Today is my first day or exercising, and I'm curious if anyone has any advice on how much to start off with? I did about 30 minutes worth and am hoping to get back to it after dinner.

I'm afraid of starting off too strong and getting burnt out, but then again I don't want to go too slow either.

Advice anyone?

I would say 30 minutes is a good place to start. I've heard that it's also beneficial to do short 10 - 15 minute workouts several times a day too, so if that's easier for you you can try that as well. I did 30 minute workouts for about a month and started upping it to at least 45 minutes as long as I have the time. Pretty much if I you find that you're not really working up too good of a sweat, you can either go a little longer until you are getting a pretty decent workout, or try and up the intensity. I sometimes do different things depending on the day.

You definitely don't want to overdo it! When I started out I aimed for half an hour of aerobic activity (usually walking or exercise bike) per day, five days a week, and found that was a little too much on the same muscle groups.

My personal sweet spot is light aerobics on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, then strength training my upper body on Tuesday and Thursday, so everything gets a rest.

I also agree that doing a few shorter workouts throughout the day may serve you better than one longer one. It makes it feel like you're doing less, but the benefit to one's body seems to be the same regardless of the duration of each individual session.

I would work out for 30 minutes, three days a week, and see how you like that. Then step it up if you are ready to do more, with the goal of moving a little bit each day. The MOST important part of it is finding an exercise you love, whatever it may be!

Oh gosh, if I had waited for that to happen, I'd probably still not be exercising, lol.

Now granted, I LOVE what exercise DOES for me. I know it's aided in my weight loss and now my maintenance, but I've yet to find something that I adore. Maybe if I were a tennis player or a runner or what not, but I'm not. I think if you CAN find something that you love, well of course that would be fabulous. But it may never happen.

I incorporated exercise into my life because I knew that I needed to. I needed the added calorie burn and to get myself fit, trim, flexible, toned, active and moving. It's just something that I do. Like brushing my teeth, the laundry and paying my bills. It's essential to my well being and to not do it is no longer an option. Don't get me wrong, I am totally ecstatic that I can and do do it, it's something that I never ever regret doing. Ever.

Yes, there are lots of things out there and hopefully you'll find one that you really enjoy. Keep on experimenting, but until then do it anyway! Maybe you WILL be one of the lucky ones who finds something that you totally love. Lots of them DO exist. Or so I hear.

I think 3 X a week for 30 minutes at a pop is a good way to start. Or 4 x a week at 20 minutes a pop. You can also add in some smaller spurts of activity and motion. Just keep moving. Keep moving. Keep moving. Sneak it in there. And please start with strength training right away. You want to lose FAT, not muscle and strength training is your best bet at doing so. A simple resistance band can get you started on that.

I look forward to hearing of your progress.

Thanks ladies!

Reading everyone's progress really has me amped. I just hope I don't get disappointed and fall off the wagon if I don't see an immediate difference (which has happened oh so many times before).

Please keep in mind that weight loss is not an immediate gratification type thing. It's GOING to take time to *see* a difference. Immediate is just not happening. You MUST know that and ACCEPT it. There is no way around it.

No more falling off the wagon!!! You MUST commit to this - totally and fully. Otherwise, well, it just won't work. KNOW that if you stick with it that eventually it will show up. And in a big, big way. You've got to hang on to when those rewards start surfacing. You've got to. What other choice is there? To remain how you are? No, stop settling. Do this. Commit to this. Decide to do this, once and for all and permanently. Approach this in a mature, reasonable, responsible, intelligent fashion. Tell yourself again and again and again - it didn't come on over night - IT'S NOT GOING TO COME OFF OVERNIGHT. Work through it. Get past the *no show* stage. KNOW that the good is coming. And it will. And it's worth it. More than you can possibly imagine.

When I started exercising this past year I kept it very light (10 minutes 3 times a day) and then built up. The first week was really hard because I wanted to see immediate results on the scale. Unfortunately that didn't happen and I actually gain 2-3 lbs (it was water weight that went away after about a week). If you're starting to exercise ignore the scale for awhile or force yourself to stick with an exercise schedule for a few weeks until it becomes habit. Results take time, but in the end it'll be worth it! Good luck!!!!

