Superior Fitness Systems
Most Recently Answered Questions
Questions 1 - 15 of 578 (Page 1 of 30)Submitted by Brandi from Boulder, CO
Q:Hi. I just have one question. I'm 19 years old, 5'6" and weigh 138 lbs. My problem area is my stomach. I eat really really healthy...all organic and I do eat enough food for the day. I run at least a mile and half every day and also do one of four hip hop abs videos every day. I've been doing this for more than a month and a half now and it hasn't really seemed to do much. I love exercising and I'm not getting discouraged I just want to know how much longer until you think I'm going to start seeing progress?
A: Since I don't know what your stomach actually looks like, I have no idea what you consider a "problem". Young females tend to believe they are fatter than they really are, due to the images shown in advertising and the media these days. If you are doing all that exercise and eating healthy, you should be fine.
Submitted by kay from
Q:How do I change my body set point permanently and not gain the wait back?
A: There are many factors that go into what is a good weight for each person. Family history, metabolism, level of activity...as well as what you eat can affect how your body processes food and what is a comfortable weight for you. You do not have the ability to pick a weight and "make" your body stay there. If you have questions about metabolism and diet, please talk to your doctor.
Submitted by Anonnomus from ak
Q:I need some help. Im 15 years old and weigh about 145 and im 5'6. i really want to weigh about 120 and fit in a size 3 pant. i wear i size 5. what are some healthy foods and good excersices?
A: For starters...you don't need to weigh 120#. A healthy weight for someone your height is 130-140#. Eating healthy and exercising regularly are good practices just to maintain your weight. Visit www.superiofitness.com and go to the page called Fitness University. There you will find pages and pages of tips on eating healthy and workout plans.
Submitted by Lorri from Philadelphia, PA
Q: I need some help, I'm 43 years old, 5"1" and weigh 133 lbs. I've recently gained 10 lbs, not at all happy with my weight right now. But I really think it's my fault, I don't eat enough, 99% of the time I don't eat breakfast, 50% of the time I don't each lunch because I'm too busy, so when I get home I'm run down and don't feel like cooking, so I eat fast food or junk food, whatever I can get my hands on, because I'm starving from not eating all day. So maybe you can help me out, I just purchased a treadmill and I would like to know how I can force myself to eat breakfast and lunch and also have a healthy dinner so I'm not too tired to work out on the treadmill for an hour each night?
A: You have absolutely pinpointed your problem. Your metabolism needs fuel to stay revved up, which will burn calories. When you deprive it of food, you are slowing it down. On top of that you are compounding the problem by eating junk food at night. Set small goals for yourself...get a calendar and plan on eating breakfast every morning for a week (a bowl of oatmeal, scambled eggs, cereal with fruit). Put a big star on the calendar everyday you are successful. You will find that if you eat breakfast, you metabolism will kick in and you will actually be hungry by mid-morning...a good time for a piece of fruit or a snack bar...which will then make you hungry for lunch. Take it one week at a time. If you can get in the breakfast habit for a month...you will probably stick with it. Eating small meals throughout the day will give you the energy to hop on that treadmill in the evening...an hour is a good amount of time if your goal is weight loss. Hang in there and reward yourself at the end of each week with a movie or a manicure or something (other than food) that makes you feel special.
Submitted by from louisiana
Q:Im 18 years old and 5'8"and i play volleyball for a college. Im really worried about my weight. I have been excercising with the team but before preseason which was the beginning of august i weighed 150 and now i weigh 160. but i have been eating more too. What should i do to lose the ten pounds? Dont eat as much?
A: If you are playing with a college team...your coach should be able to provide you guidance in both diet and exercise to help you lose weight. Schedule a time to to talk to him/her.
Submitted by shruti from minneapolis
Q:I m 30 years old.My height is 5'2 and i weigh 121 lbs.Most of the fats r around my waist.I need to have a flat tummy.I do treadmill for 25 min.can u plz advice me as to how many weeks will it take me to reach my target weight 115 lbs if i treadmill for 3 days a week.Plzzz help me....Thanx
A: It's great to hear that you are exercising. Working out on a treadmill is a great way to burn fat...BUT...you need to be in your target heart rate zone for 30-45 minutes, while you are on the treadmill. 25 minutes isn't going to do it...because you aren't in your target zone for that entire time...maybe not at all. Please visit www.superiorfitness.com and go to the Fitness University page to learn more about monitoring your heart rate during your workout. There is no way to predict how long it will take you to lose your weight...it's different for everyone. You should also do 20-30 ab crunches on a stability ball 4-5 days/week, in order to target those abdominal muscles.
