Where do i start?

[Scrambledcrumpets]

Hoping for some advice/support.

I used to work out regularly (at least 3 times a week sometimes more) but then rolled my ankle in lockdown and then had various ailments/injuries which have stopped me from getting back to it. During this time I have put on weight (about 2 stone). Earlier this year I started couch 2 5k again but then broke my ankle. I am now back on my feet but even running a few steps to catch the bus hurts.

I want to start exercising again but don't know where to start. I would like to go swimming but feel awful about my body and how I look. I am early 40s and feeling like shit about my appearance. My friends don't seem to suffer from the weight gain I have. I work full time so can be hard to fit in exercise with kids activities, DH's hobbies etc. I have thought about a personal trainer but would this mean I need to join a gym? I'm not sure I feel confident enough to go on my own. I feel like a whale and so self conscious.

I have also tried various fitness programmes. Joe wicks, davina etc and find it hard to stay motivated.

You could start by walking, if you was able to get 15k steps in per day then you should be losing weight and it will also help build up strength again in your ankle. You could also get some resistance bands and weights for at home and do home workouts or you could try home yoga workouts on YouTube. All good ways of losing weight and toning up.

Walking is pretty much always a good place to start. It's good to add in varied terrain, grass, trails and hills to vary the muscles being used.

When I was getting back into action after achilles tendonitis, I found that my ankle stability and balance had declined through the injury and rest and used trail walking/ running and poles to build my strength back up on top of my physio exercises. (I still had good base fitness, just needed to phase back up after a few months)

Physio would be well worth going to for specific exercises and advice on how to phase in safely.

Swimming pools have people of every shape and size because water based activity is so good for rehab/ injury. There's more variation of swimwear now; I like boy-leg cossies to save the bother of shaving rash.

Thank you both. Am going to try and increase my steps and do more yoga. Something has to be better than nothing aye?

Don't have a definitive 'where to start' answer but I'm in a very similar position to you and I've been trying to include exercises into my every day activities. Walking 15k steps is very time consuming and free time is not something I have a lot of, so been thinking more through my day and trying to fit stuff in that way. For example whenever I go up the stairs I do 5 'stair push ups', when I'm brushing my teeth I do squats, if I'm sat writing a response on a random Mumsnet thread I do leg raises. It's just increased my motivation a bit. Today I was WFH and rather than working from the kitchen table I sat on the exercise bike and probably did about an hour of cycling off and on.

This guy has a lot of random moves to get you more limber, which has led to motivation to do a bit more aerobic exercise etc

linktr.ee/aadamrichardson?fbclid=IwY2xjawEz6MlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHT-J34nsvOSc0VpLq9AMIEBhxrX8tYyCRQw8yRnF7lnrnumygkCLyTGc2g_aem_48G5LWzEx9q-6nZBMC9zRw

Also PT's can come to your house! Or since COVID even meet at a park etc. Definitely don't need to have a gym membership to have a PT.

How heavy are you?
You have to minimum 2 stone overweight to look normal at my local pool.

Home workouts that incorporate squats, lunges, press ups etc. pick one you love and build up to several times a week.

How come you broke your ankle twice? It would be worth getting your bone density checked out.

Goodness, you've 'been in the wars', as my gran would say!

First thing - once you're in the water, in the pool, no-one will see/notice you or your body. So just go swimming.

But second, if you're wanting to lose weight, it's really your diet that needs most attention. Exercise can help you lose weight, but only if you do a lot of it, regularly.

Personal trainers generally work through gyms, and then those gyms will take a cut of the fee that you're paying them, so they can be expensive. But you can find one who will train you outside, or in your own home (if you have the room).

It really sounds as though it'd be worth seeing an exercise physiotherapist to look at the issues that have made your ankle/s unstable and prone to injury. Get them strong, and I'd also be working on balance, as well - core strength and alignment of your body so it doesn't go out of kilter.

I'd suggest you try and find an online trainer you can connect with. Suggestions:

• Lucy Wyndham Read
• Yoga with Kassandra
• Heather Robertson
• Growingannanas
• Caroline Girvan

Work out with dumbbells. Do the Bowflex 3-minute plank every single day. Do bits of exercise when you have a few minutes utes. While waiting for the kettle to boil or watching TV. Commit to doing 10 minutes - once you are doing it it is easier to just keep going.

OP I've had three personal trainers none of whom required me to have a gym membership. One of them worked from a gym but I was allowed in without a membership.

I would swim. There are people of all shapes and sizes at our local pool.
I buggered my achilles a few years ago so took adult swimming lessons and it was the best thing I ever did as I can now Swim proper front crawl which I wasn't taught as a child.

And as regards your busy day, just make it work! I get up at 5 to exercise before work. Then walk in my half hour lunch break. And sometimes after work before I collect the teens at 6.30pm.

Honestly if you want it enough, you can find the time. When my children were tiny I started running every morning before DH left for work. And over the years that changed to what I do now which is a walk and YouTube weights most mornings before I get the DC up for school and then go to work myself.

Perhaps start with a short daily Pilates routine to build your core and confidence. Jessica Valant on YouTube is good

I went straight from nothing (thanks to a period of illness) into weightlifting. Heavy weight, as heavy as I can move. It has the quickest bang for buck IMO. Especially important to have good muscle mass as you head into peri and middle age.

I took up an introductory offer at a gym. Do a full body weights workout every 3-4 days with walking, swimming, at home yoga in between to help get the stiffness out and recover.

Did you design your own workout? Or get someone to help?

I have past experience at gyms so I am just doing my own thing, though I did have a staff member follow me around the first time to make sure I wasn't doing anything stupid. Just using the machines for now as they are pretty foolproof, will book a session with a staff member and move to free weights when I am feeling stronger and more confident.

Just walk. That's the place to start

Check out Caroline Girvan on YouTube.

Life changing.

Walking is always good. And using the stairs instead of the lift.

Lucy Wyndham Read has some good virtual 'walking in nice places' videos.