People in the higher weight ranges (say over 200lbs) just starting out: what do you do for exercise?

Verity1111

Just curious. Really this is just for fun and maybe I'll get some ideas. I've been using Zumba Core for Xbox Kinect. It's something I can do with my children at home. It's easy enough that I am able to do it (for the most part) compared to something like the 30 day shred...which I know I am not ready for because I wasn't even ready when I was thinner lol

jeanne2121

I just started getting exercise in my life which is busy. Single mom of three and I work full time. I hit the gym and do the elliptical 45 minutes. I really would like to take a Zumba class but my confidence isn't there yet

Verity1111

jeanne2121 wrote: »

I just started getting exercise in my life which is busy. Single mom of three and I work full time. I hit the gym and do the elliptical 45 minutes. I really would like to take a Zumba class but my confidence isn't there yet

If you don't have an Xbox 360 you can buy zumba dvds to follow at home? Not as much confidence needed if you're all alone!

eluvscats

Walking

astroamy

At the start (245lbs) I walked, and walked, and walked. I have a dog who.loves walking and I listen to audiobooks so it was kind of relaxing. Previously I injured myself and that derailed my weight loss and I didn't want that to happen again. Later I added swimming, strength training and hiit running, so I do less walking, still walk my dog for 2 miles every morning though. So far I have lost 65 lbs.

ccsernica

I weighed just a tad over 200 lbs when I started, and I started by walking. There's almost no way to go wrong with it.

lorrpb

I started at 300. Walk and lift.

NorthCascades

Ride a bike, walk around the neighborhood, go hiking, lift weights.

jennybearlv

Cycling, running, walking, hiking, and lifting weights. I live near Lake Tahoe now so I would really like to get into kayaking this summer. I might try skiing if someone can convince me I won't break anything.

Alatariel75

I was 254lb when I took up Taekwondo. I may have been slow, but I kick like a mule.

Sued0nim

At 215 I hit the gym and struggled through out of breath and standing up and sitting down and using machines with minimal weight and bodyweight exercises, each week progressing under the watchful eye of an amazing trainer

And I walked

Now at goal I'm a free weight freak ..and I still walk

amusedmonkey

I currently incline walk and run, and although I am over 200, I have been at it for a while so I'm relatively fitter than I would have been otherwise.

When I first started it was strictly walking. I got out of breath simply by walking at an average pace, so I did not feel I needed to introduce anything new as long as it was improving my cardio. When walking stopped being enough I introduced incline walking. After a while I introduced running, but did not give up the incline walking as it can still give me quite a workout at higher inclines and speeds.

I also do Wii for fun, hike, and do a few body weight exercises. I tried several exercise videos, but I just can't get into structured exercises no matter how much I try, so I gave that up. I like games, so fitness gamification interests me. I have "Zombies, Run!" and "The Walk" apps, both are interesting. "Zombies, Run!" can be used for walking and is more session based. "The Walk" is more of an all day walking app. Both have a good story and excellent voice acting.

KDar1988

Elliptical, arc trainer, spinning, walking and lifting

trigden1991

Do whatever you want to do, that you can do without injuring yourself. As you lose weight, you'll be able to do more.

firef1y72

I was 290lb when I started out and could barely walk across the room, so that's what I did, walked across the room, multiple times a day. Then I added a little bit more each day until a couple of months later I was ready to start at a gym, where along with some simple strength exercises I steadily added in the stationary bike, elliptical, rower, step and running. I was over 200lb when I started C25K and ran/walked my first 2 5km charity races. I was also over 200lb when I started high intensity Zumba, Boxercise and Insanity as well as when I started Stronglifts 5x5.

I am under 200lb now (182lb), but am probably doing a little less on the cardio front and more on the strength. In an ideal week I'll strength train 2x (running 5/3/1 on a 2 day split), Zumba on a Tuesday morning, Insanity Tuesday evening, Boxercise Thursday evening, C210K 2-3x week. It's very rare I get to go to all classes though (this week I've only done Zumba), and even rarer I'll get an extra day to get something extra in.

fishgutzy

Swimming and weights.
Can't do impact on my feet. Swimming also uses more muscles. And I don't feel myself sweating

jemhh

I started of with walking. Then I added some bodyweight work. Then I switched from straight walking to walk/run (C25k). Then I switched to running. Then I switched from bodyweight work to lifting weights. That progression took place over the course of 7 months and 45ish pounds lost.

laurenmXD

I'm 240 lbs and I know how hard it is, I first started to try the davina dvd and I couldn't do it at all so now I'm just walking everyday and when I can't walk I go on the wii fit. It's not the best excersize but at least I'm moving more than I usually would.
Good luck x

Tacklewasher

Walking. I already had one of those coat rack things in the basement so I took the clothes off it and started walking on it in front of the tv. Just starting to jog (4mph) in the last week and want to build that up. When spring comes, I plan to run outside.

not_my_first_rodeo

I started at 250. Am now around 211-212. Walking about 10-15k steps a day has been my primary means of exercise with an attempt at getting 10 flights of stairs a day. I am now looking at adding in some other stuff. Probably things I can do at home.

