I have been completely inert all winter and now I get knackered walking a mile.

[MinesaBottle]

That really! I’ve barely been out since Christmas except to go to the shop, work has been really busy (I’m wfh) and I’ve got really lazy and inactive. I’m off this week and went for a walk of about a mile - this was at lunchtime and I’m still feeling it!! I was quite breathless at the end of it. I’m not (or wasn’t) horribly unfit, I’m 47 and admittedly I smoke but about 8-10 a day.

I can’t believe I’ve let myself get so unfit...walks every day from now on to build my stamina back up. And then I’m starting some proper exercise.

Good for you.
The first steps are usually the hardest.
One of the good things to come out of the pandemic are the plethora of on-line fitness videos.
Seriously, go on You Tube and look for 'Beginners' or even start by looking for 'seniors' (it's the privacy of your own home, no-one will know). So on all the days when it is raining and dark before you can get out from work (or snowing like it was here this evening) you can do 20mins of moving within your own living room.

Then try and incorporate a bit of movement whilst you are waiting for the kettle to boil, or standing up and doing 1 minute's worth of star jumps or something every time you come out of a meeting or conference call. It can add up if you have as many cuppas per day as I do.

I like Mr Motivator's 12 min youtube videos if I'm having a lazy day. They're active without needing to spend as long changing clothes and getting all sweaty.

In lockdown, I've lost 8k/ 5mi of brisk incidental walking per week. The school run puts in 5l/ 3mi and it does make a surprising difference.

It does come back quite quickly. There's a recent thread where OP walked a short distance and wanted to collapse... she's done a few updates and has more than doubled her progress. You are not alone!

It's getting to be a more motivating time of year to get motivated after a hard winter.

I've recently come across these exercise videos on You Tube. Great if you like a bop around.

Nothing technical. Just dancing around, but you use a few calories over 1/2 an hour.
If you do the longer ones (25mins ish) you do get a couple of adverts in the middle, but it's chance to slug some water as she doesn't stop apart from that. You can pick all music from one musical or one artist or one decade. Or she has just 3 minute ones.

I’m definitely going to check out a few of those videos once I’ve got my stamina back a bit. I can’t believe I’ve been so lazy - I used to be able to walk miles, run up three flights of stairs etc. We live in a ground floor flat so I haven’t even had stairs!

I got a dog he needs a decent walk so I went from nearly nothing to a decent walk in one day because I had to, he needs it. I haven’t looked back since. Doing 10k a day now from nothing.

Don't worry, your fitness will come back - just as long as you keep steadily ramping up your exercise. I was once housebound for a long period due to illness, so was far more unfit than you are now. It took about a year to regain all my fitness, but I have a perfectly active life now, you would never know.

Make sure to avoid injuries from suddenly attempting far too much.

Have a think about ways to make it more fun, so you stick with it Maybe go to a nice place, or music or a phone call while you walk? Or an exercise buddy? Whatever would help motivate you.