To ask if I can get fitter like this

[Merryoldgoat]

I’m in a state. I’m very fat, very unfit and really need to make some changes.

I’ve got a young family and I’m determined that this year is when I make some permanent and significant changes to my health.

The only exercise I enjoy is dancing and aerobic type stuff. I’ve found some YouTube videos of this type of activity but I’m so out of shape I reckon I’d only realistically manage 10 mins to start.

Is this enough to start with? Will this make a difference and can I build on it.

I feel so ashamed that it’s got this bad but I want to turn myself around.

Diet-wise I am sorted - I’ve had success on a plan which I’ll go back to as I know that’s most effective for me.

It’s the fitness I really want to change. Am I being totally naïve to think staring with 10 mins will be enough to start seeing a difference?

Any advice from people who have lost serious amounts of weight would be gratefully received.

The very short answer is yes - and if you stick with it very quickly. If you can only do 10 mins now then do that. Try to do it every day if you can. Put a plan in place for how you’re going to build up - i.e. make sure you keep challenging yourself. When I started running I used to set the running machine to 1k and even then I’d have to stop 2 or 3 times. This morning I did a non stop 5k which isn’t challenging but what I have time for in the morning.

Sorry should have added... just saying so you know I speak from experience!

Yes. Do 10 minutes. 11 minutes next week. 12 the week after that.

Get back on the diet plan asap. Stop making excuses and planning to do things in the future.

I think you're going to do really well. You've found something that you'll enjoy and have set yourself a realistic and achievable starting point.

Maybe go for 10 minutes 2 or 3 times a day rather than just once a day. If you have young dc they might want to join in with you which should add to the fun.

Then try and find ways to incorporate exercise into your everyday life. Eg if you would normally take the car for a short trip try walking instead, if you would normally walk then increase your pace to a brisk walk, whenever you're somewhere with an escalator then try and take the stairs instead (maybe just for one floor to begin with).

Good luck.

Hi merryoldgoat,

I lost about two stone last year doing Joe Wicks Body Coach - he does HIITs which are hideous, but short enough to not be toooo hideous. You get out of them what you put into them, and you see your fitness improve pretty rapidly.
He has loads of videos on youtube - i bought his DVD, started on level 1, which was about 15 mins I think, and worked my way through the levels.
Worth a look x

Absolutely you can get fitter as the more you work your cardio the fitter you will be. For losing weight then it will be down to diet. Good luck !

Anything that gets you moving more is worth doing.

It really is that simple especially in the beginning!

Once your weight starts coming down and your fitness level start going up then you can choose other types of exercise that take your fancy. Eventually you'll get into a routine that you can fit into your life for some people that's high intensity gym sessions 6 times a week for others it's a walk or a run and a swim or a class or something else a few times a week

My journey from very overweight to healthy started exercise wise with doing 5 minutes a day on the wii fit as it was all I could manage - 4 years later I have built up to half marathon level.

Thank you all - I felt I was being daft thinking 10 mins could do anything.

Diet is sorted - meals planned and ingredients arriving tomorrow so I can get cracking.

Any exercise is better than none! It needs to be enough to make you a bit out of breath for a period of time though, just bopping casually around isnt going to achieve much.

Absolutely. You start where you need to!

I also started with the Wi Fit, tried the Wii Fit Zumba and then started the Davina Aerobic workouts (She is such a pain in the arse).

I’m a recreational Insanity doer(user?) now (recreational in that I mostly enjoy doing it in my free time)

Maybe if you think of each 10 minutes as a building block to the fitter you it would help? Yes, 10 minutes on its own every day for a year isn't going to turn you into a supermodel but as others have said, if you do 7 days of 10 minutes, next week you can do 11 minutes and the next 12. In the early days, if you are consistent, your fitness will increase very quickly.

Good luck!!

Oh no, 10 mins is definitely the starting block - obviously I need to build up to a reasonable 30-45 mins per day.

