Help--Need to Exercise!

[sujul]

This is my first time posting to this forum...I'm doing great with long-term abs, BUT I'm not having any success with getting an exercise program going.... I have similar feelings about starting exercise as I about stopping drinking: I know I I SHOULD do something but I can't seem to get started--and I don't really WANT to either....this attitude has got to change!

I literally can sit at my computer or read/write the entire day and not really walk anywhere....

I am now 54 (how did THAT happen!?), and have not been very physically active in years--although in my "youth" I was a competitive swimmer and have always been quite healthy....

I gained a ton weight over the past 6-7 years, but in the last 15 mos I have lost nearly 30 lbs just by not drinking....BUT I still have at good 30-35lbs to go to be where I was about 11 years ago before I "relapsed"....

I know I should just start with maybe walking a few blocks on a regular basis and even a little bit would be more than I'm now doing....but I need some encouragement or inspiration or support or something! Or maybe I just need to feel accountable to you all...that certainly helped with staying abs!

The only real physical problem I have (other than being completely out of condition!) is that I have torn the rotator cuff on my right shoulder and will be having surgery on the 25th--so "arm stuff" is out for the time being...but there is no reason (except my mental block) that I could not do some stretches or go for a walk or......

All suggestions, advice and moral support VERY WELCOME!

[Keepon!!!!]

Help--Need to Exercise!

Hi Sujul

Im no expert on exercise but over the years Ive tried lots of different types and there are two I can suggest to you that I find not too tiring and you can do as much or as little as you like and they are 1. exercise bike you wouldnt need your arms for that just your legs you can place your arms comfortably on the handles or on your legs I do and what makes me forget im pedalling away is listening to my favourite music with my headphones in and my eyes shut 2. I also find the reebok exercise ball to be a good workout I have a Dvd it only lasts 20 minutes and when I first did the workout I thought to myself is that it how is that gonna help me but after doing it for 2 weeeks my body felt stronger even though It never made me sweat much. Its kinda relaxing too especially when stretching the dvd workout I do is made by a woman called Gin Miller and I highly recommend her

Anyway just some ideas for you good luck Sujul:h

[Determinator]

Help--Need to Exercise!

good stuff Keepon. I'd say find something you really like to do. I simply won't exercise if it's somethiing boring and I just hate health clubs for a number of reasons (ok, Im an anti social weirdo) but my wife Dx love the health clubs. Walking at first just to "wake up the bod" is probably the very best idea and the music or talk radio on the headphones might help as said above. Your love of swimming is great! it's low impact and there are so many easy to control exercises you can do in a pool. Enjoy!

[bassgirl]

Help--Need to Exercise!

Dogs are fantastic exercise partners, and you don't even have to own one to gain the benefits.

If you have space in your house and in your heart, contact a local rescue group and offer to foster. If a dog doesn't fit into your lifestyle right now, volunteer with your local shelter as a dog walker.

Walking homeless dogs is a good deed, and you'll have much more fun burning calories with them than you would by yourself. Keeping to a volunteer schedule will do wonders for your motivation, too!

[sujul]

Help--Need to Exercise!

Thanks for all the interesting ideas! Probably the walking is the best bet--I think I just need to actually REPORT that I have done it--I need to be accountable somewhere....

I would LOVE to be able to swim but living in NYC makes it difficult--health clubs are totally out of reach costwise...and the small apartment (at a HUGE rent!) leaves no room for either a dog or an exercise bike...two cats and two people in a 700sf apt just about fills it! Hmmm, never thought about walking rescue dogs--I'll have to keep that in mind for a future project....good one! The nearest animal shelter is at least an hour on bus/subway--so that won't work for now....

As you can see, I'm a little limited by urban life--but of course there are plenty of places to walk and I also have a pilates machine and something else, a Bodyshaper (?)...I guess I need to get those out from under the bed/behind the couch. I just need some words that will breath MOTIVATION into me.... Actually, I think I want the exercise to just happen, magically, on its own....

Okay--I'm going to set up a plan to start on Monday morning...I'll keep you posted...whether you want to be or not!

I'll start with a 10-min walk and work up from there....

Thanks for the support--that's what I really needed!

[morrison]

Help--Need to Exercise!

Sujul, you mentioned you could sit in front of the PC and read and write all day long. If you enjoy writing, sometimes you can take a tape recorder with you to speak into when you get some interesting ideas. This is something I've been telling myself I should do for a long time. Sometimes I'll get flashes of something, and it will just go away. Maybe walk someplaces you haven't been yet, and maybe the settings can trigger something in your mind and allow you to write something new. You can speak into the recorder as things pop into your mind. I've never tried books on tape, but went out with a girl that would always listen to them when she drove. She read more in a month that I probably did in my life. I don't know if that is credit to her, or a knock on me. Oh, drink lots of water too. This can't be stressed enough. I know you aren't going to start out balls to the wall, but lack of water causes your muscles to cramp, so you may as well get in the habit. You can never drink too much water. Do you like music? If so, then I would suggest getting some head phones to help you while you're walking. Start with just some walking at first, then pick it up to speed walking. Also, I know things are tough with your shoulder, but always remember to stretch as much as you can, without hurting yourself. I do sympathise with your shoulder surgery. I had surgery on my shoulder back in 2002, and the rehab took some time. Very frustrating. I hope it all works out for you.

