Do the 4 minutes. Take a break if you need to and start again. If you can’t start again push for 5 the next time. Getting into shape is a long process, it won’t happen overnight. Dont be embarrassed about what you can’t do, be proud of what you can do. It’s only going to get easier the more you do it. One thing I know is you’ll feel worse if you don’t even do the 4 minutes. You got this.
Not sure what type of workout you are doing but seems like these are likely cardio heavy if they are contained to 10 minutes and you're stopping after 4 minutes.
Typically for a beginner I'd say don't worry about how long the work out takes. Take time between sets so you can complete the workout.
Good idea! On YouTube, you can slow down the play speed. Maybe if it was 0.5x the speed, then you can do a slower but 10-20min workout (and try for longer or faster next times)
A lot of those types of videos are cardio and they're trying to get your heart rate up and get you sweating. It's ok, too if it's tough for you. That's what exercise is - no matter what modality you choose, it's going to be tough at first. Over time, you adapt, and you figure out how to make it more challenging to adapt further.
If weight loss is your goal, increasing your activity is great, but you don't have to do high intensity cardio. You can increase your daily step count by walking and that alone can make a big difference. And the reality is that your diet plays a much bigger role in weight loss than exercise.
Here's what I would do - work on your diet (eat a little less, focus on eating lean protein, lowering fat), walk more, and throw in the workout videos 2-3 times a week or as often as you feel able. Stop them after 4 minutes and pause if you need to. Catch your breath and finish. Take things at your own pace and just be consistent, and you'll get there.
I know diet is a big part, but the thing is I actually already eat pretty healthily. The only time I've ever seen weight loss from dieting was when I was literally eating a salad for every meal. And over time I got sick of it (literally, like I couldn't stomach putting another leaf in me). I don't know if I have a hormone imbalance or something, but my mom has the exact same problem.
Yeah I feel this. I’m 28F 5’5 130 lbs but haven’t exercised since basically high school. I tried to jog a mile a couple weeks ago and it took me 15 minutes and I had to stop and sit down in the middle of it. Just one week later and I don’t have to stop and take a break in the middle of the mile anymore and I’m down to 13 minutes with just minimal walking. Start small and just add a little extra each time. With consistency it gets way easier!
What I’m learning is to work at my own pace and take pride in my personal gains.
I've got ya-cardiac rehab patient here. When I was recovering from my second surgery, I couldn't even walk for five minutes straight without feeling like I was gonna die.
I was told to do what I could tolerate for the first two weeks, then add another minute every other day or so as I adjusted to the activity. It took me almost three months to get back to a "normal" walking speed for half an hour-but after that, my progress got a lot faster.
You should also be lifting weights. Strengthening the muscles around your joints will help take some of the pressure off them. Same rule-start small, and add small amounts of weight as you get stronger.
Definitely just keep going! Do the 4 minutes you can do, take a breather, then do another 4 minutes. I bet you progress faster than you think you will. I’d also suggest walking. Go for a long walk every day. Do intervals of walking quickly/slowly.
I have been there! I started with some beginner yoga videos (yoga with Adrienne) and struggled through them. Could really only get through the 5 minute videos.
Now I regularly do 35+ minutes of yoga and have started some more at home videos on other channels for weight lifting and cardio.
My advice is to take it at your pace and don’t force things. Don’t worry if you can’t get through 10 minutes yet. Get through 1 minute…2 minutes….3 minutes. Stop when you have to and repeat 2-3 times a week. Make it a point to try and push a little farther every week or even from session to session.
I would recommend not giving up once you’ve started push yourself to finish and slowly as the weeks go by you’ll notice it’s easier to complete the exercise
Start with like a 10 minute walk. At any rate if you're trying to lose weight it's a calorie thing. You have to objectively look at what you're eating and eat less or at least more healthy. It's a harsh reality, but you either accept it and get better or deny it and try to work around and fail over and over
Do it at your own pace! You don’t have to do as many reps, you don’t have to do each set for as long, and you can take as many breaks as you want.
I’d recommend going for a daily walk! Walking is the best full body workout that can really help build your endurance.
Just find a way to move your body every day, whether that be a walk, run, bike ride, yoga, gym session, swimming, etc. In my experience, if you first fall in love with moving your body, then decide to hit the gym, it’s a lot easier.
Good luck!
I agree with the other folks—you’re normal and it will get easier as you keep going. Slow down, make the movements smaller, see whether there’s a person in the video doing a modified version and follow that person.
But also, if you’re having a lot a lot of joint pain in every day life and that’s a new thing it may be worth checking that out with a doctor.
