Disclaimer: I don't promote unhealthiness, just not judging others for their weight, we're allowed to exist without laughs, hatred, etc. Don't find me attractive? Don't ask me out, don't come up to my face and tell me you think I'm ugly though! ha. (Kind of irrelevant but wanted to say it).
So, for the last three years, I have been on an incline for gaining weight and a year ago I decide I want to change, doctors tell me "oh lose weight", society tells me "oh lose weight" blah blah. Doctors think that's all they need to say, and you just KNOW. So I find a "cough to 5k" program that starts with walking for 20minutes, then light jogging for 60 seconds once, and slowly goes up to eventually jogging for 5km. Within a month, and barely incorporating much jogging, I have plantar fasciosis in both feet and I can barely walk.
I haven't really done much since then. All I'd ever hear is, you need to exercise, I tried doing what everyone said 'just start moving", and now for 12 months I live in a debilitating pain that doesn't go away!
But recently I've found this new plan, that is specifically designed for overweight beginners. A lot of people that offer help, while good intentioned, perhaps haven't themselves experienced the joint pain, or realised that when you run/jump your weight is x4 the pressure on those joints. It's not good! And others don't always realise we perhaps don't have the strength, stamina, ability whatever, to be able to do "normal" workouts. We got told, 3 sets of 10 reps, but because I can't do that it makes me feel like a failure.
So I found a set of rules, followed by a plan, that I plan to stick to and seems really useful. Adjust accordingly, you may not be overweight just really unfit and find it helpful.
Rules
Rule 1: Do what you can.
They say do 30-60minutes aerobic activity 3-6 times a week, get the heart rate up, sweat sweat sweat etc. But as mentioned with our joints, out fitness levels (mate, I sweat looking at stairs! ha), so that impact can cause more injury (like it did for me) than actually help until you get some strength going.
So start with 10 minutes a day, break it up into 1 minute up around the house, 10 times a day. Whatever gets you moving a bit. Use the stairs up a flight instead of the lift, park a bit further from the store.
Rule 2: Cardio is not the be all and end all.
Building and maintaining muscle is much more demanding on the metabolic system long term, and strength will aid in being able to endure more cardio as it strengthens the muscles and loosens up whatever joint paints you may have associated with your weight/injuries. Combining cardio AND weights together is a key.
Rule 3: Do something you like!
Cardio and weights are a must, we've settled on that. But if aerobics or pilates annoys the crap out of you, either it's the instructor, the exercise itself, you don't feel confident around people slimmer than you (perfectly normal!), don't do it. You'll grow to resent your exercise time. Incorporate it into the day. If you want/have a pet, get one and walk it, or volunteer to walk a neighbours pet. Garden. I know of a story where a lady said she carried a weight around the house whenever she stood up and moved. If you have stairs in your house, walk up them a couple extra times. Make yourself a play list if the music is more important than the exercise itself (it is for me!).
Rule 4: Whatever you do, stick with it.
A common downfall, one I know I'm guilty of, is giving up too quickly. Results don't come quick enough, you start to miss a day, maybe two, eventually you lose the habit. You need to make yourself make it a routine. Doesn't take long to do that. It is also why weights are a good addition, because strength results can be seen a lot quicker than weight loss. And you'll feel a difference. This also means don't get hung up on your weight number! The body works weirdly, and as the body changes, it absorbs differently, as you change your diet and eat better/ drink more water, you'll gain a bit of water weight, and you may think you're failing but you're not.
Rule 5: Don't under-eat either!
A cube of cheese and 2 carrot sticks a day, does not a healthy diet make! I know, a fat person talking about diets. I may personally not be the healthiest, doesn't mean I don't know HOW to eat healthy ha. For someone non-active and overweight, you should multiply your weight by about 7 or 8. And that is your approximate intake of calories, (x8-10 for males). They're approximate numbers and obviously the:
calories have to come from a good source, not "oh my chocolate bar is 1000 calories, I'll eat carrot sticks and I'm under the count!"
Rule 6: Monitor yourself carefully.
For both the positives and negatives. If you have fat loss, better stamina, strength etc, note this down and make sure you keep at what you're doing. If you develop specific pains (general pain is usually muscles being worked, but specific pains can be an issue), this is a negative, or if you feel unhappy, change the routine before you resent working out as a whole.
