How do I even start exercising?

PikaKnight

why do you only wear combat boots?

Only pair of shoes that I own that do not have holes

Well, as Crank said..invest in some sneakers.

Otherwise, you can do a lot of bodyweight exercises barefoot in your home.

FatFreeFrolicking

Start slow.

Don't worry if you can't walk for more than a half mile. That's a start. We all start somewhere.

Overtime, your endurance and stamina will build up and that half mile will turn into a mile, and then five miles, and so on.

Start by doing low impact exercise like walking, swimming, riding a stationary bike, or yoga (although make sure it's a beginner yoga class).

You've got this! Stick with it and you will see improvements. Best of luck to you!

natzurfit

I like to dance!! It doesn't feel like a workout and I'm not even a good dancer--it's just fun!

Here's one I did this week: http://www.fitsugar.com/10-Minute-Dance-Workout-Tone-Legs-34985157

sympha01

Sounds like me a year ago!

I've never really exercised much my entire life

Check. Even as a kid I hated exercise and gym class and sports.

At this point, I am approximately 292 lbs at 5' 5".

Yes, I started at about 325 lbs and 5'7" (also, I was 42 years old when I started!)

I don't have access to a gym or a pool but I want to start exercising.

No gym for me either, and though I have access to a pool, I didn't start there.

I don't know what to do that isn't too harsh on my joints.

Yes, even light jogging in place was too hard on my joints when I was bigger. And though I've lost a lot of weight, I still think running is too tough on my knees.

I don't even own proper exercise shoes

LOL I didn't either! At first I just exercised in an older pair of casual shoes (Ahnus). When I lost the first 35 lbs I treated myself to some real cross-trainers and better exercise bras.

I get out of breath by climbing even half of one staircase or walking longer than a half mile.

Yes, it still scares me when I remember trying to go for short walks and needing to stop for a breather at the 1/4 mile point.

So, what's my point? My point is, your situation ISN'T hopeless. You can do this. Start slow and easy, and gradually work your way up to harder stuff and longer workouts. Don't demand a lot from yourself at first. Anything you do is going to make you tired fast, and almost everything you do you'll have poor form with at first. Your range of motion will probably be restricted at first. Don't get hung up comparing yourself to other exercisers (or fitness instructors, for that matter!) who may have more endurance or flexibility or balance or coordination. Give yourself time and you'll get there. Also, let's be honest, you'll probably hate it at first. Give that time too. I really hated exercising for the first 4 months or so, but at that point I found that I was getting confident enough to start trying new things and that turned out to be fun. And as I got better at stuff, I started enjoying the sense of accomplishment. "Hey, I can do yoga now!" "Hey, my wall pushups are starting with my feet almost 15" farther from the wall than they used to be!" "Hey my squat form has improved and I can really get down there now!" "Hey, I can haz deadlift!" (DEADLIFTS FOREVER Y'ALL!) "Hey, my knees don't hurt all the time anymore!" I work out every day now, I don't hate it anymore, my resting heart rate has actually moved into "conditioned athlete" territory. My blood pressure has gone from slightly hypertensive WITH medication to the low side of normal WITHOUT meds. I feel stronger and more capable, my balance and coordination have REALLY improved, and even though I'm still obese I now have a shape that's not just "round." I walk 4 miles every day.

As for where you should start, walking is actually a fantastic place to start. It burns hella calories for real, especially if you're larger. It's low impact, it's very easy to gradually increase your effort (walk farther, walk faster), and so on.

But going beyond that, to challenge yourself and really start to feel "fitter," I recommend FitnessBlender.com. They have tons of free streaming exercise videos, and their site lets you search by difficulty. I'd say you can start with level 1 and level 2 (level 1s are JUST stretching, and you may even want to stick to just those for a week or two, but move on to level 2 as soon as you can because those will actually have you moving around and will get your heart rate up a bit). FitnessBlender totally does NOT cater to beginners and the obese, but sticking with the lower levels will work fine, and they're very good about explaining stuff, giving you "permission" to not be as flexible or strong or fit as they are, etc. You can also try Hasfit.com; they seem pretty good and accessible for beginners.

