I've lost 50 pounds without any exercise. I could probably continue to lose at this rate even without it, but I think it's about time I start thinking about adding it in. I'm very out of shape. Even when I was thinner I couldn't run more than 10 seconds without being winded and it definitely hasn't gotten any better since I gained 100 pounds.
I just wish I could find something I'm excited about doing. Leslie Sansone videos are a snoozefest, but Beachbody leaves me feeling like I'm going to keel over 10 minutes into the video. Walking outside is boring and to be honest I feel a little bit embarrassed walking in front of everyone...kinda like "oh look at the fat girl walking to get in her exercise in." I know I shouldn't care about what other people think and getting healthy is nothing to be embarrassed of but I can't help it.
I'm on kind of a budget, too. I can afford some small cheap weights and a video or two but nothing like a treadmill or a gym membership. It sounds like I'm being picky but I really just want something to give me that push to get into it.
I suggest trying yoga, pilates, dance videos, or even simply lifting weights. If your embarassed to walk outside and your really out of shape there are plenty of easy walking videos out there that'll help get you moving. Just do something that has a lot of benefits but isn't back breaking work. After awhile your stamina and energy will increase and then you'll be able to add more things to your routine.
I always felt that exercise for its own sake was pointless. If I was walking, I wanted to be walking TO somewhere. If I was dancing, it was because dancing was fun, not because I was exercising.
Although I now look forward to exercise for its own sake (who'd'a thunk it!? ), I still like "exercise" that has immediate, tangible benefits.
Maybe you'd benefit from exercise that does something concrete, too. Are you close enough to walk somewhere interesting to visit--a store, movie theatre, park, museum? The walk might be your exercise, but your immediate reward is the cool place you're visiting.
A lot of excellent exercise isn't officially exercise. Sweep and mop your floors, vacuum your carpet, repaint a room, prepare your garden for spring planting, get leaves out of the gutters, see how many rhymes you can remember from your childhood rope-jumping days, dance to stuff you loved a few years ago, reorganize your closet, reorganize your pantry, reorganize your bookshelves, walk your dog, clean your fridge.
Studies have shown that people who add non-exercise activities like those to their daily lives lose weight more easily and keep it off better than those who don't. It makes sense: the half-hour you get on the treadmill or whatever is nice, but it's even better when you combine it with another few hours or so of unofficial exercise each day.
The more you make yourself move--and move at a good, sweat-breaking clip--the more you'll find motivation to move. That's when you might decide, "Hey, I'm feeling bored and fidgety, think I'll go for a walk." And if it doesn't have that effect on you, well...you'll still wind up with a gorgeously clean, organized home.
How about something fun and offered for free( or a small fee) at local community colleges - like Line Dancing or Ballroom dancing or yoga or swimming-check out the schools in your area for these courses.
If it isn't fun or interesting, it's hard to stay committed -so hopefully you can find something you'll benefit from AND enjoy. Good Luck- L.
Walking outside doesn't have to be boring if you do it with a buddy. Is there anyone around who would walk with you? An hour passes really quickly when you're wrapped up in a good chat. Even if you just call someone on the phone and talk to them while you walk, it will help the time.
Also with exercise DVDs and whatnot, yoga/pilates might be good to look into. Small weights are good to have around, and you can do easy body weight things like crunches or leg lifts anywhere.
Do you have a game system? Like Wii or something that works with Dance Dance Revolution Pad? If so, there is a game called "walk it out". You have to walk to a beat, earn songs, and build the island one thing at a time. I've been doing it for a 5 weeks, I'm still not finished and I'm getting a lot stronger. A lot of women like it and there's a facebook page for it to help if you get stuck and needs hints. You can set it to easy, normal, hard and really hard, and so on. It's simply walking in place, but it's a game at the same time.
Do you have a friend or neighbor who needs a dog walked? Taking a dog for a walk gives you exercise and a purpose. It's fun, they get exercise, you get a work out and you can talk to them and well, they are great to talk to, because they are just having a good time, and don't judge! You can tell them anything and they're like, "cool", keep moving, this is a good time!
There is one thing that interests me...running. Not running in races or anything, but I'd like to just be able to go outside and run miles. I know I need to get my stamina up before I can run long distances, but how do you get your stamina up? Doing cardio? Could I do something like run-walk-run? I know this doesn't exactly help my not wanting to go outside problem but I'd really like to be able to run.
My husband's doing the couch-to-5K program, often abbreviated C25K around here. He downloaded an app for his Android phone and just...gets on out there. I can tell you for a fact it's working wonders on him--he looks fantastic. I don't have the knees or the boobs for running, but if you want to run, C25K programs are a great place to start.
I found the info on it for him just by Googling, though I'm sure there are plenty of C25K runners on the boards here who could give you more information.
And I think it might help the not wanting to go outside thing, too. When you're working on a particular program with a set series of pace changes, you're focusing on what you're doing, not on boredom or embarrassment.
You don't think it would be too much for me? I know it says couch to 5k, but I think my definition of couch is pretty extreme. I've been almost totally sedentary for years...actually pretty much my whole life! I used to walk around a lot when I was 13 or 14 but that's about it.
Did you have great success with it? Were you able to run the 3 miles in 2 months?
I'd have to unearth his phone to find it, but it took him no time at all to find. He loves it, though, and I think he's on week three now. Should be incredibly easy to find an iPhone app for it that'll ding when you're supposed to shift gears and such.
As for embarrassment while being out, I have a pair of leggings that are chocolate-brown with pink and fuchsia polka dots on them. Some of the dots have bunny silhouettes. I got them at Goodwill for a dollar because even Goodwill didn't want to put a premium price on them. I love these ugly things irrationally; they must remind me of a favorite childhood toy or something, I don't know. Anyway, I wear them when I walk because they make ME feel fun and happy, so I don't give a **** what someone who sees them thinks.
I've already decided that if anyone gives me guff about my beloved hideous pants, I'll tell them that my husband has a clown fetish and thinks they're super-hot.
The thing with C25K is that not everyone works at the same pace. I've never been truly sedentary and it took me longer than 2 months to run 5k. I did it eventually on my own timing. You might do well to go for walks for a couple weeks before starting running, because you will probably feel like you're going to die that first time with the running.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. My average day is just sitting around on the computer doing nothing. I'm young and don't have any health problems that I know of or even anything that would stop me from exercising except my laziness and how tired I get so quickly. I think I'll try the C25K program and if it takes longer then so be it. I'll go at my own pace.
The thing with me is I don't think I like anything to be open ended. I need a goal to work toward. I need my goal weight so I can see how much closer I'm getting. Maybe if I do the program and notice my stamina gradually increasing and it will give me some motivation and something to work toward.
I just can't get motivated to exercise.
), I still like "exercise" that has immediate, tangible benefits. 
