Would it be possible to use some type of pillows on the Lifecycle?  Maybe
you could fashion something from some foam rubber and material from your
local fabric store.  Too bad you don't live nearby as I made padded covers
for my old computer chair I use in the sewing room.  If you have a family
member who does sewing maybe they could help.

When I'm not feeling up-to-par and want to do an easy workout I use the
rubber resistance bands.  You can even sit and do many of those exercises.
You might be surprised at the work out you can get from them.

Do what you can but don't over do it.  I'm sure you know that as you
progress in your weight loss your exercise ability will benefit.  Water
exercises are always a good choice if you have access to a pool.  I like the
water exercises but hate having to go out in the cold during the winter
after I've been in a pool.

Beverly

Hey VG.

A couple/few suggestions.

1.  can you attach a cushion or pillow to your life cycle - or even a big
folded towel to sit on to cushion the tush.

2.  how long can you stand to sit on it?  Can you make 10 or 15 min
intervals?  Instead of sitting in the easy chair, spend 10 or 15 mins on
the bike and watch tv.  

3.  Get thyself to thy gym and into the pool for swimming.  IC can join you
if she wants.  Go swimming for 30 mins a few times a week even.  

Hey - if I can make it to the gym (and I've got DH and 11yr old boy, the
time consuming job and a home to take care of) then you can too.  :)  

Start light and work your way back into it if health and mobility are an
issue.   Even a few 10 min sessions a couple times a day will help in the
long run.

I had great success with exercise videos. In particular, Leslie Sansone's
Walk away the pounds series has a video for 1, 2 or 3 mile aerobic walking.
The 1 mile is a great place to start. Good luck to you!

Heidi

A local bike shop should be able to sell you a "seat pad" made specifically
to go over a bicycle seat.  Costs around $12 US, as I recall.
Alternatively, you could purchase some cycling shorts, which come with a
built in padding, but they're considerably more expensive.

As for general fitness - the good news is that you're out of shape.
Meaning, if you start to work out regularly you'll see dramatic gains in
fitness in a reasonably short period of time.  These rapid early gains in
fitness can be a motivator to keep after it.

When I got back into exercise 15 years ago, I could hardly ride my bike 5
flat, slow miles.  But within a few months, I'd tripled that, and started
tackling some of the local hills (some kicked my butt...others I kicked).
Those feelings of "getting stronger" are (especially for men), a real
motivator...at least, they were for me.  I'd gotten tired of feeling, well,
tired, and those feelings of "I'm stronger this week than last week" helped
me to keep after it.

Sadly, once you reach a certain level of fitness, the gains in strength
become harder and harder to achieve.  But, then you can start setting goals
for yourself (e.g., one of my goals for this year is:
http://www.bicycletourcolorado.com/ )

Good luck...don't give up.

GG

Hmmm... Total Gym.   Yeah - I know it's an 'infomercial' machine, but
it's one of the few that really does rate well with many exercise
specialists.  It's not for body-buiding, but great for functional
fitness.  It has its' roots in the physiotherapy world, and provides
great lower back support.  Turn on the TV and check it out.

Have you been diagnosed with a reason for the breathing problem? Is it
just lack of conditioning, or something more?

I have asthma, so I have to be careful not to let my breathing get out
of control, but unless I am sick or have had a recent asthma attack -
I'm winded from lack of conditioning. The more I exercise, the less I
have of that problem. I can do more and go longer before the breathing
gets worse.

When I do stairstepping exercises, I back off the stair and march in
place when my breathing starts to get bad. Once it is okay again, I go
back to the stair. With regular exercise, I don't have to back off as
often.

So, I would have to say that you need to keep plugging away at it. Use
it as a guide to your fitness level. If walking makes you out of
breath, then take short breaks. But keep working at it, and those
breaks won't be necessary anymore.

I used to quit trying at an exercise routine because I would be out of
breath in 5 minutes, my heart rate would go sky high, and I was on the
verge of an asthma attack. I couldn't seem to make it past 5 minutes.

But then I watched a different video, and the lady said to always
stick to your own pace. Never try to keep up with the video if your
breathing is out of control. Modify the exercise to your own fitness
level. So, in her stair stepping video, she had people who didn't use
a stair at all, to people with tall stairs. Some people had weights
and some people didn't. Some moved faster and some moved slower. The
idea was that a beginner should do what they are capable of, and then
increase the intensity as they improve.

Now I can go the whole 30 minutes and still be feeling good. I was
amazed the first time I got past the 5 minute wall that I had always
been hitting. It was a revelation to discover that I really can do
this.  

Do you know the cause of your back pain? I have back aches on
occasion, and I can usually walk okay anyway. But sometimes, I have
the sciatic nerve problem, and I will have 3-4 days where walking
kills me with every step. If the walking hurts, I usually stick to
hand weights and just work on that for a few days while I wait for the
back to be better. I also find that an ice pack will help my back, so
I can get around better with that. I can actually wear a belt to keep
the ice pack in place and go about my business.

If walking doesn't make theback pain worse, then it is a great
exercise and not too hard on your breathing. If you have decent
balance, you might try rollerblading. It isn't much harder than
walking, and it's a lot more fun.

I can get out of breath trying to jog half a block, but I can
rollerblade with no problem. I do get out of breath if I try to speed
skate too long, so I do that in intervals, going at my regular pace
and then picking it up for awhile, and going back to my regular pace.

I find it to be much more fun that walking, and it is the only
exercise that I look forward to doing. I will actually be going in
about half an hour after 2 weeks off. I got sick a week ago Monday,
and it progressed into my lungs. I will probably get out of breath
more than normal since I'm not quite normal yet. But I am not going to
wait another week for my days off. I want to get out there and move.

Can you come up with a cushion or something to make it softer? Put a
towel on it or something?

--
Meghan & the Zoo Crew  
Equine and Pet Photography
http://www.zoocrewphoto.com