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What are some good ways for INFPs (or any other P's) to Exercise/ Diet

G

Glycerine

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I am asking on someone's behalf. They have difficulty keeping up a regimented routine (geared more towards J types) and were curious about other options.
 

Halla74

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OK, I'm biased as I've been a natural bodybuilder for 20 years, but I honestly and truly believe that no personal fitness regimen is complete unless it is composed of both:

(1) Cardiovascular Exercise

and

(2) Resistance Training

TRAIN YOUR WHOLE BODY:
--------------------------
Without both, your body is not going to be totally fit. There are a lot of misconceptions about weight/resistance training. Firstly, many people think they will bulk up if they lift weights. I have news for you, that takes alot of time and effort unless you are going to get juiced up, which isn't very healthy. Normal people that integrate weights into their fitness routine are not only getting stronger, they are staying off the de-ossification of their bones (VERY important for women after age 30), they are keeping their tendons and ligaments in good order, learning to balance, and believe it or not - BURNING CALORIES!

KEEP IT SIMPLE - BE INSTINCTIVE
---------------------------------
I don't like overly anal retentive workouts counting weight used, # of reps, etc. I do at least 30 minutes of cardio every time I go to the gym, sometimes 45, sometimes 60. I either jack the elliptical up to level 16 on a random workout, or it the treadmill on a random setting and interval train (jog/sprint/walk/sprint/jog/etc.) and just rock out on my MP3 player. Then I hit the weights.

I have an ordered system of working my muscles consisting of 4 different workouts: (A) Chest, Triceps, Abdominals (B) Back, Trapeziums, Calves (C) Shoulders, Biceps, Forearms, Abdominals (D) Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Calves
If I simply follow this series I know that I am working my entire body of the course of a week or so, taking the guess work out of training evenly.

NOTE: If I am way busy I do 20 minutes of cardio + a circuit workout on the weights, doing 2-3 sets of one exercise for each bodypart, done in 45 minutes for the whole shebang.

I do not choose exercises to perform, since sometimes the equipment at a gym is taken, its best to be flexible and use what is available, for the sake of giving your body variey, and for the sake of keeping your metabolism up instead of waiting around being lazy.

I do not count reps, I rep to failure every set. Most of the time I will do supersets (2 exercises of the same bodypart done one after the other) or giant sets (3 exercises of the same bodypart done one after the other), 3 sets per series. I warm up, do my heaviest set first while I'm fresh, then break down from there for the next 2 sets.

STRATEGY TO CONSIDER:
-------------------------
When you do cardio, the first 15 minutes basically burns the sugar out of your blood.

At 30 minutes you have burned the fatty acids out of your blood.

Any cardio work longer than 30 minutes is burning STORED FAT. So, if you stop at 30 minutes, you are killing the most productive time of the workout.

That's why I do weights right after cardio, it keeps my metabolism up and allows me to keep burning fat (since I'm training quickly and intensely).

NUTRITION:
-------------
Outside of all this, eat whole foods, cut your carbohydrate intake in half, don't eat sugar or soda or too much bread or pasta. Eat as much fruit and vegetables as you can and make the rest of your calories come from lean meats, organic dairy products, and whole grain breads/brown rice. Drink as much water per day as you can.

CONCLUSION:
--------------
If you train and eat like this for a month you will see a mjor difference in you physique and how you feel each day. If you do it for 6 months you'll look great on the beach this summer. If you do it for the rest of your life you will look decades younger than all your peers, and feel good too.
 

MonkeyGrass

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Are we talking actual nuts and bolts of a program, or tricks to stay focused/motivated? As a fellow INF, I can relate to the difficulty of staying focused without wandering down a different path. I have a few tricks up my sleeve, if that's what you're asking about. :cheese:
 

wolfy

awsm
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Jun 30, 2008
Messages
12,251
Build some flexibility into the program. Variety of exercises and set/rep schemes within the same overall framework. At the end of the day training is a nose to the grindstone type of thing though.
 

nolla

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I find it easier to cut down eating than starting exercise routine. But, if I'd do sports, I would choose the ones that don't focus on the boring muscle stuff. I like stuff with objective, like say, boulder climbing, you climb to get to the top, not to build muscle. I would like that, I have tried it, but never found the time to really start.
 
G

Glycerine

Guest
Are we talking actual nuts and bolts of a program, or tricks to stay focused/motivated? As a fellow INF, I can relate to the difficulty of staying focused without wandering down a different path. I have a few tricks up my sleeve, if that's what you're asking about. :cheese:
Both would be great, thank you! :D
 

Feops

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Set realistic short-term goals, plan a time to exercise, anticipate and deal with possible excuses ahead of time. Do not overwork to start.

Prepare food before meals to minimize lazy shortcuts when hungry, remove unhealthy snacks from the household, purchase healthy snacks to replace them.
 

Halla74

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Some dietary strategy...

