After watching “The Brotherhood,” I have decided to get in better shape.
Now, I detest gyms and exercise facilities. I also hate sweating. Having said that, what would be the best exercise regimen incorporating sit-ups and push-ups, can be done in the privacy of one’s own bedroom, and is discreet?
I did 10 push-ups today and 2 sit-ups (barely 2, it’s not even funny). Sit-ups are hard, all I have is my bed to anchor my feet.
Any suggestions will win the undying praise and gratitude of myself, my father, mother, brother, sister, best friend, and wife (all of whom have been pressuring me to do exercise).
On a simple level , walking and swimming , as they’re both IMO pleasant and you can pace yourself in a non-competitive environment.
As you ask , you clearly have a desire to improve fitness.
Same as me - I’m overweight , middle aged reformed smoker:
when I understood my condition was serious , then my attitude to exercise got serious.
Since beginning callisthenics and light weights , I feel much better.
But I know it is a long , slow haul to get to my desired level of fitness.
And I have days when energy & enthusiasm are low , but I persist.
Read all you can about getting fit , don’t overdo it , be patient.
It is worth the effort.
If you’re my age group , you need to do it.
If you’re in your twenties , then you’ve no real excuse not to !
Ok, I do 30 pushups a day and even that’s too little. 10 pushups and 2 situps isn’t going to work, it’s just something to alleviate your conscience, I guess.
Oh and by the way, I wouldn’t do situps. They’re really bad for your back, as I have found out the hard way (ouch, ouch). Crunches are much better. You just need to lift your upper half about 10 cm, then hold for a second, lower yourself to the ground without touching it and hold that position for a second. That’s called a “crunch”, afaik.
So, I’d recommend doing 25 situps and 25 crunches with 5 repititions. If you’re working out less than half an hour, it’s probably not going to do anything.
Plus, jogging seems to be a good idea as well (I never managed to follow through with that, as it is so boring.). I recently heard that you should try to have a pulse of 60-70% of 220-your age when running in order to burn fat. So, if you’re 20 years old, you should maintain a pulse of 120 to 140 when jogging.
I too, hate exercising. The gym is somewhere I go because it’s “good for me”. I started very gently by stretching and doing light weights (“curling” the dictionary, pots, the cat) instead of becoming discouraged that I couldn’t do 20 push ups on the first go. Most importantly, though, I found activities I like to do and don’t think of as exercise.
For example, I like walking, so I started hiking only at my own pace. Walking is actually quite good for your back muscles and legs. And I took up ice skating because I’ve always wanted to learn. Turns out it’s good for balance, your heart and the aforementioned muscles. Since it’s cold in the rink, I don’t sweat as much as I would at a gym so I avoid that yucky sweaty feel. I’m learning to skate better so I concentrate on doing that rather than seeing it as “getting exercise.”
I realised that I didn’t directly address your bolded query. I don’t set out to do push ups and/or sit ups, so I can’t help you develop a routine. But I do recommend doing other activities to strengthen the muscles that you will need to do more push ups and sit ups.
My choice was to get a treadmill for walking. But the key trick is to have a tv on to a favorite show. The effort involved in exercise is a big turnoff and is a major disincentive, but boredom is a big factor too. If you can find a way to kill the boredom, a light exercise (like walking) can be bearable, or even fun.
Even better than a tv show - a good movie, to avoid tedious commercial time.
Heck, 10 push ups and 2 sit ups is awesome. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. You have just completed tha A number one, absolute, end all be all, mother off all difficulties when it comes to excercise.
That is starting.
The next hardest hurdle you have is making it a habit.
The numbers will come in due time, as will variety and types. You have succesfully faced the biggest hurdle, for that I congratulate you. Pat yourself on the back.
I agree with Keeve. I hate exercise, but found a home exercise bike, used with a sports heart rate monitor, suits me. While I’m cycling, I either watch television or read a book (I made a special stand to fit a paperback). It’s discreet, and being able to control precisely the effort makes it more tolerable.
Nobody’s so far mentioned the word “aerobic”, but you also need sustained aerobic exercise - as people have said, cycling, swimming, running, fast walking - if want to improve your general fitness (stamina and cardiovascular efficiency, lose weight, etc). Push-ups and sit-ups build particular muscle groups, but aren’t aerobic.
Maybe this is too chick-oriented for a manly fellow like you, but I’ll mention it in case any other exercise-haters rush in here to read suggestions.
I found I really enjoyed a water aerobics class. I LOATHE aerobics and I abhor sweating. Water aerobics is more fun than usual aerobics, and the water keeps your body cool. Although you can’t do it in “private,” I found that my class was full of nice flabby people like me so I didn’t feel self-conscious. Also, no one can see your lack of coordination under the water.
Biking is fun. I have some great bike trails around my house, but they are too short (20 minutes later I’m back at home) so I put my bike in the van and drive farther out to some awesome scenic paths. That keeps me busy for a few hours, and it doesn’t really seem like exercise because there is so much stuff to look at.
But when it’s warm out I do sweat. I don’t really like getting all sweaty, but after a good ride it feels good! And a quick shower makes it all better.
Find a sport to play. Even if you don’t enjoy the normal field sports, there are all sorts of zany leauges you can get a workout from. Underwater Hockey comes to mind, as does Jai Alai. Also think about boxing (as a sport, not just the pansy aerobics bit, you get a much better rush when you can actually hit someone, don’t even notice the exertion) or another martial art. Rock climbing is an insane workout and loads of fun too, as is sculling if there are facilites around.
Basically, the best way to workout for someone who doesn’t want to is to have the workout be a side-effect of another activity - what happens with sports. Sweating is all but required to get a real workout, you’ll get used to it and grow to love it once you get the endorphine highs.
Rock climbing, sounds neat. doubt the gym down the road has a rock climbing wall, but woah that sounds neat.
Another vote for getting into a routine of doing * anything*.
Once you get a routine going you spend less time thinking about whether you can be bothered to work-out today, and you just get on with it.
I for one always feel better afterwards.
It’s not a chore, its just another thing you do, like cleaning your teeth.
** good music helps **
p.s, when i do crunches i only seem to work out the muscles at the top of my abdomen, and less so further down, any pointers?
WeRSauron, there’s an old saying: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” I like to add that that first step is often the hardest one.
You’ve already taken that first step. Congratulations!
I agree with the others who’ve recommended walking. If you already have a bicycle, that’s good too.
The key ideas when you’re starting are:[list=1][]Start slow. Don’t overdo it. If all you can do for now is 2 situps, that’s fine. Try 3 in couple of weeks. []Make a schedule (time of day, how often) you can keep. Then keep it. Be realistic. Again, don’t overdo it. If all you can do is 3 days a week, that’s fine to start. You must give the exercise priority over lesser things like watching TV.Avoid buying equipment until you’re sure of what you want. Otherwise it tends to just gather dust and your money will be out the window.[/list=1]