I think rockinrobin's advice is great. You have to make exercise a part of your life like brushing your teeth. I also agree with many others advice about starting slow and not expecting instant results. You are going to exercise for the rest of your life so what does it matter if you see the results in 2 weeks or 2 months?

Go for it slowly and steadily in the new year!

Very powerful quote... I think I'm going to tape that to my bathroom mirror.

I was thinking the same thing! I thought I'd start with 30 minutes of exercise per day, 5 times per week. I'm willing to increase the time of exercise as I go along because when I lose weight, it gets easier. I'm training for the 40-mile walk in March so my exercise will be mainly based on walking.

Walking is always a great way to exercise, you can just get out and about and it's free :]

Amazing words!

I've always done 30 minutes 5 days a week at the minimum, and if I feel like it I add more. I started out very slow on the treadmill and kept upping the incline and speed when it became too easy. I knew if I tried to do more I would get frustrated and give up. Been there done that over and over!
Don't go crazy and over do it, gradually build your strength and endurance. Like Robin said, you are in this for the long haul right? Being consistent with it really pays off.

This was very much my experience too. The first month or so, I focused on eating, and once I felt like I had built up a good routine for that, I added in some activity. But definitely with a slow start and also a temporary increase in weight.

For now, I'm trying to not get nuts. I've signed up for the Points challenge here, but just put my goal as 20 minutes. I know that a lot of the time, I'll exceed that, but I wanted to keep the 20 minute goal so that on my "I don't want to!" days, I can do some easy movement for 20 minutes and still know I'm sticking with my plan. And I'm sure in a couple of months, I'll be ready to increase that minimum but I need to let myself get there naturally instead of pushing to do too much too soon.

I just want to point out the fact that to avoid a sports related/overuse injury you should start out exercising 3x a week and listen to your body. Be realistic with yourself and understand the difference between the "burn" and pain. generally if anything is hurting your joint you need to focus on physical therapy type exercise for the joint's muscle group. I have abandoned many weight-loss plans in the past because I let my knees get so beat up by trying to exersice too much, to hard, too soon. this time around I started out with 3 days of videos 45 minutes each day (about 10-15 minutes were warm-up/cool-down), then after about 3-4 weeks i added 3 days of cardio training (the couch 2 5k program from coolrunning.com).

This time around I feel great! my knees are stronger and I look forward to moving 6x a week!

Before I fell off the wagon in '08, I did 30 minutes of treadmill every other day, following the couch25k program. (This was my first time exercising EVER) My treadmill is now broken and I have an exercise bike, but I really don't get much of a workout from it, which is probably why I don't stick to it.

Don't over do it also because you can cause an injury. Stress fractures, tendonitis and shin splints can de-rail you just when you were pumped to get going. It's no fun! Listen to your body. You'll know the right amount.

Since you're just starting I would recommend a lot of variety while you look for things you like to do. Personally, I hate cardio because it's boring. I do it anyway, like was said before. But I really like strength training. When I do that, I find myself focusing on what my body can do and not as much on what it looks like. Even if the scale isn't moving, I can tell that I am getting stronger. I "enjoy" the soreness because I have something that makes me feel like I accomplished something. It also makes stretching feel really good the next day. But this is me.

I really think there is something out there you'll enjoy. Even if most days are automatic "teeth-brushing" activities, some days (like weekends) can be something else. Walk around your neighborhood with a friend. Join an intramural softball league. After the boring part of your workout, treat yourself and light some candles, heat up a moist hand towel and do some yoga. Go to the mall and walk. Try an exercise video that is more than just aerobics, some are dance training. Once you learn the moves, turn down the volume on the TV and play your own favorite music. Turn your favorite TV shows into exercise games - everytime they say a certain word do 10 crunches, everytime a certain character talks march in place. Be creative. Next time you go to the gym, try to make a friend. Eventually you might start arranging your time there to buddy up.

I guess the bottom line is that if there is something other than purely exercising involved it will keep you going. Whether it's time spent with a friend, the commitment to join a team, your relaxation time, an association with a TV show or the desire to learn a new dance - whatever, but those things are what keep you going. In the real world we can't do them everytime, but they help!