Need exercise tips {very out of shape}

KittiePerry

Okay, I am female, 327 pounds, and around 5'4 - 5'6 in height. I am very out of shape. I can't do sit ups, push ups, and I tire very easily... Is my only option for now a bike, swimming, or walking? Or are there other things I can do? It has to be free because I don't have a job right now and am living with my grandparents who are already buying a bike for me.

littlebirdyxx

My mother just started cardio rehab, and I went with her and found it super fun. That aside, a lot of the participants were around your size, so I think the exercises there would be really suitable. They were invented to be low impact and low stress, but to get the heart-rate up so that they can get fit and lose weight.

They had an exercise bike there, so I'd definitely recommend that.
I'd also recommend giving these a go.
- Steps; Use a normal step, or a sturdy box, and step up and down (alternating legs) as quickly as you can. You want to get your heart-rate up and be breathing quickly.

- Trampette; If you're in the UK, try FreeCycle - you might be lucky to find one. I'm not sure what equivalent American websites there are. Jog/walk quickly on the spot on the trampette. Because it's springy, it doesn't generate the same impact as running would. It's actually pretty tiring, but also really fun - like a bouncy castle for adults!

- Wall pushups; Youtube should have some really good tutorials on how to do these with the right form.

- Light weight lifting; Using 0.5 to 1.5kg dumbells - or a bag of flour/sugar/something of equivalent weight. Again, I'd find a decent online tutorial to make sure you keep the correct form.

Swimming is good, but you need to pair it with something with more impact like walking or (as I've been told by my doctor) it can lead to lower bone density a greater risk of osteoporosis/brittle bones.
Good luck!

BerryH

To be honest cycling, swimming and walking are an awesome start and still form the core of my workouts!

Check out YouTube for free videos. Try Leslie Sansone's Walk At Home series, and yoga and Pilates as an alternate form of bodyweight resistance. Search for "beginner's workout" in the video section of Google for other suggestions. The BeFit YouTube channel has a massive selection taken from top workout DVD toos.

Try planks if you can't manage sit-ups, and box push-ups on hands and knees, or against a wall until you get stronger.

Good luck, you can do it! :flowerforyou:

RebaCarol

Search youtube for LiveExercise. They have videos of seated exercise for those who are obese or have limited mobility. I'm using them and honestly I am really surprised by how much they actually work and I am working myself up to regular exercise. We are about the same size and when I tried to do regular exercises it hurt, I would get exhausted in no time, but with these I can make it through at least twice a day! Good luck and I hope this helps!

irNathaniel

For me there would be no "simple" Answer. My advice would be "Walk before you Run" Start walking, Walking is great. Pick up speed over the weeks, Then jog - None of it will be worth it until you sort your diet out. That is the main goal here.

yafashelli

I am a big fan of the Leslie Sansone "Walk at Home"/"Walk Away the Pounds" series. Actually, I've been walking at home with her for more than a decade. She's my backup, when the weather is too awful to go outside.

Deadlifter874

Maybe try giving the book convict conditioning a read, im sure there is a pdf somewhere online.

horndave

Start with someone that you are going to like and do it. We all started somewhere. YOu can do this. Walking is a great way to start.

Traci_duncan

Even if those are the only things you are able to do it is a start. The goal is to do some sort of movement. Been forever since I have went to the gym but now going on my two hour lunch break & walking& riding the bike instead of picking up fast food to eat which is my weakness.

TavistockToad

Okay, I am female, 327 pounds, and around 5'4 - 5'6 in height. I am very out of shape. I can't do sit ups, push ups, and I tire very easily... Is my only option for now a bike, swimming, or walking? Or are there other things I can do? It has to be free because I don't have a job right now and am living with my grandparents who are already buying a bike for me.

walk, walk and walk some more...

swimming is also really good as its easy on the joints

lacroyx

Walking is great! It's all I did for about 6 months when I started a few years back and still do it to this day. Over time as you improve add in hills and stairs if you can.

mummma

hey i just added you. i am 245lbs and i struggle to exercise but the more you try the better itll get so i shall carry on wobbling and joggling while i squat and star jump and run (well i wouldnt call it running lol)

i also love my bike!

x

WishfulShrinking331

You can find free walking workouts on youtube, you can do them at home and some of them total like 3 miles of walking. They are very light aerobics and no jumping, its just stepping. I think Leslie Sansone? and Jessica Smith TV have walking workouts on Youtube.

