A question about working out?

[losing]

On monday the 6th i started working out sort of. My workout is as follows...

During the late morning early afternoon i do a rep(?) of 10 pushups that i can only push my upper body up. Then i roll over and do 10 situps that i can only get my shoulders and my light head up about maybe 10" up. I rest for a few minutes and do it again in the same order then i am done.

I also thought about asking on a workout forum but that would be a mess for me. And gyms and trainers cost too much money. And i'm not trying to be a strong guy. I have some energy and time so i want to make sure i am not going to hurt myself painfully doing my workout. Do any of you B&Bers know or think what i'm doing is ok and i won't hurt myself too painfully?

 

[DesertIguana]

Never START any Exercise with out check with B & B Forum, or your Physician. Think the Doctors advise might be more sound.

 

[losing]

Never START any Exercise with out check with B & B Forum, or your Physician. Think the Doctors advise might be more sound.

I never thought about asking the dr. i have been going to. The first time i have seen a dr. more than a couple of times in my life. Thank you

If any mods read this you can close and/or get rid of this thread...

 

[game misconduct]

if your health isnt good and your up there in age ask your doc to get you into physical therapy. your pt can figure out a plan to help you attain your goals etc.

 

[eSteve]

Here are some of my ideas about it, for starting to get more fit. Don't ask any one. Don't work out. At a minimum, have a healthy diet. Have good ideas about work and movement and just live. Move. Move well. Work: housework, yardwork, building construction, etc. Just do it. Find a vocation that requires physical work or just movement. Choose a recreational activity you can enjoy and is accessible. Do the maintenance exercises to support your activity: strength and stretching (mobility) exercises. Walk. As soon as you feel you can do it, walk/run. Then just run. Keep working.

 

[WThomas0814]

The one rule about exercise is you can't exercise your way out of a bad diet.

Is your goal to lose weight? Improve overall health? Improve a specific area of your body?

Walking is the easiest and yet incredibly effective exercise there is. Not just your 10K steps per day, but, longer walks at a brisk pace. Just move.

I personally can't run. My knees wont take it. I ride a Peloton 4X weekly and use X3 resistance bands several times a week. Both are low impact, but, they burn calories and improve overall strength and conditioning.

I lost close to 100 pounds over 18 months just by eating better (watching macros), Peloton, and X3. When weather permits, I do one or two long walk/hikes a week.

Good luck!

 

[losing]

if your health isnt good and your up there in age ask your doc to get you into physical therapy. your pt can figure out a plan to help you attain your goals etc.

My history with or about drs or physical therapy is very thin. And somewhat limited with getting help with this currently from them.

Here are some of my ideas about it, for starting to get more fit. Don't ask any one. Don't work out. At a minimum, have a healthy diet. Have good ideas about work and movement and just live. Move. Move well. Work: housework, yardwork, building construction, etc. Just do it. Find a vocation that requires physical work or just movement. Choose a recreational activity you can enjoy and is accessible. Do the maintenance exercises to support your activity: strength and stretching (mobility) exercises. Walk. As soon as you feel you can do it, walk/run. Then just run. Keep working.

I will do my best to keep my reply short and not go on a rant or anything like that...

I developed disabilities between april to june of 2023. Most are annoying but don't prevent me from doing anything there are 3 that prevent me from easily or at all doing a lot of things like working a job, walking long distances without a cane, balance mostly a dizziness and/or an eye twitching thing (which i laughed at when a video was taken of it by my brother). When the weather started to get cold up here closer to the sun the dizziness and eye twitching came back and very bad. And hands that are getting better but their not cooperating with my brain fully makes doing things like tapping this reply difficult.

I am also living in a different State and in a not-so densely packed area than i used to live and would like to get back to. I miss having within walking distance any kind of stores or businesses and jobs i used to have within a 30 minute drive (my last job my main store to work in was a 5 minute drive, and i could have walked to it if i had to and my body wasn't so lazy...hahaha).

There is a State/township runned bus service that is free or very low cost which has been mostly great for me. But the 3 pt/gym locations the corporate healthcare company (i have been using and going through) are not within the driving limits of the bus company and a gym or two that are, i can't afford.

