How to start exercising again without feeling like I'm dying?! :)

T

tiny_dancer

New Member
Hah... Hi Cathe and/or other members who would like to read and respond!

I've been doing your videos for a very long time, off and on... You are the only at-home fitness instructor I really enjoy, so thank you. :) I stopped exercising recently, ballooned up 20 pounds, and now I'm ready to get my body back... again.

I decided I would start with your 30/30 HiiT program --I have HiiT, Body Max 2, Butts & Guts, and 4-Day Split. I thought 30/30 HiiT would be a challenge, but more than doable. But it killed me... Body Max 2 has always been difficult to finish, but never before have I not been able to finish a program. Today, I could not keep up. :( After stretching, I stood by my sink for a while waiting to puke... really.

Do you have any tips for starting to exercise again? I don't feel like a beginner, but I guess I have the body of a beginner. I've never been this out of shape before, and I guess I don't know where to start.

I'm not sure where to start. I was going to do a Butts & Guts premix later tonight, but I don't know if I can. I think Wednesday I will maybe do 4-Day Split Low Intensity Step or Kickbox... What do you think?

How do I ease back into exercise and still feel like I'm getting a quality workout without feeling as if I'm killing myself in the process? I felt overheated and like my heart rate was out of control near the end of the HiiT 30/30 program. Right now I feel pretty upset with myself and defeated. :( Help?
 
Tiny Dancer:

I know that knowledge-wise you may not be a beginner since you know Cathe's routines, but fitness wise, it is best if you think "humility" and adapt a beginner's mind. Otherwise you are going to have a hard, painful road that makes you feel bad about yourself (standing by the sink, feeling like you want to puke?), and might lead to giving up or injury when you don't progress a you might think you should.

Beginner's mind is fabulous because with it, all things are possible. Your fitness will come back, the pounds will drop and you will again feel like yourself.

Forget HiiT and BOdy Max 2 for now, for at least a month. They aren't right for you just now.

Instead, start with 4 day Split and make that work for you. It's ideal. For 4 days of the next 4 weeks, you can do a cardio routine that will challenge you but not make you feel bad about yourself, and follow it with a re-introduction to weights. Go lighter than you used to, pause and take breaks when you need to, modify if you can't do every move. That goes also for the cardio routines: modify for the first two weeks, until you work up to doing the entire routine as filmed.

Avoid the premixes that have you doing double or extra intensity work. Again, it's too soon for that. Stick with working the basic program as filmed and presented. It is enough for the first month. After that, re-evaulate and see where you are.

If you feel good and would like more than the 4 days per week, then add in some walking. People constantly underestimate the value of power walking but it keeps me in the kind of shape that I can bang out either a 6 mile run or do Step Blast or Rhymthic Step, for example.

Beginner's Mind will help get you back to where you used to be, slowly and surely. Consistency is key and doing slightly less, rather than more. You have all the time in the world to get back on your fitness journey, no need to rush. The body needs rest and good nutrition too. Good luck and don't think you are alone in this: i make about 4 come backs per year! Hey, life just gets in the way all the time!

Clare
 
Clair that's great advice. Id like to add also how about the low impact step workout..the one cathe is Waring red... it is what I do when I'm having PF. So maybe inest in tjis one as well. Fun and it can help u get back into step.
 
maddiesmum said:
Tiny Dancer:

I know that knowledge-wise you may not be a beginner since you know Cathe's routines, but fitness wise, it is best if you think "humility" and adapt a beginner's mind. Otherwise you are going to have a hard, painful road that makes you feel bad about yourself (standing by the sink, feeling like you want to puke?), and might lead to giving up or injury when you don't progress a you might think you should.

Beginner's mind is fabulous because with it, all things are possible. Your fitness will come back, the pounds will drop and you will again feel like yourself.

Forget HiiT and BOdy Max 2 for now, for at least a month. They aren't right for you just now.

Instead, start with 4 day Split and make that work for you. It's ideal. For 4 days of the next 4 weeks, you can do a cardio routine that will challenge you but not make you feel bad about yourself, and follow it with a re-introduction to weights. Go lighter than you used to, pause and take breaks when you need to, modify if you can't do every move. That goes also for the cardio routines: modify for the first two weeks, until you work up to doing the entire routine as filmed.

Avoid the premixes that have you doing double or extra intensity work. Again, it's too soon for that. Stick with working the basic program as filmed and presented. It is enough for the first month. After that, re-evaulate and see where you are.

If you feel good and would like more than the 4 days per week, then add in some walking. People constantly underestimate the value of power walking but it keeps me in the kind of shape that I can bang out either a 6 mile run or do Step Blast or Rhymthic Step, for example.

Beginner's Mind will help get you back to where you used to be, slowly and surely. Consistency is key and doing slightly less, rather than more. You have all the time in the world to get back on your fitness journey, no need to rush. The body needs rest and good nutrition too. Good luck and don't think you are alone in this: i make about 4 come backs per year! Hey, life just gets in the way all the time!

Clare
Click to expand...


This is the best advice you are ever going to get IMO.

I had to start from scratch 2 years ago when I got into a car accident and hurt my back, neck and shoulder's. Although frustrated and disappointed, I never put pressure on myself to rush the healing process. Every day was a new day, every week I did a little more, every month I got stronger, and before I new it I was back to my old kick-butt self :D.

Check out Cathe's beginner/intermediate rotations for a helpful guide. Although they are for beginners, let's get serious now, it's still Cathe workouts :D.

Good luck!

Natasha
 
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Wow. Clare and Natasha are right on!! You've got some solid advice there.

I just want to add that you will come back quicker than the first time you built up your endurance with Cathe. Your body has muscle memory and once you start doing the workouts your body will respond and remember what it is supposed to do. But, you can't overdo it or push yourself either! It'll come...I promise!

I'm getting back into fitness again for the bazillionith time and Im almost back for my cardio endurance. Im doing cardio now after 6 months that took me 9 months last time to be able to do! My strength has surpassed already b/c I'm doing STS which is awesome! Plus, being stronger has helped with my cardio workouts too!

Don't push it on the days your body is real tired. You can walk, stretch, do yoga if you want though. Stretching is especially important during this start-up time. And don't underestimate the power of walking. It is a great workout too! When I restart my excersing journey, I like to do Leslie Sansone walking DVDs even. They help to get me back into excercise mode.

Good luck! You CAN DO IT!!

Gina
 
Hi Tiny Dancer,
I agree with these posts. Your mind is a powerful tool. With determination and persistance you can achieve great things. The fact that you are here asking for help tells me you will do just fine. Take it slow. You will come out stronger than ever. Like many of these ladies here, I've had to shift focus and get back in shape. It does take time but remember, you CAN do this.
Get your mind ready for this and your body will follow. I'm proud of you for taking this step. :D

Have fun!

Justina
 
Thank you EVERYONE for the awesome advice, tips, and motivation --I really, really appreciate it! :D My body was really hurting and my mind was really dejected... so I needed that! It also helps to know that I'm not the only one who goes in and out of fitness phases.

It is definitely hard for me to adapt to a beginner's mind --I was there for the first time about seven years ago, but since then I'd really pushed myself and my attitude for a long time was to work out until I felt like I was gonna pass out. Many years and mistakes later, I now know that is unhealthy and have adopted a more healthy attitude about working out in the past two years or so... but it is really hard to make myself slow down when I haven't really been at this point in so long.

Clare, thanks for the advice on doing DVDs, especially 4-Day Split, as they are originally presented. It may sound silly, but it's been so long since I've done that (I often mix and match DVDs and exercises to keep from boredom) that i forgot the original presentation was even an option! :p I am definitely going to take your advice --I am going to do 4-Day Split and stick with it for a few weeks and see where that takes me. I think that is a good idea, especially because it does a good job with pacing (I find, at least) and because two are lower-intensity while two are higher intensity; perfect for someone trying to build up stamina and endurance again. I did the low-intensity step program today (including weights --it feels so good; I love weight lifting more than cardio, although I think my body needs more cardio, haha), and it felt really good. I was dripping in sweat by the end of the cardio routine and I was feeling the burn throughout each phase of the strength sequence, but it felt SO GOOD!

I guess this is a learning lesson for me... Starting hard may look better on paper in terms of more calories burned in the same amount of time, but I will finish feeling unhappy and sick. Starting at the right level for me will make me feel AWESOME so I can continue to make good choices. Ahhhh. :) Like, I actually feel like I'd like to do another program tonight. (But I just showered, and I think I'd regret that thought as soon as I started, so I won't. ;) Baby steps, right?)

Natasha, thanks for reminding me about Cathe's rotations! I will look at them as soon as I finish writing this post. :) I've seen them before, but based on my post count I'm clearly not very active on the site (hopefully I will continue to be while I get back into the swing of things), so I forgot about them. --Also, I am really inspired by how you recovered from your car accident. My significant other was in a car accident a few years ago; he used to be an amazing dancer and can't dance that way anymore... although (thankfully, knock on wood) not firsthand, I think I have a little understanding for what you must have went through.

Renee, I don't think I've seen that low impact program where Cathe is wearing red, but I will check it out on the Cathe shop site right away --thank you for the tip! I think it would be good for me to invest in a few workouts that are not all at super-hard levels. :)

Gina, thanks for the encouragement --and good luck with STS! I work 2 part-time jobs to help with school right now (I'm still in college), but I hope when I pay off those loans, I can try STS. I loooove Cathe's strength programs even more than her cardio, so I'd love to try it some day. And you are right --like I mentioned earlier, I did the low-intensity cardio program off of 4-Day Split, and I remembered almost all the routines perfectly, even the claps. :D Like song lyrics, it's weird how easily our muscles can remember routines... if only it worked as well for remembering random school facts! :p

Justina, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE MOTIVATION! You sound like you would be an awesome workout buddy. :) I am going to copy/paste your post and save it to my computer desktop so I see it all the time; I think part of why I personally have always been on-and-off with fitness is because I get dejected too easily. I don't reach the weight I want in the time I want or can't lift the same weights as Cathe or whatever... and I get frustrated and eventually quit. I need to keep reminding myself that the body I want every day of my life CAN be mine in a few months' time... I need to keep up the motivation to do so!! :)

Thank you ladies! I'm following up with each and every one of your tips and recommendations... They are good ones! :)
 
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