My Diet is "Isometric":
~1/3 of my calories each day come from protein,
~1/3 from carbs, and
~1/3 from fat.

The reasoning behind eating this way is as follows.

Protein can be burned for fuel if you need it, or be used as the building blocks for new muscle growth. The absence of protein in your system (negative nitrogen balance) is an immediate trigger for your catabolic metabolism. So, you are better off with MORE protein than you need each day, than LESS. Especially because it is physiologically impossible for protein to get converted to fat.

Carbs can be converted to fat if you eat too much of them at one sitting and do not burn them off with exercise. Your reduction of bread is a wise move, as plenty of other foods, including some vegetables and of course fruit, contain carbohydrates. I do as you do, I cut bread, white sugar, candy, soda, etc. from my diet, so that my carbs come from oatmeal, small amounts of potato or past with meals, etc.

Fat can obviously be converted to stored body fat. Keeping your fatr content down as I mentioned is necessary simply because on the scale of caloric impact, remember:

1 gram of carbs = 4 calories
1 gram of protein = 4 calories
1 gram of fat = 9 calories
1 g of alcohol = 7 calories

Fat and alcohol are both a risk to a shredded abdomen as they are very high in calores and contain little nutritive value with regard to muscle anabolism. Just like carbs, you will get the fat your body NEEDS out of your diet, even if you try to strip out as much as you can from the foods you eat. Fat is just "in there." You can't get rid of it, nor do you need to, but it is wise to limit intake of it as much as possible due to it containing more than double the calories per gram as carbs of protein.

Other points of interest:
We have a fat metabolism AND a carb metabolism.
Carbs are burned first, at the front end of physical activity, and usually are burned out of the blood after 15 minutes of cardio. Fatty acids are used next as fuel to replenish ATP stores in ourt muscles, and are usually burned out of the blood after 30 minutes of exercise. Past 30 minutes you are burning STORED FAT. That is why doing cardio for 30 minutes is unwise, you stop the activity right at the threshold that your body is buring stored fat, when your exercise is most "profitable" for purposes of getting ripped. I do 45-60 minutes of cardio 3x per week. If I do 30 min. of cardio I immediately jump into the weight room and keep my metabolism high so I am burning fat while I lift. Efficiency!!!

The reason that the Atkins diet works is because protein can be used as fuel, and cannot be turned into stored body fat. Complete elimination of carbs forces the body into ketosis, and the body starts to use the fat metabolism exclusively. This results in large amounts of stored fat being burned for fuel and a reduction of it in the body. I personally cannot do that type of diet, I can do the "South Beach" diet as it is more forgiving of moderate carb intake and also consumption of fruit. Atkins diet cannot be healthy for a human in the long run, it's just gross.

Rules of Thumb to Follow:
(1) Eat from "The Perimeter of the Supermarket." This means the majority of your foods should be FRESH and UNPROCESSED. The only aisles you need are the (a) Produce, (b) Dairy, (c) Bakery, and (d) Meats (Lean Cuts). Anything in a BOX, in a CAN, or FROZEN is junk compared to whole fresh foods. :yes:

(2) Eat 5-6 smaller meals per day instead of 3 big ones, and make sure that at each sitting you have protein, carbs, and some fat on your plate.

(3) Eat your veggies, they are good for you and fill you up with little calories.

(4) Finally, never eat a serving of carbohydrates that is bigger than your fist. I never eat a full baked potato, I eat half one. I also eat very small amounts of pasta and instead add on more meatballs and veggies and marinara sauce onto the dish to make it more filling.
 

Udog

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Great tips, Halla! Since us INFPs like to research and establish a knowledge base before we really get into anything, knowing this stuff is a good start. It'll give context to everything the INFP does.

This is going to be a long answer, but I figure the OP will appreciate the extra detail.

With me, it took the resolve to start exercising no matter what. Even if I screwed up a week, or even a month, I did not quit. Failure wasn't an excuse to fail. To give you context, I started my exercising and diet June 15. It wasn't until October that I started feeling that I was truly eating better (not perfectly, though!) and exercising consistently. I only lost about 7 pounds over that time frame. Frustrating, but still much better than gaining even 1 pound!

Your INFP has to get to a point where s/he is willing to put a long term investment into this. They have to make it a part of who they are, and to do that, it will take work, time, and perseverance.

Another great thing for INFPs is to have people supporting them and keeping track of their progress. Perhaps turn it into a game. I once bet a friend $20 bucks and dinner at a place of their choosing if I failed to exercise and diet for 3 months. I ended up losing about 15 pounds from that.

Finally, be active and do interesting things! Take a martial art. Learn to dance. Start practicing tennis. Find fun things to do that will burn calories.
 

Fecal McAngry

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Joined
Oct 31, 2009
Messages
976
I am asking on someone's behalf. They have difficulty keeping up a regimented routine (geared more towards J types) and were curious about other options.
I understand. As an INFP, I prefer to follow a "philosophy" WRT diet, exercise, etc.

