I haven't exercised in over 7 years. Where do I start?

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  • blackgold86
    blackgold86 Posts: 171 Member
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    Just start moving..

    Doesn't matter what it is to start! Just try anything you think might be of interest, and stick to things you like.. Once you get stronger, it will get easier and soo much more fun!
  • city_of_frogs
    city_of_frogs Posts: 101 Member
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    Couch to 5k (C25K)

    It's an app that guides you to eventually running 5km's without stopping, over 8 weeks I think it is. It assumes you have never run before, so don't be afraid! It's a great app and is what started a lot of MFP members on their way to fitness....including me!

    Good luck!!

    I too have tried the couch to 5k! Worked great! Good starting point to work up your fitness.

    Also, do a few PT sessions to familiarise yourself with weights and different types of exercises.

    I have an indoor soccer team with friends and most of them were very un fit when we started. Every game they get fasted and have more endurance!

    Good luck to you :)
  • milk_shakes
    milk_shakes Posts: 46
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    I was in the same boat. i hadn't truly exercised since high school soccer. the only "cardio" i got in my 20's was going out dancing and that was always paired with lots of beer.
    I started by treading water in my mom's pool, hard and as fast as i could for 15 minutes to strengthen my mucles. Then I looked on demand and did whatever workouts were offered on there, and I walked. Then I ordered my Zumba DVD's $70 but I do them 5 times a week and feel myself getting stronger. No classes as of yet.
    If you are out of shape ANY exercise is going to benefit you so just get moving. Put on some good music and dance your *kitten* off in your living room.
  • LupaNera
    LupaNera Posts: 170
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    For me it was acquagym/acquafit classes in deep water. Never touching ground. And I am worst than a cat in water but I took the challenge! And of course walking and still enjoy that.
  • paulwgun
    paulwgun Posts: 439 Member
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    Ill second C25K, its where i started after many years of no exercise at all, I'm doing my second 10k race this Sunday :smile:

    Go for it :drinker:
  • andilion
    andilion Posts: 44 Member
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    C25K was great, but if you're really really out of shape or you're worried about knee/joint issues, there is no shame in starting with just walking.

    30 Day Shred was way too hard for me when I started working out. I started it a bunch of times and never finished it!

    For resistance training, I highly recommend the book New Rules of Weightlifting for Women. When I started, I just did body-weight versions of most of the exercises and eased my way into it. Since then I've seen HUGE increases in my strength. I used to find strength training boring and annoying, but this book helped me really get into it and start doing it consistently.
  • CarolDFraser
    CarolDFraser Posts: 6 Member
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    When I first started out after many years of not doing anything, I joined Contours Express. I found that it was quite gentle on my body and gave me the strength and cardio I needed back then. I would go 3-5 times weekly and saw great results for the first 12-18 months or so.
    My body fat was 41% when I started, and got down to 25% by the time I cancelled my membership. Also lost kgs and quite a few cm's from everywhere.

    I cancelled the membership because I found that I had "outgrown" the concept, wasn't getting results and felt I needed something more . Now I train with a PT twice a week with heavy weights, Pilates twice a week and C25K in the days in between. I've been doing since February and can really see the difference again, lost more cms, not sure about the bf% as the analysis machine at the gym is broken :(

    Good luck!!
  • meganlee85
    meganlee85 Posts: 24
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    There is a great book called "You Are Your Own Gym" by Mark Lauren that is all bodyweight exercises. The terrific thing about it is that it is customizable to any fitness level and he tells you exactly how to adjust the exercises to make them easier or harder. You also don't need equipment and can do it in the privacy of your own home, and he's put together programs for you so that you don't have to figure out what to do or what order to do it in...perfect for someone (like me) who doesn't have the knowledge to feel comfortable designing her own program.

    There's also a smartphone/tablet app that times the exercises for you, tracks how many reps you've done, keeps a history of your workouts, and has videos of Mark performing each of the exercises so you can see exactly how it's done. I LOVE the app. It's really helpful.

    You can read more about it at http://www.marklauren.com/

    Thanks! I'll definitely look into it. Sounds like a good start :)
  • Cameo530
    Cameo530 Posts: 155 Member
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    I like it a lot and it seems to fit your goal of increasing your overall fitness level, by which I figured you mean you want to start making your muscles do more than take up space on your bones. :smile: There's also a group on MFP for people doing it. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/7830-hooya-give-me-more-

    One of the guys in the group (maybe the only guy?) is doing the more advanced workouts (there are 4 different levels) and blogs about it. He's great about offering practical advice for almost any question that comes up.

    Also, when strength training, remember to do a short warm-up beforehand (walking/jogging in place/jumping jacks/whatever gets your blood pumping a bit - for 5 mins or so) and stretch afterwards to minimize stiff, sore muscles the next day.

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