a few exercise suggestions

GlamourPUSS

hi.
im 18 going on 19 and im scared to admit it but im 250 pounds and i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on helping me find what exercise things i should do to help me lose weight.

i live in a trailor park, and i am kinda shy to go out and exercise and i was wanting some stuff to do inside

im already eating heathly.

Cindysunshine

I just wanted to say you SHOULD NOT be too shy to go out and walk. I live in a trailer park too. I weigh 283 now but started walking in January at 353 pounds. I have inspired many of my neighbors to get out and walk too. You can do it !!! Walking is a great form of exercise. I walk 4-5 miles 6 days a week . I also do a few differant exercise dvds. Every other day I do squats and pushups and an upper body strength training routine with hand weights. Find something you enjoy and get moving !!! Good luck- Cindy

staceyw37

i got dvd's from the library and kept renewing them. :laugh:
those that i REALLY liked, i bought.

walking is my fave exercise (ever since i was 15 y.o.). i do a lot of the leslie sansone walk at home dvd's. when i need to kick my heart rate up more, i hold 1# wts.

awesome for you for getting started on this healthy program! :flowerforyou:

GlamourPUSS

i acutally walk about a block or two everyday to the store
im the youngest in the trailor park and people know im the fat girl and blah blah blahh

i think im gonna start walking more idk i just dont like doing stuff alone but i think ill start walking more, then maybe eventually start running


*more suggestions are welcome if you want to post more*

mskellyw

I used to weigh 235lbs and I know exactly how you feel when you say you're shy about exercising outside. I used to feel the exact same way, but knew that walking would be a great way for me to start getting in shape. I was embarrassed about it at first, because I didn't want people to think I was exercising and judge me because of my size.

What I did was start to take really short walks in my neighborhood. I couldn't go very far at first, but I would go early in the morning before anyone else was outside. Also, I never wore "work-out" clothes. I just wore my normal, everyday jeans and t-shirts. Then when I could go a little further i started looking for excuses to walk places. I would do things like take a reusable shopping bag and walk to the store and buy an apple. Having the bag made me feel more confident, so it didn't look like I was "trying" to exercise, I just looked like I was headed to the store. The more I did it the more confident I felt and pretty soon I could just walk around the neighborhood without feeling self-conscious.

If you really want to start out exercising inside there are plenty of great exercises you can do. Jumping jacks burn a ton of calories, but can definitely be tough when you're first starting out. You could always alternate them with running or marching in place. You can also do things like crunches, squats, lunges, and pushups for strength training. The website shape.com has lots of great exercise suggestions and even some videos to show you how to do the moves correctly. You may also want to check out exercise dvds from the library. You can even find some on youtube these days.

Yoga is also a great indoor activity. You can find tons of yoga postures online. Try yogajournal.com for descriptions of posture and yogatoday.com for free complete workout videos. Again, youtube is another great resource for yoga videos.

I hope these suggestions help!

jasroper

Heellloo. I am a weight-lifting female, but when I joined the military we only used our body weight to get fit.

---

Don't let the word "military" throw you off from reading the rest of the message, even if you are a couch potatoe you can do things during commerical breaks!!!!

So for you, I would say you can start by using your own body weight and small space as a start: jumping jacks for minutes at a time (good for overall body), start off doing push-ups on your knees (good for chest and arms), do lunges standing in place (legs and booty ) and a variety of ab workouts....I did this so I can have best of both worlds : my tv, and the start of a more active lifestyle....and trust me, with as many commercials that come on during one half-hour television show, you may start to dislike t.v.!! good luck either way.

kankan213

Definitely just google at-home equipment free exercises! Don't be shy too go out and walk!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Feel proud, feel in control, feel like you are trying to make a change.

mamamia866

you can do it!!!

SHBoss1673

So GP,

I'm going to give you a few tips I've picked up. First, while it's GREAT that you want to exercise to lose weight, you should know, losing weight is 90% your eating habits and 10% exercise. Exercise is a great catalyst, and a great way to give you a few extra calories, and it keeps your body healthy in the long term, but you will lose very little weight by eating the same diet that made you gain all the weight.

So that being said, your priority IMHO, should be changing how you think about food, how you eat food, and how you buy food. Exercise should be (at this point in your lifestyle change) a secondary objective. Don't get me wrong, exercise is important, it truly is, but more important is giving your body the energy it needs, and the nutrients it needs without overdoing it. Once you can change how you feel about food (I.E. as a fuel source and not a comfort thing) and understand what a portion is, then you can start thinking about exercise.

