Need some advice

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I have been on this site since Dec 4th. I have finally made and feel like I can keep a commitment to become a smaller and healthier me. I have an extremely long road ahead of me. My starting weight was 385. I have been completely non active lately, chasing a toddler and typical housework has been my only "exercise".

A year ago I was active as far as walking, moving around and going places.

I don't have a gym near me, and realize I don't need one. I originally bought the 30 day shred, not really realizing what I was getting into. I also have the leslie walk away the pounds 3 mile walk and the biggest loser jump start video.

I made a decision to start the 30 day shred on Jan 1st and do it for 30 days. I had done it once or twice, but it's a killer workout and I'm on level one and can not keep up and give my all to the exercise because my body and endurance just isn't there yet. I have trouble with jumping jacks because of the impact on my ankles.

I do good with the ten minute workouts on the BL and I did the entire 3 miles on my 2nd attempt on the Walk Away the Pounds. I find myself putting exercise off because I am dreading the 30 day shred. But I feel like a failure if I admit I am not ready for it.

I am not overeating, I end each night with at least 300-600 calories left (after entering exercise).

I want serious input. Are the Walk away the pound videos and cardio from the BL workout enough for now?

Replies

  • lulu_beans
    lulu_beans Posts: 100 Member
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    I just started walking and doing short cardio bursts when watching commercials. I would say that ANY exercise you are getting is good. You can't just jump into it full force, you might get hurt. Keep at what you are doing, and work your way up to the 30 day! You're doing great, and you will continue to do so, as long as you take it at a pace that your body is comfortable with.
  • bigtosmall
    bigtosmall Posts: 6 Member
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    as long as you keep trying you are not a failure. As with any exercise plan you should start up slowly and increase the number and amount of exercises as you progress. It is much more benificial to do some exercising that you like, even if it is only walking, then get frustrated and stop all together. you can do this. make small goals. they will add up to big rewards. Bigtosmall
  • slp2112
    slp2112 Posts: 107
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    I am no athletic trainer and therefore don't feel as though I should be advising you (or anyone) on what's "enough," correct, etc. when it comes to physical fitness. But I will say this - it sounds like you're pushing yourself, and that's what matters. Physical conditioning takes time, lots of time, so be patient with your body. Something I always do when I workout is try and set the bar a little bit higher every time (e.g. can I add a little bit of weight on a particular exercise? Can I go a little longer with my cardio?). Once you feel your body has become accustomed to your exercise routine, start pushing yourself. I'm guessing that you're capable of more than you think you are.

    Also, I know you said you don't need a gym, but I will say that one of the best things I did this year was make an appointment with a trainer. I was petrified of doing it, because I was pretty convinced I'd physically fall apart if I trained with a trainer. But I bit the bullet and just did it - and the payoff has been awesome.
  • TaneeisFitforLife
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    Not doing the 30 day shred doesn't mean you are a failure. Listen to your body....do the other two for now & build your stamina. :)
  • sugarbeans
    sugarbeans Posts: 676 Member
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    I think getting up and moving, doing whatever you can whether it is walking or doing workout videos.
    30 day shred is hard and can be intimidating and your not a failure for not being able to keep up, maybe use that video as a goal work your way up with the other videos to be capable of doing level 1 30 day shred.
    The last thing you want is injury and pushing yourself too hard can result to that. Jumping jacks if it's too hard modify it to running on the spot or just do the arms of a jumping jack instead of the full thing, as long as your moving it should count.

    Jillian Michaels also has dvd's for beginners as well I haven't tried them myself but my friend has and she said it was great and less intimidating then her other dvd's.

    I feel workouts from BL and the walking one is fine for now.
  • tstevensville
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    Doing a workout routine should be enjoyable. Find something you enjoy there are a lot of dance ones out there now those are fun and you can go at your own pace. Yoga is great too. They encourage you to start at your limit and work your way up. Yoga has also incorporated cardio in to the routines. Pilates is another one that is nice. These are also all low impact so they won't hurt your joints. Getting some hand weights will help and you can do small reps in between laundry and other daily chores, building muscle burns fat. Remember we are not like the instructors on the videos we are just regular people that don't make a living off working out and as long as you try to keep up with what they are doing it will seem more like a chore rather than something you enjoy to do. Any little bit a day will make a big difference in the long run and over time you will find you can do more. Stick with it and don't give up the outcome will be worth it. I am not sure if you have cable but comcast has a on demand fitness that has tons of workouts for everything and they are free. I do something on there everyday even if its just a 10 min ab workout. Good Luck and stay strong.
  • VAinVA
    VAinVA Posts: 1
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    First, well done for asking for advice. That shows commitment and a willingness to change your MIND, which for me had to come before changing my BODY. Second, don't give up on your plan even if you give up on the video that you hate. What I understand from your post is that your original plan (using the 30-day shred) might not be working for you. That's not failure, that's adjusting.

