To find the idea of exercise and fitness so intimidating that I don't even try

[justwondering72]

I've never been sporty or fit. When I was at school, the choice was music lessons or sport, and I opted for music. I never had a 'thing' that was my sport, never did anything other than games at school. My family is not sporty, music and literature and science and exams were always considered more important.

And here I am, age 43, overweight, unfit and unable to keep up with my children when they want to play tag. No sporting hobbies. Envying friends who cycle, ski, do tough mudder etc or even just play tag with their children.

I want to start running this year when my youngest goes to school, I'll have the mornings free and I can commit to it. But I am scared. Scared that it's going to be really hard work, and sweaty, and sore. That I will hate it. And that I will fail. Again. I don't want to be such an unfit blob all the rest of my life, I'm fed up of it. But the alternative seems just as appealing.

Please inspire me! Is it worth it to turn this around? I'm not too late, am I?

Op I can see why you are a bit worried about this considering it hasn't been a part of your life for a longtime. I have been active for as long as I can remember and I can genuinely say that I do get a high from exercising (4/5 times a week). In fact I get a bit depressed and feel really sluggish if I don't go to the gym. I guess maybe I am addicted.

IME / HO and having seen people come and go what I can say is this, it will be hard initially however its amazing how quickly your body adapts and your fitness improves once you start exercising. I also agree with the people that say running may not be the best, first option. There are a number of classes which you could considered. The classes below are for people of varying levels of fitness. You take it at your own pace. Maybe consider some of these:

Spinning - cardio based workout which is also one of the classes that burns the most calories. This will increase your level of fitness pretty quickly and its low impact so won't be hard on your knees

Bodycombat - another cardio based class however this is based on martial arts deciplines and will be slightly heavier on your knees. Great all over workout and does burn the calories however IMHO Spinning and Insanity are the real calorie crunchers. Again great for improving fitness.

Insanity - old school interval training for those old enough to remember these . This is based on the max interval training methodology. So you basically workout in 3-5 minutes blocks and then take a break. It's a brilliant class for improving fitness and burning calories.

Bodypump - this is a weight training class using low weights and high repetition (no real cardio). It will burn calories, tone and strengthen your body. I believe you should always incorporate some form of weight training in any programme. But again this is my personal opinion.

There are other classes too (circuits, boxercise, aerobics, swimming etc.) but personally I would recommend a variation of the classes above. You will be amazed how quickly your fitness levels improve.

If running is something you really want to do then why not google and see if you can join a local running club? They have groups of varying levels (beginners to advanced).

Good luck Op and its never too late to start getting fit. You seem really motivated to try so I really hope you succeed.

And for the people been negative about exercise, seriously is there any need? I think the Op is hoping for some positive motivation.

Try not to think about it too much - it's a bit like jumping into a swimming pool. Just dive on in and get that first shock over with!

This is great advice.

You could always sign up for a Moonwalk or a similar charity walking event. Then all you'd have to do is walk! That s a good way of motivating yourself.

I took up doing a dance class as an add on to my Moonwalk training a few years ago. Now I just walk the dogs, but dance 2 or 3 times a week. I've met some nice people!

The other thing that might be worth trying is Pilates. I go once a week. It ensures your body core stays strong and flexible. No sweating involved but it might hurt a tinsy bit.

A year ago I was recovering from postnatal SPD, and was beginning to be mobile enough to go to aqua fit. I had to miss some weeks because of the hip pain. Two months later, I was still struggling with the cardiovascular to walk up a hill after 9 months of using buses to avoid them because I couldn't lift my leg to walk up them. So I decided to try C25k as it was flexible to fit with a young family.

I have never been a runner. 5 minutes of running at school used to have me wheezing, cramping and crippled with stitches. C25k podcasts guided me through that, by slowly and gently building up the minutes of running, and gently breathing out through the stitches. I was wary of injury because of the SPD and a long history of joint problems, but by taking the pace slowly and repeating an occasional week I got through it without injury and "graduated" in March. I am now training for a half marathon which will be just under a year after that first run.