My diet has improved so-to-speak. And how much i eat i have been changing so i hope this will be a good thing just in general.

My ideas and goals for "working out" are 1: to give me something to do 2: get my body into some kind of fit shape 3: maybe my health annoyances will improve (my hands have had some improvement training with the hand squeeze thing my family got for me) 4: not really a fourth but if i start to look overly fit for a 51 year old man, woohoo.... hahaha...

My reply was/is not to insult or anything like that to B&B members. It is mostly something i needed myself to tap out and read and to give a bit of info about my fitness issues and wants.

Thank you all for your replys.

 

[losing]

@WThomas0814 i am a fan of standalone bikes 20ish years ago i wheeled one at the gym my friend had a good membership at, usually 6 days a week and up to 2 hours long.

But they cost too much and with limited room not an easy thing to own. And when the weather is warmer (spring) my walking will start again and my plan is to speed my walks up. But not where i will need the wheeled walker i have to keep me from tumbling down.

Thanks sort of to the illness i had i lost nearly 100lbs and was at a lighter weight than when i was younger (185lbs back than) and did things like non-professional sports and gym workouts. The weight i have now and gained back (thankfully and is 200lbs) its belly not muscular like i used to be.

Great job on your weight loss that is an amazing thing to accomplish.

 

[WThomas0814]

@WThomas0814 i am a fan of standalone bikes 20ish years ago i wheeled one at the gym my friend had a good membership at, usually 6 days a week and up to 2 hours long.

But they cost too much and with limited room not an easy thing to own. And when the weather is warmer (spring) my walking will start again and my plan is to speed my walks up. But not where i will need the wheeled walker i have to keep me from tumbling down.

Thanks sort of to the illness i had i lost nearly 100lbs and was at a lighter weight than when i was younger (185lbs back than) and did things like non-professional sports and gym workouts. The weight i have now and gained back (thankfully and is 200lbs) its belly not muscular like i used to be.

Great job on your weight loss that is an amazing thing to accomplish.

Thank you. A Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis was a strong motivator. I was able to get my blood my sugar under control and am no longer on medication.

I hope your condition allows a full recovery. If not that, at least progress enough to do all the things you used to do.

 

[losing]

@WThomas0814 the diabetes is a bastard. My father's side of the family until 20 years ago the women got diabetes. My father and my uncle got it.

I hope my condition improves and in a few ways it's starting to improve.

Thank you all

 

[musicman1951]

Pushups and crunches are great exercises. It's hard to hurt yourself with pushups - your arms get too tired and you stop. Keep good form and stop before things start to shake from exhaustion.

Crunches are great - full sit-ups have lost their popularity because they are hard on the back. Keep your lower back on the floor and just lift your shoulder blades up.

One set of each (reps stands for repetitions within the set) twice a day sound like a reasonable start. They will get easier over time and you will find you're doing more reps. There are tons of exercise videos on YouTube. Don't be scared off by the hosts who all look like Greek gods, pick whatever looks reasonable for you at this time.

 

[losing]

@musicman1951 thank you

I thought and feel my 2 sets of 10 reps have been making me feel/being easier to do. And i am not going to overdue my workouts. A terrible back muscles i have are a concern for me. So i need to learn things to make my back handle stupid things like reaching down to get a shirt out of a laundry cart at the laundromat to fold (furtunately only happened 2 times in 10 years) hahaha...

utoob is a fun source for a lot of things/info the only thing that bothers me is overly creative "creators" or ones yelling everything they do. So buffed up people don't bother me as long as what they are showing me and telling me is good for me, i am ok. And another source i never thought about for workouts/exercizes.

With the suggestions i've gotten so far i will be the 185lb muscular 20-30 year old me i used to be in about a month. A non-bicycling bicycle would cut that 1 month time in half but their expense is too much... hahaha...

 

[abies]

I have more experience with aerobic stuff but in general as long as your form is good and you don't feel pain much later on you're probably fine. My personal experience is to start with stuff that feels challenging and where you feel like you got a workout but is still doable, and then gradually increase the intensity and/or reps and/or number of sessions (? not sure what the language is for strength, although I do a bit of it). Being a hero isn't always a good thing and/or necessary, consistency and gradual increases and volume is the thing.

