Need advice! New to working out

Raynidays67
Raynidays67 Posts: 2 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi everyone! I am a 53 year old female. 5 foot 4 inch, 225 lbs. I have difficulty breathing due to past smoking.
I recently purchased an elliptical and was so excited to get started. The problem is, I can only stay on it for less than TWO minutes before I feel completely out of breath and exhausted. My heart feels like it's beating out of my chest. It is on the lowest setting with no incline. The pace is slightly faster than walking.

You should know that I am NOT one who works out so this is pretty new to me. This can't be normal. I feel like it's a waste of time and I am completely defeated.

Any ideas on how I can slowly increase my time on the elliptical? Thanks for taking the time to read!

Replies

  • Fit_Happens_2021
    Fit_Happens_2021 Posts: 303 Member
    edited January 2021
    When I started running I couldn't even jog for 60 seconds, so I started with 30 seconds jogging, and 60 seconds walking and gradually altered the amount to including more jogging and less walking. I used a couch to 5k app to help. After 3 months I was running for 20 mins without walking.

    Maybe you could approach it like this in intervals. Do your 90 seconds, then rest while gently walking around until you feel your heart and breathing slow down to close to normal, then try another 90, or 60. See if you can do this 3 times, for 60 or 90 seconds each, then next week you might be able to do it for a tiny bit longer.

    You could download one of the free couch to 5k apps and instead of running you are doing the elliptical, it tells you when to run and when to walk, so you could adapt it to when to do elliptical, and when to walk or rest. Baby steps!
  • Raynidays67
    Raynidays67 Posts: 2 Member
    Thank you ladies, excellent ideas! I think I need to stop feeling so discouraged and just keep plugging along. Appreciate your input!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Raynidays67 wrote: »
    Hi everyone! I am a 53 year old female. 5 foot 4 inch, 225 lbs. I have difficulty breathing due to past smoking.
    I recently purchased an elliptical and was so excited to get started. The problem is, I can only stay on it for less than TWO minutes before I feel completely out of breath and exhausted. My heart feels like it's beating out of my chest. It is on the lowest setting with no incline. The pace is slightly faster than walking.

    You should know that I am NOT one who works out so this is pretty new to me. This can't be normal. I feel like it's a waste of time and I am completely defeated.

    Any ideas on how I can slowly increase my time on the elliptical? Thanks for taking the time to read!

    Actually, it's quite normal. Part of it is physical, but part of it is also likely mental with a new challenge. When I first started in the fall of 2012 with diet and exercise, I walked...and a quick walk around the block of my neighborhood for 15 minutes was enough to make me very tired...I just kept plugging away at it every other day...and then daily...and then I started to be able to increase my time spent. In a few months I could walk for an hour pretty much daily before I started delving into more strenuous exercise. A couple of years later I was regularly participating in long distance (50+ mile) cycling events. If you would have told my 2012 self that in 2014 and beyond that I would be doing that I would have thought you were insane.

    Building your fitness up takes time, especially if you're coming from nothing...but you just keep plugging away. Everyone starts somewhere.
  • tbilly20
    tbilly20 Posts: 154 Member
    Some very good advice on the mental side of things above! A portion is most certainly physical, but a very big part is in your mind as well. Exercising can be fun once you start making it a habit.

    With a few underlying health issues, I would recommend you speak to your General Practitioner and ask how they think you should start to accomplish your exercise goals.

    Once you get the green light, start slow. Set tangible goals. As said, you will progress faster than you think.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    Keep at it! When I started, I could BARELY do ten minutes. and that was HARD AND PUSHING. I would also walk in the evenings. not every day. not a super long time. But 10-20 minutes. at a nice pace, where I would still be able to have a conversation with a friend (if I had walked with one LOL)

    it gets easier.

    i PROMISE it gets easier!

    every week, try to add 1 minute. if that's too much, try to add 30 seconds.

    an hour on the elliptical is now the norm for me, but it took a LONG time to get there <3

  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,073 Member
    An elliptical is a tough workout choice. I'd say to set it on the lowest/easiest setting and just get into the practice of exercising for a few minutes daily without worrying about calorie burn or difficulty level. Right now, the important part is to build the habit.

    I've never smoked, but my staring stats back in April 2020 weren't too much different from yours. I started exercising on a rebounder (mini-trampoline) for 4-6 minutes. I was out of breath with anything more strenuous than a simple march. My legs would quickly fatigue and afterwards my back would ache. I didn't count by time, but rather by song. I put on an upbeat song and marched to the beat. Getting up to three whole songs was a big deal! :D

    Eight months and 32k/70lb later, exercising has become just another part of my day - like brushing my teeth or feeding the critters.
  • chulton2020
    chulton2020 Posts: 31 Member
    Maybe switch up exercising on the elliptical with other exercises too? Find a low impact cardio workout or walking video on you tube and alternate them with the elliptical workouts. This way you will work other muscles and start building endurance too. It will also help with motivation as doing the same exercise everyday does become boring. Stick with it and you will notice the difference!

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