Hi guys! For the past… ever, I’ve been putting my health and fitness aside. I tried a few times to get into the habit of exercising to no avail. I’m not overweight or anything but neither am I strong or flexible as I want to be. Mainly because I don’t want to have health troubles later in life. HOWEVER, to get started I needed to google of course and… best 10 xyz, do this, don’t do this, you breathe wrong, you stand wrong, you do everything wrong, this is the only solution. All of these can be found about anything related to fitness. How does one get started with all this nonsense, misinformation and clickable? What’s even real anymore? Thank you in advance :)
Exercise used to feel a lot more like work until I started listening to podcasts during my runs and weight training. Now I cue up episodes that interest me in advance and actually look forward to it. Most of the time.
Also I found starting slow and easing into shorter workouts lowered the barrier to entry for me. Then gradually added to my workouts in length and difficulty. Doing something is better than nothing.
If you’re not overweight and simply want to become more athletic I personally think the most important thing to do is to find an activity you enjoy. That’s something you have to discover for yourself.
For example, I can’t stand working out for the sake of working out at a gym. But I do get really motivated by climbing, hiking, trail running, and skiing. Climbing builds strength and has a certain level of problem solving involved too so it’s mentally stimulating. Hiking and trail running are excellent cardio and have clearly defined goals to reach a certain summit or some endpoint. And skiing is just a blast in all forms. All of that keeps me active and having fun while I’m doing it. That makes me want to do it more which allows me to set bigger objectives and then it builds on itself.
It’s important to note that fitness is not really a project with a beginning and an end - it’s a journey that you will be on for as long as you live, basically. As such, you ideally want to find things that:
- Can sustainably fit into your life
- You truly find joy in doing
For example, I used to think that the only viable form of cardio was running, and that I needed to be running for the sake of my health. The problem is that I fucking hate running, I consider it to be boring as shit. Hence it was always an uphill battle to run for me.
In its place, I’ve found cycling to be an endless source of fun - I don’t really have to try hard to go cycling, because I yearn to do it as much as I can reasonably fit in.
So I recommend that you try different things until you find something that you really enjoy.
Other than cycling, I really like strength exercise. I used to have easy access to a gym earlier in my life, which is unfortunately not true where I live today, so to get strength work done, I do a routine of body weight exercises. This is by no means the perfect way to become stronger, but you really shouldn’t let perfect be the enemy of good. The best fitness activities are the ones that you can consistently do indefinitely.
Finally, two things that caused problems for me at the start of my fitness journey:
Having neglected strength work for all my life gave me some muscle imbalances that didn’t correct themselves by just doing regular workouts, I had to consult with a physical therapist to learn how to counteract these years of inactivity. The same may or may not be true for you.
Being overweight posed a big challenge at the start of my fitness journey - higher-intensity exercises can really hurt when your organs are a bit cramped by fat. After a huge struggle with dropping my weight, I noticed that a lot of exercises that previously hurt a lot no longer do. This may or may not be applicable for you either.
This is truly exceptional advice. Those two bullet points alone will take you so far in your journey to good health.
I’ll just add that it’s OK to start slow. The only person you need to compare yourself to is yourself, and if you’re not doing any exercise today then even just 20 minutes a week is improvement.
Having neglected strength work for all my life gave me some muscle imbalances that didn’t correct themselves by just doing regular workouts, I had to consult with a physical therapist to learn how to counteract these years of inactivity.
what imbalances did you have, and why can’t they be corrected with regular work-outs?
Weak glutes, hip imbalance and hamstring tightness were the ones that didn’t improve through ‘regular’ strength work, I needed to do some more targeted exercises to get those things going.
I also had some back weakness leading to neck problems, but I didn’t need the help of a physical therapist to work that out, I noticed it and found corrections for it on my own. The regular strength work didn’t help solve those either, though.
Walk very far distances. Before cars, a lot of people walked between towns. It was completely normal and safe if you know what you’re doing. I have friends who sometimes walk up to twenty miles to the neighboring towns because they swore off vehicles, and they show up and people are flabbergasted like they’re thinking “holy crap it’s a miracle you must be gods” as if the friends didn’t just have to use two feet for two hours to get there. But that’s what a human is supposed to do, biologically that is. And you don’t even have to run, in fact it’s better for your body and mind to walk than run.
Also, sleep well and stay hydrated. Sleep controls metabolism. Metabolism controls fitness. Bad sleep equals bad metabolism. Same goes for hydration. Drink a pint of water every time you piss. That’s probably why there are drinking fountains next to bathrooms. All this advice has worked for me too.
If your friends are walking 20 miles in two hours they very well might be gods
To be fair, I rounded that up a little crudely. Sources say it’s ten to twelve miles, but nobody knew if that counts the distance between their house and the town edge, and when they do it, it’s about two and a half hours, but I mistakenly rounded it down instead of up for the same reason.
I’ve been living abroad in Barcelona for the past month and it’s fucking wonderful to go for a fifteen kilometer walk before lunch… the city is so comfortable to walk in and I never feel in danger as a pedestrian (unlike Vancouver).
