Need advice

belladawn4088
belladawn4088 Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm 45, 185lbs, 5'4" ... in all honesty i am a lazy person when it comes to exercise... i work full time, and take online college classes so i am somewhat busy... BUT i do have time to get off the couch and exercise for an hour a day... what are some good beginner exercises to do... i love walking and have tried yoga (yin basically laying on my mat with minor stretches) i need to break my cycle of laziness and just want some advice as to what are the best exercises for beginners like me.... I also realize i need to make some real changes in my kitchen area... i have a MAJOR addiction to diet pop and am trying really hard to replace it with water... i have been making progress there and still a ways to go... any advice would be so greatly appreciated ♥️

Replies

  • MidlifeCrisisFitness
    MidlifeCrisisFitness Posts: 1,106 Member
    Get an timer. Set it for 4 min and once in the morning and once in the afternoon jump up and down for 4 min.

    Just jump off the ground about. an inch. knees bent and using your ankles.

    Week two add a walk every other day. Then keep adding something new each month.
  • thisvickyruns
    thisvickyruns Posts: 193 Member
    If you like walking, what about C25K to start running?

    Some basic strength training would also be beneficial.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    walking and yoga are great beginning exercises. You could look at Leslie Sansome or another walk at home program for a way to walk indoors while incorporating other exercise to the extent possible.
  • goal06082021
    goal06082021 Posts: 2,130 Member
    The best exercise is the one that you'll do consistently, no matter your fitness level. There's no "one weird trick" or one specific routine or anything that you HAVE to do to meet your fitness goals, unless that goal is "get really good at push-ups" or something along those lines.

    So, you have an hour to work with, but if you aren't very active right now you may not have the endurance to work out for 60 full minutes all in a row. That's OK! You can build up to it. Are you able to go walking outside? That's a fine source of cardio, if it's safe to do that where you are, either around your neighborhood or at a local park with a walking trail. Or, if there's a particular kind of exercise you know you like to do or would be interested in trying, search Youtube - there's tons of workout videos there, try searching "beginner [exercise] 20 minutes" or something similar to that. There are also a number of video games now that require you to get up and move your body, if you have access to any of those, like Wii Sports, Beat Saber, DDR/Just Dance, etc.

    For your diet pop habit, if you miss the bubbles in your plain water, try flavored seltzer. There's tons of brands now. I find Bubly and Polar to be much more flavorful than LaCroix, and Aha has some interesting flavor combinations. Spindrift is okay, it's got fruit juice in it so it's not calorie-free like other flavored seltzers. I haven't tried Waterloo (every time I see a case of it I just get that ABBA song stuck in my head), but I think I've had American Clear before and I remember them being underwhelming. Belle Vie is just LaCroix in a different box. San Pellegrino and Perrier are overpriced (and tbh I haven't really seen Perrier since all these other flavored seltzers have come around).
  • Courtscan2
    Courtscan2 Posts: 498 Member
    What do you enjoy doing? Do you like the walking? Walking is great beginner exercise, and if you can build to running and find you enjoy that too, great. Do you like workout videos? Roller skating? Swimming? Weight lifting? Basically - find something, anything, that you enjoy, and start making it a habit. If you hate something, and it's a chore to do, you probably won't stick with it, so don't do it.
  • belladawn4088
    belladawn4088 Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you all for you great advice!! It is much appreciated!!
  • djaxon1
    djaxon1 Posts: 82 Member
    Add water to the pop - eventually you add just a splash of pop to a glass of water , you can get used to this , really . Now I drink only very dilute squash and black coffee , yes without sugar , got used to that !
  • bcalvanese
    bcalvanese Posts: 32 Member
    Walking is probably the best start. I started walking every day and kept increasing the pace and distance. Lost 57 lbs. in one year.
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 873 Member
    edited January 2021
    If you already walk/enjoy it - keep doing that. Is there any place to hike near you - that could add some change/difficulty in your walk. Try looking into C25K if you are already walking a good amount. You don't have to get crazy into running or spend a ton of money to run 3 miles a few times a week.

    Is there a climbing gym near you? Rock climbing is a good activity and it's one where I think if you are consistent you can make marked progress pretty quickly. Thing is with Covid...I'm not sure if places are open/how comfortable you are with their policies. But...when it's possible I think it's a fun cool workout.

    There are lots of home workouts you could look into on YouTube...maybe see if something there catches your eye.

    Yoga with Adrienne is good if you like the yoga you're doing now. She has all kinds.

    Advice about increasing your water intake: buy any of those water enhancers (Crystal Light, Mio, etc) - they are sugar/calorie free and will give your water flavor if you're the type of person who 'doesn't like drinking water'. Some of them even have caffeine in them if that will help you switch from the diet soda to water.

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