Is it late for me?

[Superlost1984]

what is exercise? i dunno what that is.

see, i think i have lived such a sedentary lifestyle for....all my life? at 25, i realized that i haven't really been moving much for 2 decades and a half. that's too bad because we all know that exercise helps in preventing many diseases. and my ticket to good health? i just threw it out my window.

at present my paranoia is killing me. everytime i feel some spasms here, or some strange numbness or pain there, a little bloated feeling at some point, or some stiffness somewhere, i just can't help feeling scared that i might be breeding some form of disease or diseases already from all that sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy food that i have been ingesting since birth.

at 25, do you think, it's too late for me? am i doomed?:uhoh21:

[tishirajan]

Thank you very much! It was hard work but so worth it. I've never felt better in my life. I was always a chunky kid. I tried every diet under the sun and found a program that worked for me. I eat lots of fresh greens. My favorite is the dole salad kits like the southwest and I add grilled chicken to it. I have it for lunch and supper. I also do not eat bread. I thought I couldn't live without bread but I can and do. I love fresh fruit too and eat fresh fruit with yogurt for BF and I drink lots of water. I sometimes treat myself to a Dr. Pepper, I just love my DP. I use those little singles that you pour into bottled water from Crystal Lite to add some flavor to the water.

I just made up my mind that weighing over 200lbs was going to kill me sooner or later. I can sleep now without waking myself up wheezing.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I pay myself a penny for every minute that I exercise. That's the money I can use to play online poker.

I started exercising regularly about 3.5 years ago when I developed mild Type II diabetes. I did great for the first year and lost 40 pounds. I continued to exercise and got in even better shape over the next 2 years, but gained back about 10 pounds during that time. Then I broke my ankle 6 months ago. I have become sedentary again and gained another 10 back. I am just now starting to exercise regularly again (at age 54) and hope to lose that 20 pounds again over the next year.

[stopthepenguins6]

If you're a lover of online forums and support groups, Sparkpeople.com is a great place for people trying to lose weight. They have lots of groups you can join (nursing ones as well :) ) as well as people in your area so you can get yourself a support buddy. It has calorie trackers, weight trackers, lots of yummy recipes, and lots of good articles. Good luck! :)

[nursel56]

Wow, some great success stories above!! : Guess I'll have to stop that "slow metabolism with age" thing I've been kicking around in my head for a while. I walk, but overall since having kids I went from workout 1 hour per day, ballet 3x/wk to well. . .there's lots of room for improvement. :imbar

[Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN]

I highly, highly recommend Body for Life. If you don't want to get the book, the information is on the Body for Life website for free. The cardio and weightlifting exercises are broken down very simply for a beginner. I have my own setup at home with dumbbells, a barbell, a utility bench, and now a weight bench with lat bar and leg attachments, but only dumbbells and maybe a utility bench or Swiss ball are really necessary at the beginning. I lost 123 pounds (and kept it off for over 3 years) by doing only the moderate walking for 30 minutes most days with diet change (but missing walking days when it was winter), but I feel tons and tons better now doing the varying intensity cardio for 20 minutes and weightlifting.

I started my weight loss when I was 24, so 25 is a good age to start, IMO!