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I go on walks with my boyfriend a lot and breathe SO hard the whole way through, I see black spots and start wheezing like crazy...
thats pretty bad. i lift weights in the gym plenty, but i dont do any cardio. i walk my dog a decent amount and i run around because it entertains my daughter. so i can see that i have some stamina. at 20 years old you seem to have less stamina than my 65 year old mother in law. not good.
Find something that interests you, for me it was riding my bike and hitting a heavy bag. First off, whatever you do, do it to the max for a couple of days. It may be tough to get motivated, but I find once I push myself for 3 days, I don't want to stop my routine in the following days. And don't ever give up that routine.
You may not be exercising much because you're walking. Walking is way too boring for a 20 year old. Step it up and make it hurt a bit.
i think someone spoke positively of walking. its not really going to get you any improvement of any kind if you arent putting out some effort. i dont think walking is enough unless you are a geezer.
I've heard the same about people loving exercise. One of my co-workers is obsessed with it, she loves jump roping/jogging/yoga/anything you can think of. Then again, there are people like us who can't stand it. Guess it all depends on the individual.
That is me. I just love exercising and anything to do with fitness. When I was a little kid I used to go "exercise" in the backyard by lifting rocks, running laps around the yard, lifting my older brothers weights, etc. Ive just always been that way.
OP, first I'd like to say how awesome it is that you are looking to start some type of exercise program. Also, I think its really awesome that you are actively participating in this thread. Many people start thread here but never participate and that is usually a sign that they will be unable to stick to an exercise routine, but I think you are totally on the right track.
My suggestion would be to find something that you enjoy that is NOT "exercise". Sign up for martial arts training, take up tennis, go running. I am NOT a fan of "walking" for exercise. You are 20 years old and as you say "normal" weight so you should be doing much more than just walking. That is about as boring as you can get in terms of physical activity. Plus, you will get much greater benefit from actually running/jogging or really ANYTHING else other than just walking. Get a bike and go cycling. Sign up at a gym that offers free classes as part of their curriculum like cardio kickboxing, yoga, pilates, etc. and you'll be able to do 3-5 different exercises per week so you'll never get bored of doing the same thing over and over and over if you are like that.
That is me. I just love exercising and anything to do with fitness. When I was a little kid I used to go "exercise" in the backyard by lifting rocks, running laps around the yard, lifting my older brothers weights, etc. Ive just always been that way.
OP, first I'd like to say how awesome it is that you are looking to start some type of exercise program. Also, I think its really awesome that you are actively participating in this thread. Many people start thread here but never participate and that is usually a sign that they will be unable to stick to an exercise routine, but I think you are totally on the right track.
My suggestion would be to find something that you enjoy that is NOT "exercise". Sign up for martial arts training, take up tennis, go running. I am NOT a fan of "walking" for exercise. You are 20 years old and as you say "normal" weight so you should be doing much more than just walking. That is about as boring as you can get in terms of physical activity. Plus, you will get much greater benefit from actually running/jogging or really ANYTHING else other than just walking. Get a bike and go cycling. Sign up at a gym that offers free classes as part of their curriculum like cardio kickboxing, yoga, pilates, etc. and you'll be able to do 3-5 different exercises per week so you'll never get bored of doing the same thing over and over and over if you are like that.
I am always amazed at the diversity of city-data, LOL. It's really remarkable to know that there are people out there like you. I have known several myself.
Since the OP has told me that we are similar in our thoughts and feelings about exercise, you response made me smile. I honestly cannot imagine WANTING to do any of the things that you mention. Mind you, I am 56 years old now, but I was 20 once.
When I have a "day off" to do nothing, the first thought that pops into my head is .... "Fantastic, now I can sleep all day if I want to!" The idea of going outside, let alone, doing anything physical, is quite possibly the last thing on my mind. For me personally (and perhaps the OP as well), being outside is *not* something that I care to do unless it involves drinking Margaritas on the beach. LOL Otherwise a good book, a soft couch and 73 bug-free degrees year around is my idea of paradise! LOL
If you are 20 years old and run out of breath walking up the stairs, it is time to start worrying!...Just think how you will be when you hit mid 30's. Start to get in the routine now if you can. Start out by walking a mile 3 days a week. After a week or so of that, start to incorporate interval running in that mile. Run for a minute, then walk for two. Do that for the whole mile. You will start to see it gets easier and you can hike it up to two minute runs and etc...I quit smoking 3 years ago and that is how I started running. I couldn't run for a minute straight without almost passing out, and it was really brutal starting out, but now I can run 3 miles no problem. Once you get into it, it is a great stress reliever and time to think (I hope you don't have too much stress at 20 years old, but you know what I mean). And you feel so good once you finish. Getting your heart pumping for a half hour will do wonders to your health. Also, it's never easy to get yourself to the gym or outside to run..but it's something you have to do. Just make it a weekly routine and a new part of your lifestyle. You won't regret it!
I know That's why I'm seeking advice about how to turn this train around.
Maybe smoking is the problem. I am an occasional smoker, 1-2 per day, if that. I only buy them if I have extra cash. But that could probably have an effect on how well I can exercise.
