I feel like I'm so unfit that getting fit is going to be actually impossible.

[OhioOhioOhio]

I feel like across between a slug and an elephant with a sore head. I'm so unfit and fat it seems pointless to even try. Can anyone give me any advice or pointers? Thank you.

Weights will change everything.

Same OP. I have the added issue of arthritis in my knees and one hip which isn't helping. I'm overweight because I don't exercise, I don't exercise because my knees hurt. My knees hurt because I'm overweight.

I've started trying to do a few minutes of exercise a day. 3 sets of exercise, one on my feet, one sitting, one lying down. I started off at 3 minutes for each, now up to 5, and sometimes I do the sets twice.
Some days I struggle more than others. I'm trying my best to stick to it.

I have noticed a couple of things are getting easier, like going upstairs.

Good luck OP, and everyone else struggling.

@OhioOhioOhio
I'm the same op. 5' 4" & very overweight with oedema, but only mild. Just recovered from my first dose of cellulitis in my leg. All back to normal now, except I still feel very washed out. The thought of going for a walk fills me with dread as I could sleep for England right now. It has to be done though, baby steps at first. Maybe we should compare notes every day to spur ourselves on!

Any journey starts with a single step OP.

Begin with walking. 30 mins or an hour a day if possible.

Add in some at-home workouts, FIIT is incredible - circuits, yoga, whatever with variable modes from new to beginner through to advanced. 25 mins or 40 mins workout from your own home with no one watching.

It's been perfect for helping me to begin exercising from pretty much sedentary. No one sees me wheezing or struggling but it's fully guided.

I'd begin by thinking about what sort of activity you like (or think you may like) and go from there. So...

• Do you want to do it indoors or outdoors?
• How much time have you got?
• Do you want to do it alone or in a group? It could be a support group rather than a physical meeting of people.
• What is your aim? Is it be be stronger? More flexible? Aerobically fit?

Narrow it down if you can.

• Set SMART goals
• Start really small. This is important to avoid overuse injuries and also so they're sustainable (giving up because you're trying to do too much is bad for morale). This could be something as simple as marching on the spot during TV advert breaks, or doing squats or standing on one leg when you're cleaning your teeth.

Good luck

Thank you everyone. I guess I will try to be more positive. It feels impossible. Has anyone got any tips on making healthier family meals?

Ohio, I use the BBC Good Food website which I find really useful. If you hovver over the "Recipes" tab you'll get a drop down menu where you can choose recipes based on category, including "healthy meals".

I’m in a similar position. Used to be fairly fit but health issues have seriously limited me. I’ve started doing beginners Tai Chi from YouTube tutorials! It’s pretty easy to follow, it’s calming. Okay not very high calorie burning but I can manage it.

Food wise have you considered doing one of the recipe companies? I just signed up to Gousto. They send you the recipe and all the ingredients. It’s really easy to cook and there’s Joe Wicks “Lean in 15” options but you’re cooking most of it from scratch anyway so it’s pretty healthy. I’m going to do it for a few weeks then use the recipe cards to do our favourite meals again. It’s got us out of a rut.

What do you typically eat?

As a family we eat lots of
Salmon
Chicken
Quorn
Veggies
Bagels
Eggs
Pasta
Salads

Last night we had

Oven baked salmon with soy, honey, ginger and garlic, with some rice (a fist size) and then half the play filled with green veg- broccoli and string beans. No pudding. I never have pudding. Kids have a lolly or something now and again.

One. Day .At. A .Time!
Walking - get a pedometer see how far you walk now and gradually increase it. Walk every day - add in some routes with an uphill bit, walk further than you would, go up stairs.
Get comfy shoes - sketchers do super comfy walking trainers.
Build on it - and it will happen.
See Joanna dog in YouTube- she does great easy routines for overweight people - try that 2 x a week, then 3x as well as the walking.
Then maybe counch25k? Be careful though, you can hurt the bones in your feet or your ankles if you start running too much too soon.
Good luck!

Doing anything is better than doing nothing. At 32, I couldn’t swim and now I can do 60-80 lengths in a session. At 40, I had never run for anything more than a bus and now I have done four half-marathons.

BUT I am still lazy, plump and slow. I still feel useless compared to other people I see zooming past me. The trick is to only compete with yourself. At the moment, you are doing no exercise. Doing five minutes exercise means you beat yourself.

OP what do you like doing?

A million people might say "walk" but - even though I enjoy walking - nothing on earth would persuade me to walk unless I felt safe and happy with my environment and positive enough to want to bother with looking presentable in public.

