My Personal Act III Begins Monday - Can You Help?

[oncedepressed]

Bear with me.

Tomorrow, my soon-to-be ex-wife of 19 years will move out of the house. I've know this day has been coming for 9 months, but at 52, I find myself blindsided, scared, and lost. At least that's how I feel on bad days. On good days, I see this as an opportunity to begin again. I may not have expected this or wanted it, but here I am. So I'm approaching this as Act III. I'm not entirely sure all that this will entail--and maybe that's part of the allure--but I do know I'm in dreadful shape, and it's time to focus on getting in the best shape of my life. Barring that, just being able to look in the mirror and not thing "meh" would be nice.

For the first 47 years, I was super lucky. For those years I was tall, skinny, and could eat anything I wanted because I have a great metabolism. I never worked out beyond the marathon training I did back in 2004. Then in 2018 I got terribly sick and since then my body has depleted and weak. I don't have my medical trauma as an excuse anymore, and find myself soft and doughy now from laziness. I'm tired more often, and just see the small bit of muscle I have wasting away. But Act III starts Monday! And getting into great is how I want to start.

What I need help with is with starting. And I'm sure some of you here can help.

So a flurry of questions:

Are there fitness manuals for people our age that I should read to get started? (I love researching things)

Any YouTube channels or podcasts that you find particularly helpful or motivational on the subject?

I have a membership at the Y. What should I start with? Cardio? Weights? Stretching?

And if you answer is "yes too all of those!', great (!), but what do I start with and how do I start?

If the information helps any of you answer the questions above...I'm 6'4, 210 lbs

Any help would be very appreciated. I really do think this is exactly how I should be starting my life over again.

Thank you!

 

[klonopin48]

@oncedepressed Welcome and I'm sorry to hear about your divorce. But excited to hear that Act III is in the works.

I am not a personal trainer or a heavy lifter, but would say start where you stand. Most Ys have a nice range of equipment, walking tracks, and some even swimming pools. Do what you can to start. Even if it's only just walking or a stationary bike. Or if you're feeling social and want to meet new people, try a class.

The important thing is just getting started.

I am wishing you the very best!

 

[liz869802]

@oncedepressed For an absolute beginner, I recommend the book Muscle for Life by Mike Matthews. It is written for someone that knows nothing about fitness and is over 40. You check those boxes. He also has a podcast that is extremely informative. My advice is…start by just walking. Even if you do 10 minutes tomorrow, make it 15 on Tuesday and so on. Just start. Then, get pen to paper and write down EVERYTHING you put in your mouth. Do this for 2 weeks. In that time, you can have that book read…and you’ll have a guidebook from that book to get you to the next step.

 

[jamesstewart89]

@oncedepressed On the fitness end of things, you should get a fitness evaluation done. That will help you target where to start.

On the personal side of things, my brother was right where you are at the same age. 10 years later he is living his best life. We are so thrilled for him. All the best to you OP.

 

[kevin1987]

@oncedepressed If you're looking for resources, try Live Anabolic. They have ranges of experience from 50 - 60+ and focus on basics that will help get you moving again. All of their exercises can be done at the local Y. BUT, take it slow please.

Welcome to Live Anabolic! (youtube.com)

 

[karengodsgirlk2]

@kevin1987 Another endorsement for Live Anabolic from me. It's aimed at intermediate people. It also has a wealth of exercises you can do at home with dumbbells and bands. Another youtube channel is BobandBrad, it's aimed at people older than you and it's about physical therapy, but you might find some useful info there.

 

[sanj79]

@oncedepressed I posted a video on here a couple days ago about aging and training. At 52 it seems pretty relevant at least to me.

Check out Jeff Nippard or Dr. Mike Israeltel on YouTube.

 

[aaronkfwill]

@oncedepressed If you can afford a personal trainer, hire one! Aside from the routines they create for you, they help you so much with confidence, rooting for you, being on your side, etc.

 

[bfg33]

@oncedepressed Divorce sucks, but you are right about it being an opportunity.

One thing that you have going for you is that you don’t have substantial weight to lose. With good conditioning and some muscle mass, your weight will be fine.

 

[sharon123]

@oncedepressed A few years ago I was at the same realization that my body needed improvement. So I started walking and tracking my steps. This led to a mix of walking and jogging then to running. I essentially did a couch to 5k (C25K) thing and lost weight. My energy level went way up and speed increased. All this from just tracking steps.

Find an activity to keep your body in motion and the results will show after a month or three. Maintain the discipline.

Recovery is key just as much as the activity. Don’t risk burning yourself out. You got this.

 

[gg97]

@oncedepressed If you are still looking, The Barbell Prescription is a great resource.

https://aasgaardco.com/store/books-...cription-strength-training-for-life-after-40/