Workout Advice

melb2003
melb2003 Posts: 198
in Fitness and Exercise
I was wondering if people could offer me your advice. I just started a weight loss plan 2 months ago. I have a lot of weight to lose. I want to lose a total of 120 lbs and so far I'm down 18.4 lbs by myself with doing Cardio 5x a week for 45-60 mins and eating healthy. I'll admit, I've fallen off the plan a few days and that's really why I haven't lost more than where I'm at. I really want to broaden my workout by doing more, but this is where I'm very uneducated and I'm not sure what I should add to my workout. What would you suggest as far as adding things into my workout. I want to do strength training and other things but I'm really not sure.

Another thing, I've always wanted to be a runner and again I'm not sure where I should start for the training for that. I'm not sure if I'm still too heavy to start, or how I should take steps to start this. Right now, I do very fast walking on a very steep incline for 45-60 mins, 5x a week, and I burned like 900 calories everytime I do this.

Any advice I would like very much!

Replies

  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Never too heavy to start! :smile:

    For running, I'd suggest a c25k program - Google it, many websites with the info, and if you have a smart phone, lots of apps, some of them free, that coach you through the program. I'm currently in week 5 of c25k and it's working for me!

    And I would definitely say add some strength training to your cardio. Do you workout at home or at a gym? I'm an at home workout gal, so I have a stack of DVDs that I use with various dumbbells. Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred was my first DVD & it's a good one to start with - 20 minute workout and 3 levels. Each level has three circuits, 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs, plus a warm up and a cool down. As you progress you can move up a level and add heavier weights as you get stronger. It was very eye opening for me as it nearly killed me the first time through (was way too cocky and used heavy weights and pushed myself too hard! :laugh: ), but once I could walk again and got back to the workout, I found my strength, endurance & flexibility improved rapidly.

    I now own 7 of Jillian's DVDs and I love them for their mix of strength & cardio. But 30 Day Shred is a great one to start with. Might be great to alternate days with that & the C25K program. Good luck!
  • adonnelly13
    adonnelly13 Posts: 24 Member
    I agree, never to heavy to start running! I too used the c35k program to start my running journey. If you have a smartphone or ipod touch, you can download the app for like $2 or $3 i believe.

    As far as your workouts go, I would suggest adding some type of strength or weight training. It will help you burn more calories in the long run. When I work out, I typically do 45 minutes of cardio (sometimes a few extra minutes to cool down) and about 30-40 minutes of weight lifting.

    hope that helps!
  • melb2003
    melb2003 Posts: 198
    Thank you very much for your feedback. I'm going to have to check out the 30 Day Shred and go from there. The C25k looks good. I downloaded that onto my phone. If anyone else has any feedback for me that would be great!
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Hi, C25K is a great start. If you're heavier or fairly new to exercise you might want to repeat the first few weeks as your body adjusts. Here's a link to my beginner's running tips, some of them might help too:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/BerryH/view/20-things-i-wish-i-d-known-about-running-when-i-started-103936
  • kmaas802
    kmaas802 Posts: 19
    I agree with the other posters...try C25K and add in some strength training.
  • wisebadger53
    wisebadger53 Posts: 382 Member
    As one who is past the halfway point on a journey to lose 101 lbs. I can say for sure ANYONE CAN DO IT! Start out slow, and work your way up to faster speeds/longer distances. C25K appears to be a favorite for beginning runners so that may be a path for you to take, but I simply went with a methodical approach, common sense, lots of help and support from my MFP friends, and above all else PERSEVERENCE. I'm not there yet, but I now see the starting line for my first 5K in the very near future! :smile:

    If you WANT it you WILL achieve it! Good luck! :drinker:

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