Hi everyone! I'm Arzu I want to become an expert at various things fitness. I have never tried things like yoga, long-distance running, etc. Right now I'm 145 pounds looking to get down to 115. It's not all about the number on the scale for me though - primarily, I want to be healthy. Wish me luck!

Hi Arzu! It's possible at your height that your metabolism might fight you as you try to go that low in weight but as you said, it's not about the number on the scale. I wish you the best on your goal to become more fit and an expert on fitness! Good luck!

Good luck!

Thanks everyone! @Jacqui_D I might adjust the weight to 120 if my body protests.

Arzu a good idea is to find out your healthy weight range. Usually this information can be found on line. Its calculated according to your height and gender. Try not to go to below the lowest in the range but you also might find its hard work keeping it that low as well.

For comparison, i'm 5 feet 4.5 and my lowest healthy weight range is 121. I find it impossible to sustain. Of course if i was doing strenuous exercise everyday i could do it but i haven't been able to keep my fitness activities going indefinitely either. My sister on the other hand and she is very skinny. I"m not sure what her weight is though. She has been doing fitness for years but seems to be in a constant state of anxiety about her weight, not that she says as much but you can see it. I find it quite painful to watch.

Its great you want to become an expert in fitness. But i am not sure what you mean by it. Do you mean as an amateur (for your own personal fitness) or to become a professional.

Anyway i've done both yoga and long distance running and love both though doing neither right now.

With yoga there are numerous different styles. My favourite is Iyengar. Attend a few different classes in your area before deciding on which you like the most. A lot depends on the teacher but its also about the styles.

When it comes to the philosophy of yoga, i prefer buddhism which is similar but easier to understand because its usually written up by western minds which take a more rational approach. The hindu writings are often rather full of illogic. Anyway if you focus only the physical side of it, you'll be fine.

Long distance running is a great thing. Its the only exercise i know that gives you a natural high from endorphins. I've done a lot of long distance cycling but i never experience that high with that. Although i love it as a way to travel.

If you want to get seriously into running, book yourself in for a race somewhere. It helps with the motivation.

@Pattience. I looked up a range of ideal weight calculators and only one went below 120. In fact, more were in the 123-125 range. I guess I will readjust my goal weight to 125 and see how I feel then

For now I would like to become an amateur. Right now I am going to focus on at least exercising consistently, then start on more specific goals. My diet is hard to maintain. Well, I don't want a diet, I want a lifestyle change. So I am focusing on that. This is on top of school, work, and wedding planning. So it's a challenge to say the least. I am remaining positive though

Hi Arzu, yes a diet is hard to maintain so we have to take on challenges that aren't more ambitious than is feasible. Start with modest methods.

For me the word diet just means controlling what i eat and initially losing weight. Yes i think many of us recognise we need lifestyle change, that includes what we eat, how much we eat and how active we are. If we can't set ourselves on a sustainable course we will find ourselves yo-yoing in weight. Heaven knows i've done that often enough.

Learning how to establish a sustainable diet has been an ongoing project. But with recurring depression, we are prone to falling off the wagon even once our weight gets down to a good level. Hence a degree of acceptance and a willingness to start again.

Its an attitude of giving up that's the main danger.

Good luck I started yoga this year and I LOVE it. I follow a channel on youtube called Ekhart Yoga. This woman has hundreds of free yoga classes online, from 5 minutes long to 45-60 minutes long. She's awesome. I think it's great to try new things. One of the things I would love to conquer this summer is one of those adventure courses with the zip lines through the forest. I think that would be an awesome challenge!

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