Submitted by katrina from grand cayman, cayman islands
Q:I am 18 years old and i'm 5'10 weighing approx. 260. I am very self conscience and uncomfortable with my body. I barely eat and i am not active all i do is sit at a desk all day and work. What dieting advice would you give me? i want to lose alot of weight to be like most of my friends that wear a size 14 where i am wearing 20-22.Please help me, thanks.
A: I believe that you have answered your own questions and in reality know what to do. You need to eat more…and more often and you need to get active. When you starve yourself you slow down your metabolism and the body stores everything as fat. By increasing your eating (of the right foods) throughout the day you’ll boost your metabolism…like throwing fuel into the furnace, which will help you burn fat. You also need to start moving…even walking for 30 minutes a day will make a difference. Don’t expect miracles and don’t give up. Healthy weight loss is .5 to 2#/week.
Submitted by Jordan from Orlando Florida
Q:hi, its me again. My trainer has told me to eat foods like, tuna, tilapia,baked chicken brest, broc., green beans, aspargus, TURKEY peperony, Turkey from the deli, all natural peanut butter, an oatmeal, and if i eat bread or pasta they should be whole GRAIN. And like i said ill only eat smalll perportions, about every 3 hours. when i go to the gym, i do weights, less weight more reps. and normally ill do the eliptical for 20, then go straight to the treadmill for then next 15 minutes, fast walking, and a bit of jogging. but taking your advise i am now going to do weights mon-wed-fri, but cardio everyday. my question is, for my legs...which machine is better for getting them smaller and more tone, and less "cellulity"...the treadmill, or the eliptical? hope that helps you get an idea of my daily activties. thanks so much!
A: The most important benefit of cardio respiratory exercise (treadmill/elliptical) is exercising your heart and lungs. Both of these machines will accomplish this. As long as you change the incline during your workouts you will work the legs in different ways and tone all the muscles. Cellulite is in the skin, not the muscle. Heredity is also involved…so exercise may or may not affect this.
Submitted by Kelly from Nashville, Tennessee
Q:I am 14 years old and I am about 5'6 or 5'7 and weigh about 120 pounds. Just in the last week or so some how I have gained about 10 pounds! I have no idea how this happened! But I am a fairly active person. I am a freshman and start on my varsity high school team. I either have practice or a game every week day. Since I do play volleyball it is important for me to stay in shape. I was wondering how I would lose 10 pounds? I want to look great in my spandex for volleyball instead of constantly wondering what I look like in them. Thanks for the help!!
A: Kelly...you sound like you are in great shape and 120# on a 5'6" frame is considered thin. I don't believe you need to lose anymore weight. You might have recently gained a few pounds if you have increased your volleyball training...it would be muscle weight...which is good to have!
Submitted by Jordan Kemp from Orlando Florida
Q:i am 17 years old, i weigh 193 pounds, and i am a female. in high school, i was NOT active, and my weight has increased more and more, each summer since my freshman year in highschool. living here, i have joined a Golds Gym, where i had three free sessions with a trainer...she gave me a lisst of things to eat. i have strictly stuck to what she has told me is healthy to eat, and what is not, eating 5 times a day, veryyy small meals. which is hard for me, becouse i can eat two things from a burgerking menu. this is def. my challege. but ONCE a week i allow my self one "cheat night" where i eat one meal that is less healthy then the food i eat all day everyday. since i have joined Golds, i have been going everyday for the past month. i have STILL not scene results...so my question is, when will i acaully see reults looking at my body in the mirror? -thank you
A: It sounds like you might want to sit down with the trainer that gave you the initial eating suggestions and see what they suggest. I have no idea what kind of exercise you have been doing for the past month, so it's hard to answer your questions. You need to be doing cardio 5 x week for 45-60 minutes AND strength training 2-3 times a week. It usually takes about 10-12 weeks for noticeable differences. How do your clothes fit? Sometimes you'll notice small changes first.
Submitted by Jen from Waldorf, MD
Q:I am 46 years old and I run 3.5 miles almost everyday. What should my calorie count be to lose weight and how much exercise do I need? Please advise. Thanks.