They are very relaxing, but if you are moving you are burning calories! I would definitely give them a try!

AbbieGodfrey

Add me i shall send you some youtube links on what i do!

christmre

I have RA, and can't do a lot of those high impact exercises either, but I have lost weight using the Leslie Sansone Walk At Home workouts. You can buy her videos, rent them on Amazon Instant Video, or watch some of them for free on YouTube. They are low impact, but really work to get your heart rate up. And Leslie is the most inspiring person I have ever seen on an exercise video.

jenanon1

I've just sent you a friend request. I started out at 315 and have just reached 288.8 in 90-odd days.

I started out with just walking. That's all, just getting off my bum and getting out there. Even 5 minutes at a time is enough. Then I looked at strength training, and thought bodyweight training would make sense for me - maintain what little muscle I have while losing weight (and muscle burns more cals than fat). I'm now doing the 250 squat challenge, and I could barely do 5 in a row less than 10 weeks ago - I can do 77 now! I do about 10 minutes of bodyweight strength stuff 3-4 times a week and it's amazing how quickly I'm getting stronger, and I'm not trying that hard. Sworkit is a good app that can give you ideas of exercises.

5 minutes at a time, baby steps and you'll be fine. But as other posters have said, it's the calories in and logging right that will make the biggest difference, exercise will come once you feel as if you are losing.

Best of luck

KittiePerry

Thank you for all of the helpful advice! I was figuring walking would probably be my best bet for now since I'm so out of shape. So mad at myself for sitting in my room on the laptop all day. I'm glad that I'm going in the right direction

Today is supposed to be warm-ish so I'm going to start my walking to see how far I can go
It takes me 15 minutes to walk around my block so I'll be doing that 3-4 times a day!

FindingAmy77

Okay, I am female, 327 pounds, and around 5'4 - 5'6 in height. I am very out of shape. I can't do sit ups, push ups, and I tire very easily... Is my only option for now a bike, swimming, or walking? Or are there other things I can do? It has to be free because I don't have a job right now and am living with my grandparents who are already buying a bike for me.

I suggest you start out slow and walk. focus on your form while walking and don't overdo it too fast at first. Aim for a set amount of minutes or a designation when you first start out and when it starts to get easier for you go for a longer distance and/or time. Make your everyday activites into exercise too. Like cleaning: get your sweat on with some headphones and tackle the floors or fridge or window or some outside work. Like when you go to reach the counter to wipe it, make it into a stretch and put some muscle into it. or when go to vacuum or mop do a lunge as you bring the vacumm forward or the mop and so on. Change the bedding, that is a workout. Get up every so often and just clean something or go out for a short walk. The bike will do you good but its is major workout for your thighs and legs so the walking right now will help strengthen you up for that. I started out doing these things because I had been so inactive and sedentary for so long. That is how I gained the weight from not working and being more lazy than usual. I still love walking and do it everyday now. I like the feeling when I it starts to get easier for me and harder for me to get a sweat on so I challenge myself here and there to step it up more. You will get there too. Swimming is an excellent all body workout. You get cardio and use all your muscles at the saem time. plus its so much easier on your joints and bones. if you are anything now like I was when I started out, my feet ached just from normal everyday standing so the swimming has helped me immensely especially at first. HEy don't knock cleaning as an exercise you can really get a workout if you put your mind to it. Plus your house will never be cleaner. Good luck sweety and welcome to MFP:flowerforyou:

rml_16

Biking, swimming and walking are GREAT exercises and a wonderful place to start. Especially at higher weights, where the risk of stress fractures is higher, these are good things to do. Swimming is an EXCELLENT, no-impact workout!

The elliptical is another option (and even if you struggle at first, keep pushing every day. I had a tough time my first few times on one.).

And you can certainly lift weights. "Life heavy" is relative to the individual. Right now, 5 pounds might be "heavy" to you, and if so, then that's where you start. You'd be surprised how quickly your strength increases.

I started seriously lifting (after a long hiatus) at the end of February and I'm already seeing major strength gains. My first set of chest flies were with 8-pound dumbells and this past Monday, I was using 20-pounders. And that's with weakness in my left wrist that I broke severely last June.

GertrudeHorse

Echoing other suggestions of biking, walking and swimming/aqua jogging. Start with what you can manage and build it up from there at a slow and steady pace.