A newbie to working out, need some advice...

[akbirdy]

Hi all! I'm a COMPLETE beginner at working out. I've always (until now) been one of those to be able to eat anything and everything and never gain.

Almost 30 and after having my first child things have changed, I may still look petite with my clothes on, but my body has dropped every which way and my muscles seem to have turned to jello. I am the definition of the skinny fat girl. My endurance is null, I'll feel winded after bringing the dog on a brisk walk.

Ok- now for the future- I've begun working out every other day on our elliptical. I am on it for 45 min each time and do get a decent sweat going, though so far I haven't felt sore at all the day after workouts.

My goal is not to loose weight, I would like to tone up and in general become more fit. I want to be able to go on a hike with my husband and not feel like my chest is going to explode

Is elliptical training enough for me?? I'm not interested in buying any other large equipment, but would be into videos, and small work out stuff. Do you really need all the weights and stuff to tone up? I thought the elleptical would help tone too, but after never feeling sore, I'm wondering how much my muscles are working?

[seventy]

I'm no workout pro, I simply run and do yoga... and i'd like to suggest you try a yoga class and see how you like it. It does an amazing job toning the whole body/building strength. And if you take a vigorous vinyasa class you will certainly sweat and it can serve as cardio as well. I'd suggest going to a class rather than learning on your own (at least in the beginning) so that you may learn the proper way to do the poses (to reduce the risk of injury.)
Some people think yoga is all about flexibility, but it's really about both strength and flexibility.

I know that i'm not exactly answering your questions, sorry... I'm sure other mama's will have some answers for you. In any event, I hope what I've shared is helpful.

Good luck finding a groove that works well for you! And congrats for beginning your journey to a stronger and more empowered body!

[momof2kiddos]

I am not a complete beginner as in my younger years I was really into fitness but Like you I could eat anything and not gain a pound now fast foward to now and I am in my 30's with 2 kids and I have to watch eveything I eat.

For me I am walking 3 days a week and working out with a Fitness coach on the WII 2 days a week I have doing walking for a month now and the fittness for 2 weeks and I can already tell a diffrence. I am not always sore after a work out but I am noticing things are fitting better, and that I am feeling better and have more energy.

Just keep up the good work and I think it will come for you and you will see results. But that is just my opinion I am not a fitness expert.

[Alyantavid]

Try Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. There's huge post about it.

I'm like you, I'm pretty small, but had no muscle tone at all. I've been doing this for 3 weeks and can totally feel things getting tighter. And I'm a little addicted to it now.

[akbirdy]

Wow, thanks for the ideas! I have been wanting to do a Yoga class forever, I know at home wont work for me because I've tried!! It just ends up in my 3 year old climbing underneath my legs, thinking I'm a bridge or something else silly!!!

momof2-do you feel you are getting toned up?? Is that the same as wiifit?? I have that, but haven't done much on it if it is I might try it!

And I'll deff look into Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, sounds good.

Does anyone do just elliptical? I would be interested in hearing what their results were.

[lifeguard]

Weight training.

The elliptical will improve your endurance & may help you lose fat but weight training will make you look toned & tight.

[spughy]

Originally Posted by lifeguard

Weight training.

The elliptical will improve your endurance & may help you lose fat but weight training will make you look toned & tight.

Agreed! For a good website that's all about why women SHOULD lift weights, go to stumptuous.com - it's fabulous.

[425lisamarie]

I do not like stationary cardio. I prefer my general moving around to come from playing with the kids, running after them on bike etc. I'll do maybe a day of sprints a week. I have been lifting weights quite a while and it really has transformed my body in many ways.

I do several different workouts. I do 20 min quick workout at home using kettlebells and a pullup bar/core weighted ball. My kids get involved too. I only go to the gym 2 times per week to lift heavy squats/deadlifts and such. The rest is just being active wtih the kids an short HIIT sessions at home. For example:

Pullups, pushups, jump squats or burpees (google you'll see a description), pushups, planks, walking lunges.....you can get a pretty intense workout in 20-30 minutes just by taking several excercises, some body weight some weighted and do them all in a row as one giant set, then rest a minute, and do it all again 2 more times. I think it's better to view fitness as a lifestyle and not a schedule. I get super lean in the summer, but that's cause i'm literally outside all the time and never doing something that is NOT physical. Between gardening, bike riding, runnnin the kids around.....even right now i take every chance I get to go outside with them or do busy things.

ETA: I don't think I answered your question well . You are not sore because you are not working your muscles much. You actually CAN get a decent workout on the eliptical doing HIIT type workout. Take 20 minutes and start with a warm up, do very high intensity intervals, hence the HITT abreviation. Go one minute all out and put that resistance up !! It's better to do it slower on resistance than look like your gonna fly out the window. Then slow down and do 2 minutes of slow to recover, then repeat until you get to 20 minutes. May not seem too hard but it's killer if you do it right.

[MsVyky]

I'm not a fan of ellipticals, as they don't really mimic any motion that we do day-to-day. It's kind of unnatural.

I'm with Lisamarie- you'll see the best results with weight training and HIIT. I do my intervals 50/50 on a treadmill and stationary bike.

[425lisamarie]

There may be something to the argument of natural motion/elipticals, however the OP did mention that she owns and eliptical so for her it's probably the best cardio form. I think actually if you find a resistance and height that feels the most natural they can be a very good form of cardio especially if you can't move around alot during the day due to weather, etc.

I use an periodically myself, if I happen to just feel the need for some cardio or get my heart rate up and I am not quite in the spirits for a heavy workout.

[butterfly1001]

Hi! I'm in the same boat as you. I could always eat anything and stay STICK thin. I'm still kind of like that, but at 28, after 2 kids, I am SO out of shape. My butt is jiggly, I can't run up a flight of steps, and my belly is loose.
I'm 5'2", 110lb, and completely out of shape!

It's very very important to not just do the elliptical, but to add some sort of strength, whether it's yoga or weight training. Doing cardio is great, but you need to build muscles to support your joints to avoid injury. My dad is big into working out, and says he always gets frustrated when people say they use the treadmill/elliptical for an hour every day and can't get into shape. You need to build muscle too.

I (like someone else suggested) am doing the 30 Day Shred, and it's GREAT for building muscle, as well as getting cardio in, improving your endurance. Plus it's quick! I'm also doing Jillian's No More Trouble Zones, and it's also great for working muscles. You can do it all at once (50 minutes), or you can just pick certain circuits to do. In 5-6 weeks, I can already see a huge difference in my arms/shoulders, abs, and legs.

[fresh_veggie]

I third the weight training. Hands down for a nice, tight body. It's actually been advised to do moderate to intense weight training right before your cardio to boost your performance and fat burning ability (not to thin down, but to make your body more compact). You will gain weight at first because of the muscle building - but it WILL be worth it as you continue your journey. Take measurements and before and after photos, too, for inspiration!

Keep doing the elliptical, as it's a nice smooth movement that's easy on your joints (even if it is a little unnatural). Up the resistance/speed over time to get your heart rate and breathing rate up, as that will help exercise your lungs and build your endurance. But you'll never get a tight, fit body with that alone (unless you're lucky, lucky! I've never met anyone who has, though).

And totally try out a yoga class - especially if you want to be sore (depending on the class).

Good luck!