I have no clue where to start

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melissahall21
melissahall21 Posts: 4 Member
in Getting Started
I need help! I do not work out and work in an office where I am pretty much chained to my desk all day. Sitting all day is terrible. I have two toddlers and am so out of shape. I need to do something. My thought was to buy a rowing machine because that was the one thing I remember really liking when I went to the gym YEARS ago. Can anyone recommend a rowing machine?
I have a fitbit and know monitoring your heart rate is important but I'm not really sure how to do that. How high should it go? How long should I row just starting out? I just want to do this right and not get discouraged. No more excuses.

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  • Cintirich
    Cintirich Posts: 22 Member
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    What are your goals? Are you interested in losing weight? Getting more fit? Both? I think it would be easier to give advice if we had a better idea of what your goals were. Welcome! :)
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
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    I started 2 months ago counting calories and walking. At first it was hard but I was able to finish a 5k walking under an hour yesterday. I load up good music and start mapmyfitness app. I'm down 19lbs.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    OP, any activity will help. Walking is a great place to start if you're not sure. I can't fit any real exercise equipment other than dumbells in my apartment, so I use workout DVDs. I also take a 10 minute walk in the morning before getting ready for work, a 15 minute walk on my lunch break, and an at least 15 minute walk after dinner. I've been told in the past that the rowing machine is a great workout, but I don't have any recommendations.

    Having said all that, if your goal is losing weight, you'll get the most bang for your buck by getting your calories in on point. You can't outrun (or outrow) a bad diet. Plug your stats into MFP, start logging everything accurately and consistently, and move more however you can. You can do this - good luck!
  • melissahall21
    melissahall21 Posts: 4 Member
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    My goal is to lose 20lbs to start while toning my arms and legs. I love walking but it is extremely hard for me to actually walk for exercise as I have limited time in the morning and evenings. Lunch time is doable so I can start including 15 minutes a day and take the stairs as much as possible. Tracking my calorie intake is key and I slack in that area! Thank you for your response!! :)
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,009 Member
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    I don't have a rowing machine, so I can't offer advice on that - but I can offer advice on improving your odds of getting relevant advice on that question. Include something about rowing machines in the title of your post, and maybe post it in the exercise forum instead of in the getting started forum. (You might also want to ask the moderators to delete this thread, since I think the MFP rules say you shouldn't start multiple posts on the same topic. I think you do that by clicking flag and then report on the OP, and there should be an option something like "this is my thread and I'd like it deleted.")

    Best of luck, and an endorsement for walking, especially since you like it. Even 15 minutes at lunch is good. Another thing you can to increase walking is park farther away when you run errands, etc (even if it's only at the far end of the parking lot --every little bit helps). Initially, most of my increased activity came from walking to more distant subway stops at the end of the day, instead of the one closest to my office.
  • jacklifts
    jacklifts Posts: 396 Member
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    if you don't have time to carve out for walking, how are you going to carve out time for rowing? it's the same. I would first establish a routine for exercise with walking or whatever you want. Once you do that, then you can decide whether you want a rower or not.

    If you don't have a lot of time, look at doing plyometrics with interval training. But that's pretty tough. Just start out with walking, get into a rhythm, and see how that goes. good luck!
  • Skee_2802
    Skee_2802 Posts: 296 Member
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    Start small and build from there. Whether that's hitting 5k steps a day and then increasing it gradually from there or similar. Start logging your meals which is key into mfp...
  • melissahall21
    melissahall21 Posts: 4 Member
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    jacklifts wrote: »
    if you don't have time to carve out for walking, how are you going to carve out time for rowing? it's the same. I would first establish a routine for exercise with walking or whatever you want. Once you do that, then you can decide whether you want a rower or not.

    If you don't have a lot of time, look at doing plyometrics with interval training. But that's pretty tough. Just start out with walking, get into a rhythm, and see how that goes. good luck!

    I don't have time to leave my house alone for 30 minutes to an hour morning and night as I have a two and three year old I need to take care of. I can row at home and still watch my kids.
  • KonaKat
    KonaKat Posts: 3,411 Member
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    Can't leave the house for 30 minutes? Use Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home DVDs. The beat of the music to which she has you "walk," equates to distance of a mile, two miles, etc.
  • melaniedscott
    melaniedscott Posts: 1,349 Member
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    melissahall21 wrote: »
    jacklifts wrote: »
    if you don't have time to carve out for walking, how are you going to carve out time for rowing? it's the same. I would first establish a routine for exercise with walking or whatever you want. Once you do that, then you can decide whether you want a rower or not.

    If you don't have a lot of time, look at doing plyometrics with interval training. But that's pretty tough. Just start out with walking, get into a rhythm, and see how that goes. good luck!

    I don't have time to leave my house alone for 30 minutes to an hour morning and night as I have a two and three year old I need to take care of. I can row at home and still watch my kids.

    You could take the kids with you for a 30 minute walk. You might not walk as fast but wrangling two kids is pretty good exercise, too. Strollers/kid leashes (I don't know what they're actually called) can help. And you'll instill exercise values at a young age
  • pdm3547
    pdm3547 Posts: 1,057 Member
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    melissahall21 wrote: »
    My goal is to lose 20lbs to start while toning my arms and legs. I love walking but it is extremely hard for me to actually walk for exercise as I have limited time in the morning and evenings. Lunch time is doable so I can start including 15 minutes a day and take the stairs as much as possible. Tracking my calorie intake is key and I slack in that area! Thank you for your response!! :)

    "Toning" comes from losing the layer of fat over your muscles so you can actually see them.

    Losing fat is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Even the great Arnold Schwarzenegger says the best thing to develop a 6 pack is carrots.

    Get yourself a calorie goal and stick to it. Log everything that you eat and drink. Get up from your desk and walk to the other photocopier. Use the stairs, not the lift. Go for a walk around the block when everyone else goes for a *kitten* break.

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