And personally, I feel like you shouldn't care what others in your community think, SCREW THEM if they think of you as the "Fat" kid. That's just stupid! Fat is a state you may be in now, but it's not what defines you. Show yourself that you have the strength to not be overweight anymore, and you won't care what they think in the long run!

Best of luck to you my dear.

-Banks

arewethereyet

To try to give you some perspective on what others think of you:
I was 47, 170 pounds, felt old and useless. I was injured in a car accident and felt I could do nothing.

What started me MOVING was a young girl in the neighborhood with 2 pound weights in each hand. I would see her each morning walking past my house at 7 am (while I was making excuses for not having time to exercise).

At first she walked slowly with her hands by her side, breathing and sweating hard.
After a few weeks she was pumping her arms and walking much faster. Head held HIGH, shoulders back.............I felt so proud of this young girl I didnt even know.

So after a few weeks, after she passed I walked behind her. I walked to the corner....then the next..........and after a few weeks I did a mile.

This young lady will never know how she encouraged me to start on a fitness plan. It was so simple, yet touched my heart so.

So get out there!! You have no idea what ppl are really thinking............and if it is negative you will CHANGE their minds with each step!

Also, you can modify the push ups even further by starting on the wall. My very first push up I was standing up straight, arms on wall, pushed up and down. Took the fear out of it for me. I was in physical therapy for an injury. I then worked my feet further away to make it harder. Moved down to a chair pushed against the wall and then on my knees on the floor. I saw the difference in arm strenght in a week.

I know can do 5 full out push ups in a row and my goal is 10!

I am so proud of you for looking into making yourself heathier!!
:flowerforyou:
Ask away, that is what we are here for!!

FireMonkey

Congratulations on taking steps to become healthy! :flowerforyou:

You can find 5-10 minute workout videos at http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/videos.asp

Some of them are also on YouTube. You don't need much floor space and they're good for beginners.

I would not recommend learning yoga from a DVD; I think you need to start out with an instructor to learn the basics so you don't injure yourself. DVDs are good for later on.

mskellyw

So GP,

I'm going to give you a few tips I've picked up. First, while it's GREAT that you want to exercise to lose weight, you should know, losing weight is 90% your eating habits and 10% exercise. Exercise is a great catalyst, and a great way to give you a few extra calories, and it keeps your body healthy in the long term, but you will lose very little weight by eating the same diet that made you gain all the weight.

So that being said, your priority IMHO, should be changing how you think about food, how you eat food, and how you buy food. Exercise should be (at this point in your lifestyle change) a secondary objective. Don't get me wrong, exercise is important, it truly is, but more important is giving your body the energy it needs, and the nutrients it needs without overdoing it. Once you can change how you feel about food (I.E. as a fuel source and not a comfort thing) and understand what a portion is, then you can start thinking about exercise.

And personally, I feel like you shouldn't care what others in your community think, SCREW THEM if they think of you as the "Fat" kid. That's just stupid! Fat is a state you may be in now, but it's not what defines you. Show yourself that you have the strength to not be overweight anymore, and you won't care what they think in the long run!

Best of luck to you my dear.

-Banks

I agree that weight loss is 90% diet changes, BUT I know from experience that exercise can play a HUGE part of helping you stick to those diet changes when you're starting out with a lot of weight to lose.

I know that when I was at my heaviest I felt like crap all the time. I couldn't walk up stairs, I couldn't ride a bike, I even had a hard time bringing the groceries into the house. I missed out on so many activities with my friends because I was embarrassed about my size, or unsure that I'd be able to do what they wanted to do without getting sweaty and out of breath. Diet will definitely help you lose weight, but it won't do anything in the short term to improve your cardiovascular endurance. I tried changing my diet many times, but the frustration I felt as a result of not being able to do what I wanted to do led me to comfort myself with food every time.

Only when I started exercising did start to FEEL healthier. When I realized I could walk further than I could the previous week or when I realized I had carried water bottles into the house without feeling like I was going to die--THAT was what made me want to stick with my diet changes. As I started feeling stronger I began to want to fuel my body with foods that would help me continue improving my fitness.

I think exercise is absolutely crucial for someone in the beginning stages of weight loss. Not because it's the thing that is going to make you lose the most weight, but because it's the thing that's going to help you start to feel better in your daily life, in a million different ways. And feeling better and actually WANTING to continue making small changes is the only thing that is going to lead to lasting health and weight loss.