I have in my livingroom a big red bouncy ball. I purchased it on sale. It came with a long rubber band and a pilates cd. The pilates cd was nice and simple. I can do all of the exercises except for one.

If you want to try exercising/stretching more, I would suggest picking this up, especially for people who can't do aerobic activities, and/or who suffer from joint pain and chronic fatigue. It allows for you to do exercises that are not hard on the body. For example, put me on the floor and I struggle with sit ups. Give me the ball for a soft support, and I can do a decent amount (not because it's ineffective, but because my body is being supported and I am not straining).

The first time I tried doing the entire 20 minutes, I got very sick afterward. Some specialists would say that this is because of the toxins being moved around. It may have also been because I hadn't done real exercise in a long time. I took it easier the next time, and eliminated some of the exercies that were too hard for me. Slowly, I incorporated them back into the routine. As I said, there is still one that I don't even attempt to do. Know your limits. Don't be lazy, but don't overdo it.

Remember, you may not even be able to do exercise everyday. I find that if I rotate it (one day on, one day off), I do much better. I also find that I respond better first thing in the morning, and am more likely to crash out if I exercise late in the afternoon. You will have to experiment to find out which is best for you.

It's hard to motivate yourself to exercise when you have no energy or feel bloated. I think an exercise routine may be harder to follow than the diet (but that's just me).

On a final note, a simple 15 - 20 minute exercise routine may make a world of difference in your physical (and mental) well being. I am going to start using it as a substitution of cravings that I can't shake. Sometimes when I have a crazy craving, I'll do the exercise to a) take my mind off it, and b) make my body feel better (the stretching seems to make me feel good more often then not), which makes me less likely to cheat because I don't want to feel sick.