Perhaps you have wanted to lose weight but have become discouraged as you read all of the advice out there about how to drop pounds. Many of the well-meaning posts and columns advise you to engage in 30+ minutes of brisk exercise three times a week. You say again and again, "I am going to do something about losing weight. I am going to take action this week." Then, you read that you are supposed to work in 1 1/2 hours of tiring physical exercise in per week (at least) and you delay your plans another few days.

Your response is entirely understandable. For one, you look nothing like those models in the fitness commercials or shows who breeze through their routines. You know good and well that you would not last five minutes during such a regimen.
You also are trying to figure out where you will cram in 30+ minutes of exercise several times a week. How exactly will you do that? Buy a fitness DVD and move around? Trust the latest Wii advertisement and plunk down the money for that? Join a local health club? Ooops! That's going to be a problem. The rate is far higher than you anticipated and they want to lock you in for a year, at least, with an automatic withdrawal plan that could be dicey for you.

So, how exactly are you to get in this brisk exercise? You know that you will probably not stick with any at-home routine. The kids are around, your husband is around, it's going to be hard to lock yourself in the basement for 45 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to jump around to a DVD. Besides, who the heck wants to work out on Friday night after a long work week?

Weekends? Get real. The to-do list is a mile long and, again, you're going to have to almost neglect your family to scuttle off to your exercise class. And, even if you take that hard-line stance and get some "me" time, showing up at the class is going to take a lot of courage. For one, you don't have the right clothes, and secondly, you look a little different than most of the people in the class. You know what I mean? They are sleek and slender and you are, uh, a little over your ideal weight. If you are honest, you don't really want to prance around in a leotard in front of 15 strangers three times a week.

What will make that potential class even harder is when you practically pass out after the first five minutes and the instructor says, "That's OK, Claire. You can catch up later," and everyone turns around and stares at you, face down with your tongue hanging out in your out-of-date fitness wear. Wow! Does weight loss have to be totally humiliating as well?

This post offers some great news for you. All of those columns that told you that you need 30+ minutes of vigorous exercise at least three times a week were correct. There are no shortcuts to weight loss, and any reliable plan will include regular exercise along with careful eating.

However, there are many ways to make your body burn calories. It doesn't have to be to a routine run by a hyperactive instructor that has the personality of a chipmunk on steroids. There are other forms of exercise that you can do that are less taxing. You will simply need to do such exercise for longer periods of time.

That's where the old favorite of walking comes in. A recent study of people who lost weight and kept it off found that many walked 60-90 minutes a day, on average. That might sound intimidating, but there are several ways that you can work a walk into your day. Let's also be honest and admit that people who walk in many settings in America look strange. Our entire society is built on the car. There are many places with no sidewalks and super-busy intersections that will make walking a challenge. People will look at you from their cars as if you are nuts to be walking in freezing temperatures. Children will point to the window and say, "Mommy, is that person a homeless person?" Don't pay them any mind. You are going to lose weight and enjoy the process. Read the next post in this series to find out how.