I second the recommendations here about finding an activity that you like. For me it was rec sports. Gets me out of the house a few days a week, and for me it was an activity to help me stay active but also a reason TO get fit. I wanted to feel less beat up after playing, so I started working out and stretching regularly.
I also had trouble with getting to the gym, and had trouble with focus and picking workouts, so I had success with P90x. It’s all workouts you can do at home with some adjustable dumbbells. I think I got a deal on the streaming subscription to Beachbody for 100$ for the year. Then I just followed the program and the workout calendar. They have a number of different programs on there, if you want to get ripped I recommend P90x, if you just want to do some sort of workout for 30 minutes a day I’d recommend p90x3 because it’s easier to stick to.
That was a good start for me, but I ultimately settled on just picking my favorite moves from the program and I switch between upper and lower body workouts every day because I found I was consistently skipping certain days of the programs.
My general advice though - start small, and build up what works for you. Move your body, drink water, try to establish healthy eating habits with all the colors (greens, vegetables, whole grains, etc).
Whatever you do won’t be wrong. It’s always a good thing to do a good thing for your body, whether its big or small or a regime or a once-in-a-while thing.
Number 1 rule is consistency. Whatever workout routine and schedule you adopt, you must stick with it. No don’t skip it because you were tired. No don’t skip because you were hung-over, no dont’ skip because it’s a nice day, or a rainy day. Do it consistently, and commit for months.
Also, because you need to be consistent, it has to be sustainable. Has to be something you won’t hate to do. Biggest reason why people on diets fail.
That and fighting millions of years of evolutionary instinct screaming at you to eat everything you can when you start reducing calories in case you won’t eat again for a few days.
It’s only been MAYBE ~150 years that all classes of society had ready access to food.
I guess that’s an exta benefit of having to raise protein intake on a calorie deficit. High quality protein is very satiating.
Also helps that if you’re eating protein from a whole foods perspective, an 8oz chicken breast is a lot of food for only ~380 calories. Same goes for all lean proteins and even the fatty kind. You can fit a whole lot more in for equal calories going at whole foods than eating a 1200 calorie muffin.
This may be obvious, but I want to add that you should skip if you are injured. Noting that being sore from a previous workout is not the same as an injury. Also, if you are significantly sleep deprived it may be worth skipping, since you won’t be adequately recovered and that could also lead to injury. You will miss more days if you make an injury worse than if you play it safe and take time to heal. A day or two missed won’t ruin all your progress. Just don’t make up excuses.
The rule I try (and lately - fail) to stick to is to just go to the gym. I don’t hold myself accountable to actually work out, just that I physically get into the gym.
Of course, once I’m there, I’d feel silly if I didn’t at least do a small workout. And once I do that, I’ll usually have the motivation to do more.
But I always tell myself that I’ve succeeded 100% even if all I do is exist within the gym that day.
Yup, I’ve walked into the gym dead tired after work telling myself I don’t wanna be here, I should go home. Then I hop on the bike for 10m get into it and it turns into 40m.
Over time the consistency just builds into momentum and habit.
Get into a sport yould enjoy. Find like minded people and have fun. Take it seriously, and the fitness just comes as a by product.
I’m a woman who just wanted to be strong and I found that hiring a personal trainer was best for me. Not only do they tell you what to do but they walk you through the exercises. Having good form is really important.
What’s your goal? Weight loss? Build muscle? Have more stamina?
For weight loss, I would start with diet. I lost 60 pounds in four and a half months just calorie counting with no exercise - but it’s really hard to out-exercise a bad diet. Losing that weight made it easier for me to start exercising. I do a combination of hiking and running to try to keep things interesting. A “couch to 5k” type program is working well for me.
I used to be a gym rat and have won a few bench press contests in my day. The trick is to make it an enjoyable routine. You don’t have to kill yourself, but you do need to push yourself a bit. Do a few body parts a day and maybe two exercises per part. I did chest and shoulders one day, back and triceps the next, then legs and biceps. Lift slow and use weights you can control. No jerking or bouncing. If you hate doing something, don’t do it. Find something else that works.
What if I hate all forms of exercise?
One day you will hate more how you feel.
honestly the “god I don’t wanna do this, but I’m going to do it” feeling has gotten me through more than a few gym days. Do you like podcasts or TV or music? Bring it with you and focus on that.
I recently started bringing my e-reader to the gym, and it has made it so much more enjoyable. I used to be a gym rat but I don’t find it as enjoyable anymore, but I still love reading. After a set I treat myself with a page or two, depending on how much rest those muscles need.
Been a few months of honestly inconsistent workouts and I’m halfway there to my PRs already.
As a bonus, I have cut down on my social media use as well. No downtime between sets means I don’t check lemmy, tiktok, or whatsapp.
Learn to go for long walks🤔
Fit can mean lots of things. What specifically are your goals? Sit down and think about what you really want and be specific. Are there particular sports you want to focus on? Particular fitness goals like be fast, be strong, be muscular, run long distances, etc? Define your specific goals and from there you can create a specific plan to meet those goals. If you have general goals and particular sports you like, it can help to turn your general goals into specific goals in those sports. If you like running and want to work on your endurance, pick a half marathon to train for. Setting specific goals with deadlines helps you define and stick to a specific plan.
