Starting from less than nothing
SashieKundo
Posts: 15 Member
Hello, I need some advice and I'm going to be blunt about it so please bare with me. This is far from the first time I've been on here and all other times I've failed spectacularly.
I've spent the past decade of my life being incredibly inactive and eating a terrible diet. Always saying I want to change but never actually putting in the effort. I feel overwhelmed with just how much I need to change in my life, it's like having to climb mount Everest with no help and equipped with only a toothpick.
The difference this time is that I have found something I desperately want to do and it's opened my eyes to how bad I've let it get and really given me the kick in the butt I need.
I want to learn Aerials specifically pole (yes judge away I don't care) and the Lyra hoop. I walk to and from work daily and I've started doing yoga to improve my flexibility and my knees hurt, my wrists hurt, I shake just trying to hold myself up, simple positions outright hurt. I feel pathetic.
What can I do? Where do I start? I'm determined to do this but I'm so overwhelmed and I've got no friends in this with me. I'm sorry for how long and wierd and whiny this post is but I wanted to give you a clear idea of where I'm at and where I want to be and get whatever advice I can so thank you for getting through it if you did abd any advice is extremely appreciated.
I've spent the past decade of my life being incredibly inactive and eating a terrible diet. Always saying I want to change but never actually putting in the effort. I feel overwhelmed with just how much I need to change in my life, it's like having to climb mount Everest with no help and equipped with only a toothpick.
The difference this time is that I have found something I desperately want to do and it's opened my eyes to how bad I've let it get and really given me the kick in the butt I need.
I want to learn Aerials specifically pole (yes judge away I don't care) and the Lyra hoop. I walk to and from work daily and I've started doing yoga to improve my flexibility and my knees hurt, my wrists hurt, I shake just trying to hold myself up, simple positions outright hurt. I feel pathetic.
What can I do? Where do I start? I'm determined to do this but I'm so overwhelmed and I've got no friends in this with me. I'm sorry for how long and wierd and whiny this post is but I wanted to give you a clear idea of where I'm at and where I want to be and get whatever advice I can so thank you for getting through it if you did abd any advice is extremely appreciated.
6
Replies
-
IT sounds like you are making a good start, by walking and working on your flexibility. It will take time, but if you persevere you will be able to do what you want. Basically, start from where you are and slowly add in some time and distance to your walking and more poses to your yoga. Can you take a yoga class?2
-
Good for you for finding your passion! Do a Google search of Diamond Dallas Yoga. He works with overweight people to help them with flexibility, yoga and weight loss. He starts people from ground zero and is amazingly motivational4
-
the best way to start is to go to the gym or studio that teaches pole/lyra/whatever and start there. the instructors will be able to help you develop what you need. I teach aerial yoga and many of the students can't do a pull up or do planks for multiple seconds. but i help them, classes help them, grow.1
-
I think you're doing great by making a couple changes first. It definitely is over whelming if you start trying to completely turn your life upside down and inside out. These changes will benefit you and get you closer to your goal if you stick with them.
Don't try to do too much too fast, and don't expect miraculous progress over night. Give it time, set small goals and hit them, and little by little you'll start feeling better. Sometimes we don't feel our changes are significant enough, or think they aren't making a difference. But stick to them, keep challenging yourself, be nice to yourself along the way, and change will happen!2 -
Good for you for finding your passion! Do a Google search of Diamond Dallas Yoga. He works with overweight people to help them with flexibility, yoga and weight loss. He starts people from ground zero and is amazingly motivational
Ohmygosh I forgot about him! I've never actually looked into his stuff but I'd heard of him from a video I saw of this really overweight guy who was inspired by him and started walking everyday and lost a lot of weight it was awesome! I'm doing Adrian's 30 day yoga challenge right now but I'll look into him and if his stuff works better I'll switch and save the 30 day for later! Thanks so much
1 -
the best way to start is to go to the gym or studio that teaches pole/lyra/whatever and start there. the instructors will be able to help you develop what you need. I teach aerial yoga and many of the students can't do a pull up or do planks for multiple seconds. but i help them, classes help them, grow.
I have! I'm super lucky to have an aerial gym near me with awesome people, I've only gone to one class so far but I'm going to take advantage of their free week membership next paycheck and take some more. I'm really excited but I need to get the money up to get a membership there.
