I've tried getting back into the exercise habit before (when I can turn off the excuses), but I always tend to get discouraged because I am so very out of shape and I usually end up hurting myself.
I was in good shape eons ago when I got pregnant for my son (ok, 13 years ago)... pulled my round muscle and wasn't allowed to exercise while pregnant. Ended up with an emergency C-section. My core has never been back. I did work out after he was born and was getting back in shape with the help of my local gym, until I found out I was pregnant again. I had made it back down to 160 by the time I found out I was pregnant with my daughter and had planned on continuing with the gym while carrying her - until I started bleeding. So, I was banned from exercising again. Repeat on the emergency C-section (even though premie). Now my core was REALLY shot. Had a rough first year with my daughter, so exercising was the least of my concerns. Then my hubby was in a bad accident with the kids and my life revolved around taking care of him, until I got sick from all the stress - triggered what I later found out was Fibromyalgia.
After the next 2, almost 3 years of being nearly bedridden from my pain and pumped full of meds from the doctors, I quit the pain meds and went to a pain clinic. They had me exercise there as part of my rehabilitation. I started walking a treadmill at home regularly... well then life had some more downs and eventually I moved out and started school again and divorced. Thus began another few years of being mostly sedentary (except for walking and biking between classes). Graduated and started helping my new man with his business.
I now work 6 days a week, mostly behind a desk. Have my two kids to take care of most of the time - mostly by myself. I don't get a lot of time (my biggest excuse) and am often exhausted at the end of my day - which is usually around 9, after kids have been fed and homework done - and they go to bed.
I've tried working out with a friend to coach me, but was told by my doctor to stop because I would bleed after every evening of exercise. I've been checked more times than I can count and my doctor has never figured out why, except to suggest a hormonal issue. I do have a metabolic disorder I was born with, so my hormones are regularly messed up and I do have to be careful about my protein intake, which means I am a carb hog.
Since I finished school, I've stacked on 40 pounds (in a year). It can't stay. I have to take responsibility and I KNOW that my biggest issues are lack of exercise and boredom eating.
I started working out last night with "YourShape" for the Wii. I did the assessment exercises and a workout. I want to try to work out at least 15 minutes a day and work my way up to 30 and so on. I will take a couple days off a week because of my schedule. I haven't bled so far, thank God.
I know my core is the worst but I am also fighting a lot of belly fat and overall heaviness. My doctor put me on fenofibrate for cholesterol and triglycerides and it damaged my right thigh muscle. I have pain it is today from the workout, but it's bearable. (I'm now on fish oil and CoQ10 and my levels are perfect).
I have a very hard time finding workouts I can keep up with that don't make me wish I hadn't done it the next day. I think I am going to stick with YourShape and add in some Just Dance for fun (I love dancing), as well as take walks and hopefully bike rides with my kids (although those will be more leisurely, I am sure).
I'm sorry for the book, but does anyone have advice with how I start out without killing or scaring myself out of it? I want to build gradually and it seems like so many routines are for the already fit. I'd even like to consider running again some day.
First...220 isn't bad - I'd LOVE to be 220! Good for you for starting NOW rather than waiting till you hit the big 3-0-0.
Let's start with the assumption that you work an 8 hour day. If your kids are older, they go to school. You start your exercise tape and go as long as you can. The next day you go ONE minute more, etc until you can do the whole thing. If the kiddies are little, take them out for a walk in the stroller. Same thing...go as long as you can. Then add ONE minute per day.
Or dance with or without the kids. Go with or without them and play tennis. Take lots of balls - most of your time will probably be chasing balls...
Your core? Your core will strengthen through exercise. You wanna target that bad boy? Planks. Try for 30 seconds and improve by 10 seconds per day, etc... Doing SOMETHING (however small or short) will cause HUGE improvements. Listen to Mama Fats. You got this baby girl... <3
F@ck me. You have been through a complete sh!t show and I am surprised you have been able to exercise at all.
Saying that, if you wrote all that and went through all that and still want to work out then clearly the passion to do so is there and you need to build on and nurture that.
My advice is to start slow and work within your limits, but you already know that.
What you may not know is that your diet and weightloss will dramatically influence your desire and ability to exercise. It is a lot easier to work out at lower weights (I would even go as far to say that most of your problems will disappear as you lose weight) but WHAT you eat also matters. Make sure you are getting lots of lean protein (within the limits of your condition) and lots of unprocessed vegetables and fruit and you should start noticing a positive difference in your energy levels and desire to exercise. Eat clean. Try to cut the crap by which I mean processed carbs: soda, fast food, candy, chips etc. That stuff is not good for exercise.
I lost 60lbs before I started exercising (running and weight training) but getting my diet right has massively helped me in my ability and desire to work out. I simply could not do what I do without eating the stuff I eat now.
