Exercise help for Newbies!

In keeping with Jackie's theme of helping the newbies some....

What do you do for exercise and what did you do early out?

I was never one to exercise much, if any at all.  I started out by walking.  At first I could not make it very far but I just did what I could.  I slowly progresses up to the Gazelle.  I made it up to 60 minutes, 6 days a week.  When that was no longer challenging I went to the gym and did various pieces of equipment trying to find what I liked and disliked.  I always walked on the treadmill, too.  Slowly I worked my way up to jogging and then running.  Again I worked my way up and capped at 6 miles a day, 7 days a week.  Right now I am not doing much of anything...trying to avoid strenous activities to avoid preterm labor...but I will get back into a regular routine when I can.  I love yoga and at the very least I do stretching exercises daily.

What do you do???

For me exercising is almost ALWAYS in nature! I absolutely adore walking outside. In fact, this past weekend I bought a new pair of cross training shoes. Walking/jogging etc.

I too started off very slowly after WLS. I made it to the end of the block (at the time 10 houses) and back. Then by one week post op was at 1 mile. In the time since surgery I do 2-4 miles per walk sometimes more. I take a different path/route each time I walk so I don't get bored. I'll change up the scenery by choosing a different location. Sometimes my neighborhood, sometimes different parks (road, trails & grass), sometimes the mall, sometimes tracks at local schools. It just depends on my mood, how fast I plan to walk, whether or not my buggas will be participating and the weather. Yes, I walk in all types of weather.

The benefits for me are I'm not in a gym where I loathe to be (constriction), walking is FREE, walking is one of the easiest forms of exercise, I can change my course and speed anytime I like, I can adjust my scenery and its a family activity. Being a single mom of 2 I want to do things together and that benefit the 3 of us.

30 minutes of walking per day to get our heart rates up works wonders. In addition to walking getting outside and doing yard work, parking further away at stores, walking as much & as often as you can, window shopping etc are wonderful too. Consider a partner. Motivation "in pairs" is what I find really motivational.

All best!

I didn't exercise much in the first few months, but when I did exercise I started out walking a quarter of a mile then worked my way up to 4 miles a day now. I go to the gym 3 times a week and do the cardio and some weight lifting. I work out at the gym for about 2 hours. In between the gym days I will walk.
Betty

I look forward to more responses on this thread.  Great post not only for newbies but grads too.  I'm still struggling with the exercise part.  :)  Thanks Tammy.

I think there are a lot of factors that go into deciding what form of exercise will work for each individual. 

If you prefer structure & have the funds & dedication, then the gym scene would work.  For an additional cost, most gyms offer personal trainers either on a regularly scheduled basis, or as needed.  But since they're pretty much all contractually based, it would be silly to buy a membership if you aren't going to use it at least 3 times per week.  Most of them offer a free 1 week trial basis, so don't be afraid to check it out first.

For more limited budgets or free-spirits (such as Kat...ever our free spirit!), then walking all over the place.  I love how she changes up scenery & adapts it to being a family activity.  Throw in tossing a frisbee or just kicking a ball back & forth would be a nice addition to the walk.  For inclement weather, you can't beat cruising the mall.  Watch out for them old folks...they'll run you over if you get in their way...LOL!

Then there are the tree huggers...VA is loaded with magnificent walking trails...I recommend Sky Line Drive any time of the year.  Purchase an anual pass, bring a picnic lunch & you have a fantastic setting for fun, exercise & family/friends outing all rolled into one.

Can't forget the homebodys...like me.  I cannot say enough good things about Wii!!!  My family got me the initial system for Christmas & I've gotten so good at bowling that I have to lose a few games on purpose just so the guys will let me play.  I beat them CONSTANTLY!!  And believe me, if I can do this, anybody can!  I just bought Wii Fit last week & I am sooooo loving it.  Got the whole family working out daily....well, me & the boys.  Mike tried it for the first time on Saturday & managed to fall off the board while doing a ski jump & broke two toes!!  So at the moment he's a bit Wii-shy.  Soon as his toes heal though, his butt's gettin' back on!  He just doesn't know it yet.  I start out with the weigh in...it measures your BMI & your weight & keeps a record of it complete with a graph to show your progress.  It also checks your posture & core balance & recommends activities to improve them within the WiiFit program.  Finally, during the weigh in, it tells you what your current body age is.  As of yesterday, even though I will be 54 on Sunday, my body age was 37!  When I started 5 days ago it was 71, so as you can see, I'm making very good progress.

