click to expand...

I also played tennis, basketball, and was on the swim team (for one season)

Thanks for the advice guys... I actually think I'm going to take up boxing; not cardio boxing, but real, punching people boxing. I found a gym pretty close to my house. I will let you guys know how it goes.
 
start something basic like 4 days cardio and 3 days lifting (full body) keep your reps alittle higher 10-12 so as just to tone do abs at least once a week. You should know that the most important thing is cals in vs cals out haha
 
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