Nomoredreamin!
The best way to begin is with activities that you enjoy. In the beginning, the VERY beginning, I think it is most important to establish a sense of routine and confidence through the completion of short term goals.
So tell us, what do you enjoy doing and what do you have access to? Are your plans to workout at home or in a gym.
Many of us workout at home and it fits our lifestyles most effectively. I found that I needed to leave my house in order to not be distracted.
In the VERY beginning I simply walked on a treadmill for thirty minutes a day three days a week at a 3.5 incline. Did I see improvement and significant fat loss with that. Nope. Not yet.
However, what I did experience were changes that were internal in nature. I also established a three day a week habit.
The next step was to incorporate strength training. I got a little assistance in learning how to use the free weights and read a lot from the stumptious site mentioned above. I added twenty to thirty minutes of resistance training to my 30 minutes of treadmill walking three days a week.
Did I see significant fat loss yet? Eh. A little, maybe, and I was about four or five month into it at this point. However, I did begin to feel small strength changes inside my body. Things only I would notice like not having to use my hands/arms to push myself up off the couch when I stand up. All those bodyweight squats allowed me to just simply stand up from a seated position.
The next step was to get a handle on my diet. I also followed the Body For Life program as a way to structure my eating. Now did I begin to see some changes. Yes!
Over time I continuted to research the three important factors associated with fat loss, cardio(which lead to HIIT cardio sessions) strength training (I became a crazy person reading blogs from strength and conditioning coaches in the evenings when my kids were asleep) and clean eating. Refining my skills in these areas eventually lead to a significant weight loss.
The changes occurred because I was able to add each element into my routine one at a time not all at once. I mastered each one individually before moving on. I also made a point to continuously learn about these different aspects to get the most out of my workouts and experience continued progress.
For me, the desire to "lose weight" evolved into something much more. When people refer to it as a "process" or journey they are correct. As with any other it is going to be individualistic with highs and lows. And while it may sound trite, you will get out of it what you put into it.
My advice would be to set a long term goal for yourself. Then set up a series of short term goals that will get you to that long term goal. Then research the activities that are appealing to you and incorporate them into your workouts.
Bottom line, just begin moving at a place and pace where you feel comfortable. Once you established that, challenge yourself to add on. Maybe it's by discovering strength training, or walking a little faster or a little longer, research how food is fuel for your workouts.
Good luck and let us know what you choose to begin first!
No idea what I am doing
