Being too unfit to do any form of excercise ?

Just to add to what everyone else has said - yes exercise should always be a challenge to some degree if it is going to have an effect BUT it definitely gets easier. When I go running, I aim to get my heart rate up and to be out of breath, but being out of breath now is nowhere near as painful and uncomfortable as it was when I was unfit. It is a bit uncomfortable, but it's completely tolerable. I think it's easy sometimes for fitter people to forget what it feels like to exercise when you're really unfit. It's horrible, and it's no wonder a lot of people give up. It gets better though, I promise!

You're doing well though. I walked a lot to improve my fitness before I went anywhere near C25k, and even then, I still struggled at first, so you're doing great! Just keep that enthusiasm, but don't worry if you need to slow things down a little and build things up gradually. The main thing is getting active, and progress from there.

If you want it bad enough then you will make it happen even if it hurts, there is a saying 'no pain no gain' and that is so true.

...until you get injured. :flowerforyou:

When I started on this journey last June I could only walk down the stairs one foot to join the other, holding tight to the rail. Since then I have been exercising and doing yoga at a class once a week. I do about an hour of medium capacity workout every day, low impact. I can't run because I used to have such dodgy knees and hips. It was even hard to tie my shoelaces or put trousers on without sitting down. Now I skip down the stairs, and have lost 35 lbs!
I would say, every little bit you can do is a great help. As you go along it will get easier and your motivation will increase. You can even exercise to increase your strength sitting down. I do foot and ankle exercises while watching TV and have been able to stop wearing orthotics and my ankles are much less swollen. Walk around in bare feet- it will feel tiring to start with, but will get better. Stretch out your arms while watching TV, do a couple of mini sit ups in bed. Don't just sit there, move something, anything. Stand on one leg while doing the washing up. I would not have believed how far all this has taken me, my life is transformed. You don't have to make like an athlete to change your life. By the way, I am 63 and am now feeling like a young woman instead of the 80 I felt before.

You can't fail at exercise, unless you quit doing it.

No one is asking you to run a marathon. However, I met a lady on here who could barely walk because of weight, and her exercise was just to walk a little quicker or a little farther each day. With a cane. If she can do that, I figure you and I can push a little and feel a good burn.

a lot of people have those same results.


first off, if you go to a class or are doing a dvd, and you get winded and need to stop... then just stop!! take a break and catch your breath. pause the dvd or move to the back of the class. restart after a few minutes.

i hated running. still kinda do. but i wanted to do cardio. i found that cycling i could go further and longer then i ever could running. and i live in an area with a lot of great scenery, so i was able to enjoy it! and after a bike ride i didn't have that beat up feeling that running gave me. also, no jiggling.

I felt the same way about my "unfitness" & exercise. When I started on MFP last July I was only walking 20 minutes with my dog 3 times a day. I still do that but now our walks cover more ground in the 20 minutes which means we have speeded up. You could start walking at a slow pace for 3 days a week & then walk 5 days next week. Once you are comfortable with that you could try to walk everyday. Then speed up a little the next week. I'm always looking for the easier, softer way. And walking for me is the easiest exercise.

Set small goals for yourself. We didn't get like this all at once so we can't expect to get fit all at once. Last week I added an On Demand Cable TV walking program. It's only 10 minutes & I did it 3 times. Now I'm aiming for 4 times this week. Like what was suggested here, you could also find something on youtube to follow.

Don't give up. Be proud of yourself for having the courage to ask for help.

I started out at 110kgs just under 9 months ago and now weight 73kgs. My goal was 65kgs, but that doesn't seem to be attainable (I'm not losing weight over all, but I am losing a ton of body fat). And I'm ok with this.

There is hope!

Walking is a great form of exercise to start getting you in shape (muscles, heart, lungs) until you can start doing more vigourous exercise (if that's what you want). Start small and build up- keep your expectations realistic and for the love of Pete, don't let the scale own you!

Good luck!

ETA: Three months ago, despite all my walking, I couldn't run the distance between 3 lamp posts. Last night I ran 7.2 miles in 74 minutes; I'm running a 10k race in April and a half marathon on July. If I can do it ANYONE can do it!

Siince you love to dance,. I suggest you get Richard Simmons Dancing to the Oldies. It has been around forever, works and is fun. Has some great old songs and makes you wanna dance. I am gonna do the exact same thing. I am a senior citizen and have a pinched nerve in my neck so I cannot do the gym for upper body. Well I can dance. My local community center has line dancing once a week it costs $3.00 check where you live and if they don't have one ask them to consider starting a line dance. It is not a class and you don't have to have a partner to dance with. Lots of fun and great exercise.

Before I started C25k, I made a point to walk the dog at least one mile a day. He's a Pekingese with three inch legs, and that little fluffball was dragging me. Within a month of starting C25K, I was able to run one mile straight. In two months, I could run 3 miles. In three months, I kept up with my brother who's been running for 30 years in a 4.5 mile race. That was about 2 years ago, and now I regularly run anywhere between 3 and 8 miles, three times a week.

When I first started any kind of strength training, I did EA Sports Active 2 on the Playstation with two pound dumbbells. At the end of the first 20 minute workout, I just laid on the floor, panting in a puddle of sweat. The first few weeks, everything hurt. Just squatting down to sit on the toilet made me wince. Now, I do Stronglifts 5x5 and can overhead press more than 50% of my body weight, bench 75% of my body weight and deadlift and squat 120% of my body weight.

It gets better. Maybe not easier, because you'll always want to challenge yourself more and push harder, but better.