Feeling defeated about exercising

Options
sassareno
sassareno Posts: 59 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

I'm having a rough go of it in regards to exercising. Everything I try ends up really really hurting and feeling awful. And I know the difference between good hurt and bad hurt (I used to be really fit and was a dancer for a long time), and it's definitely the bad hurt. I've tried the following:

- Couch to 5K -- I couldn't even keep up with the base level activity. I moved it down to 30 secs running and 90 secs walking (as opposed to 60 secs running, 90 secs walking), but after about a week of it, my knees and ankles were in such incredible pain that I could barely walk.

- Stationary bike -- Was so painful on my, uh, butt area, that I couldn't stand to do it anymore, even with a pillow taped to the seat.

- Jillian Michaels 30-day shred -- Again, I found that the level 1 exercise was too much for me, and my knees and joints were in pain after about 4 minutes.

It might sound like I'm just getting defeated and giving up too easily, but I don't think that's the case. I am SO motivated to get in shape, but I feel too fat and out-of-shape to even begin exercising. I'm 5'1" and 190 lbs, so I have a lot of weight on a small frame, which I'm guessing is why my joints hurt so badly when I do anything high impact. I can handle pain, but the level of pain I experienced when doing these exercises made me unable to keep up with a routine... There were even times when I tried to convince myself that the pain wasn't THAT bad, but then I ended up being in much more severe pain.

So, is my only option walking? I'd consider Zumba or something, but I don't know if I could keep up (plus I don't have the time or money for it). I guess I could try water exercise too...

Sometimes it seems like I'm the only person in the world who can't even keep up with beginner level exercises.

I need some motivation and inspiration! :-)

-Anna
«1

Replies

  • ingeborgv
    ingeborgv Posts: 175 Member
    Options
    Have you tried an elliptical machine? Not so hard on your knees as running on the tredmill.
  • JBunny06
    JBunny06 Posts: 4
    Options
    I would try Pilates. I love it, it's really low impact- even old people do it :) You'll feel it the next day, though! Also, DVD's like Carmen Electra's Fit to Strip are great, because you're doing cardio without messing with your joints too much. Hang in there, and don't be afraid to take a break for a day if you're hurting from a workout! :)
  • binary_jester
    binary_jester Posts: 3,311 Member
    Options
    After playing volleyball on cement, my knees kill. I have heard glucosamine really helps with this.
  • hamiltonba
    hamiltonba Posts: 474 Member
    Options
    Why don't you try walking? Go slow and work up to more challenging cardio.
  • bap2011
    bap2011 Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    I don't know if this is in your budget, but try Curves. It is pretty low impact, and has weight training too. I was 250 lbs and 5'4" and it really helped. I got myself down to 180 without dieting. The good news is it's only 30 minutes and never hurt - ever. The bad news is that I quit Curves after 3 years because the workout never really changed up significantly, so I got bored. I might have to start it up again just because nothing else has given me that kind of result with such a small time commitment.
  • sallyLunn
    sallyLunn Posts: 381
    Options
    Walk, baby, walk and don't worry about how fast you are going right now. Just pick a goal and walk it whether its time (my vote) or distance (not important right now.)

    You will see improvement if you stick with it.
  • madijo41
    madijo41 Posts: 367 Member
    Options
    I was having the same problem, so I started walking. I bought an Ipod shuffle and listen to books on tape while I walk. Now I am fit enough to even do P90x.
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    Options
    My opinion is that you should watch your diet and start walking outside or at the gym's trademill. You are correct in asuming that due to the extra weight your joins can not handle exercise yet. Your are very short (I am 5 feet, so I am shorter than you), and our bodies/extremities can not tolerate lots of weight.

    Walking is a very good exercise and you can control the speed and lenght of the activity, and at the gym the inclination of the trademill. Diet is the most important part of loosing weight, once the weight starts coming off, your joints will be much better.

    .Don't loose motivation, just loose the extra lbs.

    Good luck!
  • newnhealthierme2011
    newnhealthierme2011 Posts: 25 Member
    Options
    Hi,

    You're definetly not alone with the way you are feeling. I am 217 pds. and I'm 5'1 and I feel your pain. But as suggested the elipetical, water aerobics, zumba are all great ways to exercise and not feel as much pain. Also, I enjoy spin class you just have to get use to seat and the butt pain will end before you know it.
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
    Options
    Everyone has to start somewhere. :) Don't be defeated just stick with something. :) not keeping up or finishing is just fine. Count how far you can get in each exercise and then make a note of it. I'm going to guarantee that within a couple of weeks you'll be doing more every day.

