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primadonna_20
primadonna_20 Posts: 13 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
so I've always struggled with working out .. I hate everything about it but I try and I honestly only last maybe a week sometimes two. I think mainly because I get discouraged and I feel like I'm not doing enough so I might as well stop. For example my first day starting this Monday .. I ran for 30 minutes did two miles the next day my thighs were so sore and my workout for Tuesday I felt didn't go well because I couldn't make it through my sets because of the soreness I had to keep pausing .. This discourages me I feel lazy and whiny and I feel like I'm supposed to be able to do it but I can't. I don't know how people push through the soreness it sucks for me. But anyways my plans is to run Monday Wednesday Friday do arms/abs on Tuesdays and legs on Thursdays. I don't take any protein but I eat what I need in my diet. I also take l carnitine and glutamine to help with soreness. I also have trouble sticking with my diet but i am trying to do better. Any advice on how to meal prep for a beginner would also be lovely
Thanks for taking the time to read my long paragraph

Replies

  • Solamer
    Solamer Posts: 67 Member
    edited May 2015
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    Whenever I stop working out for a while, I always have to ease back into it. Not just because of soreness, but because I don't want to injure anything. Remember that the body does need rest to recover. I would add some rest days into your week. Also, after sticking with it over a longer period of time, you will stop getting as sore after a heavy workout. A lot of people fall into the trap of going all in on exercise plans and then burn out after a week.
    Having smaller goals to start with such as going to the gym three days a week and doing x y and z is way easier to maintain and more beneficial in the long run than saying you're gonna go to the gym for an hour every day and then burning out after a week.
  • AndiJH
    AndiJH Posts: 84 Member
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    When I first started working out I also suffered from intense soreness. You might be pushing yourself too hard for a beginner, and since you have a full workout schedule, you may need to dial back on intensity.
    But my biggest recommendation is proper warm up, cool down and stretching. You should do a 2-5 minute warm up before going full intensity. Cool down is just as important, and then stretch it out for 10 minutes after. It really helped me. Also make sure you give your muscles rest days to recover (it sounds like you do, according to the above schedule).
    Drink tons of water too! And feed your muscles after a workout with lean proteins to help rebuild muscles.
    It does get easier, I promise! I rarely get super sore anymore. Good luck!
  • primadonna_20
    primadonna_20 Posts: 13 Member
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    @ejane609 my rest days are the weekend because I feel if I take a day off during the week I'll be lazy and just not go the next day either lol. I think you're right I tend to push myself too hard because I feel I can do it and then I'm dead and quit lol . Thanks for the input .. I appreciate it
  • IrenaKaraman
    IrenaKaraman Posts: 42 Member
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    You sound like me long time ago. Hated working out & felt really out of my comfort zone there because I had no clue what I'm doing. Not to mention how boring it was. I never managed to stick to it longer than 2 weeks. I decided to get PT, just so I actually have to show up & he made me work hard. Hated every minute of it because it was so so hard & soreness after was redicilous. With time gets better & after you start feeling benefits of it, feel real progress it becomes something to look forward to( takes time). For the begining 3x week is enough. You are sore enough & your body is probably not ready for it every day. If it's too hard, you have more chances to quit totally. Definitely I would recommend to start with a PT, if you can afford it. It's not only to make you accountable but also you will learn a lot about working out. If you can't afford PT, try group classes in the gym or just ask someone there who seems like it's dong well. You would be surprised how much support & help people are willing to give.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    primadonna_20 wrote: »
    so I've always struggled with working out .. I hate everything about it but I try and I honestly only last maybe a week sometimes two. I think mainly because I get discouraged and I feel like I'm not doing enough so I might as well stop. For example my first day starting this Monday .. I ran for 30 minutes did two miles the next day my thighs were so sore and my workout for Tuesday I felt didn't go well because I couldn't make it through my sets because of the soreness I had to keep pausing .. This discourages me I feel lazy and whiny and I feel like I'm supposed to be able to do it but I can't. I don't know how people push through the soreness it sucks for me. But anyways my plans is to run Monday Wednesday Friday do arms/abs on Tuesdays and legs on Thursdays. I don't take any protein but I eat what I need in my diet. I also take l carnitine and glutamine to help with soreness. I also have trouble sticking with my diet but i am trying to do better. Any advice on how to meal prep for a beginner would also be lovely
    Thanks for taking the time to read my long paragraph

    My suggestion is to forget both running and the gym if you hate everything about it. Take a break and think of what you would like to do. Exercise you hate is not going to work because it will always feel like a chore and you will be looking for an excuse to skip it. You need something to do that you will be happy with on the long run. It does not have to be intense, it does not need to happen in a gym, and it does not need to be every day.
    Try to think of different activities, there must be something that sounds like fun:
    going for a daily walk, swimming, aqua aerobics, climbing, martial arts, dancing, a class at the gym (any class you like is better than one you do not like, regardless of specific goals), basketball, football, volleyball, tennis, squash, bodyweight training, cycling, yoga, pilates...
    Stop thinking of exercise as something you do at the gym to lose weight and think of it as "I need to be moving to stay in shape, so I better find something I enjoy".
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited May 2015
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    primadonna_20 wrote: »
    so I've always struggled with working out .. I hate everything about it but I try and I honestly only last maybe a week sometimes two. I think mainly because I get discouraged and I feel like I'm not doing enough so I might as well stop. For example my first day starting this Monday .. I ran for 30 minutes did two miles the next day my thighs were so sore and my workout for Tuesday I felt didn't go well because I couldn't make it through my sets because of the soreness I had to keep pausing .. This discourages me I feel lazy and whiny and I feel like I'm supposed to be able to do it but I can't. I don't know how people push through the soreness it sucks for me. But anyways my plans is to run Monday Wednesday Friday do arms/abs on Tuesdays and legs on Thursdays. I don't take any protein but I eat what I need in my diet. I also take l carnitine and glutamine to help with soreness. I also have trouble sticking with my diet but i am trying to do better. Any advice on how to meal prep for a beginner would also be lovely
    Thanks for taking the time to read my long paragraph

    If you just started, it's ok to have a few days between workouts to let yourself recover. Eventually you'll be able to do them closer together. Don't be so hard on yourself. It's ok to take a whole month (or even two) and start with just cardio, or with just strength training, to let your body get used to things. You will still make progress, your muscles will still be learning and growing.

    (When I first started, I did a DVD, but could only do it every 4 days. In not too long, I was able to do it every day. )

    Also, pick a structured plan with clear goals that gradually takes you from beginner to intermediate. If it's running, something like C25K. That way you can see your progress, hopefully without judging yourself.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
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    primadonna_20 wrote: »
    @ejane609 my rest days are the weekend because I feel if I take a day off during the week I'll be lazy and just not go the next day either lol. I think you're right I tend to push myself too hard because I feel I can do it and then I'm dead and quit lol . Thanks for the input .. I appreciate it

    Yeah this is crazy! Relax! You'll get there, just be patient.
  • kindrabbit
    kindrabbit Posts: 837 Member
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    I'll agree with what others have said. You're going too hard too fast. If you hate the gym and running then find something you love.

    5 days a week is a tough routine to throw yourself into. I started with running 3 days a week and didn't add anything to that until I started being comfortable (which took a good 6 months).

    As you've found, if you go too hard too fast you will burn out quickly. I used to suffer terribly with doms, (and still do to a much lesser degree) and found protein shakes is the only way for me to avoid that discomfort.

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