Please help me start exercising

[Anonymous]

I haven’t exercised regularly in 15 years. I don’t need to lose weight; instead, I need to exercise for my overall health. I’m a 34 year old woman.

There are a couple of reasons why I have been nervous about exercising:

1. Exercise-induced asthma. I got an inhaler last year, but am still scared about doing cardio, given how utterly painful it is for me to do more than 10 minutes or so of it.

2. Graves’ disease, which has caused exhaustion, heart palpitations, etc. I’m finally on meds for it, so my symptoms are better than they were before.

In any case, given that the above two things are now relatively managed, I feel like I need to start exercising. We have a Peloton tread that DH uses. Can anyone help with tips on how to get over anxiety surrounding this? Are there good Peloton tread instructors for beginners?

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

I would not start with Peloton unless you find you love it. I would start with yoga and Pilates and strength training. If you are not looking to lose weight and you are unsure how your body will respond to cardio, focus on getting your body moving, building range of motion and strength. For cardio, go for (fast) walks or do some flow yoga.

Then, if everything feels good, start adding in more aggressive cardio like the Peloton or running or cardio classes. You will be less likely to bail if you start gently and do some variety. Over time you will find what you enjoy and what makes your body feel good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not start with Peloton unless you find you love it. I would start with yoga and Pilates and strength training. If you are not looking to lose weight and you are unsure how your body will respond to cardio, focus on getting your body moving, building range of motion and strength. For cardio, go for (fast) walks or do some flow yoga.

Then, if everything feels good, start adding in more aggressive cardio like the Peloton or running or cardio classes. You will be less likely to bail if you start gently and do some variety. Over time you will find what you enjoy and what makes your body feel good.

OP here. Thank you! I do enjoy yoga and have done it for a long time. My forays into pilates have not been very successful, but I’m game to try again. Do you have any suggestions for good Pilates videos on YouTube or something?

[Anonymous]

I am not sure how much I can help with the anxiety, but starting small and building on small habits will definitely give you more confidence and help you ease into exercising.

I have a Peloton app subscription - and one if the things I really like is that you can sort and filter classes by difficulty (e.g,. sort easiest to hardest). You might start with Walking classes on the tread and look for shorter duration classes - 20 minutes - that are rated low from a difficulty perspective. Anything that is labeled a "fun walk" would be a good type of class to start with. I think from an overall difficulty perspective the fun walks (which are usually music themed) are generally easiest, then power walks, with walk/run and hike walks the most difficult. Honestly, though, for many of the classes the instructors will give you a range of speed, incline, etc. options and encourage you to modify as needed based on your skill level and experience.

In terms of instructors, I wouldn't necessarily say there are better instructors than others for beginners. (On the flip side, I would not start with Olivia Amato as she is tough!) I do think someone like Matt Wilpers or Rebecca Kennedy would likely give you a lot of basic instruction on proper form, etc., which can help if you are not used to walking on the tread. I have liked trying out different instructors through the app - you may find you "vibe" with a specific instructor and gravitate more toward classes with that person, because you find them motivating and/or like the music they play.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Walking is always an option. And if you have access to a stationary bike, that's another option.

[Anonymous]

I agree with walking. Start there. If you feel good you can increase your speed.

[Anonymous]

I like Tabata style work-outs. 8 rounds of 20 seconds high intensity work (jumping jacks, air squats, etc) 10 secs rest.

I’ve found lots of Tabata doing on Apple Music and will sometimes do one one round or up to 5. I’ve gone out and run 20 seconds/walk 10 seconds. Sometimes I’ll do 8 different exercises and sometimes I just do sets of burpees. Depends on my mood. I just really like the on/off style it get going.

I also really like kettlebells, which are also good for quick, intense workouts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like Tabata style work-outs. 8 rounds of 20 seconds high intensity work (jumping jacks, air squats, etc) 10 secs rest.

I’ve found lots of Tabata doing on Apple Music and will sometimes do one one round or up to 5. I’ve gone out and run 20 seconds/walk 10 seconds. Sometimes I’ll do 8 different exercises and sometimes I just do sets of burpees. Depends on my mood. I just really like the on/off style it get going.

I also really like kettlebells, which are also good for quick, intense workouts.

Second this. I do HIIT tabata style workouts at least 1-2x a week to mix things up from my usual running. Best bang for your buck IMO. Gets you sweating almost immediately and it goes by quick. Can get a good full body workout in 30-45 min.

[Anonymous]

Yoga first. Breathing exercise before, during and after your cardio. Take a break and do your yogic breathing.

Also, load up on a bio-available form of magnesium (to help with heart palpitation) and try and have an alkaline diet to fight inflammation in your body. My go to is a glass of water with juice of 1/2 lemon at least twice a day.

Do your exercise but break it up through out the day. Start with no more than 10-15 minutes at a time. If you do that and manage the resulting inflammation and burn in your body, you will build up stamina and things will become better.

[Anonymous]

I would start with walking especially now w/ Covid. It's easy to do and you can build up gradually. I enjoy getting out everyday and I mix up my route and explore.

[Anonymous]

I would start with the walking on the Peleton app. You can work your way up to walk/runs and hikes (elevation changes). Try their barre classes and Emma’s crush your core program. You can try out the beginner yoga too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would not start with Peloton unless you find you love it. I would start with yoga and Pilates and strength training. If you are not looking to lose weight and you are unsure how your body will respond to cardio, focus on getting your body moving, building range of motion and strength. For cardio, go for (fast) walks or do some flow yoga.

Then, if everything feels good, start adding in more aggressive cardio like the Peloton or running or cardio classes. You will be less likely to bail if you start gently and do some variety. Over time you will find what you enjoy and what makes your body feel good.

OP here. Thank you! I do enjoy yoga and have done it for a long time. My forays into pilates have not been very successful, but I’m game to try again. Do you have any suggestions for good Pilates videos on YouTube or something?

Emma’s crush your core program has some Pilates. She used to be a Pilates instructor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yoga first. Breathing exercise before, during and after your cardio. Take a break and do your yogic breathing.

Also, load up on a bio-available form of magnesium (to help with heart palpitation) and try and have an alkaline diet to fight inflammation in your body. My go to is a glass of water with juice of 1/2 lemon at least twice a day.

Do your exercise but break it up through out the day. Start with no more than 10-15 minutes at a time. If you do that and manage the resulting inflammation and burn in your body, you will build up stamina and things will become better.

Doesn’t that mess up your teeth??

[Anonymous]

Find something you like doing. There are so many free workouts on youtube or popsugar. Find something that you enjoy and work up. Weights are great for health and can give you a break from straight cardio. It sounds like you should talk to your doctors about how to incorporate excercise safely.

[Anonymous]

I have the same kind of asthma you do but have been exercising for years. A few years ago while on vacation I skipped working out for several weeks. My asthma worsened. When I got back in the gym at home it disappeared. When you cough in those first ten minutes your lungs are building capacity. Forget yoga, Pilates, etc. You need cardio 4-5x/week, 20 minutes min. Bob Greene's advice is still as valid today as it was when he gave it to Oprah more than 20 years ago.