Ok, I've taken the plunge...now I dont know what to do
 

Thru my company I've have a free membership to an athletic cub for over 4 years now....the only time I set foot in the place was when I signed up and added my ex hubby to the plan and agreed to pay 20 bucks a month.

Last year the company decided to stop giving free memberships to the employees but the owner of the club called me and told me that he'd keep the membership as is for the 20 a month. (thats now two people for 20 a month)

ex hubby used it so the 20 a month wasnt a big deal. Well he stopped. Dave and I have been talking recently about exercising because we are SO tired all the time and very couch potatoey at home after work, plus I thought I might try to unflab my arms a little before the wedding.

So I called the place today...they are so great....they let me take of the ex and add Dave. The membership includes everything they have, cardio..weights..aerobics..raquetball..tennis..swimming pool. We pay nothing extra to do anything, unless we want to use the tanning bed which is 20 a month for unlimited use.

Anyway...I have never been much of "club exercise" person...and I freely admit Dave will have to go with me for me to want to go....Does anyone have a suggestion for how I should start out....Im thinking cardio...treadmills, stairclimbers, bikes...I honestly dont care about losing weight, Im very happy with how I am (and Dave cant stand skinny chicks anyway) I would just like to see if I can get my energy level boosted.

advice?

I also need to get back into it, but I think you are on the right track. Start out with some running and stair climbing. I really used to see big boosts in my energy levels, especially when you go consistently after a long period of inactivity.

Obviously it sucks at first, but you should find yourself feeling better generally. BTW, I also seemed to sleep a lot better when exercising a lot since my body was used to be up and doing things, so it took advantage of the time it had to rest and recover.

Have fun! :thumbsup:

Does your gym have personal trainers? Probably so. It would be worthwhile to pay for 1-2 sessions with them. State your goals clearly and they should give you some good workout advice.

Barring that... if you are willing to accept advice from amateurs, I am sure that the group here would be happy to pitch in. :) My wife and I go to the gym together. It can be a nice alternative to spending another night on the couch in front of the TV. And your energy level will improve with just about anything you do. Since you are not a regular at the gym, start slow. I would recommend mixing up your cardio with 15-20 on the treadmill and 15-20 minutes on an exercise bike to start.

If you are going to do weight training, which I recommend to anyone regardless of gender, start out with simple exercises that involve multiple muscle groups instead of focusing just on one set of muscles. For example, do overhand pulldowns (involving several muscle groups in your back and arms) instead of bicep curls. Keep in mind that good form is more important than the amount of weight you are lifting. Be sure that each rep moves through the full range of motion with the weight totally in control. And your reps should be slower on the downstroke. Not UP-DOWN, but UP-D*O*W*N. As a woman, you will probably want to do more reps with lower weight (12-15) to tone rather than build bulk.

Good for you for trying to improve your health. I hope it goes well. Give us a progress report in a couple of weeks.

my mother was a weight instructor for years, so the weight bit (higher weight/lower reps and lower weight/higher reps) I know about....there wont be much of that going on just yet I think...Im more worried about my fatigue than my flabby arms :lol: I figure if I can get myself motivated enuff to actually stick to a gym schedule then in a few months I can start the weight stuff.

My only worry is that the ONLY time I can work out is late afternoon/early evening...which if I remember right, means endorphins kicking and affecting my sleeping.

If you have an hour or two before bedtime to spare after your workout, I think it should be fine. I don't really know much about how exercise affects sleeping though, I can only speak from my experience.

My suggestion would be to start small. You really don't need very much exercise at all to get fit, and launching yourself at the equipment will just burn ya out and discourage you. Once you've brought the gym into your life's routine, you can then escalate your workout if you want.

Easy :

1) 30 minutes of cardiovascular (walking, biking, stair-stepping) HR appropriate (check the chart in the gym)

2) Nautilus muscular workout; Fat Burning = Low weight reps 12x3

Total workout time: 1 hour

Times per week: At least 3

That should work cause I'd be working out from 6-7 and bedtime is usually about 10

Now....do I eat dinner before or afte I work out?

thanks for that pinkie...that doesnt sound too difficult to set up

Personally, I like stationary bikes. They aren't the most efficient thing, but I can read a book or magazine while riding them!

The electronic ones usually have programs that you can go through. I like programs with 'texture' (like, short spikes) to keep the biking itself interesting.

Eventually, you could try a spinning or cycling class. At my gym there is a room upstairs, with a few lessions a day, where an instructor puts you through a 'story' of a bike trip.

Rowing is also quite fun!

Are you a skilled swimmer? Do they have 'aquafit' classes?

The idea that "low weight high reps" burns fat is..well...a huge myth. Lifting weights doesn't burn fat, it builds muscle. Low weight high reps will build your muscles stamina, and add a small amount of muscle. Naturally, the calories you burn while lifting any amount of weights could go towards losing fat if you were eating less then you were burning..however, doing lower reps with a higher intensity will burn more calories, and build muscle which will also burn more calories.

Lifting weights does, in fact burn fat... WHILE building muscle. Which is pretty cool. :) Lifting raises your heart rate, which blablabla in the end burns fat, AND lifting builds/tones muscle, so you're accomplishing two things at the same time :D

Muscle also helps metabolise fat while you're at rest: more muscle mass = more fat metabolising. Double cool :)

Pinkie gave you a good plan, but START SlOW!! If you dive in headfirst you are more prone to injury and quitting. Take it slow and exercise can be enjoyable and actually becomes addicting

Oh yes, walk.

I spent half a hour just walking (outdoors) around before exercising when I was starting up.

It's easy, it gets the blood flowing, and if you are lucky they'll be a pretty park to skip through. =) Plus your feet get all tough, grr.

Try to find something fun. If you like swimming, go swimming. If you like tennis, play tennis. There is an exercise hurdle that you can avoid by doing something you enjoy. When I started exercising after my heart surgery (I didn't exercise for over a year, and balloned up to a whopping 235 lbs. from 175) I just lifeted weights and did cycling for 4 weeks. I've never been so miserable. Eventually it wore off, after the hurdle, but it really wasn't fun and I can see how it could discourage people who are first timers. Do the fun exercise for about 2 weeks, 3 times a week, for at least 90 minutes at a time. Once your body is ready for the exercise, you're mind will be too.

Start slow and lift weight 3x per week. Try to use free weights and not machines. Go here to learn how to do some common exercises. Good luck!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm

After a work out is when you most need protein, but you don't want to be famished while working out, either. I usually have a snack before going to the gym and eat a meal afterwards.

Shani sounds like you have a la fitness membership (Well because it sounds like my gym and I'm a la fitness member).

I think you should do mostly cardio if you like the way you are now. Also do lightweight and high reps if you want.

Shani, try looking at Stumptuous.com's weight lifting section. It's weight lifting from a woman's perspective and may give you a lot of tips and motivation.

Research has been showing that doing 1 set of each exercise is all it takes to build muscle and strength. Adding extra sets doesn't actually help muscle development at all.
Exrx.net for more info on lifts that can be done and different workouts.

Actually, no, its the Southern Athletic Club in Lilburn, its not a chain place....they've been there since I was a kid.

I guess I shouldn't expect LA fitness to give me any smarts!

that's great though I hope you enjoy your time and membership.

As far as eating for your workout, if you have lunch between 11 and one, then waiting till 6 or 7 to workout then eat is too much. It will make you miserably hungry and pig out when you get home. Eat a snack an hour or two before your workout, then eat sensible right after your workout. Snack before hand should not be more than a couple hundred calories.