I want to get in shape, have no idea where to start

T

truthorpear

0
Hi, I have no idea how to start this, so I will start out with the basics, I guess.

I am 19 years old, 5'1, and between 100-114 pounds. I was never very active, just naturally small. Not skinny, like bone legs, but proportionate. My waist has varied between 24-26".

Whenever I mention to my boyfriend or a friend that I would like to get in shape, that I'm not happy with my body, etc., they roll their eyes, and sometimes even get annoyed and say I just want compliments. Umm... Not at all. I have almost no muscle tone, and I have noticed I am getting a pooch on my belly, and my thighs/butt are lacking any muscle mass whatsoever. I actually have a very round butt, but I think that is just genetics, not muscle or anything.

The reason I decided to post a thread today is that I went shopping today, and in the dressing room were very bright lights that highlighted all my flaws. In that setting, it looked as if my knees to my butt were just dripping with cellulite. I felt like crying!

I was completely sedentary this summer. I go to a school in a large bustling city, so it is pretty hard to jog here. But, since I got here (just about 5 days ago), I've been walking an hour or more every day. Something tells me that just walking isn't enough, though.

Could some of you knowledgeable fitness members please help me figure out what to do? Anything in terms or diet, lifestyle, exercise... I just want to feel good about my own body, even if other people say it's perfectly fine. One more note, I really can't afford to pay for a gym membership, unfortunately. But I am willing, if it's not too expensive or bulky, to buy some equipment for my little apartment.

Thank you in advance for any help!
 
You can do quite a bit with body weight exercises and other weight bearing exercises that require no equipment. Try doing things like pushups, squats, lunges, planks, etc, You can find every day objects around the house to use as weights for doing chest presses, overhead presses, etc. You can also incorporate more functional movements such as squatting to pick up something heavy, lifting it, then pressing it overhead or other more functional movements. If you are looking for some exercise ideas, there is a list here: Free Exercises, Exercise Instructions, Custom Workout, Personalized Workout, Ab Exercises, Abdominal Exercises, Training Programs. Some of the exercises require some equipment such as exercise balls, exercise bands, or dumbbells.
 
Ok, first things first, if you want to generally slim down a little and add tone then a combination of cardio and some kind of resistance exercises required. As to cardio, which you say you seem to have slight problems with, there are ways around this. Firstly, you can jog just about anywhere, even in a city, the weaving in and out of people will become second nature :p
Swimming is good if you have access to it and as is cycling. If you have the room then buy a skipping rope.

As you have a small apartment then it would be best to stick to high intensity exercises that slim you down. I don't believe any exercise can be as beneficial as running/sprinting when you want to loose weight and slim down but that's just my opinion.
So, as you are limited to space here are exercises you can do in your confined space:

Push-ups, do these quite fast as opposed to the conventional plodding pace of down 1,2,3, up 1,2,3. In other words try to do one push up per second (it's hard). There are many varieties such as diamond push up, wide and close armed, hindu push up etc.

Without giving yourself mush time to recover as you want to keep your heart rate up, go streight into squats, again doing them relatively fast. From squats go back and do some more push ups then rest for a minute.

Lunges are also good, no need to do these incredibly fast, but they are good to incorporate into a work out. Crunches should be done at the end of a session and try to do them quite fast.

This next one may sound unconventional but give it a try, in a squat position use your legs to propel yourself forward landing on your arms and then back on your legs in a squat position (a bit like some primates walk).

If you have room enough, then jumping squats are good for the legs, all you have to do is start from a squat and propel yourself into a jump.

Note, exercise is all very well and good, but to see a huge difference in the smallest amount of time then eating healthy is a must.

Good luck!
 
In my opinion a combination of resistance training and cardio should give you the best results. In addition to the resistance exercises from the previous post, you should use interval training for your cardio workouts. Go down to a local park and sprint 30 yards, then walk 30 yards. Repeat this 10-15 times, then jog back to your apartment. as your fitness increases you could increase the amount of sprints you do and also vary the length of the sprints and rest periods.

Also, If you can find a friend that is willing to train with you, you can motivate each other to achieve your goals.
 
People can be very harsh when they see someone who is skinny that isn't happy with thier body. However, skinny and fit are not the same thing at all. I think it's wonderful that you want to get yourself in better shape. It will definitely help you feel better about yourself.

I do all body weight exercises and I feel that they do wonders. Here's a video you might like:
 
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