Help! Starting my exercise journey!

[MyneighbourisTotoro]

Hello all,

I’m a 30 something mum to two, I weigh around 120lbs and and I’m a size 6/8 so weight loss isn’t what I’m aiming for.

The problem is I have really wobbly parts of my body and I’m getting so depressed over it!
I have wobbly upper arms, thighs, butt and my tummy could do with some tightening, I am a pear so I store more fat in my bum and legs.

My diet isn’t terrible but my intake is low, I’m working on adding more protein and drinking more water and less tea!

I am doing at home exercises and using 1.5kg weights and a resistance band.

my main goal is to tone and build up some strength because I’m so incredibly weak!
I have no core strength whatsoever so lunges are extremely difficult for me, I can barely go halfway down! I always struggle lifting things and I really want to improve this.

I’m working out for around 45 minutes to 1 hour a day (5 days active and 2 rest days).

I’m doing a mixture of cardio and weight training and using some of blogilates videos on YouTube along with exercises my physio recommended.

Will all of this help me tone up?
Has anyone else been “skinny fat” and worked out at home successfully? I think I’m worried that my body is just weird and I’ll never get tighter muscles and I’ll just always have flabby skin.

How soon could I build strength and improve my my stamina etc. I know results won’t really be noticeable until a good 3/6 months of regular exercising.

At the moment I feel so unfit and the workouts are killing my muscles but I’m determined to keep going, it’s been a week and a half since I started and I don’t want to give up, I really want to see this through and get fitter, stronger and healthier!

I guess the point of my post is to see if anyone has been in my position and managed to achieve their goals and to see if anyone has any advice?

Thank you!

Hi OP. Are you able to get to a gym? Finding one that’s local and easy to get to is the most important factor. Having access to a range of weights and equipment is great.

I would look at building a training plan and it’s great that you know results don’t happen overnight, it takes consistency.

Having a plan means you can build up strength and fitness as well as tracking progress, having a set of exercises you do for 3-4 months is much better than changing constantly. With my plans (strength training) I usually start low weight/high reps (2-3 sets) and end high weight/low reps (5-6 sets).

Finding exercises you enjoy to tone and build strength really helps too.

I've always been skinny but really wanted to get fit. I started running when we first went into lock down. That really helped my fitness and wellness and help tone my abs a bit. What I found that worked the best are Chloe Ting workouts on YouTube. I do abs ones and leg and bum ones. I usually do two long workouts a week as it's hard to fit them in with my work schedule and kids. The abs workouts are 11 mins and leg and butt ones 16 mins. I usually try to do 2 ab workouts and a leg and butt one in a session sometimes two leg and butt ones. I saw results really quickly on my abs but that could be because I'm pear shaped so I don't really have any fat on my stomach. So I'm usually doing two runs a week and two workouts.

If the workouts are killing your muscles, pull back. Why are you doing 5 days a week? It looks a lot like a programme you'll stick at for 3 weeks and then collapse in a pile with a packet of chocolate digestives, on repeat.

Core strength can start to feel better very quickly. What 'shows' is very subjective. If you have a light covering of fat over healthy muscles, the fat can drop away in a week or two, making you look much more toned very quickly. If there's very little fat, and you're trying to build the muscles, that's what'll take months.

Do you reach the point of exhaustion when you weight train? If you're not, or not getting close to it, you could be getting much greater gains for the time you're putting in.

Your solution is to buy a kettlebell

It will do all you want and more.

For what you want to achieve, all you need is a single movement....kettlebell swings. (youtube it).

As you get stronger and fitter, you can mix up the movements (youtube it)

20 minutes a day 3x per week, as high intensity as you can.

From the sounds of it, you'd probably want to start with an 8 to 10kg kettlebell.

@Stellaris22 thank you your reply.
I’m not able to join a gym, I just can’t afford it and I don’t drive so it’s too much of an expense.

I have a dumbbell set at home of varying weights and I’m starting on what I can manage and aim to work my way up.

As I’m watching blogilates videos I’m also using her app and website and she has lots of programmes to choose from.

I’m focusing on doing one day whole body, one day arms, one day legs, one day abs and one day glutes. I’m really hoping I can stick it out for the long term, I am so unfit and every day that I exercise I keep telling myself it will be worth it!

I’m hoping this will be enough to get a good start on improving my health and fitness!

@Cotswoldmama Running isn’t an option unfortunately due to a knee injury and asthma.

I don’t have much fat on my stomach either it’s mainly my butt and legs which is the areas that need improving the most.

