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Hey all! After deciding to go my own way, I'm also trying to take better care of myself to get back my self esteem and get into a routine. I'm notoriously bad about falling into a lazy routine when my partner wasn't around, so I'm afraid of that happening now that I'm single and about to be living on my own. And it is always made worse by the fact I work at a desk most of the year, am incredibly busy, and therefore often talk myself out of healthy options.

I've been trying to have breakfast shakes on the regular with healthy things in them, such as spinach, chia seeds, almonds, etc. I'm awful about eating breakfast, so hoping this helps me start my day off right.

I'm also trying to start off with some at home workouts. I'm (stupidly) anxious about the gym, so am going to ease myself into going to the gym regularly, but in the meantime want to also be able to do some good, at home stuff. Was curious if anyone else does regular at home workouts and has any suggestions as to what they like?

Or just any other tips on getting back to feeling good and keeping it up!

Depending on your level of fitness, I would suggest both Daily Burn barre or Leslie Sansone Walk at Home. Both are fun, but barre is a bit more intense.

I understand everything you've said, we have a lot in common!

Healthy breakfasts are important to start your metabolism off. I also find if I have breakfast I'm hungrier because my stomach has "woken up" so my new years thing is to have a healthy breakfast and back it up by making sure I have access to healthy snacks. Find healthy things yu love, forcing yourself to eat something gross because it's good for you will just lead to you falling off the wagon and binging on junk food (take it from someone who has A LOT of experience falling off wagons!). For me right now this means carrots sticks (kept extra cold). I find raw carrot really filling, they satisfy my sugar craving but mean I'm getting good fibre. For healthy breakfast i mix plain Greek yoghurt (unsweetened) with a handful of porridge oats and let them sit overnight. Add some fruit and I find that filling. The protein will keep you full so you can justify the fat. It also guarantees I get some calcium and dairy (you can buy yoghurt with added vit d too).

I'm scared of the gymn too. For at home work outs try searching "apartment work outs no equipment" on youtube. You'll find work outs that use your own body so you won't have to buy equipment and most are designed for small spaces so you can do them in your living room. It took a lot of trial and error to find ones that worked for me but stick with it.

Lately I've been really anxious and it's made going out hard for anything other than essentials, whcih means I've stopped going jogging. I'm really trying to go back but it's hard. To get my cardio fitness back I've bought a skipping rope (jump rope to AMericans) and I'm using that. It's embarassing but I can do it at home and I don't feel as self conscious as I would huffing and puffing along the pavement.

You mentioned you hare gymns but how would you feel about a class? I used to take Pilates classes and I miss it. It was run by local education and held in a school gymn in the evenings but the istructor was good and I almost enjoyed it. I could hide at the back adn the teacher would roam and correct postures etc so I didn't feel like everyone was watching me when I got it wrong. Pilates will help keep your joints healthy, will tone up your tummy a bit (but not a lot unless you go advanced). Aside from that I could feel my balance improving and it was a good balance of pushing my muscles but slow and steady enough to quiet my mind rather than being frenzied.

Do you and your partner have time togehter on weekends or days off where you could go cycling or hiking? It's somethig I miss. While walking isn't a huge work out if you go up hill and set yourself a good pace it'll be good cardio and more importantly the fresh air and (if possible) country views will make you feel good (and "blow away the cobwebs" as my grandpa would say). I'm not a hardcore hiker/camping girl by any stretch but being around nature does calm my mind.

Definitely don't beat yourself up about it. What you wrote above could be applied to pretty much every person who works in an office (which is a huge % of us these days!). Stay positive and stay motivated.

I've become a ninja-level couch potato since retiring last fall, but I do manage a walk or bike ride most days because I don't have a car and all the shops I go to are at the bottom of my hill.

When I get into a better exercise groove I start with a yoga routine I learned from taking classes years ago. Mat work is great and I find it gets my heart rate up in no time. The stretching is very beneficial.

I invested in a weight bench and a full set of free weights, and when I get around to using them I feel great and love the muscle ache from working those bits that rarely get used otherwise.

I'm in the process of talking myself out of this lazy streak, but it has been going on since September and I'm kind of loving it... I can totally see how one could 'let oneself go'.

There are lots of quick workouts for women online, just google it on youtube.

Thanks all!

Yeah, I am active May-August usually because I do field work, so am hiking 5+ miles a day...so in the summer I tend to be better about getting out and hiking because I thoroughly enjoy it! I would like to actually do more all-around muscle building though, because no matter how much I hike, I never find motivation to work other muscles! And unfortunately, winters here make it impossible to hike, but I have been trying to be better about taking my pup for longer walks.

For winter, I've been trying to get better at cross country skiing, but it also isn't the most time-friendly activity since I have to drive about an hour to go. Hence the need for some at home or at gym workouts. I'll have to check out some of the at home workouts! I was thinking about a jump rope. Seems like a lot of stuff suggests jumping jacks as well, which seems so obvious but I never thought about it.

I hadn't considered pilates! Maybe I'll see what is available around here. I debated a cycling class, but my anxiety gets the best of me and I manage to convince myself I'm too out of shape for that. I also considered a yoga class, but think I would prefer trying some yoga at home first maybe? I'll have to see if there are any good suggestions for at home yoga online!

Also that's a great tip about snacks. I think living by myself will help out with that as well. I do snack, but not as heavily as my partner and I really crave things like fruits and veggies, so if I can just keep that up it will be good for me!!

Keep tuppaware of pre-peeled and sliced veggies. For me, a big part is what can I grab. So keeping carrot sticks ready to go makes it easier to choose those over chips. I have a problem with boredom eating in the evenings so I'm picking up my crochet again to keep my hands busy. That way I can help curb boredom eating and only eat when I'm genuinely hungry. Then I have some celery. Then if I really can't resist I have a square of black choc. But it means there are more steps before the binge!

