Mid-Life Beginner Workout

June 2020:

I am spending too much time at home thanks to Covid. I can feel my already aching joints getting worse. I have to do something about this. And so…I did.

I’m 45 years old and never got into working out, so I started off with the best and easiest workout there is…walking. I downloaded a pedometer on my phone so I can track how much I am walking a day. The first couple of weeks I was walking 8,000 steps a day than I graduated to 10,000 steps a day.

I had just purchased 6kg dumbbells and an exercise ball and I already had a treadmill home which was just sitting collecting dust. In addition, I got lucky and found an elliptical at a yard sale. The electronics was not working but I can still use it.

I researched on google as well as watched different workouts on YouTube. Much of what I read or saw was to spend a good 30-60 minutes on the treadmill and do some simple and basic workouts with the dumbbells (everything I was looking up was specific to beginners and working out at home).

I had an idea. At the time I didn’t know if it would be a good idea, it ended up being the best idea for me. However, what works for me doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you. I am not an expert by any means. My idea was to combine the two. I began doing my basic dumbbell workouts while on the treadmill. It’s not the safest idea, especially for a beginner.

I kept the treadmill speed not too fast and not too slow. I was able to do biceps, triceps, shoulders, forearms and even chest. I started with 30 minute walks. By the end of the first month of doing this I was on the treadmill for a solid hour. I fell in love with this program. I never sweat so much in my life. I was sweating so much my back room smelled like a dirty locker room. My wife and kids couldn’t stand it. At my age, I’m not going to see immediate results so the sweat gave me a sense of accomplishment.

My biggest concern during my workouts was my joints, specifically my knees. I had to be very mindful of my knees, especially since my program was almost entirely on the treadmill. My sister-in-law Veronica introduced me to a liquid Collagen that she sells online. No kidding, this was my fountain of youth. I thought she might have been just exaggerating the effects, but far from it. Maybe this won’t work for everybody, but if it worked as well for me as it did, I have to believe it will work well for most people.

This is how I got into shape…