I can't get started. I try and then fail. I really need to exercise but I find excuses not to. I have a gym membership but don't go. I want to go very badly. I turned 45 last Wednesday and I swore that I would not be this fat at this age. Well so much for that. I don't know what to do.

Why don't you try making some small steps first? Like going for a 30-60 minute walk each day. Try choosing the stairs over elevators, and parking further from stores than you normally would. Drink a lot of water and keep fresh fruit/veggies on hand. You can do it!

I agree with the small steps theory!

Maybe step one can be just put your gym clothes ON and walk around the house in them. Do 10 jumping jacks & then call it a day!

...and then Step 2 can be the next day.... put on your gym clothes & actually GO to the gym. You don't have to go in. Just GO. Sit in your car a minute. Then decide you can "go home...." or most likely, you will think... "well, I'm already here... might as well go on in."

Step 3 could be committing to 10 minutes of exercise. TEN MINUTES. You can do that. Anybody can do 10 minutes. Any exercise you choose! Treadmill, elliptical machine, yoga class, whatever! - and so what if you can't complete 10 minutes? Do what you CAN! 8 minutes.... 6 minutes... whatever! - Doing a little is always better than doing nothing!

Step 4 could be adding 2 more minutes on your next trip.

Step 5 could be trying a new exercise on your next trip.

Step 6 could be adding another 5 minutes to your total exercise time.

You see? Little steps. Before you know it, you'll be telling people how you "lost all that weight" and "Wow, I never used to like exercise but now I love it!"

You never know WHAT you can do ..... UNTIL YOU DO IT.

Hi, and welcome to the boards. I am 53, and the best thing I can say, is to do it in little changes. If you go out with a "**** for leather" sort of thing you will give up early.start by making changes with breakfast, if you work, take your own lunch,keep low fat snaks on hand, drink lots of water, and take the gym slowly. So as not to get too sore on anything. You should be a little sore but not crippled lol.
You can do this,
Mary

Well, there is only one thing for it, and you know what it is! Are you ready?

GET UP OFF THE CHAIR! GET INTO YOUR WORKOUT CLOTHES! GET YOUR CAR KEYS! GET OUT THE DOOR AND GET INTO YOUR CAR! DRIVE TO GYM WORK IT WORK IT!

OK, I hope I made you laugh a little--but I'm not really joking. This is how every one of us gets ourselves to exercise. We have to get up and do it.

Sometimes if I'm not in the mood, I just turn myself into a robot with a prime directive and get to it. If it's going for a walk, then getting out the door is the hurdle, and once out there I can keep going. If it's the gym, I walk like a zombie to the car and drive there. Even if I only stay 15 minutes and ride an exercise bike, I've DONE it. YOU can do it too! You can! You say you want to really badly--well PROVE it, girl! Log off and GO there!

Keep going!
Jay

You can do this! There's a lot of us here who have started - and restarted - at your age and more (I'm 62!) You've gotten lots of good advice here, and I'll add one more. Change your self-talk. Stop telling yourself You do know what to do, but you're telling yourself you're going to fail so why bother. Start being nice to yourself, making positive statements "I'll try x today." Like Beach Patrol says, take baby steps, and phrase them to yourself in positive terms. "Today I'll go to the gym and walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes." Set small positive goals and pretty soon they'll be a habit. You CAN do this.

Hi, You can do it. Don't ever give up. I agree small steps is the only way. I hadn't exercised in at least 5 years or even walked. I started walking last monday and just did 10 minutes at a time slow walking and now I am at brisk walking at 20 minutes at a time now. It's not even hard to walk now. I started last monday and have walked at least 30 minutes aday every day even on the weekend and I am down 7 lbs. I know it was the walking and also the water drinking that did it. I drink about 80 oz a day. I try for more but that's all I can do now but it is slowly building up. I don't crave snacks late at night anymore and I was a snackaholic until I realized I want to live. I was through with feeding my body things that was going to kill it.
It's only been a week but I am now making choices to live.
I feel 200% better than I have in a long time. I have energy now. I'm not walking around like a zombie. I'm alive. I know you can do it you just have to have a plan.

what really helped for me was getting an elliptical but I realize it's not practical for everyone. another thing that worked is getting NICE workout clothes! I wanted to work out so badly in my awesome outfit. Good luck!

Great advice here - other things I'll throw in, if you're not ready for a full-on workout, would be to add more activity to your lifestyle. Park at the FARTHEST spot to give yourself the extra walk, take the stairs, shlep a grocery basket instead of carting around, walk around or do stretches while gabbing on the phone, do something active with friends (bowling, hiking) instead of going to a cafe.

Every little bit helps and they'll get you revved up for exercise too.

I find it so difficult to get up and exercise - especially after a long day of work. Sometimes I can force myself to do it mindlessly, but other times, I find it's helpful to come on here to look at the pictures of people who have lost tons of weight and that makes me think of how much I want to be one of them. As a last resort, I'll look at a few truly horrible pictures of myself and that usually scares me into moving I hope you find something that works for you.

Thank you all sooooooo very much. I have been inspired. Today I will go to the gym. I have to. I will report back tomorrow. Thank you again.

Wow!!! Beach Patrol has me feeling motivated!!! I wish someone would have said that to me when I was starting out!! But she is soooo right. Just small changes. With excersize, if you haven't done it in some time, you just have to start out small. I am one of those go all the way excersizers. And I pay for it everyday. I go to my gym class and I tell myself I am not going to push to my highest capacity so that i can make it thru the whole class without stopping to catch my breath....but i can't. I give it my all and then I have to stop to catch my breath and the next days my knees are killing me. But that's just the way I am. But you should definately start small. take a 10 minutes walk around the block one day, the next add a minute or two. Good luck and keep up posted!!!

Everyone gave you great advice. You need to find something that works for you, maybe the gym isn't for you, maybe walking after dinner? or early in the morning? I think you need to realize that only you can loose weight, no one is going to carry you into they gym, and no one is going to help, if they see you aren't motivated.
You said you didn't want to be the weight you are at your age, so you need to ask yourself why? Maybe write it down, why you want to loose weight? Look at those reasons , are they that important to you? Now picture what you want to do when you loose weight? Picture that? Do you think you will be happier?
For me my motivation is buying nicer clothes, I have pics around of very obese people around, and that scares me into being healthier. Also I have children, and I want to be around another 30 - 50 yrs to live for them, and for me.
If taking it one step at a time works that is great, if not you need to suck it up and do it! You are Women! you are Strong!!!

*** Well Behaved Women Rarely make History********