I've found this site helpful with strength exercises (no affiliation, just think it's useful): MuscleWiki - Simplify your workout - https://musclewiki.com/

 

[losing]

@abies aerobic? Is that something to do with exercizes like jumping jacks? I like stationary bicycles but too much money for me. And me wanting to do walking is not going to happen again for about 2 more months, the cold and snow keeps my old bones inside... lol...

 

[TexLaw]

Check out the book "Convict Conditioning." You don't have to do everything, but it's wonderful on starting slow and building properly. You might be amazed at how much of a workout even the lowest level exercises can be.

 

[abies]

@abies aerobic? Is that something to do with exercizes like jumping jacks? I like stationary bicycles but too much money for me. And me wanting to do walking is not going to happen again for about 2 more months, the cold and snow keeps my old bones inside... lol...

I think jumping jacks or jump rope would count. I was thinking of running, cycling, swimming, cross country skiing etc when I wrote that though.

I usually ski in the winter but this year has been lacking in snow, a long with last year.

Stationary bikes can get expensive. If you have a bike you can get a trainer possibly?

I usually stick to strength exercises indoors though.

 

[losing]

Check out the book "Convict Conditioning." You don't have to do everything, but it's wonderful on starting slow and building properly. You might be amazed at how much of a workout even the lowest level exercises can be.

I don't know about books, should i or do i have to read before or after working out? Hahaha... i will have a look at that book. I hope it's available at a store near me though.

I think jumping jacks or jump rope would count. I was thinking of running, cycling, swimming, cross country skiing etc when I wrote that though.

I usually ski in the winter but this year has been lacking in snow, a long with last year.

Stationary bikes can get expensive. If you have a bike you can get a trainer possibly?

I usually stick to strength exercises indoors though.

Ok i like swimming and cycling but cycling i can't do yet because of this eye twitching and dizziness thing, what i am hoping for when the temperature goes up the pressure or what causes the problems lessons and bicycling can happen if i can get a bike. Swimming is also something i can't do because of the cost. $30k+ to have an inground pool put in on a property i might not be living in, in the next 2 years and no clubs or anything like that i can get to and offers swimming.

Jumping jacks and or a rope to jump might be another exercise i add to my routine. Even in their cold/freezing carhole those exercises will keep me warm for the few minutes i will be doing them.

Thank you all once again. I have been told i'm looking buffer than before i started last week just by this thread i started... hahaha...

 

[NotBloomingAL]

Check out the book "Convict Conditioning." You don't have to do everything, but it's wonderful on starting slow and building properly. You might be amazed at how much of a workout even the lowest level exercises can be.

It's a very good book. IIRC, it starts out with four exercises (eventually progressing to six). But IMHO, you could start out with just three: pushups, pullups, and squats. You don't need to do pushups off the floor. You can do them against your kitchen counter. Same with pullups from a bar. I think the book starts you out using a towel wrapped around doorknobs. Push, pull and air squats. Squats are also a great ab workout. You can forgo sit-ups for squats. Stabilize yourself with a hand on your kitchen counter or a chair if you need to. Make the exercise easy so you can do high reps. This will be good for your tendons. Don't push yourself too hard. You don't want to injure yourself. Go slow, be the tortoise.

And as mentioned above, walk and/or ride a bike as much as you can.

 

[ColtRevolver]

Motion is lotion when it comes to your joints and overall health. With a good diet, regular push-ups, situps/crunches, and some kind of cardio movement most people can stay in reasonable shape. They biggest key is activity. IMO, Sitting around more than moving around leads to weight gain, health problems, and early death. Stay on the move. Make the Grim Reaper chase you down.

 

[brucered]

I'm a big proponent of getting Outside if you are able.

I took up trail running a few years ago after having never run in my life, but I did cycle and always stay in decent shape. From +20 to -15 or so, I try to get out for a 5k with the dog 4-5 times a week. Fresh air, no distractions or disruptions, no electronics, peaceful and good for your mind too.

As others have said. Just do something. That's the main thing. Anything is better than nothing. Start small. Be happy with minor improvements. Set realistic goals.

Good luck and have fun.