[spirithorse22]

Anyone have any statistics, etc. something to show how many calories on average a person burns working-WORKING-at the barn? Feeding, bringing in, turning out, mucking 12x12 stalls, loads of shavings, pulling down hay, stacking bales, grooming, working 2 to 3 horses correctly on the flat (over fences less frequently), etc.

I am having a tough time convincing my personal trainer (and nutritionist) that I AM burning calories out there. I don't need to lose weight, but I am on a strict protein (muscle building) diet. He reluctantly upped it when I was dropping weight and waking up hungry at night. I don't think he thinks I'm lying, I think he truly just doesn't...get it. He has "friends who ride" but they're all "overweight and unfit". I DO think that he doesn't really believe my current level of fitness is from the barn and riding/hiking despite the fact that its the truth.

I get the "yeah, yeah, sure" response whenever I bring up riding or the barn. I agree it doesn't replace formal work outs like the ones I do every day with him but still, I ain't sitting in an office all day either.

I had this "chat" with him this AM and while doing my errands afterwards wondered if I should bring him cross country photos, do some sort of google search on rider fitness, then thought...go to COTH! So, anybody run into a similar situation?

Anybody else run into this problem when creating a work out diet/sessions? The 6 meals a day are tough enough making happen at the barn as it is!

[Twiliath]

Here's a site I found that includes most of that in general terms. http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc
It looks at the top like a bogus dead-end site, but scroll down, put in your info and off you go.

[BuddyRoo]

Have him come out for a no stirrups lesson...of a few rounds of two point.

Wait 1 day. Then call him and ask him if he feels like he had a workout. He should be sufficiently sore by then.

[Sport]

What about wearing a pedometer while doing chores, so you can show him how far you walk a day. This would not help with the riding, but will show how active you are.
Also try to compare moving bales to lifting weights, etc.

[RacetrackReject]

Seriously, invite him out to do barn work one day and watch you ride. It worked with one of my friends who didn't get it.

[caffeinated]

Wear a heart rate moniter for a day.

Also consider that a full bucket of water weighs about 40 pounds - how many times do you walk back and forth with them?

Lifting a hay bale is an awful lot like a deadlift (and they typically weigh more than 50 pounds, right?) - how many do you lift and carry and stack per day?

Compare mucking to shovelling snow. Similar motion and weight going on.

Or just have him out for a day and put him to work

I was lucky, my old PT just kind of accepted it when I told him which muscle groups were most used and what I wanted to work on, specifically to be a better rider

[CatOnLap]

http://www.ultimatehorsesite.com/inf...iesburned.html

[skykingismybaby1]

http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/default.htm

Government calcs show "general horse riding" expends 306 per hour and goes up for specific activities, over 450 for galloping.

[spirithorse22]

Y'all ROCK!!!

He is actually pretty nice, he has even said he'd come out to the barn. He's afraid of horses (city boy through and through) though.

I love these suggestions and will look through every website.

Caffeinated: what exactly did you do differently from a "usual" work out? For instance, I have a pair of very expensive boots that fit me perfectly in the calf (hard to find: big foot, slim calf) so NO calf exercises or very, very light weight/reps. I actually brought my boots in w/ me the second week b/c I wanted to make that point.
I am focusing intensely on my core and upper body but that is b/c that is my weakness anyway. It is already helping my riding. And climbing in/out of the semi where we store our hay has gotten easier now too.

[sdlbredfan]

Here ya go! http://www.ultimatehorsesite.com/inf...iesburned.html Edited to add, sorry I did not finish reading the thread before adding this, because now I see that Catonlap already provided it too.

I would be inclined to fire the personal trainer, IMO. A 'personal trainer' may give advice but should not be allowed the degree of control over the client's life that your post implies he has. If the PT is not a medical Doctor, you would be well advised to discuss the dietary advice with an M.D. if you have not recently already consulted one for CBC, electrolytes and lipids panel. Too much protein and too few carbs can induce some disease states, or at least certainly can overtax the kidneys. Because of that, I certainly would hope you've had a medical review of your BUN and Creatinine levels among other things, as if you happened to have any underlying problem that could be worsened by excessive protein, it would be best to know.

[sdlbredfan]

Wear a heart rate moniter for a day.

Also consider that a full bucket of water weighs about 40 pounds - how many times do you walk back and forth with them?

Lifting a hay bale is an awful lot like a deadlift (and they typically weigh more than 50 pounds, right?) - how many do you lift and carry and stack per day?

