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For me, the hardest thing about working out is the first step out the door. Yes, I am lazy and I pretty much despise exercise in all forms. But I do it. Can't even tell you how many times over my life I have paid for gym memberships and haven't gone. I finally realized I am not a join the gym person. I work out at home. I have a small gym, treadmill, rower, and a vertical climber, in a spare bedroom. I have music and a TV. My treadmill has a little stand for my Kindle and I can read too. I bought it all on the cheap or used and it suits my needs just fine. I run and walk around my neighborhood most of the year. It's just too hot in the summer but the rest of the year it's great.
Start where you need to start. Comparing yourself to the gym rats is a form of self sabotage. Start small, start easy. For the first few weeks the goal should just be to learn the equipment and be more active every day. I wear a fitbit. I can't lie to myself about my activity level. A tracker would be a good investment for you.
Exercise matters but when it comes to weight loss, what you eat matters more. Cut out the easy calories/sugar first. Don't drink calories. I use cream in my coffee but that's it(can't make myself drink it black). I drink diet soda, or sparkling water of some kind. Always zero calorie/ no sugar. A good friend of mine lost 30lbs effortlessly over the course of a year just by switching from Coke to Coke Zero. Switch to low carb beer if that's your drink of choice, or use diet soda as a mixer. Do the easy stuff first! Fast food is a diet killer, sorry! There is not much out there that won't expand your waistline. You have to make the effort to cook at home. If you don't already know how, take a class. Great way to meet people too. I always cook several meals at a time. Less dishes and I only have to clean the kitchen once. I portion and freeze my meals so I always have 'fast food' available at home. Cooking becomes easy over time. You can do all your meals for the week while you watch a football game!
Do some reading about dieting and figure out what's good for you. When an effortlessly thin friend went on her first diet ever...she finally asked me why it wasn't working. Of course I asked what she was eating. I almost choked to death trying not to laugh when she told me it was Doritos and chocolate milk! The point is it's OK to not know about all this stuff and we all start at the beginning! There are tons of people out there who have been battling the bulge since birth and it's OK to ask for help.
jeesh. walk. walk. walk and oh, did i mention? WALK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i once weighed 230 around 25 years ago, when i found out i had cancer, i divorced my ex pro-se right from my hospital bed, and once out of the hospital, despite eating myself thru the highly contentious divorce, no lie, i ate nonstop. truly....but i walked. walked and walked and walked.
i started out slowly, a half mile, then a mile, after only a month we were up to 5 miles religiously 5 days a week. the pounds fell off, despite the 3,000 calories a day i was eating..... not only that, i lost inches, EVERYTHING SHRANK.
In just four months i went from a size 22 down to a sleek size 12, and mind you, that was while dealing with all the stress by eating.
They key to it for me was: get a walking buddy. sign a pact. pinkie swear. whatever. both of you vow that there are NO EXCUSES, NOT WEATHER, (remember, you are not the wicked witch of the west and rain will not dissolve you) NOT A FUNERAL IN THE FAMILY. NOTHING gets in the way of the one hour walk. It keeps you honest. on track. focused. committed.
Why would anyone work out in a stuffy smelly sweaty gym, waiting for a machine???? GET OUT AND WALK!!!! (can't afford weights? even a two liter bottle of soda can be a weightlifting miracle.
There is nothing wrong with walking and I commend your for going from a size 22 down to a size 12. However, you are doing is great for beginners but is only part of what is necessary. For some people, they are satisfied with that. What I suggest if you want to take it to another level is to lift weights, and you need to include some higher heart rate cardiovascular exercises.
I find lifting weights to be easy when I compare it to cardio exercise. My cardio is running and after 24 years of running, it is still hard. Swimming is another great cardio exercise that I would like to get back into.
BTW, I don't lift weights in a stuffy, smelly gym. I can't remember the last time I was in one of those. I run on a trail that crosses a couple of mountain streams. There are many days of the year that it is just not practical to run on that trail. Rain, cold, and darkness are not the greatest conditions for even the most hard core runner. And a two liter bottle of soda is not weightlifting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jobaba
Signing up is the easy part.
Actually going on a regular basis is the tough part.
I would start with 45 min of treadmill per visit. Running and walking in 5 or 10 minute intervals.
I doubt the OP will be able to do 45 minutes on a treadmill in the beginning. If he starts attempting to do that, he may get discourage and quit. This is another reason to start with weightlifting and walking.
First and foremost, use your arms to push away from the table.
Take a long vacation from breads, pastas, potatoes, rice etc etc...we can get plenty of carbs from many of our veggies. Save the Whites for a special treat.
