Starting the Gym for the first time in fifteen years!
Discussion
MissChief said:
I'm now 41 and really need to lose around 4 stone, maybe even a bit more.
Take it step-by-step and you will do it. I hadn't stepped inside a gym until just after my 40th birthday. I was already a few kilos down from my peak, by using a home exercise bike, but I kept the progress going with a combination of gym and reasonable diet. 3 years on and my waist size is smaller than it was at 20 and I feel fitter than I ever have. I am by no means thin, still carry some spare, but I enjoy life and feel good. The simplest calorie burner is a good session on the stationary bike. You'll be able to do this day after day without too many aches and pains making it difficult to put enough exercise in. If you are a total beginner, start with 10-15 minutes one day, then add five minutes a day until you reach your limit - which you can then more gradually work up from. Make the first five minutes each day a gentle warm up but then hit a resistance that you really feel and which makes you sweat. Once you are used to the basics, use the machine's interval/hill climb modes to get some much tougher sessions in.
When you are feeling more fit (this won't take you long) try a cross trainer and build sessions on that into your routine. Then add the rower - this will hurt more to begin with, which is why I suggest starting with the bike.
Definitely learn about using weights - take the advice from the gym and people on here. I am utterly crap with weights, so I won't give you any advice!
I'm 20kg lighter than when I joined a gym 3 years ago. I now enjoy outdoor cycling too, and I am probably 30+kg lighter than before I seriously used an indoor bike (in the months prior to joining a gym).
Last month, I cycled 114 miles in 7 hours - this was after a full day of gardening the day before and only 3 hours sleep. The day after the bike ride (and a very full sleep!), I was back out gardening and felt almost like I could do the ride again. If someone had told me 3 years ago that my overweight, tired, ageing, body would be capable of that then I would have laughed in their face.
You CAN do it...good luck :-)
MissChief said:
At the moment I'm 6ft and (sadly) edging towards 20 stone. I'm carrying it all around my middle and have a rather large belly. I used to be quite active at school but that was 25 years ago. I'm now 41 and really need to lose around 4 stone, maybe even a bit more. I've never been super skinny but now I'm, well, fat.
I would say you need to lose at least 6 stone, possibly 7 to be a healthy weight for your height unless you're built like King Kong. All the advice about exercise bikes etc is good and will lose you weight, personally I find that sort of thing crushingly dull and impossible to stay motivated about. I prefer lifting heavy weights as it's much more fun and combined with a clean, high-protein, low-carb diet it absolutely shreds fat off you. The numbers on the scale might not move as quickly but that's because you'd be adding some lean mass whilst cutting the fat. If I was you I'd try both and see how you get on with them.Of course step 1 is getting the diet sorted out which will be the biggest step of all. All the exercise biking in the world won't make any difference if you're eating wrongly, it's immeasurably easier to not eat the calories in the first place than try and burn them off again through steady state cardio.
Hoofy said:
hman said:
Also having a dog means you get 2 walks a day - so then you can feel a bit better about not doing starjumps in your living room of an evening or using the lift in high rise buildings lol.
Calories in vs calories burned if theres an imbalance you'll either gain or lose weight - its science.
You can post that a thousand times and many still won't believe you.Calories in vs calories burned if theres an imbalance you'll either gain or lose weight - its science.
article said:
Lawrence Davies, of the law firm Equal Justice, said: 'Many overweight people are so not by choice or lifestyle.'
The guy is a moron.Edited by Asterix on Monday 5th October 14:33
MissChief said:
As I haven't been to a Gym in over two decades I'd like an idea of what sort of kit I'll need. Shorts, T-Shirt, Music and crack on? Is it worth getting a small bag for shower gel, shampoo, towel and sweaty gym kit etc.?
Shorts, T-Shirt, Trainers, sweat towel.It's advisable to take a gym bag to carry things, including a proper towel for post-gym shower, and any smellies you wish to use. Unless you're one of these types who works out, then just jumps straight in the car and goes home.
