Exercise advice please

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KetoTeacher
KetoTeacher Posts: 163 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, I'm 47 and 5'3" and CW 197.8. BMI is 35

I started April 4th at 216 BMI 36. Up til now, I have exercised very little, but I was thinking about joining a gym. What exercises should I focus on for long/slim lean body? I do not want to bulk up or get ripped. I want to focus on losing weight and building muscles later.

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  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
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    Walk.
    20 minutes a day did wonders for me and my cholesterol levels.
    No driving to the gym. $100 garage sale treadmill or walking outside.
  • ElJefePerron
    ElJefePerron Posts: 88 Member
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    Additionally, muscle raises metabolic rate and defines your body. Studies indicate more weight is lost when cardio is combined with weights.
  • justincooper405
    justincooper405 Posts: 107 Member
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    ElJefePerron wrote: »
    Additionally, muscle raises metabolic rate and defines your body. Studies indicate more weight is lost when cardio is combined with weights.

    Definitely works for me :)
  • KetoTeacher
    KetoTeacher Posts: 163 Member
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    justincooper405 wrote: »
    It's next to impossible for women to "bulk up" as women do not have enough testosterone.

    Check out this cool article about women and lifting.

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/girls-get-your-guns-why-women-should-lift-weights.html

    Interesting what about kettlebell?
  • DianaQTala
    DianaQTala Posts: 4 Member
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    Walk/jog everyday! It's the easiest thing for now. I go to a park and do 2 to 3 miles a day. At first I was so winded and tired. Pretty soon I started jogging almost the whole way through. Listen to your body and push yourself more when it starts getting easy. I started to incorporate weight lifting, and no....it doesn't make you bulky. I've seen better results when I add weights to my workouts, it helps me get slimmer a lot quicker. Cardio + Weights!
  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
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    Just to let you know in advance you're not going to bulk up. All you have to do is look at a lot of female Olympic athletes, they all work out with weights all the time and yet 99% of them are not bulky. You could only do that if you concentrate on real heavy lifting for a long long time and in my opinion throw steroids into that equation

    If you're looking for a good exercise in the gym to tone up my suggestion is swimming probably one of the greatest low-impact workouts out there. Also if you want to lift and I would definitely suggest it light weights with a good range of motion with anywhere from 12 to 16 rep. Besides toning your muscle will also build long elastic muscle and it will give you flexibility.
    Also buy going with a lot of reps you're doing a form of cardio exercise so it'll actually burn more calories.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,853 Member
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    Do something you find fun in & of itself, rather than it seeming like a duty or chore. It's so much easier to stick with a fun routine, and something you can continue and enjoy will help you lose weight more than something you dislike and wish you could get out of doing. It may take some experimenting to find the right thing. (I mostly row (on the water), take spin classes, and bike a bit.)

    Doing at least some weight training while losing can be a good idea - it will help you hang onto the muscle you already have, while losing weight (none of us lose *just* fat; we also lose some other tissue, including possibly muscle - clearly you want to minimize loss of the latter.)
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,548 Member
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    Having a great set of muscles is great! I'm 42, female and weight about 125lbs. Calorie calculators just give me about 1540kcal to maintain my weight, but I'm eating around 1800 plus workout calories (I have a good idea how much calories my workout burn, and it's much less than what MFP gives me) and am not gaining any weight :smile: I love my muscles, and I certainly don't look bulky! Well, I have a wide pelvis and wide shoulder bones, but the muscles attached to them are not bulky.
  • joncooper1980
    joncooper1980 Posts: 96 Member
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    Dont mean to derail but I love how people think that lifting weights is going to make them bulky and ripped. Its kind of insulting to all of those people who workout hard in the gym for years and eat copious amounts of food for mere pounds of muscle growth.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Do something (or a variety of things) that you enjoy and will stick to.
    Don't forget the major impact of simply building more movement and physical activity into your daily routine and lifestyle.