    If the changes we are making are going to be for the long-term, then we have to adjust in response to the challenges that have stopped us previously. In this case, it's important to find an activity that doesn't repulse you to the point of avoidance. You might try several different videos before you find something that works for you. If you subscribe to Netflix, you might test drive a few videos before buying more. Over the past 15+ years (before Netflix was an option) I invested a lot of money in videos; some filled me with dread, others inspired me. Ultimately I found several that sustained me through my daughter's early years, when exercising at home to videos was the best (and often only) option. So don't let the video that you hate keep you from experimenting with other choices. It's not the only answer.

    And while I don't know your budget or space constraints, you might consider a treadmill if it's a possibility. Craigslist has posts for used equipment all the time (sometimes "free to good home"!), and I bought a good used one for under $400 at a store that sells second-hand sports equipment. That's less than six months of membership to my local gym. When I first got back into exercise, I only walked for several months. Even on my laziest days I could convince myself to get on the treadmill for just 20 minutes. Once I started, inevitably I kept going for more than 20 minutes. I finally accepted that exercise doesn't have to be hard to count--especially for those of us (all of us) who have many responsibilities to balance.
  • emmerrs
    emmerrs Posts: 158 Member
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    I'm approx. 225 lbs and pretty out of shape, I started to do the 30 day shred and just bombed. I gave up FOR NOW and instead I'm walking and trying to work my way up to jogging. My personal opinion, I would listen to your body and not push yourself TOO hard.

    Once you lose some weight and/or feel more fit try the 30 day shred again and see if its do-able, that's my plan anyway!

    Best of Luck :)
  • countdowntotarget
    countdowntotarget Posts: 108 Member
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    I havent got a clue what plans you are talking about ?? we dont have them in England - but for my comment all I would say is: look at the people in the videos they are experts - you cannot be expected to keep up with them, as long as you are doing it at your own pace and are doing something more than you have been doing in the past then it will work - if they are off doing a billion crunches and you can only do say 5 then so be it - but it is 5 more than you were doing before you started this journey and it is 5 YOU SHOULD BE PROUD of ! it is a starting point, and no at the end of the 30 day (or however long it was) you probably wont look like a catwalk model, but if you have done your best, not exerted yourself to the point of exaustion, and can look at yourself and anser honestly for the past 30 days I have done the best I can then you will look better, and who knows, do it all again for another 30 days you may be taking over the instructors. !! what I am trying to say is do your best, push your body as much as you want to, if you cant keep up thats fine - you are more active than you were so you will lose weight, dont give up x x x
  • rawdefault
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    The first time I did the 30 day shred I knew my arms would be sore for days, so I didn't used weights at all and went easy on the pushups.
    You can modify workouts to suit yourself, and this gets easier the more you get to know your body's limits and potential. If you ever want to give the 30 Day Shred another go, feel free to substitute the jumping jacks with any other cardio you can manage (and if you happen to have a rebounder/mini trampoline, you could try doing jumping jacks on that as it absorbs some of the impact).
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    30 DS is not an appropriate workout for you at this point (it's not a particularly good workout for ANYONE, but that's a topic for a different day).

    At this point, just getting into a program and getting moving is an AWESOME achievement. You don't deserve to feel bad because of marketing hype.

    Your body will adapt to an increased level of activity--you just have to find the movements and intensity that are appropriate for your current abilities. If you can tolerate walking, walking is a great activity. You can always add some brief "intervals" like pumping your arms or walking a little faster for 30 sec or so. Just keep in mind that, for you at this time, a "high-intensity" interval might mean increasing your walking speed by 0.1 or 0.2 mph for 30 seconds every 5 min.

    While any movement will be beneficial, I think it is important to make sure you are following structured, defined workouts and logging your efforts. That provides some benchmarks that you can use to make sure you are increasing in a sustained and progressive fashion. Even if that means walking only 15 min at a time, make it a set 15 min, use a watch or timer, keep track of distance and take your pulse. Then log the workout. Maybe you do that 3 times a day. That's OK.

    Your primary goals for now are to increase your endurance, achieve whatever increases in fitness level you can, maintain a consistent program, and put in as many minutes as you can. If you can work up to walking at a sustained steady pace for 60 min, for example, you can do fine with that type of program.

    Right now, resistance training is a secondary concern. You already have plenty of muscle. If you can get some resistance bands and some simple routines, that can be of some benefit. You don't necessarily need a gym or complicated "workout video".

    First and foremost, do things that make you feel good and successful. Positive experiences are self-reinforcing. Good luck.
  • rawdefault
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    Azdak- I'm interested to hear why you think it's a cruddy workout (personally I don't think it has nearly enough cardio, but other than that seems fine). I don't know that much about fitness, just enough to get me by.
    Instead of hijacking this thread, perhaps you could PM me?
    Thanks in advance for indulging my curiosity :)
  • NikkiLynn76
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    Thank you everyone for the advice and encouragement. I have made the decision to bypass the 30 day shred for now, and stick with other workouts. I actually feel 100 percent relieved since I finalized that choice. :)
  • bigtosmall
    bigtosmall Posts: 6 Member
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    be proud of yourself that you made a decision. I see you lost 16 lbs. great job. Keep up the good work. you and your daughter will both benifit from it.