Help for working out

I'm 48 and out of shape. Not fat but definitely could lose 15 lb. I cannot do high impact exercises due to an old ankle injury. Should I start out walking a mile a day? I'm afraid of overdoing it and having a heart attack or something. :-)

• 25 years ago I weighed 350, now I am at 190. Here's what helped: Weight Watchers Working out I started working out by defining a mile long running path from my apartment. Starting every day I would run as far as I could, tracking my progress as I went along. Each day I ran a little longer and then finished the mile by running. I was so ashamed back then that I did it at night for fear that people would judge. Now I belong to a gym, have a trainer and try to support people who are just starting out on that path. Keep the faith and good luck!

• Good sensible advice. Thanks. I'm going to do it too.

• A trainer might be a good investment at first. Remember, though, that while working out will help you out, the shape you're in is about 80% what you eat. If you eat super-healthy and don't work out, you'll be quite lean.

• It's hard to know if you are serious, OP. "Walking a mile" is hardly "overdoing it" territory for any reasonably healthy person. It is "underdoing it" by a considerable margin. So you can't do high impact exercises? Is there any reason you can't do a pull-up, a bicep curl, a push up, crunches, go for a swim, ride a bike... When you've worked your way up to running 115 miles a week, we can start worrying about your heart attack prospects.

• Jazzercise! Fan dancing!