Can you tell me about your experience of getting fit?

[coodawoodashooda]

Im about to start to try and get fit. Properly fit without giving up. Ive never been this out of shape before and am very daunted by the prospect. Does anyone have any advice?

Make it manageable. If you’re busy and can’t do an hour’s training, do a 20 minute YouTube class instead.

Be consistent - little and often is good.

As others have said, find what suits you. My partner is a hiker and I tried that for a few weeks but it's not for me. Sea swimming has been great for me. Getting my fitness levels up a bit has meant I feel able to start at the gym tomorrow. Don't feel ashamed about what you can't do. There are people who can do twice what you can without breaking a sweat. There are people who can't do half of what you can do. It'll always be that way.

Thanks everyone. Today i did 0.7 miles on the cross trainer. Im not beating myself up and comparing me to, 'ten years ago me'.
Im guessing i slowly build up and then try and achieve 5 miles daily. Would that be an acceptable, 'fit person' target?

I would aim to mix it up a bit. Instead of just cross trainer, try and do a weight bearing type work out a few times a week. It could be using actual weights or your own body weight. Pilates or yoga could be good options.

I did couch to 5k and have lost nearly 5 stone over the last year.

I know it’s an achievement but the running means more to me because of what a challenge it was. I was so unbelievably proud of myself. Still run 3x a week and like others have said, had to decide what my idea of “fit” was, what did I want to move on to, where did I want to be at the end.

Now I go to the gym and do some free weights as well as the running and some yoga.

You will eventually enjoy anything I find, it’s the achievement - or at least it was for me.

I need goals. I set myself the goal of running 5k in under 30 minutes and 10k in under an hour and used my Garmin Coach plans to do that. I also set rewards (new leggings I'd been coveting for a while) for goals met which was much more effective than anything else.

I either need boxes to tick or an exercise buddy - went to an event with a friend at the weekend and we both made it out for a 5k together but neither of us would have done anything other than sit and chat/drink in our downtime without a buddy to remind us of the plan!

I would also advise that you mix it with other forms of exercise, such as resistance and strength workouts. You can do this without equipment if you don't have any at hand.
For example, I road cycle about 200km/week but also do resistance and strength workouts.
You can also look at improving your diet, but of course only you fell you need.
You're doing great BTW...just look how quickly you have improved already

Thank you. Im interested to work out what i think a 'fit' means to me. Im not sure at the moment.

Define 'fit' for yourself, it's different for everyone. Set realistic goals, and multiple ones, small & big. Think about a timeframe - again, be realistic, it will take time. Make a plan. Be consistent, always see the bigger picture. And don't give up when you fall off the waggon!

I did couch to 5k more than 15 years ago when there was no app, you printed it off and stuck it on the fridge

The first time I went out I couldn't do more than a minute or two without stopping, but sticking with it 3 times a week, it's amazing how quickly you improve.

I'm now an active member of a running club, race regularly and have more good friends and a more active social life than I've ever had in my life. Truly life changing.

I started doing it to get fit and lose a bit of weight, now it's the best thing in my life

Whats the goal ? Write it down with SMART en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria
And stick it up in the kitchen

@coodawoodashooda

Im about to start to try and get fit. Properly fit without giving up. Ive never been this out of shape before and am very daunted by the prospect. Does anyone have any advice?

I love this question. I decided to do this 20 months ago. I was 30lbs overweight and planning on going to a residential bootcamp when the first lockdown happened. I realised for the money I'd pay for one week's residential I could book a PT and get into good habits that worked with my everyday life. I did this. Three sessions a week until I was fit enough to join a boot camp which I now do 3-5 times a week, depending on how often it runs, as well as one yoga flow session a week.

I've lost more than 15lbs without dieting at all )(I do still eat too much and drink too much wine.) I feel energised and strong. My fatigue has vanished. I'm far more able to do heavy housework, shopping, gardening, decorating. I can literally run down to the shops or run to catch a train and not feel breathless at all.
I feel SO much more confident.

Weight training is the best. It makes you strong very quickly. Its impact on your daily life is massive. You tone up quickly - good muscle definition. It's not all willowy girls - all body shapes and ages come along. It's great for combatting age-related osteoporosis as it gives great bone density.

Do it today, now. Not tomorrow or later. And just do it, the only way to get through the hard bit is to start.

First few classes/cross trainer sessions I thought I was going to die.

It gets easier.

I hurt my back and was also really unfit. I started with walking - I try to do 10,000 steps per day. If I walk to the shops I take the long way or if going out I get my partner to drop me off and walk the last part. Also started a Pilates class, which I really recommend, it makes other exercise easier. I do swimming one day a week and try to do more lengths each time. I have an exercise bike at home so do that in front of tv on another day. I also have a vibration plate. Im not a gym person so I’m just trying to keep going.

Pick something which you enjoy doing, and it might take a few tries to work out what this is. It needs to fit into your routine - no point in something which just doesn't work. Doing something outside (i.e. not in the gym always seems easier for some reason. Have some targets / guidance / objectives, whether this is sessions with a trainer, events you want to enter, times you want to do - this will mean you actually get out of bed if there is someone waiting on you or you have spent some money on entry fees!

I used to be very fit - represented England level fit. After I had kids I couldn't continue with 3x sessions a day, so I stopped. But I worked out that cycling 20miles to work each day kept me fit 'enough', so I did that. Then, when I moved further away into a place with too many hills, I realised I loved swimming, so I started that again (having not swum lengths since I was a child). I now do long distance open water swimming of 5 miles upwards at a go.

I got fit by taking up running, and surprised myself by growing to love it. It's very hard on the joints though, so I don't do it much any more. Now I walk (fast and often uphill!) and do weights and yoga.

What works for me is habit, not goals. Doing something daily and picking things I enjoy and which fit in with my routine. I hate goals and accountability , because they make it feel like a chore, and make me feel guilty if I lapse or don't reach a goal. I don't find guilt a motivating feeling at all! I'm on a bit of a lapse atm but it has usefully reminded me that I just feel a bit crap compared with when I'm exercising more regularly. Back to it today!

If you have lots of free time then try different classes/groups and find something you like enough to do regularly.

If you're trying to fit it in between kids and work, then go for exercise that is convenient.
I'd love to go to classes but it just isn't feasible when my slot for exercise is a daily 30 mins between 7.30-8am. So running works for me.

Pilates followed by swim, steam, sauna. After you've done this for a while and feel really good. Then step it up to more aerobic type exercise. This way your body will be flexible and strong so you are less likely to injure yourself.