I'm too weak

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gilramirez14
gilramirez14 Posts: 104 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I would like to get more physically fit. I am a 33 year old mother of two who has really never workout. I'm currently 198 lbs 5 6 and live in a great neighborhood. I've tried to get into running or jogging but I get out of breath half way down a block . I can't even do a full sit up what's the best way to build my strength so I can become physically fit

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  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,459 Member
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    Walking! Walking is absolutely the most accessible way to get fit. Just walk for 30 minutes to start, doesn't matter how fast you go. Then pick up the pace a bit when you feel like you can.
  • gilramirez14
    gilramirez14 Posts: 104 Member
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    tomatoey wrote: »
    Walking! Walking is absolutely the most accessible way to get fit. Just walk for 30 minutes to start, doesn't matter how fast you go. Then pick up the pace a bit when you feel like you can.
    good advice thanks

  • JenAndSome
    JenAndSome Posts: 1,908 Member
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    Day 1 run half a block and do 1 sit up. Day 2 run 3 steps more and do 2 sit ups.
  • allison1983weber
    allison1983weber Posts: 126 Member
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    I would start slow :) Go for a 45 minute walk a day, then go faster and faster. Then add in some low weights. One of the biggest loser workouts might work great for you. Youtube is your friend! There are tons of videos of workouts on there. You can do it! I started at 266lbs, 10 weeks in I am down 22.5lbs...if I can YOU CAN!
  • gilramirez14
    gilramirez14 Posts: 104 Member
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    JenAndSome wrote: »
    Day 1 run half a block and do 1 sit up. Day 2 run 3 steps more and do 2 sit ups.
    I seriously don't know why in heck I can't do a full sit up Crunch's are fine but cannot pull all the way up for full sit up. Really would like to build my stomach muscles up so I can do them
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,459 Member
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    No probs. If 30 minutes feels like a little too much, start with 15, add 5 the next week, and so on. (Maybe 30 minutes slow would be no problem, but if it's not easy, it doesn't matter how much you can do to start - do however much you can and build from there.)
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    I'm pretty weak too, used to be weaker. Working on getting stronger by doing things that will make me stronger. I run, and it sucks, then I run more. It gets better.

    I do crunches and get stomach cramps, so I do more.

    Becoming physically fit will be very uncomfortable, and take a long time. At the end though, your capacity to do more things will be worth it.

    So best way to become more fit? Keep on working on body weight stuff. Crunches, RKC planks, yoga like sun salutation a. Pushups, squats, jumps, etc. etc ad infinitum. There are plenty of resources easily found online for bodyweight programs. Youtube Al Kalvado, he's funny and all in on bodyweight.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    You get stronger at the things by doing the things. :smile:

    Good places to start for running - find an app or printout of the C25K (Couch to 5k) program. It's about a 9 week program that has you doing intervals of walking and running three days a week, slowly building up the running times until by the end, you're running non-stop for 30 minutes straight, or about a 5k distance. It made a runner out of me about 3 years ago - I stuck to the program, no extra days, going as slowly as needed to complete each session, and I did it without any injury or problems.

    For other workouts, start with a workout DVD - many beginners start with something like Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. You can get the DVD at Target or just about anywhere, or find it on YouTube for free. It's about 20 minutes, has three levels, and it's a combination of "strength, cardio, and abs". If you're brand new and just starting out, do it without any dumbbells, just body weight, take breaks as needed, and build yourself up - endurance, flexibility and strength will come with regular exercise, but don't push so hard that you can barely move the next and want to quit right away. You will be sore, of course, but just ease into it, and take a rest day if you're so sore you can't walk without groaning.

    I also recommend FitnessBlender.com - lots of free workout vids there for all levels, and you can use their search feature to find shorter, body weight, lower intensity workouts until you've built up the endurance.

    Good luck!
  • gilramirez14
    gilramirez14 Posts: 104 Member
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    allison1983weber wrote: »
    I would start slow :) Go for a 45 minute walk a day, then go faster and faster. Then add in some low weights. One of the biggest loser workouts might work great for you. Youtube is your friend! There are tons of videos of workouts on there. You can do it! I started at 266lbs, 10 weeks in I am down 22.5lbs...if I can YOU CAN!
    I do like the biggest loser workout . defiantly have to push through them though. Just hate that it seems so difficult to workout . when I was smaller no probs but now a days I just have to really push myself into getting off my a** ))
  • allison1983weber
    allison1983weber Posts: 126 Member
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    gilramirez14 wrote: »
    allison1983weber wrote: »
    I would start slow :) Go for a 45 minute walk a day, then go faster and faster. Then add in some low weights. One of the biggest loser workouts might work great for you. Youtube is your friend! There are tons of videos of workouts on there. You can do it! I started at 266lbs, 10 weeks in I am down 22.5lbs...if I can YOU CAN!
    I do like the biggest loser workout . defiantly have to push through them though. Just hate that it seems so difficult to workout . when I was smaller no probs but now a days I just have to really push myself into getting off my a** ))

