How exercised made a difference to YOU?!?

HonestOmnivore

I'm just starting to exercise this week.

I grew up in a family of athletes and I was that out-cast. I loved running around in the fresh air, but I wasn't fast, fell over a lot, and just never had the strength of my sisters. One entire summer was dedicated to teaching me to cartwheel - I knew if I tried hard enough I would do it! :noway: yeah-no. I was called the "Pokey Little Puppy" on family bike rides... :ohwell: I remember watching my family disappear half a mile ahead while I peddled as fast as I could!!!:laugh:

Basically, even when I was most fit, I never got that runner's high. Exercise has always been painful and hot and yucky. :grumble: I KNOW I have to do it - but I need to see some examples of how it's helped YOU lose weight! Not just the theory - can some of you share your own stories?

How did adding exercise impact your weight loss success?

tiffanygil

I started out 248 and I know the exercise and sticking with it has made a diff. I lost 81 lbs since May 29th.

First off, I go directly after work, so all the stress of the day that I would have normally took home with me disappears by the time I'm done. We all know what stress does to our wts, especially mine (not pretty)

Second I have NEVER< repeat>NEVER EVER been athletic. I was always the slowest in gym class, never got picked for sport games and never even thought about running for enjoyment. yuck.

But slowly I came to enjoy it. I like challanging myself and adding on those extra 5lbs to the wts. Or increaseing my time on the eliptical. It is now apart of me. Its something I never thought I would be able to do and now that I can you cant imagin the feeling.

Start slow and build dont compair yourself to others around you especially in the begining. And remember any movment is better than none.
Good luck!

SatelliteCrush80

Well...I went from this -not being able to walk up a flight of stairs without being winded (250+ pounds, almost a size 22




to this- completing a half marathon (142 pounds, mostly size 8)



Eating better helped me lose some of the weight, but the exercise helped me keep it off and feel better. I am much stronger and fitter than I was even in high school. It wasn't easy when I started...but I kept doing it. Did different things, challenged myself...and now here I am. I love it.

madmama

When I started my weight loss journey I was a size 18 at 200 pounds. I knew that if I was to lose weight I had to do more than change what I ate, I had done that before and the weight would drop but the size would not, so I started walking, then added weights to my workouts. I am now a size 8 at 137 pounds.

This last summer I started to jog outside with my dog, this was not something I would have done in the past. Sports are not my thing even though I enjoy them and I was never the fastest runner. For exercise you don't have to be the fastest and sports and other activities have to be enjoyed,

michlingle

It turned me from a tired, lazy slob on the couch to running a marathon in less than a year. Exercise is awesome, it's what we're meant to do. Look up "veal fattening pen" aka cubicle, so unnatural. Keep trying to find an exercise that you like, trust me. I never played sports in life at all, I like running because I don't do it to compete with anyone but myself. I don't care if I finish last (honestly, that would sting a bit :noway: ) but overall it's just me and me.

tlapdx72

I went from a size 20 to a size 14. I feel great. I have more energy, and I feel good about what I have accomplished. I go to the gym about five days a week. My friend doesn't like exercise, so she goes roller skating twice a week. She has lost 40 pounds by skating only two times a week for two hours each visit. I even started going with her, and it has helped boost my weight loss as well, and it is fun. I would tell you to find something you enjoy doing. This way it won't feel like you are "exercising"

havingitall

I have never been athletic. I was always the last one picked on sports teams and made to play goalie in street hockey because I didn't run around. I have never been able to do a cartwheel and sucked at skipping rope.

When I started here in January, I weighed 340 lbs and was a size 26/28. I did not like exercise at all and it was obvious. I started by going to the gym on the exercise bike and some light weights and doing some lane swimming. Swimming was always easy for me because I float well. I then took a belly dancing class and started incorporating more activities in my life. I found a women's walking group on meetup.com and we go power walking a couple of times a week. Also on meetup I found a hiking group and started going on some of their 2 hour hikes over hilly terrain. We have two large dogs that need regular exercise and their walks have gotten much longer.

Now I crave the exercise. I did not exercise ( apart from a 40 minute walk) on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Yesterday I was back at the gym full force with 65 minutes on the elliptical, 35 minutes of weight training and a half hour swim. Later in the day we took the dogs for a 40 minute walk. I feel euphoric after a good solid workout. There is no better feeling than having the sweat dripping down and the muscles well worked. My husband has called me a gym rat because I have started going twice a day on some work days. I can't get a long work out in the morning, so I will go and do 30 minutes of swimming or cardio on my lunch hour too.

Exercise has made a huge difference to me. I want to participate more in life and I have the energy and will to do so. I can't even remember how sluggish I felt before and I never want to!

jrbowers83

No one in my family is the least athletic, and everyone seemed to hate exercise, so it's no wonder that growing up I hate exercise. A couple years ago I found a great women-only gym with dedicated childcare workers, so I didn't feel guilty about going to the gym. I also had a workout buddy and we would go 3-6 days a week. I didn't see many results from using the equipment, but definitely benefitted from the many aerobics classes. But I think I went too hard too fast, because I ended up having a mini-stroke on my 24th bday, and got scared of exercise for awhile. Went to just walking around the block, and occasionally going to the gym for lazy stationary cycling. The weight came back on fast, and then I got pregnant with my second child. My gym membership expired during my pregnancy. I was put on bed rest for the last 2 months of my pregnancy (preeclampsia) and due to a c-section could not resume exercise for at least 6 weeks postpartum. I actually started exercising (doing step aerobics and long walks) at 4 weeks and got yelled at by my ob. So once again got scared of exercise, lost my job due to being out so long with the medical complications, and as a full-time SAHM with 2 kids, one very colicky, I found myself depressed and lazy. Ate junk to try to feel better, but actually felt worse.
In June separated from my husband and my depression took me in the other direction of not eating at all. I lost about 8 lbs. When we reconciled in Sept. I gained 5 of that back. Then in Oct. I came down with swine flu which migrated to a serious sinus infection and bronchitis. I'd not been regular about seeing a dr. so she brings up that my last 4 visits (over the last 18 mos) my bp had been dangerously high, and that I would have to be put on bp meds if I didn't change my diet. She didn't even mention exercise. So I came home did my research, and put myself on a diet to lower blood pressure. But all of the diets I found recommended at least 20 min. of exercise (they all were about 1350 cals). So I tried to do step, and all the weight yo-yoing had left me very weak-just 5 min. in I was pouring sweat and was at my max recommended heart rate. So instead I started off just doing 20 min. walk everyday, sometimes broken down into 10 min/time. And now, just a couple months later I can easily do 30 min. of step, can jog/walk intervals, have incorporated strength training in intervals with cardio. Just got a Wii Fit Plus for Christmas, and it actually says I'm in good shape, performing at my age :laugh: But the best part about it is the days that I wake up at 5 or 6 am to work out, I crave healthier foods, I am happier and more playful with my kids, and find myself much less depressed. And my kids benefit because they are learning that play+exercise=fun.
I hope that you begin exercise and find it as helpful as I have. The trick is to find something that YOU find fun, and keep it up.

HonestOmnivore

THANKS EVERY ONE!!! :flowerforyou:

That's exactly what I was needing! It's so hard to make the time and I have a busy schedule with long work days and a long commute so it's very easy for me to excuse skipping out on it again, and again, and ...