If you’re just getting started, I can’t wait for you to get moving with my beginner workout plan for obese women. Living a sedentary life will lead to not only poor health, but also you’ll lose out on a lot of opportunities for joy and fun. It’s never too late and you’re never too out of shape to make a change, so come along with me! Pick one of these workouts for overweight beginners!
Remember, before starting ANY kind of exercise, consult with your doctor to make sure they recommend it.
Beginners workout for obese
Exercise is important. But when you have a bigger body, it’s hard to find a workout that you can make progress with that won’t cause pain or damage. These workouts are perfect for you. And you can work up to more over time.
You can work out at home, on vacation, in the gym, outside, whatever works for you. I know the gym can be intimidating. Most people are so busy workout out, they won’t even notice you. If they do, more than likely they’re rooting for you! Everyone has to start somewhere on their fitness journey.
You have heard the expression no pain, no gain, but if you are too sore, you are less likely to return to a future workout. When you are a little bit sore, remember, working out again will work a lot of that out and you’ll feel better after.
If you have a lot of pain in your hips, knees, and ankles, you can start with a stationary bike. This gives you some support while you start to get into shape and you can work your way to walking next. Just make sure you start at a slow beginner level so you don’t really hurt yourself. If you keep at it, you will see progress.
For weight loss, which you need to be able to move more, you have to burn more calories than you take in. So eating healthier as you exercise is going to be important. You can’t out-train a bad diet. So begin to make small changes. You can’t do everything at once, you won’t stick with it. So try losing soda and switching to unsweet tea or water with a squirt of lemon.
Maybe you can add one vegetable per day to your diet and over time, remove one sweet item. Or maybe you can commit to adding a glass of water for each soda you drink if you can’t give them up just yet. This will give your body a boost while you work towards less soda.
Definitely stay away from diet drinks. They will kill you in more ways than one and actually make you crave more sugar because of the artificial sweeteners. Just remember to keep change in mind and decide what you can do and then make it happen. One step at a time will lead to significant progress over time. I know you can do it!
The best workout is one you will do, so choose your favorite and start there. Change it up sometimes to keep it interesting and keep your body responding. Have a backup plan for when one thing won’t work. And be kind to yourself and encourage yourself like you would someone else.
Check out our favorite workout gear here:
If you want more of my weight loss story and how I grew up on little Debbies and soda and learned how to change my health and life through exercise and nutrition, check out this nutrition guide. It has some basic dos and don’ts that my wife and I used for me to lose 100 pounds and be on no medication at age 53. There are also some sample meal plans in there. It was a long process, not a quick fix, but if I can do it, so can you!
There are so many things you can do to get started on your fitness journey. Some of the best exercises for obese people, no matter your fitness level are the ones you will stick to. Strength training, bodyweight exercises, gym workouts, cardiovascular exercise, light weights, chair yoga, whatever it is that sounds fun to you is the exercise program you should focus on.
Remember to reduce the risk of injury by making sure you are using the proper form. A personal trainer can give you some tips to help get your heart rate up with physical activity while avoiding excess joint pain. Exercise is different for obese individuals. Until you get stronger, you need to start with low-impact exercises so that extra weight won’t injure your body. You can start with super simple exercises that increase your range of motion as your first step toward the great benefits of exercise. You can do it, I believe in you.
Home workout plan for women
Walk:
Walking is excellent for cardio. It might be challenging, but you don’t need special gear, just a good pair of shoes. Don’t focus on how far you go, but remember that you are doing it. Keep going! Slow walks burn calories too. And as you build up to it, you can walk faster.
Try it with a partner. Ask your mom or your husband or your best friend to walk with you. If you feel like giving up, they will help motivate you.
Walk in places you like to be. Do you love the beach? Walk there. Do you love the mall? Do that. Is the park your favorite? Do your walking there. If you love your dog, walk with them. Do what you enjoy!
Make sure to pick a time that is good for you. If you hate mornings, don’t get up early to walk, try your lunch break or after work. If you barely drag home after work, walk earlier in the day. Do what works best for you. And that may change over time. But you want it to become a habit or routine to get your workout in.
Do you want to walk outside or on a treadmill. Check out these treadmill workouts for beginners. A treadmill can be a great piece of equipment because it’s there and you don’t have an excuse if it’s raining or whatever. Too cold, use the treadmill. Too hot, walk in the air conditioning. So it’s not a bad idea.
Sample walking routine: Start slow and pick up the pace as you go.
- Walk slowly for 5 minutes.
- Walk as fast as is comfortable for 1 minute.
- Slow down and walk slowly for 1 minute.
- Walk as fast as you can for 3 minutes.
- Slow down and walk slowly for 1 minute.
- Walk as fast as you can for 2 minutes.
- Slow down and walk slowly for 5 minutes.
- Stretch.
If you have a treadmill, you can increase the incline a little as well to protect your joints. As you progress, you can raise it even more to give you more of a challenge. Listen to your body but push it a little bit to make progress. Then add time to your fast walking each week until you are walking for 45 minutes.
Stationary bike:
This can lead to riding bikes outside and can also relieve some pain from the impact that you might get from walking. If you’re unable to walk much, start with the bike.
A stationary bike is a great exercise for obese beginners. They usually have a backrest to support your back.
