Just realized how out of shape I am. Yikes.

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JenMarieD87
JenMarieD87 Posts: 34 Member
edited April 2023 in Fitness and Exercise
Long story short, I've been the opposite of active my whole life. I just dont like to move much and I absolutely hate sweating. So I'm pretty much a couch potato. I'm also very overweight & trying to change it. In 2011/2012 i lost 110 lbs purely with changing my diet. No exercise. But I still had at least 70 lbs to lose and instead of doing that, I gained back 40. So I'm trying again. This time I decided to join Planet Fitness because I don't just want to lose weight. I want to make my body & heart stronger.
So today my husband & I went for the first time. I did 5 minutes on the elliptical on the lowest level & I was out of breath, head hurt and my legs felt like Jello. I feel pathetic rn.😅

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  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,531 Member
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    On the contrary, you should feel pleased that you're making the effort.

    You might be better off with a stationary bike or treadmill first. Once you can do 20+ minutes, increase the resistance/speed. The elliptical is going to be harder than those. Always try to be doing a bit more each week than previous week.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,738 Member
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    If you stick with it you’ll be surprised on how quickly you’ll improve.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    The first time is often that way. Don't worry, you'll get better. Don't push yourself too fast, and slowly increase as you feel you can do it. Starting from 0 is a big step. I applaud you. Just don't give up. In a couple of months you won't recognize yourself.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,432 Member
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    Seconding that improvement will be steady, if you are steady in pursuing it.

    Some free advice, probably worth every penny you pay for it: Don't go all out at the start. It's counter-productive for weight loss, it's counter-productive for fitness improvement.

    High intensity exercise is a good thing in the mix . . . eventually. To start, usually the best route is to begin with endurance, i.e., slow and steady, gradually increasing.

    Over-exercising to the point of fatigue can be counter-productive. If we are fatigued going into the rest of our day, we tend to rest more, do less . . . effectively wiping out some of the exercise calories. The sweet spot is exercise that's just a mild, manageable challenge to current capabilities. You'd maybe feel a little "whew" for a few minutes right afterward, but then energized going into the rest of your day.

    Similar from a fitness standpoint: Going super hard initially isn't more effective. It's more time-limited (we can't keep it up for long) and creates more injury risk. Find that mild, manageable challenge, and try to gradually increase duration over time, keeping it a mild challenge. After a few weeks is the time to start adding intensity sometimes, with either a short intense workout or some higher intensity intervals interspersed in your base-pace workout - maybe once a week, twice tops.

    All high intensity all the time is much hyped in the blogosphere . . . but elite athletes don't train all high intensity all the time. If they don't find it the most effective way to build/maintain fitness, why would us regular duffers want/need to do it?

    Keep up the good work, manage it in smart ways, keep it fun (or at least tolerable/convenient), and you'll amaze yourself with where your arrive in a few weeks, a few months, and beyond.

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