How To Get Started When You Have a Whole New "Life"

Emm_Lee

I'm hoping for some advice. I'm a new(ish) Mom: I'm 44 and my son is 20 months old. Prior to having my son, I was very active: I was at the gym after work each day (M-F), doing about 5 tough miles on an inclined treadmill and then circuit training on the weight machines. I did Pilates at home on Sunday to prep for the workweek, and also did Pilates at home if for any reason I couldn't get to the gym (such as when traveling for work). My job as an Engineer had me running around an office of about 500 people, helping them with various tech issues. Fast-forward to now: I put on over 60 pounds when pregnant, had a c-section when the docs lost my son's heartbeat during delivery, and have spent 14 of the last 20 months with a baby who wouldn't sleep more than two hours at a stretch. In March, he finally started to sleep through the night, so I'm feeling much healthier. I'm now at home running 2 businesses and caring for my son. I'm now down to 175 lbs, which at 5' 5" is too much. I'm finding myself really hating how I look, and how I feel. I no longer have self-confidence or stamina. I find that I have about 2 half-hour time frames during which I can exercise every day. What I'd like to know is how to make the BEST use of that time to increase my metabolism and lose this weight. I'm tired of crying over how I look, avoiding mirrors, feeling embarassed when my husband looks at me - I'm a mess, admittedly. I am going to Seattle September 5th for a week: fishing, hiking, kayaking - all the things I loved to do. I'm hoping for some help in getting me ready for this, and to get back to me. After all the years of being fit and working to stay that way, I'm actually at a total loss. Thank you all so much for any help.

Mokey41

Do you want to be fit or do you want to be thin? Two different things. You lose weight by having a calorie deficit and can totally do that without any exercise. Set a budget, log EVERY bit that goes in your mouth, drinks included and weight will come off. If you want to be fit you need to get some exercise in. There are lots of DVD's that you can do at home. Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred fits nicely into a 1/2 hr time slot and can easily be done at home. There are lots of others if you look around. Put that baby in a stroller and head out. You can get a jogging stroller that you can run with. Take him to the park and use the monkey bars to do some body weight exercises.

outdoorchic74

If you have two 1/2 hours to work with, you may want to include circuits that include cardio and strength training for one. You don't have to belong to the gym to do so. You can do bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges, pushups, tricept dips, burpees, mountain climbers, planks, etc. Another option is to do some interval training with a jump rope, bike, or running. Go online and google some good ideas for bodyweight exercises and interval training. There's a lot of great sites out there. Videos are also a great option in getting started b/c sometimes it is just nice to be told what to do Good luck!

Emm_Lee

I apologize for the rambling post. What I'm having difficulty with is what exercises will best maximize the time I get to work out each day. Some days I'll have up to a half hour, and others I'll have a chance to do 2 work-outs up to a half-hour each. I always did a combo of cardio and strength training pre-baby, so I never needed to worry about time or which exercises were best utilizing my time for both strength and to maintain my weight. My routine was what is was, and seemed to do what I needed it to do. NOW, I hear conflicting "advice" from random people: cardio only, weight-training only, HIIT, this DVD, that TV show. I'm just looking for a daily routine of no more than 1/2 hour, that combined with eating well, will provide maximum results in calories burnt and better stamina to keep up with a toddler who's on the go the full 14 hours he's awake. By the way - I sincerely appreciate the replies I've received! Thank you.

Emm_Lee

If you have two 1/2 hours to work with, you may want to include circuits that include cardio and strength training for one. You don't have to belong to the gym to do so. You can do bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges, pushups, tricept dips, burpees, mountain climbers, planks, etc. Another option is to do some interval training with a jump rope, bike, or running. Go online and google some good ideas for bodyweight exercises and interval training. There's a lot of great sites out there. Videos are also a great option in getting started b/c sometimes it is just nice to be told what to do Good luck!

Thanks! I've been doing squats, lunges, tricep dips, planks and integrating as much of the Pilates I used to do in the time I have. I credit the Pilates with helping A LOT with the stomach "pooch" from that c-section. My breasts are too large for jumping jacks, burpees and jogging/running to be anywhere near comfortable (even with 2 sports bras). I'm going to keep up with that until I find a better way. I can't make it to the gym as I used to with running these offices and watching my son. I live in an area where I don't have family, so I'm pretty much "stuck" with at-home solutions.

cmeiron

I'd aim for a mix of resistance training a couple of days a week, and HIIT cardio a couple of days a week. They're fast, efficient, effective - good use of a little amount of time

Graelwyn75

You might want to check out this site.

http://www.fitnessblender.com/

Loads of free, video workouts, all types, including HIIT.

Chokis

Melissa, I hear your pain! Although I don't have that much weight to lose, but I used to be in such great shape and exercised 5-6 times a week, and now with the baby (only 9 months) it's super hard. But at least I don't work. But my baby is handful and is at the stage where she wants mommy all the time, and I only have time for myself and house chores when she is napping.

If you do have time to exercise during those 2 breaks, I highly recommend DVD workouts from Chalene Johnson, she has both cardio and strength training programs (Turbo Jam series, Turbo Fire, and Chalean Extreme, the last one is more for strength training). Depending on your time, you can do either a 20-minute quick workout or 1 hour DVD + some strength training or abs workout.

pkinblue

FWIW I've dropped a lb a week doing 30 min a day of Jillian Michael's Body Revolution, a 2 mile dog walk (med pace and one hill) 6 days a week and eating about 1550 cals. I am almost 45 yrs old and 5'5" and have 2 kids--although older than yours now (10 & 13)

BUT--I remember those sleepless days as my now 13 year old had reflux issues and needed to eat (aka nurse) every 45 minutes for the first 9 months of his life.

Good Luck! You'll find a way thru this.

Emm_Lee

Thanks, Everyone. I'm definitely going to check out all suggestions. I have checked more into the resistance training and HIIT, and think that's going to be something that will fit my needs exactly. I've also checked out Fitness Blender and bookmarked it - loved what I saw. What a great idea to provide length-of-time and degree-of-difficulty! Thanks again for all the advice and support. I'm pretty excited, and I'm sure I'm going to have NO PROBLEM doing some hiking in Seatlle (in six weeks!).