My Beginner’s Guide to Exercise

  How to get started with an exercise programme

I noticed that l was getting lazier, overeating rubbish and generally doing less for myself. I thought that I needed to do something to help myself get healthier and fitter. Covid is not going away, so if I am to stay healthy, I need to do something and for me who loves food and biscuit dunking, this was not going to be easy.

 I have not got the money for a gym and anyway with Covid they are mostly closed. So, I thought home exercise has to be the way. I turned to Dr Google and this is what I found out and am trying out. Norah and I are getting married in January 2021 and I am determined to look as fit as possible for the wedding.

First a warm up. This is so that the body is told, its time to exercise and can start to loosen up the muscles and quicken the heart. About 5 mins of standing and twisting, bending and running on the spot loosens you up and already the body is feeling looser and I feel a bit less sluggish. I’m a bit out of breath as I have just stopped the fags [so anyone sees me with a fag, give out to me] but ready for my exercises.

We got a cheap exercise bike, which you can get anywhere and do 10 to 15 mins pedalling a day. Sometimes fast and sometimes just cruising, but keeping the motion going. Try talking out loud while doing it. If you are a bit out of breath and find it hard, you are doing it right, if you can sing a song, go faster. This is great cardiovascular exercise, which means getting the heart stronger and improving the blood and immune system, especially important with covid around. If you don’t have an exercise bike try walking and running on the spot or skipping if you can, they are just as good. This is where you learn how unfit you are. I was bolloxed and realised that this had gone too far, I was really unfit.

 Next is weights. Anything can be used as a weight to get going, tins of beans, tools, anything. Then do a few repetitions with them. You tube has loads of videos showing a multitude of exercises and what can be used as weights, so just choose what is best for you. I use a couple of cheap weights and work on my arms, legs and my gut. The muscles ache and at first I think about stopping, but that defeats the object, just keep doing them. This is strength conditioning, tightening and strengthening my muscular frame, building myself back up and getting my body ready to fight anything. I also tried a few sit ups and press ups, really good strengthening exercises and could only do 10 press ups and 15 sit ups. Scarlet for me, this has to improve.

 The last exercises are flexibility exercises. I thought I don’t need these, but then it was pointed out to me how I make an oul fella noise when I sit down or get up or bend. I do. I thought that was old age but its not, it’s a loss of flexibility. I start to tighten up various muscles in my arms and legs and holding it for as long as I could. Also bending and twisting at the hips with arms stretched. These will loosen me up and I should see an improvement soon. I will know when I don’t make the oul fella noise!

This is my introduction to exercise. I am going to keep it going and in the next edition of vocaleyez, I will let you know if I kept it going and how its working. Anyone reading this who thinks they are unfit or getting lazy or are just bored, can try this too. It will get you fitter in the body and also in the brain, as you will be releasing the happy chemicals into the brain to feel better. I will put an article in next Vocaleyez on the happy chemicals and how important they are.

 The very last thing I am doing is ‘cutting out the shite’! Only having cake or biscuits once a week as a treat, no take- aways and eating more fruit and veg, or rabbit food as I usually call it. This is the hardest part for me as I love me ‘oul shite’, but its the most important. Food is the body’s fuel and responds to the fuel that’s added. By filling my body with ‘shite’ my body is sluggish, lazy, the muscles are floppy and near useless. This is because I am not giving it anything to work with. The body needs the goodness of vitamins, protein, minerals, roughage for the gut, to operate properly. The more fruit and veg I eat, the more fuel I’m giving my body to help with the exercises and to improve my health and immune system.

 Let me know at Vocaleyez if you have tried home exercise, what worked or didn’t work for you. Also what you think of the article or what other articles you would like to see.