I have never been overly active or fit

Options
cloneme_losehalf
cloneme_losehalf Posts: 356 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Could use some suggestions????

Even as a child I was not big on sports and fitness... I played softball (left field and pitcher), bowling, and volley ball. I did not like to ride a bike I preferred to walk and could walk for miles! EWWWW this has made it even harder in adult life to enjoy sports and fitness.

For the most part the only exercise I do is walk and Wii Just Dance with my daughters. I swear I must have ADD, even though it was never heard of when I was growing up, because I get bored VERY easily! (Which is a reason I had a lot of problems with diets in the past, because it seemed I was even eating the same things day in day out. Fortunately I am learning how to incorporate things into my goal so I can enjoy variety there.)

With that said, I don't even know where to begin on fitness now. Did 75 squats a few days ago (felt like a loser seeing how people do hundreds) and HURT to walk for two days following!!! Did ONLY 50 jumping jacks and about passed out (well the could be an exaggeration but it was definitely my limit...and again felt like a loser since people do hundreds). I see all these posts about Cardio Max, Insanity, P90X, 30 Day Shred, etc and I just wonder if I will ever get to that point??? Do I start one of these anyway and just do what I can until I reach being able to do it??? (Or will that just make me want to give up because I can't do it?) Or is there something other than the walking and dancing to help me get ready for the more intense fitness?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Replies

  • sk2775
    sk2775 Posts: 703 Member
    Options
    Start slowly. I started out by walking 3-4 days of the week. During these walks, I would change the pace and the duration. After a month of this, I started doing some of the cardiac interval stuff. There are numerous exercise videos on youtube which you can start with. Fun stuff like Zumba etc. After two months of this, I finally started P90X. For the 1st week or so, I only did 15 minutes of some of the workout, but you just have to keep going and before you know it, you'll finish the entire workout.

    Just take it one day at a time, and start slowly, but keep moving :smile:
  • mrsewert
    mrsewert Posts: 430 Member
    Options
    I have no input but wanted to say if walking is what you can do NOW then walk and walk and walk! Every little bit helps. I'm in the same boat as you I get bored easily and walking on a treadmill is horrible but its better if I bring a friend but then I have a hard time "chatting" cuz I get all winded and I'm sure I look like I'm gonna die. :laugh: So then I'll revert back to the ipod for awhile and crank out some good walking tunes. Nobody says you have to do the "EXTREME" workouts as long as you are doing what you can physically do I say that's a pretty good start!
  • flyingbabs
    flyingbabs Posts: 7
    Options
    Do what you enjoy doing! If walking is what you like.. then walk! And listen to your body. If you push too hard you'll either get injured or lose motivation. Doing 100 squats doesn't mean anything. If you can do 10 today, then do 11 tomorrow. There isn't a point in working out to the point where you are so sore that you can't do anything for a few days after. The important thing is to get moving. Don't look into p90x or any other of those programs. A lot of those popular programs are designed for people who already have a good level of fitness and shouldn't actually be done by most people who are doing them as they do not have the base fitness level or proper technique to do the program successfully and safely.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Options
    You CAN do it! I love walking too, but never saw any changes in my weight or body when that was all I was doing. I still do it, it's good for me, but I knew I had to do something more aggressive. I am not a gym person, so I bought the 30 Day Shred a couple of years ago. It's a 20 minute workout with three different levels, so it helps with the boredom.

    And one of my favorite quotes from Jillian (not sure what DVD she says it in): "You have no idea how strong you are until you try!". You don't have to do 100s of squats or jumping jacks, do what you can - just doing it is the important part. :happy: I found that within the first week of 30 Day Shred, I had more flexibility, strength and endurance than when I started, and it just got better and better. We don't have to keep up with Jillian or the gals she has doing the moves in the DVDs - those girls are professional dancers! They are all muscular and bendy - that's what they do for a living! :tongue: They are inspirational, but while I try to do the moves like they do, I know I just need to do my best, even if I have to stop for a breather for a few seconds.

    And keep walking - get a heart rate monitor if you don't have one - I have found that being able to see how many calories I'm burning (or not burning! LOL) is also great motivation.
  • Laurathabomb
    Laurathabomb Posts: 44 Member
    Options
    The way I look at it is this.....

    Are you sitting on the couch? Or are you moving?

    If the answer is moving.... Then you are headed in the right direction..

    As the weight comes off, you will be able to do more strenuous exercises and be able to handle it. Remember, you have the rest of your life to do p90X or whatever you want! Just do what you can for now and leave the future to the future !! :heart:
  • helper1112
    helper1112 Posts: 80 Member
    Options
    I am struggling with the same thing. I tried exercise bikes and other things and get bored on them. I am trying to keep it interesting and changing up to other things. I wanted to do tae bo, but have no balance as I found out the hard way. I did start doing Leslie Sansone: Walk at Home - 5 Day Slim Down - A Mile Each Morning and I am getting a really good work out from it and really feel it. It is easy to do and a great way to start out at least for me it has been.

    You can do it...

Categories