I need some honest input - exercise related.

Earthboundmsft

My friend's mother is very heavy (but she used to be heavier), and she started by getting one of those things that is like bike pedals that you can use while sitting in a chair. It was very cheap at walmart, and very low impact....because her feet weren't carrying the weight of her body while she used it. She started with a few minutes a day (sitting in front of the tv, with the ac on), and week by week, added a few more minutes at a time, and now she is able to walk around the block once a day (which she hadn't been able to do for years!).
Because she set small goals, and made it as comfortable for herself as possible, she was able to stick to it.
I don't think your reasons for not walking are excuses...they're perfectly valid reasons...but you do need to push yourself a little
Good luck

eamconnor

First, congratulations! Keep going. Everyone else on this thread has some very good suggestions for easing into cardio, and I second them. Please realize that very few people would want to get home after a long day of work and head out into the summer heat for cardo; very few! You DO have to push yourself, though. Before long, you'll get to recognize the difference between your body's inertia and your body's signals that something is wrong.

You said you had PAIN. If you haven't already, please see a doctor to make sure the pain you're feeling is just inertia and not something more serious. If it's just the former, good luck with your first steps, literally!

RhonndaJ

Thank you to everyone who's responded, I truly appreciate the answers. It's good to have outside perspective.

I've gone through the whole medical gamut prior to starting to work on my eating etc. and the outcome was that I am perfectly healthy aside from my weight. So the pain I have in my feet/legs is purely from carrying this weight around. I do have quite good shoes or I wouldn't be walking as much as I am.

It strikes me, after reading the responses that while my reasons are valid, I'm also using them as excuses for doing nothing when I should be pushing myself to do something. Past experience has shown me that I can usually do more than I think, but it comes with a price. I need to balance the effort against the price so that it's not all or nothing, but a slow progression.

nikkirosem

First of all good job on the 15 pounds! As far as the excuses go, I use to do that too. However, I don't think anyone can say for sure. Only you can tell us if you are making excuses. Maybe a quick 15 minute walk around the block or do it first thing in the morning so you are not so sore from the legs at the end of the day. Is it possible to go to your local YMCA? Most of them have scholarships which help you afford a membership at the gym not only that they have water aerobics which is very easy on the joints and still very effective.

Good Luck and way to go!

jmgj27

Get it checked out by your doctor. If he gives you the all clear then get going on the cardio!

As some of the other posters have said, we all have days when we're tired and don't want to do cardio but exercise truly will make you feel better. I work full time (and a lot of overtime as well) and I get to the gym 5 days a week. If I fancy doing something extra I might go out for a run when the gym's closed.

Also - swimming and cycling are excellent exercises if you suffer from joint pain.

I would add that I have suffered from severe knee and hip problems for 17 years and let it stop me doing cardio for years. The doctor told me that only I could decide whether it hurt too much to do cardio. When I started I weighed around 230 and gritted my teeth. Every step hurt and it sucked.

Now I weigh 165 and I run all the time and love it. It still hurts, sure, but I'm used to it and I know I'm not doing myself any permanent damage.

So - get the all clear (and some tips from your doctor - in the UK they will often subsidise gym membership for people with a high BMI - don't know where you're based but you might well want to ask around at gyms and check with your doctor to see whether they'll do this for you) and then go for it. There are always excuses not to do it but you have to remember that you are in control of your body and you can choose whether or not you want to exercise and therefore whether and how fast the weight comes off. Good luck! :bigsmile: