What's good for beginner??

Hello! What is some good exercises for a complete beginner?
How slow should I start out?

I'm 5'3", 258 pounds & VERY out of shape!
I stay very fatigued and achy, I suffer hypothyroidism.

Any tips would be GREAT!

[Lee J B]

ok mate , if you are just beginning and not used to pumping the heavy weight , you should start by going small , not too small but just enough so that you start to feel your muscles ache a little and with this low weight , do quite a few reps , always stretch , add some exercises such as press ups, chin ups , sit ups, ab sit ups (legs in air) etc , these will start to get your muscles in shape a little .. something you will need to work on for a while, after you feel confident you are getting better and can do your sets / reps with ease , start to drop the reps in each set but increase the weight , you should follow this stage all the way up the weights , once you've mastered them move up the weights and down the reps. As for the fatigue, well make sure your diet contains everything your body needs remember your body will need something to burn up whiilst doing all this so food intake is extremely important ... try to take in all adiquate vitamins etc each day , for example protein , carbs , fats etc .. If you eat a well balanced diet you should find that your body will begin to get used to your new lifestyle and therefore you wont be getting as tired as quick .. also to increase your stamina try to do about 30min to an hours cardio in your workouts. Ok well i hope that this helps mate .. good luck and cheers, lee.

[Fudomyo]

Since you have hypothyroidism, I would suggest starting and probably staying with 6 days a week. Short and intense should be your goal, this will increase your metabolism.

I started nice and slow. Sounds like this will be good for you. I just did one set of everything. I did heavy as I could for 8 reps. It will take a few sessions to figure that out, of course.

Eventually this didn't kill me, so I would add 15 minutes of cardio. Since you are "VERY" out of shape, this will just help with your stamina.

Eventually this didn't kill me either, and I'd add another set of everything.

I would suggest Upper Body on one day. Lower the next. 3 times per week.

ACHY - you don't really describe this in detail. Anti-oxidants. I take these just after I workout. I am much less sore taking these. Essential Fatty Acids, these work great for me. If it's joint pain, Glucosamine works well. I would not take an anti-inflammatory before you work out (tylenol etc.) This blocks cortisol to some extent, and has made my joints achier.

Massage - people often "learn" to carry themselves the wrong way. This eventually just makes everything hurt. Deep tissue massage can help. Luckily it's kind of painful.

Hope that helps.

Hi, Serendipity! Thanks for posting!

I would like to suggest, as part of your new program to get in shape, that you consider aqua aerobics / water group fitness classes.

Aqua is great for beginning exercisers who want to get into shape, AND for experienced exercisers who want a good cross-training mode. Water reduces the impact on the joints, and you feel safer to move more vigorously because you know you're not going to fall over or do a misstep that could twist something.

I agree with the other posters here that starting slowly and safely is the way to go. Give yourself a few weeks to build a habit of daily movement, through walking, moderate aerobics, and weight-lifting for all of the major muscle groups, and gradually increase your intensity and duration of activities as you get stronger and build endurance.

You're welcome to e-mail me at the following address if you're interested in more information about water group fitness; I've been an instructor for over 5-1/2 years now, and I've seen numerous people (women usually) start exercising in my class and absolutely blossom in terms of fitness and health gains!

annette.simmons@co.hennepin.mn.us

Annette Q. Aquajock