New to exercise and VERY unfit - ideas please!

I was in exactly the same position as you 45 days ago. I started with walking at lunchtime and Sundays. I moved onto eliptical trainer and zumba. I have now recieved my 30 DS and I will be starting that in 2 weeks time.
There was no way I could have approached starting exercise any other way.....but that was just me! :-)

Hi there. I also am very very unfit. (couch patato for yrs) what I started doing is Walking.........I walk 25 mins a day on a treadmill. Its working so far...............once you get use to that you can move on to something else if you like.
Good luck

I started by walking. Then once-a-week yoga when I can. Then, I started the 100 pushup challenge with others on MFP. Next I'm going to start the 200 situp challenge. And continue to work my way up to more strenuous exercise - maybe even join the gym in the fall. No sense in starting something that is really hard just to quit. Personally, I'm starting slowly and adding as I go. To each his or her own, though. Depends on how much of a challenge you want and you goals. Good luck with whatever you choose.

little DO ABLE changes at first.


Park your car away from the office or shops so you have to walk..... take stairs instead of the lift, that sort of thing...... as you get fitter and lose weight you will become more confident to do more, maybe even a gym.

I suggest walking. Find a nice trail or pretty road or even down the street and listen to some awesome music. Once you get your body moving after a while and build your cardiovascular a little by walking then you will have the strength to try something more intense. That is what I do. I have Zumba DVD but it always kicks my butt way too soon. I've decided to walk more to build my muscles so I can find more stuff I like. I am like you, I do not like to excercise but I want to like it. For me worship CD's makes my walking worthwhile and fun. But find something that you like, whether it is music, a podcast, or a book on tape.

You will have to try and find something that you enjoy. So try everything and anything. Walking is easy, you just need a pair of sneakers. You have all those DVDs. Open them up and try them. It would also be good to find someone to exercise with.

Good Morning :


I have to say that i am the same in that regard i still have a couple dvd 's left the rest gave away i even had the spare room set up . I think that if you want to start start small and see how you feel ,also if you have a girlfriend that can work out with you even better . At least in the first few months . I ended up going to the gym becuase when im there i workout . Sounds simple or even stupid but working out from home in the long run was not working for me i kept finding excuses to not do it and going to the gym at the end of the day either. That being said the dvd is a great way to get started and at least figure out what you want to do for a long term goal , the goal will keep you motivated even others do not of life happens . People here are very knowledgable and can help you .

I totally agree with everyone on here - I am new to this but walking is certainly helping me to feel more alert. I have been putting a pedometer on every morning and taking it off every night. Did this for a week and recorded my steps each day. Then I have been trying to just do a few hundred more each week.

I now try to do over 7000 every day and some days I have managed to double it! So try finding some lovely places to walk - or get a dog!

Best of luck!

I hate to exercise! LOL I have a treadmill right in my living room and would FORCE myself to hop on it and I would watch my DVR'd programs for an hour. Then I slacked off....

I started doing Zumba and I love, love, love it! It feels like I'm dancing for an hour and not exercising and the music is just great...you can't help but move around with the music! I've lost 11 pounds (which doesn't sound like a lot, but that's huge for me!) and 6.5 inches from my waist and 2.5 inches from my hips....it's been wonderful to see the changes from something that I actually look forward to and is fun (and it's exercise :gasp:).

Good luck! Feel free to friend me if you want....all the support is great too!

i agree, i walk at home with leslie. she is the best. I started with the one mile and gradually increased to 5 miles and then on to the advanced. I saw the weight falling off too. I recently, had ankle surgery and i had to stop working out for more than a year. I started back walking very mild about 1 week ago. I increased it on the treadmill and eliptical. I am not in shape at all. But, right now my goal is smaill step so, that i wont get burned out very quickly. Just take it one day at a time. Do what is comfortable to you and then increase over time. That's what i am doing.

The first step is getting off of the couch. Walking is good, but keep up a good pace or include hills to challenge yourself. If you're not a gym-goer, get out and get some fresh air on your walks (I like making this "me" time). If you are a gym-goer, and your gym has TVs, time the gym for one of your favorite programs. By the time the show is over, you'll have been working out for 30-60 minutes! If you're a music lover, download some new tunes to keep your mind off of the fact that you're actually exercising.

Once you get your body moving again, start listening to it. Personally, I HATE high impact aerobics and step classes, but other people love them. For me, yoga, pilates, and swimming are more enjoyable. If you don't choose an activity that you like, it will seem like a chore and you'll hate it.

More than anything else, try not to look at exercise as an obligation or a hassle. Sometimes changing your mindset is the biggest challenge. This is something you're doing for yourself, and over time it will keep you healthy, strong, and looking good. Exercise releases endorphins and balances moods (I think), and sweating and rehydrating with water flushes out toxins (pretty sure I've read that somewhere too). So embrace it!!!

Start small and set aside a specific time each day. Walking is the perfect way to start. The thing is to get moving, even if its a little bit, and to stick with it. Once you develop the habit, then you can add to it. If you are just starting out, the exercise DVDs can be intimidating and hard to go with. But like the other poster said, anyone can walk! Good Luck!

If you want to have fun while exercising, find a Zumba class!!! It's exercise in disguise! The energy in the classes are amazing and it is so much fun!! You don't need to know how to dance. If you can't figure out a move, no problem, Just feel the music and groove. You can burn 500 - 1,000 calories doing 60 minutes of Zumba. I suggest buying a Heart Rate Monitor though to track the calories. Everybody burns differently. Good luck!

Walking is always good...as for DVD's, I found the 30ds too challenging at first, have been meaning to try it again, but just can't get into it. I love the Richard Simmons workouts. Before I joined my gym (Spa Lady...women only) I was totally hooked on Disco Sweat....you can do it at your own pace and increase as you feel you can.

When you start to see results and feel so much better about yourself, you'll just want to keep going!

Good luck!

Hi! Walking is good. Get a pedometer, mp3 player and you are off to a good start.
For yoga, I would go a beginner class with a qualified instructor who can help teach you proper form. After two weeks, try incorporating a beginner yoga DVD to do at home also. Yoga with instructor 1x wk and DVD at home the rest of the time.

Anytime I try something new, I take a class to help me learn how to do the moves properly and avoid injury. I also go to the public library and check out books and DVD's. Books really help clarify certain movements and are a great reference tool.