I'm 52 (53 in April) and obese. I'm 5'10" tall and weight 19st 8lb, my BMI is 39.3. I live in Manchester and work in Leeds so each day I get up at 4:30am, leave the house at 5:15 I have a 2 hour commute to and from work and don't get home until about 6pm by which time I'm so tired. I'm usually in bed by 9:30pm so I can get up again for work the next day.
About 4 years ago my eldest sister died of cancer and I did a 5k and 10k for Macmillan. I used a couch to 5k and couch to 10k apps on my phone and managed to lose about 4 st which I've put back on!
Problem is I have a two hour commute where I sit, I have a desk job where I sit and whilst I really enjoyed running, I feel so tired when I get home, plus I have mortons nueroma in both feet and waiting for that to be sorted so even walking is painful at the moment.
I have a bike that hasn't seen the light of day for over 12 months.
I cook most things from scratch (don't do ready meals) and I know that part of my problem is not what I eat but the amount I eat. But I am an inherently lazy person and I need motivation and ideas of how to incorporate exercise into my day..
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Thwr1
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5 Replies
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Hi and welcome Thwr1
Like you I am just heading out to work - so my post just now will be short - will get back later tonight
What a lot you have had to deal with - try and get up from your desk every hour and walk to the loo's further away etc (just something to kick start you off) At my work we have one set on the floor we are on and another on the lower floor, I tend to walk down to the lower floor just to kick up the exercise whilst at work etc - Hope that helps for now
The fact you have done the C25K is great, whilst I understand you have issues stopping you doing this again. Wishing you all the best and hope to catch up with you again over the next couple of days
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Hi, first thing I would suggest from experience is to not be too hard on your self and start small.
I would maybe speak to your GP and see if they can refere you to a qualified exercise professional, they will know the bets exercises to accommodate your mortons neroma.
Given your health condition and you say you sit at a desk, can you get up and walk around (without too much pain) for a few mins every hour. the longer the better. also whilst sitting at desk, you could try a "core" exercise, arms on arm rests, legs crossed and on chair if possible, pull your stomach muscles in, hold and raise yourself as high as you can using your core muscles and hands. Hold for 10 secs then lower. repeat a few times,
as for legs, whilst seated,you could raise one leg of the floor for a few seconds. then raise it as high as possible, hold for 10 seconds then lower. try this for each leg 15 times alternating.
The other thing I realised in my own situation was my diet was healthy ish, but just the wrong types of foods. I tried a free app "my fitness pal" and log my food, this lets you see what food is filling you, for longer and helped me to change my own diet.
I'm not sure if this is the type of advice you are looking for. I found small changes were easier to manage and became second nature to me. To the point I lost 2.6 stone of weight (most of it fat) last year. I live in Salford and would be happy to join you on a workout for encouragement etc.
If its any help, I was 53 on Monday I weigh 18st 5lb and don't have a job because I have no confidence to go out and get one. I started just Marching on the spot when I was waiting for the kettle to boil, I do core exercises and I am now feeling a little bit more positive. I like you love my food and I always cook from scratch and I know everyone says that you need to get smaller plates but that does not work for me, so I now have a massive plate of veg and a small bit of pan fried fish or chicken, and when I am hungry I cup a soup which is very low in calories. Don't be so hard on yourself remember as long as you do a little bit of exercise a day you have done something. You will feel better even doing a tiny bit. I hope this helps
Karen
Hi Thwr1
Welcome to the forum. I hope you manage to get what you seek from here but I think you already know that only YOU can make yourself eat less and move more so well done for taking the first step!!!
It may be worth you making all your meals and snacks well in advance so then you can freeze a lot of it and wham it in the microwave when you're too tired to cook. Make sure you are always carrying some healthy snacks like fruit, water, nuts etc so you don't become tempted to eat junk food...also, regarding exercise...try to fit in some walking during lunch, if there is somewhere quiet you can go try to do some light exercise for 5 minutes during the working day. As you get fitter and start to see results that will only serve to motivate you and then perhaps try fitting in some swimming before work? That's usually a good gentle exercise that most people can do. I only suggest swimming early so you won't be too tired then but do what works for you. As long as you fit in something each day you will build on that and progress...little steps become bigger leaps after a while!!
Good luck and I really hope you manage to achieve better health!
You are obviously short of time for yourself during the week and I can understand why, in the few hours you are at home that you have little time for exercise - but all credit to you for making your meals from scratch. If you check out the meals section here, there are all sorts of recipes and food suggestions, which will give you a quick reference for portion sizes and calories. Do you take your own lunch and snacks to work? I have certainly found that to be a good idea.
I appreciate you have health issues at the moment that make walking a problem. Is there anything you are able to do?
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