Any ideas on improving fitness for the unfit?

caaaath
caaaath Posts: 28 Member
edited November 25 in Fitness and Exercise
I have signed up to do a charity walk in two months time. It's not a hugely challenging walk but I am unfit and would like to improve my fitness before I attempt it.

What are some good ways for me to improve? Open to suggestions!

I currently walk for around an hour a day while walking my dog but that is at a very leisurely pace on flat fields.

Replies

  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,129 Member
    I did a 30km walk the last 2 years for charity, at the beginning of 2016 I was pretty unfit and obese, and had just about recovered from a back injury.

    First thing to do is make sure you have good supportive footwear.

    I started building up my distance a little more each time I went out for a walk (something your dog will be happy about I am sure) and also doing some of the low impact cardio and beginner strength training videos from HASFIT to try and improve my general fitness level. If you don't have any equipment you can use water bottles or food cans as a substitute.

    I started with these 2:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYtcl2PbMyI

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIHy-ZnSndA
  • caaaath
    caaaath Posts: 28 Member
    Lean59man wrote: »
    caaaath wrote: »
    I have signed up to do a charity walk in two months time. It's not a hugely challenging walk but I am unfit and would like to improve my fitness before I attempt it.

    What are some good ways for me to improve? Open to suggestions!

    I currently walk for around an hour a day while walking my dog but that is at a very leisurely pace on flat fields.

    I'm not a personal trainer but I still give advices.

    My advice: Walk more.

    That will be $50. Cash or credit?

    Cheque is in the post thanks :D
  • caaaath
    caaaath Posts: 28 Member
    edited March 2018
    AllanMisner wrote: »
    How far/long is this walk?

    What I've found is that most charity walks/runs aren't intended to be super challenging. That said, you want to make sure you're in appropriate condition to complete the event without hurting yourself.

    I could be a bit more exacting on a training program if I knew the distance/time but as a basic program I'd go with the following:
    Monday - Moderate distance and pace
    Tuesday - Low distance and pace
    Wednesday - Rest
    Thursday - Moderate distance and pace
    Friday - Low distance and pace
    Saturday, Long distance, moderate pace
    Sunday - Rest

    I'd also cut way down on sugar, processed foods, and other foods that cause inflammation.

    Feel free to message me if you have any questions.

    Thanks very much. It's roughly 5 miles so not unachievable by my standards I'd hope. There are some big, steep hills which is my main concern really.
  • caaaath
    caaaath Posts: 28 Member
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    I did a 30km walk the last 2 years for charity, at the beginning of 2016 I was pretty unfit and obese, and had just about recovered from a back injury.

    First thing to do is make sure you have good supportive footwear.

    I started building up my distance a little more each time I went out for a walk (something your dog will be happy about I am sure) and also doing some of the low impact cardio and beginner strength training videos from HASFIT to try and improve my general fitness level. If you don't have any equipment you can use water bottles or food cans as a substitute.

    I started with these 2:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYtcl2PbMyI

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIHy-ZnSndA

    Thanks for the links. I'll give them a go
  • andysport1
    andysport1 Posts: 592 Member
    caaaath wrote: »
    I have signed up to do a charity walk in two months time. It's not a hugely challenging walk but I am unfit and would like to improve my fitness before I attempt it.

    What are some good ways for me to improve? Open to suggestions!

    I currently walk for around an hour a day while walking my dog but that is at a very leisurely pace on flat fields.


    Move a bit more every week, a bit harder and a bit faster. Consistency is your friend
  • CoffeeandHumblePie
    CoffeeandHumblePie Posts: 139 Member
    Search for some T-Tapp videos on the internet. You will probably find some short clips that you can use rather than buying a full DVD (though you might want a full DVD). Teresa Tapp's low impact moves build core strength very quickly. You will feel results within the first week. Search for: T-Tapp primary back stretch, plies, lunges, T-Tapp Twist, hoedowns. The critical part to success is her proper body alignment - it feels ridiculous at first, but it works.
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    Since you said the course is hilly, add some hills into your daily walks.
  • nhorton5
    nhorton5 Posts: 32 Member
    caaaath wrote: »
    I have signed up to do a charity walk in two months time. It's not a hugely challenging walk but I am unfit and would like to improve my fitness before I attempt it.

    What are some good ways for me to improve? Open to suggestions!

    I currently walk for around an hour a day while walking my dog but that is at a very leisurely pace on flat fields.