[lucky 2.0]

Help--Need to Exercise!

I do not think I can be abs without exercise. I replace drinking with it and feel about a million times better. I love to walk with my ipod for either music or a recorded book or radio headphones radio to listen to good talk shows. You will feel so good after you have walked. And if you don't want to walk, do it anyway and you will still feel better. I think they say you feel better for like 2 or 3 days from the endorphines.

[Niblet]

Help--Need to Exercise!

Lucky your avator is DISTURBING !!! I've absolutely loved and laughed at many of your past ones but this one !!!!!!! UGGGGHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please reconsider it .. for me please... Thanks Hon, ~Niblet~

[Niblet]

Help--Need to Exercise!

Hey sujul, why don't you set your excercise equipment up in a room that you can see the TV... I cannot excercise without watching TV.. Get yourself a little timer or watch a clock to time your workouts. Everyday it will get easier for you to accomplish these workouts. Chart your progress, use a tapemeasure to measure your progress... Whatever works for you. Everybody is different. It takes 2 weeks for an activity to become a way of life. Commit yourself to this for the first 2 weeks and then it will become your way of life.. You can do this and enjoy seeing your refound results. Your youthful body is still inside you just waiting for you to help it to come out... Let out the clutch girl !!! Be creative and have fun with this.. Don't think about it, just ...... DO IT . Hugs, ~Niblet~

[bassgirl]

Help--Need to Exercise!

Thanks to the pragmatic wisdom of Reinhard Engels, I'd stay in great shape even if I were stuck on a desert island with nothing but a dinner plate and a sledgehammer. Total cost? About $10.

For the exercise portion of my desert island fitness program, I'd check out Shovelglove: The Sledgehammer Workout. Shovelglove (aka "shugging,") is 14 minutes per day (no more, no less,) of doing fun exercises that mimic real life movements like chopping wood. Reinhard recommends a sledgehapper wrapped in an old sweater, but if you haven't exercised in a while, I'd start out with a 5 or 6 pound, neoprene coated dumbell.

For the diet portion, I'd use his "No S" diet. No sweets, snacks or seconds except on days that start with S. It's as simple as you can get.

One thing that I can't ever stress enough is that fitness is best achieved through baby steps. It's a habit, not a new year's resolution! When I graduated from high school, I was a sickly, "skinny-fat" stringbean with not so great eating habits. Now I'm strong, fast and flexible. It didn't happen overnight, and I didn't find the holy grail and stick with it. In the past fifteen years, I've studied jiu-jitsu, kung fu and tai chi, trained for a marathon with a running group, ambled out the door in my running shoes when the weather was nice, kayaked, commuted by bike, biked for fun, taken spinning classes, been a bike messenger, trained for a bike race, lifted weights, taken classes in yoga and Pilates, skateboarding, worked with a personal trainer both online and in person, improved my swimming skills, hiked, explored my city on foot, played rugby and soccer and set out on a one-woman mission to strengthen my core muscles with the help of a few books. I've experimented with vegetarianism, veganism, raw-foodism, macrobiotics, grain-free diets, nutritional supplements, eating meat, ethnic cookery, etc.

I really want to learn Capoeira and do a few Cross-Fit classes soon. I'm experimenting with Indian cuisine and cooking tons of healthy, inexpensive, subtly spiced dishes.

Experiment with just a few of the things on my list. If you're a dilletante like me, you'll start making your own list. Or you might get hooked on one or two things and roll with them. Either way, go have fun! If something is boring or hurts too much, move on to the next thing.

[sujul]

Help--Need to Exercise!

Wow! I didn't even realize that you all had posted on here--what great ideas! I'm going to think about them all and figure out what will work for me....thanks everyone for all of this...wow, wow, wow...this is just great...okay...now to get going on some of this...baby steps...you know this IS just like trying to start abs or mods...baby steps, do what you can, listen, learn, keep trying, focus on the rewards.....

Okay--haven't actually done anything yet...just got to...kick start myself somehow....

oomph!!

[Noella]

Help--Need to Exercise!

Sujul,

Hi! I too have to get back on a regular exercise schedule... I'm a gym person, but it only works if you actually go! :H You mentioned needing/wanting a buddy - If you like, we can nag each other!

Also, (and I've always meant to try this myself) you said you sit in front of a computer for ages? I read somewhere that replacing your office chair with one of those exercise balls is a great, fairly passive way to strengthen your core muscles. If that won't work for the office, maybe at home?

-N