    The biggest loser workouts are definitely not easy BUT if people who weigh 100lbs more than you can do it, then YOU WILL GET THERE :smiley:
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,459 Member
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    AmyRhubarb wrote: »
    You get stronger at the things by doing the things. :smile:

    Good places to start for running - find an app or printout of the C25K (Couch to 5k) program. It's about a 9 week program that has you doing intervals of walking and running three days a week, slowly building up the running times until by the end, you're running non-stop for 30 minutes straight, or about a 5k distance. It made a runner out of me about 3 years ago - I stuck to the program, no extra days, going as slowly as needed to complete each session, and I did it without any injury or problems.

    For other workouts, start with a workout DVD - many beginners start with something like Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. You can get the DVD at Target or just about anywhere, or find it on YouTube for free. It's about 20 minutes, has three levels, and it's a combination of "strength, cardio, and abs". If you're brand new and just starting out, do it without any dumbbells, just body weight, take breaks as needed, and build yourself up - endurance, flexibility and strength will come with regular exercise, but don't push so hard that you can barely move the next and want to quit right away. You will be sore, of course, but just ease into it, and take a rest day if you're so sore you can't walk without groaning.

    I also recommend FitnessBlender.com - lots of free workout vids there for all levels, and you can use their search feature to find shorter, body weight, lower intensity workouts until you've built up the endurance.

    Good luck!

    I have a soft spot for the 30 Day Shred, I started with that. It's a decent workout. It's hard work if you've been sedentary for a while, though, so don't worry if you can't do all the moves the first time. No matter what you pick, just do what you can - you will be able to do more.

    And, it will kind of feel horrible for about three weeks. You'll have muscle pains, it'll hurt, you won't be able to make it up the stairs. So be prepared for that and push through. (Unless you have unusual pains, if so come back.) After three weeks, it'll start to feel amazing.
  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
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    Yup, you gotta start somewhere. Start with what you can do, then slowly push faster/harder/farther.
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    gilramirez14 wrote: »
    I would like to get more physically fit. I am a 33 year old mother of two who has really never workout. I'm currently 198 lbs 5 6 and live in a great neighborhood. I've tried to get into running or jogging but I get out of breath half way down a block . I can't even do a full sit up what's the best way to build my strength so I can become physically fit

    Starting from where you are, I would just focus on becoming more active, do anything you can actually adhere to. This should improve your fitness a great deal. If you succeed in that, take up something more vigorous, if desired.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    Start where you are. If you can only run half a block, then hey, you're running half a block more than the guy in the couch eating chips.

    Anyway, if you want to run, you might look into an app called C25K. It's designed for noob runners.

    Otherwise, try different things until you find something you like. There of different ways to burn calories!
  • amy8400
    amy8400 Posts: 478 Member
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    I am 5'5" and my high weight was 200 pounds. I started with MFP at 188. I could not run either and here I ran 440s in high school at 60-64 seconds. Talk about a real wake-up call as to how far I'd fallen from my days of being physically fit as a teen.

    I just want you to know that I started 18 months ago at the age of 52 with a Planet Fitness $10/month membership. I would walk 20-30 minutes on the treadmill at 3.5 to 3.8 mph (I'm a fast walker by nature but I was really out of condition to do it any length of time. Then I started increasing the incline to eventually get up to 10 or 12. That about killed me but I did it for 2-3 minutes at a time during my treadmill sessions. I started jogging 1 minute at a time later on. Now I run about 10 minutes at 5.5 mph during my 30 min. treadmill sessions. The rest of the time I walk at 4-4.3 mph at 8-12 incline.

    The reason I share this is because, like everyone above has said, you can start out right where you are at but to get stronger and more conditioned, you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Small changes done over time will bring you the fitness levels you desire. You just have to set a goal and move toward it a little more each day. And don't limit yourself to just walking or running. Weights, strength exercises, yoga, pilates, etc. are other keys to help you round out your fitness program.

    Feel free to add me as a friend. Good luck!

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