I am dying to start doing some exercising but my neurosurgeon says nothing that increases my heart rate. I can't walk from my car to a store without increasing my heart rate… It has been a year and I have gained 20lbs. I am a petite woman so that 20lbs is really affecting me… besides the standard vanity issues, I have lots of joint pain and poor mobility. The littlest thing causes me muscle pain.

I walked my daughter to school, maybe 2 blocks away and I felt drunk by the time I got home. I couldn't get off the couch for an hour afterwards.

I just want to be able to do something, even if it is sitting and lifting small albs weights so I can try to strengthen my upper body. I know it will greatly help my mood. I also wonder if the lack of exercise for the last year is adding to the difficulty breathing and heart rate increase whenever I try doing something small like climbing the stairs. I know under normal circumstances if you are not active being active kicks your butt!

Does anyone have any experience with light exercise?