General Excercise Advice

srd_23
srd_23 Posts: 43 Member
in Getting Started
Hi there! My name is Sarah and I am 27 years old, 5'3, and weigh 229 pounds. You may ask how I got to be overweight. I could say that I'm a busy single mom with a desk job and a long commute... I could blame it on my asthma and PCOS... But the real reason that I'm overweight is that I haven't been trying not to be. I know that I have control of my life and the power to change. Finally, I have decided to actually do it.

5 weeks ago I got a subscription to dailyburn.com and committed to working out 30 minutes per day at home. I did that for a week. Week 2 I started logging my food on fitbit.com. I found the database to be inaccurate and rather small, so I did some research on weight loss sites, and eventually decided to move forward with MFP. Week 3 I purchased a fitbit flex, joined MFP, and started logging my food. I started out with a 1700 calorie daily goal, and began working out at my local YMCA sporadically, while continuing my dailyburn workouts when I couldn't make it to the gym. At week 4 I committed to working out for an hour a day at the gym with a 2 day margin for error if life gets too busy.

Its now been 5 weeks since I originally decided to make changes in my life. I didn't weigh myself for the first week, but in the last 4 weeks I have lost 9 pounds. This week I haven't lost any weight, but I did go down one pant size! Overall, I'm happy with this progress. My question is this. So far I have been primarily on the treadmill. I am seeing slow and steady progress in terms of speed and endurance, but I am wondering if I should start adding in other types of excercise. I don't want to do anything extreme, I am more about easing into a new lifestyle slowly. What other types of excercise do you recommend? How difficult are they? I am doing my own research as well, but I'm interested in any general advice you all may have.

Replies

  • romi3772
    romi3772 Posts: 18 Member
    Try dancing. Zumba is fun!!!
  • knewbill72
    knewbill72 Posts: 133 Member
    Just keep moving your body on a consistent basis. Consistency is the most important aspect. Do exercise that makes you happy. Really, do what makes you happy. This way you'll keep doing it!

    I'd recommend walking/hiking and bodyweight exercise (squats, pushups, pull/chin ups, dips, planks and Pike Push-Ups). No additional weight on any of these exercises are required. Do them all on the same day twice a week for awhile and then move to 3 days a week. Do your long walks and hiking on days off from doing the body weight exercises. No gym required.

    All these exercises can be found online if you don't know how to do them. Also you may need to do modified versions of these exercises until you get stronger.

    If all else fails...keep on walking! Walking is just the single best exercise you can do for your body. All the best and good luck!!!
  • rachface1234
    rachface1234 Posts: 227 Member
    Congratulations on your lifestyle changes :). I would suggest trying different exercises and see what you enjoy!
    Personally, I can't stand the treadmill/elliptical/stairmaster cardio machines. I follow a routine which includes some jogging (outside with my doggie of course), some zumba, and several times a week weight lifting. All three of these are rewarding to me. If you are unsure about something you are considering it never hurts to check with your doctor and do some reading to see if its a good plan for you!

    A good exercise program includes cardio activities for your heart and often just for extra calories to eat/burn as well as strength training to retain lean body mass as you lose weight (hold onto the muscles you do have so that when you get to goal weight you aren't "squishy" or "skinny fat" or whatever people like to call it). It also makes you feel amazing and gives you great goals that aren't as tempermental as the scale.

    For strength there are lots of programs you can follow "You are your own Gym" or "Convict Conditioning" OR if you have access to free weights (barbell and squat rack and bench) you may want to check out some full body compound lifting routines. I like Stronglifts 5x5 because its simple/free/has an iphone app/there are amazing strong ladies on here who do it and look like rockstars... Cruise the search function about exercises you are interested in to get some perspective :). But mostly, pick something you enjoy and stick with it. Anything you don't enjoy, no matter how effective, wont be effective for you if you hate it and don't do it regularly.

    :heart:
  • srd_23
    srd_23 Posts: 43 Member
    Thanks everyone for the awesome advice so far. My mom does Zumba, and I thought about doing it too, but I was a little shy about dancing with other people there to see me. I think I probably just need to get over that though! Overall, I actually enjoy excercising. I especially like the treadmill (don't laugh) because I can watch TV while doing it. As a busy single mom my TV time outside the gym is pretty much nil.

    I don't want to be a body builder but when I get down to my goal weight it would be nice to have some definition. I like the idea of adding some bodyweight excercises, although I'm pretty sure pull ups are going to have to wait until I can drop a few more pounds! I did try yoga but its really hard to stick to because A) its WAY HARD and B) I get really impatient with the meditation. I'm not knocking meditation in general, but I don't think its for me.
  • knewbill72
    knewbill72 Posts: 133 Member
    Thanks everyone for the awesome advice so far. My mom does Zumba, and I thought about doing it too, but I was a little shy about dancing with other people there to see me. I think I probably just need to get over that though! Overall, I actually enjoy excercising. I especially like the treadmill (don't laugh) because I can watch TV while doing it. As a busy single mom my TV time outside the gym is pretty much nil.

    I don't want to be a body builder but when I get down to my goal weight it would be nice to have some definition. I like the idea of adding some bodyweight excercises, although I'm pretty sure pull ups are going to have to wait until I can drop a few more pounds! I did try yoga but its really hard to stick to because A) its WAY HARD and B) I get really impatient with the meditation. I'm not knocking meditation in general, but I don't think its for me.


    Pull ups can be done with assistance/modification.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRznU6pzez0


    Meditation is for everyone.....when they are ready. You just may not be ready yet.
  • srd_23
    srd_23 Posts: 43 Member
    You are probably right! I think meditation for me is probably harder than pull ups! I'm on the GO GO GO so much, that all I can think about when I try to meditate is all the things I accomplished that day, and what I have left to do. Then I start to get antsy because I start to think about all the things I could could be accoplishing instead of just sitting there doing nothing. Maybe this is further proof of why I actually SHOULD meditate...
  • knewbill72
    knewbill72 Posts: 133 Member
    You are probably right! I think meditation for me is probably harder than pull ups! I'm on the GO GO GO so much, that all I can think about when I try to meditate is all the things I accomplished that day, and what I have left to do. Then I start to get antsy because I start to think about all the things I could could be accoplishing instead of just sitting there doing nothing. Maybe this is further proof of why I actually SHOULD meditate...

    You won't be doing nothing though. You will just simply Be. I'm a Dad and "always busy"...but that's what you mind wants you to think so it never has to turn off. The mind wants to rule all...but You know that already. All the best!

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