A: The distance you run, isn't as important as how long it takes you to workout. In order to lose weight you need to be in your target heart rate zone for 30-60 minutes. If you are 46 then your target zone is 104-130 bpm. Please copy and paste this link into your browser: http://www.superiorfitness.com/howmanycalories_.html It will walk you through calculating how many calories you need to reach your goals.
Submitted by Jen from Waldorf, MD
Q:I am 45 years old and need to know what my heart rate should be when I exercise in order to burn fat???
A: You are smart to pay attention to your heart rate when working out, in order to lose weight. 60-80% of your maximum rate is the zone that you should be in for 30-60 minutes. If you are 45 years old, your maximum heart rate would be 175 bpm (beats per minute). 60-80% of that is 105 to 150 bpm.
Submitted by Maheika from Tallahassee
Q:I am 13/14 years old, I weigh 176 and i am a female. I want to lose 46 pounds (goal weight 130lbs) in 1-8 weeks. But the thing is my mom is giving me good advice but doesn't really help me. she tells me to ride my bike around the block but i'm always home alone and i'm not aloud out of the house when im home alone. Plus we don't have any teen work out videos. I eat farely well but i eat too much carbs it's a habbit i guess. I play sports and I wanna weigh less by the time we get to the volleyball championships. Then i go into basketball so I have to lose weight fast. my ultimate goal is to lose 56 pounds and weigh 120 pounds. I do have muscles already so i just want to lose weight. I'm sorry to be pouring my whole situation to you but i just want to know how to do all of this because I can't keep doing adult diets with no results.
A: First of all…be realistic about your weight loss goals. Healthy weight loss is .5 to 2 lbs./week. Losing the amount you suggest in 1-8 weeks is not realistic. Don’t get overwhelmed with big numbers…set a 5 pound goal and work towards that. When you reach that…set another 5 pound goal. It will help you feel more successful than looking at 48 or 56 pounds. Riding a bike is excellent exercise, but you need to ride it for about an hour at a time to really make a difference in calories burned. If you don’t have exercise videos…put on music that is upbeat and that you like and dance around the house for 45-60 minutes…nonstop. That is guaranteed to burn calories. When you watch your favorite TV show use the commercials as exercise breaks. Do sit ups during one commercial break, do push ups during another commercial break, do squats or lunges during a third break. Do them the entire time, until the show starts again. You can pack in a lot of exercise during these breaks. If you watch what you eat, get in some cardio dancing and workout during commercial breaks, you will start to see results.
Submitted by Amy from Los Angeles, CA
Q:I run a mile everyday, and 3 days I swim. I used to weigh about 168 and got down to about 156 after doing a spin class twice a week, however the last three months I've been stuck around 152-158. I've lowered my calories significantly and for breakfast I'll have cereal, lunch I'll have a small salad, and then for dinner I'll eat a sandwich. Also, I am 20, and 5'6. Where do you think my problem lies? Could it be possible that I'm not eating enough to lose weight? My goal for right now is 145 and then it'll be 135. Thanks for any advice.
A: It could be a combination of factors. You say that you run a mile…how long does it take you? Are you in your target heart rate zone while you are doing it? If it takes you less than 30 minutes and you are not at 60-80% of your maximum heart rate the entire time, you will not be burning many calories. You probably need to increase your time to 30-60 minutes (don’t worry about distance…think about time) and monitor your heart rate. You also mentioned swimming, which is great exercise for the heart, but not a great way to lose weight. Your body retains a layer of fat to compensate for the cooler water temperatures in a pool. You said you were fairly successful when you took a spin class. My guess is the class was 45-60 minutes long and you got your heart rate in your target zone. That is what you need 5-6 days/week. You also bring up the other important factor. If you don’t eat enough your body will store everything, rather than burning fat. You also need to eat 4-5 small meals (of healthy items) throughout the day to keep the furnace stoked…your metabolism going. It sounds like you need to increase your eating both in quantity and in frequency. Good luck.
Submitted by Teresa from Canton, ga
Q:I am a 51 year old, 158 lb. woman. I want to lose weight, and have been working out on the treadmill for one hour a day, plus a couple of days of weights. Everyone tells me to aim for 140-150 heartrate. My polar watch says, for my age, I should aim for alot lower heartrate. What do you say?
A: Your target heart rate is based on your age...not some random number that works for everyone. If you are 51 years old, your maximum HR would be 169 bpm (220-51=169). You want to work out at 60-80% of that maximum...this is your target heart rate. For you that would be 101 to 135 bpm. Polar is correct.
