I don't know how to exercise...help!

[unfestive]

So my New Year's resolution is to look after my health a bit better (original I know). But over the last few years I've got into very bad habits with diet, alcohol and zero exercise. I would like to lose at least 1.5-2 stone but more importantly I need to look to the future and think about my long term health.

I don't want to go full throttle in January as I know I'll start strong but then give up. So my plan is to clean up my diet and attempt dry January (or at least a slightly damp January - certainly no weeknight drinking) in the hope that these things will boost my motivation and give me more energy to exercise eventually too.

But the thing is I just don't know where to start. I'm one of those people that goes to the gym once in a blue moon, goes on the treadmill/bike for a bit then fannies around on weight machines with no real understanding of reps, technique or benefits. And in any case I don't get time to go the gym often enough for it to make the tiniest bit of difference anyway.

Realistically I have maybe 30-45 minutes in a morning where I could do something at home. But what? Would any beginners workout do as long as I'm getting moving? My only real goal is to improve fitness and health. I feel like something like couch to 5k would work for me as it has precise instructions and a routine...but I hate running so I don't think starting with that would help much.

Please...where do I begin? Because not knowing is what puts me off and then nothing ever changes. I need focus and maybe some sort of daily challenge to keep me on track.

I’m very lazy by nature so what works for me is getting addicted to exercise, this can be done in around 2 weeks.
I started over 5 years ago with free Youtube workouts, I like HasFit, Move with James, tried many others which I forgot. Everything that gets you tired and a bit sore works.
At some point I found a couple of free Les Mills videos on Youtube and I liked them so much that I bought a subscription. It was four years ago and it’s still my most utilised subscription, I use it daily for workouts, meditation, yoga nidra to fall asleep, anything fitness related. I’m in the third trimester now and their pregnancy and low impact workouts keep me in shape.

I live far away from a gym and driving there and back would be a waste of time. There are free workouts on Youtube for all types of activities and all levels, just get yourself into the habit of moving regularly and you will feel restless when you don’t.

1. Have a goal to move your body in some way every day. That's more achievable than an actual workout every day

1. Find something active that you love doing so you're doing it for the joy of doing it, not for the exercise. Even better if they're also social activities. Challenge yourself this year to try three things you hadn't considered before...horse riding, aerial hoop, martial arts, salsa dancing...

1. For YouTube workouts, Body fit By Amy is amazing. I love her ethos and her workouts.EMKFit is fab too.

Intermittent fasting, increase water and eat real foods that grow on trees, out of the ground.

I'd suggest taking 5 (and eventually 10) minutes every morning to do planks and wall squats. That will really help you with muscle and core strength, and it's so simple once you've nailed the form.

As someone who has dropped 5 dress sizes i can confirm exercise is amazing and life changing but didn't help me shift a pound. I cut out sugar, did intermittent fasting, drank tons of water, monitored sleep and got rid of of processed foods. I do exercise most days now but that's for my mental health and core strength not for weight loss - if I are what I used to eat and all day plus all the sugar I couldn't lost any - for movement I love keel Pilates on you tube and Burn Pilates on YouTube plus Eleni Fit and Lidia Mera - I've invested in you tube premium so I don't get the ad breaks

Whatever you decide to do my advice would be to start slowly and stretch. I do Yoga with Adrienne every day for 10-15 mins, before I started I could barely bend down to pick something up off the floor and was constantly in pain from my osteoarthritis. I’ve been doing this for a few months now and the difference in my mobility is amazing. I’ve joined a health spa and gym and am actually enjoying it. I now need to curb the wine and actually pay attention to my diet to shift the weight.

The gym will offer an induction session

None of those, except maybe snow, are valid reasons imo.

Placemarking so I can find these links easier. Thanks for asking OP.

I would recommend Couch to 5k. I hate all exercise and am enjoying doing this. It's a 9 week programme with the running amount increasing each week. I repeat the weeks until I am comfortable, I have been doing this since October and am still only on week 3. It's more about getting fit for me.

Could you do the couch to 5k plan but walk it?
Walking 5k at a brisk pace takes about 45 minutes. If you’re going from a very sedentary routine that would be a good goal.
Running is honestly not for everyone. It’s hard on your joints. I like low impact exercise like walking (especially hiking, so with hills and views), swimming, dance classes. I quite fancy trying a spin class.

Personally I’d think a walk, going swimming or cycling or a YouTube dance class would be a great place to start as it’s more about enjoyment than the ‘I must get through this’. Diet wise I lost a stone an a half last year from having a glass of water and an apple before breakfast in the morning (tricked body into thinking I was having a healthy day!), not eating/ only having eg fruit (frozen grapes and cut up apple and broccoli) after 8 (soooo hard the first few weeks when all I could think about was crisps!!), halfing bread, cereal, crisps and fizzy drinks (my vices!!). Biggest thing is to remember a bad day doesn’t mean you’re done for!!

Cancel the gym and buy yourself some weights and a kettlebell.

Exercising with a kettlebell gives you a weights and cardio workout.

Or buy a vertical stepper. That also gives you a full body workout. I was doing 20-30 minutes in the morning. Fell out of the habit as I had an accident but now I'm recovered intend to get back on it in January. You might find a second hand one on Gumtree or EBay, but Argos also sell them.

@onefootinfrontoftheotherbabe Yes but you're not the Exercise Police. If using a treadmill rather than exercising in unpleasant conditions motivates people then let them get on with it!

I’m not the exercise police but making a 50 minute round trip in a car to walk on a treadmill does give us some insight into why this country has so much traffic congestion and obesity.

Safety? You might do other stuff while you're there like swim or weights etc
I'm not going out walking after work at 7-8pm in the dark so I do spin classes at home instead

I can only run on an indoor treadmill. If I run outside, I have an asthma attack.

I quite enjoyed the 30 day shred dvd !

I do the classes at the gym instead

Requires discipline but this is an amazing kickstart - https://thesixpackrevolution.com/

Hi OP, I like Bodyfit by Amy in YouTube. She does have some beginners videos. Most are 20-30 mins long and she offers adaptations for easy/hard.

Oh and if you do decide to walk outside, get a good headtorch. I live rurally so worry of being murdered and I walk in the dark before work in the mornings for an hour.

This is brilliant

If you like classes, check out what’s offered at your local council sports centre. Ours does loads, from yoga to circuits, and they’re under £5 for the hour.
Walking as others have said- it’s outdoors (Vitamin D!), free, and weight bearing too so good for bone density. You could buy some small wrist and ankle bands with weights inside, or a couple of small dumbbells to carry, to increase the load as you get fitter.

the important thing for me is that I enjoy it, and if I get bored or become unenthusiastic I am allowed to have a break or change my activity. I really enjoy swimming, for example, but every so often I just don’t fancy it so I do something else instead or just give myself a break for a couple of weeks, then I can go back to it feeling re-energised.

Why not try couch to 5k (you say you hate running but might find the progress motivating, and you can repeat weeks as many times as you like to feel comfortable with it?)
Then combine with a YouTube weights video (plenty around 30 mins on Caroline Girvan's or Joe Wicks' channels) on other days?

Walking. Literally leave the front door, walk for 15 minutes, fast, turn back, celebrate with a cuppa, you'll get faster and go further and then can look to different exercises once you build up a bit of fitness