    1/2 of activity every day is a nice starting point. Walk for 1/2 hour, swim for 1/2, 30 day shred for 1/2 something for 1/2 hour a day and you're on your way to the new you.

    You can do it nothing wrong if you can't do it all :)
  • xxjessikatxx
    xxjessikatxx Posts: 90
    Options
    i have joint issues as well and the elliptical is good..I do dancing and that doesnt bother me either.Any water activity should be good and weights are good in moderation i can do upper body more but since i have knee n ankle issues i dont do a ton of lower body weights..
  • PokenStick
    PokenStick Posts: 204
    Options
    I was in the same boat. I was super motivated when I first started out that I wanted to hit the ground running...literally. But my body had other plans. I had to walk the first 10lbs off or so until I could start running, and even then I had to go slow. Now I can do things that I never thought I would be able to do. It may be frustrating at first, but in the end it will be worth it. Don't give up!
  • marisol7649
    marisol7649 Posts: 484 Member
    Options
    Have you tried an elliptical machine? Not so hard on your knees as running on the tredmill.


    That makes me not hurt, You should try it. I wanted to run but it is too hard on my joints.
  • melissa1977
    melissa1977 Posts: 129 Member
    Options
    You have to walk before you can fly. :) I know it's hard, especially if you are motivated and you've been very active before. I was a runner and did belly dance at one point. Now it's hard for me NOT to want to run. But my body says no right now. So, gotta listen to it. You'll be running and dancing again before you know it. One step at a time!
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    Options
    my *kitten* hurt on the bike too...but you let it heal then you do it again...eventually it won't hurt anymore...and then i got a mountain bike lol. just keep plugging along...
  • 3trees
    3trees Posts: 71 Member
    Options
    I read recently that weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. So, keep your focus on your diet.

    That said, spin class pain decreases the more time you have in saddle.

    Cheapest option is walking. It's an excellent form of exercise. As you lose weight, you might want to
    revisit the couch to 5k program.

    If you want an organized program, I like P90 (not P90X). It's challenging at first, and gets easier with time.
    You might look at some utube videos to get a feel for some different DVD programs. The key is to pick
    something you think you'll actually do on a regular basis.

    Good luck!
  • countjackula
    countjackula Posts: 99
    Options
    Walking, elliptical, rowing machines, swimming.
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
    Options
    I am 5'1 and 210 so I understand where you are coming from! I often feel like beginner exercise is above me too. I have to agree with everyone who says to walk. I have had to learn that walking is not "just" walking -- I've lost almost 30 pounds doing it and some workouts on the Wii! I love doing Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds DVDs, which add in a little more variety than walking. Last summer/fall I was also able to get involved with a training group to walk a 5K... this year I am hoping to run/walk it!

    I really do encourage walking just to start building up your muscles and endurance, especially if you haven't been doing any exercise before. You can always work up to running more. In fact, here is a conservative C25K program that I started last summer. I didn't finish because I ended up doing the group training... but I have plans to pull it back out once it gets warm enough for me to exercise outside again. Until then, it's Wii workouts and WATP for me... and hopefully being able to start with the 2nd month of that training in March.

    http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/Programs/conservative_program.htm
  • aaddaammggoolleeaaffss
    aaddaammggoolleeaaffss Posts: 230
    Options
    After playing volleyball on cement, my knees kill. I have heard glucosamine really helps with this.

    It does wonders, I have been using it for my knee's for about 2 months now and see a huuuuuuuuuuuuuge difference and my right knee is pretty bad. They are cheap as well, you can get a bottle of 150 for $10 or less.
  • rawdefault
    rawdefault Posts: 66
    Options
    Swimming is another good option, and if you have some cash to spare, you could get a rebounder/mini trampoline as they are also fairly low impact.
    Adjust workouts to what you can handle. The first few times I did the 30 Day Shred I didn't use weights and went easy on the push ups - I just knew I couldn't handle the upper body workouts.
    Best of luck!

Categories