overall trying to be healthy/strong but not sure what to eat

[cornbreadfed614]

hi everyone! i’m 22f 5’3” 120lbs and new to working out. i have been pretty inactive my entire life, i thought i just didn’t need to exercise because i was skinny lol. anyway, the older i get the more i realize i can’t do stuff i should be able to. i can’t run a mile without stopping, hell i can barely run half a mile. i’m not that strong either, i can squat just the bar. overall, i want to get to a point where i am stronger and much more cardiovascularly fit (ie be able to run a couple miles and not feel like i’m dying). i like my body shape and size and everything because i’m pretty skinny, but i want the meat on my bones to be muscle, not fat.

i’ve been trying to change these sedentary habits and i’ve been going to the gym for the past couple of months. i’m having trouble tackling consistency, intensity, and diet. how are you guys able to manage a 9-5 and also go to the gym? i feel mentally exhausted after work every day and its so hard to find motivation to go. i’m also not sure how hard i should be working out? some of my friends insist that i need to keep doing reps until i can barely do 1/4 of a good one. some of my friends caution that you can hurt yourself this way.

i’m south asain and my diet consists of mainly veggies (although i’m not vegetarian but i shy away from red meat). i try to eat chicken but i get the ick so fast if i try to eat a whole chicken breast every day. i’ve been trying to eat chickpeas and lentils and stuff but i know that’s not as good as meat. do y’all have any suggestions?

 

[dinafrancis]

@cornbreadfed614

how are you guys able to manage a 9-5 and also go to the gym? i feel mentally exhausted after work every day and its so hard to find motivation to go.

You just gotta prioritize and not rely on motivation. Make your gym time like a job. You don't need to go daily though, 3x a week full body workout would be plenty. You can do some cardio by even just starting with long walks around your neighborhood.

Improving your cardio and diet may help with the energy. Also, make sure you're staying well hydrated. And maybe talk with your doctor about getting some bloodwork done, particularly vitamin D and iron levels. You can safely supplement vitD regardless of the results (I do 5000IU daily). It helps immunity levels, energy and mood. Low iron can also cause some energy issues BUT I would encourage getting iron looked at before taking iron supplementation because too much iron is also bad.

But first and foremost should be your diet.

i’m also not sure how hard i should be working out? some of my friends insist that i need to keep doing reps until i can barely do 1/4 of a good one. some of my friends caution that you can hurt yourself this way.

Following a proven routine is the best way to go. There are free ones on the r/fitness wiki https://thefitness.wiki/muscle-building-101/ (along with a ton of other good info). You don't need to go to failure each time. You don't need to have form 100% perfect, but I would be hesitant about telling anyone to be trying to get a quarter rep because form will likely be compromised and that is where injuries will happen. I would be aiming to feel like doing 1 or 2 more reps will be hard. So if you did 10 reps and feel like you could keep going to 15, you should move up in weight. But if you do 10 and your momentum has slowed down and that 10th rep was getting pretty hard, you could maybe do 11, but don't really want to... yeah that's probably good. On the last set, you could try "emptying the tank" so to speak and seeing if you can hit 11 or 12 to really push yourself, but don't let it compromise your form.

i’m south asain and my diet consists of mainly veggies (although i’m not vegetarian but i shy away from red meat). i try to eat chicken but i get the ick so fast if i try to eat a whole chicken breast every day.

There is absolutely no reason to stay away from red meat. But you should be paying attention to your protein intake. Meat is by far the easiest way to hit it. But eggs and dairy are good sources as well. There are vegetarian sources but you have to make sure you're eating a mix to make sure you're getting complete proteins. The biggest downside of vegetarian sources is that they often come with a lot of carb calories, making it more difficult to keep to a reasonable calorie amount while still hitting your protein goal.

At your size, you could aim for 80-90g of protein at a minimum a day. This is important for muscle recovery and building. Don't avoid dietary fats as these are important to healthy hormone production. And you already eat plenty of veggies, so that's great for your micronutrients and fiber.

You can always supplement with some protein powder, but I would encourage you to try and increase you protein intake through your diet alone. You should be able to hit 80-90g with diet alone imo.

 

[cornbreadfed614]

@dinafrancis thank you for taking the time to reply!

i don’t know how you deduced that i am iron and vitamin D deficient! i haven’t gotten bloodwork done in a while but i should. i stopped taking iron supplements years ago though, they always made me nauseous and constipated. mostly i just try to eat spinach and drink orange juice.

thanks for the tips on reps! i’ll try to follow that.

there’s no real reason i’m staying away from red meat, it’s just that i didn’t grow up eating it so now it feels strange and upsets my stomach sometimes. i gotta get over it mostly though.

 

[dinafrancis]

@cornbreadfed614 It's not that you are iron/vit d deficiency, it's just that there is a possibility. I'd argue MOST people could get more VitD as we aren't spending anywhere near as much time out in the sun. And hell, even if we are, still may not be enough. I was spending enough time outside that I managed to get a tan through my tank tops and I was still low on vitD.

As for iron, there's a difference between heme and non-heme iron (basically animal vs plant iron). The former is much more easily absorbed. Now i'm not saying you have any issues with your iron levels, but anema can contribute to low energy levels. And if you have heavy periods, that could be lowering your iron levels.

In general, I feel like getting yearly bloodwork done with your physical is a good idea to just keep an eye on things. Usually have to specifically ask for Vit-D and Iron.

So aside from general health things, just try and keep track of your protein intake and that'll be a good start. It doesn't have to be from red meat, but just wanted to make sure you weren't avoiding it on purpose. You could also try to include more fish in your diet, along with pork. Don't have to live off of strictly chicken. Also, try eating chicken thighs over breast, the fattier cut is much tastier. And then you could try cutting it up and putting it in in stir fries and such so you aren't just having a plain chicken breast. And if your chicken breast is dry when you cook it... cook it a little less. You can get a moist, juicy, but fully cooked chicken breast!

 

[dch]

@cornbreadfed614 Go before work, then you have more energy. Spend about 45 minutes lifting and then about 20 minutes cardio

You can just keep eating the amount you're currently are if you like your current body shape and weight. Maybe add some more protein through food or protein powder

 

[james2175]

@cornbreadfed614 You don't have to eat meat for protein. You just want to make sure you're getting enough iron and b vitamins in your diet, and eat a range of veggies for complementary proteins.

You can also eat a variety of foods and still get great results!

A run training program can help you with your running goals. Even something like a couch to 5k will keep you reasonably ready and active

 

[amber101]

@cornbreadfed614 I will jump on the nutrition train…meet with your doctor and a nutritionist. They will do blood work(lab), body and food analysis. Your diet looks pretty good but your body may not be absorbing the nutrients that you need. They will check your levels and recommend a nutrition plan and if necessary the proper supplements.