Go slowly at the gym and watch others and why not a personal trainer for a few sessions. I've been a gym member for many yrs and not now as joints are so damaged but I saw so many just about killing themselves at the gym.
And Bulking up with too much body fat is not where you want to be. And water water water, take that bottle with you everywhere.
You will be a new person in many ways once you take off LOTS of weight and shape up.
Last edited by jaminhealth; 10-02-2018 at 06:11 PM..
Hi all:
I ride a bike a couple of times a week around town. I walk around in my classroom a lot. (I'm a 54 year old male high school teacher). But other than those two exercise-y things, that's it for movement and physical activity for me, pretty much for the last half decade.
I am 5'9", 250 lbs, divorced in the past year, and have become a lazy, beer-drinking, bar-food-eating slug. Five years ago I weighed 50 lbs. less (a pound a month....) Enough's enough.
There are two gyms in town....one at the small college in my small town: always packed (cause it's way cheap), lines for machines and free weights, and based more on socializing than exercising in our town. The other one is nice but forgotten, with a small therapy pool, nautilus machines and free weights, and 24/7 access year round via key fob. And virtually empty: everyone in town thinks it's strictly for the hospital and physical therapy so hardly anyone one is a "member". I frankly don't know how they stay in business...it's always empty. I'm joining that one. Time to get it done.
Once upon a time...back in the 90's I was a gym member in another town. Not since then though, and I've never been a "jock" at any point in my life. I'm smart enough to not "push it" and get injured, but what other advice do you all have for "someone like me." Yes, my commitment level right now is a serious one. One thing I've always had is will power, IF I put my mind to it. I finally am at that point.
I join tomorrow at 4 pm. Thoughts and comments and links to sites encouraged. Because I'm pretty much flying blind here. What should my gym days be like? Diet? earbud tunes? time allotted? Etc etc etc etc
thanks all....
You made a great decision to focus on health. Older adults are at risk for diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, high blood pressure, etc. Preventive medicine is key. The "prevention" includes healthy, habitual exercise that raises your VO2 max, strengthenes your muscles and joints, and lowers body fat percentage (not mass - but % in volume).
I am approaching 50 soon and have found that moderation and recovery are key factors. When I was a teen back in the 80s, I often ran 5 miles daily for JV basketball at high altitude. One day I would go all out and finish close to a PR. The next couple of days I would "recover" by going 70% or so (LOL). In late middle age I can't do that anymore. Running daily like that would be bad for my joints and back.
So, I mostly ride the bike or use the elliptical machine or stairmaster. Those three exercises are safest for our age group while still providing high VO2 max and calories burned. Next, the casual 1 to 2 mile run on the treadmill is also very good. In your case, I would recommend a brisk walk for a few weeks then work your way up to jogging (perhaps 4 mph or so) a mile. Eventually, you can build up.
Recovery is key. If I run a hard workout with a bike ride and 30 minute run on the treadmill at 6 mph and 6% angle, I take about at least 5 days to recover. In the intermittent period I just use the elliptical machine and a moderate level. It still burns a lot of calories.
So, use the safe machines for cardio workouts and stay modest on the treadmill. Meanwhile, weight lifting is good if done with a focus on proper form and posture. In HS football back in the 80s most guys would try to bench as much as they can or squat as high as possible. Those days are gone. Just a light 80 - 100 lb bench press should be enough - repetitions and form are key. The same goes for squats. Try the machines instead of the free weights.
Don't accidentally hurt your back by using the machines or equipment at the wrong angle: make sure the seat is adjusted for your height. If you try to do curls with the seat too high it can knock your back out quickly. The same goes for weight lifting and squats. Ask the trainers for help or watch some youtube videos on using the equipment.
But overall, exercise can help a lot. I don't know what I would do without it.
as others have said, start slowly. that's what i did as a 40 year old who hadn't set foot in a gym for ten years.
i'd start with ten minute chunks on the machines. find a machine that you like (has good, fluid range of motion) and then do ten minutes. keep increasing the time until you get to 30. your body will let you know when to push on because as you work out, your stamina is increased and you'll be able to do more.
You made a great decision to focus on health. Older adults are at risk for diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, high blood pressure, etc. Preventive medicine is key. The "prevention" includes healthy, habitual exercise that raises your VO2 max, strengthenes your muscles and joints, and lowers body fat percentage (not mass - but % in volume).