One other thing. If you find yourself having a hard time motivating yourself, I'd recommend you make a regular "appointment" with yourself for exercise and GET DRESSED for it, even if you don't feel like exercising. Like "Eh, I don't want to exercise, it's been a long day and I'm tired." Just put on your exercise clothes anyway, because you have an appointment with yourself. And you'll find that once you've dressed for it, you might as well just do the warm up. And once you've done the warm up, you'll feel better, and you might as well get started with the real exercise, etc. etc. etc.

Good luck!

(edited for formatting)

thiosulfate

Thank you all for your help! I think I'm going to gift myself new shoes when I lose a couple more pounds. Where should I go to buy these shoes and how much should I expect to pay?

bkthandler

Thank you all for your help! I think I'm going to gift myself new shoes when I lose a couple more pounds. Where should I go to buy these shoes and how much should I expect to pay?

Go to a running store. They will help you with fit.

and while almost everyone there will be a marathon runner the people at our local running store have always been really nice.

In the interim check out hula and belly dancing on you tube because those can be done barefoot (Ellen Barrett also has a lot of bare foot workouts or look for pilates).

Good Luck.

zericaaaaa

Hello all!

I've never really exercised much my entire life and, obviously, that has come around to bite me in the tush. At this point, I am approximately 292 lbs at 5' 5". I don't have access to a gym or a pool but I want to start exercising. I don't know what to do that isn't too harsh on my joints. I don't even own proper exercise shoes as I only wear my combat boots. My physical health is just... horrible. I get out of breath by climbing even half of one staircase or walking longer than a half mile.

I started out around 270 and I used Leslie Sansone's "Just Walk" DVDs. They are awesome! 12 minute "miles" full of modifiable aerobics, cardio and strength training. its not very intense but you DO burn some major calories! Depending on how hard I try, I burn anywhere from 100-150 calories per mile! now everyones different, but I believe this would be good for you!

thiosulfate

Thank you all for your help! I think I'm going to gift myself new shoes when I lose a couple more pounds. Where should I go to buy these shoes and how much should I expect to pay?

Go to a running store. They will help you with fit.

and while almost everyone there will be a marathon runner the people at our local running store have always been really nice.

In the interim check out hula and belly dancing on you tube because those can be done barefoot (Ellen Barrett also has a lot of bare foot workouts or look for pilates).

Good Luck.

Do you know of any running stores? Would Finish Line be okay?

amusedmonkey

The easiest, cheapest and most effective exercise you can do as a beginner is walk. When I started at a slightly higher weight than you, I was gasping for breath 30 seconds in walking as fast as I could (which happened to be 2-2.5 mph, most of it even lower). My first walk lasted 3 minutes with only 5 seconds at that speed. I was so out of shape that I thought I had to have something wrong with my heart or lungs. Thankfully, the check up revealed I was fine.

I started by adding 1 minute to the duration of my walk every other day until I was able to do 60 minutes. After I was confidently able to walk for 60 continuous minutes, I started pushing my speed to my maximum capacity for at least 10 seconds every few minutes. Introducing those "sprint-walks" helped me develop my cardiovascular system. My current maximum walking speed is around 4 mph (sometimes a little bit higher) and I can hold it for 5 minutes before I'm totally out of breath. May not sound as impressive as those people who run, but trust me, when you near double your speed and comfortably walk 20 times the duration, you will feel like a champion!

bkthandler

Thank you all for your help! I think I'm going to gift myself new shoes when I lose a couple more pounds. Where should I go to buy these shoes and how much should I expect to pay?

Go to a running store. They will help you with fit.

and while almost everyone there will be a marathon runner the people at our local running store have always been really nice.

In the interim check out hula and belly dancing on you tube because those can be done barefoot (Ellen Barrett also has a lot of bare foot workouts or look for pilates).

Good Luck.

Do you know of any running stores? Would Finish Line be okay?

Google your local marathon (if you have one) and see who the sponsor is. There is a huge difference between a store at the mall and an actual running store.

The chain I go to is local...maybe someone will have a nationwide suggestion?

PikaKnight

Thank you all for your help! I think I'm going to gift myself new shoes when I lose a couple more pounds. Where should I go to buy these shoes and how much should I expect to pay?

