...to as if there are any Personal Trainers on here who could give me some advice?

[Merryoldgoat]

I’m on a LONG weight loss journey. I’ve lost 3 stone and have another 6-8 to go. I’ve got my diet in hand and am losing regularly but now that my knees aren’t killing me and I can walk up stairs without nearly dying I need to do some exercise.

Reality:

Two small children and no money so can not afford to join a gym nor do I have the time.

I have an extremely weak core and getting it in shape is a priority.

I need to strengthen my core, improve CV fitness and do strength training.

I am new to this so I know I need to go easy but how often do I need to train to see/feel results, and how should I split strength training vs. cardio?

I’ve done loads of googling but it’s quite daunting and I feel a bit bamboozled.

All and any advice is welcome.

I'm not a personal trainer. I do have a lot of experience of getting myself fit and in being part of various groups of people on a similar path though, and am happy to share some of what I've learnt along the way, if that's not too presumptuous?

There is a huge amount of knowledge online, and most of it is about the 'perfect' method. No such thing exists, and getting close to perfection is only relevant for high level athletes. For the rest of us, anything is better than nothing.

What sort of stuff are you able to do at the moment? What are you hoping to get out of it? (You mention that your core is weak, is this something you want to change or has this come about from reading about weak cores, if that makes sense?)

I recently started doing some of the online yoga and Pilates classes that I found on YouTube. They are free and I’ve found ones that last 20 mins so I’m doing them first thing in the morning or on my lunch breaks when I work from home. Doesn’t cost anything and I can do it while the kids watch something in the other room or have some iPad time.
You need to be careful if you’ve never done it before though, so find a beginner one and go gently.

Well done on your weight loss.

I'm a PT and would suggest doing 10 minutes of core and another 15 minutes of stength traing 3 to 4 times a week with as much cardio (fast walking, running etc) that you can fit in. As time is short, focus on strength. YouTube has some great stuff but focus on a couple of key leg exercises such as squats and glute bridges, press ups, planks and full body stuff like inchworms (Google them ;)), mountain climbers, Turkish get ups etc.

There is so much online so keep it simple and manageable. Good luck!

Bugger - forgot the most important bit! Sorry @Threadastaire

I’m 6 months post partum and suffered terribly with SPD - my physio said my hyper mobility (I’m extremely flexible for anyone, let alone a fat unfit person) means my core needs to be tip-top if I’m to get rid of the pain and instability.

I can’t run but I can walk, skip, use a cross trainer gently. I can’t squat because my knees can’t take it abs I read I need to be careful with abs exercises for a year after giving birth.

I have:

Resistance tubes with handles
Dumbbells
A skipping rope
Battle rope (don’t ask)
Cross trainer (purchased on a whim)

I feel like an absolute idiot. But I have to get into decent shape for my health as I need to lower my blood pressure quite desperately.

Thank you all for your responses - I’ll deffo look at YouTube. Pilates was recommended but I understand it’s important to get the form right and it makes me nervous.

With your health and mobility issues, I would really strongly advise against taking up any form of exercise regime without input from a qualified professional.

An hour with a good, qualified PT - preferably somebody with some physio qualifications - will cost around £40-60, depending where you are, but it will be money well-spent, as they will develop a programme for you which will help avoid injury.

I'm not a PT, but I train regularly 3-4 times a week with my own and spend a lot of time in the gym, and one of the most common causes of injury in returners/off-the-couchers is attempting to 'run before you can walk' or tackling exercises that are unsuited to you. A well-designed programme that's tailored to your needs will help avoid that.

Well done on your weight loss and good luck with your continued success!

PS - sorry, I realise that in my last post, my suggestion of spending £40-60 looks a bit 'throwaway', and I know it's a significant amount, but think of it as a long-term investment in your health and well-being - great savings overall!

You're not an idiot at all, your achievements so far are huge! I asked about the core because it's a common thing post pregnancy, but from what you've said I'd seriously recommend speaking to your Gp before you start, and whilst I appreciate money is tight, consider a one off appointment with a registered physio for advice if you can. Hypermobility typically worsens in pregnancy and if you've had any damage to the various muscle groups in your core then you need to ensure that the exercises you pick don't worsen things. Thats really hard to do as a beginner and with the Internet for guidance.

Cardio of any kind is good for overall health but it doesn't give the results most of us want (to get a better shape, feel tighter, 'toned') Strength training DOES do those things, but strength training (using resistance, so that means bodyweight exercises like press ups, using resistance bands or using weights like dumbells) will put strain on your core muscles even if it's not a direct strain (like sit ups) So ideally you need proper advice before you start a programme.

Sorry if it sounds like I'm fobbing you off but a good friend of mine has hypermobility and paid for a PT at a chain gym and got really bad generic advice (when he started recommending collagen injections to her knees she realised he didn't have a clue about her condition after all) It took her a while to recover as he'd had her doing weighted Olympic style squats which were a really bad idea for her (he thought it was great because she could squat really low as a beginner without realising that her joints werent strong enough to do that safely)

I can’t run but I can walk

You can learn to run. From a BMI of 43.8, here's what I did:

• 1 month of pledging to walk the dog every day (February 2018)
• a pledge to walk 100 miles the following month (average 3 miles a day). I walked 110 miles in March 2018.
• towards end of my 100 miles month, I started walking as though I was late for something. I tracked my time for regular routes and aimed to feature it each time.
• Started the NHS Podcasts for Couch to 5K the following month, April 2018. At this point my BMI was 35. My pace was slow and at first the program was only asking me to jog d lowly for 60 seconds at a time. I tried. I did it.
• because I was used to walking every day, I did my C25K jog every day instead. So I didn't take rest days, I did ran every day. It took only 40 minutes of my day, was free, and I could do it any time it suited me.
• In May 2018 I pledged to run 5K every day.
• In June 2018 I added in weekly 10k runs and I ran 150 miles in the month.
• In July 2018 I ran 50km every week
• In August 2018 I ran my first ever 10 miles (16km) run. I am also pushing my 5K time closer to sub 30min and my 10k time has just gone under 70min. I am still overweight, just. BMI 27 - I have lose 7 stone since 1st January 2018.

