Just Starting Out...

drgal86
drgal86 Posts: 13
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi! I'm 27 year old mom of 1. My current weight is 193 at 5'3", my calorie goal is 1600 per day. My goal is to lose a minimum of 30lbs but I'd really like to lose as much as 50lbs. I have a semi-active job, most of the day I'm in a chair but I am required to go up and down a few flights of stairs every day, walking a lot on the shop floor. I have 3 kids at home and do a lot of activity in the afternoon. Not a lot of "down time".

I currently have no workout routine but have just signed up to at a Planet Fitness gym in my area. I plan to go 2-3 times a week, more when I have time. I've done some research online and most websites say to do cardio one day and strength training the opposite day. My problem area's are my stomach and recently I've noticed a decrease in stamina.

I'm looking for any advice on a decent workout routine to get me going. I want to increase my energy and stamina, I need to tone up my legs, and shrink my belly. I'm not afraid of hard work and I want this year to be my year.

Thanks in advance for the support!

Replies

  • TifarahA
    TifarahA Posts: 5 Member
    http://www.fitnessblender.com/

    Seriously, they saved my life. And all their videos are free. I love Kelli!

    Then from there you can take those moves they teach you to the gym!
  • Hiker_Rob
    Hiker_Rob Posts: 5,547 Member
    I have a couple friends as well who use fitnessblender and love it. Sounds like in general you are pretty active and with the added exercise you should be doing fairly well on that part.

    Log your foods every day and log everything, that will give you the best idea of where to improve. It can be time consuming for the first while but as you get used to it it becomes faster and you do it almost without thinking. Take small steps, don't try and do everything at once, that can be overwhelming and not maintainable. I follow my own mantra of Moderation, not Deprivation, everything is good in moderation. If you deprive yourself of the stuff you like you will want it all the more. As you make small steps with your diet you will begin to build on them and see what you need to do to improve further.
  • drgal86
    drgal86 Posts: 13
    @TIFARAHA - Thanks for that website, I did a quick overview and it does look useful. I'll try it out this weekend!

    @hiker221 - Logging my foods is part of my routine now. Sometimes I log ahead if I know what I'm making or eating for the day, saves time. Deprivation is what kills me mostly. I like to have a bowl of ice cream with my kids at night or a handful of Doritos every now and again. When my cravings hit they don't go away, and it gets worse if I try to ignore them... Thanks for the advice! :)
  • ME0172
    ME0172 Posts: 200
    What worked for me was to do only cardio at first. I had very bad stamina and had a hard time even doing 30 mins of low impact. I also didn't want to spend more than an hour at the gym and did pure cardio (30-40 mins of sustained heart rate cardio) 3-4 times a week until I lost 30 pounds. After a while I was able to go up to 40 mins then I increased my intensity.

    After losing 30 pounds, I was in a good gym routine I started doing strength training. At first I did cardio then strength training each session and started seeing some good definition in my arms and legs. My abs are still where I carry the majority of my body fat and I'm just going to have to live with that. You can't spot lose weight, you just have to drop body fat and it will dall off where it's going to fall off. A year later and going to the gym is a part of my daily routine - I do cardio 3 times a week and weights 3 times a week taking Sundays off.

    My goal when I started was to lose 20. I've lost a total of 34 so far. The best piece of advice I ever got was to figure out what works for ME. I changed my diet to something that was sustainable for a lifestyle change, vice "dieting" and then worked myself into a workout routine that I also knew I could/would sustain. The key is to get going. You may adjust what you do quite a few times until you start seeing the results you want... and when you do then keep doing it.

    Good luck to you!!!
  • Roadie2000
    Roadie2000 Posts: 1,801 Member
    Try circuit training, you'll get strength and cardio instead of just walking on a treadmill.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    @TIFARAHA - Thanks for that website, I did a quick overview and it does look useful. I'll try it out this weekend!

    @hiker221 - Logging my foods is part of my routine now. Sometimes I log ahead if I know what I'm making or eating for the day, saves time. Deprivation is what kills me mostly. I like to have a bowl of ice cream with my kids at night or a handful of Doritos every now and again. When my cravings hit they don't go away, and it gets worse if I try to ignore them... Thanks for the advice! :)

    I don't go for total deprivation either......I still eat choclolate, I just can't have a whole bag of Hershey Kisses in the house.

    I started exercise after many years (ok - decades, actually)......walking on a treadmill. This is a great way to start because you can build speed and add incline at your own pace.

    It's never too early to start strength training. If you combine strength & cardio in 1 trip to the gym......do strength training first because form will be important......you don't want to be wiped out & have crappy form (risk injury). Many people will alternate upper body & lower body days.

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