Exercising at home - advice wanted!

[GettingBetter2024]

I'm very overweight (and working on food, reducing upf etc)

I dont think I could get to a gym regularly around the kids and was wondering about trying some things at home. Maybe 10-20mins a day.

Do dumbells work? Can I just start doing them? I am going to go down a google fu but just wondered how to start or what people do.

(I have had chronic fatigue and am quite sedentary so it's a "getting started " kind of thing.)

Your sore legs could be shin splints or possibly cramp, definitely don’t try to walk through the pain as it may just get worse. This should lessen over time, keep aiming to walk little and often instead and try to stick to flat ground until you build up strength in your legs. Calf raises while brushing your teeth or waiting for the kettle are also good to build strength.

@GettingBetter2024 I confess I haven't read the full thread, but have a look at Lucy Wyndham Reed on YouTube. No equipment requires, really easy to follow, and no unnecessary chatting. She just gets on with it and breaks it all down into easy to fit in workouts of 5 to 10 minutes. Regularity is the key.

You can do a lot of strength training without weights to start.

Google squats, planks, wall sits. Also you can use resistance bands for arms and shoulders.

But walking and stretching will be most helpful in the early stages.

Read your update. Don't keep pushing if it hurts. Saw someone suggested swimming. I didn't because you said at home. But if you can swim, then it's great cardio for you. It takes the weight off your body.

@GettingBetter2024 no I’m not, far from it - sorry. I was however set them by PT friend as I started off at almost 18st, I have arthritis and dreaded menopause. I have slowly built up my fitness as I have lost weight. I am now 3st down and managing more and more every week.

I started with the AMRAP 5x a week and walking DD to school and back (total 30min). I was exhausted to begin with and often stopped to ‘read a text’ ‘admire the view’ just for the breather.

Now I do 3 gym classes a week (cardio) and 2 sessions (strength). I get 8k steps in minimum and sleep better at night.

Honestly, slow steps end up being big strides before you know it.

Team Body Project - lots of free stuff on YouTube as well as paid options. There's lots of variety - cardio, weights, plates - at all levels of fitness.

Wow sadly- well done! And really inspirational as I hope to follow in your footsteps :) That's amazing you're now so active. Did you just gradually increase? And sleep. Oh yes I'm peri and anything that helps sleep is good!!!

I really like "Enrich Your Life Fitness" on YouTube. She has loads of different playlists, e.g. a 30-day "walk at home" series of 20-minute workouts that involve big movements with the whole body, but no jumping. She also has shorter strength-building exercises. And she seems really nice. Good luck OP!
https://www.youtube.com/@EnrichYourLifeFitness/playlists

Here's the 20-minute "Walk at home" playlist from a year ago 😊

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhysz5FyVdIqH949Z15l7v_rmJV6rgjIL

@GettingBetter2024 I did about five months at home and built up walking. By the spring I felt more confident, having lost almost 21lbs, to begin classes. I still continued to do my exercises at home and walk as much as I could though.

I didn’t spend a lot - gym clothes from the supermarket but a good supportive sports bra was essential.

I just want to add, there is so much free content out there that it's easy to get saturated and overwhelmed and not know where to start. I had a completely scattershot approach for some time and then realised I was just getting stressed out not knowing what to pick next. I found it was good to find something I enjoyed, and then repeat it, and take pleasure in tiny improvements from one week to the next. Later on, with a bit more confidence, you can add in.

the point is to find something you actually enjoy. We are so lucky to live in a world where so much quality content is completely free! I always "like" a video I've done, whether I liked it or not 😉 out of respect for the effort the creator put into sharing it. Then, if I really enjoyed it, I add a comment, just to remind myself what was special about it. (You probably know this, but YouTube has this algorithm where your own posts always appear at the top of the comments list.) That way, my comments serve as handy little notes to myself

Start off simple and just keep going. Consistency is more important than pushing yourself a couple of times a week. If you find something you enjoy doing every day (allowing an occasional day of rest, which is also important), you've won the lottery in terms of body transformation. Lucy Lismore is a great example of what can be achieved by just sticking with it. As she often says, don't let yourself get distracted by all the bullshit about seeing sudden changes within a week or two. You'll start to feel subtle differences inside yourself, long before anything is visible to others. Give it 6 weeks before you make any decisions about what to try next.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTyLuPOAwVwxc_pMf3SLZs0lQ5Yh1ZD5w

I got together with a group of friends in lockdown and we train online together 4 mornings a week with a PT. Live sessions that are at times

1 upper body
1 lower body
1 HIIT Cardio
1 core

She mixes it up and overtime we have increased what equipment we use

All done before the kids get up and we love it

It's old now but I still love and regularly do the Davina McCall 15 minute fit dvd. There are easy options for every exercise and it definitely keeps me trim.

Growingannas on YouTube brilliant for home exercise.

Have you looked into an exercise referral scheme via your GP?

Have you looked at Caroline Girvan iron OP? It is a lot slower than her other programmes and you could use your 2/3kg throughout at your own pace. I like it becuase there is no jumping about or cardio and you can progress at your own speed.

How do people keep motivated and progressing on their own?
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Here's my thoughts... Motivation will get you started but it's discipline that keeps you going. Just not thinking about not doing it without good reason - you are now a person who exercises. You've got to get to a point where you don't even really think about it, it's just what you do, like having a shower or brushing your teeth.

