I really need help

slazenby166
slazenby166 Posts: 1 Member
edited November 2024 in Motivation and Support
Hello everyone. Hope you’re well. I’m at my wits end! I’m 5ft4 and weigh around 12.7st. My diet is going well but I’m really struggling with the exercise part. I’m not incredibly fat but I’m in serious need of toning the wobbly bits and getting fit. But I’m incredibly unfit. I’m 28 but I can’t go up a flight of stairs without getting out of breath! I was never into PE at school and I’ve never been into fitness. But I’m giving HIIT a go. A beginners course at home (I can’t afford the gym!). But I’m struggling with that. My main issues is that I hold my breath when exercising so I easily feel like I’m on the verge of collapse. And when I do ab-training which involves lying on my back, my pelvis kind of clicks and I’m stuck on the floor in serious pain. I just feel like giving up.

Replies

  • eminater
    eminater Posts: 2,477 Member
    edited February 2018
    I think you should ditch the ab thing - that doesn't sound good. I would persist with the HIIT. It will get better, and no-one else is there so you can take it at your own pace and within your limits.

    Try to build a flight of stairs into your daily routine, you will build up the ability to handle it quickly. Start parking at the end of the car park when you are at the shops.

    Learn to breathe - pillates could be useful for that - just look on you tube, find one that talks about breathing.

    Also - have you considered weights. Even if you can't afford it there are plenty of things around the house you could start lifting. This will be a start to help build the muscle and tone you are looking for.

    And - PS - don't give up!
  • faithrainbow1
    faithrainbow1 Posts: 54 Member
    The first time I went running (with a very fit, very cute friend) I literally made it half a block. He was all chipper, like, "Tomorrow you'll do better! See you at 8am!" I wanted to stab his eyes out (not really). Now I'm sorry to say that I never really became a great runner, but I became competent for a good while. Practice makes perfect and when you start where we did, there's nowhere to go but up. However, you DO have to breathe if you're going to exert yourself, so start working on that! You can do it!
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Slow down and work with what you have. You don't go from never driving a car to joining NASCAR in one day. When I first started I was so unfit I couldn't walk 5 minutes without being out of breath, so my goal was to work up to 10 minutes, then 20, and a few years later now I can run for over an hour. I can't tell you how happy I felt the first time I was able to run for 60 seconds straight.

    If the interval training you're doing is too challenging, do something easier. If you find interval training fun, you can always work up to it instead of going all out risking your form and subjecting yourself to potential injury.

    Ditch the ab training if it's causing you pain. If you want to strengthen your core you could do planks, they're static so no pelvic movement to aggravate your pain. There are so many varieties of planks and holds that work for any fitness level, from a beginner doing counter planks (arms extended supported on a counter and body is at an angle) to very advanced holds that few can do like the human flag, you'll not run out of static core training options any time soon.

    No matter where your fitness is right now, know that if you're consistent with it you will eventually get where you want to be. It takes time, consistency, and a reasonable progression plan.
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