It might be possible, but if someone's got hypermobility its a really bad idea to try that without medical clearance first. It could lead to building up distance, equally it could lead to crutches.

It definitely is possible to have a condition like that and be healthy (one of the best athletes in my martial arts gym is hypermobile in multiple joints) But a standard exercise programme carries bigger risks because hypermobilie joints are much more susceptible to injury.

I have PT qualifications but you need additional expertise and someone to watch your form. I would only advise Pilates under an instructor. I used to go to a physio, who worked with a Pilates person to give a personal programme and that would be good for you.

If you want to check something online, try Max Shank, 5-minute flow and/or given you have small children and issues, Katy Bowman.

Stop googling lots tho as you'll just get a massive overload of information and plenty of PT-types who've never been overweight and think stuff they do ok is fine for you. I would stick to getting down to the floor and back up (if you're heavy, bodyweight exercise is a challenge) and a load of walking. If the walking upsets your knees and hips, maybe swimming? But the flow stuff will help.

If you want to do weights, Starting Strength is a good place to start or anything by Dan John.

I won't check back on this thread (for personal reasons) but do simple stuff consistently and you'll get there. Good luck. :-)

Thank you all!

I definitely can’t start running - my knees and ankles aren’t up to it at all. It’s not my exercise.

I think I will seek the advice and assessment of a professional - thank you all for your guidance.

Good luck! Def scrutinise the professionals you come across, or ask your Gp for a recommendation. No offence to the PTs in here but the quality for PTs varies hugely (some will have degrees and masters degrees in sports science, physiology etc, others will have done a 12wk weekends only distance learning course) As someone posted earlier a PT with a physio qualification is a good bet, and I've been pleasantly surprised that the highly qualified people don't necessarily charge much more than the average joes.

FATE wow! That’s amazing! Well done. How do you feel in yourself now compared to when you started? Have you changed your diet as well?

Sorry to hijack, OP. Best of luck and congrats on your baby

If you can find one I'd say find someone who specialises in post partum training. They will be able to advise on the usual exercise and weight loss side, but will know exactly how to improve your core. A good solid core will make everything else so much easier and prevent injuries. A lot of personal trainers will be qualified for postpartum work, but some will do nothing but, and will really know their shit 👍

Fab work on the weight loss so far, I find the diet side infinitely harder than the training so the exercise should be the easy bit!

I'm not a PT, but like others, I've experience rebuilding my strength after pregnancies and illness.

The only additions I have on top of what's already here is what a few that were recommended for me when I started. One for core which is good for beginners though it starts easy it's harder than it reads: floaty feet: Laying on back, lift one leg up and keep it just above the ground - toes pointed. Goal is 60 secs, rest, repeat 4 times. Once you're there, both legs together is harder, tiny swim kicks harder still to keep increasing the challenge to the core without too much pressure on the rest the body.

Once cleared by a professional, for core a swiss ball might help you if you've room for it. 'Stirring the pot' and 'swiss ball rollouts' are quite good for the core and can be altered to your level of difficulty. Having a progression or ways to change moves when I improved helped motivate me which why I tend towards moves that don't take much to make a bit more challenging. Best of luck with it, reads like you've done great so far.

How do you feel in yourself now compared to when you started? Have you changed your diet as well?

Also sorry to hijack

Diet has changed most. I don't run for weight loss, I run because for a healthy heart I should do 30 minutes of cardio 5 times a week. So I run at least 5k every day, door to door with a warm up / cool down takes me 45 minutes send I can fit it around life with my 4 children.

I don't follow any commercial diet, just common sence low calorie. Only eat the meal times and only eat healthy, non-processed foods.

I feel great! Really enjoy running. Really enjoy fitting into a size 10. Really enjoy being physically fit and strong. Love the fact that I used to have a chest size too big to buy a bra in ASDA and now I have a chest size too small to buy a bra in ASDA.

Hijack away!

I had SPD in pregnancy and ended up totally unfit twice over. Second time, SPD affected me for 3-6 months postpartum.

I started with walking. Literally to the postbox and back. I then added in a postnatal DVD (Erin O'Brien) that focused on appropriately rebuilding the core muscles that are affected by pregnancy/ birth. I then went to a buggy fitness class. The instructor for a targeted demographic like that should have targeted training. It was about 5-6 months before I felt ready for mainstream classes/ C25k.

Second time I ended up at the osteopath which made a big difference in getting my body back to a normal level of function.

Look up diastasis recti (separated abdomen) and how to identify it and excercises to close it. It's very common postnatally and causes weakness to the core. Many traditional core excercises such as sit-ups will aggravate it.

I don’t have diastasis recti - I’ve been checked. I’ll chrck out the Erin O’brien DVD.

I can no longer run after kids due to mild hyper mobility and my knees are ruined (I have a normal bmi). I found an exercise bike the perfect solution. Spinning burns so many calories and is a great cardiovascular workout. Plus with you s kids you could get an exercise bike at home and go on when you/they are watching tv.