Exercise for the super unfit?

urloved33

swimming is very hard work. so if you go to the pool start with breast stroke (slow) or treading water slowly or continue to just walk.

leggup

I recommend picking a set route with a start and end point and walking it at a slow pace to start. Record the distance and time and then try to match or beat your time for every subsequent workout, +/- 10 seconds. You don't even have to jog to start- just working in brisk walking (4 mph) will help you build your endurance up.

Ultimately, losing weight was the biggest aid in my walking/running. Every lb you lose is one less lb you're carrying on your walks.

shmulyeng

C25K

BABetter1

This is what I did and what I recommended to my Mom. I started C25k but was just too out of shape and did not want to injure my knees. So, instead of walking and jogging, I walked at a moderate to slow pace and just walked briskly during the jogging parts. I also walked almost every day since I didn't really need the rest days in between. I picked up the pace as I got stronger. After 3 or 4 weeks, I restarted C25k and followed it as designed with the jogging. It was much better than trying to do too much too fast and injuring myself. Good luck.

Edited to add - I'm almost through week 3 this time.

peachyfuzzle

When I started this whole thing back in November, my first plan was to do a couch to 5k program, and that didn't go so well. Not at all.

I was so out of shape, that I couldn't even jog at 5mph for 30 seconds without my heartrate jumping to 180+, breathing heavier than prom night, and needing five minutes of walking at 3.0mph to recover long enough to try again.

The second week, 30 seconds felt better even though it was still hard, and then I injured my calf because I was putting too much stress on it. That kept me out for a week. Went at it again, the fourth week, and boom... same injury to my calf. So, I decided to do some weightlifting which wasn't very calf dependent like squats, and just walked for a couple of miles on the treadmill every session. Also, I would do 50 calf raises three times per day for a few weeks to strengthen them up.

Before I got super lazy, and took six weeks off of the gym (even though I still maintained a calorie deficit), I was jogging at 5.5mph for six sets of seven minutes each with a 2-3 minute 3.5mph walking break between.

It took me over two months to get to that point though.

Now, I'm in the beginning of my third week back to the gym, and the first 3-5 days were utter hell. I couldn't jog for longer than two minutes without wanting to die, and my entire lower body was in absolute agony so much so that I was glad to have a couple of Vicodin leftover from a recent tooth extraction.

But, I'm already up to four minutes each set, and the muscle pain is nowhere near as severe.

It gets easier. Goals may have to be realigned for people who are extraordinarily out of shape, but if you take it slow, you'll get there.

Keep walking, and do some calf raises (lift your body from flat foot to tip toe) each day until your calves get strong enough to support jogging. Don't forget, the more weight you lose, the easier it is for your calves to support your weight as well.

HelenWater

A recumbent exercise bike is very gentle for your back and knees, so you can get your heart rate up without risking injury.

samhennings

Railuki wrote: »

As for pools, I'll have to figure that out. I LOVED swimming when I was younger - unfortunately now that I am older it is a little more tainted with body image issues but I hope to work through those!

Once you are in the water you will look like everyone else - a floating head! Dont let it stop you getting in there!

JoRocka

walking.
walking in a pool
doing body weight exercises with whatever modifications you need.

you don't need to go ham when you get started- you just need to get started!

# 1 problem and reason people fail with exercise- is because they are all excited about it (which is not bad) but they do to much too soon.

slow down. no reason to rush- do the best you can where you are- and if where you are is the bottom rung- or even the ground next to the ladder- or not even NEXT to the ladder- take the first step- walk towards the ladder- put your foot on the first rug... stop trying to jump on the roof from inside the building- it's a good way to never make it.

earlnabby

JoRocka wrote: »

walking.
walking in a pool
doing body weight exercises with whatever modifications you need.

you don't need to go ham when you get started- you just need to get started!

# 1 problem and reason people fail with exercise- is because they are all excited about it (which is not bad) but they do to much too soon.

slow down. no reason to rush- do the best you can where you are- and if where you are is the bottom rung- or even the ground next to the ladder- or not even NEXT to the ladder- take the first step- walk towards the ladder- put your foot on the first rug... stop trying to jump on the roof from inside the building- it's a good way to never make it.

Listen to Jo, this is wisdom.

My experience has been exactly this. I started doing water exercises 3x a week. That was it for exercise.Then I bought myself a Fitbit and aimed for 2000 steps a day. I had a hard time getting to the edge of my apartment complex' property and back so I didn't always get the 2000. Fast froward a year and I still do the water exercise. I also swim a mile 3x a week and walk at least 10k steps 6 days a week, often getting over 15k. I did a 6 mile hike recently. It was all just building on what I have done before.

peter56765

The #1 most common problem for beginning runners is running too fast. You need to SLOW DOWN. To that end, I'm going to recommend something that is very often anathema to most runners: The treadmill. Yes, I know, it's heresy to even suggest it but I found it to be an invaluable tool when starting out.

The advantages of the treadmill are many. First and foremost, it's easier: There are no hills, dogs, cars, uneven terrain or lousy weather to contend with. You'll always know exactly how fast, how long and how far you are running. You can start off just walking and with a set schedule, you can both gradually and precisely increase your intensity with no guesswork, If you like interval training, it's just a button push away. The treadmill eliminates weather based excuses for not exercising. And treadmills are ubiquitous - every single gym everywhere has them.

But for me, the most important advantage of learning to run on a treadmill is that once you've established a steady routine, you'll have the muscle memory to know what a 9 minute mile (or whatever pace you're comfortable with) feels like. At that point, you can graduate to running outside, letting your legs do what should now feel like second nature to them. You'll probably still go too fast at first but you'll have the confidence to know that you CAN do it since you already have been doing it. It's just a matter of tweaking your muscle memory to adapt for differences like pavement, hills, temperature and wind.

jasmineboyle

betsysjl wrote: »

There are some great youtube exercise videos for unfit people. You can try some of them in the privacy of your home. I have really bad knees, so I started doing seated Zumba workouts, before graduating to the standing ones.

Awesome! You just inspired me!

melimomTARDIS

i really like the leslie sansone videos "walk away the pounds". If you decide to try them, be sure to get a dvd with a 1 mile walk on it.

tekkiechikk

Consistency is so important... make a plan and stick to it. It's easy to get discouraged and not want to go back to- well, anything. Start with an exercise you can do and manage... scrap running and just walk. Do it on a regular basis. Increase distance. Incorporate hills or inclines. Keep a record... it's a great source of inspiration when you start adding up the miles and seeing how far you've come since Day 1.

Hang in there!