Thank you both for your feedback. I love veggies (not so much for fruits because I am not big on sweets), so I do plan to incorporate much more in the way of salads - I'm thinking I should be eating at least one meal a day of salad. I stick to lean proteins already, as the fatty ones get me into trouble with my metabolic disorder. I love my white meat turkey. Not a huge fan of Chicken. Like tuna, and when I cook with red meat, I trim all the fat I can or get 90-10 round or sirloin for my ground meat. I used to have access to venison, which I would process myself, very low fat. Alas, the divorce left me without.
I noticed that I felt pretty good most of the day yesterday, but towards the evening my muscles started to get sore. By this morning, my shoulders and thighs are definitely sore. I intend to join my kids at a waterpark today after work, and intend to do a workout of some kind (for 15 mins at least) when I get home.
I second what justfortoday said...I will be ecstatic when I reach 220! But good for you for taking control now.
Have you tried Leslie Sansone's walking DVDs? I love her, and it's just walking--not all that cardio-my-body-doesn't-move-like-that stuff you find in other programs. She adds some kicks, knee lifts and side steps, but that's all pretty basic.
I am SO out of shape that it's unbelievable, but I just finished one of her 3-mile workouts and I was able to do it all.
Good luck, I hope you find something that works for you!
Leslie Sansone's walking videos have worked well for me too. I am 225, very out of shape and have had 7 knee surgeries including a replacement before the age of 40. The key is to go slow, do what you can, there were a lot of great suggestions in the above posts! I exercise in bed every night, which I know sounds pointless and hilarious, but I do leg lifts and modified stomach crunches and the padding of the bed helps my back. I know it is working to an extent because my stomach is down 2 inches. I started walking at lunch at work, so 15 minutes to eat a nice protein and veggie meal then 15 minutes to walk around, yes sometimes it is just up and down the halls, but it is moving around none the less. I have been fortunate to be able to hire a personal trainer for 6 sessions and boy, we are going super slow because my poor muscles don't remember how to work anymore and after the first very easy session, I couldn't even sit and get up from the toilet because my thighs hurt SO bad!! He just keeps encouraging me to move, stretch, eat healthy and be positive. Today he said something that really cracked me up, but motivated me too....."Sweat is our fat crying, while working out"! I am going to make my fat sob it's a@@ off even if it is the tiniest baby steps at a time!
Great job doing what your doing, I am so impressed by your commitment!
Shannon
Walk. And then walk some more. Always choose the parking spot furthest from the store. Walk with your kids around the block. At lunch time, take 15 minutes to walk, and 15 minutes to eat. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Even short walks add up, and before you know it, you'll be covering miles and burning lots of calories.
I would also recommended getting a fitness tracker or something that counts your daily steps. See what you are averaging at first then make a goal of taking 20-30 more steps for a few days. Then the next week, add a little more.
I would encourage small but consistent goals to start with and write them down and track your progress. Seeing small but measurable gains goes a long way to keep up motivation.
I would also just say that DOM's or "delayed onset muscle" soreness is a normal part of your muscles breaking down and re-building to strengthen. Sometimes initially you can think, "what did I do to my body", but this is a normal and expected process and sometimes adjusting your expectations to include a steady daily soreness as a positive can be helpful. Taking small steps will also help keep this from getting too bad. I used to use the DOM's as a reason not to exercise the next day, but I have found that stretching, or light yoga is far better than doing nothing at all.
Last edited by chubbysmall; 08-02-2015 at 10:19 AM.
Thanks for all the encouragement and advice. I'm starting to think about forcing myself out of bed earlier to walk in the morning. I remember my grandma doing that everyday before work - of course, for her it was at 6 am. That might be too early for me. She used to say it helped her get her day off right and give her some alone time to think. I get bored easy and am not fond of letting my mind wander on things, because it tends to get carried away.
I also just got my kids bikes so we can start biking together.
As for the walking DVDs - I assume that is with a treadmill? I live in a tiny, cluttered apartment, so the only walking I'll be doing until we get a house is outdoors.
Fitness trackers - recommendations? (and I have a tight budget)
Re: fitness trackers; I have a FitBit and I like it a lot and definitely makes me walk more. When I am not wearing it for some reason I catch myself thinking "ahh why do that walking I won't get credit for it" and then I walk because it is still good even if you are not getting the credit, but you can see how it influences your thinking.
I don't have the same issues as you but I had the same hesitancy to start exercising because I have some joint concerns exacerbated by exercise. I was an athlete when younger so also felt like I knew all I needed to know about exercise. I finally saw an exercise physiologist as part of the diet program I am on through my doctor's office and it was really helpful. These individuals work at clinics and are definitely a notch above personal trainers- nothing against personal trainers at all, but if you have specific health concerns sometimes a little more knowledge on the physiological side can help, and give you peace of mind. It is also good to learn what is the "good hurt" of post exercise and the "bad I broke something hurt"...
How to ease in?
