Hi! I'm new around here and been lurking around for the past couple of days. I thought I'd use one of my long time problems (since I've gained weight) as a conversation opener. I'm mainly looking for advice from chicks who have been in a similar situation as mine and have managed to overcome it. I NEED a kick in the ***

So, the problem is that I realize how important exercising is and I love the idea of it. I'd love to be one of those persons that get a huge kick out of it. But every time I start, I just give up the next day. I've never been as overweight as I have been in the past 2 years and this might be one of the reasons that I seem to just be unable to get my body moving.

I used to weigh around 160 lbs at 5.8" and though that's not my ideal weight, I was active and feeling good with my body. But I went up to 227 in about one year and along with that my whole life style just went to drain. After some ups and downs and failed attempts in the past year, I finally decided to start a serious diet on the 1st of July and I'm down to 209 lbs.

Today I decided to kick it up a notch and start exercising and it seemed like the perfect time to look for some support, since this had made me fail in the past.
These are some of the reasons:
- getting tired so fast demoralizes and demotivates me;
- I always feel like I'm not doing enough;
- in the summers it's extremely hot here (90-105 degrees) - though I tried exercising in the winter and have failed then as well;
- I feel useless for not being able to keep up, barely being able to make it through a Power 90 routine.. I just feel like a giant awkward whale on land (the difference being that whales are pretty)

Tried roller skating, fast walking, elliptical and home videos from BB. Nothing kept me going.

So.. has anyone been through this? How did you make it work?

All opinions and advice appreciated.

P.S. Can't wait to be able to display a signature ticker (I plan to be a regular )

Hi there Snowlilly

I am new to the exercise game and have 40 years of hating it behind me. When I started to lose weight in March, I bought a Wii and got addicted to the tennis game. The only sport I ever liked was squash (I have no idea why) and found a friend who also wanted to play. Then gradually I did more on the Wii, including getting the board. The variety of activities motivated me and I decided I would just keep at it. Things got easier.

Now I have a goal that I want to jog/run a mile. I discovered the C25K (Couch to 5km) programme and have done the first week of that. I think the graded pace of this is great and I want to keep at it. I have only done it for a week, but can already tell that it has got easier. I can now run 1 min, walk 90secs without collapsing for up to 20 minutes. I never thought this would be possible. I had to start really slowly, and realise it's not a race.

I have lots of other interim goals - weight loss, clothing size, exercise etc. and use each of them to try to motivate me. The main thing for me is not to give up. Afterall, you started on July 1st and have lost weight - that's got to show that perseverance pays off.

Good luck!

If you had told me 5 years ago that I'd be running 3 times a week, lighting weights twice a week and taking a 3 mile walk once a week, I would have laughed in your face. Exercise was dumb and I literally could not comprehend why anyone would want to run. It baffled me.

I only started exercising because I wanted to lose weight without changing my diet (LOL). I'd grumble the entire way to the gym. I didn't want to be there but I forced myself. I'd start making excuses not to go but then I'd tell myself to shut up and go. So I did. Basically I guess I'm saying I faked it until I made it, in terms of liking exercise and activately wanting to do it.

Somewhere along the line I started liking how it made me feel. I was keeping up with my skinny friends. It felt good to do something aside from sit and play video games all night. It started building my confidence even though I wasn't losing any weight. I'd go through periods of exercising a lot or not at all but the difference then was when I wasn't, I missed it.

Now I'm constantly doing things, I like that feeling. Another thing that keeps me motivated now is that I found the RIGHT gym buddies, that's hard to do. I've had so many that I was mentally incompatible with. But my buddies now we cheer each other on and text excitedly about how we can't wait to do X-activity that night and what goals we want to accomplish that day.

Another thing is a website called Fitocracy. I've been on it for almost two years, it's so great. You log your workouts and get points for them, the more points you get the higher level you become (Like a video game). Complete strangers will start giving you "props" on your workouts and it makes me feel good. You can join groups and groups can have challenges, there are all sorts of things you can do on there.

Welcome and good job on your progress so far!

