Improving riding fitness - help please?

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Pidge

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Ok so now Pidge is feeling better we have upped his workload to an hour ridden per day, poor lad hasn't had a day off since coming back to work
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Instructor did say last night I need to up my fitness level as his is starting to overtake mine and he will take a lot of riding
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I have been able to put my legs on him much more than ever before hence my calf musces throb now
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So tips needed on upping my fitness levels please? I eat reasonably well, plenty of fresh fruit and veg but I have a weakness for fish and chips and its easier to buy them on the way home if late rather than cook for myself
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I take it I will have to restrict the number of times I have these then? I have dropped from a size 18 to nearlly a 14 since the Autumn so am doing quite well. What else can I do? I struggle time wise as work full time and being on my own housey stuff sometimes is a struggle.
Help and advice as usual much appreciated
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Oh forgot to say I also suffer with mild asthma so do struggle sometimes in breathing
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Pilates is good as it strengthens your core muscles which will improve your riding position and it's low/non-impact so won't hurt your joints and shouldn't provoke your asthma.

If you have a gym ball then doing sit ups/push up or just sitting on it will also help tone muscles.

Walking, jogging or cycling are the best ways to burn calories/fat.

I know all this but don't actually put it into action...will definitely start on Monday
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well done for thedrop in size so far! whats your secret my weight is rising by the day! Before my horse went lame i had a 16 mile ride to do and was really unfit so i started biking to the yard and back twice a day - only 10minutes each way but 4 times a day really added up - i was quite pleased when i did the ride at easter as i didnt feal too bad at all - good luck x x
 
like the idea of a gym ball as could that when get time at home, and when not on here! Where can you get them from?
Have a bike but its in the shed and hasn't been used for over 4 years, not sure I'd want to though with the drivers around here
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mucking out throughout the winter, when they are messy as Pidge it takes ages but does burn the calories off
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cheaper than a gym
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not but so much more fun
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am quite excited about buying some size 14 clothes though how sad is that
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hi, I have seen those gym balls at Argos and I think some Tescos and Sainsburys sell them too
Maybe do some lunges/squats at home as well? I do some lunges in the shower while waiting for my conditioner to do its work ( the bathtub is long and I am short !)
 
Aerobic ... ok, fast walk in your lunch hour? This will help your fitness if only for 25 mins, really stride out.. and get those glutes working! This is for stamina. Also gets you out of the office and away from your desk (presuming you work in an office!)

Anaerobic... use the ball as suggested and lunges work wonders for the thighs and glutes, both sideways and frontways. Also find a step and do calf raises, this will help with the mobility of the calf joint and also build up some muscle tone.
 
Get a dance mat, they're really fun and like a mini gym at home you can use whenever you want.

Also if your horse is lazy try loose schooling him in a big school so that you have to run round after him! Ok i probably sound silly now but I used to do this alot with my old horse who was lazy and I ended up working nearly as hard as he did, I think he decided he was only going to bother to trot or canter if I did so as well. Great fun though, I soon trained him to run round with me (though only did it when no one else was around!)
 
pidge - I'm a size 8/10 but it doesn't help me to catch my breath on a XC course! I'd say walking is good (and easy!) if you can't be bothered with the whole exercise thing.
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The best way to improve fitness, and to help with weight loss is good diet obviously, but also an aerobic type of fitness regime.

That doesn't mean that you have to go jumping round in an aerobic class - but it does mean that your heart rate needs to be pushed up steadily a couple of times a week. A good brisk walk at lunch times would be a good start. Swimming is also a wonderful way to get fit, gentley strengthening the muscles at the same time.

Keep off the fish and chips. Reduce your intake of fizzy drinks, tea and coffee - increase your intake of water and things like apple juice (with is GI friendly) and you should notice a difference quite quickly. All of this should also help to some degree with the asthma, because as you drop weight your heart will not have to work so hard to pump oxygen around your body - thus making breathing easier, and helping significantly with the asthma.
 
thanks for the tips everyone, much appreciated
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going to get a skipping rope and ball thingy
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Inspired by my post yesterday I had pasta and salad for tea and am having fruit and salad for dinner in a minute.
I drink lots of water at home already, but will knock the coffee in the morning on its head at work. and will stop getting fish and chips, well perhaps just once a month won't hurt too much? Have been buying more fresh fish and meat recently as opposed to ready meals so will keep doing that.
Amymay whats GI? I have to be careful with acidic foods as I suffer from IBS.
 
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