Looking for advice starting out exercising after 18 years smoking and bad eating habits. No immediate health concerns, get out of breath easily, not much endurance, long recovery times. Can’t keep a fitness routine so to speak. I enjoy going for walks, not a big fan of running/jogging, not very strong but have dumbbells of a few kg I lift once in a while. Hoping for a bit of honest and rewarding direction.
Welcome to MAP. Try this thread. Want to start but not sure what to do Hopefully there are a few ideas for you.
I'd say the most important thing for starters is to find anything that gets you out of breath that you find fun. If you don't enjoy it, you're not likely to stick with it. Could be anything - squash, badminton, martial arts...
I recommend booking an appointment with a certified personal trainer at your nearest gym. Initial consultations are typically free and he or she will be in the best position to advise you on your health and fitness goals. I know a lot of people are hesitant to 'waste' money on a personal trainer, but it would be an invaluable investment in your health - your most precious asset.
I 100% agree with this. Don't go to a gym. The dropout rate for a gym membership puts any martial arts club to shame.
Yeah, I mean some people love the gym, but if you set up a regular thing with other people then the thought of letting others down can often be a bigger motivation than just letting yourself down for skipping the gym. Depends on your personality.
If you can find a target \goal to achieve that requires additional fitness, it can really help keep focus and help drive to stick to it. Something realistic, but not too easy. I'm sure a good personal trainer will help you decide what that is.
Talk to your doctor. Seriously. Also, pay attention to your body's signals. You are going to need to learn when to push yourself and when to sit down. This is not an easy thing to learn for some particularly stubborn people and not learning that lesson can lead to trouble. Again, talk to your doctor. David Harrison's advice is generally sound and it is a good starting point, but again, you need to talk to your doctor. I am a doctor, but I am not _your_ doctor. Your doctor knows your medical history and is the best person to advise you on how to start an exercise programme, especially given your description of your current condition.
I personally do P90X and it has changed my life. Even though something like that is tough to start with. You can build of stamina overtime. I stopped working out for 4 years and I came back to P90X and can barely do any of it. I would mainly suggest start out small don't push yourself more then you can, don't want to harm yourself. After a while ( maybe built some muscle, lost weight) you can start to do more in your workouts. Maybe doing some kind of marital art might be a good starting point as well. Don't go to the gym. I personally don't feel comfortable in a gym. Be somewhere your comfortable working out. Maybe some open space at your house somewhere.
Hi everyone here I can give you some advice that how you can start exercise; First, stay hydrated, drink water or juices enough as you can. Eat a healthy balanced diet that is full of nutrition. Start doing a workout, do what your body feels that I have to do this.
The easiest way to build a habit is to attach new behavior to an existing habit. For example, if you want to start flossing, just put your floss next to your toothbrush so you remember to floss whenever you brush your teeth. In your case if you want to build an exercise routine, I'd suggest start small and just find a good time to do some walking. Watch YouTube a lot? Try to make it a habit that you only watch videos while you're walking. Maybe put your shoes in front of your fridge so every time you go to get dinner, you remember to go on a walk afterwards. Be creative - find a habit you can build off of and take advantage. Walking outdoors is a great way to improve mental health as well.
I like this advice a lot. Dan John, a widely respected strength and conditioning coach for those who don't know of him, talks about, "putting success in your way." In other words, make it easier to do the thing than NOT do it. So, the night before your workout/walk/whatever, get the coffee machine ready, lay out your workout clothes, put your footwear by the door, whatever you'll need to stumble out of bed and into your morning walk/workout. I think this links to something many people talk about, which is the idea that you have a limited amount of decision making potential or thinking power for a day. Einstein famously had numerous identical suits/shirts/ties so that he wasted no time or effort on deciding what to wear each day, and many others have followed this plan. In other words, once you have decided to do something, remove every impediment to you achieving that so you can spend your willpower capital in the act, not in getting to it.