Take some form of music-device if you want to. Most gyms have music on in there but I always prefer my own.
That's all you need. Don't over-complicate it.
And don't write off running before you've even tried it. Treadmills are easier on the joints and it's one of the most effective forms of cardio in respect of calorie burn vs time.
Muzzer79 said:
Unless you're one of these types who works out, then just jumps straight in the car and goes home.
I cycle to the gym - turn up sweaty from cycling, get sweatier, get back on the bike, arrive home sweaty from cycling.No point showering at the gym as I still have to shower when I get home. The cycle home is a good warm down BTW.
I'd say Equilibrium25's post is spot on. That's pretty much what I did to kickstart my gym routine.
Start off on the bike, say 15 > 30 minutes and then slowly try improving on the distance you go during that time. Then set yourself a new target with a longer time, say 45 > 60 mins. It's a good to give yourself little benchmarks/targets as you'll feel as if you've achieved something when you beat your previous time.
Other good tips are to make yourself a good playlist for your mp3 as having a good song that gets you in the zone I've found can really make the difference during a session.
It's also very important to not pigeonhole yourself into one area (i.e. only cardio). You should develop into weight training soon after you start hitting the gym and your cardio routine as it's a fantastic way of burning calories without the high intensity which cardio brings. Again, setting yourself small targets to beat each week. Whether it be adding small amounts of weight to your routine, or the amount of reps you can complete.
Anyway, here's a great article on fat loss and how to tackle it best at the gym.
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/01/what-bu...
Start off on the bike, say 15 > 30 minutes and then slowly try improving on the distance you go during that time. Then set yourself a new target with a longer time, say 45 > 60 mins. It's a good to give yourself little benchmarks/targets as you'll feel as if you've achieved something when you beat your previous time.
Other good tips are to make yourself a good playlist for your mp3 as having a good song that gets you in the zone I've found can really make the difference during a session.
It's also very important to not pigeonhole yourself into one area (i.e. only cardio). You should develop into weight training soon after you start hitting the gym and your cardio routine as it's a fantastic way of burning calories without the high intensity which cardio brings. Again, setting yourself small targets to beat each week. Whether it be adding small amounts of weight to your routine, or the amount of reps you can complete.
Anyway, here's a great article on fat loss and how to tackle it best at the gym.
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/01/what-bu...
Equilibrium25 said:
Hoofy said:
I think indoor bikes are fantastic. Stick it in front of the TV and pedal through a box set of your favourite series. 
No excuse, whether it's raining or snowing.
Agreed! Or whack on some appropriately fast and motivating music. No excuse, whether it's raining or snowing.
Asterix said:
Hoofy said:
hman said:
Also having a dog means you get 2 walks a day - so then you can feel a bit better about not doing starjumps in your living room of an evening or using the lift in high rise buildings lol.
Calories in vs calories burned if theres an imbalance you'll either gain or lose weight - its science.
You can post that a thousand times and many still won't believe you.Calories in vs calories burned if theres an imbalance you'll either gain or lose weight - its science.
article said:
Lawrence Davies, of the law firm Equal Justice, said: 'Many overweight people are so not by choice or lifestyle.'
The guy is a moron.Edited by Asterix on Monday 5th October 14:33
Hoofy said:
Asterix said:
Hoofy said:
hman said:
Also having a dog means you get 2 walks a day - so then you can feel a bit better about not doing starjumps in your living room of an evening or using the lift in high rise buildings lol.
Calories in vs calories burned if theres an imbalance you'll either gain or lose weight - its science.
You can post that a thousand times and many still won't believe you.Calories in vs calories burned if theres an imbalance you'll either gain or lose weight - its science.
article said:
Lawrence Davies, of the law firm Equal Justice, said: 'Many overweight people are so not by choice or lifestyle.'
The guy is a moron.Edited by Asterix on Monday 5th October 14:33
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