Starting from the bottom

[godislight]

Hey, starting going to the gym, as the title suggests, I'm starting from zero. I'm 32m, 5'10, and weigh 15'10 (according to my bmi, I am obese).

I have the strength of a grandma and the cardio of a walrus. I haven't exercised in 8 years.

Got any tips for basic around fitness for me?

Spent 15 mins walking on the treadmill an incline of 7.5 and speed of 5.5 fo 10 mins and speed 6 for 5. My BPM was 190. How close am I to dying?

Edit: thanks for all the advice and positive vibes guys, appreciate it!

 

[jrb0488]

@godislight Keep it simple. The most important thing to do is be consistent and stick to your routine.

20min a day every day. Do cardio and hit a target heart rate that you decide.
You’ll see improvements and when you do increase the challenge (duration, intensity, etc) as you feel comfortable.

 

[godislight]

@jrb0488 Thanks for the advice!

 

[dawn16]

@godislight Start your day off with 2 things: chug 20oz of water with a pinch of salt or a ZERO calorie Powerade. Then get outside for 10-15 minutes. Get some natural light in and just walk for 10-15 around the block. Do that daily for 7 days. Tell me how you feel

 

[godislight]

@dawn16 Hmm... that does sound nice actually. Getting the fresh air especially since I WFH and have been really bad at leaving the house.

Doesn't the salt dehydrate you?

 

[dawn16]

@godislight It’s very nice, great way to get the brain going.
The salt does the opposite, we wake up in a dehydrated state, so salt combined with water helps rehydrate the body quicker. In sports drinks that’s why, for example, powerade has a nice serving of sodium in it. Sodium, aka salt, is necessary for muscle and nerve function and helps control fluids in the body.

 

[hemis7531]

@godislight Dude!

I started at 40. Now at 48 in great shape. It truly is just regular consistent high effort.

If you can find something physical you enjoy, it makes it easier…. But it will never be easy.

Go to the fitness wiki and follow a program that works for you.

You got this!

 

[godislight]

@hemis7531 Oh wow that's very inspiring, I was afraid I fucked my body up beyond repair. I'll check out that resource thanks

 

[mekon]

@godislight Hey, good on you! I started at 37 and quit after a few months. Started again at 48 and barring a few injuries and covid, I’m keeping at it…Will be 52 in a few weeks and I’m as strong as I’ve ever been.

Just know that getting more fit than you are now will change your life for the better. There is no downside to being strong and fit. That said, since you’re just getting out of the gates, don’t let it get complicated. Start by moving around every day and work on flexibility. Just start there- spend like 15 or 20 minutes 4 or 5 days a week for a month. Build a consistent good habit out of it. Learn how to listen to your body and think about some sort of attainable goal- can you do pushups/pullups? If not, make that something you can work towards. Want to get stronger or increase your conditioning? Pick a beginners program and get after it. There are plenty to choose from using just body weight or empty bar. There’s a program that’ll take you from couch potato to running 5k. They start off very easy and progress you along at a rate that won’t beat you up.

Take notes and progress pics and in a few months you’ll look back in wonder at how far you’ve come.

 

[godislight]

@mekon Thanks for the advice.

I'm trying to get in better shape for my mental health if nothing else. But I also want to be fit and strong but yeah, will have to start setting myself goals to keep me motivated. Thanks

 

[recovering]

@godislight Good on you for taking positive actions dude

May I ask something that I don’t think has been covered so far:

What’s your daily diet like?

Do you drink coffee?

How often do you consume alcohol or fizzy drinks?

Do you cook for yourself/enjoy cooking?

I know is might seem basic to ask, but how do feel your diet is on average?

 

[godislight]

@recovering Diet is better than it was. I'm eating less and more healthy now.

I don't drink coffee (I'm weird I know).

I drink on the weekends, but I'm trying to drink low cal stuff now so cutting out beer. I used to be addicted to fizz, it's where I'd get my caffeine hits. Tried to go cold turkey but it's hard. Definitely consuming a lot less than I have been just trying to ween myself off now.

I do cook for myself, trying to eat plain, cutting out fried foods and cooking oil. Eating alot of protein because I know it burns calories.

On average it's healthy, probably not suitable for body building but using some of the information from slimming world to help with weight loss.

 

[recovering]

@godislight Sounds like you’re on the right path dude

I don’t drink coffee either - it’s bloody awful

I’ve never drank alcohol either though so, I guess I’m the weird one

Dr Pepper was my only vice, but I’ve cut that out.

Now, if I really fancy some fizz, I either have diet caffeine free coke or diet lemonade at best, but even then, that’s rare now.

Stay on it buddy - that’s the key, but it’s also the hardest part.

I believe in you bro

 

[godislight]

@recovering Cheers dude, appreciate it!

I've never liked "full fat" fizz. I've only ever drank it for the caffeine hit so usually drink pepsi Max or Coke zero. But that shit is so bad for your teeth. I think I've gotten to the point that if I drink much more it's going to seriously damaging mine so trying to cut it off. That and apparently they make you hungry.

I do love a good beer tho

 

[strip64]

@recovering Please don't tell me coffee is bad. Its my one vice, I don't drink or smoke. Please don't take my coffee away lol.

 

[recovering]

@strip64 It’s not bad necessarily, but as a diuretic, it can cause you to become dehydrated quicker and you need to be well hydrated to help your muscles repair.

It’ll also speed up your digestive transit, which will affect how quickly your body processes food.

You want your body to gain all the nutrients it can from what you eat, not just blast it out the other end asap

Now granted, one or two coffees a day won’t have much of an affect, but more than 2 will.

I once worked with a guy who would spend around £16 a day on Costa coffees!

He was not well

 

[strip64]

@recovering I hadn't really thought about that. I keep my water bottle close, but I probably should up my water intake.

 

[dawn16]

@godislight I'm 39m and just started running 3 months ago. My recommendation would be to start a couch to 5k program which includes quite a bit of run/walking. I'm also doing a Push/Pull/Legs routine at home to keep Sarcopenia at bay. I just choose pushing exercises and do 4 sets of up to 12 reps of each, taking the last set to failure. This seems to be working for me, I feel much fitter than before and I've never been one to do any cardio.

 

[godislight]

@dawn16 Yes! I heard of the couch to 5 k but was intimidated by it due to how unfit I was. I was always more of a sprinter than long distance even when I was fit (used to compete across counties for my school in 100m & 200m), couldn't run a mile to save my life

So it's my aim to start it as soon as I can do a run for 20mins straight.

 

[dawn16]

@godislight Most of it is running for 30 seconds and walking for 90-120 seconds and short durations like 15-20 minutes, so it's a good start if you're on the heavier side.