Mary_Anastasia

259 start. I've increased my hiking and walking, and today starting a 30 day challenge including burpees and planks etc. I have a friend who started around 200 and she has lost a ton of weight doing yoga.

GottaBurnEmAll

I started at 210 with walking. Around 200 I started with weights, a mixture of freeweights, machines, and bodyweight. At about 165 I took up water jogging to build some cardio endurance over the summer with plans to start C25K that fall, which is exactly what I did.

Now at goal (or close to it, I keep changing my mind), I use free weights and run and still walk quite a lot.

rosebarnalice

I started at 231 swimming and walking, which is what I continue to do now at maintenance.

not_a_runner

I was 215 at my heaviest, probably had been lifting for over a year at that weight. Added some elliptical or incline treadmill walking when I was losing and wanted some cardio, but mostly just lift.

lemurcat12

I was over 200 when I started and walked and swam and did some weights and stationary bike (it was winter). Got back into running as soon as the weather got a bit better (March) when I was still around 200, and into biking outdoors when it was nice enough for that, but my weight didn't prevent me from biking.

So really most everything I do now, just adjusted for fitness level. I'm more likely to do fitness classes now because I'm less embarrassed about exercising in public, but that was me and kind of dumb, not something I'd recommend anyone else worry about.

rachelr1116

I started at 237. I bought a Fitbit and tried to hit 10,000 steps every day just walking around the neighborhood. I also used Wii Fit some. Then I bought a cheap bike from Walmart and started going on occasional rides. That bike was too big and heavy and I was to out of shape to really ride it much. I ended up buying a vintage bike and started riding more. Then, I joined the YMCA and started using the elliptical, stationary bike, and swimming some.

cwolfman13

I started in September of 2012...I'm 5'10" male and weighed around 220 Lbs. I was pretty sedentary so initially I just focused on trying to move a little more in my daily life and also a lot of walking and focused in on my diet. I started a C25K program at the end of October of that year to help get at least somewhat prepared for my first Turkey Trot 5K that year.

By January I had joined a gym and was lifting weights a few days per week and jogging a few days per week. By spring I was jogging 5 days per week and lifting...by late spring I had gone from 220 to 175 and went into maintenance. It was at this time that I signed up for a sprint triathlon and started training for that...

I ended up getting injured and unable to participate in the event, but the silver lining in all of that was that I discovered my passion for cycling. Fast forward four years, I no longer run (I actually loath it, but that's what everyone seemed to do so I forced myself in the beginning), but I'm an avid cycling enthusiast...I average around 80 - 100 miles per week on the bike (I'd do more if I had the time) and I lift 2-3 days per week depending on the season (I lift more in the winter).

IMO, one of the biggest mistakes people make when starting out is coming out of the gate with guns a blazin'...going from the couch to all of the exercise. This generally leads quickly to burnout and/or injury. Fitness takes time to develop...you don't have to go from 0 to everything overnight.

JstTheWayIam

Walking as much as you can with a weighted vest

beadgalsarita

I started with and still do water aerobics. Started with water aerobics 3x a week, then added 2x a week water boot camp once the class was offered. I also use the recumbent elliptical and weight machines 1x a week.

This type of exercise works well for me as a have osteo arthritis in at least one knee (likely the other as well) and was dealing with plantar fascitis in the beginning. A good workout with a lower impact that's much better for my knees.

trigden1991

JstTheWayIam wrote: »

Walking as much as you can with a weighted vest

Overweight people adding weight is one of the more ridiculous ideas I have seen on here.

Spliner1969

Verity1111 wrote: »

Just curious. Really this is just for fun and maybe I'll get some ideas. I've been using Zumba Core for Xbox Kinect. It's something I can do with my children at home. It's easy enough that I am able to do it (for the most part) compared to something like the 30 day shred...which I know I am not ready for because I wasn't even ready when I was thinner lol

Do what you feel is comfortable for you to do. The important part is do it. Don't over think things too much. When in doubt, walk. Walk a mile a day to start, then go to 2, take a rest day a couple days a week, add in strength training at some point when you feel you're ready. It just takes consistency and dedication, you don't have to be a powerhouse or a runner, or a weight lifter.