Pixie Adventurer ready to get started

[Wren]

I am 30 years old, 5'2" and 121 lbs. I am not in bad shape, but I am not in great shape either. I don't have problems losing weight but I also don't have any problems putting it back on. I have a bad habit of starting an exercise program and then dropping out after a while, either due to boredom or pain (I have fibromyalgia). The one thing I am pretty consistent with is walking, especially on the trails around my house.

A few months ago my digestive system mutinied and my doctor put me on a strict diet and gave me a bunch of stuff to read. One thing that stuck out to me was that moderate exercise could help the problem. I decided that since I was already having to follow a healthy diet this was the perfect time to go all out and get serious about my health, so I added exercise too.

I started with yoga, since that was supposed to be great for people with fibromyalgia. After a couple of months I noticed that I felt a whole lot better, so I decided to add more to my workouts. I started mixing jogging with walking on my hikes, then I started on the Couch to 5k plan (I'm on week 4). My next move is to add more strength training and make sure I stick with my routine.

While trying to figure out what type of strength training to do I stumbled across Nerd Fitness. I'm a book nerd rather than a gaming nerd, but I figure that's close enough, besides how can you not love a site that illustrates articles with Legos and makes Star Wars references. The big draw was the community and the challenges. My hope is that joining the community gives me a sense of accountability and that the challenges can help me stay motivated. If I tell myself I am going to be able to do 25 pushups in a row in 6 weeks I can always wimp out because no one will know, but if I post it on the boards I feel like I have to get it done.

So here I go. A pixie adventurer ready to join the next 6 week challenge.

[Strawberry Squatcake]

Welcome! It sounds like you know exactly where you're going. That's half the battle. And you've already tried several things and are ready to give lifting a try. Good for you. I love lifting! I have days my lifts struggle, but I've hardly missed any workouts since I switched to barbell.

Are you going to join in the challenge that starts Monday? You mentioned the challenge so I hope you do!

[Wren]

I tend to (over)research things. But in this case that may be a good thing. I'm actually planning to start with bodyweight strength training, since I still haven't figured out how to fit a gym membership into my budget, but I am interested in trying lifting at some point. I like learning new things, so I am looking at my journey to fitness as a new chance to learn.

[Caution]

Welcome! A good thing to do when trying for push-ups is when you can't do any more regular ones, go to your knees and continue to do them until you can't do any more of those. That may help you. If you haven't tried it yet may I suggest the Paleo diet (or at least Primal), you may find it to help you even more.

[Wren]

That's a good idea on the pushups. I have done some research on the paleo/primal diet, but I'm not ready for that yet. I am a carb lover (especially pasta), so cutting out the grains would be really tough for me. I may try to work up to it though, since I can see the benefits of that type of diet.