where to start

wildrosekasey

i am incredibly out of shape. havent worked out in ages. i also work full time and am a full time student so i have limited time at odd parts of the day lol.

any ideas on where or how to start diving into the exercise thing? i dont have a gym membership or workout equipment at home. any words of wisdom on the best way to fit in my needed daily activity?? anything you guys just LOVE?

Goldenbast

I am in the same boat as you. I am horribly overweight and very unhealthy. I started to exercise and can only do little bits at a time. But then I realized that ANY sort of exertion is helpful, even if it doesn't seem like enough. I have an elliptical machine and at first I could do half a minute before crying..after a few days I can manage 2 minutes...but I do it periodically throughout the day, I also use a pedometer to count steps/distance walked and I walk a quarter of a mile almost every day I spontaneously burst out in dance to the giggles of my children and I do jumping jacks vigorously for a few minutes....and I do all these things several times throughout my day. The first day I started, I thought I wasn't doing enough because it just didn't seem like it...but I noticed I had a huge pool of energy and felt good....and the next day I could barely move I was so sore...so if I was feeling it I must have been doing something right!

Besides, even if doing only little bits is all you can do, it will still develop your endurance and you will find that you can do more and more....at least this is my experience so far, but I haven't been doing it very long..but i do feel the difference!

carrie_eggo

I agree with Goldenbast. Start slow. Anything is better than nothing. Eventually you will do more and more and you will try different things and find out what you like. Start with walking, for example. Everyday push yourself to go a little farther, a little faster. One day you might jog for a minute, the next day a minute and a half. You see where this is going? Same can be applied to workout videos, etc. You can do it!!!:flowerforyou:

galvodka

I was also out of shape at first and I was intimidated by gym at first...felt embarrassed like I was too big to go to gym. I started off walking. Every few days I'd add more distance on to my walking path and try to walk faster to get my heart rate up. I lost about 40 lbs the first four month from just dieting and walking. After that I felt like I had the energy and confidence to go to a gym. You said gym wasn't an option for you..so I don't know if it's money or distance but maybe that can change for you in future. I love going to classes at the gym. I made friends in my weekly classes and seeing them motivates me to go! Not only that but the different gym classes keep working out from getting boring.

The Biggest Loser DVDs are pretty good to start off with cardio at home too!

sunnydays33

Yup, I'm a walker....it's free and you can always fit 20 min in if you make it a priority. I am also in a 30 day shred challenge which is a super cheap DVD lasting 27 min with warm ups and cool down. I also look for fun challenges that are different than the usual. Last month I joined a 100 jumping jacks/day and couldn't make it thru 30 at first.

With a little bit of time (you can commit to 30 min, right) and dedication to put yourself first, you will start to really improve your health. One foot in front of the other. ;-)

nwhitley

Does the school you attend have a gym? If you are a full time student, you should be able to use the gym for free. As everyone else stated, just start out walking. Its free and easy. Make sure you invest in a good pair of shoes. Good luck!

mlb929

I started with wii fit and wii active.

Goldenbast

I want to try the Wii fit and active..but have to get a Wii first....I started using My Weight Loss Coach for the Nintendo DS....and surprisingly I really like it...you can track your food, workouts, it offers you challenges and such...it is a nifty little motivational tool.

mrk34

Start running.

Le_Joy

walking and there are a lot of exercise videos on you tube. some of them are even legal. :laugh:

dakitten2

Wii and the YMCA for me. Water acquatics are wonderful at the Y. For my everyday exercise I use Wii Fitness stuff. They have come way down in price since they first came out too!