Determined...And Kinda Scared

[Wolffpaw]

I'm going to be completely, totally honest. I have no clue what I'm doing. I've never worked out seriously before. I barely know half (if that) of the terminology here and I'm lost. But I want to change.

 

A little backstory. I'm a 23 year old woman, 5'5", sitting somewhere on 140-150 pounds. I spent a lot of my life hyped up on ADHD medication that was unneeded, and was dangerously underweight as a result. I didn't break 100lbs until I was 14, and it took college (and the cessation of meds) for me to break 120. I've never worked out or developed healthy habits because it was never really encouraged in me--I just had "a high metabolism". 

 

About a year and a half ago, I was in a bad car wreck. The TL;DR outcome of that mess is depression, nearly no money and no car in a bad small town. Thank the gods for my girlfriend and her family taking me in, or I'd have killed myself. I started comfort eating and gaming for hours on end, literally becoming that nerd with chip dust on her fingers, a love/hate relationship with Bioware, and 35 extra pounds of jiggle, all located on my upper half. (I kid you not. I look odd. Legs that haven't changed and a lumpy barrel of a torso is a weird combination.)

 

There are only two gyms in my town. One is an Anytime Fitness, too expensive for me and very jock-ish. The other is a Y, more moderately priced but overrun with teenagers and soccer moms. Neither is a good place for me; I get overwhelmed and anxious every time I check them out. I don't know what to look for in a gym, and worse, I can't really afford a gym at this point. I was scared off of them after a friend, buying into the whole gym lifestyle, ripped his rotator cuff "training" and was told by his trainer that he'd be okay to run a Tough Mudder with that severe an injury.

 

I've been lurking here at nerd fitness for a couple of days, trying to see if it's a good fit. (Congrats to you guys, by the way; I've never been a fan of Paleo, always kind of mocked it, but after reading the e-book I'm half convinced.)  The fact that there seems to be a community of people that have been in my situation is helping my decision. My biggest problem is that I overthink things. I need advice, a guiding hand in all this, because I'm terrified that this might be my last chance to fix myself. Depression is a bad illness and I'm not willing to succumb to it. I'm worried that I might fail, and yet I've resolved to at least try. 

Any advice, guides for easing into Paleo, ways to be cheap while still getting a good workout (I only make about 900 a month and that's before I pay rent), would be greatly appreciated. I'm planning on joining the Academy with my next paycheck, so that's a start, I think.

 

In summary, I'm a complete newbie and I need all the awesome help I can get because I'm so. freaking. confused. Send help.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Welcome Wolffpaw. I'd bet overthinking is the most common attribute around here; you'll fit in just fine.

I'm never giving up pasta, so I can't help on Paleo, but for your fitness questions I'd suggest skimming the workout plans here at Nerd Fitness and find one that you think is fun and doable. The Beginner Body Weight Workout (BBWW) is used by a lot folks who are just starting out. Once you've picked one, try not to overthink it, just do it. After a few weeks you can evaluate your progress and make changes.

Good luck.

[Dilnad]

Welcome to the rebellion!!

being pretty new here myself I'm going to let the more experienced folks share their wisdom but I do have one thing to get you started to alleviate a bit of stress.

 

This is one of the great free articles you can find on the NF site. It's called No Gym? No Problem. I suspect it will help you get rolling on the cheap

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/07/17/no-gym-no-problem-bodyweight-exercises-and-the-nerd-fitness-challenge/

 

~Dil

[Barfly]

Haha! Hi! Welcome! I just moved out of a bad small town not too long ago, so I feel ya

Paleo's not tough if you ease into it, less of a culture shock that way. Just ease up on bread, pasta, cereals and dairy with the aim of eliminating them completely. After a while you won't miss any of that.

And yes, bodyweight workouts are the way to go on the cheap. Plus, you can do them everywhere. Let me know if you have more questions, we'll get more into specifics as you get started.

P.s. Getting started is the hardest part

P.p.s. Stop worrying, this is not your last chance. Your best chance, maybe (the best time to start anything is now), but for crying out loud, you're 23! Relax sweetie.

[Wolffpaw]

Holy balls, people. So much love for a newbie! I posted last night thinking that my hello would get buried and I'd still be lost. Now I think I'd trust you people to babysit my cat and my Xbox.

 

Thank you all so much for the help. It's very much appreciated.

[Carly Rae Jepsens Warlock]

*hugs*FIRST OF ALL! Be proud of yourselves! You've actually done something that people don't normally do and that is take a step forward so congratulations!

Secondly: don't fret, dearie~ (woah engrush me wowow)

Starting slow and easy is not as bad as it sounds. If you don't want to start paleo immediately then that's okay~ baby steps, baby steps. Start by cutting down your sugar (I have start cutting down on artificial bad sugar and just relying on pure nature for my carb intake because that's better for me but don't go overboard)

For exercise, I say do something that you love! Exercise shouldn't be a burden but it should be something enjoyable; something refreshing. Add in yoga as well to Refresh your mind.

Lastly, love yourself and enjoy life! Don't get overwhelmed by the journey but take it up as a challenge and break it down! Crush it! My point is: Self motivation is really important here because the world will not let you love yourself and feel comfortable in your own body. It'll point out so many flaws in you BUT YOU HAVE TO KICK BUTT AND OVERCOME THOSE PROBLEMS IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS BE IT MENTAL, PHYSICAL OR CAREER WISE. JUST BELIEVE

Message typed by my fingers who got activated by electrical signals sent from my brain travelling through a network of nerves and ganglia.

[MegaShe-Ra]

Yay, congrats on making the first step. I can be hard.

Like everyone else I def suggest body weight workouts! They are a great work out to do at home and there are lots of ways to push yourself harder by tweaking the routines.

Ps, gurl, you still young. You have a great opportunity now to do well and take pride in yourself.

[cn3wton]

I have way to much to share in one single post. 

 

I have a few questions.

 

• Why paleo? Don't get drawn in by the hype. Is it good? Yes. Do you have to do it? No. What are your diet goals? Lose weight, eat healthier, etc.
• You have no exercise experience right? Thats ok. I would suggest doing some kind of circuit training 2-3 times a week. No gym, no equipment needed.

 

Feel free to message me with any questions.

[Carly Rae Jepsens Warlock]

I have way to much to share in one single post.

I have a few questions.

• Why paleo? Don't get drawn in by the hype. Is it good? Yes. Do you have to do it? No. What are your diet goals? Lose weight, eat healthier, etc.
• You have no exercise experience right? Thats ok. I would suggest doing some kind of circuit training 2-3 times a week. No gym, no equipment needed.

Feel free to message me with any questions.

Holy smokes!! Helpful and simple as fish in a bowl.

Suggestion on which circuit exercises to do?

"This message was brought to you by my fingers who were activated by the electrical signals from my brain which travelled through a network of nerves and ganglia".

[Baronvaile]

No suggestions; just encouragement.

 

Welcome to the Rebellion; now get out their and take control of your life, because we will be right behind you rooting for you.

[cn3wton]

Holy smokes!! Helpful and simple as fish in a bowl.

Suggestion on which circuit exercises to do?

"This message was brought to you by my fingers who were activated by the electrical signals from my brain which travelled through a network of nerves and ganglia".

 

You can do a body weight circuit. Something along the lines of.

 

Jumping jacks x 20

Push ups x 5

Body weight squats x 10

Crunches x 10

Walking lunges x 10 

Sprints (full speed for 15 seconds then stop)

 

Modify reps for difficulty, and try to do the circuit 2-3 times. If you can't do this let me know and I can help you adjust it. If you have any difficulty with the exercises there are ways to adjust them as well.