There are some really good yoga and pilates dvds you can do at home but if you can afford it I'd recommend doing a few classes just because the isntructor will help make sure your poses are correct.

Do you have room for a treadmill or stationary bicycle at home? It would get around the weather problem. Craigslist could be helpful. Look for people moving out of state.

Kudos on the cross country skiing. I found it really hard!

Or just any other tips on getting back to feeling good and keeping it up!

In my experience, almost everyone starts too fast... gets burned out... and quits.

Set your goal for developing a long term habit.

Personally, I recommend setting a reasonable work-out scheduled and make your first workouts really easy.

For example, I started walking the dog 2 miles at the end of the day, every day. I am already in decent shape (more or less), so this was simply about developing a habit.

You can get a subscription to Gaia to stream workouts. They have a lot of yoga and some pilates and weights workouts. It's $10/month through Amazon or $99 for the year.

I've always been an at home exerciser. My favorite is The Firm, which were produced from the 80s through the aughts. So they're not the most up to date but I think they're pretty tried and true with weights and cardio combined.

Total Fitness DVDs has preview videos. I'd check them out.

Is there Camp Gladiator in your area? It is very popular where I live. I don't do it myself but I know a lot of people that do and they LOVE it and none of them were in great shape when they started, they started it to get themselves going. I know it can be intimidating. I found a trainer and workout 2x per week and it is not as pricey as you might think, you could always go that route. I think Camp Gladiator sounds really fun I just can't make the times for the classes that are near me.

If you want to go to the gym, though, then go!!!!! You don't have to be in shape to start.

PBS Classical Stretch.

Doesn't look like mich but will tone and get you panting and sweating. Plus after you feel awesome.

I have a subscription to Beachbody and love the energy of the videos. Wide variety.

I have a couple of Richard Simmons DVDs if anyone's looking...

I will second the above beachbody suggestion. I haven’t got the subscription but I have done the t-25 program and it’s been good for me. I’ve always been a runner but I now add a workout video or two per week and I feel much more complete physically than when I just did running. As an introvert I love that I can stay home and skip the gym and also skip the cost of the gym.

Leslie Sanskne is my go to girl! When I got sick and couldn’t donthe higher impact Richard Simmons, I switched to Leslie. Best workouts at all intervals.

Leslie Sanskne is my go to girl! When I got sick and couldn’t donthe higher impact Richard Simmons, I switched to Leslie. Best workouts at all intervals.

I like the Insanity Workout DVD's. The presenter, Shaun T is a little annoying but the workouts don't require any equipment except a towel to wipe sweat, and you pace yourself based on what you're able to do. It's a 6 day a week, 45 minute a day program that you do at home for 60 days.

I joined Jazzercise about 5 years ago, which is not a home work out but it's women only and the friendships and support from these women has been amazing. I also have a good quality treadmill that I have set up in front of a TV to keep me motivated to spend time on it :) I also enjoy doing yoga stretching, and there are a lot of good, free videos online. I use a book called "Yoga for Runners" that does a nice job of describing the various yoga poses, and also offers routines of various lengths and for different muscle groups.

For food, I'm a vegetarian, which makes getting protein a bit tricky, but we eat a lot of fresh veggies, beans, greens. I cut out bread and empty carbs almost entirely after DDay when I was dropping weight rapidly and enjoying getting my lean body back. I've gained back some pounds, so am going to eliminate simple carbs again and focus on the healthy stuff.

Good for you for taking on this challenge, overwhelmed! You've reminded me it's time to stop thinking about it and start DOING it! Dumping all the empty calorie foods in the compost pile or garbage tomorrow and starting anew. We only get one life, make the best of it!

Another Beachbody fan here. It's 85% of my workouts. The original Insanity shredded me after the birth of my 2nd child. I now rotate between Insanity, Insanity Max 30, Piyo, T25, and Les Mills Combat. I never get bored. When weather is nice, a brisk walk or bike ride breaks it up. I workout about 5 days a week and eat pretty well. I feel good!

[This message edited by WhoTheBleep at 11:16 AM, February 19th (Tuesday)]

Hey all! Sorry I never followed up...things have been hectic with moving out and still trying to keep up with my work, but wanted to update everyone.

First, thank you all for the ideas!! I've been doing really well. Of course, a few slip ups as far as diet goes, but I figure every once in a while is far better than regularly. I've been good and have done a workout of some kind about 5-6 days each week. I'm going to the gym occasionally for cardio, usually twice a week (finally decided to brave it and hey, it isn't so scary ) but am doing more muscle work at home. Somedays I do a more intense workout of my muscles, somedays I just shoot for a minute long plank and a minute long wall sit since at least it is SOMETHING! And in general, I'm eating WAY healthier. I've bought a couple of processed foods, but mostly lots of fresh veggies, fruits, meat, yogurt, etc.

I decided to hop on the scale at the gym today, out of curiosity (I'm not really aiming for a weight, I just want to feel better overall, which I have been!) and found I've lost 6 lbs since the beginning of February! And I've definitely gained more muscle.

It really isn't as hard as I thought, now that it has become part of my day to day. I have a few friends that have agreed to make it a point to go to the gym early on Tuesdays and Thursdays to help hold each other accountable. And I think it helps that I'm trying really hard not to beat myself up if I slip up. I have more of a anything is better than nothing attitude as I develop habits, and that makes it that much easier to go the extra mile...which the more I do, the more I want to!

I read on another thread about, I think her name is, Lisa Sansome...or Leslie Sansome. Anyway, I pulled up one of her workout videos on my teeny tiny Apple 5 phone (yes, it's old!) and did a few minutes standing in place in my living room while still in my work clothes! It felt good and I am going to push myself to do more