[Hope and Faith]

Hi, I am a 25 yo. I am not in really good shape. I have no health problems. I had a baby 15 mo ago and I didnt exercise at all through my pregnancy and I havent exercised much since. I am trying to lose 40 lbs to get to my pre pregnancy weight. My question is I do not know where to begin. I started a spinning class last Wednesday and it is a once a week thing. Does anyone have advice or a book recomendation? Thank you in advance.

[srmb60]

I'm going to chime in with walk. I walked off 30 lbs. Pushing a stroller should really up the effectiveness of that!

Let's see what the others say.

[YP1]

Try out as much as you can to see what you like! Don't be worried about whether something is the best for calorie burning or anything else, find something you enjoy and that you think you can stick to

[cinderly]

If you're spinning, does that mean you're a cyclist? If so, get out and ride! Don't worry about riding the Tour de France right now, just get some time in the saddle.

I find it easier to approach fitness from a perspective of "doing more than yesterday". So what if I can only make it around the block? Tomorrow, I'll go a little farther.

[Hope and Faith]

I hadn't even thought about walking (yes I am that out of shape) We just moved to a new house and the neighborhood is nice. Before I couldn't walk outside alone it wasn't very safe. Other than that I think I will keep my spinning class. I had a great time and the instructor was easy to look at! (did I say that aloud?) Maybe I will just look around and try different things at the gym. Although whenever I go in there I feel intimidated. All those machines and I dont know a thing about them. Forget about weights I dont know anything about them either. Thank you ladies for your advice it was much appreciated!

[ennay]

The people who work at the gym can show you how to use the equipment. If you are feeling really lost, sign up for a few personal training sessions.

[Hope and Faith]

Ennay - I hadn't even thought about personal training. I will look into that when I go to the gym tonight. Do you know if they take people of all fitness levels or will I be laughed at? I get winded after less then 10 mins on the treadmill. I guess I just dont want to make a fool of myself.

[Gingercakes]

I loved spin class... some advice for you- invest in the special shorts that are padded in "all the right places", or you'll be walking funny for a while!

I would try to go at least twice a week, or more if possible. Make sure you are comfortable with your routine, and keep up the cardio!

Gingercakes

[djs06]

Hope and Faith, I highly recommend going to see a trainer! Of course they won't laugh at you.. they're there to help and to motivate! Really, it helps sooo much to know how to use all of the equipment even if you don't think you're going to use it all. You might want to in the future, as you increase your stamina/strength it's always nice to change things up for a little variety.

Point is, everyone has to start somewhere, and kudos to you for signing up for that spinning class! If you're into group exercise, you should check out pilates or yoga as well.

[canadian mom]

I used my baby as weight for arm and leg exercises. I believe you said the baby is 15 months, i would get my kids to sit on my feet and lift my legs as high as I could and over time you will get better (the kids also loooooove this) i did the same for my arms Hold them in the air and push them up and down. the nice thing about these are 1) you are playing with your baby at the same time 2) the weight resitence naturally gets higher so you have no choice but to get better 3) you can do these anytime and different times of the day if you cannot get 3 reps in spreed them out throught the day heck you will probably end up doing more than 3 reps once you get going.

[LindseyLouWho]

No one is going to make fun of you for not knowing what to do! If anything, they'll applaud you for making the first step towards learning. That's what personal trainers are there for... to teach and guide. Weights are an important component in getting fit. A personal trainer will help you with exercises that will get you the results you want, whether it be building larger muscles or simply toning up. I guess it would be important to find one you feel comfortable with. What's funny is the trainer I spoke to last night didn't even seem like the "type" who would be a personal trainer... a kinda short guy in his mid-twenties who has type I diabetes and a really great sense of humor. If it's within your budget (sessions can run pretty high) I'd highly recommend looking into it.