Workouts

stephanieburrows155

You all are amazing! Wow! So I am trying to start, I will be 62 this year and really need to get my rear in gear. How do you start? My neighbors are all at the YMCA but my husband lost his job and we cannot afford it. Sounds stupid the Y and can't afford - but it's real and we will be tightening up our budget even more. So, I need to do this at home for free. What do you suggest to start? Are there any good YouTube videos that you recommend? Thank you so much for the inspiration.

AnnPT77

How to start? Gradually. Any kind of movement that's a manageable challenge. Ideally, it'll be something you find fun, but it should at least be tolerable and practical.

Overdoing is counterproductive for fitness OR weight loss, so find something you enjoy that's manageable. It can even be walking around the neighborhood, or at the mall. It doesn't need to be gym-y. Any added movement helps: Games, dancing in the kitchen, gardening, home improvement projects, whatever.

To make fitness progress, we need the "challenge" part. It needn't be extreme, but it needs to be present. As we get fitter from doing "whatever", that "whatever" will feel easier. Then it's time to increase the duration, frequency, or intensity of the "whatever", or pick a new and more challenging activity, to keep the challenge in the picture.

Yes, there are free videos. I'm not a big video user myself, but I am roughly in your demographic (I'm 69). I've tried some of the free "Silver Sneakers" and AARP exercise videos, which come in a variety of intensities depending on one's starting point. If you have a semi-recent athletic history, some of them may not be challenging enough, but I don't know your current situation.

When I was starting to be routinely active, after a long period of inactivity and sedentary life, I started with yoga. "Yoga with Adriene" is extensive, free on YouTube, and has had quite a few happy practitioners here on MFP.

If you're beginner-ish, another thing that's popular here is "Walk at Home" on YouTube, from Leslie Sansone. It's indoor walk-oriented videos, variety of lengths and intensities.

Truth in advertising: Those aren't things I currently do personally. I did similar things when I was first starting to be active, but that was back a while in more of a DVD kind of world, when YouTube had less robust content. I took community education yoga classes, used yoga books to supplement once I knew basics, did video workouts like Richard Simmons, and that sort of thing. Now that we have YouTube, there are free options I didn't have. Personally, I gradually got increasingly active over a period of years, now do on-water rowing, biking on the trails, machine rowing or biking in the off season, sometimes lift weights (after having taken a community education class to learn how to do that) or do bodyweight strength training. I still do some stretching/yoga, but nothing formal, just exercises I've learned help my body with some of its issues.

Maybe I'm making the wrong assumptions, but from your post I'm inferring that you're closer to a starting-out situation, so I'm talking about what's available now that's similar to what I did to start out. I hope that makes sense!

I'm wishing you success: For me, both improving fitness and losing weight were major quality of life improvements, and I got a late-in-life start on both. You can surprise yourself, I'm betting, if you get started and patiently persist, keeping on working at it. In my experience, the rewards are more than worth the effort it takes to reach them.

Best wishes!

Theoldguy1

Sorry about the job loss. If you would like to join a gym, most give free memberships to employees and possibly spouses for flexible, part time work.

Good luck.