I feel stupid.

I feel absolutely stupid and ridiculous swinging my arms around, bending over with my butt in the air, kicking my legs and all the rest of the movements these cardio videos have you do. I just can't. I just can't get over how ridiculous I look in my mind's eye. It's actually prevented me from finishing this video I tried to do for cardio today.

How do you get over feeling like you look foolish and just do what you need to do?

If you don't like it do something different - there is no set rule as to what exercise regime you have to follow

When I first started doing Zumba and felt ridiculous, I reminded myself that everyone looks ridiculous the first few times and everyone improves with practice... I still have moments of "oh my, this new move looks ridiculous" but it doesn't last long, because now I know what I'm doing has been WORKING and I'd rather have it work than look cute doing it.

Why not do something that focuses on technique instead of flailing? Like if you like kickboxing, take a real kickboxing course. If you like dancing to get fit, take a real dancing course. I HATE kickboxing videos because my boyfriend does MMA. I can feel the difference when HE teaches me how to throw a punch versus when I'm just wildly swinging powerless throws.

But if its jumping jacks, squats, ect, then I suggest just stop worrying so much. They work your muscles very effectively, and you know, it's not stupid to work out in any form. It'd be best to ask yourself why you feel stupid... And if it's because you think you'd look bad in front of someone else, then it's probably best to try to fight that thought. If it's because it just doesn't suit you, go for technique. Do what you enjoy that makes you active.

I know exactly what you mean. I just started doing Jillian michaels 30 day shred, and living in an apartment, I find myself thinking of how my neighbors below me must feel when I do jumping jacks, and the floor squeaks for a solid 20 minutes every day. But then, I remind myself of how unhappy I am at this weight, and remember that no matter how silly or loud I might be, I am doing this for ME. And unfortunately sitting quietly won't have the same benefit.

So I guess what I'm saying is that you should just remember why you bought the workout videos in the first place, and just picture yourself in a bikini on a beach somewhere. I swear it'll do the trick.

Good luck, feel free to add if you need a friend.

Maybe videos aren't for you:)

You could lift or kick-box, or run or bike or all of them or something se entirely different that you like to do.
There are also different videos out there that may not seem as silly to you.

you are using a video so I take it you are home? and alone? so who the heck can see you? it's an excuse and not a very good one, but if you can't do the video's go for a walk, it's a great starting point.

If you don't like it. Don't do it. Cardio can be a brisk walk. I feel like a complete nimrod when I do my work out videos, but I know in the long run it will help me, and I also do them completely by myself. Like, I lock the dogs in the other room becuse I don't want their judgement either But If I don't feel like shaking the house down, I go for a walk. A really long, brisk walk. I also belong to a gym and using the equipment there is nice in the winter. Otherwise you could go biking, or roller blading, or whatever you want

And, just food for thought, cardio isn't the only thing you can do to work out IF (IF IF IF IF) you can, join a gym, and do a weight training program! I feel SIGNIFICANTLY more bad *kitten* lifting weights, although they're light right now, than I could ever hope to feel running or doing cardio

Good luck to you in your continued fitness goals!!

Believe me, I know how you feel! The first day I worked out, I puked afterward. I could hear my belly flapping around and I felt like if you harnessed my flab, you could power a small city for a year. I just decided that because I'm doing it at home, who cares? I'm in the basement and nobody can see me, so I'm going to just look stupid because it will get easier.

I started imagining that when my belly jiggled, the fat cells would hit each other and explode. Total Death Star destruction! The image amused me enough to work out the next day. Soon, my pants were falling down during my workout!

Now, I'm 68 days in and I've lost over 20 inches overall and have lost nearly a third of my goal!

How did I get over the silly feeling? I just posted pictures around with motivational sayings and pictures of clothes I want to buy when I'm my goal. I yelled at Jillian and pushed harder to show her I could do it no matter what she throws at me. I set mini-goals during my workouts that I would do "just one more" than last time.

It gets better. It won't get better if you don't keep trying, though! You can do this!!

Some of my favorite older childhood memories are of my mother and I doing exercise tapes together. We were both much bigger then and really, *really* bad at them. We'd have to pause the video every 2 minutes and catch out breath and guzzle water. We'd stub our toes on the furniture we hadn't quite managed to push far enough away. The rug would slip and slide and we'd trip- sometimes over each other. And 15 minutes later the video "warm-up" would be over and we'd be dying. Embrace the absolute craziness. Nobody is supposed to be good at those videos immediately and the catch is, when you do get good at them you're supposed to buy a harder one and continue to challenge yourself. c:
xx

Find something that you can enjoy doing and do that then, I started out walking in a therapy pool because I could barely stand for 30 seconds at a stretch so figure out what you can do that you will adhere too...... Best of Luck

Is someone watching you do these workout DVDs?

Lift, run, bike, etc., just find something you enjoy.

I felt totally ridiculous when I first started taekwondo, especially because our building had a lot of windows and was on the busiest intersection in town so everyone could see! But I kept at it and was almost ready to test for my brown belt when my school closed. I got over feeling silly and I still miss doing it but there are no schools close to me.

Especially if you're all alone working out in your living room why would you care what you look like? I've done plenty of videos that make me feel silly but they also make me feel awesome and strong so I do them anyway. And if my kids laugh at me they know they will be joining me. Plus I totally rock Just Dance even if I do look goofy.

Life's to short to worry about how I look doing things I love and I've found the people sitting out often just wish they had the guts to join in.

I felt that way at first. I'm still too embarrassed to join a gym or take a class somewhere, but I realized that I probably look worse with my belly hanging over my pants than I do flailing around my living room to a tae bo video. So I just pop in the DVD, close all the blinds, and banish my husband to another room in the house for an hour. It's not pretty, and I wouldn't ever want anyone to see me in action, but I guess it's just the price I have to pay for letting myself get so out of shape.

:laugh: This really gave me a laugh today. You see, when I am kickboxing or doing a cardio workout - IN MY HEAD, I look as awesome as the people on the video. It's always a surprise to me when I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror or glass covered picture. I'm all :noway:

But, to reiterate what others have said: You're at home. You're doing something to improve your health. If you enjoy it, keep going and don't worry about the couch or lamp watching. If you are not enjoying it - expand your horizons and try different things. I'm stuck on running and lifting now. I had never been interested in either until I tried them.

Good luck!