Tue 28 Jun, 2016 08:07 pm
Background: I'm 14 years old, skinny, thin armed, tall, don't know how to swim nor ride a bike, and use the computer way to often (257 hours: Civ V, 318 hours: Skyrim, 270 hours: Terraria, approx. 500 hours: League of Legends) used to stay up until 3:00/2:00 in the morning and wake up at around 10:00 or 12:00. Recently I've grown tired of sitting on the computer all day, wasting my summer, and have tried to become more active. I started going to bed at 12:00 and waking up at 8:00 or 9:00. I want to be more active, but don't want to become a douchebag, or bring it up too much at all, you know, brag about it. I just recently started running every day, and have signed up for private swimming lessons for the summer (the groups that I would've been in would have been elementary kids, which would have been humiliating to learn to swim with). I have started doing push-ups and sit-ups in my room, and after all of this I still feel pathetic. My real issue is upper body strength, my arms are like toothpicks, I can't even get through 6 or 7 push-ups without having to stop. I feel like what I'm doing isn't getting me anywhere, but, of course, I don't want to use drugs or anything like that. I don't want to have to make my parents spend too much money on me either. Where do I start, I feel like I started in the wrong way, and can approach becoming physically fit in a way better way.
@racistm3lon,
Speak to your coach at school. He might get you interested in a sport or two that will help your physical development. Tell the coach you want to become more physically fit.
Until then, do some walking and swimming.
@racistm3lon,
I think what you need is patience. If you keep exercising, eating right and getting enough sleep... you will get physically fit. Unfortunately this doesn't happen overnight. You just need to keep at it.
What anyone would recommend is to spend time running, swimming and doing push-ups and situps. Research also suggests that sleeping 8 or 9 hours a day is important.But you are already doing those things.
If you can find a group of friends to exercise with you, it makes it easier to stay motivated. I know that this can be difficult to find at your age. A coach would help
You are also at the age that many people start going to the gym to work out. If you are looking for upper body strength and visible muscles there is no better way than working out at a gym. Most gyms have trainers/coaches and even classes... and this might be a place to find people who will give you motivation.
My only other advice is to be realistic with yourself. If you try to run 10 or 20 miles every day... you will likely burn out quickly and stop doing anything. If you run 2 or 5 miles two or three times a week... you very well may find this possible to keep up for a long time. Start small... and move up.
And be good to yourself. It is hard for anyone to make changes. If you go from no exercise to exercising a couple times a week... this is a big step. 6 or 7 pushups is a fine place to be, do this serveral times a week and soon you will be able to do 8 or 9... and after that 10 or 11. It is a process... allow your self a little pat on the back each time you improve..
Max is right, patience is key. The other key is persistence.
You should join a gym to work on your strength, especially your upper body
strength. There are plenty of gyms like Planet Fitness that are affordable.
You can make improvements by devoting three sessions a week to it.
Let us know if you decide to join a gym and we will help you work out a
schedule. I go to the gym three days a week myself and, if you like, we
can compare notes on this thread. I'm 71, so you're not going to see big
numbers from me.
Whatever you decide, good luck!
~George
@George,
When we were children living in Sacramento, we worked on the farms every summer to earn money. I also worked at the cannery to unload empty cans from train cars onto conveyer belts that went into the cannery. It was physical labor and we also climbing ladders to harvest fruits on the many farms around Sacramento. Even harvested hops, and didn't know what they were used for until much later. We did swamping which meant throwing boxes full of fruit to the guy standing on the flatbed truck, and changing turns - and got paid .01c/box. When we were children, we walked a lot because none of us owned a car. I guess we had a pretty typical childhood. We use to go fishing, camping (Boy Scouts), and played baseball and basketball.
@cicerone imposter,
When I was growing up, anyone who worked during the summer bought themselves a car. Most kids I knew didn't work, and those who did worked either worked in retail, or as waitstaff.
I spent a lot of time growing up either playing with computers, playing chess or taking apart electronics (to the great dismay of my parents since there were always tubes and wires around the house). I enjoyed camping and we climbed the local mountain, but I wasn't good at sports and didn't care. Most of the time that my mother didn't force me out of the house, I preferred to stay indoors. This worked well for me.
When I was 14 I landed a computer job. I did basic computer tasks, including some basic programming, for $6 an hour. This was great pay for a great job for a teenager. When I was 16 I bought myself a car. I wasn't in great physical shape though.
Decades later, I am still programming computers. Physical fitness is more important for me now than it was back then.
@maxdancona,
Our income went directly to our mother.
@maxdancona,
Our income went directly to our mother.
However, one time, I bought a portable radio, and we had a very big argument. She wanted me to return it for a refund, and I refused.
@maxdancona,
maxdancona wrote:
I spent a lot of time growing up either playing with computers, . . .
Wow! When I was growing up, telephones had rotary dials. Not everyone had one.
@roger,
We used public phones, and even that was rare.
Follow these easy tips and stay fit & healthy :
- Get enough sleep & wake up early in the morning
- Go for walk (at least 30 minute)
- Do physical work (yoga) or exercise regularly
- Try to avoid junk food & take in nutritious and balanced diet
- Drink lots of water
- Limit smoking , alcohol, salt and trans & saturated fats
- Avoid binging on unhealthy snacks between meals in the office rather than keep nuts, sprouts, Fruit or other healthy stuff with you
- Try to manage stress at work place
- Take stairs than elevators
- Limit TV time, play outdoor game like swimming or cycling
- Visit natural places
- Go for regular health checkup to check your health status i.e. to check for normal levels of cholesterol, sugar, blood pressure and other markers like cancer, diabetes or heart diseases.
@racistm3lon,
I was just like you when I was your age, I was a stick figure. You need to sleep, that is step one. If you don't have energy, you'll never have a full tank of gas. Start eating high quality food that is protein dense. I wouldn't run too much - but still do sprinting. Do pushups every day - add 1 more push up every day. You will gradually get stronger. Get some dumbbells and start doing some bicep curls and doing some tricep dips in your room to build your arms. That's a good start, but I wouldn't get into full on weight lifting since you are still young.
@cicerone imposter,
cicerone imposter wrote:
We used public phones, and even that was rare.
And all these many years later, they are more rare than ever.
@roger,
The only reason I used those public phones was that the girl I liked back then lived very far from where we lived. They were also relatively rich, because their home was in a high tone area of Sacramento, and their father owned a movie theater.
I did date her once, and took her to the Crest theater which was relatively new. It opened in 1949.
Seems like that was ten lifetimes ago.
@racistm3lon,
Clearly if you step away from the computer and do something active that you like doing, you're bound to lose some weight. Why even ask?
My suggestion is that you have to do some exercises and walk daily.
you can also join gym. or you have to do some physical job like bicycling playing soccer or some other sports. It ll help you to keep healthy and fit.
@RobertParas,
It's not common today, but in our generation, many of us city dwellers worked on the farms in the summer to earn money. We worked along side blacks and Hispanics, but rarely saw whites.
One summer, I worked in Lodi to do swamping. It's where one guy stands on the flat bed truck while the other guys throws a box full of grape to the guy on the truck to stack up. We change turns every so often, and got paid .01c/box.
That kind of work probably kept my health better than it would have been.
My wife and I go for walks almost every day.
@racistm3lon,
first try to sleep bit early and wake up earl and go for a fresh morning walk which is very beneficial for health then start going to gym and also start eating healthy wood and stop eating junk food
hope this will help you
@racistm3lon,
I think you should discuss with your physical teacher at school. He can give you the best advice you need.
@racistm3lon,
Start playing outdoor game rather than indoor game
start sleep on time
start doing exercise regularly