To help you get there, be positive & focus on your 'why' - why you want to improve your our fitness, what have you got to gain? Write it down & revisit it when you're wavering.

Tell someone your plan for the day 'Im walking/ doing weights at lunchtime' it brings accountability, even if - like my kids - they don't actually care whether you go or not 😂

Celebrate every success. Did you have less leg pain today? Was it easier to get up out of the chair? Did the walk give you a mood boost? All brilliant.

You've been overwhelmed with resources here, so I'm not posting any but I would recommend googling NEAT activity. It's a game changer if you have a lot to lose as it's essentially being a busier person in your daily life & requires very little effort.

I think it's fantastic that you seem to be prioritising functional fitness - strength & movement over 'weight loss' which to me is a much healthier mindset. Be consistent & sensible & change will come. I really wish you all the best.

@Daisybridge Hi Daisy - yes I've done that before and it was fab (ironically I was about 5 stone lighter) but I won't have the time/energy/money to be out the house for the gym and would rather do something at home I can become consistent at.

@SquirrelsAssemble Thankyou for your lovely post 🥰. Yes I like the idea of it becoming automatic. I guess that's why I loved the idea of 10min (20min on a good day but aim for 10min) bursts as I could be consistent. Same with the walking really to try and build up without pain.

I walked for a 10mins today and found when the aches started kicking in and walked intentionally slower. Bizarrely it wasn't my outer left leg but outer right, but just above the ankle. It become so I have to sit down but I had a sit and am hopeful I'm not making it worse and will build stamina slowly!

This may sound bonkers but are you walking wrong? Often when people are carrying extra weight or injuries they compensate with how they hold themselves. When I was pregnant I caused all sorts of problems with how I was walking as I sort held myself weirdly to the side and then had other problems which were due to stance.
I got a a few sessions with this chap who had a background in pilates and fascia release. Integrated body stuff and we worked on releasing some tight areas and the pain disappeared! It may be looking into but you need to find someone who can look at the whole picture, integrated body work.
If that's not an option them maybe just go to runners need or a sports shop where they video you walking or running for shoe fit. Just seeing how you walk and pronate may help you understand where the pain is coming from. In my experience is generally something other than where its being felt!

The FitOn app has a range of free exercises with no or minimal equipment.

My wife started a year ago; she was very sedentary and in constant pain with arthritis and very overweight. She went to my PT first, who watched how she moved and worked a lot with her on stretching and strengthening her joints, particularly around her knees. I always remember her coming back and saying in awe that she could squat without pain.

Strangely, she has been advised that swimming is really bad for her arthritis and certainly she finds it painful. Biking is good though and she walks a lot now.

She has lost 4 stone (following a plan), and looks and feels great.

Mine was a bit different in that I don’t have arthritis but I was 5 stone overweight and had never exercised before (forties). I started with You tube beginner workouts for ages and then got dumbbells and found Caroline Girwan. I love weights and go to a gym now and do loads of weight based classes, still can’t believe it really! I have lost 5 stone but this has been a gradual build up over 5 years.

We both do Pilates with The Girl on the Pilates mat on You tube.

It sounds silly, but if an online trainer irritates you, keep looking! It won’t work! I couldn’t cope with Joe Wicks for instance and there are loads of others I don’t like for no good reason - background music etc. You may like them calling out /encouraging you, or you may just want them to shut up! I tried hundreds of different ones but love Caroline Girvan. I wasn’t ready for her until a year in of building up.

You have to see this as a long term thing. If you had told me 5 years ago that I could lift my body weight or do 2 gym classes back to back, I would have laughed, there was no way. But slowly, things got easier. I started with a short walk every day, plus a 15/20 online workout (with breaks!) 3 times a week. Now I can walk 20 miles (but rarely have the time) and gym 6 days a week. You can do this!

Start small.

@Sodndashitall I've just got orthotic insoles (was referred in September - took ages for the appointment!)

I'm not sure if they're doing much but yes my walking was "wrong" (and yes I expect due to the extra weight?!)

I literally haven't done much sustained walking at all for a long time as was getting breathless after a couple of minutes (that's now fixed yay. I assumed it was unfitness but it was on my chest 😬) . So I really had got down to just a few minutes.

So it could be my body adjusting to a lot of weight through muscles not used. Or not - fascia release sounds good! But again I'm v large I don't know who I'd see or if they'd see me!

@GettingBetter2024 fwiw I was also given nhs orthotics and they were useless! I don't use orthotics any more and I found really good trainers instead as I went to see a podiatrist privately who spent time advising me more in more detail and recommended Hoka. I buy only on sale as they are expensive !
Anyway I'm no expert but ime you have to play around with different things to find the solution but pain is not good ! Don't worry about being large ... that shouldn't affect their ability to help

I have membership for Pause Fit which is exercise for peri menopause. I really life the exercises which range from 5-20 minutes. pregnancyexercise.co.nz/revitalize-your-perimenopause-journey-with-pausefits-exclusive-exercise-circuits/

I just use utube videos and find someone I like and copy them? I like Tiffany Rothe she’s infectiously happy, one day I dream I could be smiling and talking while exercising instead of grimacing!