2 -
spiriteagle99 wrote: »IT sounds like you are making a good start, by walking and working on your flexibility. It will take time, but if you persevere you will be able to do what you want. Basically, start from where you are and slowly add in some time and distance to your walking and more poses to your yoga. Can you take a yoga class?
Yes! You're reply actually reminded me that the studio I'm trying to go to for aerial classes also offers yoga so I'll check that out! Thanks, I will!0 -
Best starter thread ever! Read through this, OP.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p12 -
I started from less than nothing. I don't know anything about aerials, so this a general suggestion based on my own experience. Maybe you to develop more of a fitness base before you progress further in aerials. Not everyone an start even at a "beginner" level in many activities and basic aerials sounds very hard to me. I has to begin at less than beginner even in general fitness classes. I suggest that you start on a basic strength training program. It will help build your based that should help your pain as well as aerial movements. I found that losing weight and getting stronger were very important to reducing pacing and improving my other fitness abilities.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
1 -
Hello, I need some advice and I'm going to be blunt about it so please bare with me. This is far from the first time I've been on here and all other times I've failed spectacularly.
I've spent the past decade of my life being incredibly inactive and eating a terrible diet. Always saying I want to change but never actually putting in the effort. I feel overwhelmed with just how much I need to change in my life, it's like having to climb mount Everest with no help and equipped with only a toothpick.
The difference this time is that I have found something I desperately want to do and it's opened my eyes to how bad I've let it get and really given me the kick in the butt I need.
I want to learn Aerials specifically pole (yes judge away I don't care) and the Lyra hoop. I walk to and from work daily and I've started doing yoga to improve my flexibility and my knees hurt, my wrists hurt, I shake just trying to hold myself up, simple positions outright hurt. I feel pathetic.
What can I do? Where do I start? I'm determined to do this but I'm so overwhelmed and I've got no friends in this with me. I'm sorry for how long and wierd and whiny this post is but I wanted to give you a clear idea of where I'm at and where I want to be and get whatever advice I can so thank you for getting through it if you did abd any advice is extremely appreciated.
I'm going to be blunt right back atcha . . . and hope you'll understand I mean it in the kindest possible way, as if I were your concerned internet auntie (because, at age 63, I'm plenty old enough to be that).
A lot of the most worthwhile and rewarding things are hard. The implication is that achieving them requires patience and persistence, because progress will be slow. There can be great rewards along the way, but one of the very greatest is the visceral (not just intellectual) understanding that you can achieve nearly any goal, if you're willing to put in the time and work, patiently and persistently. Once your gut really gets that, it will be the biggest imaginable tool in your happy-life toolkit.
Personally, by nature, I'm kind of a self-indulgent flake, not very disciplined, not very patient. But there have been a few times when I decided I really wanted something, something that I had utterly no talent for at all. So I got engaged, started wherever I was (which was frankly pretty pathetic and incompetent, typically), and chipped away at learning and improving . . . painfully slooooowwwwwllllly. I would watch new people show up to do it, people who were way more talented, people who picked it up way faster than I could. Most of the time, they lost interest, faded away. I just kept chipping away, and slowly got better. Eventually, I was better than most of those talented people who brought more skills to the table, because they gave up, and I didn't.
The few people who have talent plus patience and persistence are going to be stars, of course. But those who have patience and persistence, but little/no raw talent, can become solid performers and quite successful at things, by just doggedly chipping away at improvement. Most people give up, talented or no. Just don't give up. It's magic.
So, you are on the right path. You want to do aerials, pole, lyra hoop. You know that you need to get stronger, you know that you need to improve nutrition. You're taking action, starting with walking and flexibility. That's how it starts. Progress will be gradual: Faster at times, slower at times, but rarely as fast as you might wish. If you keep going - which is not always easy - and keep making progress, you'll be able to do those things, less well at first, but then better and better.
In a few years, you can be the person new people are looking at, and wondering if they'll ever be able to do what you're demonstrating at that moment.
All you have to do is stick with it: Easy . . . but not easy.
Best wishes for much success! :flowerforyou:13 -
3.5 years ago I started from being 290lb and virtually unable to walk across a room, Sunday I ran my second marathon and in 11 days I'll be running my third.
