Project Cosplay, Supplemental Remix

“so aside from Miyu being perfect, does she have any workout tips to
make us humble normal humans look nearly as gorgeous/fit as she does?
:P”

- Ivey (http://iveyew.livejournal.com/profile)

First off, thank you so much for the wonderful compliment! I really appreciate that! I assure you that I’m far from perfect, but I’d be happy to tell what I know about diet and exercise. :}

I got my figure to look the way it does the good old fashioned way: by working out a buttload and sticking to a healthy diet! I keep my physique intact by eating the right foods, counting calories, reading labels, and generally just being aware of what I put into my body. I also work out at least three times a week.

Diet:
Pull out your food pyramid from 4th grade and you’ll find yourself looking at a simple yet effective way to eat! I wouldn’t recommend following any of the “trendy” diets like South Beach or Atkins, they can be really detrimental to your health. You’d be suprised at how simple it is! You don’t need a fancy diet, just some common sense.

•  Sugar, sodium, and fats are to be eaten sparingly. Your body needs them in their natural forms but just like anything else there is a problem with too much of a good thing. Sugar can be very bad for you. Normal white sugar is actually processed and cut with additives that they don’t tell you about and it’s probably one of the worst things you can consume. Switch to honey or raw cane sugar, the brown stuff. They’re both much better for you; but remember, sugar is sugar no matter what form it comes in and you still should not eat it excessively. Stop drinking things with high fructose corn syrup in them. Stop drinking soda and alcohol. Stay away from artificial sweeteners, flavorings, dyes, and preservatives.

•  White breads and normal pasta are the “bad” kind of carbs. You’re body needs complex carbohydrates. Try switching to multi-grain wheat bread and multi-grain pasta. I don’t eat carbs unless they are complex carbs such as whole grain breads and noodles, and I avoid foods with excessive amounts of sodium and sugars. If you’re trying to lose weight, eat your carbs early in the day and eat little to no carbs in the evening before you go to bed.

•  It’s also very important to have a protein source in every meal. Lean boiled chicken, steak, eggs, and fish are all great sources of protein and natural fats for your body (tofu is alright too for you vegetarians out there.)

• Eat at least 4-6 small meals a day with the biggest meal being at breakfast and only eat until you’re satisfied, not until you’re full. Eat slowly. It takes awhile for the signal from your stomach to reach your brain and tell you that it’s full. I don’t go out to eat, instead I cook my own food so I know exactly what I’m putting into my body. I rarely use condiments since they have lots of bad things such as excessive amounts of sodium in them. I don’t use imitation foods, so if I’m cooking with butter I use real butter. I steam my veggies and eat them unseasoned instead of sauteed. Eating lots of fresh fruit is very beneficial as well. I also drink lots and lots of water!

I know it all seems a bit strict but once you get used to eating a certain way you don’t really think about it much. I also take daily multivitamins, and before I work out I drink a protein shake.

Working out:
Depending on what you’re trying to achieve, your work out routine is going to vary. If you want to shed some pounds you’ll need a mixture of high impact and low impact cardio. If you want to tone you’ll need to do weight training.

•  Always stretch before you do any physical activity!

•  After I stretch, I start with muscle building exercises and strength training, and then I do 30 minutes of cardio.

•  As for getting toned, all that word really implies is building muscle mass. According to Marc Dizon, my friend and personal trainer, it’s always better to do your weight training before you do your cardio. Why? Because during weight lifting you use up your glycogen stores for energy, so if you do cardio first you burn glycogen stores and not fat. As far as weights go Marc recommends things like dumbbell bench presses. Heavy weights expend more energy and build more muscle to get that “toned” look. You should keep your lifting routine to about 30 minutes. During that time you can do it in intervals such as 3 sets of dumbbell bench presses, 10 each time. If you can do 10 too easily then up the weight. He recommends 3 sets of deadlifts for 10 reps and 3 sets of squats 10 for reps.

•  There are many different ways to achieve the same result for your cardio workout. Running, jogging, swimming, bicycling, or using a treadmill all work very well. I also do little things that keep me active like taking my dog for walks every night and walking places that are close to my house instead of driving.

•  For my personal workout, I stretch and then do 300 crunches, 100 leg-lifts, and 100 squats three times a week.

•  The best way to get your body looking the way you want it to look is to come up with a weekly fitness routine and daily diet that works with your personal chemistry.

Seeking help from a nutritionist or a personal trainer is something I highly recommend if you can afford it because they will help you immensely. Getting into the habit of a structured regimen is important and can make all the difference. If that’s not an option for you, there are tons of great books and workout tapes out there at your disposal that can also aid you greatly.

Since I’m not a professional, I sought the expertise of one. He helped me with this article and approved it as sound advice for you to follow. ;} Thank you Marc!

If you have a question for us, don’t hesitate to ask! You can contact us through projectcosplay.com or via email!

- Laura

Tags: cosplay fitness, diet, excersize, miyu

This entry was posted on Friday, September 26th, 2008 at 8:55 pm and is filed under Project Cosplay. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.