I've been meaning to try the 5k running thing, the "Zombie, run!" version I like video games and The Walking Dead and I thought that would make it more exciting. But I don't feel like I'm quite there yet. When I'll feel able to run, I'd certainly give it a go.
Thanks for the website idea Daki, I'll register to it right after I finish writing this. Sounds fun As for the gym part, it certainly is miles better when you got people to go there with. But alone I found it to be boring. Plus, other than the social reasons (which I don't have), I think you can get the same results at home with the proper routine. But in the context of meeting up with your friends and doing something beneficial as a group, it's worth it.

Thank you for your replies and the warm welcome.

I have the Zombie run! 5k training game, it is well worth the 1.99 cost. And it starts you from scratch, week 1 is 15 second run and 1 minute walk drills week 2 is 30 seconds run 1 minute walk and so on. It builds you up gradually. I will also repeat weeks if I don't feel like I am ready to move on.

My best advice for exercise is to start with baby steps, don't try to jump straight into a high energy class if you don't think you can handle it. I'm not saying don't push yourself, but start small with it so you don't get frustrated by what you can't do, or get so burnt out by making yourself miserable that you stop. Start small and build, when I first started I could barely do 5 mins on the elliptical, so for a week or two I did 5 mins then pushed to 10 then 15 and so on. At one point when I was going to the gym regularly I could do an hour or more. I stopped going to the gym regularly due to life and now I am back to about 30 min max at a time, but I can build that back up a little at a time.

So pick something you like (swimming biking walking skating whatever) and start small and build from there. There is plenty of time later to build up to that awesome cardio class, or a marathon, or whatever you decide to aim for. Just start with something manageable good luck!

Exercising can seem so daunting sometimes! We all know it feels good afterwards but getting up and actually doing it can be so hard. There are a ton of videos online and articles on strength training by yourself but if I haven't worked out in a while I usually need a class to motivate me.

I think when you first start exercising, you just have to jump in and do it even though it feels awful and uncomfortable. But it's amazing how fast your body responds to the exercise and before long it starts feeling really good and I really truly look forward to working out now. I still cringe when I see myself in the mirrors at the gym, but I know the only way I can change that is to keep doing what I'm doing and not hide from them. Good luck!

My biggest tip would be to join a team or class. I never feel motivated to exercise, but if I paid to be on a team (for instance they have fun leagues in baseball, volleyball, soccer, etc. where I live), or paid to take a class (kickboxing, yoga, dance classes, pilates etc.) then I am motivated purely by the idea that I want to get my money's worth, and that my teammates and classmates, etc. are counting on me.

I think the whole concept is more fun too, if you can get a friend to sign up for a class/team with you.

another thing I will say is that you talk about tiring too quickly, I find that I hit a tired point within 15 mins of a workout. Getting over that brink is often the hardest part of the workout, but by the 30-40 min mark, I am re-energized. For some people it just takes a while for your body to tap into your adrenalin etc, so give it some time. If you know you just have to get over the hump, that can make it easier to continue.

Not doing enough is always better than doing none! Try using weights while watching TV or doing a few sets of crunches, plank stands, squats or push ups. Make a plan for yourself that increases the exercise as you go, for instance: Week one, 30 mins of exercise 3 times a week. (can include Tv-watching, while exercising, walking, or any other form of exercise) Week two, 40 mins of exercise three times a week. Week three, 30 mins of exercise four times a week. Week for, 40 mins of exercise 40 times a week. Etc.

Exercise is easiest to accomplish once it is a habit. make it into a habit to do a few yoga stretches in the morning before you get dressed and at night before you go to bed. Make it a habit to walk to the store, to work, or to a friends house on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Make it a habit not to sit down during your favorites sitcom, and workout during it instead. Or make it a habit to do as many pushups, squats crunches, etc. that you can on every commercial break.

It's tough, but if you get in the habit of doing it, it gets a lot easier.

I can totally empathize with the heat problem. When it is too hot outside, I like to do exercise videos at home. Not only do you not have to go out in the heat, you also don't have to dress up cute or even break out the running shoes! My first exercise video was a Biggest Loser Cardio vid. I like it because the people exercising are all normal/bigger, which makes the whole idea of exercising seem more attainable and realistic, at least to me. (I know I felt more pushed to keep going when I saw people larger than me keeping up with the trainer. Worked way better than watching those crazy-fit jazzercisers with their leg-warmers not breaking a sweat.)

I recommend getting a video with a few different exercise routines on it so you don't get bored doing the same thing every day. Also, the one downside to videos is the lack of accountability. I would try to get a workout buddy, where even if you don't work out together, you still text each other when you have completed a workout. It helps on the days when you don't want to work out to get a reminder that your friend is sticking to it.

