Where do I start? Overwhelmed by the excercise part of this... page

[slee11211]

Hi all,

This primal journey is a health related one for me (Celiac)...I'm 46, used to be in pretty good shape (yoga, dancing, walking all over nyc, etc), but had a baby 7 yrs ago, so it kicked in a period of hardcore Celiac and a LOT of sitting around.

It's been about 7 months on Paleo...Doing pretty well (eating great, lost some weight, feeling better, but still too much sugar in the form of "paleo treats" - so still some work to do! I'm no good with counting out portions, have no idea the ratio of fat to carb to protein I'm getting). I've been trying to go for long walks at least 3-4 x's a week (which feels great), but with winter approaching, I know that I will stagnate there to almost nothing unless I join a cheap gym for their treadmill.

I've downloaded the primal fitness pdf, but I have never been good with "workouts" or plans or diets...so this concept of a workout plan is a bit tough.

Any words of wisdom for me other than "stop whining and get to it"? ha. (I'm a little thrown by all the cross training talk on the paleo sites, with the reps and numbers and aiyaiyai) Thanks in advance.

-Suzanne

[Credodisi]

If you have trouble mentally jumping into 'workouts', you probably will just need to accept that you are going to need to cross your mental hurdle here and do something you are initially uncomfortable with.

I would ignore the cross fit talk.

Make a goal to walk daily - even through the winter if at all possible. I'm here in Chicago and I walk year round, unless there is a blizzard. Walking through snow is an excellent workout. Embrace the elements. Good gear helps, (coat, scarves, hats, gloves, boots). If possible, use walking as your mode of getting from point A to B instead of driving, riding. Walk to the store, to work, to lunch.. etc. instead of thinking of it as a workout.

Start working on the exercises in the primal fitness PDF. Think of this (and the walking) as the time you devote to your happiness and well-being.

[Owly]

I agree with the idea of starting simply with the PBF e-book or a similar bodyweight thing. I love my barbells, but that can be an intimidating place to start. The bodyweight stuff doesn't require a gym membership, and you can start off at home where you don't have to feel self-conscious.

Another option would be to join some sort of class. I find that having a scheduled time to go can help me a lot, and once I get to know other participants, it can keep me accountable. The city here offers a program called "Women on Weights" that's meant to introduce women to the gym in a comfortable, supportive way that's open to beginners, and that might be a nice way to get more familiar with things if you can find a similar program where you live.

As for the walking, if you keep walking through the fall into the winter, you might find you adapt and don't find it so uncomfortable to walk outside. You can also look for somewhere with an indoor track that offers open times if you're unsure about the treadmill thing. I'd rather walk on the track than on the machine, but that's a personal preference. However, I think it's too easy to get on a treadmill and tune out while you read a magazine or watch the gym TV, and I think it's important to remain conscious and connected to what your body is doing to gain the full benefit of activity.

Scheduling exercise helps for me too. If I know I am going to the gym after work on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, then I don't slack off in the same way I might if I wasn't planning my gym time. Having a buddy can help with that too if you can find a friend to go with or join up with a local walking group.

[RitaRose]

I work outdoors - lots of walking - but admittedly, I live in the desert. I really don't have to deal with snow and blizzards and crap like that. But I DO deal with temps higher than 100F for about 4 or more months out of the year, and sometimes about 115F for a month or so. For example, it's October now, and it's still in the 90s. We don't cool down to the 70s until sometime in November.

We do have a winter, and 15F with the wind blowing 40mph at 6am (when I start my work day) really sucks. But you do it. You just don't give yourself a choice. And if you start now, it's like me in the summer. I won't lie and say I don't notice it's like walking on the sun, but you definitely ease your way into it, and it's a whole lot easier than trying to start in the middle of it. Figure it's only a couple of degrees hotter/colder than it was the day before, and you dealt with it then, so you can handle it now.

Having said that, do whatever exercise you can stick with. If it's yoga, then that's great. Just try to mix it up a bit and challenge yourself. Do what works for you. If you force yourself to do some exercise that you hate and drop it after 3 weeks, you're worse off than doing something that works only half as well, but that you can keep going over the long haul.

[Fernaldo]

I would stick with the PBF. It may seem awkward or inconvenient in the beginning but after a few weeks, it will become a habit and feel more normal. I find I can't assess whether I like a particular exercise until i have given it a least a couple weeks or even a month. Write down your workouts and track your progress. Also, scheduling your workouts in advance can help maintain adherence to the regiment. Good luck.

[Diogenes]

The PBF is good. Start out nice and slow, don't push yourself. After a month and a half, you will be looking forward to the workouts.

If you pursue that, Convict Conditioning has a more gradual and thorough progression series and goes much more in depth.

[zoebird]

I suggest going back to your old ways -- yoga, dancing, and walking. Yoga can be your LHT (weight bearing exercise); dancing can be your sprints; and walking your long-slow.

[kndge9584]

you start exercise Overwhelmed by the part of this... page by starting the joking otherwise your weight is so heavy you start joking exercise then you start gym. i think yoga is a very benefit for our healths so the exercise part of the page is a yoga

[dragonmamma]

Good heavens, step away from the mind-numbing horror of the treadmill. Do something FUN. I work at a YMCA, and we have a variety of group fitness classes that are the high-lights of some folks' week. Zumba, yoga, Pilates, boot-camp, etc.

[neilc11]

I think the primal moves e book makes it easy,
easy schedule, 3 commitments / week,
and walk,
ya gotta want it