Fat, Sick and would love some pointers :)

[jojo309]

Hi Cathe I would love some pointers to which strength programme would be best for me .

I will fill you in on my sitution and try not to ramble , I'm a 41 yr young gal from the uk who's weight has crept on over the last 10 years and my weight is now 290 lbs

Three years ago I was diagnosed as being hypothyroid and high bp both of which are now controlled by meds but my symptoms didn't improve .In May after much more prodding and poking I was diagnosed with Autoimmune liver disease and the treatment is quite high dose steroids to start continuing for 2 years at a reduced level until I go into remission. Back in Feb I started going to the gym before I got the diagnosis confirmed to help with my symptoms and that has been a great help but now I need to get serious .

I have upped my cardio to every day to stave off the steroids , I do a mix of eliptical and swimming at the gym and kettlebell at home but I feel I need direction with the strength part and as the steriods rob you of muscle mass and bone minerals I want to do more . Doing a full STS rotation is a goal for the future but for now I have downloaded STS total body and High reps and was wondering what would be the best way to work them into my week ? they both looked great I couldnt choose so downloaded both
oooooo those instant downloads !!! I can see they are going to be bad for the bank balance especially when the low impact stuff comes out

So that is me , sorry to ramble on any help and tips would be greatfully received

Thank you in advance

Jo

 

[Stacy]

Hi, obviously not Cathe (hopefullly she'll get to your question when she returns from her business trip). I just wanted to say that it's great you're keeping such a positive attitude in the face of all your medical issues! I'm not sure what poundage of weights you have available but if you're fairly new to weight lifting you may want to even consider working only one body part per day. Such as cardio + biceps, next day cardio + triceps and so on. Make sure you take rest days as needed so you can recuperate! And, dont forget to work your core. Cathe's STS ab dvd has alot of great options. You may want to consider getting 4 Day Split, each upper body part is very thorough and the cardio isnt too daunting either. Also her SuperSets/Push Pull dvd is a bit less intense than some of the other strength workouts, and her Pure Strength series (though it's dated) has great form pointers. If you dont have a barbell either dont worry, all of her workouts can be easily modified with dumbells.

If you havent checked it out already, Cathe also has a Beginner's Rotation posted in the Rotations Forum.

Good Luck and keep up the good work!

 

[jojo309]

Hi Stacy

Thank you for taking the time to reply to me .

I used to be quite the gym bunny in my teens and twenties , never skinny but always a healthy weight and quite fit it all started to go downhill in my thirties my G.P thinks my Autoimmune condition has been around for a good old while untreated but the symptoms are so vague its been hard to pin down . I have found that exercise is the one thing that's helping me with the crashing fatigue ,its also helping to keep my blood sugars in check so I don't slide into type 2 diabetes .

Yesterday I put both STS total body and the high reps into workout blender and split them down into their separate parts .I was thinking on the same lines as your suggestion to work upper body mon , Fri and legs Weds core and stretch on each workout . As for the bulk of my cardio I do this on the elliptical with cardio coach mp3 in my ear giving me some much needed focus , cathe will be on the pod aswell at the gym giving me focus on the strength side now.

I will prob just swim on the other days but it will dep on how I feel I'm trying to swim at least even on the days I feel at my worst , It takes effort to drag myself there but I allways feel better for it.

I will check out the beginner rotations see if there's anything else to help me on there , thanks for the pointer I hadn't seen that section


Thank you again Stacy

Jo

 

[tralaiven]

Hi Jo,
Obviously I am not Cathe either, but I know what it is to feel overweight and out of shape! I just want to encourage you to do what you can (w/ dr. approval) start light, be faithful even when you feel very discouraged (because discouragement WILL come). I just determined in my mind that I was not going to miss my workouts, no matter what. You will be so encouraged by your fitness gains, but it takes work and patience. I still have to remind myself that nothing happens overnight!

It also helps me to check-in here and give myself dvd rewards or equipment rewards! I am sure I speak for all the cathletes that we are rooting for you and are on your side! Best wishes.

 

[RapidBreath]

Hi Jo, have you looked into using coconut oil? It has helped with my thyroid symptoms. Also, you should look into rapid breath of fire yoga breathing exercises. Those exercises will rev up your thyroid (especially if you close your eyes and gaze upwards, like you were looking at a bird over head but with your eyes closed.) The yoga has made a big difference in my body. When I was at my heaviest (5'2" and 258 lbs.) it was the yoga that started taking the weight off my body. The cool part is that its not draining in the same way that cardio is. I do think you will need at least 1x/week to rest. Your heart will need to rest from that exertion. In addition, try cycling your carbohydrate intake. Don't be too shy with healthy fats in your diet, they have helped me with my weight a lot. I'm down to 185 and had been at 176 for a long time without any surgeries. My weight bumped up due to bouts of antibiotics for a kidney infection.

I hope that helps, btw, I'm not Cathe either

Alisha

 

[jojo309]

Thank you again for everyone's support and suggestions

It means a lot , thank you
Jo xx

 

[jojo309]

Hi everyone

Well did the first workout on Monday at the gym , cardio on the cross trainer then the upper body section of High reps and boy my left arm is ready to drop off after the bicep work !!!!! I stretched out well and had a 30 min swim but boy I can barely straighten it .
My right is fine same weights same reps so it just shows how I have been favouring my right arm in daily activities , I had some blood taken for tests on the left yesterday and that always leaves me a bit sore and stiff aswell so no training today its been hard enough to dress let alone ride my motorbike to the gym and train !!

I will do cardio and the legs portion tom , lets hope my left leg dosent seize up lol I would be in a mess

Jo

 

[DebbieH]

Hi everyone

Well did the first workout on Monday at the gym , cardio on the cross trainer then the upper body section of High reps and boy my left arm is ready to drop off after the bicep work !!!!! I stretched out well and had a 30 min swim but boy I can barely straighten it .
My right is fine same weights same reps so it just shows how I have been favouring my right arm in daily activities , I had some blood taken for tests on the left yesterday and that always leaves me a bit sore and stiff aswell so no training today its been hard enough to dress let alone ride my motorbike to the gym and train !!

I will do cardio and the legs portion tom , lets hope my left leg dosent seize up lol I would be in a mess
Jo

Yah Jo! Just getting started is half the battle! You go! Welcome BTW! I agree that it does add up on the bank balance but worth every penny IF you use them! Report back and let us know if you have TWO usable legs tomorrow!