I'll check out The Biggest Loser routines. It is indeed a great thing to see normal/overweight people in the exercise video, as opposed to the extra fit ones in BB videos. Over the duration of the routine I found myself thinking a few times about their choice of people in the making of the videos.. It makes me somehow slack off .. The number of reps per exercise in their videos is 8-15, and since the ripped people in the video are doing 15, I don't feel as guilty leaning towards the lower end (whether I can do more or not)...cause, y'know, they're fit and all.
I'll try again with different things, assimilating your advices, experimenting, and hopefully I can find a bunch full of things that I'll be able to do, if not actually enjoy it.
Going to the gym/a class is not really an option. I had a gym subscription and ended up not going. I don't really like being in public at the moment. I work at home and I avoid going out as much as possible because of my current appearance. Haven't seen my high-school or college friends or colleagues in a couple years because of this, and I doubtfully will until I shed off every single pound (or at least most of them)
As for the heat, in my situation, it's actually hotter inside by some degrees due to 3 computers. Going outside is not really an option as I am kind of intolerant to the sun in the summer (has nothing to do with the weight).

But I still have the options of exercising outside in the early morning or late at night, or home videos in the morning. So no more excuses!

For me, the hardest part about starting to exercise is actually STARTING it. The effort of putting on the sports bra and lacing up your ugly shoes is kind of the hardest part for me.

The only way i've found to make it easier on myself is working it into my day with set times. Saying "oh i'll work out tomorrow" is so easy but saying "I'm going to work out at 8pm tomorrow" is so much more specific and easy for me to stick to.

I also think you need to start slow and then ramp up. Go for a couple mile walk, do some arm curls at home, try the NYTimes 7min workout, do 100 jumping jacks, see how many pushups and sit ups you can do. just spend at least 20 min moving your body at first. Every week increase whatever you're doing. Its all about settling into a routine so I say work out at the same time of day and lay your workout clothes somewhere you HAVE to see them, like on your bed or the dining room table.

Getting started and establishing a routine you can stick to is hard. Once you're a few weeks in, it becomes much easier and feels more like a habit. I've been pretty inactive for a while, since I've been plagued by knee pain and shortness of breath at this high weight. I've been active previously, and that makes it even harder (psychologically). Less than a year ago, I ran/walked a 5k. Two weeks ago, I was dreading going to Jersey Mike's with my co-workers because it's 3 blocks away.

Monday of this week, I decided to walk back to my car (a little under a mile). It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Tuesday, I decided to do it again, and now I've done it every day this week. And something I've realized is that so much of my exhaustion has been psychological. Yes, I am very heavy. Yes, I have bad knees. But I'm not immobile!

The mile back to my car today was easier than the 3 blocks to Jersey Mikes 2 weeks ago. And it's not because I've lost that much weight. It's because I've now accepted that as something I can do. My goal for next week is to go to the gym at least 3 times, for at least 45 minutes.

Start small. Focus on what you CAN do instead of what you can't. And just don't LET yourself chicken out. Establishing a routine takes commitment.

Question! What do you guys do when you're sore after a workout? You know those moments..when you wake up the next day and feel like you've been hit by a train My boyfriend advised me to take a day off for the muscles to recover because pushing it would just mean over straining and would render regeneration impossible = cause more damage to muscle tissue. While that makes a lot of sense, in the past I have been known to quit all together after a day off. It also happened that my soreness did not go away after 1 day, it lasted up to 3 days.
So.. if you're sore, do you just carry on with your regular schedule and grin your teeth, or just do something milder, or just take a day off?

Well I'm no expert but I'm trying really hard not to over do it with strength training (which is what makes me sore), cause I enjoy doing it and just want to keep feeling the burn. So what I'm planning on is doing something different on my days off when/if I feel like it. Like some fun cardio, yoga, whatever to get the blood pumping but not necessarily keep tearing those muscles. While its good to keep on a routine, I really think there is such a thing as over doing it and you don't want to go balls to the wall just to get burnt out in a couple weeks because you didn't give yourself a break to let your body catch up.

Omigod, I was just gonna suggest this. I have both Zombies Run! apps. They're hilarious and awesome, and a GREAT motivational tool.