Feeling flabby and unfit.... should I start running?

[pstruck]

Well that's how I feel at the moment! It could well be something to do with my 40th birthday looming. I'm sure there have been many such posts on here, but this is my situation.......

I've never been a fitness fanatic and have never been sporty at all. In my younger days I was reasonably fit, probably because I used to cycle everywhere. Now though I feel like being fit and slim again is an impossible goal.

I don't think I'm hugely overweight, cerainly a bit heavier than I would like to be and I do have a bit of a beer belly. My complete lack of fitness has me getting out of breath and feeling very hot and sweaty very quickly. I think maybe I've used my (mild) asthma as an excuse to myself for not doing something, but I guess in all honesty if I could get fitter my lungs could become stronger.

Firsty can I say that I really have no will to join and regularly attend a gym. I have tried doing some indoor exercise at home, using a cross trainer, but just got very bored and couldn't find the motivation. So, I am now wondering whether running would suit me and if so how to get started.

What do you think.... am I likely to be able to give this a decent go and stick with it? How do I go about starting, considering I have never done this before and am currently very unfit? I have none of the necessary clothing and footwear, so I guess I should also be doing some shopping!

Phew, I am now tired just thinking about it!

[toxicated]

Running is great but don't instantly dismiss the gym either - there are some great bootcamp style sessions, amongst others, that are much more fun than you'd imagine and a far cry from going through the motions by yourself.

I'd suggest that whichever sport you try, find a group or club for the motivation you'll get. Don't worry about being unfit, it doesn't take long to transform your fitness levels and people tend to every supportive. Have fun!

[chrisobrien54]

As above, running is great once you're into it but I didn't lose a pound when only running. A lot of people gain weight, through over compensating their diet afterwards.

I've lost a ton of body fat this/last week through cycling into work everyday, short runs, few weights and massively restricting what I eat (greens, nuts, and poultry only! No sugar at all, only small amounts of fruit and only before sports)

[ewenm]

pstruck said:

I've never been a fitness fanatic and have never been sporty at all. In my younger days I was reasonably fit, probably because I used to cycle everywhere. Now though I feel like being fit and slim again is an impossible goal.

Can you start cycling everywhere again? I find it's much easier to fit in the exercise if you combine it with a commute - two birds, one stone and all that.

[Hoofy]

pstruck said:

Firsty can I say that I really have no will to join and regularly attend a gym. I have tried doing some indoor exercise at home, using a cross trainer, but just got very bored and couldn't find the motivation. So, I am now wondering whether running would suit me and if so how to get started.

Two things spring to mind:
-it's horrid outside so unless you love scenery (depending on where you live), where's your motivation
-if you had the motivation, you'd already be out there rather than posting on PH.

My advice would be to try to make using the cross trainer more interesting - perhaps get a TV in front of it or play upbeat music on your hifi. I often play uplifting trance or listen to an ebook while training.

Additionally, to lose weight, your diet needs looking at. You could just eat dust for the next 2 years but I suggest to go easy on yourself and cut out just 10% of what you normally eat. You will see slower results BUT you will keep going.

Ultimately, it's about lifestyle changes, not a quick fix weight loss and then you end up posting the same thing in a year's time.

[ewenm]

A few PHers have found the Couch to 5k plan to be helpful.

[Ken Sington]

You need a target to aim at eg 10k run or half marathon, charity bike ride etc etc. Unless you are of that mindset, exercise for the sake of exercise can be difficult to motivate yourself for.

[Gwagon111]

Running will fk you up. Swimming is the thing, your weight is supported, your temperature is better regulated. The only downside is that you may drown if you can't swim.

[amare32]

Maybe take up a new sport which running is a part of which you will not notice so much during a game and losing weight becomes a by product of it anyway?

After being a bit bored of the gym, I decided to take a break away from it and took up tennis last July. I've played football and basketball for years so thought that tennis would be a piece of cake - how wrong was I to be! It was a challenge to learn to hit the ball properly, building stamina and developing footwork and speed around a tennis court.

It makes you appreciate that it's not so easy and Federer floating around the court with effortless grace takes a lot of hard work.

I got hooked on the game and have been playing 2/3 times a week which consists of an hour practice then a match or a hitting session with a club member or a friend so imagine running around the court for 2-3 hours, that's a lot of cardio.

