Thinking about exercising Need Help!

[Joeguy]

I have never really worked out or exercised regularly before. I was very active physically while in school and then i was working at a warehouse for 1 1/2 years so i never had a real need to work out to avoid getting out of shape.

Now i work at a job where i spend all day in a chair at a computer. I have been working there for 9 months or so and have noticed significant weight gain and that my entire body has become soft and pudgy. I need to exercise or in another year i will be so out of shape i'll be beyond all hope!

I need to know some good types of food to eat and some good beginner exercise routines to start doing at home after work. There is a bench w/ weights, a treadmill and a heavy bag in my basement. What should i start with to shed those extra pounds an regain my more youthful body? Also i have started drinking alot of water the past few days as i heard this helps. TIA for any advice and sorry for such a long post!

 

[Large & In Charge]

First I am glad that you want to lead a more healthy life by exercising ! You also said
"I need to exercise or in another year i will be so out of shape i'll be beyond all hope!" You might think this is the case but it is never too late to start exercising and getting in shape!

I think you need to define your goals better so we can help you more. Getting in better shape is fine but it's too general. Also outlining specefic fitness goals will help you attain those goals more efficently because without a goal, there is no purpose for you doing what you're doing.

Can you be more specefic on the equipment you have? Do you have any barballs or dumbbells, how much free weights do you have, is it possible to purchase more equipment, can your bench be adjustable (flat, incline, decline?) The more information we have, the more we can help you.

With diet, you want to choose foods that are moderately high in protein and low to moderate in fats and carbs. Some example are fish, chicken, (skinless if possible) lean cuts of meat, milk, (also skim if possible) beans, etc. Start reading food lables and then you will start to figure out what foods are high, moderate, and low in what areas.

The most important thing when just starting to exercise is learning proper form! Proper form is everything and the results that you are looking for will come much quicker if you can perfect your form. To help you do this, this is an excellent web site when learning proper forum
http://www.gymamerica.com/gti/exercise/exercise_animated_demo_index/1,4263,1_,00.html?

It not only has written instructions of the exercise but also an animated demonstration! Not all exercises are going to aply in your situation but many will. So start learning proper form and you'll be off to a great start!

The best of luck to you and if you have anymore questions, either post them here or you can post them at my site, (address below) and I will be happy to help in anyway possible!

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The more you know, the more you grow!

http://www.xtreme-forums.com

 

[calvesodeath]

Very good advice from Large and In Charge. At the beginning, however, keep it VERY SIMPLE...ie: Just Do It! Good luck.

 

[Joeguy]

To start off i would like to work on my abdominals, butt and legs. My chest and arms haven't suffered nearly as much as those 3 areas from the inactivity at work probably because they were in better shape before. Thanks for the other advice, hopefully i can work on getting a nice steady weekly routine down pact by the end of this week and my grocery list will definitely be alot different this weekend when i go shopping!