If your goal is healthspan, the book Outlive has a great section on planning your exercise for longevity and healthspan:
https://peterattiamd.com/outlive/
Nutrition: eat sufficient protein (more than you think), establish a minimum amount you need based on your lean body mass and activity levels. Use fat and carbohydrates to meet the rest of your caloric goals. Try to avoid “bad carbs” (fructose in sweets and processed foods) and bad fats (trans fats, hydrogenated oils, omega 6 fats from seed oils, again processed foods) but getting enough protein and avoiding excess calories is vastly more important.
Resistance training: this will depend on your specific goals. Hip hinge (squats, deadlifts) and pulling exercises (rows, pullups, deadlifts) are probably the most important. You probably want to plan and periodize your workouts. I am a huge fan of 5-3-1 for strength development. I’ve tried many programs over the years and this is the only one that doesn’t plateau prematurely for me. I do this 2-3 times a week.
https://www.jimwendler.com/blogs/jimwendler-com/101065094-5-3-1-for-a-beginner
Cardio: I break this into high intensity and low intensity. Again, you should tailor this to your goals but generally you want to do 80% of your cardio at low intensity (heart rate zone 2 in the 5 zone mode) and 20% at high intensity (zone 4-5). There are lots of ways to skin this cat depending on what cardio activities you enjoy. I do 1-2x 20 minute high intensity workouts a week and 2-3x hour long low intensity workouts a week.
As others say, start slow. Add one of these changes at a time and give your body a few weeks to adapt before adding another change.
- Skip rope. Grows stamina, heart and other muscle strength, breathing strength, probably balance as well
- Commute/move around by walking/bicycling. Chain with the public transport if possible and if the distance is otherwise too big (I have cycled tens of thousands of kilometers just to get to school/work/leisure time places)
- Check out the multi-stage fitness test! Here’s one video you can try out!
- Try out dancing! If it’s fast enough, it can be one of the most effective fitness activities there is! Trains your body, trains your brain (familiarize and learn movement patterns and pace them with them music) and trains your social skills (if you do dances that require partner(s))
Some tricks:
- Gamification. Habitica as an example. Take/infuse your favorite game mechanics to your exercises! Come up with a nice reward system!
- Follow progress. Write down the reps, time periods done and other information to see that you have actually developed! You can play with making charts to visualize this even further!
- Distract yourself while at it. Watch a movie, listen at music/podcast
- Build some kind of a exercise plan. At the gym as an example. What you do, how often, how long breaks and how often, what muscles it affects. Alone or by the help of someone else
- Don’t do it alone! Exercising with friends can be at least double the fun!
- Challenges! “I will do x amount of x, before x o’clock, x times in a day, x days in a week!” You can also challenge friends to do the same stuff and even come up with a chart or start using an app that follows everyone’s exercise for some competing!
- Start with a too easy plan that you do less often. Rise up the reps and the cooldown in between with the slightest (It’s not exercise but I started being less at the computer by 1min in day 1, 2min in day 2, 3min in day 3 etc. Now I’m at 166min/day)! This helps building a new habit. And don’t be afraid if you fail to do stuff a couple of times - try again or lower the requirements. A little is always better than none at all!
- Find cheap equipment at recycling centers! I like tennis and found a racket or two in 20€ in an excellent shape (they can cost hundreds as new)!
Some gamification ideas:
- Collect resources through reps. You can build stuff with them - buildings and villages, machines, whatever!
- Collect followers through reps. Come up with a cause that can make it fun!
- Collect strength, wisdom, power through reps. Beat up more and more difficult opponents and reach godhood (or something else)!
- Advance in evolution with reps. Start as the smallest speckle of life, eat, grow, mutate and become the most epic creature there is!
- Advance a quest line or something else with reps. Become a squire and then a knight and later a king or save up the world little by little or whatever!
- Collect particles with reps. Build protons, neutrons, electrons with them and further build every atom there is in the existence!
- Build up a factory or something. Reps can be money.
- Draw a Tetris box on the paper. Come up with activities/reps and determine a shape for each. Then fill your Tetris box with those shapes by doing the required things! You can make different box sizes, shapes and build even level categories that include many different levels (like, Easy category which has smaller boxes, mediocre that has bigger ones etc)
Remember: Make it as fun as you can, and you’ll create a habit more easily!
You lose weight when your caloric intake is less than your energy expended.
Which sounds shitty and dismissive but it’s real: You either have to increase expenditure or reduce intake.
Good luck, I hope you reach your goals!
Do 20 minutes three days a week. It’s barely any time at all, and it’s over before you know it. You will be sore, and appreciate the down days. If you feel up to it, take a 20-30 minute walk in the other days, or a sauna if you have one available. That is it for a while, do that consistently for a couple months and then it will be routine and you will be craving it. Trust the process, it does work. Source: I didn’t exercise for 45 years, just started this year and it’s paying off