I still come home looking like a sweaty beetroot, but I'm a proud sweaty beetroot who can run over 6 miles, rather than the original sweaty beetroot who walked and ran 2 miles and took 20mins to return to normal heart rate.

I recently started working out again. My tip is to find something you enjoy. Most places will do a free trial of something. I did a free trial of a kickboxing circuit, fell in love and now go 2-4 times a weeks. For six months. DH is amazed!

Tried running, not my thing. Swimming is great but boring after a while. Yoga is full of people I have NOTHING in common with. You have to find your thing.

I'm 46 and have joined a gym recently. It is a small gym and very friendly.

I don't get the impression anyone is laughing at me wobbling away on the treadmill.

I think we are all there for the same reason, to get as fit and healthy as we can, just some are further along in that than others.

I'd start with brisk walking if I were you.

Try shred. It works, and you can get it over with in half an hour in the privacy of your lounge. It's so short that all you have to do is focus on getting started really- concentrating on what you're doing carries you through the workout after that.

You get noticeable results very quickly which is good for motivation. I feel much better for it after only a couple of days.

I'm inclined to agree that if you're totally unused to exercise, overweight, and over 40, then running is just going to be a bit of an ordeal and carries a significant injury risk (unless you happen to live somewhere where you can run entirely off-road year round). If I were you, I'd start off by combining brisk walking with a couple of classes - see what you like and go from there. In the early days just focus on building some general fitness. Then, maybe after 6 months you can decide if you want to hone your goals a bit more.

I agree with whoever upthread said "You've got to find your thing." Personally I love the "sweat and sawdust" approach of Crossfit/ military fitness and also like trail running but a lot of my friends think I'm a bit unhinged and masochistic- they like Zumba, body combat, spin and yoga. To each his own. It's all good.

Also, figure out what you need to make you stick at it. Personally I like a bit of variety- I do Crossfit 3x and then a few trail runs or treadmill sessions. Some of my Crossfit mates go every day at the same time because they like to just do the same thing every day, have the workouts planned for them and not have to think about it. Some people like the carrot of having days off. Some people prefer to work out every day. Again, you just need to figure out what you want to do.

The hardest thing is establishing the habit. Once that's done, it's much easier.

Best of luck

'No. Exercise is crap and boring as fuck.

What a load of bullshit.

The only people that think like that are people that are unfit.'

No. The people who say that are people who find it boring as fuck. I have been both fit and unfit and my brain cannot cope easily with the boredom. I find accounts boring too. It isn't a matter of finding the right accounts package.

People who like exercise seem to be either a)competitive in some way or b) get endorphin highs, or c) be really boring. Not necessarily all 3 though, but I reckon you need to be one of the above and I am none.

i think the trick is to find something you kinda like doing but also do a mixture, i considered running cos it was free but was bored shitless - i now do a mixture of gym where there i got a program of cardio and weights - also i go to zumba and swimming as well

Thank you thank you for the encouragement! I know IABU but not alone it seems.

Running is an obvious choice: free after an initial outlay, I live next to a massive park with great running paths, totally flexible time wise. I've already downloaded C25K and have bought an iron cast sports bra, just need to get set up with some decent trainers. We are on a really tight budget, I just don't have the spare cash to join a gym. We live in France, I suspect that public sports facilities are not as well equipped or affordable as in the UK, but I am going to ask around my friends here for other ideas along the lines of your suggestions.

Both DH and I do feel motivated to change. He has always been fitter than me, lifelong cyclist, but has struggled with his weight in recent years. I'm really aware now that I am inadvertantly teaching my children exactly what my parents did to me: that exercise and being active is something 'special' that is only done when you absolutely have to, that people who exercise regularly are slightly strange and wouldn't they rather just curl up with a good book? I feel like I have to change who I am, in order to make exercise a normal part of life, my life and my family's. it's hard!

