I am not an exercise person. I am on my pre op journey and my doctor has asked me to up my cardio. It is cold, and I frequently find myself making excuses for not getting outside. I am not a gym person, I would feel too uncomfortable in front of so many people. I have been looking at work out videos online but have found them to be more advanced and I need baby steps. I want to set myself up for success. Any tips for a very overweight beginner??

There is a good video series on YouTube called the Workout Launchpad. They have a series for people who are obese or have limited mobility. You can do these at home and it will get you moving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI0j8nLiZmE

Check out the Leslie Sansone dvd's (I think some of them also stream via Amazon Prime and possibly on YouTube). Very gentle. If you can walk, you can do her exercise series.

There are ones called Sit and be fit, maybe those would be a good starting place

Sometimes at home I just do the old fashioned calistetics!

10 toe touches

10 jumping jacks (though the first time I tried them last year I was amazed that I couldn't figure out how to jump off the ground--it has been a long long time!!)

10 twisties (arms out to the side and twist your upper body to one side and then the other)

10 not sure what to call them -- arms out to the side and bend to the left and then bend to the right to stretch the sides.

10 leg stretches (on your side, lift leg up as far as it can go, then back down. Because I couldn't get off the floor back then, I would do these on my bed until I was more fit and could easily get up off the floor)

etc.

I even bought a hula hoop and jump rope. With the jump rope, my goal was to jump 10 times in a row without tripping. It took me a long time. Now I'm pretty good at it! Same with hula hoop--keep trying till I have a good run. Spent most of the time bending over to pick it up which is actually better exercise anyway!! lol

Things like that.

I was also going to recommend the Leslie Sansone videos - Any of the walking ones. Trust me you get a good workout in some of the faster paced "miles" but start slow. Oh and PS - WEAR GOOD SHOES. I know this seems like an obvious to most but I thought, meh it's just walking. Ended up with a stress fracture in my heel. Had to wear a boot for 9 weeks (including while I was in the hospital for my RNY).

I have a variety of exercise and dance style exercise videos (32). My favorite is Leslie Sansone's Walk Your Belly Flat. I have post-stroke balance issues so I follow her video in the house at least twice a week. They can even be done standing in place in front of your TV.

My next favorite is Joel Harper's Firm after 50. This has both upper body, lower body, and ab workouts, demonstrated at three levels. He does the advanced, a pretty young thing does the moderate, and his mother does the modified level. It's a full-body "body-weight" routine that is easy to follow..

I have a variety of dance videos which I follow at my own pace. My form and timing are lousy

but they are fun: Hula, Bolly-wood, Burlesque (yes, Miss Mac at age 64 can burlesque dance!), African Heat - Latin Beat, Salsa, and even Richard Simmons Sweatin' to the Oldies.

Other one that I enjoy but can't quite match the energy is Shaun T's Hip Hop Abs. This morning I ordered his new one called Cize. The commercial says four payments of $19.95, bu I got it online for one payment of $19.95.

I also have several videos by David Stamps, including Chair Salsa, Chair Boxing, and Chair Tai Chi, and Chair Aerobics (which is gentle and suitable for bedfast people as well).

Some days I just crank up the music really loud (did Shakira's Hips Don't Lie You Tube video yesterday) and try to follow along in a very sloppy way. But this is the "dance like nobody is watching" concept. Other times, I will put on my MP3 headset and use the house as a tool. My home is a tri-level, so several laps through the house is its own workout. From the fourth step I do push-ups and backward kicks.

I set up my backyard as a fitness trail. At several different locations I do a different exercise. By the time I have made a few laps, I know I have really worked out!

Whatever video I do in the daytime, I have started do this at bedtime, right next to the bed:

10 angled push-ups from the edge of the mattress, 10 lunges in place and 10 squats, and then 10 "backward rows" with five pound weight. Then Repeat. I can do it three times, but my goal is to work up to ten times...that would make 100 of each. Pilates is big on doing "hundreds"

With adding my bedtime routine, I sleep waaaay better. I drink a Protein shake after and take a shower to wash of the sweat, then go to bed. By the way, Sweat is Just Fat Crying.

@, you wrote:

"I am not an exercise person.... I am not a gym person, I would feel too uncomfortable in front of so many people. I have been looking at work out videos online but have found them to be more advanced and I need baby steps. I want to set myself up for success. Any tips for a very overweight beginner?"

In no particular order or grammar, and some obviously following recommendations already given:

Leslie Sansone's walking videos include one for indoor walking, meaning your living room. Don't recall the title; you ca find it in her listing. Do your walking outdoors, too. Keep a journal of things you see along the way -- the odd, beautiful, fun, whatever strikes you, whatever you may never have noticed before. It makes for a nice record of yet another aspect of your journey, literal and figurative.

The "Sit and Be Fit" series (also a program on many public TV stations) provides a valid workout. Unless you do have mobility problems (e.g., spine issues), I wouldn't rely only on chair exercises. As an aside, though, there are many others in addition ffrom Sit and Be Fit -- e.g.,. Chair Dancing series. Your public library will have some for loan or be able to get others via interlibrary loan. If you opt for chair exercises, this gives the opportunity to test-drive before buying.

SparkPeople.com and Livestrong.com have loads of videos and articles on starting an exercise program.

Please, please ban phrases like "I'm not an exercise person" and "I'm not a gym person" from your mouth. They are another way of saying "I won't do it and you can't make me." Do go to a gym. Pay the daily fee for the Y or similar a few times to test the atmosphere and attitudes you'll encounter. YOu'll have opportunity to work with personal trainers who can guide you as you're ready to advance. Of course people will see your weight but they'll also know you've decided to make positive changes in your life. The good ones will be supportive and give you tips and encouragement. The ones who love working out will be especially so because it's human nature to share the things they love.* Many will be too self-involved to notice someone else. Anyone who may be sneery doesn't count. You have the right to live, be seen and thrive. You already know that because of your decision to have surgery.