Why not just get a basic, cheap pair to get started walking in now? You want to start exercising so get started. Down the road if you decide to do something more like jogging/running, then "gift" yourself a better pair of shoes as a congratulations to yourself for sticking with it.

yopeeps025

Baby steps. I would suggest you invest in a pair of running shoes and start walking . Even if its just 5 minutes a day to start . Do that for a week and then add another minute. Don't give up. I suggest walking becuase it is something everyone needs to do. You can swim and do yoga but everyone walks to get them somewhere and it doesnt take long to notice the difference in your breathing, Be kind to yourself. we all have to start somewhere . The most important thing is to find something you WILL do and start building up to it and stick with it

This- it's easy to do and you will build up endurance if you do it consistently. Good luck!

1+ nothing more to add.

Cerakoala

At my starting weight I could barely even walk so I started small. I started walking 5 minutes a day around my apartment. As that became easier I kept adding a minute each day to my time. Once I was up to an hour of walking I started to try increasing the pace Then when I was up to jogging I signed up for a gym and started the elipticals and treadmills. Eventually I got into weight training and now I am doing crossfit. All of this took me about 3 years to progress too. Start small. As long as your heart rate is going up it is helping you. Listen to your body it will tell you if you are pushing yourself to hard or not hard enough

sympha01

Thank you all for your help! I think I'm going to gift myself new shoes when I lose a couple more pounds. Where should I go to buy these shoes and how much should I expect to pay?

Why not just get a basic, cheap pair to get started walking in now? You want to start exercising so get started. Down the road if you decide to do something more like jogging/running, then "gift" yourself a better pair of shoes as a congratulations to yourself for sticking with it.

^^^THIS. If you're not really sure what kind of exercise you'll be doing anyway, there's no particular point in getting anything fancy or a specialized fitting. There's a big difference in shoes that are optimized for walking, running, dancing, etc. and those stores are going to be best if you already know what you'll be doing and what kind of condition your feet are in (what makes them hurt more, etc.). When I first started I just got a basic pair of cheap but reputable cross trainers (cross-trainers = a little good for everything, not really GREAT for anything) that I ordered off Amazon based on good reviews. Worked out FINE.

Especially since I think it's unlikely you'll be doing running in the first 6 months -- given both your beginner status and your current size -- nor are you going to be doing any sports competitively, high-end athletic shoes requiring a trip to a fancy specialty store are simply NOT a necessity.

kvansanity

bike bike bike bike bike bike bike

i got a bike and it changed my life!

klfoster88

Walk. It's free, easy, and can be done anywhere. Get a pedometer and set yourself a step goal then just start walking:)

unnamed101

Cardio is key.

socalkay

re. Shoes - I bought a pair of Champion cross-trainers at Payless Shoes. They fit well, they are comfortable and they work for what I can do (which isn't a lot).

KylaDenay

Well it seems the majority says walking and I agree. We all had to start somewhere. When I first started I would have never expected to be doing the intense exercise that I do now. You are also not the only one and sooooo many people on here started out just like you and are probably at goal weight. Start out slow and build yourself up to more moderate workouts. Start out with walking and then maybe you can do some at home youtube videos. You can find some for dancing, bodyweight workouts, or my favorite the Walk Away the Pounds videos. That one is a great choice for when you cannot get outside to workout from heat or rain.

Definitely do not wait to gift yourself a pair of sneakers. You waited this long to workout and you said your health is horrible, so why wait? Get up and do it now!! You will love and thank yourself for it in the long run. You can get a pair from Ross, TJ Maxx or Burlington Coat Factory just to begin with. You HAVE to want to do it though. It is all in your head. Don't think about it, just do it.

Good luck girl!

EvelineUK

Go on Youtube and look for Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home. There are several 'distances', start with 1 Mile, which is 15 min. including warm-up and cool-down. I started doing these and worked my way up to longer distances.
Leslie is quite chatty which some might not enjoy, but it took my mind off just how much I was sweating just by doing these 15 minutes.

And if you get hooked, she's got tons of DVDs for sale, too, so you can keep on going.