I need some honest input - exercise related.

My mother is in a very similar situation as you except she also has fibromyalgia (sp?). Whenever she tries any weight loss attempt, I always encourage her to only exercise as much as her body will allow. As long as the weight is coming off you can put the cardio/strength training off a little while longer. With a little weight off, you will find it much much easier to exercise anyways. Good Luck with your weight loss! : )

Why don't you try zumba without doing the feet movement? You can get going with the stretching, shaking, twisting and squatting movements until you're ready to do step movements. Good luck!

I'm not an expert by any means but I would think that your safety and prevention of injury would be the most important thing. So I would say yes, wait until you've lost enough that walking does not cause you pain or put you at risk of hurting your joints. You should definitely try to get some cardio in, however. Swimming is a great no-impact workout if you have a pool nearby and are comfortable enough to try that out. I think you're on the right track with starting to do strength training too. Congratulations on your determination to succeed

I also have anxiety issues and that is one of the reasons why I started exercising this time around. It really helps!

Do you have a bicycle, or have access to one? That would be zero impact, and a lot less expensive than an elliptical. Even if you could find one at a yard sale, or borrow one from someone. Just make sure it is sturdy in order to hold your weight. It is a great workout! It is easy to make excuses ( I know, because I did it for 8 years), but I guarantee, once you get over the initial hump, you will feel great, and actually look forward to doing it. Seeing pounds come off is a great motivator!

It's always hard in the beginning but at least you have started. Don't put off cardio but build it up, no one says you have to hit the gym for an hour or walk a mile at night, that can come later. Do what you can and it may hurt but it will get easier.

Make sure you have some good training shoes that support your heal that will take some of the pressure out but just stick to it and you will see results soon. Have you tried getting a Wii fit board, that could suit you well.

Good luck.

Hi there,

I think partly it might sound like you are trying to put off doing the cardio, but these are actually also valid reasons. I definitely find that once I get in from work I'm tired and any little reason for me not to get myself moving is enough for me to not do any exercise for that day. I too have found that heat is a major issue for me. The solution I have come up with is to get up a bit earlier in the morning and go then (no excuses) - solves the problem of feeling tired from a full day at work and also it's cooler in the morning too. I find that some of the excuses that I had before for not going jogging were actually related to worrying about what other people thought of me, but once I'd done it once or twice, I got into a routine and now I love my early morning run when hardly anyone is around - it's great me time and I just zone out into my headphones.

My advice is to do it - but maybe take it slow...are there other ways you can incorporate walking into your day - get off public transport one stop early, walk up the stairs, etc...

Last but not least, congratulations on the 15lbs - great work.

I would say your best bet first would be to talk to a doctor. there may be an underlying ssue as to why there is some pain If they get back to you and tell you there is nothing wrong, then i would go for a walk but not a slow one, a mre moderately one as if you were walking to catch a bus but cant be bothered to run (if that makes sense)

There is the possiblity it is just an excuse, i mean we all suffer with a lack of motivation at times. you need to star off slow and build yourself. either that or you are just finding the walking aspect so boring. here are so many things you can do at home to get fit, yes there is walking but you could bung some music on and have a bt of boogie while you are doing some housework or my fave ironing and dancing.

if you keep complaining and believe i went there you wont get any where. you need tto just get on with it. as you have lost some weight all ready you should be feeling good about that and feeling the need to carry on

yes in a way i see it as an excuse (i suffer with brittle bones that break easily and i still carry on but just do something light) but then like i said there may be an issue.

talk to your doctor first. they might have some answers for you and suffereing with depression (i do aswell) excercise is brilliant for it. if you complete a goal for a day you feel good about yourself and then you can carry on plus when you complete excercise it releases all these feel good chemicals (endorphines and suck like).

the other thing is a wii. the wii fit plus wold be cheaper for you and there are loads of things on there that can help. plus its gentle and doesnt throw you in the deep end the weight i have lost is through the wii.

if you want add me on here and we can do this together. i hope my answer is helpful to you. if you have any other questions send me a message and ill be happy to help.

see your doctor first. there could be something you are doing or not doing that might be an issue.

keep smiling you will get there

You have to do what is best for you physically and mentally... However, just taking a few steps at a time will lead to you going longer and stronger. Good Luck

Would doing your walk before you go to work be an option for you? If you do it first thing then maybe it wouldn't be so painful for you......

I kinda think you have to just do it. If you can't do the entire workout, do what you can. Working out is never fun for me but I find myself making excuses all the time and now when I catch myself I tell myself to stop complaining and just go do it.

That being said, if you are truly injured or hurting REALLY bad, you don't want to get hurt further or get to the point that you can't do anything at all!!

Good luck to you!!! And congrats on the lbs lost!!

How about geting up an hour (or 30 minutes at least) earlier and getting your walk in first thing in the morning? It should be cooler out so the heat and humidity won't be as much of a factor and you can wash the sweat off in the shower when you get back.

Any exercise at this point is good so even if you can only do 10 or 15 minutes, it's better than nothing! Just start moving and with time you'll be able to do more. Put it this way - I started out last year barely being able to walk a mile comfortably but after a few months, I was going a little further and a little faster and by fall, I even started including some jogging sprints. The body will get stronger, you just have to put the work in and believe in yourself!

Feel free to friend me if you like!

Edited to add two more thoughts...

Not sure how your work is with breaks but if you can, use that time to walk around the building (inside if it's hot/raining out, outside if it's pleasant). You may find moving around a few times during the day will help with your leg/foot pain - gets the blood flowing and all that.

You may need to look into getting better shoes if you're having foot pain. Maybe spend your money on that before you think about investing in an exercise machine or more DVDs. You need good solid support to keep everything else working right.

I'm with shed4wed, if you don't start, you will never do it. I have had three surgeries on my feet. I have to tell you they hurt all the time, I can't walk barefeet and I'm very restricted on the kind of shoes I can wear. When I work out, either walking my regular 4 miles or doing a class at the gym, I have to put that out of my mind. Please don't get discouraged, start a little at a time and before you know it, the weight will come off even faster. Also you can get a pedometer and it will tell you how many steps and how far you've gone. I love mine!!! I heard 10,000 steps a day, try it, your body will get to used to it!!! Good luck and feel free to request to be my friend

Hi there! First-congrats to you for incorporating exercise into your lifestyle! Weight bearing exercises are just as important as cardio. Also, just so you know, you can get in a little carido by lifting especially if you do lots of reps! Anyway, I would suggest group exercise such as Zumba because there are many options you can take. All group fitness classes have low impact options to cater to all fitness levels. Try looking for a studio in your area that have drop in classes where you pay by the class (usually 5-10) and you are not locked into a contract. This way you can also get the support from the group and other participants. I am a group fitness instructor and I never had the motivation to work our by myself on a treadmill because I found it incredibly boring and would usually quit after a short amount of time (due to boredom) . I found my passion in Group Fitness and never went back! You need to find what works for you-what you are passionate about. Everyone is different but hopefully this has helped. Good luck!

I am a big fan of hydro-therapy, water aerobics, swimming - anything in the water so the impact on your body is less but you still get a good workout. Classes are fun but you don't need someone to tell you what to do. Just get your body moving in the water where your weight doesn't matter and you have water resistance working for you. Tread water, hang on the edge and kick your feet, run in place, do jumping jacks, do leg lifts and squats and stretches. Swim laps. You get the idea...just keep moving.

Congratulations for making this life changing choice!!!!!! Personally, if I were feeling like that, I wouldn't want to exercise either! For me, I have arthritis in my hips and walking long distances on the road kills me for the next 2 days. I can jog, run, walk, forever on an elliptical. My body can't handle the pounding pressure when waslking on a road or treadmill. What about walking on something soft or that has give to it like one of those small trampolines??? It takes the pressure off your joints and sort of molds to you vs you're feet fighting a flat surface.
Also you don't have to move your feet and legs to get a burn. The higher you get your arms and hands going the higher your heart rate will go. Just sitting and doing twists, bends, reaches,.... can get your heart going.
Good luck to you in this journey!!!!! Feel free to add me if you'd like!!!

Maybe you need to look at making a smaller change first. Maybe you could park at the end of the lot and walk 5 minutes to work. Or if you use public transit, maybe get off one stop early. Or just walk around the block once after supper. Once you get comfortable with this, bump it up to 10 minutes and so on.

I have lost 84 pounds, 30 of those since joining MFP. When I started I weighed 301, so I know it can be overwhelming and uncomfortable. Small changes, at least in my experience, are what will last. Good luck!!