where to start?

DD265

Pilates is good for flexibility. I find it too boring personally but I know people who swear by it.

Swimming and walking are both good exercise but may not give you the increased flexibility you're after - it depends how bad you are now and how flexible you want to get.

Depending on what is causing your lack of flexibility, you may need some help sorting it out. I see a chiro or physio depending on what I want. Last year it was the physio, this year I'm more focused on the chiro who hurts more but yields quicker results. My inflexibility was caused by chronic tension which in turn was caused by stress. We've had to help my muscles relax and now I'm targeting the tendons.

TiredTrophy

Some gp practices offer sessions at a local council gym for folks with reduced mobility due to illness , disability and including weigh related mobility problems. Often 6 or ten sessions to get you going.
In the house you could start with seated exercise if you are starting from a very low level.
Going with a friend to take a dog for a walk is diverting...converstion helps the time go quickly.
And there are lots of ideas in the posts above as well.
But mostly, dont be so tough on yourself....why not join us on the weightloss thread in the Old Style Money Saving part of the forum?

fireblade28

So you need to lose weight but you know that already that will alleviate some of the back pain.

Back pain is probably related to your lack of flexibility. What happens is from sitting all day the hip flexors get tight and put your back into posterior tilt this shortens the back muscles which causes pain.

Best solution for this is Pilates. It focuses on strengthening the core but also on releasing the hips. Join a class.

Also for relief stick a tennis ball into the top of your leg and do myofacial release on it. Google this if you don't know what your doing.

A hard mattress is also much better as it forces your back into good alignment.

As for fitness start with uphill walking and a basic weights routine 3x a week. As your female keep them light but try and make progress. Weights are not just for guys they help with metabolism and a whole host of hormone related stuff. Plus they help maintain bone density as your get older.

Good luck

YORKSHIRELASS

My advice would be to get on map my run or similar and map out a route that you can walk that is safe, flat and easy to walk. Maybe start with two miles and make yourself walk it three times a week as slowly as you like to start with.

Plan in advance when you are going to walk. Get a notebook and write in it every time you have done it, the date, how long it took and how you felt afterwards.

Say to yourself I will do this for six or eight weeks then I will decide if I want to keep going. You can eventually move on to jogging a little or going a bit further.

Remember that any exercise is good for you. A sensible balanced diet combined with a bit more exercise will start to get you results. The hardest thing is starting.

If you feel brave enough a Pilates or Yoga class combined with the walking would be even better.

Good luck.

bugslet

I've been wearing an Omron pedometer for about 8 years, pretty much every day - CBA with all this interactive fitbit stuff, though if it suits you, that's good. My aim is 12,000 steps a day (preferably more)and it's surprisingly easy to achieve once you get into the habit. The key is to increase slowly and to incorporate more movement into everyday life to get the steps up.

As for flexibility, you will probably be surprised if you try for a week or two, just doing some really simple touch your toes, stretch to sides exercises, how much you improve in that short space of time. I don't want to presume any lack of confidence on your part, but if you were, then it would help loosen you up a bit and show how you can progress before taking the plunge into a yoga class.

I also bellydance and can recommend it. Lots of fun so it doesn't feel like exercise, a lot of the women are nowhere near a size 10 so it's non-judgmental and you loosen up an awful lot.:)

warehouse

In March I had a (minor) heart attack. Fixed now with a stent and lots of pills, but to me it was the shock I needed to change my diet and fitness, (obviously not saying you need a shock like that)!

So I was a couple of stone overweight, had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I changed my diet to a sensible one, (it isn't difficult, we all know what we shouldn't be eating). But do you know what caused the weight to fall off fastest? Stopping the alcohol and the evening snacks. That combined with some swimming, walking and now cycling has seen the weight to drop pretty quickly.

Losing the weight has also made my bad back 20 times better and my snoring has simply stopped.

Cut out alcohol, stop snacking between meals and start burning off calories when you can would be my advice to you.