AIBU to ask for ways to stay active if you don't have children or a dog to walk?

[OhMyDaze2022]

Just that really.
Don't have children.
Don't have a dog to walk.
Don't have any hobbies.
Office job sitting on arse all day.
Asthma and arthritis.
Morbidly obese and need to lose weight before it kills us.
Partner in a similar situation.
How can I lose weight without walking a dog or going to a gym - I'm too fat so I'm not humiliating myself.
Ideas, please?
YouTube channels? Games? Silly tricks people do? I do have a step counter and I'm only getting a few hundred steps in a day at the moment. I sit on my bum at work, drive home and then I cba to exercise coz I'm tired. I need to start taking action!

Please don't me cruel in the comments. I'm asking for help not pitchforks.

Running club? Near me we have groups for all abilities, I’d imagine there’s a club near you.

I have an exercise bike at home, it was second hand off ebay so not expensive (much cheaper than the gym!) and use that three times a week. I also go jogging and walk most places I need to go if I can

C25K is great, either with a running group or just the app. It just builds slowly with walking/running and you can repeat sessions. As others said though, you do need to look at what you’re eating. My running group leader repeatedly said you can’t exercise away a bad diet.
Hula hooping is good too. Or just walking.

Audible is great for getting yourself out and walking. I have a dog, so listen when I go on my morning walk, but even if I didn't the promise of half an hour/45minutes/an hour etc etc of the book I'm listening too would be enough to get me up and out. It's so addictive!

OP hasn't been back?
Have to start with body she has.
Kids & dog not very relevvant.
Not safe to do many activity things when morbidly obese -- but I wonder if swimming is possible.
There are armchair workouts for the MO, too.

Pokémon go?

I do wizard unite, similar game,you collect stuff by walking around with your mobile.

Another one voting for just getting out and walking. Podcasts and audible will help. Also, try timing phone calls for your walks. So, have a catch up with a family member or a friend whilst walking. Makes the time fly and you’ll feel great at the end of it.

Are there journeys you habitually make by car that you could choose to walk or cycle instead? I am not very active but choose to cycle to and from town (only about 15 mins cycling each way) whenever I can instead of driving. Just have to plan that time into your day.

Also, try timing phone calls for your walks. So, have a catch up with a family member or a friend whilst walking
Definitely but use air buds or similar so you are not using your hand. You can get a reasonably pace going if you are not cradling tbe phone I have found!

@Hearwego

Running club? Near me we have groups for all abilities, I’d imagine there’s a club near you.

I think she's quite a way off even a c25k running group at the moment.

I read some great advice yesterday which was to make your first cup of tea or coffee of the day in a travel mug and then drink it outside as you walk. I tried it this morning and it was great. It’s really calming, warms you up and and you get fresh air and a bit of sunlight. I drank half walking one way then set off back drinking the other - probably 15 minutes in total. If you did that every day, you’d get 90 minutes walking exercise a week without even thinking about it.

You're allowed to go for a walk without a dog, you know.

You could always get a dog! then you have no choice about walking!

OP this was my walk yesterday.
All by myself! I didnt see anyone in 5 hours and had a lovely time. I took a flask and some trail mix. Definitely cleared my mind!

Google Eva Fitness. She has loads of freeYouTube aerobic exercise videos lasting from around 20 minutes which aren’t too difficult but give a good workout, and they’re good fun. You don’t need much space and you can do them in your lounge.

Can you incorporate a walk into your commute? So part further away from the office and walk 5,000 steps there and 5,000 steps back. It probably would be an hour each way . Maybe start with just do 1000 steps each way and build up?

Walking is such a great way to get fit. I have a dog and now consistently walk over 10,000 steps a day and have never been fitter.

Can you get either a treadmill or exercise bike and set it up in the house? Plonk your ipad or phone on it, set it for gentle pace walking or not too much resistence on bike, turn on youtube/stream favourite programme/music with a beat you enjoy....
You are not looking to kill yourself with speed or endurance, but you would be surprised how quickly you can build up stamina to go longer, add a slope to walking or resistence to cycling just by doing it regularly.

So if you were to watch a half hour programme that you watch anyway while on the machine 3 times a week, you will get a surprising amount of exercise.

(My exercise of choice is swimming, but not feasible with reduced numbers in pools and need to prebook, sea is baltic at this time of year, so I was going to get a bike except DD got a rowing machine that I am using a small amount for the same reason - at a lot lot lower resistence than she uses - I'm also asthmatic and obese at this stage, desk based job, WFH since Mar 2020 so no longer getting my 10 minutes each way to/from train station to office daily walk and it really really shows).

notacooldad

That's so stunning! I'd be out for 5 hours too if that was close by!

You don't need a dog to walk, as a child my parents wouldn't let me have a dog so I used to walk myself after school. Buy an ordinance survey map and get lost (I still do this today with my dogs!)

Aqua Aerobics. Like you, I'm obese, and I'm ashamed to say, the heaviest I've ever been. I'm recovering from a stroke so cannot do Zumba as I used to (I can't move quickly enough and my balance isn't good enough yet). I've never been able to swim. Obviously, cannot ride a bike. Aqua Aerobics is good because it's exercise without getting sweaty, it's mostly women, and there are all shapes and sizes - some of the women in my classes are huge, others very thin, ages range from 30s to 70s. Nobody bothers about how each other look. I now go 3 times a week.

Go for a walk on your own.

Look up Leslie Sansone on YouTube, she does lots of walking videos that you do from your living room. You can start small and build up if you want, she has lots of different videos of different lengths/impact.

No dog but I just go for a walk anyway. I try to do at least a 6000 step actual walk which is about 5km (for me).

Indoors Leslie Sansone (YouTube) but just get out there and walk. All my phone calls I walk around now; even up and down the living room to burn up to 20k steps a day

Op, I have a dog and 3dc but I walk alone when I'm after losing weight as they actually curtail my progress! Take a short walk the first time and build it up from there, keep your calories around 1800 and you will definitely lose. Good luck.