starting again

[Erik A]

a couple of years ago (2018) i was rowing several times a week and doing gym work. then i had a setback with a partial tear in my bicep tendon which ruled out rowing. this shut me down big time. a year on (2019) and i was given the all clear to resume rowing which i did and found (unsurprisingly) that i was back at pretty much square 1. then work and my house relocation got in the way and then it was covid so no rowing at home with no rower. in between lockdowns i did nothing so i am now at my heaviest and biggest and un fittest i have ever been and really need to do something about it. however i am also at a really low point with work stresses and home stresses giving me grief. admitted to hospital a few weeks ago with a suspected heart attack (thankfully not) which turned out to be stress overload.
trying to find the motivation to do anything other than sit on the couch is proving to be massively difficult for me.
not really sure what to do other than get off my ass and do it but thats the issue. its far easier to sit at home and do nothing.
i have tried to start walking but thats proving too hard also.
I know what i need to do but doing it is almost a a bridge to far for me. not really sure what to do to break me out of it

[Carl Watts]

Hi I see your from New Zealand.

Get yourself the trial version of RowPro and get online. There are a few rows after work or even twice a week in the day at 2pm on Tuesday and Thursday, just a 5K. Nothing to fast just good exercise.

You may want to keep on going with the walking and drop some weight, 125Kg must be a killer. I recently bounced off 110 and back down to 107 and thats bad enough but low rating rowing works.

Put the free "MyRowPro" app on your phone and have a look at the scheduled rows.

[Erik A]

Hi Carl

yep from NZ and no i dont have a rower at home so it will be gym rower only. if i can get myself back.
didnt even think about that weight on my profile should change it as im now up to 135kg really need to lose about 35-40kg

[Slothful1]

Hi Erik

I've struggled with returning from breaks in the past, and not having enough motivation at times. It's difficult to offer suggestions, because it unfortunately does seem to come down to the individual finding something that works for them.

My first attempt to get off the couch was after years of no exercise, too much studying and work. I joined our gym and set the target of 50 sessions before buying myself something specific. I spread it over a couple of months, and it managed to get me into the habit. It's also where I discovered the rowing machine was my first choice of activity, and eventually led me to buying my own later that year.

For a few years after our second child was born, plus busy work time, I was barely doing 1 CTC session per month, and then stopped fully for over a year. My motivation eventually returned when I set my goal of competing at the British Rowing Indoor Championships in 2018, which was about 16 months out. I bought a new PM5, got my training plans set up, and starting getting back into the monthly challenges for the Forum Flyers. I still struggled to get back to my old times, but at least I stuck with it, and got to BRIC and didn't come last .

Another work-related wobble followed, and then I signed up for the World Rowing Indoor Champs in Paris in Feb 2020, but with about 2-3 months to go. Managed to get some focused training in over the December holidays and into January, and went there and also didn't come last!

Since then it's been mainly Zwift and BikeErg keeping me going (and joining a virtual team on that platform). It really depends on the individual - some find the structure of getting out the house to go to the gym a key factor, but others (including me) find having home equipment increases the chances of getting a session in. It doesn't always work, because I've been fully kitted up in my bedroom, and made the mistake of sitting / lying on the bed, and then talk myself out of a session. But those don't happen too often, especially once winter has passed.

All the best with your efforts. Maybe pop back to the Forum Flyers thread and see if doing the monthly CTC for the team will help get the groove back!

Dave

[Tsnor]

Go for it. Like swimming in cool water, getting in is hard, but once you are in it's wonderful.

Get a bluetooth headset, some good music and new sneakers. Then start walking. Short distance then longer.

At the gym, weights/circuit training will give you immediate (4-6 weeks) positive feedback. Rowing - if walking is bad then you want to go very easy on rowing. Get the form right from videos, work your back gradually - you'll leg drive will already be strong. core, arms and stamina need time to get there.

Weight should be secondary. It won't move much - best case you'll substitute lean muscle for fat. The scale won't really reward that. Instead you should feel better stronger in 6 weeks. (If weight is primary, then diet).

Good luck.

[Cyclist2]

Motivation is hard, whether you're in your condition or in tip top shape (not me). The key for me has been a goal to work toward. Not some vague goal like "lose 35 kg" but something specific with an end date. Like Dave (Slothful1) said, aim for a competition. Or a charity 5K walk in X months, it doesn't matter as long as it's specific and you have a timetable. Gear your eating habits and exercise plan around that goal and it will all start falling into place. There are lots of training plans you can look at to get your calendar all lined up.

We've all been struggling with the covid-19 change of life, and trying to get back to some semblance of normal is difficult. Find that challenging, but realistic (no Olympic dreams here ) goal to put out there and start slowly getting back. Tsnor summed it up nicely in his first sentence. Once you're in the water, it will all start going well.

Good luck!

