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Old 03-24-02, 11:16 AM  
Lenore Levine
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Here are my suggestions:

Here are my standard suggestions.

1) Try to do a little bit each day. Don't worry that much about exactly what you do, just get in the habit of doing something regularly.

2) Don't compete with anyone but yourself.

3) Focus on performance goals, not appearance goals.

4) Make your exercise program fun! One way to do this is to get lots of interesting videos. Another is to keep posting here.
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Old 03-24-02, 11:33 AM  
*pet*art*girl*
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Welcome!!

Hi! Welcome here!
When I began working out and got discouraged and felt like quitting, I would just say to myself, "What's the alternative"? (I had been overweight all my life and was beginning to experience real health problems that were not going to go away.)

Just keep on doing what you can do, a little everyday. Don't do more than you are ready to do, that is a recipe for setbacks. Just do what you can do at your current fitness level, but stay challenged (i.e. don't go too EASY, either! )
Just know that no one just woke up one morning and was fit and healthy and didn't have to work at it. We all have to work at it. But it is a great journey! You should find tons of motivation here.
Good luck! I know you can do it!
Kathy
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Old 03-24-02, 11:48 AM  
smartblonde
 
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thanks to you all...

I truly appreciate all of your support and suggestions. I got off my butt after posting, and did the FIRM's Not-So-Tough-Aerobics tape the entire way through, and feel just great! It's always great to hear others' stories to know that you're not alone.

Thanks again!
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Old 03-24-02, 01:39 PM  
Loretta S.
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Hang in there, smartblonde! Slow and steady really does win the race when it comes to exercise.

I can't top everyone's great advice, but I just wanted to chime in with some support. When I first tried Firm Vol 6, it was the only tape I had that I liked and I could not do the whole thing. I didn't use any weights for the squats and legs presses and I skipped one of those two sections. I would alternate skipping either the sqauts or the leg presses each time I did it. When I first got it I would only do it sporadically, since it made me so sore (it STILL makes my inner thighs sore) and I never saw any improvement. But when I started exercising regularly (3 times per week) before long I was seeing improvements in my measurements and BIG improvements in how I felt. I got a few more tapes and started alternating them (still working out 3 days per week). Within six weeks or so I could do Vol 6 all the way though and started adding weights to the squat and leg press segments. Then I started buying more videos and and doing more workouts and feeling better and better, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Congrats on starting out, smartblonde! Stick with VF and be true to yourself. Oh yeah, everyone's right about the credit cards.
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Old 03-24-02, 02:46 PM  
LeanneS
 
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I think if you built up your cardio with non-firm tapes then it would be a lot easier to tackle vol 6. or other non-beginner firms. I will assume that you do not have a step so what about a good floor aerobics or kickboxing video, maybe tae bo, Kathy Smith kickboxing, Leslie Sansone 3 mile power walk or Kathy Smith Peak Fat Burning. I think the next step up from the basics is Firm Maximum Body Shaping, it is very similar to Sculpting with Weights.

Also remember that weight loss is 90% diet. We are not supposed to discuss specific diets on this board but it is generally agreed that exercise will not lead to weight loss if you are not eating right.
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Old 03-24-02, 03:26 PM  
FitBoop
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Staying Motivated

Welcome to VF, Smartblonde!

I think the key to staying motivated is feeling successful. That means doing an activity that suits your current level of fitness, and maybe a bit challenging, but not overwhelming. I know that if I cannot do an entire tape and have to quit in the middle, then I don't feel successful, and it is discouraging. That's why I would rather use a tape that I can do all the way through. If I don't want to think at all, I just hop on the treadmill or bike.

It's important to set realistic goals. Then when you meet or exceed them, you'll feel great about yourself. It doesn't matter how fit you are today because you will improve if you're consistent. In fact, people starting out make noticeable improvements very quickly.

Regarding the clothes issue, my advice is to buy a couple of things that fit you at your current size. You will feel better about yourself if you feel comfortable in your clothes.
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Old 03-24-02, 08:28 PM  
Barbara P
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You have gotten some excellent advice from the other posters. I think I am a little unique in that I've been working out for almost 22 years, and I can honestly say I have been very motivated the whole time. Sure some days I don't "feel" like working out, but I have never lost my motivation. Perhaps because my motivation is not tied to how much I weigh, or how much weight I've lost, it has remained high for all these years. My motivation in the beginning was to get in shape. I was not overweight (if anything I was underweight) but I was in HORRIBLE shape, I smoked, I was tired all the time, I couldn't climb a flight of stairs without being winded, and I was in my mid 20's. My motivation these days has a lot to do with getting older but not wanting to feel older or have a lot of the health problems that manyh older people have. I have an excellent role model in my mom, a lifelong exerciser, who is 71 and in great shape.
I look at exercise and fitness as a life style thing, something I plan to do until the day I die, and not until I reach a goal. I know some people are really "goal-oriented" but if I tied my working out to wbether or not I lost a couple of pounds this week....well I wouldn't last too long. I'd love to lose 10 or 15 pounds but I don't base my workouts on that. I guess I am really lucky in that I love to workout (although I didn't in the beginning) and have a good attitude about it.
Good luck with your workouts!
Barbara P
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Old 03-24-02, 09:17 PM  
Jeanne Marie
 
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Cool Barbara P -- So Very Wise!!

All I can say is read and absorb Barbara P's post..... she has absolutely hit the nail on the head! Fitness is a lifetime committment, and in my opinion shouldn't be tied to a single goal.
If you approach your workouts with the attitude that this is a part of your life, a routine that you do daily without fail, you will develop a habit that will carry you through many years of fitness and good health!
Good Luck!
Jeanne
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Old 03-24-02, 09:29 PM  
MNesty
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
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For me, I have no problems exercising anymore because i've been fortunate enough to find things I enjoy. When i first started exercising, it was such a drag and it was complete mental torture. Then I said to h*$% with this - I'm going to go have fun! So, over the course of a few years, I've picked up kayaking, mtn. biking, climbing, and running. Now, I know that not everyone will be interested in those things - or have time for those things - but my point is that if you find things you LIKE to do, that will sustain you when motivation does not. I know it sounds very "pie in the sky" but in all reality, your behavior will default into what you like - all else is just temporary. So, my suggestion is to work really hard finding something you LIKE. There are a million options out there!
-michelle
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Old 03-25-02, 10:22 AM  
MickiV
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It's all about health

I've lost motivation over and over again when I've focused on weight loss or on how I want to look. Now at the age of 38 I've been diagnosed with Type II diabetes and high blood pressure. Now I have to improve my health and make good choices or the consequences could be pretty dire. Focus on doing something every day, even if it's 10 minutes of stretching.
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