15 Oct 2017

Exercise for Dummies

You guys, I have a confession to make. I have no idea what I am doing! Since February when I first left my job, I made a promise to myself that I would start getting in shape again, but the problem was, I had no idea where to start. Gym memberships, tennis lessons in Sacramento, running groups, spin classes, the list goes on! However, since I was not really eager to join a gym, one of my friends told me to set up a home gym, get some equipment, and exercise from the comfort of my house. She advised me to hire a treadmill (which can be rented from firms like Hire Fitness by looking up keywords similar to “hire a treadmill Scotland” or something similar to it on the Web), an exercise bike, and a rowing machine. To be honest, they all sound great but I do not know if I can do this all at once without any prior knowledge of setting up a home gym. I still feel a little confused as to how to begin as I have never felt the need to exercise. Let’s rewind back a little bit so that readers why I never exercised. Growing up, I never felt the need to exercise unless it was for a grade (hello, physical education as a class.) I went through the rest of my life… high school, college, post-college relying on my metabolism. For whatever reason, I couldn’t put on weight and stayed relatively the same. Last summer, I decided to pursue exercising again and noticed the impact of it almost immediately, especially on my abs. I shrugged it off and thought, “What’s the big deal? This seems easy!”

Wrong! Fast forward five months later – I’m on a treadmill and done after 30 minutes. I do my normal exercises and find myself completely distracted from them and moving onto another activity like checking emails or making breakfast, anything that will stop me from finishing my workout. I also have been looking at myself in the mirror and wondering where these hips seemed to come in and why they’re coming in now. Have they always been there? Perhaps it’s because I’ve been doing some tight hip flexors! They obviously seem to be working which makes me feel great about myself and my figure.

Laying it all out there, I will admit that I’m insecure with my body right now and a little embarrassed that I’m not able to make it through a full workout. Does anyone have any advice? Are there baby steps to ease me into it? Do you have a personal trainer or videos from a trainer that you think motivate you best? What foods and drinks do you avoid? How much water are you consuming? Do you eat before you work out? Are you better working out in the morning before you start your day or at the end of your day? I have so many questions.

Here’s my current situation that I know is not helping. I’m having a pumpkin spice latte every day! Crystal tells me that it’s probably not good for my arteries; it’s also not good for my bank account, but I can’t help it! To counter act this, I’m doing these things for the most part, but I’m not always consistent every day:

  • 60 sit-ups
  • 20 push-ups
  • Forearm Plank (30 seconds)
  • High Plank (30 seconds)
  • Side Plank (15 seconds on both sides)
  • Single Arm/Leg Plank (15 seconds for each arm/leg)
  • Plank to Push Up
  • 25 wide sumo squats
  • 25 Lunges/legs
  • 25 Lateral Leg Lifts

I try to keep this at a minimum and then throw in other exercises that I find and save through blogs/Instagram and use my adidas all day app. I don’t expect that I’ll ever become a pro or a fitness influencer, but I’d like to be better and live a healthier lifestyle. If y’all have any tips, please share!