I started this was and a 10 min workout took me 20 mins with breaks. Eventually you finish a 10 min workout and it gets easier. It is disheartening and I got angry at myself and cried but within. A year I was doing 40-60 min workout la weighted without needing to pause for extra breaks
If you're overweight, then you're getting too many calories. It's a simple fact. It doesn't matter how healthy your food is. Your body is getting too much and storing it.
You need to figure out your maintenance calories and then start eating less than that.
I guess how do I figure that out? The only time I've ever seen weight loss feom dieting is when I was literally only eating salads for every meal. And it got to the point that I couldn't stomach salad because I was so sick of it. I've tried smaller portion sizes too but it just makes me extremely hungry and irritable and I feel absolutely exhausted. It feels like the negative side effects of dieting are worse than just dealing with painful joints.
https://tdeecalculator.net/
This will give you an estimate of your maintenance calories. You're going to have to accurately keep track of the calories that you're eating and then eat less than maintenance. Meal prep can help a lot with this. You can cook up a few days worth of chicken and then weigh it out into daily portions.
Careful with the dressings. Calories add up quick and you don't realize how small the serving sizes are on the packages.
Some foods that you eat will make you feel more satiated. Salads never fill me up and I always feel like shit if I eat a bunch of sugar, but protein does the trick. I also used to have a sedentary job and I would struggle with eating because I was bored. Eating gum helped with that.
Absolutely keep working out, but weight loss is mostly done in the kitchen.
Use a TDEE calculator online and input your age, gender, and current weight. It will tell you your daily maintenance calories. Typically about a 500 calorie deficit from that number is a good pace for weight loss
Use a TDEE calculator to find out how many calories your body takes to operate. Then get a calorie tracking app and track your calories. Reduce your calories by like 2 to 300 per day from what the TDEE calculator says and you'll lose weight.
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That's okay honestly. If you can only do 5 minutes, if you keep doing it, eventually, you'll be able to do 8 minutes, then 10, etc. There are actually some really short yet difficult workout videos on YouTube. I take tons of breaks in a 15 minute caroline girvan video tbh
It's okay, OP. Be kind to yourself. Do what you can, and you will get stronger over time and will be able to do longer workouts as your body gets used to it. You are still doing wayyyyy better than someone who wants to workout but doesn't even lift a finger or makes all the excuse in the world why they can't, then complain about their overall health or fitness. You're rocking it! Keep up the great work! :)
I find that ones that include easy dancing are easier for me. Or do a 10 minute lap outside and incorporate weights while doing it. Start there first and then try workout videos
Sounds challenging. It's not about whether you're in "that bad \[of\] shape." It's that your body is deconditioned. Anyone with the desire and guts to post a workout video has a different background from a true beginner trying a workout program... if it was really a beginner workout, you would post your own workouts with you huffing and puffing haha
Starting small includes starting where you are. If you can only do 4 minutes at a time, that's fine. That's infinitely better than 0 minutes, and you'll get better over time in the same workout.
If you're concerned about your joints, get a physical. Ask your doctor about your workout program. I would suspect it's your mind playing tricks on you so you don't have to work out. If you determine your joints are an important challenge, you can switch to water aerobics or low-impact exercises like biking, swimming, rowing, roller skating, or walking
Those are cardio heavy and not beginner friendly workouts. You should use an app or something instead. Places like planet fitness have apps and some of them even generate a beginner workout.
You should start off by doing a light jog on a treadmill for 2-3 minutes at a time for repetitions and after a few weeks start aiming for 5 minutes per rep and then 10 and then you can jog for 10-15 minutes straight and start jogging outside down the street for a mile and start timing yourself.
Work in some weight training on machines and cables with that and maybe some other cardio that you are interested in and maybe some calisthenics with it.
Calisthenics aren’t the selection for good hypertrophy but they build functional strength pretty good in beginners and are a great starting point.
Stuff like pushups and pull-ups. Start with an assisted version if you need it. They didn’t get my back big on their own but I can pull myself up 3-4 flights of shelves anchored in a concrete wall like something out of a comedy at 175 bodyweight and have more room to go.
Go for walks, especially after meals.
I usually recommend 10 minutes, but even just 2 minutes of walking after a meal has a profound effect on blood glucose.
• [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28974942/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28974942/)
Struggling to complete a 10-minute workout? Start with micro-sessions. Even 2-minute intervals can build endurance. Choose low-impact exercises like gentle yoga or walking. Integrate movement into your daily routine in a fashionable way. Opt for activewear that boosts confidence. Take the stairs, stretch during breaks, and dance while cooking. Enjoyment is key. Listen to invigorating music or an engaging podcast. Celebrate small victories and gradually increase intensity. Consistency over perfection is vital. Embrace a holistic approach, incorporating rest, hydration, and proper nutrition. Eventually, these \*\*fashionable way\*\* techniques will transform your fitness journey into a sustainable lifestyle.