    I walked two marathons last year and the best thing I found was writing a training plan that had long walks, fast walks and even some hilly walks.

    When walking your dog try power walking for a minute to start with and then rest, then repeat 5 times. The next day try to do that 7 times. You'll soon notice your fitness levels improve.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,074 Member
    When I was first "returning" to a fit lifestyle, I had to start slow as it had been years since I had done more than the random "workout."

    I started with 15 min walking at my "fast" pace. Once that was easier, I took the middle 5 min and tried a slow jog during that 5 min. I kept adding a minute of jogging until I was doing the full 15, then I added 5 min of walking at the end. Rinse and repeat. I did a similar routine on the elliptical (to give a little variety), adding things as soon as the current routine was easier. I added strength machines into the mix pretty much right away 2 days a week instead of the "cardio."

    Once all of that wasn't a struggle to complete, I engaged a personal trainer to help me put together a more advanced plan that was catered to my own goals.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited March 2018
    caaaath wrote: »
    I have signed up to do a charity walk in two months time. It's not a hugely challenging walk but I am unfit and would like to improve my fitness before I attempt it.

    What are some good ways for me to improve? Open to suggestions!

    I currently walk for around an hour a day while walking my dog but that is at a very leisurely pace on flat fields.

    More walking...add some hills...add some distance...increase pace, etc. You don't have to do it all at once, but fitness is something that is built by doing a little more over time.

  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Do you have hills or a long stair case nearby? I keep my membership at the zoo because it is the only place in town to climb hills in the shade (we have scrub brush, not real trees, naturally). There are also a number of places in town where you can climb up 3-20 flights of stairs in the open air. If you are really unfit, even one flight of stairs is a good place to start, up the stairs, across the stadium, down the stairs, back across...

    As others have said, the walk will also be more enjoyable if you start picking up the pace. Just walk a little faster for a few minutes at a time as you build up. If you have a regular walk, you will have to find an extension or make a second loops. For this, I get on a treadmill once a week to check that I am actually increasing my speed.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,508 Member
    Lean59man wrote: »
    caaaath wrote: »
    I have signed up to do a charity walk in two months time. It's not a hugely challenging walk but I am unfit and would like to improve my fitness before I attempt it.

    What are some good ways for me to improve? Open to suggestions!

    I currently walk for around an hour a day while walking my dog but that is at a very leisurely pace on flat fields.

    I'm not a personal trainer but I still give advices.

    My advice: Walk more.

    That will be $50. Cash or credit?

    "Advices "



    I see what you did there..... as in:

    " I give him bad advices."
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    sarahthes wrote: »
    Since you said the course is hilly, add some hills into your daily walks.

    ^^^ Yep! ^^^

    And if you don't have convenient hills then use stairs.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Walk further, faster, and more often. Add a little bit each week and you'll hero making progress.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    Lots of good advice here including walking more and adding hills if the course is hilly. Also mentioned was shoes. Definitely make sure you have good shoes. Go to a reputable store and get fitted. Try on plenty of shoes and walk around in them. Getting the right size is also important. A lot of people tend to walk or run in shoes that are too small for them. Your feet will likely swell as you go along, so make sure that you have plenty of room in there, but you do not want them to slip and cause blisters either. There are a lot of tricks you can do with lacing that will improve the fit and comfort of your shoe. You may have to do a little research to find what works best for you. You can usually find lacing techniques on youtube if you search for your area of concern. Good luck!!
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    How long is this walk? Are you walking with others or on your own?
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Lots of good advice here. Get good walking shoes picked out with expert help.

    You have a good base with the regular walking.

    Set up a schedule of intervals to slowly ramp up your routine. For instance, do one minute running with five minutes walking for a total of twenty minutes to start, and keeping with the rest of your walk.

    Start doing hills or stairs.

    I conquered a grassy ski hill on my Mud Hero run by tackling it in intervals. I had learned from my running routine that I could tackle this hill in steps. Take ten steps and rest. Repeat.

    Conquered.

    That being said I’ve passed a lot of uninitiated at fun runs. Hot, sweaty, pronating like crazy and just killing themselves at the event, doing untold damage and telling themselves they are getting “fit”. Preparing two months in advance is smart and will make a world of difference.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    Do you know what the route is? Usually you can find this out. And I would bet it is a route you can walk before the event. That way you can get a sense of the requirements and how you presently stack up.

    While I always encourage challenging one's self, it also makes sense to know what the challenge actually is.
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