Start slow. Work on your form. And root for yourself. Your self-image is a big part of success. So see yourself as a strong person who is changing your body to become even stronger. You started, so you rock!
Don’t go crazy on the bike. Just slow and steady. Focus on your long-term goal. And have fun!
- Warm-up for 5 minutes at the lowest speed.
- Increase the resistance to the next level and ride as fast as is comfortable for 1 minute.
- Slow down for 1 minute.
- Increase the resistance to the next level and ride as fast as you can for 1 minute.
- Slow down for 1 minute.
- Go as fast as you can again for 2 minutes.
- Slow down for 1 minute.
- Go as fast as you can again for 3 minutes.
- Slow down and decrease the resistance again for 5 minutes.
- Stretch.
Over time, increase your fast times and resistance as you are able. Then once you are making improvements and have toned up a little bit and shed a little bit of fat for muscle, try walking and biking each for part of your workout. Make it fun. Add music, sing, dance, whatever makes you enjoy moving your body.
Dancing:
Speaking of dancing, it’s great exercise. It keeps the body actively engaged. My wife likes to dance with her toddlers in her home daycare for part of her movement. Kids are fun and she gets lost in hanging out with them and gets more movement. You don’t have to be good at it to enjoy it.
Dance with your husband, friend, or family. It’s more fun with others. Join a dance class. Use your favorite kind of music. And dance regularly.
I like rock music, so we’ll use that as an example. Use whatever moves you have and try to change them up as you go along.
- Start out with Under Pressure by Queen.
- Then jam out to Celebration by Cool and the Gang.
- Cool down to Free Bird by Lynard Skynard.
- Stretch
Use whatever music you like to make it fun, but alternate the intensity. The cool thing about music is one song can do that for you because many times they have fast and slow parts.
Water exercises:
Swimming and water exercises are ideal for obese women because they take the pressure off your joints. Join a water aerobics class. They are tons of fun and you have a community of people like you. You can water walk up and down the lanes or swim. It doesn’t matter as much what. Just do it.
Don’t worry about wearing a bathing suit. At our gym, as long as you don’t wear cut-off shorts, shorts and a t-shirt are fine for using the pool. So check the policy and get in that water!
Swimming for 30 minutes a day is great. You can work up to that over time. Here’s a great way to start on your own.
- Walk up and down the lanes for 5 minutes slowly to warm up.
- Swim or walk as fast as you can for 1 minute.
- Walk slowly for 1 minute.
- Swim or walk as fast as you can for 3 minutes.
- Walk slowly for 1 minute.
- Swim or walk as fast as you can for 4 minutes.
- Walk slowly for 5 minutes.
- Get out of the pool and stretch.
Weightlifting:
Weightlifting is a very effective workout plan for obese women who want to trim down. You can add weightlifting into your routine at least twice a week. You burn more calories overall with more muscle. You don’t have to bulk up or lift heavy weights for the effects. You can use bottles of water or a can of vegetables. Or buy small 1-5 pound hand weights. You can also use resistance bands instead.
Do 5 reps of each exercise and two sets of the whole thing.
- Walk slowly for 5 minutes and stretch.
- 5 Bicep curls
- 5 Tricep kickbacks
- 5 Shoulder presses
- 5 Leg lifts on each side
- 5 Leg extensions in a chair
- 5 Bicep curls
- 5 Tricep kickbacks
- 5 Shoulder presses
- 5 Leg lifts on each side
- 5 Leg extensions in a chair
- Stretch
You can lose weight and improve your health with just a few minutes a day on this workout plan for obese women. You’ll see benefits even in getting up and down from a chair. Try to work out 5-6 days a week. You can do this! Start small, and work your way up to 60 minutes a day of movement. You are more than worth it! I believe in you and I can’t wait to hear about your success.
If you need to start even slower, don’t forget about these chair exercises for obese beginners too! Support your weight with the chair while you build muscle and mobility. And don’t forget these free workouts for obese beginners too! And check out these fun workouts too. Check this article for the Best Home Workout Equipment to buy.
Why did the cell phone have to go to the dentist? Because he had a blue tooth! Ha!
For more information on how to measure your weight loss in inches correctly, click here.
For more beginner workout ideas, check this out:
That’s an ideal resource for us coaches of women carrying extra weight.
Whoever created this was a perceptive soul who has encapsulated the role of body, mind and spirit. I will be recommending it to my clients who find standard workouts too challenging. Women who pile on the pounds over a span of time often do so not because of a craving for food, but because they have emptied their own inner space, dedicating themselves heart and soul to meeting the needs of family, friends and neighbors. Often forgetting their own worth, they promote the goals of loved ones via a sense of duty, generosity and ethics. Good on you for focusing on women in a compassionate, non-judgmental way. The time has come for these uplifting souls to be lifted up. This workout has the potential to fill that inner space with well-deserved self-care.
Congratulations and Thank You!
Thank you! I’m so glad you found it useful!
Hi, I’m 59 year old female Im a beginner 2 last winter I started going to gym once a week this week I’m challenging myself go every day so far so good..I’m loving it. Thank you for the women beginner obese exercise routine…it’s giving me a excellent idea of what to do so thank you and blessings to you.😀🥗🙏💖
What a wonderful thing to hear this morning. I am so thrilled that you are giving yourself that gift. Great job and keep it up. You are worth it. Thank you for reading and thank you for reaching out!