need to workout plan/program and some motivation

[eannem]

I was always a at-home workout kind of girl, but life has gotten in the way lately. I am 48 and feeling really crummy- tired (and on anti anxiety medication that is making me even more tired), def eating too many carbs (starting new diet plan today), carrying a good 25 extra lbs, kids keeping me super busy, etc. I am ready to get back on track. Workouts were always great for my mental health. My faves were always barre (not a fan of PB, but love P57 and TBM), Ballet Body, TA, FIRM and Fusion Fitness. Any suggestions or success stories out there?

[Tugger31]

My "success" story was having my doctor tell me for heart health I needed to do at least 30 minutes 5 days a week. The rest is pretty much history. That was a few months ago and other than a few weeks where I only got in 4 days a week, I've been consistent with that. On days I have more time or more energy I do a 45-60 minute workout or a 30 minute workout that is more intense. I started with getting Jessica Smith's Walk Strong 3 since all the workouts are 30 minutes. Now I've moved on to the FIRM workouts and I also did Cathe's new Fit Split set and kept my workouts to 30 minutes. The 30 minute time frame has helped tremendously with consistency.

[eannem]

Originally Posted by Tugger31

My "success" story was having my doctor tell me for heart health I needed to do at least 30 minutes 5 days a week. The rest is pretty much history. That was a few months ago and other than a few weeks where I only got in 4 days a week, I've been consistent with that. On days I have more time or more energy I do a 45-60 minute workout or a 30 minute workout that is more intense. I started with getting Jessica Smith's Walk Strong 3 since all the workouts are 30 minutes. Now I've moved on to the FIRM workouts and I also did Cathe's new Fit Split set and kept my workouts to 30 minutes. The 30 minute time frame has helped tremendously with consistency.

Good idea on committing to 30 mins. I always felt like I needed 60 mins or it was not worth it, but getting consistent again is key right now. Anyone do SBF recently- I subscribed a while back- feel like she had good options for 30 mins or so.

[bee]

I'm wondering if you have some perimenopausal or menopausal issues going on that are making you extra tired, and if so, maybe you need to ratchet it back. Just focus on moving a little each day -- some walking, maybe some yoga or stretching, and eventually work into more? Good luck!

[Tugger31]

Forgot to add that while we can't discuss diet here, don't underestimate what even small changes in your eating can do for your weight loss. I was doing 45-60 minute intense Cathe workouts and didn't change my diet at all. My result was fatigue and the scale didn't budge. Fast forward to my 30 minute workouts which did not leave me feeling fatigued, instead I felt more energetic which improved my attitude about life and my diet. I actually wanted to eat better instead of feeling like it was a chore when I was doing more intense workouts and feeling exhausted. I cut back on portions and junk and drank more water, no special diet plan and I easily dropped 5 lbs in the first 2 weeks.

[fanofladyvols]

I know that place you are in. HUGS!!

When life was crazy and I felt crummy I had to start over and slower. 10 minutes. Everyday.
Then bump to 10 min twice a day. One easy 10 min then a one a little harder.
Eventually building up to stringing along those 10 min and not caring if each has a warmup bc that actually helps somewhat mentally and physically for your body in the workouts. Being kind to yourself.

Kind of like a reformat on your mind and body.
Once I built up to 30 min a session then I treat myself to rest days which helps me work harder and even longer on my 'on' days. Took awhile but I feel so much better and that is what matters!!
Hugs!

[OSusanna]

I start and restart frequently. Because I tend to experience significant DOMS when I weight train, I am finding that shorter workouts are better as I begin. I only work a couple of muscle groups per day and then the DOMS is only for say my biceps and gluteus the next day rather than my whole body. I just hate that overall beat up feeling. If you’re interested in weights, Joyce Vedral has short workouts in her books and Margaret Richard has her Unplugged series. Both are good starter options. I’m doing the Unplugged now and it’s great. Also Classical Stretch episodes should be within half hour. I don’t know how you feel about Leslie Sansone but her cardio is very doable for many people, she has a lot of options and her workouts are effective.

My mantra these days is Safe, Effective and Sustainable. I’d encourage you to do what you like and keep it short for the first month or two. Whatever keeps you working out is the winning option.

[DCW]

I 2nd short and doable workouts. I started with Classical Stretch early in the morning before getting ready for work. Your local PBS station may play Classical Stretch. These episodes are 23 minutes. When I first started I had to muscle thru 23 minutes. Later on I purchased dvds. YouTube has several 15 minutes episodes that you can try.

I found that making exercise a habit helped a lot. Some days CS is all I did but I always felt good that at least I did something for myself by exercising in the morning. I am like O'Susanna...Safe, Effective, Sustainable. I have to work out daily and can't afford to hurt myself. Classical Stretch/Essentrics helped me get stronger, more flexible, and strengthened my back.

You can do this, one day at a time.

[geojill]

I totally get you as I am there too. I don't know what happened, but recently I have zero motivation. I have plenty of workouts (loads of Jessica Smith, CS, Ellen Barrett, various kinds of yoga, tae bo, some Cathe, etc) and no desire to do any of them. I have to work out at 5:30 in the morning but I find it really hard to have any energy to exercise when I don't sleep well.

I think that the Jessica Smith workouts are ideal for me as they are generally 30 minutes long, have variety, and I like her...but can't bring myself to do any of them. Even though I work until dinner time, maybe I should try changing the time of day I work out and see if that makes a difference!

Where do you live? Are you able to get outside and walk? That always does wonders for my mood but haven't been able to do so lately. I went through a phase earlier in the winter (we had good enough weather) where I would get outside and walk while listening to either podcasts or books on Audible.

[Lucky Star]

Not sure my recent shift counts as a genuine success story per se, more a work in progress.

I've been out of shape a LONG while: not exercising, getting fatter, older (of course!), shoulder, back and knee pain, blah blah blah. My forays back into exercise were painful - everything seemed to hurt/twinge my back and joints, even my beloved Classical Stretch. Very discouraging!

Anyway, a few months ago I decided to start again, doing short Leslie Sansone walks which, happily, felt fine. Then I slowly added Leslie's strength routines (Tone Every Zone, Walk It Off in 30) and that felt fine too! Now I'm at the point where I'm doing my Firms again (mostly Basics and the Prime Power 'jungle' series, some slower 'pink' strength vids - NO tall box work whatsoever!) and I'm still throwing in Leslie here and there for extra cardio. Everything low impact and, for now, reduced weight poundage compared to my 'glory days' but I feel great! I'm losing weight and inches, toning up and my posture is so much better. And I'm committed to continuing which is the most important part.

So, I've learned to take it one step at a time and to be patient with myself. And YOU really can do it too!! Good luck!!