Hi! It's me.

[SimplyViki]

I'm Viki, I'm 24 years old, and I've never really been into fitness, but I've always been pretty slim. The only time prior to discovering Nerd Fitness that I ever really exercised regularly was when I didn't own a car and relied on my bicycle to get me where I needed to go. Since getting a car three years ago or so, I've started gradually gaining weight, and ended up putting on around 20 pounds more or less (I've never owned a scale, and only sporadically check the grocery store scales. Once upon a time, the number hovered around 120-125. At my heaviest, it bounced around 140-145, topping out at 147). My job is very sedentary, and when you combine that with general laziness, well, let's just say I was really not in great shape.

Late last year, I started noticing some changed in my body that I was really not happy with. My jeans started getting tighter. I got a muffin-top. Due to a combination of scoliosis and weight gain, there was a roll/fold of flesh on the right side of my waist (that was REALLY not comfortable). I also ate like crap. Major sweet tooth, personal policy of never turning down offered pastries or sweets, and high-carb, low protein diet. My diet basically consisted of whole-grain cereal, pickles, dairy, and the occasional deli turkey sandwich (when I wasn't too lazy to make a sandwich). Oh, and I relied on fast-food a lot during nursing school.

I tried taking up running last summer, but it bored me and I didn't finish the Couch to 5k program that I started (I almost did, though, and it was doable, and I would recommend it for anybody who actually might enjoy running). I abandoned the fitness thing for a while. I toyed with the idea of "getting strong" by lifting weights (girls lifting heavy? Whoa! Sounds way cool!) but I didn't actually DO anything because I made up excuses and worried about injuring my back (I have mild scoliosis). Then I found Nerd Fitness. I read a bunch of stuff, and tried the Beginner Body Weight workout. I was too chicken to fill up the water jug more than a third of the way, I barely made it through one circuit, and I puttered out around 12 squats into the second circuit. I was sore for 4 days, and didn't try it again for a few months.

Then I met someone who was into Crossfit. We talked a little bit about exercise, and I told him about my feeble attempts at getting started, and he told me that it sounded like I wanted to get in shape, and that given the small amount of weight I wanted to lose, and my general build, it would probably not take very long for me to see results. I decided to give the Beginner Body Weight workout another shot. I started the week before Thanksgiving. I kept at it during a week-long visit to some family in Texas, and even got my brother to do it with me. I started seeing improvements in my performance almost right away. In only a few workouts, I was able to complete all three circuits. I decided to quit being scared of lifting a gallon of water, and filled up the jug all the way. My extremely wobbly lunges started to stabilize. After getting home, I kept at it.

While visiting my grandparents, I ate home-cooked, decently healthy meals almost every day. My grandparents are kind of health nuts, and after watching them go to the gym and eat real food all the time, I decided I had no excuse, so I went grocery shopping and started cooking Real Food as soon as I got home. (Mostly recipes from eatingwell.com, if anyone's interested.)

Small improvements I noticed along the way:

My abdomen quit feeling so compacted when I sat at my desk at work.

I got a little hollow in the side of my calf (yay, muscle definition!) that wasn't there before.

I started feeling more energetic.

Two weeks at home, and I kept up the every-other-day routine. I decided that the milk jug was too easy, and I went out and bought a ten pound dumbell. I tried it out, and decided it was still too easy (the rowing part of the workout always felt like I was taking a break, which isn't really the idea), so I exchanged it for a fifteen pound dumbell. I didn't get to try that one out much, though, because I was leaving for Hawaii to visit my sister for three weeks.

While visiting my sister, I kept doing the workout every other day with one or two skipped days. I used a jug of cat litter as a weight! LOL. The container said it was 20 pounds, but there was some missing from the container, so it was doable.

Now I'm back, and I'm falling behind this week due to a packed schedule on my last day in Hawaii, a 12 hour flight schedule, jet lag, and a lost bag (containing all my clothes including my workout clothes - all optional except my one sports bra). I'll be right back on track when my bag is delivered today, though.

I am still noticing improvements, though - the latest thing I'm pleased by is that the fold I had gotten on my waist has disappeared. No more roll, yay!

OK, at this point I'm rambling, but basically that's my story. My current goal is to thoroughly master the Beginner Body Weight workout (which I'm measuring by whenever I can do it with real pushups instead of knee pushups. I SUCK at real pushups - still can't even do ONE), and then move on to something harder. Advanced, maybe? Or something else. Not sure yet. Until I've got the pushups down, I'm increasing some of the other stuff - more weight for the rows, longer planks (I'm up to 40 seconds now!).

But anyway, yeah. Hi!

[Sco]

Welcome! It sounds like you have already started getting yourself on the right track, and that's awesome! I'm totally with you on the pushups - I suck at them too. But as a friend of mine used to say, "Practice makes more better!"

Good luck with continuing your goals! One day at a time.

[ebm1224]

congrats on all the positive changes you've already made!

[Hemi]

congrats not only on sticking with it and making improvements, but also for the wisdom of finding something you LIKE (maybe love?) to do! i tried running too. i did it for a whole year, and ran some fun runs. it occasionally felt good, but mostly i hated it. now i play ice hockey and lift heavy. i feel good AND i can't wait to get back at it. you're in a great community here, so if you find yourself stuck, bored with an exercise program, or whatever, this is the place to keep you moving FORWARD.

WELCOME!!!

[ETFnerd]

Welcome to the nerd luau... looks like you had a good start and hope to read about reaching your goals...

[SimplyViki]

Thank you for the warm welcome (sorry for the belated reply!) everybody!

[Telsera]

Wow... You sound exactly like me... I'm also a 24yo girl, I too have fallen off the Couch to 5k wagon after being close to finishing it. I hate running and also I hurt myself >.< (I'm 5'9 and would love to finally go from 140 to 135ish.)

I am also waffling around with trying to do weights. They're big and scary and I feel like all the dudes in the gym are looking at me funny for using only the bar for most of the exercises. I also have the muffin top problem but I am down to a nearly flat stomach. Its more of a dimple than a roll now I did something scary and signed up for a mixed martial arts class last summer instead of running. Its pretty good so far! I'll have to try the body weight workout since that sounds like something I can do at home.

Hi back at ya!