work out virgin!

I'm right there with ya! I don't exercise but I really want to tone up! Hopefully someone has some good "beginners" workouts...

a mfp suggested to me walk away the pounds with leslie sansone and I found them online I got two video's for 17.99 I think and you can do that in your home under the air conditioning lol.. They are low impact and you can work your way up.. Its starts with a one mile and works up from there. I love them!!

Running is a great way to get that cardiovacular work out. If you do want to try it then I suggest a good walk run program. It really worked for me when I tore my ankle ligaments and was getting back to fitness:

Week one: Walk for six minutes, then jog at an easy pace for one minute. Repeat three times. Aim for three sessions with that same sequence for week one.

Week two: Walk for five minutes, then jog for two minutes. Repeat three times. Aim to do three sessions in week two.

Week three: Walk for three minutes, then jog for four minutes. Repeat four times. Aim for three sessions in week three.

Week four: Walk for two minutes, then jog for five minutes. Repeat four times. Shoot for three of those sessions in week four.

Week five: Walk for two minutes, then jog for eight minutes. Repeat three times. Do three of those sessions in week five.

Week six: Walk for two minutes, then jog for nine minutes. Repeat three times. Try to do three sessions for week six.

Week seven: Walk for one minute, then jog for 11 minutes. Repeat three times. Do three sessions this week.

Week eight: Congratulations on making it to week eight! For your first run this week, try walking for five minutes to begin and end the workout, and run for 20 minutes in between. By the end of the week, try to run for 30 minutes without stopping.

Zumba or Couch 2 5k are the best to do

I agree w/ the previous poster Couch to 5K (C5K) is a great beginner's workout. Also to start w/ interval walk/jog got me into running again. For example 30 sec walk 30 sec jog and then increase to 1 min and so on. I would also have a distance in mind with the intervals. Maybe shoot for 1-2 miles to begin with then add distance over time. You can still get a great workout walking & jogging. Another popular workout on here is Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD or iTunes/Amazon download, which has 3 levels (25 min each) and incorporate hand weights you can do at home.

I started out using an elliptical because I wanted cardio, but was not ready physically or mentally for running. Once I felt ready/able to run I moved on to Couch25K. I would recommend you find something you enjoy and do it on a regular basis. Once you start building strength and endurance you will feel more confident about trying new things.

Weight training You can perform it at whatever intensity you're comfortable with, there is no upper weight or size limit and if you get a couple of dumbbells you can do a fairly good routine at home.

i know NOTHING about weight training!
would it still get rid of the fat bits??

It's better for tightening things up than steady state cardio. You can learn everything you need at www.bodybuilding.com > Super Site > exercises. Just get a couple of dumbbells - start at a weight you're comfy with and go from there.

while I understand you dont want to start running yet, I would like to say that at any weight you can start running. Walking itself is an amazing workout too and many people I know who have successfully lost 100+ lbs have done a big chunk via simply walking. I am going to copy/paste some workouts I posted in another thread. These are for boxers but its an amazing workout and makes alot of your muscles work

ou can do ALOT of good workouts at home and without equipments. I'll give you an example of a routine. Please excuse me since I dont know the names of most of these workouts

1) sit on the floor with your legs wide open and start punching the air. Do this for about 2-3 minutes non-stop. Make sure your back in 90 degrees to the floor and your toes are pointing up

2) pushups. Lots of them. I do about 25 in a row

3) More punching in the air while sitting on the floor for 2-3 minutes

4) lay down on the floor completely with your back about 1-2 inches above the floor and your thighs at a 90 degree angle to the floor while your legs are horizontal to the floor. Start moving the legs like you're riding a bike. About 1 minutes

5) jumping jacks. I do about 25

6) Now, you're doing more punching in air except this time instead of sitting, you're standing and basically jogging at a spot while punching. About 2-3 more minutes

7) Another session of jumping jack

8) More air punching while still jogging

9) This round, stand straight, bend over perpendicular while touching your abs with both hands, bend over some more and touch your toes (or try to in my case). Get back to the perpendicular position to touch your abs again, stand up straight with your hands above your head while standing on your toes

10) more punching in air while jogging

11) wind mill: Spread legs, bend over and try to touch one of your toes with the opposite side hand (try to touch your right legs toes with your left hand and vice versa). I do about 50+ of these.

Done. Do as many sets of these are you like. This is what I do alot before I start boxing. Theres a bunch of workouts I also do that're purely for abs (boxers need strong abs). We basically do different ab workouts for over 15 minutes.

This is just part of my workout I do on my hard workout days, theres alot more and I dont mind sharing more workouts if you'd like

In your OP, it "sounds" like you want to run in the near future and not the distant future. Several have mentioned the C25K, and that is a good program. However, I just started walking faster and faster, then I added in some jogging - walk for 5 minutes, jog for 3, walk for 5, and so on. Little by little, I increased the jogging, and surprisingly quickly, I was jogging more than I was walking. Then it happened, one day I felt really good and after my 5 minute warm up walk I ran (not jogged, ran) 2.8 miles without stopping. If you want to run, do it. And don't worry about what people think, a runner is not someone who runs XX miles in XX time; a runner is someone who runs - plain and simple. Just make sure you get good shoes and remember to stretch before and after.

Godd Luck to you. :drinker: