pains and stomach - please help!

D

Dorkwadn2

0
Hello, my name is Nicole, but everyone calls me Nikki. I have been trying to get in shape since the end of February, and I don't see that much of a change. I ride my mom's excersize bike for almost 45 minutes every other day or so, but the last time I rode it (on Friday) I got major leg cramps and I had to stop. It was hard for me to walk for a few hours. I'm kind of scared that that will happen again. If you have any advice for this, can you please help me?

Also, acording to the scale, I have lost about 6-7 pounds since then, but it doesn't look like I have lost anything. It is really bothering me because I want to look better. I eat a lot better, but once I eat something, even if it's the tiniest thing, it looks like I have gained five lbs and I don't know why.

When I do crunches, it hurts my back more than anything. I have a big rough spot on my spine because of that. I don't know how to do crunches without getting that; is there anything I can do for that? The thing I'm really trying to work on is my stomach because my stomach bothers me the most. It hurts my back so much that I usually stop and wait a while to start working out again. Is there a better alternative?

I'm so sorry for all of the questions. Please help me of you can. I've never stuck to a diet or working out this much before, but I'm getting no physical results. Please help me if you can. Thank you SO much!

-Nikki
 
first off, if you've only been working out for a couple weeks, i'd really be surprised if you DID see any results. Getting in shape is not something that happens overnight ... patience is key.
if you haven't done a lot of physical activity before this, then it's not a surprise either that you may feel some disconfort as your body isn't used to it yet.
You should try doing some crunches/situps with an exercise ball as it reduces the stress on your back. If you have access to a gym, there are quite a few machines that can help too.

.. good luck
 
In my PE class, out of the girls I lift the most weights and run the hardest, but I don't know if that would help.

Thanks for the help! I'll try that. :)
 
Nikki,

Check your technique when performing the crunch. Push your lower back into the ground, crunch up until your shoulder blades are off the ground, then lower slowly.

Also, if you're doing a lot of crunches, technique tends to get sloppy as you perform higher repetitions.

So you may want to go slow, 3-5 seconds lifting your body up, then lowering your body down.
 
Thanks guys. I think that I probably do get sloppy on my sit ups, and I saw in another post something about 'bicycles'? I tried to do those but they were really hard and I didn't think I was doing them right.

As for my diet, umm...well...I eat Special K w/ fat free milk in the morning, usually I don't eat lunch because I'm never hungry, and when I get home...we don't have a lot of healthy foods in my house because my family is addicted to McDonalds (yuck) and junk food, but I try to look at the nutrition labels, though they confuse me, and I try to eat a lot of vegetables. Do you have any dietary advice? Thanks again!
 
I've posted this information previously. Here is a good article by a nutritionist on the 7 habits of highly effective nutrition programs.
It will get you started off on the right foot.

And below is the 7 principles quoted from the article.

"1. Eat every 2-3 hours, no matter what. You should eat between 5-8 meals per day.

2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.

3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal.

4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.

5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).

6. Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.

7. Eat mostly whole foods (except workout and post-workout drinks)."
 
Thanks! One question though - if I eat that much, wont I gain weight? That's a lot of meals and, yea, I'm kinda buzy a lot. Well, with high school and helping around the house and exercising, but oh well. OK, thanks again! It helps a lot!

-Nikki
 
Nikki,

About 10% of the amount of calories you burn daily come from digesting your meals. The author says 5-8 meals per day but consider 3 of them breakfast lunch dinner and the other 2 as snacks.
 
Ohh I see...that makes sense.

Guys, thanks so much for all of your help! All of your advice will help me out, I'm sure. Thanks so much!!!

-Nikki
 
OK, well, I'm now about 105 lbs...I still don't have a lot of stomach muscles, but all of your advise has helped. I found some good ab workouts on lhj.com. Thanks again, guys!

-Nikki
 
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