How quickly can I get fit? And has anyone done it?

[Escapeonabroom]

I'm obese but now have time and motivation. How quickly can I get fit or fitter? What should I be looking to do and how much?
I just have no idea and don't want to get injured but could push myself.

You could see some improvements quite quickly. I would start with walking, it's much better exercise than people give it credit for. Get 'map my walk' on your phone and go out for at least one walk a day.

I'd then also do some Fitness Blender exercises on You Tube, go for low impact begginer ones to start off with.

Build on that.

I went from not being able to run even a few metres without feeling out of breath to running 5km in about 8 weeks.
I did a coach to 5km program and stuck with it.

I got fit at the age of 50 when v flabby. I didn’t get skinny but I got toned.

3 classes a week of 45 minute each of squats, kettlebells, skipping etc. So mixture of strength and cardio. Basically curcuits. On line classes at the moment previously the gym.

A walk of at least 30 minutes to an hour 5 days a week. Something longer at the weekend. Also a Pilates class a week.

I wasn’t particularly the fastest, stRongedt or fittest in the class but I stuck to it. After 3 weeks I notices i could do more. After 3 months I’d changed shape, was fitter, sleeping better. It felt good.

Yy to fitness blender although id hit one of their 5 day get fit series of videos.

Zumba strong DVD (itsnot zumba) is another good one for building up although fitness blender i think is a better start

After that between 1/2 hour-1 hour a day. You might like to switch to something more fun like les mills on demand

I went from very obese to fitish in one-two months and pretty super fit in 7 months. From beginning to end (year and two months) i lost in the region of 5-6 stone and Ive maintained at various levels of fit and within 8 lb of my finishing weight in the nearly 4 years since. My fitness pal for weight loss; exercise for health (and mental wellbeing).

You can definitely come out of this fitter (and lighter) than you when into it.

Long walk for an hour, some kind of cardio for 30 mins (I like dance mat game things, the 30 day shred or good old fashioned aerobic videos) and then Pilates for 20 mins a day or an hour every few days. Try to spend most of your day standing up instead of sitting down, so crack on with jobs around the house or garden that you never get around to, or sort one cupboard/drawer a day until you run out. I did this on mat leave and lost a fair bit of baby weight put it all back on when I went back to work but you do need to get yourself into the mindset to carry a lot of it on very long term.

I've lost a good amount of weight using my fitness pal and an app to make sure I walk or run a minimum of 10000 steps a day.

A lot of this indoors throughout the working day. I do step at home using the stairs, running on the spot (rather, 2 steps back 2 forward) and using a resistance band to tone my legs, arms and bum.

I also do youtube workouts focussed on areas such as abs or with the resistance band. I have a lot more to lose and a lot of toning to do but I think it is a matter of doing any safe activity and sustaining it rather than worrying about what it is.

I think isolation has actually been a good time to get fit privately for those of us who are self conscious about doing it publically, with awful memories of PE and things (speaking for myself, OP, not making assumptions about you!).

I agree walking is the best exercise to start with inside or outside the home. A brisk 30minute walk outside a few times a week will soon boost your fitness and there are some very good walking fitness coaches on YouTube as an alternative. Leslie Sansone, Up to The Beat and Lucy Wyndham Reid all helped me get back into exercise.

Watching with interest!

If you want to lose weight then you need to eat fewer calories than you use. Eating less will produce weight loss quicker than exercise as it’s surprising how few calories exercise does use.

However, it will help you tone up and feel better and assist with increasing calories burned. I’d start with couch 2 5 k. I started it a few times but then decided I was going to go for it and stuck to it religiously. Amazing feeling.

Also do yoga/Pilates, boxing type workouts, and when this is over get yourself into weight training- definitely the fastest results. Good luck, and you’ve inspired me to get back into it.. I’ve been really down with no energy but need to get going!

I second Fitness Blender. It's free and there are tonnes of different areas they target and levels. Kelly's been absolutely torturing me with the ten minute ab workouts at the moment 😂

I got a lot fitter when I was about 50 doing Jillian Michaels (shred, then some of the others).

I lost weight and kept it off with the Harcombe Diet. It addresses food cravings by looking at intolerances, candida infection and hypoglycaemia. It fell off me and DH. Once we'd lost the weight and the cravings for sweet things (and bread, in my case) we had the energy to exercise more and now really enjoy it.

Get professional help, please don't follow any crazy diet unless supervised.

I would start with a fast walk everyday - try to do 10-12k steps a day. It is a lot, but if you walk fast for 45min/1hour it can easily be done.
Do some lightweight exercises at home if you can, lots of youtubers have 12 weeks plans for you to follow at home. Don't feell bad if you cannot do everything, do on your own pace and adjust if you cannot do something.

Don't give up, if you are obese it might take a while - there's a saying that goes: it takes 4 weeks for you to see some changes, 8weeks for your friends to see the changes, 12 weeks for the rest of the world to see the change.

Your main goal is to lose weight, but just cardio is not enough - weight training makes you burn more fat in the long run. Try some weight training before going for your walk, you'll keep burning.

Try to stick to a diet but nothing to crazy, no one can live off salad alone. I have one online personal trainer and she is the only one who has helped me get in shape over and over. She has a 3 month plan that it's not the cheapeast but it's so worth it, she knows what she is doing and it's very supportive. Her name is Randi Kennedy if this is something you might be interested.

From scratch I'd say your toughest time is the first three weeks, but stick it out. Bits will start to ache and burn less and you'll realise you're less knackered.
In six weeks I will noticed a difference in the mirror, and that whilst washing my hair I noticed a muscle!
At 12 weeks other people noticed my legs. I took up couch to 5k and cycled everywhere. I wore skinny trousers to work and I got loads of comments about how people didn't realise my legs were shapely as I only wore baggy ones before.
I wasn't overweight though, I was skinny and lanky.

Couch 2 5K app for sure

The move from very unfit to a bit fit is a wonderful thing. You'll see improvements ever so quickly, if you do short achievable sessions 3-4 times a week and stick with it.

Couch 2 5k is perfect for our current circumstances.

Tale it very slowly. Most beginners do the running bits too fast. If you're finding it too hard, slow down.

Thanks everyone, I'll have a look into these suggestions. Its good to hear it can be done @Hazelnutlatteplease and others! I have a mountain to climb.