My advice would always be to take little steps. I started by assessing where I was, how many steps a day I was taking, how long I could walk for without resting (<3000 steps and under 5mins) and then increasing these by tiny increments. I added 100 steps a day to my Fitbit target and each time I went on a treadmill I increased the time by a minute.
I would always recommend adding in strength training with free weights as soon as you can. I started 6 months in and wish I'd started earlier. Find a program to follow (I started with 5x5) and invest in a PT session to learn correct form.
I'm a runner (no way the me from 3 years ago would have believed that), along with strength training and high intensity classes it's what i enjoy and I think that's very important, to find something you enjoy. Then you can set goals around it, not just big, long term goals, but also smaller mid term and short term goals. So there's always something achievable in the next few weeks along with something really challenging.4 -
Q. How do you eat an elephant?
A. One bite at a time......
The same holds true for practically everything else in life. Set yourself small but attainable goals and take baby steps, nothing derails a fitness plan faster that biting off more than you can chew and injuring yourself.
At age 50 I couldn't run around the block, in a few weeks I'll be running my umpteenth half marathon and am training for a full marathon this coming October. If you are consistent and persevere you'll amaze yourself with what you can accomplish.2 -
Thank you all for your comments I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner but a lot of stuff went down last week and though I was trying to keep up with my food and exercise entries I hadn't had to much time to really get on here and respond.
I really really appreciate the words of encouragement, amazing stories of your own successes and the helpful links! I will take everything in here and use it to my best ability! I've been tinkering around with finding a morning routine and I'm thinking I should start with walking if I can for twenty minutes and then coming home and doing a few stretches before getting my day started the only issue is morning motivation. I know if I don't get it done in the morning I won't but I'm at my worst in the morning about not wanting to do anything besides crawl out of bed, get coffee, and sit at my computer.
I know I need to just push through it but it's like two different people the one who goes to bed and the one who wakes up if you know what I mean. Anyway I know I've just got to suck it up and do it no way around it! I've also set two new goals for myself, I want to be able to do a crunch and a pull-up and once I can I want to do them daily. I'm also working on changing my environment to promote success and make it harder for me to cave into my unhealthy habits.
Anyway thank you all again so much for your replies! I'm going to stop rambling now but I want to ask this question first: Do you think it's better to get up and get your morning workout out of the way ASAP or give yourself a small allotted amount of time like 30-45minutes to have a cup of coffee and wake up a little first? Also now that I think about it how did you motivate yourself in the mornings in the biginning?
P.S: AnnPT77 I sincerely appreciate your blunt comprehensive yet very friendly reply you would be an awesome concerned internet auntie!5 -
Thank you all for your comments I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner but a lot of stuff went down last week and though I was trying to keep up with my food and exercise entries I hadn't had to much time to really get on here and respond.
I really really appreciate the words of encouragement, amazing stories of your own successes and the helpful links! I will take everything in here and use it to my best ability! I've been tinkering around with finding a morning routine and I'm thinking I should start with walking if I can for twenty minutes and then coming home and doing a few stretches before getting my day started the only issue is morning motivation. I know if I don't get it done in the morning I won't but I'm at my worst in the morning about not wanting to do anything besides crawl out of bed, get coffee, and sit at my computer.
I know I need to just push through it but it's like two different people the one who goes to bed and the one who wakes up if you know what I mean. Anyway I know I've just got to suck it up and do it no way around it! I've also set two new goals for myself, I want to be able to do a crunch and a pull-up and once I can I want to do them daily. I'm also working on changing my environment to promote success and make it harder for me to cave into my unhealthy habits.
Anyway thank you all again so much for your replies! I'm going to stop rambling now but I want to ask this question first: Do you think it's better to get up and get your morning workout out of the way ASAP or give yourself a small allotted amount of time like 30-45minutes to have a cup of coffee and wake up a little first? Also now that I think about it how did you motivate yourself in the mornings in the biginning?
P.S: AnnPT77 I sincerely appreciate your blunt comprehensive yet very friendly reply you would be an awesome concerned internet auntie!
Aww, you're sweet!
:flowerforyou:
To the bolded: It's really all about personal preference and performance. There's nothing magical in weight loss or fitness terms about morning workouts, about coffee/food after or before, etc.
Some people find an AM workout really energizing (for the rest of their day), so it might be worth test-driving that idea for a month, by sheer force of will , to see if that's true for you.
