If you have a higher body weight or live with obesity and are interested in getting started with exercise, we're glad you're here. At Evidation, we're here to help you live your happiest, healthiest life, and we're excited to help you discover great workouts for beginners carrying extra weight. Here, we'll explore what you should keep in mind when you're beginning an exercise routine, including how to talk with your doctor about your weight, different workouts you can do as you begin to work on your fitness, how you can bolster your mindset to keep you on track long-term, and how Evidation can help you work toward your goals.
Talking about your weight with your doctor
If you're concerned about your weight, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor. Together, you can discuss whether losing weight would be a good idea for your health, as well as go over any physical limitations you may need to consider as you begin exercising. If your doctor has told you that you are overweight (your body mass index, or BMI, is between 25 and 25.9) or that you have obesity (your BMI is 30 or greater), they may provide you with additional information that can help you lower your weight, such as a referral to a registered dietitian, an order for thyroid testing, and more. BMI is by no means the only measure of health, but certain BMIs are strongly correlated with certain health issues, allowing your care provider to use your BMI as a tool to understand whether you may be at risk for body mass-related health conditions.
While it can be tempting to put off talking to a doctor about your weight, it's best to approach being overweight or having obesity head-on. People who are overweight or have obesity are more likely to develop high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease than people of a healthy weight. Thankfully, adding exercise to your routine can help you begin your journey to improving your health.
Getting started with exercise
Starting an exercise program can be an exciting time, especially when you're ready to make positive changes to your health. There's no need to get started by joining a gym or signing up for a spinning class—though if that's your thing, more power to you! Taking small steps can go a long way toward meaningful change. Here, we'll take a look at some of the ways you can create sustainable changes with exercise.
Walking
You don't have to hit the ground running when it comes to creating sustainable weight loss habits—walking can be highly effective for weight loss, as well as for increasing lower body strength and mobility. When walking to lose weight, it's important to stay consistent and build up your routine over time, gradually increasing your distance, speed, and incline (if possible) to continually challenge your body.
Strength training
By building muscle and burning fat at the same time, strength training workouts offer a hard-to-beat two-for-one deal. If you're unfamiliar with how to safely strength train, it's a good idea to book sessions with a personal trainer or physical therapist so you can learn the basics. Lifting weights doesn't just help with weight loss—it can also help to improve your posture and range of motion, potentially correcting musculoskeletal issues related to carrying excess weight.
Aerobics
Whether you choose to go to an aerobics class or you prefer to work out in the comfort of your own home, aerobics can be a safe, effective, and fast way to get your endorphins flowing while you rev up your metabolism. If you feel intimidated by the idea of trying an aerobics class, it can help to commit to just the first five minutes of an online aerobics video. If you get to the five-minute point and you aren't feeling it, no worries—go for a walk instead. If you're loving it, keep moving for five more minutes. Building up your fitness over time can help to reduce the chance of burnout as your endurance grows.
If you're looking for a low-impact option, you may want to consider water aerobics. The natural resistance of the water on your body serves to create a challenge, and the support created by your body's natural buoyancy can help you get the intensity that you're looking for without taking a major toll on your joints. Water aerobics classes are offered at many YMCAs and community centers, and can be a great way to make new friends who are on a similar journey.
Considerations for weight loss
If you're getting started with an exercise program, it's important to create a new habit that you're able to stick with over time. This can be easier said than done—especially if you're excited to get moving and want to dive in head first.
Keep the following in mind when you're starting a new exercise program:
- Start slow. As we mentioned, it can be tempting to go all-out when you're excited about improving your fitness. Going overboard when you're getting started, however, can lead to injuries and burnout. Starting with exercise that feels challenging yet doable can provide a good baseline. Each week, you can increase the duration or the intensity of your exercise so it feels challenging, allowing you to build strength and endurance in a healthy way while lessening the likelihood of injury.
- Focus on creating new habits. Motivation and willpower won't be there every day, but habits tend to stand the test of time. When you're working to develop a new habit, choose something you can stick with. For example, you may not be able to make it to the gym every day after work, but you can commit to completing a 10-minute yoga video before bed each evening. You might not be able to commit to 5 am training sessions, but you can commit to going for a 15-minute walk on your lunch break every day after you're finished eating. Setting these small habits doesn't just support your fitness—it also creates momentum that pushes you to keep going when things get tough.
Remember, exercise is about more than weight loss. While it can be tempting to solely focus on the number on the scale as an indicator of progress, it's important to remember how much good you're doing for your overall health when you establish and stick to a workout routine. In addition to supporting healthy weight loss, exercise can also lower your likelihood of experiencing depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, arthritis, and many types of cancer. You'll also get the benefit of better sleep and improved energy.
Get started with Evidation to begin your health journey today
Whether you're looking for workouts to help you lose weight or simply exploring ways to boost your overall health and wellness, Evidation is here to help. Here's how it works: when you download the Evidation app and sign up for an account, we'll ask you to share your health data with us. You choose what data you share, if any. We use the data you choose to share with us to find patterns in your habits and develop insights that can help you move your health forward. We share the next steps you can take by providing personalized content that can help to inform your health decisions. Click here to download our free app and learn more about how our process works. We can't wait to start supporting you!
