Living a sedentary life & exercise for a complete beginner!

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melissacullenx507
melissacullenx507 Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all!

So I plan to eat healthy but I also need to exercise. I work in a office so I am sat down a lot and I must admit there is a little bit of fear for the word exercise. At this moment in time I am not confident enough to go to the gym and I hate the idea of someone seeing me in public as I feel so unfit so I'm looking at alternatives to exercise at home. There's so many different ways to do this: Apps, DVD'S even game consoles have exercise options but I just don't know where to start. Any body got any advice and any tips to help me get started. Can anyone recommend any apps, DVD'S etc.. for complete beginners & to help me feel confident and not so worried about the word exercise!

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  • revolucia78
    revolucia78 Posts: 196 Member
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    YouTube is great, check out the fitness blender channel on there. They also have some workout DVDs on YouTube such as Jillian Michaels - same with yoga videos. You don't have to go to the gym at all if you're not comfortable with it ...but I do remember feeling the same way at one point because I had never been to the gym. I was dating someone who was very active at the time and went with him and when I went I realized that it's really not as bad your mind builds it up to be - everyone is there for the same reason and you will see people heavier and lighter than you going hard, which can be a real motivator. With that being said, do what's comfortable for you because it will be more sustainable that way.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited March 2016
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    melissacullenx507 wrote: »
    Hi all!

    So I plan to eat healthy but I also need to exercise. I work in a office so I am sat down a lot and I must admit there is a little bit of fear for the word exercise. At this moment in time I am not confident enough to go to the gym and I hate the idea of someone seeing me in public as I feel so unfit so I'm looking at alternatives to exercise at home. There's so many different ways to do this: Apps, DVD'S even game consoles have exercise options but I just don't know where to start. Any body got any advice and any tips to help me get started. Can anyone recommend any apps, DVD'S etc.. for complete beginners & to help me feel confident and not so worried about the word exercise!

    Start walking. Take 15 minutes of your lunch break and walk around the building where you work, or wake up 15 minutes earlier and take a walk in your neighborhood. Start there and build on it. No equipment (except a good pair of shoes) or DVD's needed.

    I started out really unfit and couldn't even walk because of back pain. The hardest thing I had to do was squish my 280 lb body into a bathing suit to take a water exercise class so i could strengthen my back. After the first class, I realized nobody was looking at me and nobody cared. After a few months I started walking. I have lost 125 lb so far.
  • Josh_lol
    Josh_lol Posts: 317 Member
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    If you're not bothered about being outside, walking is a pretty good way to build up your fitness from a starting point. It's free, it's easy and you don't look like you're "exercising". I guess it depends on what you want to eventually build up to.

    I used to be really unfit, 280 lbs and couldn't do much without running out of breath. I'm down to 230 lbs at the moment and I regularly run about 3 miles like 3 times a week so I think anyone can build up a good level of fitness no matter what your weight / lifestyle is etc.

    As for being in the gym, don't worry about what other people think about you. You'll probably find that everyone else is more concentrated on their own exercise routines to even pay attention to what you're doing. Ask a personal trainer for some advice on what machines to use. They should be happy to help.

    Try and find something that you enjoy more rather than seeing it as a chore that you "have" to do but more something you "want" to do. That way, you'll be more inclined to do it long-term rather than just for a short period of time and you'll reap the benefits :)
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
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    I agree with the walking. Walk all the time. Walk on break. Walk on lunch. Walk to places within a mile of your residence.
  • jessfussnecker
    jessfussnecker Posts: 2 Member
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    I wish I had a buddy to walk with (:
  • LCbaby0x
    LCbaby0x Posts: 290 Member
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    I got a Fitbit and joined some of the people on here for challenges. That has really helped a lot :)
  • treehopper1987
    treehopper1987 Posts: 505 Member
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    as others have listed, walking is a great beginner's exercise. You can do this almost anywhere. Also, if you want to be adventurous, you can try hiking to change the pace. As far as in-home exercise there are a lot of good programs. I think Jillian Michael's may be a little tough for beginners, but Denise Austin (a little bit older videos) tend to be a little easier, and she has a way of being motivating. Also, yoga for beginners is great as well. You do not have to be a pretzel to do yoga like some people tend to think. There are definitely a lot of YouTube videos out there, and you may be able to check some DVDs out from your local library. I think just doing things at your own pace to improve yourself is better than nothing at all. Everyone has their limits. Good Luck on your journey.

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