ok, i'll jump onboard this one too
as you may have read, i have just discovered that i have officially lost the first stone in my fight to undo the damage of 10 years of illness, total idleness, smoking and eating junk.
i am now 29.1 stone.
my girlfriend moved in with me, and has been my inspiration, support and shoulder to cry on. it also helps that she is a qualified fitness instructor.....
i have swapped from a hi carb/caffeine/sugar/junk diet to eating proper meals, cutting down on the, frankly ludicrous, amount of carbs, and eating normal portions. I have started eating SOME salad and generally maintaining a balanced diet instead of spending nearly a tenner a day on junk, pasties, stuff from the sandwich van at work etc, and eating chinese/chipper/pizza for tea.
I got myself and the missus memberships at finess first in exeter (near my house
), and we are going more or less three nights a week.
when i started, i couldnt do more than 5 minutes on the elliptcal cross trainer at lvl1 without my legs cramping up and feeling rather ill for days afterwards.
about 5 weeks in, and i do a 20 minute cardio based warmup, then hit the weights machines for every muscle group (2 sets of 12 reps of 2 or 3 weights) using freeweights for biceps and triceps, then a good 10 mins flat out on the elliptical cross trainer on lvl 5, 10 mins cooldown and then shower etc.
my fitness has come on much quicker than i though possible, my flexibility has improved, my energy is better- in short im ecstatic that im feeling results.
i know im only getting results quickly at the moment because i was really really badly unfit and my lifestyle was terrible. im also aware that these changes will gradually slow down.
my message to all the people in a similar situation to me- all the people who dont feel comfortable about going to the gym, who have to buy clothes from specialist shops, who are truely fed up with things the way they are- make the change, take positive action!
the other poeple in the gym will, at worst, completely ignore you. the ultra muscley and ultra fit people will see you are making the effort, and in my experience it is these people who will offer you friendly and constructive advice with no bias or prejudice. what you wear is unimportant- people who treat the gym like a fashion parade are, IMO, odd. a t shirt and some tracksuit bototms and a pair of trainers are fine. nobody will take the blindest bit of notice, i promise.
my tips:
take a friend- get a "gym buddy" it helps motivation no end
a healthy diet is NOT all-salad. a well balanced diet is what you should aim for.
dont overdo it- take it very easy the first couple of weeks- 10 min gentle warm up, stretch, 10 mins fairly gentle cardio exercise, stretch, 10 mins cooldown, stretch, hot shower, stretch, home. believe me- i overdid it the first time and couldnt walk for 2 days. if it hurts- STOP!
dont be afraid to ask for advice, either from staff, personal trainers and even members.
keep it up! you CAN do it!
my msn is in my trust- add me if you want to folks!
TG
and I'm not really a class person. You'll really enjoy it if you have a decent teacher. I also used to really enjoy Body Pump, although I've not been since the summer. Might be good for you actually, because it tones you up lovely and shows you how to use the free weights.
