OK I’m sitting here looking at my spindly and out of shape self, wondering what I can do about the situation. Right now I can’t run very far without getting out of breath, can’t walk across campus without huffing and puffing and I look like a scarecrow. Literally. All pointy elbows and knees. I would like to change this.
But I’m confused as to how I should go about the process. I wanna make a few things clear about my goals
Primarily I just want to be in shape. I wanna be able to walk wherever I need to without getting winded.
I don’t wanna be a huge, buff thing. I’d just like to stop being skin and bones.
I have access to a gym at my college, but I’d prefer to keep as much equipment out of this as possible
I live on very hilly terrain.
If it gets complicated then I’m likely to forget it. Keep it simple is a good rule.
So with that in mind, what sort of stuff is available to me that would help? I’m just really lost at sea here.
Easy. Just start walking. Walking is a wonderful form of exercise, and it’s cheap (just need a good pair of shoes). Drink plenty of water before, during and after. Once you’re comfortable walking a mile or two 5-6 days a week, then you can decide if you want to add weight lifting, jogging, swimming, or something else. If not, well, just keep walking.
Not going to a gym will make things harder, and since you have free access to one I’d recommend you change your mind and start going. There’s a reason why 90% of the people there are in great shape – that’s what gyms are for.
Assuming you still want to do things on your own:
Do cardio to build endurance. Start jogging for 30 min-1 hour at least 3 times a week. Hilly terrain will make it all the better. If you have friends you can play sports with I’d do that, too.
Eating healthy in college can be hard (really, impossible), but try.
Hard to do that w/out lifting weights. There’s actually something I’ve heard of called a Prison Workout that’s all exercises you can do w/out weights to build muscle. I don’t have time to look one up right now, maybe someone else will have some ideas. Things like push-ups, pull-ups, dips, sit-ups, squats can all be done effectively w/out any equipment.
I started working out about 7 months ago. I do my whole workout with 10 lb., 8 lb., and 5 lb. dumbbells. Crunches, aerobics, and weight training will really help. I also watch Bodyshaping in the morning. They show you how to do the exercises and they all look faaaabulous, so it’s incentive to stick with it.
My husband started out with 20 push-ups a day two years ago. He now does a whole gym thing twice a week, dumbbells at home, and last Thursday he did 710 push-ups in five sets over a two-hour period. And he’s 59 years old. You can do it!
Or, if you’re dead-set against going to the gym, here’s an idea. You’ll need a little red wagon and an 80 lb. bag of salt. Put the bag of salt in the wagon, and drag that sucker for 25 meters four times, with as much rest as you need between drags. Do that three times a week. When that’s easy, go for 50 meters, then 75, and on up to 200. Once you’re up to 200 meters, get another bag of salt and take that as far as you can. Again, you’re trying to get up to 200 meters. If that ever gets easy, add another bag of salt, and repeat.
By the time you can do two bags, you’ll be in fantastic shape.
Gyms can be very intimidating - I felt that way for years. Then I finally built up the courage, wandered in and asked for help - I’m so glad I did.
Just try - if they are a decent gym there will be someone who works there that can help you - just tell them what you told us, and they should have some suggestions.
Failing that - I second the walking idea. Once you are comfortable walking, try jogging if you want a challenge.
Just echoing the gym recommendation. You’re probably not going to put on muscle mass without resistance work. Cardio may pull you into better shape and you’ll lose body fat, but you’ll still be skin and bone (or possible more so, with less fat to pad you out).
Going to the gym for the first few times is intimidating and confusing, but after a while it’ll be familiar and comfortable. It’s really quite time efficient too (particularly on campus), quicker than faffing about playing sport or with equipment at home.
Since you feel like you’re really out of shape now, do what DeadlyAccurate sugests and start walking. The hilly terrain is actually a bonus as it will help build your quads. Initially aim for a set amount time, say 30 minutes a day. and build up to an hour. Keep on yourself so you walk briskly and don’t slow down to an amble. I know a woman who listens to Sousa marches when she walks to keep her pace up.
After you’re comfortable walking a distance, try jogging. (but you don’t have to, just walking regularly will do a lot for your fitness and if you’re happy with your results, you don’t have to ramp it up) The best advice I got when I started running was to just keep running. Most beginners start out to fast, get winded, and then drop down to a walk. Start out with a light jog and hold it. Don’t worry if you’re jogging slower than you could walk. Just keep jogging and eventually your speed will increase.
When you get your nerve up, check out the gym. You can do things like the exercise bike and the elliptical machine when the weather is too bad to exercise outdoors. Since you’re in school, you probably go exercise at non-peak times so you don’t have to deal with a packed gym. If you get interested in weights (something I strongly encourage, there is no faster way to reshape your body), see if your college offers an introductory type course; most colleges have one.
Dont’ be afraid to push yourself. Unless you have a pre-existing health problem, it won’t hurt you to sweat and huff and puff a little. You won’t make gains by comstantly staying in your comfort zone. Also, the key to any successful exercise program is consistency. Find the time to work out that works for you, be it eraly morning or in the evening after classes. There will be plenty of times you’ll just want to blow off the workout. I find that if I force myself to go, I usually feel great about it after, even if I was dreading it to begin with.