Definitely yes to cardio, but you also want strength training. Each has its own benefits that combine for maximum benefit. Cardio first, then strength. Sparkpeople absolutely has info on how often for each, etc., etc.

* Many years ago, chubby and visiting a close friend in Boulder, I was noticeably heavier than she and her athlete-friends. As I'd just lost weight, I bought running shoes and huffed and puffed (a 25 ft above sea level resident at 6000 ft) on the bike paths near her house (she heard me breathing when I got back to the house). She told some friends of my purchase and first forays. Each was excited for me. Among them was the then-U.S. record holder for half-marathon and an Olympian. The salesman who helped me choose my shoes was just as encouraging. The good ones you meet will be thrilled for you

.

Go forth and be gorgeous and proud.

Edited January 17, 201610 yr by WLSResources/ClothingExch

Me again.

Work more steps into the day. If you drive to the supermarket or work, park farther back from the building. When you get home from the store, take one bag of groceries in at a time. If you use local public transportation, get on and off one station farther from your starting point or destination. Take the stairs for one or two flights rather than the elevator. As you lose weight and recognize that exercise is increasing your fitness levels, increase steps. Whatever it is, moving is better than not moving.

There is a lot you can do with resistance bands and dumbbells.

A lot. A couple pairs or a set of adjustable dumbbells aren't very expensive and can be used at home with ease.

Until I get my clearance from the surgeon (hernia repair) I am simply walking.

It works okay....but the elliptical machine would really amplify the calorie burn.

DO NOT worry about the folks at the gym.

Every single one of them started somewhere and is proud of you when you walk through the door......trust me on this. It's the people in their lives who will not go to the gym that they are unhappy with.

Use their treadmills and ellipticals......get yourself some earbuds and some music on your phone and pop them in and enjoy the solitude and peaceful quiet time to have your me time. A person on the treadmill doing their thing becomes invisible.

I love belly dance. There are great home dvd's but classes are great fun and students come in all shapes and sizes. I know it's hard!

What I like to work out to is old fashioned Richard Simmons Sweatin to the Oldies. I found it on DVD and use it a couple of times a week. For me, it is easy to keep up with and I like the music.

I am not an exercise person. I am on my pre op journey and my doctor has asked me to up my cardio. It is cold, and I frequently find myself making excuses for not getting outside. I am not a gym person, I would feel too uncomfortable in front of so many people. I have been looking at work out videos online but have found them to be more advanced and I need baby steps. I want to set myself up for success. Any tips for a very overweight beginner??

Me again.

Work more steps into the day. If you drive to the supermarket or work, park farther back from the building. When you get home from the store, take one bag of groceries in at a time. If you use local public transportation, get on and off one station farther from your starting point or destination. Take the stairs for one or two flights rather than the elevator. As you lose weight and recognize that exercise is increasing your fitness levels, increase steps. Whatever it is, moving is better than not moving.

You've gotten lots of really good advice. I would also highly recommend the Leslie Samone videos. They are really good. If stamina is and issue do them for 10 -15 minutes at a time.

However in my experience it's consistency that counts. Make it your mission to do work out regularly. That's when you really start to see the benefit. Walking is good, but try to find something that challenges your core. I had zero abdominal pain post op due in part to the core work I regularly did in my aquafit classes.

I know for many this may be a self esteem/mental issue but I can say from personal experience that no one at the gym is looking at your when you go. Most are there solely to focus on themselves. I was in high 300's when I joined my gym I went down as low as mid 300's and as high as 414. No one batted an eye. I never felt unwelcome. In fact some of the trainers and instructors actually gave me compliments when I was able to lose or when my form noticeably improved. An iPod can be your best friend. Load up your favorite tunes and rock out!

As for going outside, it's not my favorite thing, but when I am unable to get to the gym, I do it. I simply incorporate and activity I have to do with it. If I need to mail something, then I walk to the post office. If I don't need to mail something I walk to the corner store. I buy 1 peppermint stick. I only bring my phone and a quarter so I'm not tempted to buy anything else. Otherwise I pretend I'm an artist and look for interesting things to photograph.

My point is find something, anything and do it. I usually preview my week on Sunday's and plan what days I will go to the gym what days will be home workouts.

I am not an exercise person. I am on my pre op journey and my doctor has asked me to up my cardio. It is cold, and I frequently find myself making excuses for not getting outside. I am not a gym person, I would feel too uncomfortable in front of so many people. I have been looking at work out videos online but have found them to be more advanced and I need baby steps. I want to set myself up for success. Any tips for a very overweight beginner??

I am 6 months post surgery and I love the beachbody workouts. They are workout series that you can do in the privacy of your own home and you can jump into one of our challenge groups for support and accountability. I plateaued at my four months and have lost an additional 32lbs after joining the challenge groups. If you want more info, let me know.

So, silly questions. These videos you all speak of...do you have a VCR? Is that how you are watching? Or are you watching in on your computer? How does that work?

@@esskay77 I use my dvd player (connected to my tv, not a stand-alone) for the most part, although sometimes I will buy or rent a stream from Amazon Instant Video and stream it to my tv. I know a lot of people watch on their computers from YouTube or wherever, but I really prefer my tv for exercise.

PS to the O/P, you have lots of good suggestions here but I would definitely say before you invest in anything Beachbody, make sure you view their workouts in a preview somehow. They are great workouts but the ones I have seen are not for beginners!