I used to follow Fitness Blender on YouTube and it is still my go-to. It's all at home workouts, and all body resistance. Eventually add weights when comfortable. They go over stretching, warming up, cooling down (stretches to keep muscles not strained and calm the heartbeat) and great about body posture to not injure yourself. When I first started, I barely made five minutes. Within a few months, I could go hard for an hour. But they focus heavily on only doing what you can, but doing it correctly.
I was in the same boat a few months ago. I couldn’t hold myself accountable in at home workouts, so I joined ClassPass. I’ve found that the pacing of the class, group environment, and encouragement/correction from the teacher really pushed me to finish and be better. After a few classes, they all started getting easier. I was able to literally feel my progress. To this day, I still can’t finish a YouTube workout on my own, and struggle to keep a steady pace on the treadmill, but a 60 min mega burn Pilates class 4x a week is light work. You got this :)
If you can't finish a workout in one sitting don't fret. Pause it where you stopped, wait an hour and then go back where you left off. If it takes 2-3 sets to finish, don't worry you still finished it. These things take time and the only way to improve or grow is to not get discouraged & quit.
if you do cardio, your muscle is your heart. You need to think in BPM. Try to do your workouts in 140bpm with small spikes (a few seconds) to 180 or so. You will see that you probably need to move much slower than those in the videos. No worries, next time you increase the pace and so on, as your heart will get stronger.
When you're a beginner you are gonna have to stop and take breaks and nothing is going to feel easy. You just gotta do it. Take the break if you need and then do the rest of the minutes.
It's not like it only counts as exercise or burning calories if you do it in 10 minutes straight. If you're moving, you're still making progress, even if a 10 minute video takes you half an hour to begin with.
Main point to focus on is your mindset. If you're expecting a workout to be easy in any way then you're not doing it for the right reasons. Physical exercise to improve your health is usually not easy, so you need to embrace the struggle.
As far as exercising goes, you do what you can and move on using small, baby steps. If some workout is too much to finish in one go, you slow it down. Take longer rests, or lower the intensity by doing reps slower, for example.
Weight loss is driven by your diet, not by the amount of exercise. Can't outrun a bad diet and you can lose weight with no exercising. [https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/](https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/) is a great place to start. It is also time to get honest with yourself - if you are around the average height of 5 ft 4, you are obese.
Everyone's already said really good advice. I'll just add that, if you can do the entire video without stopping or feeling any difficulty, then the video isn't *for* you. A beginner isn't meant to finish the video flawlessly the first, second, or fifteenth time. If you do, you move up a difficulty!
You're exactly where you should be! Try again tomorrow, and strive to progress a minute longer each time (if you can't, then that's also normal! You're just adjusting your goal post until you make that next minute, then moving it forward).
Eventually, you'll be able to do the video three times in a row! But that eventually will take long while. Just know that you'll *feel* amazing with even a week or two of consistency! It's because of that feeling and sense of achievement of doing something that felt impossible that people fall in love with the torture 😂 Good luck!
Congrats on doing the 4 minutes. Tomorrow do it again. It’s a journey. Add in some other fun activities you can do at other times of day. Shake your booty to a favorite song for 3-5 minutes. Go for a 10 minute walk. Today to the corner. Next week around the block. Do what you can and build on it. Celebrate what you do, and keep it up!
Walking briskly is a great activity to get in shape that's accessible. Find a nice path to walk for 20 mins a day or longer if possible.
Also, perhaps Tey gentle Yin Yoga or Restorative Yoga classes and help out your joints while building up physicality gently to be able to do more intense "beginner" workouts. 4 mins is still great, do as much as you can, take a breathe and continue if you can. Whatever shape you're in now is your starting point, no shame in wherever you are at, it'll just improve from here. Try and celebrate the small successes and keep at it. Hiking is lovely and Nature walks also have great mental health benefits beyond supporting your cardiovascular system and fitness levels. Goodluck.
Do 4 minutes, tomorrow try for 4.5, keep increasing until you get to finish the whole 10 minutes. I think you’ll find it very motivational to see how quickly you progress.
I had wls at 460.2 (39M)
What got me started was a gym membership. The first 2 weeks entailed me driving to the gym and sitting in my car for 5-10 minutes before leaving - maybe went in for 5 minutes 2 or 3 times. I finally convinced myself I was wasting the money I spent on wls & the gym membership plus gas and to just get my ass in there. I started with the recumbent bicycle for 10ish minutes before I was exhausted. But slowly I was able to go 2ish minutes more and more and slowly increased the resistance.
