Three years ago I couldn’t walk very far without getting winded or feeling discomfort in my back. I weighed around 415 pounds and wasn’t active at all. The only activity I enjoyed back then was swimming, because it was the only activity I really could do. I loved to swim, but other than that I couldn’t really do much else.

I remember my brother wanted to show me something on a trail in the woods behind my parents’ house. I made it through the yard and the garden and back to the where the woods started, but I couldn’t get much farther. Although I wanted to spend time with my brother, physically I wasn’t able to traipse around the woods with him.

A few years and two hundred pounds later, my brother told me how worried and upset it had made him that day. My brother and I are very close, and I’m sure the idea of me dropping dead right there in the woods didn’t appeal very much to him.

I used to just ignore when people said, “I don’t care if you’re heavy, I’m just worried about your health,� until I was in that situation myself. When you love someone who is over 300 pounds you start to worry that they might not be around to grow old with you and that is extremely upsetting. Being on the other side of things makes you realize that the people in your life really didn’t care that you are “fat,� they just want you to stick around a while.

When you’re as heavy as I was, getting started isn’t necessarily an easy task. If you really want to start along the path toward permanent weight loss you’ll need to find a variety of low impact exercises that work for you, and stick to them!

For most people, walking is the first step. Start out small. Do you drive to the mailbox when you could walk? Could you walk to the corner store instead of driving there? There are little things in your daily life that you probably use a car for, but you could walk there if you wanted to. What I did is that I found a trail in the woods. I parked at the entrance to the trail and started walking in.

Just the fact that I had decided to actually be healthy, not to lose weight or to be skinny, but to be healthy, made me feel better even that very first day. I walked along a beautiful lake as far as I could go until I got tired. I rested for a bit and then walked back to the car. Each day I walked a little further and a little faster.

For people who have joint or other problems, starting out walking might not be as easy as it sounds. Other great, low impact, exercises are swimming and water aerobics. Most facilities that offer water aerobics have a variety of classes and you can work at your own pace and level. The water aerobics class I joined was a blast with great people and great music. I really enjoyed it and had an awesome workout every time. I also recommend joining a swimming class, even if you already know the basics of swimming. This will give you a regular place and time to be a few times a week and will help you maintain a regular exercise schedule.

Another low impact exercise is the elliptical machine which you have at most gyms. If you check out your local YMCA they might have a fitness center with lots of machines as well as a pool with water aerobics and swimming classes. The elliptical machine is a very low impact machine that allows you to get the same exercise as if you were walking very fast or jogging, but without removing your feet from the machine with each gliding “step.� This prevents shin splint and all kinds of possible injuries. The machine might be a bit tough at first. Don’t be afraid to do only five minutes with the machine set at the lowest resistance level the first time. You will be able to exercise longer and at higher levels if you keep at it.

The human body is an amazing thing with a wonderful capacity to heal itself. Even if you are more than 300 or even 400 pounds right now, after just a few days of low impact exercise, drinking lots of water, and cleansing your body with lots of yummy fruits and vegetables, you will notice a significant difference in the way you feel.

Don’t starve yourself and don’t fantasize about being skinny! Try to pick a reasonable goal that has nothing to do with a number on the scale or some numbers sewn into the back of your pants.

There is a lighthouse on the top of a cliff on the Washington coast that I’d always wanted to hike into since I was young. About two months ago I did just that, and I’ve got some great pictures of me and my brother standing on the edge of the world.

What have you always wanted to do?