Had anyone successfully gone from zero exercise to regular exercise?

[kanyewestbrom]

I don’t currently do any exercise and haven’t for some years. I do enjoy the feeling after plus physical and mental health benefits etc etc. I can’t commit to anything out of the house weekends or weekday evenings because of childcare so most team stuff is out. I could tag something like gym or swim on to start/end of the working day maybe. Or workout from home. Where to start? I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed anything I’ve tried so far. Pay for an online PT? Will I need lots of equipment? Hard to even do much walking because kids are so slow.

Try the FitOn app, it’s free and has hundreds of workouts. Lots in the 10-30minute range and varies in intensity, lots of different trainers etc.

equipment wise for alot you don’t need anything but equipment wise I would say a basic sports bra (or at least non wired bra), yoga mat (under £10) and some weights (2kg dumbbells and generally a good place to start).

with young kids at home and working I find this is the only way I can commit to exercise at the moment.

I started going for daily walks at the beginning of the pandemic, having been a couch potato for a long time (not entirely laziness, I have hypothyroidism and a nagging back injury). I couldn't do anything more strenuous than that, though! But it does make a big difference to mental health. I live in a scenic area so that's a double benefit, not sure I'd want to walk city streets.

Can you afford a Peloton?

its the best thing I’ve done… I do 3 cardio sessions a week, plus some core and strength stuff and feel better than I have in years

If I am able to at the weekend, I will try and go for a run but having the bike at home means I’ve always got some time at some point to do a workout

the first year of it is expensive while you pay off the bike but it’s cheaper than us both having a gym membership and we used it more than enough to justify the cost

Yes, I’ve done it. A key thing was finding days and times in the week for it.

do you work / have sole charge of dC full time in the weekdays? Are you single, or is your DP home at weekends? (You’ve said you’re alone all week) If the latter, would exercise both days on the weekend for up to an hour while he parents.

if you don’t work FT / have small DC in the week, weekday slots are a good option

I do at least 20k steps a day now, I do half of them before everyone gets up in the morning

Also hiit on YouTube 3 times a week

Look up Lucy Wyndham Read on YouTube, her workouts are pretty short but effective.

I got a Peloton. I went from never exercising to exercising everyday. In the 1.5 years I have had it I have only missed a handful of days. I absolutely love it and it has changed my life. I've done all sorts of virtual challenges and fell in love with the community too.

I think the key with exercise if finding something you love and that is convenient for you.

I did Betty Rockers 30 day challenge which was free. If you look her up you can see if she still offers it on her website. Only took about 20 mins a day and I really enjoyed it. SHe's really lovely and encouraging. It got me back into exercising regularly. And it was a genuinely good workout.

My GP suggested doing more exercise to help with menopause-related insomnia. She recommended 5 x 20 minutes a week of exercise where you get out of breath. I was doing mainly yoga before. Dr said yoga good for flexibility but not sufficiently aerobic as only exercise.

I now do Lucy Wyndham Read workouts on YouTube at home, which are free and doable (not pitched at gym bunnies) and easier to fit into your life than other options. I also do some yoga + try and remember to walk fast when out and about.

Hard to be sure but I think it may be helping with insomnia.

Could you incorporate more active transport into your life? One of the many benefits of choosing to walk, run or cycle as your main mode of transport is that this exercise isn't something you have to plan or make time for or motivate yourself to do. Once you commit to it, it becomes a natural part of your routine.

There are good solutions for cycling with children of all ages, e.g. trailer or bike seat if they are too young to ride independently (pulling a trailer with 2 kids up a hill is quite a lot of exercise I can attest). Or have children on scooters to speed them up while you walk if you prefer that.

I started couch 25km in May 2020 and I am still running. I have had to take breaks due to illnesses and breaking a bone but I still run up to five times a week most weeks. I now have a treadmill for when I can't run outside or want a different type of run. It is so good for my mental health and it helped toward a weigh loss of 3.5 stone. Illness meant I have put 1.5 of that back on but I will lose it again.

Do you work from home any day, this does make it easier to fit in exercise?

If not then could you work exercise into your commute - walk/ run for part of it for example?

I’m a big fan of C25K, 30 min every other day and you will quickly build up. It has a set structure to it which helped make me actually do it rather than thinking “oh maybe tomorrow”. You would need a sports bra, decent trainers and some leggings or comfy shorts, same for most forms of exercise.

I also agree with finding something you enjoy. I never liked sport or the gym but then tried zumba and barre and really liked them - I haven’t been for a while due to knee and back issues, must get back to it!

If you really struggle with time in the week (It must be tricky with 3 kids and on your own) then you could consider yoga in the evenings… I’m too tired for cardio by then but yoga is more manageable and helps with any aches from the day. Youtube has loads free, Adriene is popular and quite gentle and has 30 day programmes which helps me.

I had a couple of years break from exercising whilst having DC but now use free fitness blender workouts before everyone else gets up in the morning. I just workout in the lounge and usually stick to the 25-35 minute workouts. Only need a sports bra and leggings. I also have weights but you can do low impact and body weight workouts whilst you build back up so they aren't required.

I started doing workouts using a VR headset. It doesn't feel like exercise at all, and it is easy to do more than you planned as it is so much fun.
You can compete with yourself, as it saves scores/personal bests, and you can also play with other people.

I started step aerobics at home. Started the beginners routine with Jenny Fore then built up and could then do 45 mins every other day (have just had a baby so will build up again when I have time!)