Hrm, I didn't have pain in my legs but I definitely felt so out of shape, I didn't know where to begin. I got winded going up stairs (still do!) and couldn't imagine doing an exercise tape. I'd fall over and pass out! Luckily I have an exercise bike that I was using to hold up the wall in the garage, so I dragged that inside. It's a FitnessEdge bike, recumbent bike, I really love it. Even though it claims the weight limit is 250 pounds, I threw caution to the wind and got on it.
I've been at it about 2 weeks now and my trick is, I don't really push myself too hard right now. I'm not getting a great aerobic workout. Oh well. I'm getting
something, though. My pulse, which is normally way too fast anyway, only gets up to about 128 which for my age (33) is supposedly in a 'slow fat burning' zone. It gets me a little winded, and I only do it for half an hour. I can tell I'm getting a little better, though. Less winded, can bump up the resistance some, etc.
Now, 5 or 6 years ago I was even more exhausted than I am now (but less overweight). I figured I must have been the laziest person on earth. My house was a mess, I didn't have the energy to clean, I'd come home and go lie on the bed and I won't tell you how much I let the house go, it was bad. I just barely had the energy to go to work. I felt like I must feel so bad because I was out of shape. Nope! I eventually (long story) ended up at a hospital while on a business trip, and they ran some blood tests, trying to figure out what was wrong with me. It ended up being that I was
severely anemic, an iron deficiency, like to the point where they were thinking of maybe blood transfusions to correct it.
Actually, that was the beginning of a successful weight loss period. I had to go to a nutritionist to deal with the anemia, and while I was there I was like, "Hrm, how do I eat healthy?" I really didn't know! She helped tons, boy I wish she was still working. She was completely flexible, she didn't preach or lecture, she worked around
my constraints, helped me set realistic goals, etc. Best doctor ever.
Anyway. After this rambling, I guess my advice is to see a doctor first, to make sure there's nothing medically wrong. (Easy for me to advise, I'm deathly afraid of doctors and have an appointment in about 10 days I'm already worrying about.) If that checks out okay, just take it slow. Even a 5-minute walk is a walk.