Changing your entire lifestyle would not happen in a day, no, and is not a good goal to set for the short term. And I totally understand negative feedback loops in that regard. It's part of why most of my conscious attempts to lose weight fail. Speaking of which, I don't actually remember if you've ever said what sort of body type you are. But I'm slightly taller than average, naturally heavyset, with short legs. My god, my short legs. Everyone passes me by on the streets.
All righty. *dusts off hands* Some easy stretches to start off with...
1. Stand up. Just, stand straight up. Then do a count, just an average pace like you would for a dance step - "1-2, 3-4". On "1", lift your leg (bending at the knee), so you're standing on one foot. Reach down with your hand to see if you can grab your ankle. On "2", set it down. Repeat on the other side with "3-4", and do for maybe fifteen to thirty seconds. This is actually a good stretch for easing out your thigh muscles, and it's great warm up.
2. A similar stretch, done from the same position, is kind of like walking in place, or I guess marching more accurately. Lift your leg like you're about to take a step with your knee really high. Keep to the same pace - lift on "1", set down on "2", lift the other leg on "3", set it down on "4", repeat. Also good for your thighs, knees, and hips. For an added stretch, try to touch your opposite elbow to your knee - that has the added benefit of working out your back.
3. Butterfly stretch. Everybody knows this one. Sit on the floor, bring the balls of your feet together, and pull them in to your body as close as you can. Try to touch your nose to your toes.
4. Straddle stretch - sit on the floor and spread your legs out like you're about to do a split, but, seriously, don't try to do a split. At my most flexible, I couldn't manage a split with this. Just try to keep your legs a little bit wider each day, but a sixty degree angle is perfectly legit to start with. Then just lean forward enough to try and touch your elbows to the floor, then lean over your right and left legs trying to grab your toes.
Honestly? If there are any dance classes in your area, I would heartily recommend them. I'm something of a dancing fool myself, and most of the work is in the legs or hips. It's going to sound utterly ridiculous, but I've yet to find a dance that's better for your body than middle eastern dancing...a.k.a belly dancing. If they have any idea what they're doing, they'll welcome any guys who participate. There's a yearly class at my birthday convention, and one time a three hundred pound dude in a kilt showed up. The teacher stopped the class to applaud him.
Mine is a life of temperature extremes - either the deep south, where we're known for our warm years, or up here in the midwest, where it's supposed to get frickin' cold (hasn't thus far). Maybe one day you can \o/. Or, hell, I could summon you down here and show off our local comic book shop. Fairly well stocked for such a tiny place. And I wouldn't let you leave without buying some TMNT comics!
The Internet is easier. Which doesn't necessarily make it better, but I do feel you there. I have so much less inclination or cause to panic over people on the Internet, and when I start I generally take it as a bad sign about my relationship with that person. People in general are just less stressful to me, and I'm much better at communicating and being straight with people. Even so, communicating with people face to face is a skill people do need to have, suckish as it is to say. So, keep at it!
2/2 - more fun stuff
All righty. *dusts off hands* Some easy stretches to start off with...
1. Stand up. Just, stand straight up. Then do a count, just an average pace like you would for a dance step - "1-2, 3-4". On "1", lift your leg (bending at the knee), so you're standing on one foot. Reach down with your hand to see if you can grab your ankle. On "2", set it down. Repeat on the other side with "3-4", and do for maybe fifteen to thirty seconds. This is actually a good stretch for easing out your thigh muscles, and it's great warm up.
2. A similar stretch, done from the same position, is kind of like walking in place, or I guess marching more accurately. Lift your leg like you're about to take a step with your knee really high. Keep to the same pace - lift on "1", set down on "2", lift the other leg on "3", set it down on "4", repeat. Also good for your thighs, knees, and hips. For an added stretch, try to touch your opposite elbow to your knee - that has the added benefit of working out your back.
3. Butterfly stretch. Everybody knows this one. Sit on the floor, bring the balls of your feet together, and pull them in to your body as close as you can. Try to touch your nose to your toes.
4. Straddle stretch - sit on the floor and spread your legs out like you're about to do a split, but, seriously, don't try to do a split. At my most flexible, I couldn't manage a split with this. Just try to keep your legs a little bit wider each day, but a sixty degree angle is perfectly legit to start with. Then just lean forward enough to try and touch your elbows to the floor, then lean over your right and left legs trying to grab your toes.
Honestly? If there are any dance classes in your area, I would heartily recommend them. I'm something of a dancing fool myself, and most of the work is in the legs or hips. It's going to sound utterly ridiculous, but I've yet to find a dance that's better for your body than middle eastern dancing...a.k.a belly dancing. If they have any idea what they're doing, they'll welcome any guys who participate. There's a yearly class at my birthday convention, and one time a three hundred pound dude in a kilt showed up. The teacher stopped the class to applaud him.
Mine is a life of temperature extremes - either the deep south, where we're known for our warm years, or up here in the midwest, where it's supposed to get frickin' cold (hasn't thus far). Maybe one day you can \o/. Or, hell, I could summon you down here and show off our local comic book shop. Fairly well stocked for such a tiny place. And I wouldn't let you leave without buying some TMNT comics!
The Internet is easier. Which doesn't necessarily make it better, but I do feel you there. I have so much less inclination or cause to panic over people on the Internet, and when I start I generally take it as a bad sign about my relationship with that person. People in general are just less stressful to me, and I'm much better at communicating and being straight with people. Even so, communicating with people face to face is a skill people do need to have, suckish as it is to say. So, keep at it!
/rambles rambles rambles