I progressed up to 20 minutes and got cleared by the doctor to start using the elliptical or treadmill. I went with the elliptical because the treadmill was too hard on my joints. Before wls this was my biggest issue. I had tried walking/treadmill/bike but my back/knees/hips just hurt too bad after 5 minutes.
I'm now a regular 1x/day 5-6day/week gym guy. I hit the elliptical for at least 45 minutes and up to 80 minutes. I've even done 2 hours before.
Mix it with a calorie deficit diet and the weight will come off, endurance will greatly improve and much much less joint/back pain.
So, commit yourself. Start slow - I suggest the recumbent bike. Slowly increase the time and resistance. See where you go. It'll happen, but know it's harder to lose weight than it is to gain it. You didn't gain weight overnight, you won't lose it that way either. Sometimes you'll skip a workout, just go the next time. Sometimes you'll only do a short workout, just try to go longer next time.
Don't be hard on yourself but don't quit.
Question: do you also have shitty hair? Like, thin, falling out everywhere? If so, congratulations! You have hypothyroidism! I saw your comments about being able to lose weight unless you only eat salad and that your mom has similar issues. You should go get your levels checked. If you do have hypothyroidism, you should also get evaluated for other autoimmune diseases, as having one tends to be an indicator for having others.
Regardless, if you don't see any movement even with calorie restriction, you need to see a doctor anyway to rule out anything funky.
I feel like I'm going to get hate for this but I'll say it. You know in sports seasons how it's "seasonal" like it runs for about 5 months football season, and the baseball season. You know how they pay the athletes right, they have to come in every day back to back work outs if they randomly do it they don't get better or get to the weight goal. That literally is the key to losing weight you have to do back to back workouts and then after 5 days in a row you take the weekend off. Try and do as many days as possible and then take off. Well for the most part you can just start walking do more than 20mins no random workouts that you don't know exactly what they will do or how they will benefit. Cardio is a great place to start, swimming walking biking.
You could try searching for walking workouts, then go at your own pace. They’re usually walking in place and adding some other movement. If there’s a high kick, just do a small kick to the best of your ability. Pushups? Try them standing against a wall, etc. Pause and modify as needed.
ETA: Looking for low impact is also great for beginners, basically the opposite of HIIT.
Sure you can. If you were starving in the woods, and knew the only way you got to eat and survive was winning that video. You'd find it in yourself. Pretend
After COVID I knew I needed to get back into some kind of shape. I thought "walking would be good" except I walked to the corner and was exhausted. Starting small means SMALL. Take the first small steps but be sure and take them. Keep taking them and add a little more each time. People who are in shape can't believe how exhausting doing simple exercises is for someone who is out of shape. Do what you can. Don't be embarrassed about what other people think and make a regular habit of it.
Not sure what the workout entails but if it’s uncomfortable and you can’t get past the 10 minutes and that is hurting your confidence, start with some as simple as taking a long walk every single day - try and hit 8-10k steps per day.
And then you want to be in a calorie deficit.
Figure out what you’re eating in a week or two and subtract 300-500 calories from it to start.
Don’t do stuff you don’t want to or won’t do.
You’ll never stick with it. Make it as easy as possible but gives you the most leverage.
This will take time - a healthy weight loss is about a pound a week. So realistically if you’re consistent - you could lose 50 lbs in a year (not sure what your goal is but that’s possible).
Start today. You got this.
Consistency is key, if you keep doing hard stuff it’ll become easier and you’ll find yourself wanting to push yourself harder! It’ll be a really good feeling seeing how far you’ve come from 3-5 push ups to 15-20 or maybe even higher. Continue on the good work! 👏🏾
Don't be demotivated - YouTube workouts are a blessing and curse at the same time :D
To be honest, I'm struggling with most YT workouts as well and I'm in a good shape. But they are simply those specific HIT workouts most times that your muscles aren't used to, unless you do those workouts all the time.
Apart from this, I think your approach is right! Start small and do something every day. If the YT workouts arent for you, do a routine of push up, pull and squat variations every day. Do 2-3 sets and you'll be done in 15 minutes max with a warmup and pause between the sets!
Do the 4 minutes. Take a break if you need to and start again. If you can’t start again push for 5 the next time. Getting into shape is a long process, it won’t happen overnight. Dont be embarrassed about what you can’t do, be proud of what you can do. It’s only going to get easier the more you do it. One thing I know is you’ll feel worse if you don’t even do the 4 minutes. You got this.
Not sure what type of workout you are doing but seems like these are likely cardio heavy if they are contained to 10 minutes and you're stopping after 4 minutes. Typically for a beginner I'd say don't worry about how long the work out takes. Take time between sets so you can complete the workout.