Next, I do some yoga positions...good for warming up & it's calming.  Now, for me, this is a major workout, when you consider that just digesting my food gives me cause to have to take a nap for an hour or two.  Of the other activities, I've done hula hoop (a real calorie burner but oh so much fun!), several rounds of ski lift, & I actually did a couple of minutes of jogging.  I'm going to try just walking the route today & see what that does.  WiiFit keeps track of how much time you spend on activities, & even lets you put in your own activities.  So all in all, this a very nicely rounded system that lets you go at your own pace, motivates you to do more, is very family friendly, sparks a healthy competition.  No need for special exercise clothing or shoes & no embarrassement of having outside people watch your jelly jiggle!  LOL

Well, that's my input.

 

Exercise is something I struggle with but know I need to do it.......

In the early days I had a treadmill and a bike at home and did Curves but soon I became too fit for Curves and wanted something more challenging.....

I prefer the gym structure but lost a lot of motivation when I had all my plastic surgeries and have struggled since. I changed to Gold's gym and have now started back again - I really need a gym buddy which is what I recommend for everyone who goes to the gym.....

I wish I could run but I plan to make this year a year where I at least try to run......

Exercise is such an important part of the process for us - we need to make every effort to do it.

Great post Tammy

Jackie







 

I am in danger of becoming an exercise junkie.... Wait a minute. Did I really just say that sentence? I know that exercise is different for everyone. It's important for me b/c I want to build up that resting metabolism so that I'm burning more calories even when doing nothing and to help with the sagging skin issue. Also, I'll be the first to admit it - I struggle a lot with my eating still (I'm 8 months out) and when I exercise, I can get away with a little bit more eating-wise. (I know, I know. Not good, Sarah. I'm still working on it...)

Anyway. Another reason I have found that I love exercise is because it's been so hard for me to see the changes in myself along the way. But I have seen, and quickly, the changes in how much I'm able to exercise. Ok, Sarah, shush and tell the good people what you do...

I do a little bit of everything. I love taking classes at the gym - Zumba, Body Pump, I even tried a Pilates class recently (Wow was that hard!) When I first started, I swam a lot. In fact, I chose my gym b/c it had a pool. But right now, I'm into running. (still can't believe it) I started off walking. Eventually I would run a few feet at a time, then go back to walking. Slowly my running intervals became longer and longer. I built up VERY gradually. And still, I should put "running" in quotes b/c it's more like jogging. I don't go fast. I'm currently in training for the Monument Ave. 10k so I have a schedule that I keep to. Last week I ran 6.5 miles in one session!! I'm even joining a softball team.

My dad lost a lot of weight about 12 years ago and has gone faithfully to the Y to do the treadmill or the stepper pretty much every day since then. One day he said to me "You know, I do this every day and I hate it every single time" I said "Why on earth do you do it then???" He's just stubborn - I think that's ridiculous. There are so many things you can do that you would actually enjoy - why limit yourself to a treadmill unless that's what you like??

Because I'm a teacher I'm done early in the afternoons, so I actually have a schedule that's conducive to working out. I'm different than a lot of people - I actually prefer to do it alone. I don't want other people seeing how wimpy I am! I prefer to talk big so they think I'm tough

Ok, wow. I get a little over-excited on this topic. Clearly. I'll stop now. Happy exercising!

Wow, this makes me want to walk even more now. Thank you all for what you are doing for us who are new, this is so uplifting to me.
rduck

Sarah~~~I too started out walking and running a bit (very little bit) then back to walking and slowly worked up to running.  Of course, mine is "jogging" a lot of the time, too...but I love what I do.  I really miss it now and will get back into it soon.  I even bought a jogging stroller!  Next year I may do the Monument Ave 10K...my work sponsors it...this year was out since I could not train at all.  Good luck...I'll be cheering you on!