Ex unfit, never do any exercise types-can you motivate me with your stories?

I set myself a challenge. Then I knew that when the challenge was over I would have aquired a habit.

A habit is something you need to do for 40 days/seven weeks, once you have aquired a habit it becomes harder to give it up. The more you preform the habit the easier it becomes to do and the hard it is to give up

so here is my bit of inspiration
I'm 42 and as of last autumn did no significant exercise. I felt really horribly blobby & unfit.

I am a single mum and I work full-time, so opportunities to exercise are very limited. I have a knackered medial cruciate ligament in my knee, so can't run or do high impact stuff.
First of all I started to walk more. I forced myself to go for hour long walks at the weekend, dragging my DCs with me, then I made myself walk for half an hour at lunchtime. Then I started climbing the stairs. Yup literally walking up & down the stairs until I was gasping for air.
Since Christmas I have been keeping up with the walking and doing an hour of Callanetics every second day.
I feel sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good for it. I am getting back muscle tone, shape and flexibility. My clothes fit better. I have more energy.
Find what works for you & go for it.

I did C25K recently and agree with others that it's addictive. I feel a zillion times fitter, happier, healthier and more energetic - and recently discovered I could fit back into a dress I've not been able to wear for nearly 3 years! s

You don't need to kill yourself. Just start 3 times a week and stick at it. You'll notice results very quickly. I actually found the first 4 weeks of C25K maybe the most rewarding because I could actually feel such dramatic improvements week-on-week in how much I could do: first 60 seconds running, then 90 seconds, then before I knew it I could run for 10 minutes without stopping, and without feeling too uncomfortable either.

As others have said, so much of it is in your head: if you build up slowly and persistently you never hit such a pain barrier you put yourself off, and wake up one day to realise you can run for miles while actually enjoying it.

Try Cardio Tennis.
It's a great work out to music. It has just started at Redbridge Sports Centre.

I think rubberducks approach of 30 minutes a day as a starting point is a fantastic one. Challenge yourself to keep that up for a whole month, trying as many different things as you can access, then see how you feel. You will almost definitely feel more energetic, look better and hopefully will have found a few forms of exercise that you enjoy, or at least enjoy the effects of, most. Take your measurements at the start of the month and compare them at the end for hard evidence of changes, it is amazing what can be achieved. Then set yourself another challenge from there based on that (5k run, 50 lengths swim, first karate belt, sprint triathlon !?)

I think what is also vitally important is that you change your perception of yourself as someone who isn't fit or sporty. There is some form of suitable exercise out there for most people, but you do have to visualise what you want to achieve, whether that is how you wish to look, feel or be able to do. Also accept that regular exercise is a part of life, like brushing your teeth or eating meals! It is not a quick fix and it should be thought of as time for you, without any interruptions or demands from others. Everyone close to you will benefit from it, but you especially will. Hold this idea in your head to motivate yourself and also remember that even the fittest, sportiest people need to force themselves to get off the sofa sometimes, it is human nature to find excuses to not exert ourselves (for most people anyway). The difference is the regular exercisers know they will feel better afterwards and reap the longer term and ongoing benefits, so nine times out of ten, they will drag on their trainers

Good luck, you can do it, let us know how you get on!

I'm only a month into it, so still pretty fat and unfit, but am managing 1 hour per day exercise each week day (mix of brisk walking, wii games and exercise DVDs), which is more than I ever thought I would do. I started off with C25K, but didn't persevere, for various reasons, but it was v useful at showing me I could fit exercise into my routine easily (eg walking to/from school for school run at mega speed!)

you're, not your.

Thanks SweetestThing. 'Enjoying' may not the right word for what I feel like during a session, but I do feel a bit smug when I finish still in one piece

MotherAbigail, bootcamps are great for kick-starting your exercise routine - I did an early morning one, three times a week, for a few months last year and loved it. It really toned me up and it was nice to exercise with other people for a change (when I run, I always prefer to run on my own - miserable sod that I am!). It's great when you start to notice the difference to your fitness. Our bootcamp instructor is a nutrional adviser too, so we got lots of guidance and a link from her website to recipes, which we could add to if we wanted. A nice holistic approach to getting fitter, I think. Glad to hear your enjoying bootcamp!

I am unfit and 40. At Christmas I felt terribel - extremely unfit and lardy and swore I would do something about it, even though I am bone idle and hate the gym. Salvation arrived in the form of outdoor bootcamp sessions in the local park. They are totally hardcore, but have different levels for different levels of fitness and I feel fitter already after only a few weeks. Being outside is loads better than being in a sweaty gym. I am the unfitt-est person in the class, but my aim is to eventually not be. Getting there is a bit hard sometimes, especially if it's raining and cold, but the thought of going back to how I felt at Christmas usually gets me going. Even better, I am starting to eat healthier too (not a diet though, can't stand the things).

I suppose what I'm saying is, I'm only a few weeks ahead of you and can feel the benefit already - once you get started the momentum builds and you find you want to do more.

I was really unfit, then agreed one New Year to support a friend by us both doing at least 30mins exercise every weekday and nagging being there for each other when we found it hard.

I must have tried everything - the only rule was the 30 minute rule. I found I quite liked cycling (on a fairly easy route, when the weather was nice), found a couple of wii fitness "games" that I liked, dabbled in weight training etc. Almost by accident I found myself getting fitter and then I was up for more challenging things.

