Before starting any exercise routine a person should check with their doctor to make sure they are healthy enough to exercise, or to see if they have a condition that would prevent certain types of exercise. That said almost anyone can exercise and many of us are making excuses that sound good perhaps even are justified to some extent but we could be engaging in some form of activity. I may sound harsh but I speak from experience since I am not just overweight or merely obese but am morbidly or super obese.

I always frowned on those who used their weight as an excuse not to be active and I busted my butt to prove one could be large and still move. Then in my forties I began to have health issues that pulled me up short. An old injury to my knee flared up and it was discovered I had a torn miniscus. Following that I developed extreme shortness of breathe on exertion. Neither condition was helped by the fact I topped the scales at 525 pounds. When I got sick of being sick and decided to find a way to get healthy I knew I would have to find a way to exercise but it was very hard to do.

I hate to sweat, I would begin sucking air any time I got up to walk much less anything else and the more I moved the more my knees hurt. So it seemed an impossible venture to find an exercise routine I could do. Although I have an R.N. degree and more research material then most people do I must admit I was stumped. The only thing I wasn't lacking was excuses.

I made progress with my breathing issues and even lost some weight but was not getting any where with starting an exercise program. I got my wake up call when I was watching programs on the super obese, who were also bed ridden. Their doctors and therapists had them exercising in bed. Hey I am not bed ridden! Then I caught a T.V. exercise program called "Sit and Be Fit" designed for patients with arthritis, post stroke and elderly. Hey I haven't had a stroke and I'm not that old!

I began to see what I could do instead of what I couldn't do. I can do all kinds of things. Yes, somethings I have to modify because of my limitations (knees mostly) but I can exercise and if I can then most everyone else should be able to. There are actually a pretty wide variety of exercises that can be done safely if you are overweight or obese.

Even when I was on oxygen therapy, the therapist suggested using a timer and walking for brief distances (whatever I could manage) and then recovering and beginning again. The time limit

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