I am approaching 50 soon and have found that moderation and recovery are key factors. When I was a teen back in the 80s, I often ran 5 miles daily for JV basketball at high altitude. One day I would go all out and finish close to a PR. The next couple of days I would "recover" by going 70% or so (LOL). In late middle age I can't do that anymore. Running daily like that would be bad for my joints and back.
So, I mostly ride the bike or use the elliptical machine or stairmaster. Those three exercises are safest for our age group while still providing high VO2 max and calories burned. Next, the casual 1 to 2 mile run on the treadmill is also very good. In your case, I would recommend a brisk walk for a few weeks then work your way up to jogging (perhaps 4 mph or so) a mile. Eventually, you can build up.
Recovery is key. If I run a hard workout with a bike ride and 30 minute run on the treadmill at 6 mph and 6% angle, I take about at least 5 days to recover. In the intermittent period I just use the elliptical machine and a moderate level. It still burns a lot of calories.
So, use the safe machines for cardio workouts and stay modest on the treadmill. Meanwhile, weight lifting is good if done with a focus on proper form and posture. In HS football back in the 80s most guys would try to bench as much as they can or squat as high as possible. Those days are gone. Just a light 80 - 100 lb bench press should be enough - repetitions and form are key. The same goes for squats. Try the machines instead of the free weights.
Don't accidentally hurt your back by using the machines or equipment at the wrong angle: make sure the seat is adjusted for your height. If you try to do curls with the seat too high it can knock your back out quickly. The same goes for weight lifting and squats. Ask the trainers for help or watch some youtube videos on using the equipment.
But overall, exercise can help a lot. I don't know what I would do without it.
I know your post is well intentioned but there are so many items here that you state as the gospel truth because this is what you do. We all agree that someone should start out easy and not over do it. At some point, you should want to do more than just body maintenance. That will add to the motivation to continue. What I hear from you and some other people who have posted on this thread is you treat exercise like brushing your teeth. It is something you develop a routine for and you have continued doing it. There is nothing wrong with pushing it to your limits. You describe your age group (approaching 50) like you are a senior citizen ready for the nursing home.
At age 39, I had not exercised much in over a decade. I had a career, house, and a family. That summer I started going to a local track and running a couple miles once or twice a week. Eventually I started timing myself for three miles and tired to reduce my times. At Thanksgiving of that year I ran my first race. It was a 5-mile Turkey Trot.
I found that I need competition to push me to new levels. I think many people fail at exercise because they are just going through the motions. I watch people go to the gym and do their 20 minutes of slow walking on the treadmill and think to myself, "You drove how many miles to walk slowly for 20 minutes?" When I started timing my 3-mile runs, I was competing with myself to better my previous time. I was amazed at how the time dropped from 29:xx to 26:xx to 23:xx.
I worked with a guy who regularly ran a couple of large 10Ks. He suggested I run them with him. Now I had a goal. I upped my mileage and started researching ways to decrease my times. I ran the 10K with him and beat him. I didn't mention to him that I had run a 10K the week before to get an idea of my time and how to pace myself. At age 40, I ran quite a few 5Ks and 10Ks, and the following year (age 41) ran my first marathon. I also started lifting weights and got back into playing basketball.I just recently ran one of those 10Ks for the 24th year in a row.
You stated:
Quote:
In HS football back in the 80s most guys would try to bench as much as they can or squat as high as possible. Those days are gone. Just a light 80 - 100 lb bench press should be enough
First, nobody should be suggesting to someone else how much weight to lift. Make it simple, if you can do 10 reps, add the least amount of weight possible for your next set. You would be amazed at how good you feel when you can lift more weight. Your goal should be to improve over time, not "just a light 80 - 100 lb bench press should be enough." It doesn't matter what you start with as long as you keep improving for as long as you can. At age 63, I'm stronger than I ever was.
Regarding lifting on machines, I see more examples of bad form on machines than I see with free weights. A couple of the worst machines are the rotary torso, leg extension, and pec-dec. The pec-dec goes by different names but it is a machine for your chest where you squeeze the handles in front of you. All three can cause injuries if not done correctly.
When I first started to get in shape at your age I just took up walking from my house to a local park and doing laps. 20 minutes turned into 60 minutes and with a better diet I lost 40lbs in less than 6 months. THEN I joined a gym and never went...lol!
I love walking outside. It sure beats the gym. Find a nice park, take in the fresh air, notice the wildlife....it will make exercising more enjoyable
I think the OP said he wanted to make a serious commitment to exercising. Why do you want to discourage him?
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NOT A FUNERAL IN THE FAMILY. NOTHING gets in the way of the one hour walk. It keeps you honest. on track. focused. committed. 