My overall fat percentage is 23% so I’m in the healthy range but I really need to get stronger and tighten everything up. I’m really hoping after a few months I’ll start to see an improvement.

I tried Chloe sting videos but she is just so dull! I prefer blogilates as she really eggs you on and does lots of compound exercises and similar things to Chloe Ting but I just prefer her personality.

People always say how nice it must be to be thin and how lucky I am but I don’t see it that way as I know people heavier than me who look amazing because they are toned!

@Watchkeys no not absolutely killing my muscles, I meant that in a light hearted way, I can just feel the burn but I’m absolutely fine, I’m not pushing myself so hard that I end up injured!

I used to go to the gym but can’t afford it now.
I’m doing it daily as I’m following a programme that works on the whole body plus different areas, obviously you can’t spot reduce but I’m having an arm day and a leg day so I give myself time to recover in between but my muscles are still getting worked in the other workouts just not as hard.

I’m definitely working up a sweat but I’m not exhausting myself but it’s definitely hard work! I’m hoping overtime it gets easier and I’ll be able to move on to the heavier weights.

one day whole body, one day arms, one day legs, one day abs and one day glutes

What about your back? Shoulders? Are you working your calves in your leg workout? Glutes are part of your legs...This is a very common rookie error, to work the bits you want to see improvements on, when really you need to work all your muscle groups.

A session with a personal trainer would really help you out, OP, just to give you guidance you can take forward on your own.

I’m not pushing myself so hard that I end up injured

That's not how it happens, that you lift a weight and go 'Ow! I've pulled a muscle!'

You'll gradually realise over time that you're getting more and more back ache, or shoulder ache, or neck ache, because you're working certain muscles too hard, and not working the muscles that support them hard enough. Then one day carrying the shopping home, you'll hear a crunch and you won't be able to workout for weeks.

@Watchkeys I wrote a whole reply that got deleted before I pressed post.

Yes the exercises include all the muscle groups.
They are created by a certified fitness and Pilates instructor. She ensures her programmes are doable, she has levels for veg fingers and those who are more advanced, she offers modifications to exercises as well. I also make sure I warm up and stretch after each session, I’m not working out for a full 45/60 minutes, it includes warm up/cool down time, the actual work out time is usually 30 minutes, some days 40.
I take longer rests if I need to and I don’t push myself to do anything that’s too difficult for me and if I need to do a modified version then I will.

I have had a session with a PT when I joined the gym, the exercises I’m doing are similar to those I used to do, I’m just unfit and out of practice and using resistance bands and dumbbells instead of the larger equipment they have there.

5 days a week is just a goal, I’m not pushing myself to Mon-Fri working out, the exercises are scattered amongst the week on the days I’m able to do them.
Last week I only did 3 days, this week I’ve done 3 days and I may be able to fit in a Pilates session on Friday but again I’m not pushing myself to do a full on 5 days a week, If I miss a workout I just do it the next week when I can as I need to fit this all around my lifestyle.

I’m trying to have consistency so if I can work out 3 days a week then I’m happy and I know results will take time.
When I went to the gym they said my fat percentage is 23% but it’s carried mostly in my legs and bum. Supposedly my metabolism is that of a teenager but I don’t know how they work that out or how accurate it is.

she has levels for veg fingers

Sounds like you've got it all worked out, except for your spell checker ;)

All sounds good. If you're reaching near failure with each set of lifts, you'll change shape in no time. Good luck!

@Watchkeys ahh I meant beginners! 😂 thanks so much for advice! It is super helpful, hopefully I actually stick to everything this time round as I am truly fed up of feeling so weak and just want to be healthier, I just need to sort my diet out as well so I can gain some muscle!

If you can't afford the gym, then finding some decent instructors on YouTube is a good option. I know Chloe Ting is really popular, but I don't think her form is great. I think the likes of Hasfit and Fitness Blender are better for beginners when it comes to weights. I agree with pp about kettlesbells. They are great for your core as well as building strength and can be good for cardio too. I really like Bodyfit by Amy's kettlebell videos, but you need to make sure your form is correct so you don't injure yourself.

Oh and if you want to work on your core then Pilates is great for that, and it will really compliment your strength training. I like Pilates with Katja on YouTube as she gives really clear instructions.

Can you try running? Couch to 5k is amazing and running really trims you and does wonders for legs bum and tum. I run and I also cycle now, since started cycling my legs and bum are amazing, best they've ever been. Squats are fab too and you don't actually need to do very many, just a few mins a day will help.