Losing Weight and Feeling Great

Exercise can be a little tricky if you are an original couch potato (like yours truly).  One of the easiest ways to exercise if you’re not used to it is walking.

I wanted to do something, and walking seemed to be about the easiest — put on the shoes and go.  But I had some things holding me back.

• First, I didn’t want to appear in public in exercise clothes.  Actually, I didn’t want to appear in public at all, because I was so ashamed of my appearance.
• Next, I didn’t want to either pass out from heat exhaustion or get stuck in a thunderstorm.  Here where I live in Florida, it’s hot and humid all year, except for maybe a week in the winter.  Plus, there aren’t any sidewalks, so I’d be out in the street or trudging along the swales.

• One of my legs had been injured, and although I could walk some, I had a fear of the pain getting really bad more than a few blocks from home and have to practically crawl back (ew).

Ok, so those were my excuses, valid or not.  But I wanted to do something — I really needed a weight loss walking plan that I could do, and that I could stick to.  Even if it was only a couple times a week, it would be better than nothing.

After reviewing my options, I decided on the “Walk Away the Pounds” program of in-home walking.  It let me exercise at home, in the air-conditioning and if I really started hurting, I could just stop and hobble to a chair.

Here’s how it works:  put on your walking shoes, pick one of the DVDs, pop it in and follow the walk.  You can do anywhere from 1/2 mile on up to 5 or more.  You walk in place most of the time, but there are also a few stretchy side-to-side movements (easy even for me) to give it a little interest and move some different muscles.

The pace is a mile in 15 or 18 minutes (depending on the DVD).  There is music to keep you on pace, and the leader, too (Leslie Sansone).  Yeah, she’s a little too chatty at times, but her enthusiasm is much appreciated.

The Walk Away the Pounds weight loss walking plans have quite a few DVDs available.  Honestly, I got a few so I could vary the routine a little — the same DVD over and over again would drive me batty.

I’m almost to the point where I can walk in public — well, except for the heat and thunderstorm part at any rate.  But these walking DVDs are great for either getting started on a walking routine or for something different to do from time to time.

The DVD is a keeper for me.