Do you like being outside? Was there a sport or activity you previously took part in and remember fondly? Do you have a garden?

My 'start small' advice would be to get a skipping rope. Cheap (though worth spending the money for a good one), takes up little room inside or out and needs no Lycra. Lots of advice online, but I just leave the rope in a place I pass often and do fifty skips each time I see it. A few weeks in (and after many decades of head shaking at my tree trunk legs) I have discovered I possess ankles. And skipping has unexpectedly improved my posture and balance - so I am finding the mirror more friendly, despite extra lockdown pounds.

Try it ...

Ohio, further to my PPs, think outside the box a little when considering "exercise". It doesn't have to be the usual stuff like running, walking, fitness classes, etc, it can be anything that gets you moving and your heart rate up. If, like me, you're not into "exercise" and work better when getting fit is a side effect of doing something fun, then consider things like hoola hoops. I love mine.

Hah! I very nearly mentioned hoola hooping but thought I'd stick to just one thing. (And a hoop can be frustrating if one doesn't pick up the knack straight away.) I love mine, too!

Stretching and strength you can do in the house with the children - just fifteen minutes a day will start to make a difference, and children need to practice flexibility and mindfulness too, whatever their age.

Walking - aim for a mile a day, or get a step counter and set targets with the children to do together.

Good luck x

OP - can you touch your toes?

Just wanted to second others' recommendations of yoga with adriene on youtube. I started during lockdown with one of the '30 days' series and have just carried on. I used to feel like such an old lady, had lots of aches and pains and zero flexibility, definitely not the confidence to start running or anything like that. I had pretty low expectations, given that I have never got close to touching my ankles, let alone toes. Now I feel so much better, I have got my freedom of movement back again, my back pain is much reduced and I just have a bit more confidence in my body to move. I know that sounds silly, but I think I genuinely forgot how to move. I do it whenever I can, maybe every day or every other day and the video's range in 15 minutes right up to an hour so it's pretty easy to fit in.

The best thing is as a side effect it has somehow given me the motivation to eat healthier. I am eating far less junk food and have started to lose a little weight as a result. For healthy dinner ideas, we are having a lot more of things like veggie curry / chilli, and I just cut down the amount of carbs and add a salad in instead. It really has been a bit of a game changer for me, gives me a bit of calm time each day. I hope you find something that works for you!

Op, even thinking about what you want to do is a step in the right direction. You are doing better than you think.
For me it was dancing with the children that helped! Just dancing like idiots around the kitchen! I then realised that it was something that although not good at I enjoyed because it didn’t feel like exercise. I signed up for a class which was great because it wasn’t taken too seriously. We just had to move for an hour, it didn’t matter if we weren’t perfect. The instructor was doing yoga classes after dance so I thought I would try it. It was great! So I continued and staying another hour for yoga. Absolutely shattered after but felt proud! I then decided to try yoga with Adriene at home, sometimes just 10 minutes so that I could get that feeling at home. Definitely harder at home with the children wanting to join/wanting drinks/fighting! I got a dog so have to walk him which got me out in all weathers daily!

I started from dancing around the kitchen and found what makes me feel good. For me it was never about getting fit, it was about having fun.

You can do it.

OP I feel the exact same although I’m technically not overweight. I have fibromyalgia and practically every bit of me aches. I feel stiff, sore and useless, going up the stairs hurts! I’d love to be a bit fitter. I walk the dog every 2 days or so. Used to do yoga but gave up as I have zero motivation. Can’t run or do anything high impact. Hate swimming as the pool is always too cold for me as I have huge issues with temperature.

Op you asked about meals. You should eat the kind of foods that you like to eat but healthier and add more fruit and veg.
If you like burgers, then just make them homemade and use lean meat or chicken. Have it with lots of salad and a pita bread or thin bread rather than burger buns.
Fish and chips could be baked fish with bread crumbs on top with some homemade potato wedges and salad or wedges.
Look on bbcgoodfood for ideas or just google healthier versions of your favourite meals.

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate it. I can't imagine doing 1 skip, never mind hula hooping! Does anyone have a good stretching routine?

Start with walking 8000 steps a day. Buy a fit bit. Eat cleaner and healthier and keep a food diary (fitbit let's you that)
That. Is. It.

Weightloss will follow

OP have you looked on YouTube? There's tons of different exercise videos, so if you just put in easy stretching exercises and pick a teacher that you gel with it'll work for you. All the suggestions we've made on here are teachers that we personally like, but you may have your own preference? You're more likely to continue with ones whose style you like.