How to improve fitness when you are incredibly unfit

[pennypop3]

I'm so unfit. I tried to do some sit ups earlier and felt like throwing up. I think I managed 3.

I can't run. I'm 5'7 and 12 stone so a bit overweight but not massively so. I just don't exercise. I try to walk when I can but with kids and work it's not very often. Im pushing 40 and feel like if I don't try and improve things now it will just get harder and harder.

So where do I begin? Help!

Find something you don't mind doing (you might not love it at first) and do it a little bit, as often as you can. Walking would be a good place to start - can you not do that with your kids?

Good advice from @Tophelleborine !

Walking whenever you can is a great start.

Agree with this. If you find numbers motivating, measure how long/fast you can do it, and try to increase a little each week.

Couch to 5k is really good if you want to try running. There is an app you can download

I love to walk! I just don't get the chance. Going with the kids isnt great as my littlest is too big for the buggy but too small to walk fast/far.

I'm pretty fit and I would find sit ups hard. I also don't run. Start by walking. Slowly at first, short distances, and build up. Make sure it's something you'll enjoy, so you'll keep it up. If you've been sedentary a long time I think it's generally recommended to have a medical check up before starting any kind of exercise program.

Just start! But don't try to do too much - take it easy and build up.

C25K is a brilliant way to start running, even if you think you can't.

Walk to the park. It's better than nothing. Play with the kids there, that's all activity. You'd be surprised how well kids can walk.

Can you swim? If you can, do that?
If you cant because of commitments then get a spin bike in your house. You can watch stuff on YouTube to follow. They literally torch calories. You drip with sweat after 20 mins. You can get one for about £250 if that’s financially possible for you?

Do you have any time without the kids?

When I was starting to get fit, I hired a personal trainer at my local gym. She put a plan together for me & then I booked a session with her once a month to check in.

I got a kettlebell in Aldi. Quick Caroline Girvan workouts on YouTube.

10 mins a day of something everyday.

I had an exercise bike so started on 10 mins everyday, then built up super slow. You could do the same with any movement. Walking on the spot, aerobics moves, stepping up and down whatever works for you

I started swimming first, then after a month started the gym, felt like I was going to die but have ended up loving it, got my slimmer waist back and I'm a beast at the leg press! I'm much bigger than you and was worried everyone would be staring or laughing, but everyone's just getting on with their own thing.

10 mins a day of something everyday.

I had an exercise bike so started on 10 mins everyday, then built up super slow. You could do the same with any movement. Walking on the spot, aerobics moves, stepping up and down whatever works for you

You start exactly where you started. Today you feel like throwing up after three sit ups, next week it may be four or five. I am reasonably fit but there are a lot of things I can't do. I just work on them consistently every week until I can. And then I work on them some more until I can do them better/faster.

Ask Alexa to play a song that you can dance to a few times a day and do some simple repetitive moves. You can add a little bit extra by keeping a light pair of hand weights under the sofa.

At 41, I did Joe Wicks youtube videos, then c25k, then got the confidence to join a crossfit gym where I am regularly the worst in the class at everything. But Im fitter now at 45 than i ever have been. I’m so happy Ive done all that and it opens the door to fun stuff I couldn’t do before

Start walking. You’ll be surprised the steps you can rack up . I wear my Apple Watch and record outdoor walks at lunchtime at work. Average 7000 in around 25 mins.
keep an eye on cardio fitness too.
you could try couch to 5k but I would build up walking for around 4 weeks first if you have not been active.
hiit sessions are great for building fitness fast but you might want to build things up first

I'm also pretty fit and situps are tough!
From experience of going from very unfit to fit, I'd recommend:

• little and often (i cannot stress enough how great this is, especially if you are busy - don't try and find an hour 3x a week, try and find 20 minutes 4x a week first! (Or whatever you can manage)
• stretch to warm up! So important.
• pilates is a great way to ease into it and there's loads of great 'beginners pilates' videos on YouTube - if you start with this you could then use some of the stretching you do to warm up into more exercise! There's a youtuber called Move With Nicole who has lots of great beginner videos.
• from there, you could look at pilates with weights! You can often get cheap weights on fb sites, or off Amazon or Argos (also check Asda!)

And remember, if you can't do everything in the video right away, that's totally fine! Do what you can and keep at it - it will get easier.

I bought myself a mini stair stepper many years ago, and some hand weights (2lbs and 5lbs). Both could be used at home in the evenings.

I love walking, but there just weren't enough hours in the day to fit a walk in.

You don't need to walk fast or far, but A walk is better then no walk

Just get A walk in,

Even with the little one you can get the length of two lamp posts in

Get the kids on board, get a bit of chalk and mark out a hop scotch game - even the wee one can join in on that

I did a marathon last year - walked it, I do park runs when I can, I walk them. I couldn't run to save my life, but I can walk. I cant do sit ups or press ups, but I can do squats and lunges - usually whilst Im waiting on the spuds to boil. Even today in work, I had the ovens full, just waiting - so I grabbed a couple of tins and did some arm curls . Because something is always better then nothing

A skipping rope is great fun as well. Especially if your kids are of the age where they can learn as well

Get fit with Rick on YouTube... when the kids have gone to bed ... start with tge lowest and work up .

This.

Ten mins a day. Honestly. You might think nah ten minutes is nothing what's the point but you build the habit, you feel good about it, it's achievable and I bet in a week or two you'll be stretching some of them out to 15 or 20 minutes.

I do ten minutes a day of yoga before bed followed by some planks. It's hardly any time but my abdomen is rock solid and my shoulders are now strong enough to do push ups.

I'm following Cat Meffan's Commit Challenge on Yt - its free, give it a try.

Definitely walk; try and fit it in to your day if you don’t like going out for a walk for no reason.

And once you can walk happily at a brisk pace “like you are late” for 45 mins and up a few inclines too ; then add some other sport that you enjoy in like swimming, horse-riding, badminton, dance. Zumba is fun! And after that consider some weight training! Good luck!

Sit ups are challenging for lots of people - not a great place to start.

As everyone has said, find something you can fit into your day easily. For many, that will be walking. If you have the money (or are lucky with someone giving one away) you can get either an exercise bike or one of those mini treadmills, and not allow yourself to sit on the sofa until you have done 15mins of moving - put it in your living room and exercise whilst you watch TV.

Ring fence 2 x hour a week and go to a class you enjoy - dancing, zumba, spin, body pump, or go for a swim or whatever you enjoy.

Couch to 5K doesn't take long when you start out - 20 mins or so.

Then find some exercises you can do anywhere, even whilst waiting for the kettle to boil. Get in the habit of doing some squats when you are standing there, or calf lifts, or anyone of dozens of exercises you can do without special equipment or space or lots of time.