Thanks for the advice, I'm envious of people who can run and have it be a stress reliever - it just makes me grumpy and tired. But I'm glad that there's a light at the end of the tunnel!
thats pretty bad. i lift weights in the gym plenty, but i dont do any cardio. i walk my dog a decent amount and i run around because it entertains my daughter. so i can see that i have some stamina. at 20 years old you seem to have less stamina than my 65 year old mother in law. not good.
That's one of dozens of reasons I really want a dog...by not going for a walk, I'd be impacting their health negatively, and that's not something my conscious could live with. Anyway, yeah, I guess this is what happens when a person is raised on junk food and tv Note to all parents....lol
Quote:
Originally Posted by nowitsshowtime
Find something that interests you, for me it was riding my bike and hitting a heavy bag. First off, whatever you do, do it to the max for a couple of days. It may be tough to get motivated, but I find once I push myself for 3 days, I don't want to stop my routine in the following days. And don't ever give up that routine.
You may not be exercising much because you're walking. Walking is way too boring for a 20 year old. Step it up and make it hurt a bit.
Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely keep up my search for an exercise that interests me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainNJ
i think someone spoke positively of walking. its not really going to get you any improvement of any kind if you arent putting out some effort. i dont think walking is enough unless you are a geezer.
Haha that's kind of what I had been thinking I think that supplementing the walks with other forms of exercise would make me feel better.
Hmmm, find a kid that can hit a baseball, get a giant bucket of balls.
Take the kid to the field, pitch him the entire bucket of balls and then run to the outfield and collect balls...
whoever gets the most balls collected gets to hit next (this was actually motivation for them to clean up the balls).
We did this yesterday...it was a lot of fun. It's not exactly high intensity but we weren't sitting on our asses either.
That's a really good idea! Now to find myself a child...lol
Quote:
Originally Posted by LaoTzuMindFu
That is me. I just love exercising and anything to do with fitness. When I was a little kid I used to go "exercise" in the backyard by lifting rocks, running laps around the yard, lifting my older brothers weights, etc. Ive just always been that way.
OP, first I'd like to say how awesome it is that you are looking to start some type of exercise program. Also, I think its really awesome that you are actively participating in this thread. Many people start thread here but never participate and that is usually a sign that they will be unable to stick to an exercise routine, but I think you are totally on the right track.
My suggestion would be to find something that you enjoy that is NOT "exercise". Sign up for martial arts training, take up tennis, go running. I am NOT a fan of "walking" for exercise. You are 20 years old and as you say "normal" weight so you should be doing much more than just walking. That is about as boring as you can get in terms of physical activity. Plus, you will get much greater benefit from actually running/jogging or really ANYTHING else other than just walking. Get a bike and go cycling. Sign up at a gym that offers free classes as part of their curriculum like cardio kickboxing, yoga, pilates, etc. and you'll be able to do 3-5 different exercises per week so you'll never get bored of doing the same thing over and over and over if you are like that.
Wow, sounds like someone would make a great personal trainer! Yeah I think that someone who doesn't respond to their threads is 9 times out of 10 a troll anyway
Is it silly that I'm worried about being an adult and going back to learn something like that? I have this scene in my mind of being the only adult in a room full of kids learning martial arts...maybe that's just me being paranoid. Tennis was always fun for me although I suck at it I'm afraid of team sports because I don't want to let anyone down by being awful. But there is a park nearby that has a tennis court, maybe I could find a friend to go play with me. Thanks for all of the great ideas!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson
I am always amazed at the diversity of city-data, LOL. It's really remarkable to know that there are people out there like you. I have known several myself.
Since the OP has told me that we are similar in our thoughts and feelings about exercise, you response made me smile. I honestly cannot imagine WANTING to do any of the things that you mention. Mind you, I am 56 years old now, but I was 20 once.
When I have a "day off" to do nothing, the first thought that pops into my head is .... "Fantastic, now I can sleep all day if I want to!" The idea of going outside, let alone, doing anything physical, is quite possibly the last thing on my mind. For me personally (and perhaps the OP as well), being outside is *not* something that I care to do unless it involves drinking Margaritas on the beach. LOL Otherwise a good book, a soft couch and 73 bug-free degrees year around is my idea of paradise! LOL
20yrsinBranson
Hahaha! Margaritas on the beach, if only that was an approved form of exercise Our ideas of paradise are very similar - especially the bug free part!
It's true that I don't really get 'pumped up' thinking about going for a run, but seeing family members die as a result of not exercising enough is motivation for me to do something new. I think that I just need to get over this fear of looking stupid and just DO something. Just need to figure out what this something should be.
I'm also worried about spending money on classes for anything because I have credit card debt, student loan debt, car loan debt, etc, etc, and every time I spend so much as $1 I think "do I really need this?" and although my health is important my stubborn side says to just make do with what I have. Internal conflict galore!
Walking won't be enough? You've been doing nothing. Walking is a thousand times better than intertia. As I said, walking 4 miles an hour burns off 400 calories. And I wouldn't knock it, why don't you try walking at this pace? You smoke, I doubt you could do it. Try it and see.
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