Also, monitoring your diet, and any supplaments you may need/want to take, I won't pretend to know about them though. Google mentions a MSM, Chondroitin and Glucosamine Sulfate, for joint problems and I've heard good things.
Exercises! <3
This is more dedicated to weights, as we've already mentioned about incorporating more movement into the day as possible.
Week 1:
Get to know the equipment you'll use. If at a gym, get shown around. Set 2 or 3 days a week for the beginning of when you'll come in, and what times, and keep them. Get a notebook and in three areas, label them with workouts, food intake and measurements (weight, hip, waist, thigh, arms, bust), take a picture too if you feel and write the date.
Week 2:
Now, stick to the designated days! If you don't know these things, youtube can help/gym staff.
Warm up for 2-3 minutes on a treadmill
Stretch out slowly, moving in all your range of motion.
Squat, with no extra weight, for as many as you can, 1 set, working up to 20.
Lat pulldown, 1 set x 10-12St
Bench press, 1 x 10-12
Dumbbell shoulder press (sit down if required) 1 x 10-12
Calf raises, 1 x 12-15
Ab crunches, 1 set of as many as you can do. I found in the past just setting a clock for 30 seconds and doing as many as possible was easiest.
Cool down - stretches for 5 minutes
Cardio is optional, but if you can, do 5-10 minutes gently.
Week 3:
This week is just about making sure to go regularly, even on days you don't have designated work outs, just go in for 10 minutes to walk and leave. It gets you used to going there. Start to begin to keep a food diary. Record what you eat, when, how you felt, portion size.
Week 4:
Focuses on your diet. Start making small changes. First change can be decrease the portion size a little, or change to 5-6 small meals if you don't have that.
Week 5:
Increase the difficulty of your workouts. So all the same, but increase to 2 sets of 10-12 reps.
Cardio should definitely be added in by now at the end. 10-15 minutes is good. Make another small change in the diet, e.g. getting more lean meats.
Week 6:
Continue from week 5. Slightly increase difficulty. Perhaps go up a weight if too easy. Increase cardio a little. Make another small change, eliminate junk food.
This does not mean you aren't allowed to treat! Going cold turkey can sometimes make you completely rebound, I haven't bought block of chocolate in a year and I'm a chocoholic, but I'll allow myself a normal sized chocolate bar every now and then still and it's helped me not buy a block!
Week 7:
Same again, increase the duration or intensity of cardio/daily activities. Make another small change. Cut out all/most soda's and juices and drink only water.
Week 8:
Progress Report, 2 months! Take the measurements you took at the start. You may not have a huge difference, which is normal, don't be hard on yourself. Look at how much your fitness has improved.
I went from barely surviving 5 minutes on an eliptical to 25 minutes being quite relaxing within a month! Weight barely changed, but I look at that and see results!
Increase the cardio time again, and daily activities you've chosen to do. Make another small change in the diet! You don't have to cut all things out at the same time, it's easier to ween off one thing. So chips could be your week 5, lollies in week 6, chocolate week 7, cakes in week 8 (alongside the other healthier changes).
Week 9:
Increase the weight difficulties again! Go up to 3 sets in squats of 15 in good form. Increase the weight a little. All exercises are the same though. Cardio is definitely important at the end now. You can choose to do a challenging High Intensity 10 minutes, or a moderate 20 minute work out, or alternate. Increase incline and resistance.
Make another change in diet, caffeine/alcohol.
Week 10:
Same as week 9. Make another small change. Add an extra vegetable or two to your daily eating.
Week 11:
Same again, and you're well on your way to a good healthy diet, that's not something you've forced on yourself but slowly introduced.
Week 12:
And you're at 3 months. You're exercising daily, doing weights a few times a week. Take measurements again. Increase your sets to 3. Add another day of the week in if you feel. But make changes slowly, and appreciate the SMALL goals. If week 2 you barely reach 5 reps, but week 3 you get 6, THAT is an achievement. You need to look at them all. If your goal is ONLY weight loss, when the number doesn't go down quick enough, you feel bad. I've been there. Spend 2 weeks on each designated week and go extra slow if you feel this is too much for you. But you have to push yourself too and some days it'll suck.
Hopefully this from a fellow overweight person who's been laughed out of gyms, made to feel crap for my existence, spat on because of my weight (Which is probably just north of 200 pounds I guess, not good with conversions). It can be hard. But you can do it!
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