Compare mucking to shovelling snow. Similar motion and weight going on.

Or just have him out for a day and put him to work

I was lucky, my old PT just kind of accepted it when I told him which muscle groups were most used and what I wanted to work on, specifically to be a better rider

This! Definitely get this clueless PT out to do some of the same things, and am sure it will be an enlightening experience for said PT.

[EqTrainer]

I always offer to give them a riding lesson

[katydidn't]

You can pull a "Mike Rowe/Dirty Jobs" on him and show him what it's like for just ONE day. He'll get it. Make sure it's a water bucket scrubbing day....

[equineartworks]

One of our BOD members is a Personal Trainer, luckily she is a life long horse lover too. She's knows how much work goes into the day to day of horse ownership.

[sdlbredfan]

I was thinking about the typical day of barn chores and it is not unlike running a marathon, in that it is a continuous usually slower paced but 'long slow distance' type effort in that there rarely is a break. There is a reason long distance runners do 'carbo loading' before a race (usually day or night before a morning start race IIRC, any runners out there, please correct me if that is not correct). So, that implies to me that in order to have one's body store some glycogen so that there is some to call upon for muscular effort, one must consume the appropriate amount and types of carbohydrate. That is the backgrounder to why I think this PT got his 'nutrionist' credentials out of a cracker jack box. Nutrition is a heckuva a lot more about balanced nutritional intake than just about protein!

[medical mike]

w/sdlbredfan.

Your comments regarding his demeanor, "diet" recc's and apparent lack of professionalism don't IMO make him a good match for you.

Regards,
medical mike
equestrian medical researcher
www.equicision.com

[sdlbredfan]

w/sdlbredfan.

Your comments regarding his demeanor, "diet" recc's and apparent lack of professionalism don't IMO make him a good match for you.

Regards,
medical mike
equestrian medical researcher
www.equicision.com

Thanks for that vote of support, you're my new best friend forever.

[spirithorse22]

Hey, thanks for all the comments. He has adjusted the program and I am feeling strong all day with no hunger at night. I am also starting to see real results, which is SO exciting!

This higher protein thing was a two week program to help kick start the metabolism and help out my muscles since we'd intensified the work outs. It has really worked. I used to never get hungry; now I NEED to eat every two and a half or so hours. I am losing fat and can actually see my body changing shape a bit. Yippee!

This week we end that phase and go to a more balanced menu.

And it is helping my riding: my core is strengthening, it makes a difference.

[SonnysMom]

I wouldn't assume that the PT is wrong about the high protein/low carb diet. It isn't wrong for everybody. I just made the assumption that he actually has talked to spirithorse in a bit more detail than she posted in this thread.
If I carb loaded I would spiking my insulin and then crashing. I have to be on a high protein/low carb diet- per my endocrinologist and her RN nutritionist. No I am not diabetic.

It is my personal opinion that there is no one diet that works for everybody.

It is also my general experience that most MD's do not have a great handle on nutrition. I think that certain specialist have better knowledge within limits than the average primary care doctor. Such as I think that endocrinologist have good education for diabetic diets or PCOS diets.
It think cardiologist are good with a heart healthy diets.
A good sports medicine doctor will have good education on a diet for many athletes.
Most PCP's in my personal experience are not that versed on nutrition.
That said there are good nutritionists and one size fits all nutritionist.

Therefore I don't think that anybody here can say with certainty that a high protein/low carb diet is wrong for OP without a lot more information.

[spirithorse22]

I wouldn't assume that the PT is wrong about the high protein/low carb diet. It isn't wrong for everybody. I just made the assumption that he actually has talked to spirithorse in a bit more detail than she posted in this thread.
If I carb loaded I would spiking my insulin and then crashing. I have to be on a high protein/low carb diet- per my endocrinologist and her RN nutritionist. No I am not diabetic.

This. I feel SO much better now that I am on a higher protein diet. Thank god. I was always craving carbs and sweets and constantly dizzy/light headed. Then I went on this particular plan for the work outs and all of a sudden...OMG...no cravings. Can pass on sweets that I used to literally scarf down helplessly. AND I am rarely light headed.

I've had my blood tests, etc. b/c of the aforementioned issues but the doctors never saw anything. Went to this gym, joined up, got on an intensive work out plan and custom diet (he took a solid week to create this plan for me)...I am feeling so good.

Like I said, we had to talk a little more, and with a few of these research links, we're all sorted out and making real progress!