Where should I start?

msmmrobinson
msmmrobinson Posts: 42
edited September 22 in Fitness and Exercise
I started my weight loss journey on 9/15 and so far I have been doing fairly well. I have been concentrating completely on the food I should eat and I comfortable with the choices I have made.

It is now time to incorporate some exercise. Does anyone have any suggestions for a beginner? I have been walking 30 mins 5x/week but want to try something else.

Thanks!

Replies

  • I am not sure if you work out at the gym or just walking outdoors but I like to get on the bike at the gym and on the treadmill. I also use the weight machines and do upper body and lower body every other day. It doesn't have to be heavy..just a little something to get your muscles working. Muscles help burn calories so it is always good to work as many muscles in your body as you can. Good luck!
  • daj150
    daj150 Posts: 815 Member
    First off, you are already on the right path. Eating is the most important part. Cardio from things such as walking are wonderful, because they help in so many ways. What you need to decide now is what YOU like doing, OR, what areas of your body do you want to focus on.

    For example, if you feel you have flabby arms, then you want to look into exercises or strength training to tone those areas. If you like the idea of biking, running, etc, then do those. If you hate the idea of lifting weights, but love to stretch, try yoga, pilates, and/or Tai Chi. Tons of options out there. You just need to decide what you want to focus on.

    If you really were looking for something more specific, I would say try some aerobic stuff and go from there. Good luck!
  • annesul
    annesul Posts: 26
    Google couch to 5k, I found it brilliant.
  • Mama06
    Mama06 Posts: 110 Member
    I started with Curves. I really began to lose weight and especially inches (in a healthy way) when I joined there. Now I do a lot of bike riding, walking and DVD's along with Curves.
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
    If you like walking, you can walk longer or more briskly (i.e., faster). Or you could try turning walking into running. (And, yeah, Couch to 5k *is* brilliant.) A good minimal exercise regime is 4-5x days a week for at least 45 min doing cardio half the time and strength training the other half. The cardio burns fat and the strength training builds muscle so you need them both.

    I started walking around the campus at work with a friend. We call them ***** walks because we walk around and ***** about work. :laugh: Then we started going to the gym. It was 1-2 days a week at first. He'd walk on the treadmill and I'd do the stationary bike. Then we started going more often and I needed something besides the bike because I don't like to do the same thing two days in a row. So I started doing Couch to 5K. The next thing you know, I was signing up for a Sprint triathlon and training 6-10 hours a week!

    But it all started with walking...
  • I absolutely agree with the answers already posted. Personally, I would alternate cardio exercises (good brisk walking/running/ swimming/bicycling etc.,) with strength training every other day. The more muscle you build, the more fat you burn which would be longer lasting than just doing cardio exercising where you will burn fat, but the muscle won't build as quickly. (as most of us lose weight, we also need to be toning). Sounds like you're off to a great start!!:wink:
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