I'd try cycling. At the start of this year DH was over 40, very very overweight, very unfit, and needed both knees and a hip replacing. He decided he needed to get fitter before surgery, but at first he could only cycle for 5 minutes.
Gradually built up week by week, and now he's doing 66 mile events, has lost 5 stone, and feeling much better generally. Still has rubbish joints that need replacing though.

Nice thing with cycling is you do it at your pace, when you want to, you can go places by doing it - we do a 16 mile route with ds via an NT cafe - and events start at 20 miles so you can go out with an aim. I find having something to aim for really helps motivate me in training

Just start by walking everywhere you can walk, rather than take the car.
If you want to lose weight and get used to exercise Rosemary Conley classes are good.

Phaedra while you may feel healthy and happy now because you are naturally slim, you may find that lack of muscle tone can cause all sorts of issues as you age. Also, without decent weight bearing exercise your bones will weaken as you age.

Exercise may not be the most exciting thing for you, but an old age of pain and deterioration is far less appealing IMHO.

starlight you reckon wrong, but no need to get personal about it.
People enjoy exercise for all different reasons, just like anything else really.

Surf you are so right there. Also a quick picture example of fit and skinny fat no exercise

Yanbu. Make walking your thing. It's so easy to get into. Do little walks in the week at a brisk pace then do a huge walk on the weekend. Mountain trails are always good, you ache the next day but in a lush way.

I love running but it's not for everyone and tbh there are times where i've pushed myself too hard and all i'm thinking is 'i hate this i hate this i hate this'.... i can see why that would be very unappealing to people!!

Exercise is crap and boring as fuck...if you don't like it.

I exercise, I do it because I want to be fit, I do not enjoy it, I've tried swimming, yoga, Pilates, gym classes...I'm now doing 30 day shred and ripped in 30 (alternating because I've completed them) because I don't have to leave the house and it only takes up 30 minutes of my time.

I don't enjoy anything, it's not fun, I don't get an endorphin high...I do it because otherwise I'm not active enough.

OP I'd be very careful with running. If you are overweight it will put an extra strain on your body.
Yes, it's great, free and outdoors, but it's not for everyone.

The secret really is to find something you love. Otherwise you won't keep up doing it.
I know it's hard because you never liked any sport, but that's an excuse. You can start trying out things now and then decide if it's for you.

You live near a park, so cycling or roller skating is something to consider and your dc could join in. Or find taster classes of different things, you might surprise yourself liking Zumba etc.

Dancing is another great sport/hobby. Find an evening adult dance class, book babysitter and go with dh.

Btw I never lost any weight just by walking. Main thing is diet. Exercise is more for fitness and maintaining weight than weight loss ime.

OP, while you're buying a new pair of trainers, grab yourself a pair of hand weights. Start with walking and weights. Going straight to running will likely see you injured and sofa-bound.

Squats and lunges will also help build up muscle (watch some youtube clips as it's important to do them right) and prepare your body for running.

It's probably a good idea to take a good look at your diet too - you can't out-train a bad diet, as they say. What's your sugar intake like? Shedding a few kilos though improved diet will speed up your progression from walking to jogging and reduce the likelihood of injuring yourself along the way.

Planking is also a great place to start for improving your core stability, and it's free and you can do it while watching TV!

I'm the same op. I don't know where to start and I've never found a time that I can. By the time the DC are in bed I just want to collapse in an exhausted heap, I'd certainly not be able to exercise! We've moved and from here I have to get the bus, I can't walk like I used to as it's now too far from everything and DC (and me) would never manage it in time.

I take it all back - this is for you!

THIS IS NOT BORING!!!!

Behindhersmile . I walk to and from work every day, I garden and do housework. All of that is exercise. Sport and gym activities bore me rigid. Why you see fit to challenge my statement that I am extremely healthy is odd-I'm never ill; I can't recall when I last consulted a doctor, missed a day's work or even had a cold.

You however are extremely ill-mannered.

Ha ha ha ha ha # Prancersize