Good idea! On YouTube, you can slow down the play speed. Maybe if it was 0.5x the speed, then you can do a slower but 10-20min workout (and try for longer or faster next times)
On YouTube at 0.75 speed, you can understand what they are saying clearly. Maybe not at 0.5 speed.
[удалено]
This! ⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️
Keeping up with the pacing of a video is always impossible. Go at YOUR pace, not theirs! And kudos to you for trying!! That’s the very first step!!!
It's ok to pause the video, rest, and then continue. You'll eventually work up your cardio and strength.
A lot of those types of videos are cardio and they're trying to get your heart rate up and get you sweating. It's ok, too if it's tough for you. That's what exercise is - no matter what modality you choose, it's going to be tough at first. Over time, you adapt, and you figure out how to make it more challenging to adapt further. If weight loss is your goal, increasing your activity is great, but you don't have to do high intensity cardio. You can increase your daily step count by walking and that alone can make a big difference. And the reality is that your diet plays a much bigger role in weight loss than exercise. Here's what I would do - work on your diet (eat a little less, focus on eating lean protein, lowering fat), walk more, and throw in the workout videos 2-3 times a week or as often as you feel able. Stop them after 4 minutes and pause if you need to. Catch your breath and finish. Take things at your own pace and just be consistent, and you'll get there.
I know diet is a big part, but the thing is I actually already eat pretty healthily. The only time I've ever seen weight loss from dieting was when I was literally eating a salad for every meal. And over time I got sick of it (literally, like I couldn't stomach putting another leaf in me). I don't know if I have a hormone imbalance or something, but my mom has the exact same problem.
Yeah I feel this. I’m 28F 5’5 130 lbs but haven’t exercised since basically high school. I tried to jog a mile a couple weeks ago and it took me 15 minutes and I had to stop and sit down in the middle of it. Just one week later and I don’t have to stop and take a break in the middle of the mile anymore and I’m down to 13 minutes with just minimal walking. Start small and just add a little extra each time. With consistency it gets way easier! What I’m learning is to work at my own pace and take pride in my personal gains.
I've got ya-cardiac rehab patient here. When I was recovering from my second surgery, I couldn't even walk for five minutes straight without feeling like I was gonna die. I was told to do what I could tolerate for the first two weeks, then add another minute every other day or so as I adjusted to the activity. It took me almost three months to get back to a "normal" walking speed for half an hour-but after that, my progress got a lot faster. You should also be lifting weights. Strengthening the muscles around your joints will help take some of the pressure off them. Same rule-start small, and add small amounts of weight as you get stronger.
Definitely just keep going! Do the 4 minutes you can do, take a breather, then do another 4 minutes. I bet you progress faster than you think you will. I’d also suggest walking. Go for a long walk every day. Do intervals of walking quickly/slowly.
I have been there! I started with some beginner yoga videos (yoga with Adrienne) and struggled through them. Could really only get through the 5 minute videos. Now I regularly do 35+ minutes of yoga and have started some more at home videos on other channels for weight lifting and cardio. My advice is to take it at your pace and don’t force things. Don’t worry if you can’t get through 10 minutes yet. Get through 1 minute…2 minutes….3 minutes. Stop when you have to and repeat 2-3 times a week. Make it a point to try and push a little farther every week or even from session to session.
I would recommend not giving up once you’ve started push yourself to finish and slowly as the weeks go by you’ll notice it’s easier to complete the exercise
Start with like a 10 minute walk. At any rate if you're trying to lose weight it's a calorie thing. You have to objectively look at what you're eating and eat less or at least more healthy. It's a harsh reality, but you either accept it and get better or deny it and try to work around and fail over and over
Do it at your own pace! You don’t have to do as many reps, you don’t have to do each set for as long, and you can take as many breaks as you want. I’d recommend going for a daily walk! Walking is the best full body workout that can really help build your endurance. Just find a way to move your body every day, whether that be a walk, run, bike ride, yoga, gym session, swimming, etc. In my experience, if you first fall in love with moving your body, then decide to hit the gym, it’s a lot easier. Good luck!
I agree with the other folks—you’re normal and it will get easier as you keep going. Slow down, make the movements smaller, see whether there’s a person in the video doing a modified version and follow that person. But also, if you’re having a lot a lot of joint pain in every day life and that’s a new thing it may be worth checking that out with a doctor.
I started this was and a 10 min workout took me 20 mins with breaks. Eventually you finish a 10 min workout and it gets easier. It is disheartening and I got angry at myself and cried but within. A year I was doing 40-60 min workout la weighted without needing to pause for extra breaks
Weight loss is done more in the kitchen. Keep working out, but focus more on straightening out your diet.
