You can actually do both. Do your curls etc. in front of the TV or go to a gym/set up a home gym where you have TV or internet on the treadmill/stationary bike etc.
then you can suffer through being a couch potato while suffering through working out. Yay.
In all seriousness though- if you are extremely sedentary and especially if so and you have a relatively high weight- it isn’t quite as easy as “hit the gym.” One must be careful of their heart, circulatory system, central nervous system, joints and connective tissues etc. things like squats, lunges, box jumps, stair climbs, running or even walking and such, even if some in proper form, can have a harder impact on joints and the heart etc. it’s tempting to try and go “all in” out of the gate, but it’s generally advisable to start with lighter workouts for anyone starting out- especially those in the above categories. Low impact exercise can be beat, swimming is an example of an exercise which tends to put less strain on the joints. Various other exercises and programs can be good to start out for those with special considerations to avoid injuries that can cause problems but also cause lengthy setbacks in training goals or create negative associations with training.
The truth is that you don’t even really have to “suffer” much or at all to train. “Feel the burn” or “if your sore you know you got a good workout” are largely crap. You can get in healthy exercise and gain strength and improve your health without feeling like you got hit by a truck the next day or needing to throw up mid session. Those are usually signs you’re pushing your body to or past it’s limits beyond what is required to see improvements.
It is true that generally to be in “top shape” like a pro athlete or a fitness model, and/or to accelerate the time table for such goals that one can see advantages to this sort of extreme mentality. That said you can also easily get injured. For people who are averse to working out- especially those who fear the pain and discomfort- the old cliches aren’t the only way. Fitness isn’t a 6 week or 6 month process. It’s years or best even a lifetime set of behaviors and routines.
This is why most “diets” don’t work long term. They tend to not be sustainable. They are either unhealthy in the long term, or they are so unpleasant people don’t stick to them or can’t make them work in their lives. The fitness that works is the fitness that works for YOU. Not everyone will have or wants to live the life to be “cover shoot ready,” that’s ok. Be realistic. You can look and feel better and be healthier without going crazy and drinking green bean smoothies for every meal and going to bed at 8:30 every night and running 6 miles when you wake up. You don’t have to be that serious. Wall choices to start are good. Replacing flavored drinks etc with water either altogether or one at a time- “I’ll only drink soda/sweet tea/etc. when I am not at home” or “only for one meal” or “only one glass a day..” etc. “grazing-“ where people take little snacks through the day is a big one. Cutting that out or substituting healthier snacks is a step in the right direction.
Taking little walks, even around the house- that can be something and a start. You won’t likely lose 300lbs that way or lose 80lbs in a year, but it’s a start. But take a start and ramp it up and maintain the level you can. You do need to push a little, you might need to feel sore your first week or two working out, but you can feel sore in a manageable way not an agonizing way, and if you’re doing the right routines you may never feel that soreness again and still get results. To get in “movie shape” may take an actor 6-12 or so months. That’s full time 200% effort and it’s hell generally. Hence why so many actors get in crazy shape for a role and you see them not long after and they are in the tabloids with a gut. Because as soon as there wasn’t millions of dollars at stake they stopped that routine. It’s unsustainable even for people who can structure their life around it and pay the best people in the world to help. It’s brutal and not a fun way to live for most people either.
So if you take it semi easy- maybe 3-4 workouts a week about an hour each and never* feel sore- you could get in really good shape in maybe 3-4 years. Most people doing a routine like this will feel results in under a year and have results people will notice in as little as a year, results many will be impressed by in maybe 2 years. Everyone is different and your exact routine and commitment factor in as well as age and genetics and other things- but 3-4 years is a much more realistic plan than 6 months. Find what you can stick too. Lasting health and fitness come from consistency. After awhile the routine becomes second nature like brushing your teeth or doing laundry or whatever. If you create a routine that fits your life and make some little changes to help fit it into your life, it can be tough at first, but in time it just becomes… life. You’ll get used to training at X time for an hour on X days and get used to changes in how you eat and what.
Most people should t just try to go all in. Liquid calories like alcohol, soda, fancy coffees, even sauces and condiments are often huge sources of calories and junk in your diet.
But maybe you “need” that Friday after work beer or that morning Frapelategrandewhatsit? Don’t stop then. The less you can make yourself hate this, the more you’re likely to do it and stick to it. So if you can make it work, have your “treat” here and there but cut back where you can. Can you live with a smaller size coffee? Maybe less syrup? Maybe you can give up another snack or drink? Maybe if you have to have a burger on Friday’s- set up your Friday workout to be a hard one with lots of weights or resistance and have your burger right after as a reward and (junky) protein? Is there a fast food place you love? Ok. Maybe you stop going to any fast food except that place, and limit how often you can go? Things like that.
Unless you want to be crazy fit or you are really old or unhealthy- you can probably still have many of the things you love. You just have to pay attention to what you’re eating and make sure you’re being active. Have a little less of what you live or give yo the things that aren’t “worth” the cost in terms of calories etc. pick things that really satisfy you and stick to those. Try removing things that are less in line to a healthy diet- do you absolutely NEED the large sandwich or can you be happy with a medium? Do you NEED the bacon cheese burger or can you be just about as happy with just a cheeseburger or a burger without cheese? Lots of little ways.
The big point is- for most people fitness doesn’t have to be punishing and for most people, if it is punishing you’re doing it wrong. For some people they like that punishment in an odd way. If you’re one of those people though this meme probably doesn’t apply to you. Most people this meme applies to are people who don’t like or
Don’t want to be “beast mode” or whatever. For those people I am telling you- you don’t really need to suffer to be healthy or be in shape. You need to be patient and consistent and make little changes with gradually increasing intensity as you’re able. There is some adjustment generally and the worse your health and fitness are the more you’ll have to have some discomfort maybe- but it doesn’t have to be this brutal thing that so many people make it out to be or so many people are afraid of. You can get in gray shape without ever running a mile or touching a stationary bike or going near a cross fit class or a workout studio. You can do weights, resistance training, all sorts of things and at levels that don’t push you far beyond your comfort zone. It takes some level of exceeding what’s “easy” to get fit. The body responds when we ask it to do things that push it a little. You don’t have to push it off a cliff though.
then you can suffer through being a couch potato while suffering through working out. Yay.
It is true that generally to be in “top shape” like a pro athlete or a fitness model, and/or to accelerate the time table for such goals that one can see advantages to this sort of extreme mentality. That said you can also easily get injured. For people who are averse to working out- especially those who fear the pain and discomfort- the old cliches aren’t the only way. Fitness isn’t a 6 week or 6 month process. It’s years or best even a lifetime set of behaviors and routines.
But maybe you “need” that Friday after work beer or that morning Frapelategrandewhatsit? Don’t stop then. The less you can make yourself hate this, the more you’re likely to do it and stick to it. So if you can make it work, have your “treat” here and there but cut back where you can. Can you live with a smaller size coffee? Maybe less syrup? Maybe you can give up another snack or drink? Maybe if you have to have a burger on Friday’s- set up your Friday workout to be a hard one with lots of weights or resistance and have your burger right after as a reward and (junky) protein? Is there a fast food place you love? Ok. Maybe you stop going to any fast food except that place, and limit how often you can go? Things like that.
The big point is- for most people fitness doesn’t have to be punishing and for most people, if it is punishing you’re doing it wrong. For some people they like that punishment in an odd way. If you’re one of those people though this meme probably doesn’t apply to you. Most people this meme applies to are people who don’t like or