Eventually it got to the point where I thought "hang on, I could do something with this" and started learning a martial art - something I fancied doing on and off for years but never felt confident enough or fit enough to try. It's forced me to take exercise even more seriously and really work at strength, flexibility and endurance. I go through love-hate periods, but I always love the feeling of having exercised even if I didn't actually enjoy the exercise at the time!

I think the key for me was to work on little and often with no pressure to particularly "achieve" in order to get good habits and start to enjoy it - it's too easy to go all out, feel like it's a chore, fail then give up.

Perhaps I should also have said that I am 5 ft 1', my BMI went from 28 to 23. I still am a 32F but it has reduced from a badly fitting (cup spilling over 34G.

I don' have a fancy thing either so I just used a cheap watch with a stopwatch, this programme from Bupa and this website to plot routes and find distances.

Good luck, you can do it, you just need to truly want to. If I can anyone can.

onesunnymorning2012, we are in Oxted, so luckily have a leisure centre practically on our doorstep :-) Let me know if you fancy meeting for a cuppa sometime.

This is a great thread - and JelliBelli your post is particularly inspiring. If running will help me lose nork-weight that is a motivator in itself - I'm 32E and I hate them.

I haven't got a smart phone, or even an MP3 player - I just go out and dp tells me when I've run three minutes! In fact, if I go out this afternoon, it might even warm me up a bit - am sitting here shivering! :)

I am South Downs SweetestThing. We are sandwiched between the sea and the Downs

Half a mile and a shocking great hill and I am on the Downs, it's lovely.

I think there is something really invigorating about exercising in the countryside. Coming back muddy and tired is a great feeling!

I was an rigid exercise phobe married to an long term exerciser who used to be the fat kid in class. He often invited and encouraged me to go to the gym but for years I declined.

Several things got me to the point where I KNEW I wanted to improve my body, lots of little things, a couple of photos were shocking to me - how middle aged I was, and overweight. I had thought I was more like Jessica Rabbit, but no I was overweight. I found MN and heard about 30DS and in turn C25k. I had previously said to DH that if I could reduce my bust painlessly, free, and without risk I would do it in an instant. He had replied that I could. By running. One of my biggest drivers was wanting to be able to buy bras in my local town, instead I had to traipse an hour and a half to my 'local' Bravissimo.

All these little things added up so that I knew that this was it, the time had come and I was changing. DH was away with work and I started 30ds. I measured myself as recommended on here and ignored the scales. I cleaned up my diet and wIthin a couple of weeks I saw changes on the tape measure and I felt so much better. I was doing something for me and doing it well. As I saw quick results I truly found it easy to continue. I went on to six week six pack and at the end of that went on to c25k. I have maintained my exercise since, running three times a week and doing DVDs three or four times a week since. So I have maintained my weight and inch loss since. I take my gym kit on holidays and I think DH and I are of to Europe in may to run a half marathon together, just as an excuse for a weekend away.

I have lost 20lbs, around 4inches each, on bust waist hips. I have great legs except the top three inches but no one else sees them and respectable arms with no wobbly bingo wings. My fitness has increased no end and my pulse dropped from around 78bpm to around 56bpm which is fantastic! I am 44.

I still can't buy the bras locally but I have just started phase 2 of my plan which involves lifting heavier weights which I enjoy so I am hoping that will reduce them further. But, not blowing my out trumpet, with my clothes on I look great, I am slim and busty and my tummy looks toned (undressed it's a different story but as I say I am working on that).

My first reward was a hair cut and colour which I now maintain regularly. I am a regular poster on another thread you may have seen and we talk a lot about nail varnish. Using it is another boost and I also get a boost when people complement me on my nail and hands.

I was an exercise phobe for years. Now, I enjoy exercise and the feeling of smugness after I have done it. My body has changed from being a beaten up old 4wd truck and is now getting to be a sports car, whether I ever get to be a Lamborgini I don't know but it's fun trying.

Sweetest, we're near the North Downs too :)

I am going to cancel the gym as I hate going (and it's half an hour from here). Instead, I'm aiming to do more fitness DVDs and go on the Wii.

Doyou thinktheysaurus (great name!) - I love being outdoors too. It's so much nicer than being in a gym, although I do that too at the moment to try and get some upper body strength and tone. We are right by the North Downs, so I can get into open countryside within a few minutes - whereabouts are you?

I am not an EX-unfit, yet. I started exercising at the beginning of the year and already feel fitter.
I started using exercise dvd's which I am getting bored of so have started swimming. Have been twice now and loving it. The first time I managed 32 lengths and the second 36. I am aiming at 50 eventually
I feel much fitter and slimmer having lost 7lbs now :)
Take one day at a time. The key is to find something that makes you fit that you also enjoy doing as a hobby. Swimming is definately for me, as is running for sweetest thing :)

I was like that until I hit my mid 30's. My mum and dad inspired me to do something by doing the London 2 Brighton bike ride, I was amazed they could cycle 56 miles when I couldn't cycle more than a couple of miles. I started cycling, got into mountain biking and had a lovely summer pedaling the Downs. Then I started running and haven't looked back.

I've been running more than 2 years now, have done the London marathon and regularly run 30+ miles a week. I did the London 2 Brighton twice with my mum and dad as well. They are in their 60's

I love the feeling of strength I get from being fit. Plus, I love being outdoors so much and seeing the changing seasons. Sometimes I can be up on the Downs all by myself and feel like the only person alive, it's very liberating.

realise - doh!