exercise shame

I lived a completely sedentary lifestyle when I started and I began with the only exercise I could do: walking. I could barely make it around one block and I was completely out of breath when I did but I kept at it and eventually went a bit further then a bit further then a bit further. My cardio improved and I was able to do more and be less out of breath. After some months I progressed to hiking, biking and swimming. Now I’m mainly a runner and I can run up and down hills and mountains for miles and feel great, but it all started with just a few steps and walking around the block regularly. You don’t need to feel ashamed of what you cannot do, feel proud of what you CAN do

Pick exercise you LIKE to do. Whether it be walking, bike riding, lifting weights, yoga etc. what's most important is just getting physical activity of any sort in.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I'm a fan of "start low & slow, build up gradually" and "find something you enjoy".

People think that exercise needs to be miserable and exhausting to be worthwhile, but it's not true. Any kind of moving more is helpful.

The sweet spot is finding something that's just a little bit of a challenge, maybe leaves you with a tiny "whew" feeling for just a few minutes after the exercise, but otherwise makes you feel happy and energetic for the rest of your day.

So, you start with a manageable, but slightly challenging, frequency, intensity, and duration. What that is will differ depending on fitness starting point. Could be walking to the mailbox 3 times a week, could be a brisk walk/swim/cycle for 20 minutes daily, or more. The right level for you is individual, and you can figure that out.

As you get fitter, you can then gradually increase frequency, intensity, duration, or type of exercise, to keep that slight, enjoyable challenge in the picture. IMO, that's how to build fitness.

I started being active after cancer treatment, in my mid 40s. I was physically very depleted (cancer & treatment were not the only recent challenges in my life at that point). I started with some yoga classes a couple of times a week, with a few minutes' practice daily in between, moved on to other group classes, eventually to a women's strength training class, then joined a rowing team for breast cancer survivors and became seriously addicted to that sport. That was maybe progress over a couple of *years* or so?

These days, I work out 6 days most weeks, fairly intensely - rowing boats/machines, biking stationary/outdoor, strength training, some floor exercises, brisk walks, etc. - and am in reasonably good shape for a 65-year-old woman, if I may pat myself on the back a little. (Pro athlete? Nah, will never be. But I feel good, can do the things I want to do, and am having fun. That's how the "sweet spot" for exercise looks for me, right now.)

You can do this. There's nothing to be ashamed of. You can improve, by using common sense and consistency, and even surprise yourself, long term, with what you can achieve. You can even have fun along the way, I'd bet.

I often say that the wisest sign in the world is one we see it lots of places: It says "you are here". You're here, now, in a certain physical condition. That's the only place you can start from, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. You can't start from where you wish you were, or where you'd be if the past had been different, or where it would feel more fair to be able to start. But you can start from here, and make steady progress.

Best wishes!