Laurenji

I certainly don't mind! we're kind of a quiet bunch, but we could probably be persuaded to be around more . . . haven't seen Sol in a while, she would have to be the one to "officially" add you since it's her post.

I'm back too! I get embarrassed when I stop working out and don't really poke my head in very much. But I am here, and I am making baby steps towards fitness again.

So, I've really, really wanted to start lifting weights, but I've been terrified of going to the gym (doing something wrong, other people looking at me, not knowing where anything is, wandering around looking out of place, other people judging me for doing things wrong or not being very strong). But today I did it! And I'm super weak and I'm sure I did everything wrong, but I did it!

Hey, this is me! My problem(s): - I don't currently work out at all besides about 20 min of walking a day. - I was just about to start a weightlifting program before finding out I was pregnant - my diet is crap right now So, I want to be stronger and healthier, but I've heard that it's fine to *continue* an exercise program you were doing before pregnancy, but not to *start* one (which seems kind of ridiculous to me because if you're not in shape does that mean you're just doomed to be out of shape your whole pregnancy?) Also, I am *terrible* at meals. Bad food, not good at remembering to eat, eat a lot of candy. I gained a lot of weight my last pregnancy (I'm tiny, so they recommended I gain quite a bit, but I gained like 65 lbs) and I want to be healthier than that this time around.

Thanks so much for the feedback! Does clenching your core involve holding your breath? I can't think of how to brace my core without holding my breath, but that sounds bad for some reason. . .

Okay, finally trying to actually get into weightlifting for real, but I don't want to accidentally kill myself. How does this squat form look? The yellow tape is my attempt at trying to figure out where my femur was. https://www.youtube.com/embed/iDADrORIZ1U

Thanks for the heads up. I'm probably not going to be using the bar to bench for a while anyways . . . I doubt I'm strong enough to bench the bar at the moment, so I'll probably start with dumbbell presses.

Day 1: Went to the gym to make sure I'd paid my set-up fee and to get my badge set up, but no one was at the front desk for about 20 minutes, so I'll have to come back later. Read a lot about squat form, watched a couple videos, and got diverted into reading about pelvic floor strength issues and exercise incontinence. As someone who has struggled with this ever since my son was born, I was at least mildly intrigued. Did a couple of the exercises recommended, and wow, my lower back/side core muscles are sore. I should probably start doing these more often . . . (If you're curious, the exercise was to get down into a deep squat, then exhale while doing kegels. I've done kegels before, but for some reason doing them a) while in a squat and b ) only while exhaling really worked those muscles). I'm planning on trying to film some form videos tomorrow.

I manage to be pretty good about drinking water when I'm at my desk at work and I have my water bottle right next to me, but once I get home I always get to 10pm wondering why I have a headache and then I realize I haven't drunk any water in the last 5 hours . . .

Sounds like you've got a lot of great stuff happening in your life right now. I'm following since I'd like to encourage/be encouraged by seeing someone else who also has a lot going on in their life still manage to exercise.

Guess what everyone! I got a new job with a new company. There's a gym in the building and my company pays for my membership as one of the benefits. And they have barbells! So I picked up a copy of Starting Strength, bought some gym clothes, and I'm ready to try and do this thing! First up: getting my form down. Week 1 will be consulting Starting Strength and YouTube to get an idea of good squat form. Then I'll practice with a broomstick and a video camera to make sure I'm doing it right (I don't have any full length mirrors, unfortunately). I'll upload the video here to the form check forum. - learn proper squat form - practice it - film it - get feedback Week 2: Deadlift form. Same pattern as week 1. - learn proper deadlift form - practice it - film it - get feedback From what I understand so far, squat and deadlift are pretty much the basis of any weightlifting program and the other things are more . . . advanced? optional? And bench press doesn't really need a whole lot of practice. So at this point I want to start actually trying to get into the gym. IF my form is sufficient to try and start lifting things. - go to gym - test out form on just the bar - research / develop a program based on discoveries Week 4: Begin program - complete at least 2 days of workout I'm totally up for feedback, encouragement, anything. Just for reference, I'm 5'4", 112lbs (aka tiny) and my goals right now are mostly just "lift stuff, preferably more stuff than just the bar".

Okay, well, sorry I've been so quiet. I got a new job!! I'll start in 2 weeks. It looks like it might also come with a free gym membership, so that would be super convenient I've been pretty decent about getting out and walking around at least once a day. Not perfect, but decent. Not that great at meditating, and basically a 0 for planking or any other type of exercise that isn't walking, unfortunately. But everything is looking up.

I think technically according to the schedule, we're supposed to check in every Monday. This coming up one is week 3. Wow, Sol. Sounds like you've been through a lot lately. Sounds like it's time for my healer/paladin mode to kick in.

Hey everyone! How are you all doing?

Okay. Things I did yesterday: read scriptures, spent several hours prepping for a job interview. Things I did not do yesterday: walk around, plank, meditate. I'm running on maybe 5 hours of sleep and I haven't practiced the presentation I'm doing for my job interview today at all. We'll see how this goes . . . . (ugh)