I'm not a morning person, so even when I work out early(ish), I leave the minimum time between getting up and leaving home (my AM workouts are at the Y or the river). But that's just me.
I spent most of my working years working out in the evening, which was better for me. Neither working out late, nor eating dinner very late, seemed to give me sleep problems or any other issues, and I preferred it.
But different people prefer different things. Experiment, but give each new thing a long enough try to get past any temporary newbie blues about a new routine.
Best wishes!
Edited: Oops, hit enter too soon!2 -
Thank you all for your comments I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner but a lot of stuff went down last week and though I was trying to keep up with my food and exercise entries I hadn't had to much time to really get on here and respond.
I really really appreciate the words of encouragement, amazing stories of your own successes and the helpful links! I will take everything in here and use it to my best ability! I've been tinkering around with finding a morning routine and I'm thinking I should start with walking if I can for twenty minutes and then coming home and doing a few stretches before getting my day started the only issue is morning motivation. I know if I don't get it done in the morning I won't but I'm at my worst in the morning about not wanting to do anything besides crawl out of bed, get coffee, and sit at my computer.
I know I need to just push through it but it's like two different people the one who goes to bed and the one who wakes up if you know what I mean. Anyway I know I've just got to suck it up and do it no way around it! I've also set two new goals for myself, I want to be able to do a crunch and a pull-up and once I can I want to do them daily. I'm also working on changing my environment to promote success and make it harder for me to cave into my unhealthy habits.
Anyway thank you all again so much for your replies! I'm going to stop rambling now but I want to ask this question first: Do you think it's better to get up and get your morning workout out of the way ASAP or give yourself a small allotted amount of time like 30-45minutes to have a cup of coffee and wake up a little first? Also now that I think about it how did you motivate yourself in the mornings in the biginning?
P.S: AnnPT77 I sincerely appreciate your blunt comprehensive yet very friendly reply you would be an awesome concerned internet auntie!
Good for you for taking in all the info and trying to sort through your options. Regarding your question (in bold) I suggest you try a few different approaches and see which one works best for you. Personally I like to eat breakfast first, but not everyone thinks that's important. My main concern is that you are picking what you feel is your absolute worst time of day to take on this new challenge. It's great that you're willing to try, but if it doesn't work out, be prepared to try an alternative time. I got up early this morning, ate a a quick bowl of oatmeal, then went to the Y for a 7:30 am swim group. I rarely "feel motivated" when the alarm goes off, but by 8am halfway through the work out, I'm ALWAYS GLAD I did it!2 -
You guys are awesome for replying so quickly and being nice enough to answer my questions! To respond mornings are my worst time but if I don't force my butt up and go I make excuses for myself all morning and it ends terribly. I work 1 pm to 7:30 pm most days and I tend to wake up at 8:30-9:00 am naturally my usual morning consists of me getting a cup of coffee and going straight for my computer where I will sit until 10 am and then get up get another coffee and sit on the couch and watch my hour-long show then I tend to watch the next show because I like it too, sometimes I get up and get started around 11:30 am but usually closer to noon, then I scramble to do a quick load of dishes, scoop the litter box, feed the critters, get ready for work, and sit down for fifteen minutes and inhale in inadequate lunch before leaving for work at 12:50 pm and walking 7 minutes to work.
Also, the hardest sweatiest most exhausting part of my workday is right at the end then after that, I have to make that walk home and by the time I get home it's like 8 at night and I'm drained in every sense of the word. I just want to be the human puddle until bedtime lol so working out then would be even more difficult.
I have a work out buddy who is in Florida for half the year during winter and she'll be up mid next month for six-ish months, and when she is here we go to her gym (planet fitness) Mon-Wed-Fri and she picks me up at 8:30 am and we work out for an hour. And just like Ann said of herself halfway through the workout I'd be so happy I did it and if we don't go I'd feel like crap. Then I'd get home just in time to have coffee and watch my show but I'm more motivated to get up at 11 and get my stuff started. It's easier then because I'm on her schedule and she will be there at 8:30 waiting for me so I need to hurry up and get ready and it gives me the kick in the *kitten* I need. Plus I love the gym it's easier to focus and get a good all-around workout there. It's so much harder at home.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 427 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions