Hi, Fenris.
Everyone has his likes and dislikes on exercise, so I’ll throw out a few ideas that might help you find the right one for you.
Walking is what turned me from a totally sedentary person into an active one. (I’ve maintained about a 50 pound weight loss for about 14 years now, excepting time out for 2 babies). I started with walking because it was something I knew how to do, and could do on my own, and wouldn’t be ridiculed for doing — exercise incognito, as it were. (I was paranoid about going into a gym full of people in great shape, and being judged inferior.)
When I got started, I lived about half a mile from where I worked, so I started by walking to work in the morning. When I went home, I made sure that I took a route that took me at least 30 minutes to complete. As I got in better and better shape, my routes got longer and more circuitous. I promised myself that every day I would fit in at least one 30 minute walk, or, if I couldn’t make one 30 minutes, at least three 20 minute walks. As I got more knowledgeable about my fitness needs, I started adding on occasional stretching sessions for flexibility.
When I could, I went for a change of scenery, as you can get sort of bored with the scenery in your neighborhood. Whenever possible, I made my walks functional — purposely “forgetting” a small item, like a bar of soap, when I did my grocery shopping, so I would have a purpose for walking to the store for it (in a long, circuitous route.) If you do this, be sure you take a backpack or fanny pack to carry the item. Carrying stuff for long distances is no fun, and can make your walk miserable. (And please, PLEASE, ignore what Ex Tank said about ankle and wrist weights. Ankle weights should only be used for static strength work, and NEVER as part of an aerobic workout. Wrist weights could only offer terribly marginal benefits as far as your upper body work would go, and their use could throw off your natural arm/leg coordination, thus slowing you down, and reducing the overall aerobic benefit from what you would get if you just walked a little faster without the wrist weights to annoy you.)
Also, don’t be put off by it if your shins burn when you first start a walking program. This is because the shin muscle (the tibialis anterior) is not really used very much in any activity except for walking, and when you start increasing either your speed or frequency of walking, or both, it will start complaining about it. Regular walking will strengthen the muscle, and the problem will go away. (Man, I’m getting carried away with this, aren’t I? The lecturing is sort of a habit — I teach fitness walking at the YMCA for grins.)
Next time you go to your favorite bookstore, try parking a mile or so away and walking over, (or, if you’re going to be carrying a lot of books back without a backpack, park beside the store, walk away from the store for at least 15 minutes, and then walk back to the store, giving you 30 minutes of walking before you get your reward.) Walk at a pace where you could comfortably carry on a conversation with someone without having to gasp for breath, but couldn’t sing a song comfortably.
OK, maybe you just don’t like walking, or want more variety, and want to consider some home exercise equipment. A lot of the home exercise equipment is cheap and junky. To keep costs down, it is frequently made of lighter weight materials, and is less stable and able to withstand frequent use. Even though you say you don’t want to join a gym, I would suggest you try joining one for just a month, just so you can have the opportunity to try out some really good gym-grade exercise equipment so you can see what type you like before investing in any home equipment. Once you’ve decided what type you like (or at least can live with), you’ll have a better idea of what features you think your home equipment should have, and what items should not be skimped on. (I like the rowing machine. It has the advantage of throwing in a little upper body work, which was lacking in walking. YMMV, though.)
Another option is exercise tapes. Even if you aren’t the dancey aerobics type, you may enjoy Tae-bo or cardio-kickboxing. (I love cardio kickboxing. I’m addicted to my Y’s Contact kickboxing class, where we get to glove up, and kick and punch a heavy bag.) Your local video store should have some Tae-bo tapes in stock, so you can try renting one first to try it out before buying. You can also check out ESPN2 and some other cable/satellite channels for exercise classes they offer, such as Crunch Fitness. You’re better off taping these, and playing them back later, so you can fast-forward past the commercials, however.
Think about this as something you are doing for yourself because you deserve to be taken care of, not something you have to do to fit society’s view of how you should look. I think of exercise as my immunization against depression. I have a huge family history of depression, and am the only one in my immediate family NOT being treated for it currently, which I attribute it to regular exercise. I really feel a huge difference in my mood when I’m forced to miss more than a few days in a row due injuries or job stress.
Good luck!
