Where to start?????????????? I haven't exercised in years.

Occasionally I do the treadmill. Well today I decided to do Jillian Michaels 30 day shred and I couldn't get past the first 8 minutes. I physically couldn't keep up

Any tips on how to start??? TIA

Walking on the treadmill (or outside) is a great way to start, it's how I started in fact.

Ha! I had been walking for a couple months and had started stair climbing hundreds of stairs and I couldn't keep up for the first eight minutes (ahem, or less) either. Don't worry about it. Jillian is good, but it's tough.

Good news is it gets better.

Why don't you just start with something that gets your heart rate up and continue to challenge yourself from there? Brisk walking, then maybe a bike ride, or climbing some stairs, by then you can go back to Jillian. And some weight training would be good too.

Don't rush it -- no point in going too fast. All that matters is that you're getting the benefit you need and pushing yourself when it gets too easy.

For 30 day shred, although she says you need to do exactly what she says, you can still modify. If she is using weights, don't use any. If she is doing jumping jacks, do side kicks or walk in place. Do what you can until you get better. I'd agree that 8 minutes is great.

Walking outside is also great exercise. If for some reason you would prefer to do videos, Leslie Sansone Walking off the pounds is highly rated.

I just started exercising a few weeks ago.I really like the elliptical.In the past,I did Leslie's videos which I also liked. A good way to start is just walking outside,and keep trying to go a little longer,or farther.

When I started at 250 I just walked for about 4 weeks. After that I tried Biggest Loser Bootcamp. It's in 3 levels. It was hard at first but didn't take long to be able to do the first level without too much trouble. The second level was a whole other story!! But I definatly saw results.

I don't remember how many minutes I made it the first time - I did the warm up, the first strength set (I refuse to state how FEW pushups I managed, girlie ones of course), and died during the first set of cardio.

I think I'm on day 12 now (probably been about 16 days - I have mornings I oversleep, or whatever) - and I can finish Level 1. Considering level 2 this weekend or so. If you just keep trying you'll be amazed how quickly you progress.

Thank you so much for the replies and encouragement

I'm feeling much better about my eight minutes now

I also feel like my legs are going to give out after those eight minutes LOL

I started out walking at the school track. I walked every day for an hour and that slowly morphed in running five to six miles over a span of about four months. Baby steps.

First of all, it does get easier

If you are exercising at home there are many things you can try before letting Jillian kill you with the Shred.
There are website that sell workout DVDs that list them by the abilities of the user, find a beginner one and build from there.
If you can, you could also buy a Wii and Wii fit. It is great to at least get you into a routine and moving.
Walking is also a great way to build up (you can always change duration or intensity as you progress)

You can do it!

I do have a wii fit......... I really just need to dedicate the time for myself to do it. I do like the wii fit. It's kind of hard to compete with my 1 year old who wants to be stepping on and off it along with me LOL. I'm gonna have to use while she's napping

You'd be amazed how far walking can get you with fitness progress. I started with walking at my heaviest and then progressed to running eventually. Its easy, cheap, and you can work at your own pace and keep yourself challenged by increasing speed as you get fitter.

DVDs are also great for people of all sizes... there are all kinds of levels and types... Kickboxing, Aerobics, Step and so on.

I agree, walking is a great activity for beginner and expert alike. And of course, I love my Wii so I am a big advocate of it . I started out with 5-10 minutes walking in place and worked my way up to Leslie Sansone DVDs. She is pretty awesome and worth checking out if you haven't yet .

Whatever you choose, just start out slow and work your way up to where you'd like to be. Rome wasn't built in a day .


Hugs
Michelle

Find something you like, that's the most important thing. Also don't push yourself too far, make sure your still in a comfort zone of activity. Last thing you need is to pull a muscle or something worse.