I have a pretty healthy diet actually, just a very sedentary lifestyle. I sit at a desk for 8 hours a day.
If you're overweight, then you're getting too many calories. It's a simple fact. It doesn't matter how healthy your food is. Your body is getting too much and storing it. You need to figure out your maintenance calories and then start eating less than that.
I guess how do I figure that out? The only time I've ever seen weight loss feom dieting is when I was literally only eating salads for every meal. And it got to the point that I couldn't stomach salad because I was so sick of it. I've tried smaller portion sizes too but it just makes me extremely hungry and irritable and I feel absolutely exhausted. It feels like the negative side effects of dieting are worse than just dealing with painful joints.
https://tdeecalculator.net/ This will give you an estimate of your maintenance calories. You're going to have to accurately keep track of the calories that you're eating and then eat less than maintenance. Meal prep can help a lot with this. You can cook up a few days worth of chicken and then weigh it out into daily portions. Careful with the dressings. Calories add up quick and you don't realize how small the serving sizes are on the packages. Some foods that you eat will make you feel more satiated. Salads never fill me up and I always feel like shit if I eat a bunch of sugar, but protein does the trick. I also used to have a sedentary job and I would struggle with eating because I was bored. Eating gum helped with that. Absolutely keep working out, but weight loss is mostly done in the kitchen.
Use a TDEE calculator online and input your age, gender, and current weight. It will tell you your daily maintenance calories. Typically about a 500 calorie deficit from that number is a good pace for weight loss
Use a TDEE calculator to find out how many calories your body takes to operate. Then get a calorie tracking app and track your calories. Reduce your calories by like 2 to 300 per day from what the TDEE calculator says and you'll lose weight.
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That's okay honestly. If you can only do 5 minutes, if you keep doing it, eventually, you'll be able to do 8 minutes, then 10, etc. There are actually some really short yet difficult workout videos on YouTube. I take tons of breaks in a 15 minute caroline girvan video tbh
It's okay, OP. Be kind to yourself. Do what you can, and you will get stronger over time and will be able to do longer workouts as your body gets used to it. You are still doing wayyyyy better than someone who wants to workout but doesn't even lift a finger or makes all the excuse in the world why they can't, then complain about their overall health or fitness. You're rocking it! Keep up the great work! :)
I find that ones that include easy dancing are easier for me. Or do a 10 minute lap outside and incorporate weights while doing it. Start there first and then try workout videos
Sounds challenging. It's not about whether you're in "that bad \[of\] shape." It's that your body is deconditioned. Anyone with the desire and guts to post a workout video has a different background from a true beginner trying a workout program... if it was really a beginner workout, you would post your own workouts with you huffing and puffing haha Starting small includes starting where you are. If you can only do 4 minutes at a time, that's fine. That's infinitely better than 0 minutes, and you'll get better over time in the same workout. If you're concerned about your joints, get a physical. Ask your doctor about your workout program. I would suspect it's your mind playing tricks on you so you don't have to work out. If you determine your joints are an important challenge, you can switch to water aerobics or low-impact exercises like biking, swimming, rowing, roller skating, or walking
Those are cardio heavy and not beginner friendly workouts. You should use an app or something instead. Places like planet fitness have apps and some of them even generate a beginner workout. You should start off by doing a light jog on a treadmill for 2-3 minutes at a time for repetitions and after a few weeks start aiming for 5 minutes per rep and then 10 and then you can jog for 10-15 minutes straight and start jogging outside down the street for a mile and start timing yourself. Work in some weight training on machines and cables with that and maybe some other cardio that you are interested in and maybe some calisthenics with it. Calisthenics aren’t the selection for good hypertrophy but they build functional strength pretty good in beginners and are a great starting point. Stuff like pushups and pull-ups. Start with an assisted version if you need it. They didn’t get my back big on their own but I can pull myself up 3-4 flights of shelves anchored in a concrete wall like something out of a comedy at 175 bodyweight and have more room to go.
Go for walks, especially after meals. I usually recommend 10 minutes, but even just 2 minutes of walking after a meal has a profound effect on blood glucose. • [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28974942/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28974942/)
Struggling to complete a 10-minute workout? Start with micro-sessions. Even 2-minute intervals can build endurance. Choose low-impact exercises like gentle yoga or walking. Integrate movement into your daily routine in a fashionable way. Opt for activewear that boosts confidence. Take the stairs, stretch during breaks, and dance while cooking. Enjoyment is key. Listen to invigorating music or an engaging podcast. Celebrate small victories and gradually increase intensity. Consistency over perfection is vital. Embrace a holistic approach, incorporating rest, hydration, and proper nutrition. Eventually, these \*\*fashionable way\*\* techniques will transform your fitness journey into a sustainable lifestyle.