Yes, you can definitely do that starting on 10 minutes. The thing is not to put yourself off by totally exhausting yourself the first few times. Do 5 minutes even if that all you can manage and aim to add on 1 or 2 minutes extra a week.

Also a tip, try and do it at the same time each day, so it turns into a habit and you're more likely to stick to it.

I got back in shape by starting off doing 1 crunch on the first day. I kid you not. Day 2 I did 2, day 3 I did 3 and so on. Before you know it, it becomes habit and easy. If i'd started even on 20 crunches on day 1 I'd have given up after day 2 I reckon. Don't under estimate the staying power of doing it at your own pace.

Which videos are you using? Dancing exercise sounds like a more fun way of exercising!

There’s this guy called The Fitness Marshall - he dies very camp routines to pop songs but with an aerobic routine flavour.

The Usher one is my favourite but there are literally loads - he has a YouTube channel. There are also more serious ones from other people which I’d like to progress to eventually - I used to dance a lot when younger and before I had children and it’s the only thing I truly enjoy and know I can stick to.

Luckily I have a really big lounge with a hard floor so I don’t have to venture out!

Have you looked at 30 day shred? It's not easy, but you can obviously modify to your own level, and it's short and really effective. I lost 6lbs my first week a few years ago (and i paused halfway for a breather )

Absolutely brilliant to do ANY exercise even if you only start with 10 mins! That’s 10 mins more than someone who doesn’t do any!

I started with ten mins here and there and then when I felt more confident I joined a gym (never ever set foot in one until then - I was 37) and now go 4 times a week, 2 sessions of which are dance / cardio - Jungle Body, which I love! You can find some of the routines on you tube if you wanted to try them.

Keep it up!

Thanks all!

I’m not fit enough for things like 30 day shred etc yet. I know that if I try it I’ll end up utterly demotivated or injured.

Joe Wicks is great but again, being so heavy with crummy joints I need low impact stuff until I’ve lost some weight - his HIITs are generally too high impact for my knees.

For full disclosure, I’m also only 8 weeks post partum and still suffering from high blood pressure and SPD so it’s a long road I’m on.

Yes, Body Fit by Amy has some amazing fitness videos, would recommend for anyone.

I have a Davina DVD which has a few 7min routines (plus 3-5 mins of warm up)

I did one of these 2-3 times a week for a couple of weeks and by the second week was finding them easier. Then I moved on to her high intensity workouts ( doing the easier options). It doesn't take long to start improving

I think this sounds like a great place to start! I’m tempted to join you.

Also thank you for the encouragement!

If anyone does want to join me they could PM me and we could start a little support group if there were enough of us!

Just in case you're not aware, unless you're at a serious athlete/marathon training sort of level, exercise does very little to aid weight loss. Weight has a lot more to do with what you eat (I know you said you're going back on a diet that works for you, so that part is sorted anyway). However, it has loads of other benefits - an overweight/obese person who exercises regularly will still be healthier than a person of the same weight who doesn't, plus you'll feel much better about yourself, so in that sense your plan sounds perfect.

I don't want to sound discouraging, just thought I should point that out in case you're expecting to notice a significant difference in the rate of your weight loss after you start exercising. It would be a shame to give up because you think it's not working for you when actually it might be having lots of other benefits that aren't necessarily as obvious

As long as you stick with your plan you'll definitely notice an improvement quickly - and one of the great things about exercise is that when you build up muscle fitness it lasts a really long time, so even if you get fit and then slip out of the habit for a while, it'll be much easier to get back into than when you're starting out for the first time. For example, I used to do a lot of cross country running as a teenager, but besides walking 30 minutes to and from work I've done virtually no exercise in the last few years (I'm in my 20s now). However, I can still comfortably run a 5k with zero training, albeit significantly slower than I used to, because much of the base fitness is still there. In that sense it's actually easier than dieting in some ways, because you don't have to worry so much about going back to square one if you fall off the wagon.

Also I meant to say best of luck! I really admire anyone who makes a serious commitment to getting fit and losing weight, it's a huge achievement and so worth it in terms of overall quality of life