My game has come on tremendously in the last 7 months and my aim is to compete in club tournaments this summer. That's my motivation for 2012.

In terms of my physique, I've been back in the weight room to pick up the strength training again and as I've been doing a lot of cardio from the tennis and combined with eating really clean, at 34, I'm in the best shape of my life as I've cut down to 6% bodyfat. I've gotten pretty ripped now and that is without taking any protein powders, creatine or any other stuff guys on these boards advocate. All through eating healthily.

[lankybob]

Gwagon111 said:

Running will fk you up. Swimming is the thing, your weight is supported, your temperature is better regulated. The only downside is that you may drown if you can't swim.

I was going to post this up too.
If you are going to start running, do not jump in at the deep end. I started heavily training for rowing late last year and as I don't run and never have done it screwed me over. Make sure you have properly fitted shoes and I would start with short distances on grass. The last thing you want is shin splints or even stress fracture in your leg. I stopped running for about 6-7 weeks and when I started back again I still got the pain.
So what I am saying is running is good but it can be very bad if approached in the wrong way.

[Hoofy]

lankybob said:

If you are going to start running, do not jump in at the deep end.

Surely, that's swimming.

But you're right about not overdoing it. The body needs time to get used to it.

[6th Gear]

On a side note, is 35mins a day on a gym bike going to yield the same results as riding a proper bike?

Thanks

[Hoofy]

6th Gear said:

On a side note, is 35mins a day on a gym bike going to have the same benefits as riding a proper bike?

Thanks

No. You won't get run over, get soaked or breath toxic particles.

Compared to a gym bike, you also can't customise a training routine eg 5 miles flat, 2 miles inclined, 5 miles flat. You have what you have. Plus you can't read or watch TV. Did I mention you will get soaked or run over?

That said, some people need the outdoors. That is their motivation. I know some people who hate training indoors as much as I hate training outdoors.

[mcelliott]

6th Gear said:

On a side note, is 35mins a day on a gym bike going to yield the same results as riding a proper bike?

Thanks

It depends on if you see it as a form of enjoyment or a chore. Enjoyment outside, chore inside.

[6th Gear]

Cycling outside in Dubai during the summer months would be a proper chore!

[Coco H]

I started running recently. I thought I was to old, fat and unfit. I walk a lot carrying weight and have been doing some strength training. The first run was hard and since then I love it. I started with a run walk run walk - run a long side of the field, walk the short and so on. After a few weeks I can now do 30 minutes solid running. For me it was the way to go - outdoors, with the dog and miles of fields behind my house. I wouldn't dismiss the gym and certainly think swimming and cycling are just as good.

[central]

Yes.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[Ordinary_Chap]

amare32 said:

In terms of my physique, I've been back in the weight room to pick up the strength training again and as I've been doing a lot of cardio from the tennis and combined with eating really clean, at 34, I'm in the best shape of my life as I've cut down to 6% bodyfat. I've gotten pretty ripped now and that is without taking any protein powders, creatine or any other stuff guys on these boards advocate. All through eating healthily.

Neither creatine or protein powder will get you ripped! That is not the purpose of either!

[drivin_me_nuts]

ewenm said:

A few PHers have found the Couch to 5k plan to be helpful.

Add another one to the list. I used to have a resting heart rate of 50 bpm and could comfortably cycle 20 odd miles. Nothing spectacular in that, but years and a set of circumstances have led to me being 25kss overweight.

I can't see myself using a gym, but I to have begun the couch to 5k and I am enjoying it. It is very satisfying being able to feel even very small changes and my stamina is increasing noticibly. It's a funny thing really, it took just a handful of days to go from being something new to being 'what I do'.

That mixed with a bicycle set up on a turbo trainer means that so far, since Christmas I have lost 4kgs. I've promised myself some new clothes when I get to my desired weight.

It's actually fun doing it and surprisingly, easier than I thought it would be.

Give it a go, nothing to lose, other than weight and if you're like me, perhaps the biggest gain is the sense of feeling good about yourself, which us actually my main driver for starting in the first place.

[0a]

If you have an iphone download the Runkeeper app, it can track you via GPS and uploads them to the internet. I find it helps motivation a lot being able to see how much you've done and any improvement you have made.