[dabatey]

I recently lost 12 kg (74 to 62) and took my waist down about 3 inches by calorie counting. (Doesn't sound much but for me as a small bloke it was a complete beer belly reduction). Here's how I did it.

Write everything you eat and the calories down in a lined book. It's awkward at first as there's a bit of a learning curve knowing what calories are in what but after a while it's second nature. Then start making adjustments to aim towards a target daily calorie allowance that will reduce weight but not leave you hungry. My target as a small bloke was to stay under 2000 calories but you'll probably be good for 2500 or so (a little bit more if you start rowing). We (me and the missus) cut out most alcohol but not all, changed choc bars for muesli bars, watched bread intake and more or less cut out deep fried foods completely. You soon learn what to look out for. Chips/fries are the absolute worst. If you make the right changes and don't set your calorie limit too low you should not go hungry. Measure your weight every day, as although it will fluctuate on a steady downward trajectory (occasionally not going down for a couple of weeks) you'll always catch the 'new low' on the day it happens to keep motivating yourself. It takes a few months to shift the weight as your not 'crash dieting', but it goes steadily and as you don't go hungry there's not as much chance of falling off the wagon. A written record allows you to have off days (holidays etc) and get back to it afterwards knowing exactly where you are at any given point.

[Erik A]

Thanks guys all helpful suggestions and i would prefer to get back one the indoor rower. prior to my bicep tear i was building up to the NZ indoor rowing champs and the masters games. was absolutely gutted that i couldnt attend.
i need to sort out my head before anything else so will be working on that.

[Dangerscouse]

Thanks guys all helpful suggestions and i would prefer to get back one the indoor rower. prior to my bicep tear i was building up to the NZ indoor rowing champs and the masters games. was absolutely gutted that i couldnt attend.
i need to sort out my head before anything else so will be working on that.

Welcome back Erik, it's been a while. One stroke at a time mate and you'll be back to where you want to be.

Looking forward to seeing your progress.

[Rick]

Slow and steady wins the race. You have to start somewhere you will stick with long enough to build to better capability, because it isn’t going to happen overnight. Realize that a big part of your depressed state is because of where you are physically, and use that as a motivation to get somewhere better. Couple that with some dietary control (you can’t outrow your fork) and you’ll be on the way. Plan for it to take a while, and settle in for the journey! Being healthy isn’t an exercise program, it’s really a lifestyle… a change in the way you look at life. And that sounds like exactly what you need.

Don’t wait. Life doesn’t get better. You make it so! Good luck!

[Erik A]

bit of an update.
so i was sitting at home one night a couple of weeks ago and an add popped up on FB. and i thought thats a goal i can achieve. so made a couple of calls to get my 2 sisters and my brother involved and am now doing a marathon in May. im going to walk it. my siblings are doing either the half or a 10km. one of my workmates is probably going to do the full with me.
goal in hand and a date (7th May 2022) i have started walking at nights. this week is a dead one with so much going on with xmas and going away for a week BUT i have started. last week i did 3 x 8.5km and a 15km walk
when i get back from xmas i will be back walking and will also be at the gym and hence the rower will be part of the training.
its been a big step up to get off the couch and now i have to maintain it. I know my first session back on the rower will pretty much kill me and am not looking forward to that however it needs to be done.

[Tsnor]

... i was building up to the NZ indoor rowing champs and the masters games....

.. have started walking at nights. this week is a dead one with so much going on with xmas and going away for a week BUT i have started. last week i did 3 x 8.5km and a 15km walk...

Nice.

... I know my first session back on the rower will pretty much kill me and am not looking forward to that however it needs to be done.

Bet you find that the first session is FUN, and that you want to get back rowing. (Your choice of what workout to do is key, try short and easy. Not something tougher than most of us could do.)

[Popcorn]

Erik, it's good to hear you have started in with walking. I think when people were really fit previously, they tend to do too much and aim too high when they try to get back into it, and it is better to start out with small changes and build back up. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Erik A]

thanks all.
I have continued my walking and have come across another issue that needs resolving. i think i have extensor tendinitis. im ok with normal day to day stuff but as soon as i put on my new shoes and go walking the top of my feet start to hurt so either shoes too tight or i am overdoing the walking. my usual distance is 8.5km 3 days a week and 1 day of a longer session. (15km currently) I am going to change my shoes and see if that makes a difference.
along the way i will be putting in Gym work on the bike and rower and this will be sooner rather than later if my feet keep playing up. tonight i will probably walk to the gym (about 1.5km each way) do 10km on the bike as warm up and down and throw in a session on the erg to see how bad i am along with a circuit on the weight machines. (low weight high reps)
oh and over the last 3 weeks i dropped 7kg. no real diet plan as such just reduced carbs and sugar

[Erik A]

i popped in to the gym last night and ended up doing 10 x 1 with 30r. along with a cycle and light weights on the machines.
i have to admit it felt really good being back on the erg. i have missed it.