Am I starting right?

lapriya

I am 29 yr old female. 5' 5" and currently at 68Kg.
I was away from gym or any form of exercise for good 4 years bcz of medical reasons. Was taking some medicines which made me gain weight like anything. And 53Kg beautiful me is no longer there..

Now that medically i am fit, i joined a near by gym last month.
To begin with, i was disappointed by the way my body was reacting. I used to jog for 30 mins at 9km/hr . And now light jogging for 2 mins at 7km/hr made me feel like my heart will stop right away.
From then on i am slowly jogging for one extra more min every alternate day.
I currently jog for 10 mins at 7.5 km/hr.

Are things this slow when you go back to gym after a long time?

Below is my schedule in gym:
I do only cardio every alternate day. and no weights

20 mins in Treadmill(now jog for 10 mins and walk for rest of the time)
15mins in Crosstrainer
15mins in Cycle

How do you suggest i modify my workouts to get back to 53-55kg .

georgiagreeneyes

I know how frustrating it can be gaining weight from medications, as I've experienced something similar. Unfortunately, I'm still not able to really workout yet as I'm still recovering from surgery.

Have you considered weight training in addition to cardio? The more muscle you build the higher your basal metabolic rate (ie the number of calories you burn at rest) will be. Try performing high intensity intervals followed by recovery periods (example workout: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/120823202477040592/) you're more likely to torch fat in a high intensity interval workout. Hope this helps!

lapriya

I started gym just 1 month back. Is it okay to add weights to my schedule now itself? Or shld I give myself a month more? Just bcz I'm out of practice, I'm getting tired by an alternate day cardio itself.
My medication included steroids for some duration. I have noticed that weight is not coming down just by managing my diet.

Marie047

I would add some weights in to your workout, also you can mix it up abit as well so you don`t get bored (which is what I tend to do), I tend to road run and cycle a lot, also I am currently doing stronglifts 5 x 5, which is great for toning you up. I am the same weight as you, and you can get your fitness back quickly but lose it quicker when you stop. I am about to start the ironman and tough mudder training programme to mix it up abit, since I have recently complete a 5K run for charity and also London-Brighton Bike ride (54mile for charity) and gives me something else to work towards.

lapriya

I will add in some weights soon.
Marie, I just loved your variety. Just reading through some of your goals made me all the more excited. I should find out few more activities I will enjoy doing and won't make me feel like exercise as some kind of punishment I must endure.
As of now i have registered for a 5k which is coming up in the last week of august. That will be my first 5k. I'm not sure if thats an unrealistic plan at my fitness level.But for now that's helping me to keep my mind off the weighing scale and just looking at keeping my body moving for as long as I can.

katnewk

Ive been a runner for years and had back surgery... ive been walking 3 miles 3x a week... I have started adding 30 sec runs every 5 min will increase to a full min every 4 min next week... and continue to progress each week... the best way to increase run is to add walked... try a 1 to 2 minute walk every 5 min of runs. Not only will you increase you run time but will probably run a little faster which is good cardiograph....

lapriya

Update
3 months before i posted this query I was a person trying to walk on my own after recovering from my injury. My mom used to stand behind me to hold me when I fall down.
Fast forward to my attempts to get myself moving, its you guys who directed me to weight training. By October I got a PT and weights in the mix gave me that strength I wanted.
Now on my cardio days, I run 5k. 3 times a week.
Thank you MFP. I know its just the beginning. But I'm in very much taking this journey.