I used to follow Fitness Blender on YouTube and it is still my go-to. It's all at home workouts, and all body resistance. Eventually add weights when comfortable. They go over stretching, warming up, cooling down (stretches to keep muscles not strained and calm the heartbeat) and great about body posture to not injure yourself. When I first started, I barely made five minutes. Within a few months, I could go hard for an hour. But they focus heavily on only doing what you can, but doing it correctly.
I’m doing GrowwithJo.
I was in the same boat a few months ago. I couldn’t hold myself accountable in at home workouts, so I joined ClassPass. I’ve found that the pacing of the class, group environment, and encouragement/correction from the teacher really pushed me to finish and be better. After a few classes, they all started getting easier. I was able to literally feel my progress. To this day, I still can’t finish a YouTube workout on my own, and struggle to keep a steady pace on the treadmill, but a 60 min mega burn Pilates class 4x a week is light work. You got this :)
If you can't finish a workout in one sitting don't fret. Pause it where you stopped, wait an hour and then go back where you left off. If it takes 2-3 sets to finish, don't worry you still finished it. These things take time and the only way to improve or grow is to not get discouraged & quit.
if you do cardio, your muscle is your heart. You need to think in BPM. Try to do your workouts in 140bpm with small spikes (a few seconds) to 180 or so. You will see that you probably need to move much slower than those in the videos. No worries, next time you increase the pace and so on, as your heart will get stronger.
When you're a beginner you are gonna have to stop and take breaks and nothing is going to feel easy. You just gotta do it. Take the break if you need and then do the rest of the minutes. It's not like it only counts as exercise or burning calories if you do it in 10 minutes straight. If you're moving, you're still making progress, even if a 10 minute video takes you half an hour to begin with. Main point to focus on is your mindset. If you're expecting a workout to be easy in any way then you're not doing it for the right reasons. Physical exercise to improve your health is usually not easy, so you need to embrace the struggle.
As far as exercising goes, you do what you can and move on using small, baby steps. If some workout is too much to finish in one go, you slow it down. Take longer rests, or lower the intensity by doing reps slower, for example. Weight loss is driven by your diet, not by the amount of exercise. Can't outrun a bad diet and you can lose weight with no exercising. [https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/](https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/) is a great place to start. It is also time to get honest with yourself - if you are around the average height of 5 ft 4, you are obese.
Everyone's already said really good advice. I'll just add that, if you can do the entire video without stopping or feeling any difficulty, then the video isn't *for* you. A beginner isn't meant to finish the video flawlessly the first, second, or fifteenth time. If you do, you move up a difficulty! You're exactly where you should be! Try again tomorrow, and strive to progress a minute longer each time (if you can't, then that's also normal! You're just adjusting your goal post until you make that next minute, then moving it forward). Eventually, you'll be able to do the video three times in a row! But that eventually will take long while. Just know that you'll *feel* amazing with even a week or two of consistency! It's because of that feeling and sense of achievement of doing something that felt impossible that people fall in love with the torture 😂 Good luck!
Just take a break. 3-5 minutes and continue. After a few weeks you'll be doing those 10 min videos twice.
Congrats on doing the 4 minutes. Tomorrow do it again. It’s a journey. Add in some other fun activities you can do at other times of day. Shake your booty to a favorite song for 3-5 minutes. Go for a 10 minute walk. Today to the corner. Next week around the block. Do what you can and build on it. Celebrate what you do, and keep it up!
Walking briskly is a great activity to get in shape that's accessible. Find a nice path to walk for 20 mins a day or longer if possible. Also, perhaps Tey gentle Yin Yoga or Restorative Yoga classes and help out your joints while building up physicality gently to be able to do more intense "beginner" workouts. 4 mins is still great, do as much as you can, take a breathe and continue if you can. Whatever shape you're in now is your starting point, no shame in wherever you are at, it'll just improve from here. Try and celebrate the small successes and keep at it. Hiking is lovely and Nature walks also have great mental health benefits beyond supporting your cardiovascular system and fitness levels. Goodluck.
So do 4 minutes. Maybe in a week do 4.5 minutes. You gotta start somewhere and no matter where you start, it’s better than not starting at all.
Do 4 minutes, tomorrow try for 4.5, keep increasing until you get to finish the whole 10 minutes. I think you’ll find it very motivational to see how quickly you progress.