Anyway, good luck! You’re on the right track. If you work to improve your fitness now, it’ll pay off muchly in the future…
My main advice is to start slow and build up what you can do, and don’t get discouraged. When I started at the gym last year, I felt a bit pathetic because I just barely managed to do 15 minutes slowly on an elliptical (lowest resistance) and I mean barely. But now I can do 20, 25, 30, or more no problem at a moderate or even ass-busting pace.
I’d start just walking around outside more, but eventually I’d try the gym. If it’s free, most definitely take advantage of it. See if there’s anyone there who can give you advice or a program you can do (I find it easier to stick to something if I have definite ## minutes on this machine, ## minutes on that, and do this this and this instead of “I guess I’ll go to the gym and do some random stuff”.
There’s a lot of good advice here. Running (if your knees are ok) is a great way to get/stay in shape, and it’s cheap and easy. The hills will get you into better shape faster. Start jogging as far as you can, walking when you get to winded/tired. Work up slowly. A good way to get common running injuries such as shin splints is to try to run too much too fast.
The gym (especially if it’s free) is ideal if you, like Kevin Spacey in American Beauty, want to get into better shape so that you “look good naked.”
But what I’ve found to be most important, wether you’re running, biking, weightlifting or whatever, is to try to find people to go with. If you have a dedicated person to work out with, both of you will be much less likely to skip a workout. It doesn’t take much at all to take a couple days off, then you fall out of your routine, and before you know it, it’s been a month since you’ve worked out.
Good luck, and if you do go to the gym, don’t be afraid to ask people questions. You’d be surprised how nice people are, and some of the biggest, buffest, most intimidating gym rats are often very willing to offer scrawny folks like us some good advice. It’s also a great way to meet people to work out with (or someone of the opposite sex if you’re in the market for that type of thing).
The important part to getting in shape is exercising regularly, and you’re most likely to do that if you pick something you enjoy. As long as you are sweating and your heart is beating faster for about half an hour, you’re exercising. I like the walks up and down your hills, but you might like something different. If you’re in college, I’ll bet there are also informal lunchtime or evening basketball games, volleyball games, and that sort of thing, too. At least, there always were at my little college.
Just make sure you pick something you like doing or can learn to like.
Would you be willing to go with a video or DVD workout?
I have a gym membership, but found it was way too easy to put off going because getting there was such a process, especially with my kids. But having a video at home takes away that excuse. By the time I get tired/ready to blow it off, I’m already through my workout.
It also has the added bonus of no one seeing me when I’m all red-faced and huffing.
Lots of good advice already given. I agree with the walking start. Given your description of your current condition, I would start with walking as opposed to jogging. You can work up to jogging later if you like. I personally prefer non-impact stuff. So you might consider rollerblading or bicycling for a change.
I would also hold off on going to the gym until you feel ready. Yes there are trainers and other people to help keep you motivated, but it can also be intimidating as well. So when you feel ready, go for it. Start out slow, and gradually add more machines when you feel ready.
As for walking, the hilly terrain sounds great. But also don’t let things get too routine/boring. The great thing about walking/hiking is that you can go anywhere.
But here’s the real advice I wanted to share: consistency is important. I don’t know that you need to start out every day. But something around 3 times a week to start would be good.
There will come a day when you will NOT feel like going out for that walk or activity. But go anyway. What I would do is kind of “negotiate” with myself. On those days I just didn’t feel up to it, I’d say “okay, instead of the normal 30 minutes of whatever, I’ll only do 10 minutes”. This would get me off my butt and into whatever activity (for me, this was going to the gym). Once I got there, and fulfilled my “obligation”, I would almost always continue on and end up doing a full workout. In fact, some of the better workouts came on days when I started out feeling not up to it !
I think the biggest reason people don’t stick with exercising is that it either becomes boring or uncomfortable, or they essentially decide that what they want for their body is not worth the effort. But the overall benefits to your health (and mind) are well worth it. So when you feel the urge to just pass on a session, instead just decide to do less (even a great deal less) than you would normally do. Far better to do some that none at all. And also you won’t begin a downhill slide of doing no workouts at all.
Since you’re at/near college, sign up for classes. You can audit most phys-ed classes for maybe $50/semester, which is much cheaper than a gym membership. When you find something you enjoy, stick with it. I took judo in college and now I take Brazilian jiu-jitsu. They’re the only way I can get any exercise because exercising any other way is simply too horrendously boring and awful.
I know there’s no other reason on earth I’d run up & down a soccer field for 2 hours.
It’s a no-contact, friendly, usually co-ed sport. It combines the rules of basketball and soccer, played with a frisbee. Where there is college, there are Ultimate teams.
Personally, I’m not good at excecising alone. I have to enjoy it for some reason other than the excercise or else I start slacking. I am NOT a team sport person (this is the first team sport I’ve ever played, I’m 29) but I really enjoy Ultimate.