Mark Sisson is, I suspect, an INFJ, and his site and book are very INFP-friendly IMHO. You might enjoy as well:

Mark's Daily Apple

Amazon.com: The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy (9780982207703): Mark Sisson: Books

There are many other related sites/books, but that's a start...
 

Thalassa

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When you're writing, get up and walk around while you're thinking. Ride an exercise bike while you're listening to music and thinking about what to write and the tens of thousands of other random bullshit going through your mind. Ride a real bike outside on nice days to relieve stress and daydream.

When I did more structured types of exercise, it was always dance classes. Nothing else works for me. I hate routine, structure, and the atmosphere of "the gym." I like to swim, too, but alas I currently don't have a pool.
 

Thalassa

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Some dietary strategy...

My Diet is "Isometric":
~1/3 of my calories each day come from protein,
~1/3 from carbs, and
~1/3 from fat.

The reasoning behind eating this way is as follows.

Protein can be burned for fuel if you need it, or be used as the building blocks for new muscle growth. The absence of protein in your system (negative nitrogen balance) is an immediate trigger for your catabolic metabolism. So, you are better off with MORE protein than you need each day, than LESS. Especially because it is physiologically impossible for protein to get converted to fat.

Carbs can be converted to fat if you eat too much of them at one sitting and do not burn them off with exercise. Your reduction of bread is a wise move, as plenty of other foods, including some vegetables and of course fruit, contain carbohydrates. I do as you do, I cut bread, white sugar, candy, soda, etc. from my diet, so that my carbs come from oatmeal, small amounts of potato or past with meals, etc.

Fat can obviously be converted to stored body fat. Keeping your fatr content down as I mentioned is necessary simply because on the scale of caloric impact, remember:

1 gram of carbs = 4 calories
1 gram of protein = 4 calories
1 gram of fat = 9 calories
1 g of alcohol = 7 calories

Fat and alcohol are both a risk to a shredded abdomen as they are very high in calores and contain little nutritive value with regard to muscle anabolism. Just like carbs, you will get the fat your body NEEDS out of your diet, even if you try to strip out as much as you can from the foods you eat. Fat is just "in there." You can't get rid of it, nor do you need to, but it is wise to limit intake of it as much as possible due to it containing more than double the calories per gram as carbs of protein.

Other points of interest:
We have a fat metabolism AND a carb metabolism.
Carbs are burned first, at the front end of physical activity, and usually are burned out of the blood after 15 minutes of cardio. Fatty acids are used next as fuel to replenish ATP stores in ourt muscles, and are usually burned out of the blood after 30 minutes of exercise. Past 30 minutes you are burning STORED FAT. That is why doing cardio for 30 minutes is unwise, you stop the activity right at the threshold that your body is buring stored fat, when your exercise is most "profitable" for purposes of getting ripped. I do 45-60 minutes of cardio 3x per week. If I do 30 min. of cardio I immediately jump into the weight room and keep my metabolism high so I am burning fat while I lift. Efficiency!!!

The reason that the Atkins diet works is because protein can be used as fuel, and cannot be turned into stored body fat. Complete elimination of carbs forces the body into ketosis, and the body starts to use the fat metabolism exclusively. This results in large amounts of stored fat being burned for fuel and a reduction of it in the body. I personally cannot do that type of diet, I can do the "South Beach" diet as it is more forgiving of moderate carb intake and also consumption of fruit. Atkins diet cannot be healthy for a human in the long run, it's just gross.

Rules of Thumb to Follow:
(1) Eat from "The Perimeter of the Supermarket." This means the majority of your foods should be FRESH and UNPROCESSED. The only aisles you need are the (a) Produce, (b) Dairy, (c) Bakery, and (d) Meats (Lean Cuts). Anything in a BOX, in a CAN, or FROZEN is junk compared to whole fresh foods. :yes:

(2) Eat 5-6 smaller meals per day instead of 3 big ones, and make sure that at each sitting you have protein, carbs, and some fat on your plate.

(3) Eat your veggies, they are good for you and fill you up with little calories.

(4) Finally, never eat a serving of carbohydrates that is bigger than your fist. I never eat a full baked potato, I eat half one. I also eat very small amounts of pasta and instead add on more meatballs and veggies and marinara sauce onto the dish to make it more filling.

This sounds like an insanely "J" way to live.

Just eat less food. Don't keep junk in your house where you can easily reach for it. Keep stuff that you know is healthy (i.e. nuts, fruit, veggies, soup, whole grain bread, etc.) in your house to eat. Have lunch at Subway instead of McDonald's. Use Splenda instead of sugar. Anything beyond that is madness.:yes:
 

Tamske

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Oct 22, 2009
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This was not a serious suggestion. It's quite unhealthy.
But... I'm guilty of that. I can cook a nice meal all the way thinking how good it will taste; and when I eat I don't really taste because my mind is elsewhere. I really need to develop that little Se of mine.
 
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