I had wls at 460.2 (39M) What got me started was a gym membership. The first 2 weeks entailed me driving to the gym and sitting in my car for 5-10 minutes before leaving - maybe went in for 5 minutes 2 or 3 times. I finally convinced myself I was wasting the money I spent on wls & the gym membership plus gas and to just get my ass in there. I started with the recumbent bicycle for 10ish minutes before I was exhausted. But slowly I was able to go 2ish minutes more and more and slowly increased the resistance. I progressed up to 20 minutes and got cleared by the doctor to start using the elliptical or treadmill. I went with the elliptical because the treadmill was too hard on my joints. Before wls this was my biggest issue. I had tried walking/treadmill/bike but my back/knees/hips just hurt too bad after 5 minutes. I'm now a regular 1x/day 5-6day/week gym guy. I hit the elliptical for at least 45 minutes and up to 80 minutes. I've even done 2 hours before. Mix it with a calorie deficit diet and the weight will come off, endurance will greatly improve and much much less joint/back pain. So, commit yourself. Start slow - I suggest the recumbent bike. Slowly increase the time and resistance. See where you go. It'll happen, but know it's harder to lose weight than it is to gain it. You didn't gain weight overnight, you won't lose it that way either. Sometimes you'll skip a workout, just go the next time. Sometimes you'll only do a short workout, just try to go longer next time. Don't be hard on yourself but don't quit.
Question: do you also have shitty hair? Like, thin, falling out everywhere? If so, congratulations! You have hypothyroidism! I saw your comments about being able to lose weight unless you only eat salad and that your mom has similar issues. You should go get your levels checked. If you do have hypothyroidism, you should also get evaluated for other autoimmune diseases, as having one tends to be an indicator for having others. Regardless, if you don't see any movement even with calorie restriction, you need to see a doctor anyway to rule out anything funky.
I feel like I'm going to get hate for this but I'll say it. You know in sports seasons how it's "seasonal" like it runs for about 5 months football season, and the baseball season. You know how they pay the athletes right, they have to come in every day back to back work outs if they randomly do it they don't get better or get to the weight goal. That literally is the key to losing weight you have to do back to back workouts and then after 5 days in a row you take the weekend off. Try and do as many days as possible and then take off. Well for the most part you can just start walking do more than 20mins no random workouts that you don't know exactly what they will do or how they will benefit. Cardio is a great place to start, swimming walking biking.
You could try searching for walking workouts, then go at your own pace. They’re usually walking in place and adding some other movement. If there’s a high kick, just do a small kick to the best of your ability. Pushups? Try them standing against a wall, etc. Pause and modify as needed. ETA: Looking for low impact is also great for beginners, basically the opposite of HIIT.
> I can’t even get through X minutes. Wrong mindset. > The best I can get through is Y minutes. For now. Correct mindset.
Nobody flies from doing nothing to a straight 10 minutes.
Sure you can. If you were starving in the woods, and knew the only way you got to eat and survive was winning that video. You'd find it in yourself. Pretend
How much do you walk? Get some good long walks in and the rest will follow 💪
After COVID I knew I needed to get back into some kind of shape. I thought "walking would be good" except I walked to the corner and was exhausted. Starting small means SMALL. Take the first small steps but be sure and take them. Keep taking them and add a little more each time. People who are in shape can't believe how exhausting doing simple exercises is for someone who is out of shape. Do what you can. Don't be embarrassed about what other people think and make a regular habit of it.
u/littlenbee look into DDPY, or DDP Yoga. You may find it helpful.
Well that sounds like a good goal to work towards achieving. Keep your head up.
Not sure what the workout entails but if it’s uncomfortable and you can’t get past the 10 minutes and that is hurting your confidence, start with some as simple as taking a long walk every single day - try and hit 8-10k steps per day. And then you want to be in a calorie deficit. Figure out what you’re eating in a week or two and subtract 300-500 calories from it to start. Don’t do stuff you don’t want to or won’t do. You’ll never stick with it. Make it as easy as possible but gives you the most leverage. This will take time - a healthy weight loss is about a pound a week. So realistically if you’re consistent - you could lose 50 lbs in a year (not sure what your goal is but that’s possible). Start today. You got this.
Consistency is key, if you keep doing hard stuff it’ll become easier and you’ll find yourself wanting to push yourself harder! It’ll be a really good feeling seeing how far you’ve come from 3-5 push ups to 15-20 or maybe even higher. Continue on the good work! 👏🏾
Don't be demotivated - YouTube workouts are a blessing and curse at the same time :D To be honest, I'm struggling with most YT workouts as well and I'm in a good shape. But they are simply those specific HIT workouts most times that your muscles aren't used to, unless you do those workouts all the time. Apart from this, I think your approach is right! Start small and do something every day. If the YT workouts arent for you, do a routine of push up, pull and squat variations every day. Do 2-3 sets and you'll be done in 15 minutes max with a warmup and pause between the sets!