I feel like it's hard to find posts/videos/blogs, etc about exercising while fat, specifically morbidly obese. Maybe it's because people only write or show pictures of them exercising while fit and thin because they were once heavy but the exercise is what got them slim. I want to know what are you guys doing NOW for exercise? I am looking for more ideas. I am looking for more inspiration. Right now I've been mainly doing cardio. I try to aim for at least 30 minutes a day and switch up between doing a little bit on the treadmill, elliptical, and stationary bike, but I am getting a little bored. The weight loss specialist (doctor) I am seeing said that studies say we should be aiming for 300 minutes of exercise a week, that would be about 60 minutes 5 times a week. So I am looking for ideas on what I could be doing. Any suggestions would be appreciated. If you follow any blogs, or instagrams for inspiration I would love to see, thanks in advance!
Lots of obese people are also pretty fit. I could do almost anything at 268 that I can do now, except I was pretty careful about not running too much because I was afraid of the impact it would have on my knees. 300 minutes of exercise a week can be tough when you have to do it all at the gym. But I have a Fitbit, so it's easier for me to track and fit in exercise throughout the day. I try to go for two 15-minute walks during the workday. I try to add in some push-ups and planks throughout the day. Then, when I supplement that with my "gym" exercise, I pretty easily hit that number. In addition to cardio, you should consider doing some strength training -- lifting weights, yoga. I also like to try lots of different types of videos -- kickboxing, stump marching, etc. We may or may not be able to do all of the exercises exactly the way the instructor does them, at the pace she does them, but modifying them to fit our fitness levels / body restrictions works, and videos tend to break up the monotony. I also like competitive sports, but don't get a lot of opportunity to play pick-up basketball any more. Just have fun with it, if you can. And remember - the exercise is great for tons of reasons, but the real difference in weight loss happens in the kitchen.
When I was working out regularly I joined Beachbody and used their CDs & online video workout library. I liked it because they had one person who was their "obese" model (in quotes b/c she's was only not a fitness model like the other people in the video, just a normal looking lady) who would do the same exercises but modified for people who were less fit (aka me). I certainly sweated enough on the modified exercises & liked having the option of eventually working up to the non-modified workouts. It was great because it was a different workout (by body part, legs, arms, cardio, etc) daily which kept me from getting bored. I think the basic one (21 day fix?) only required hand weights to complete. Some of the others req. more equipment. I stopped using b/c I injured my back at work and doc didn't want me doing any exercise while it heals. Now doing Ideal Protein ultra low carb diet and nutritionist doesn't want me to do any exercise that gets my heart rate up (b/c it will burn muscle instead of ketone bodies or something). whomp whomp. Approx 210 pounds when I was doing it (and super not fit).
Walking is a great place to start. Over the course of about three months I increased my walking from 2500 steps a day to 10000 steps a day, which for me works out to about 400 active minutes a week.
From 323lbs - 285lbs I used to walk for like 30 mins per day for university. No gym, all food and calorie related.
285lbs - 272.7 has been the first 8 weeks of this year, where I started weight lifting at the gym. I do a 15 minute
treadmill warm-up with working up to a 10% elevation.
I do: Leg Extensions, Leg Curls, Lateral Pull downs, Seated rows.
Then I move to the dumbbells and do: some lateral raises and some skull crushers.
Before moving over to the weights racks and doing: Squats, Bench press, Push Press.
Then finish with the cable cross over if I can ever get the posers off the bloody thing.
Its a full body workout, but I burn about 500 calories in the hour doing it. I started at the lowest weight and within a few weeks I was really lifting some heavy stuff.
I go to the gym 3-4 times a week. I also now walk the dog for an hour (if she can handle it) every other day.
I do "Sweating to the Oldies." It's kind of corny, but I really love Richard Simmons. All his videos are really fun. The exercises cover a lot of muscle groups, but it's low impact while still pushing you. It can easily be modified for your fitness level, and the videos feature people of many ages, races, and body types. It's way more inclusive than other workout dvds out there.
Is the treadmill you use at home? I have never been able to stick long term with an exercise that was a separate activity (e.g. going to the gym, Curves, or even "going out for a walk/jog") and I totally understand about the boredom.
I have a treadmill at home, and I have it set up with a plank that holds my laptop so I can I browse the web or play onlne games while I walk. I'm on it now! I plan on walking 3 times a day normally (these days I work from home so this is super convenient; in the past it was a before- and after- work thing). Sometimes I watch TV or read a book, but mostly this is recreational computer time for me. I've been doing it for years and now I generally walk 12K steps a day but I started out much lower.
Anyway, I hope you find something that works well for you!
I walk - slowly. It feels like I'm going fast and about to set an olympic record but I get lapped by pretty much everyone
I do about 3-4k a day right now, not much but I'm building it up slowly. I live in a pretty remote area where the nearest gym is poorly equipped, expensive and quite far away. Luckily I live near to the local football field and it has a basic walking track around the outside of it so that's where I go. I found the Lesley Sansone walking videos (check YouTube) a good start. I have a treadmill and bike at home but I find exercising indoors like that miserable. I'm exercising for health more than weight loss really - I find exercising (or not) doesn't really affect my numbers so I'm just doing it to build fitness and feel good.
There's a girl on YouTube, 'Diva Slims Down' - she's at goal weight now and doesn't really post much but she has tonnes of videos of her exercising when she was starting out and a lot heavier - plenty of them are exercises at home too if a gym isn't your thing. Hope that helps!
I really dig swimming. I've gotten really zen about it. I used to be a runner but my joints couldn't handle it as I got heavier and I kept injuring my ankles. I think keeping the weight off my joints was a really good thing to do. If you are in that boat, joining the Y in my area was great. It was a real non-judgemental place, love the water aerobics classes too.
I've been using a recumbent exercise bike for four months. I'm not bored with it because I change things up constantly. I'm not working at the same speed and intensity for more than 90 seconds at a time, ever.
Focus intently on your workout. Be totally in tune with your body. Be aware of when it's hard, and also notice when things are getting easier because you're in better shape. Focus on what muscles are getting sore as you work and enjoy that soreness, because that's progress!
I avoid boredom simply by focusing on what my body is doing, how it's feeling, and thinking about what I can do to make it a little more challenging next time.
A good music playlist helps too.
I started out doing the Leslie Sansone walking videos on youtube. Then I moved onto C25K program. The one I am doing is Zombies, Run! 5K training. It's an app on your phone that trains you. It is very beginner friendly. You can always redo a week if you need to before moving on. The scenerio is that their was a zombie apocalypse, you are being trained as a runner to get supplies for your camp. It's super fun. Afterwards you can graduate to the regular running app, there are virtual races, etc.
While it's true that running with an extra 80+ pounds on my frame makes it harder. But I want to be a runner, and if I wait till things are perfect, it's never going to happen. I'm not looking to be the fastest or win awards, I just want to run in some 5Ks this summer.
When I was at 265 I was still walking 6-7 miles a day. Music and walking outside makes it less boring. Get some podcasts, books on tape. Cold not a problem though snow and ice could be. In SC we don't have that big an issue with the winter weather though. Also a lot of folks do Mall walking etc.
You have some good suggestions. Right now I am beginning to work on intervals to increase my walking speed.
Exercising While Morbidly Obese
Approx 210 pounds when I was doing it (and super not fit).