    Ideally both cardio and resistance strength training, on different days is my personal preference. But don't get too wrapped up in optimal. The biggest factor is actually doing "it" - not what "it" should be.

    "Lean" is predominately a result of losing fat.

    I started working out in 1974 and haven't yet met anyone who accidently got bulky or ripped!
  • 12Sarah2015
    12Sarah2015 Posts: 1,117 Member
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    I don't go to the gym. I walk and run and do Pilates youtube
  • KetoTeacher
    KetoTeacher Posts: 163 Member
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    joncooper1980 wrote: »
    Dont mean to derail but I love how people think that lifting weights is going to make them bulky and ripped. Its kind of insulting to all of those people who workout hard in the gym for years and eat copious amounts of food for mere pounds of muscle growth.

    I'm new and by no means trying to offend anyone. I do not want to dismiss anyone's hard work. I am just trying to get fit and healthy.
  • KetoTeacher
    KetoTeacher Posts: 163 Member
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    GuitarJerry wrote: »
    It's impossible for someone that doesn't want to get bulky or ripped to get bulky or ripped. By the way, those are 2 completely different things. You can do one or the other, but not both at the same time. Anyways, people work very hard for years on purpose to achieve bulky or ripped. It's not easy and takes determination, dedication, and lots of diet adherence for years. And, for women, it's much harder than it is for men. Most women have this odd notion about resistance training. But, if they set that aside and lift, the results from that are amazing.

    I am new and not trying to offend anyone I'm just trying to get fit and healthy. I did realize that bulky and ripped are different that is why I named them both because I love the way they both look on men, but I don't want to be there myself. It is nice to know that it is so hard to achieve.
  • eliaus3640
    eliaus3640 Posts: 32 Member
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    There is a few things you can do, you can always start slow and build up to more as you gain strength/endurance

    Walking and running are a great way to start especially since it's nicer outside now and you wouldn't need a membership right away. You could start just by making it a habit to be active. If you run make sure you have the proper shoes though.

    When you want more variety or to add strength training, a gym membership is nice. If you feel like you aren't sure what to do in the gym or you like having a little direction gym classes are a great option too. When you feel you are ready, adding strength training really helps. It builds bone density, and gives you a firm look as well, and makes you stronger. If you feel intimidated by the gym equipment I found the body pump class was a good way to learn about strength training but it can feel pretty tough the first few times.

    Good luck! Make sure you try a lot of different things to find what u enjoy!
  • ChristopherLimoges
    ChristopherLimoges Posts: 298 Member
    edited May 2016
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    LIIT, HIIT, Resistance Weight Training(Moderate), High-Intensity Low Volume(Weight, High/Moderate Reps, Moderate/Low Weight Sets) Training. Carbs and Fats over Protein. Yoga. Everyday stretch routines. Walking, Lite Jogging, Sprinting(Limited). Et cetera. I'd try to avoid mile running, heavy weights, body weight exercises, underwater workouts, and so on. Until you're sure of moving onto harsher training.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
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    Agree that walking is a great place to start.

    Hopefully you have a gym available with a big variety of things to try. Doing something you like makes exercise easier to stick with.

    Choose something that looks fun (or not awful ;) ) to you and give it a real go. Commit to at least a week or two because one class may not really tell the tale, especially if there are different instructors in play.

    As far as gym stuff I've tried Zumba (not for me), water Zumba (okay), water aerobics/fitness (really like with the right instructor), water cycle (eh), yoga (prefer the relaxation one personally), pilates (will kick your behind), spinning (like to love...depends on the instructor), and a mixed cardio/strength class (don't really remember). I'm trying rowing at the moment, no class yet though and I could really use it....hopefully July. And I've dabbled in weight training a long time ago, just trying that again with a PT.

    I have a super awesome massage therapist who doesn't have a gym membership, but just takes classes all over...pole, barre, aerial silks, and she mentioned a Zumba variant that sounded fun enough to give another shot.

    No wrong answers, just a matter of committing yourself to going and doing your best.

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