Welcome back!
I'm another restarter who's had some success this year in figuring out what I will actually DO that my body can tolerate.
It took forever and lots of mistakes to realize that I'd been working out too intensely for where I am right now. I'd workout, get sore and take a break that became a hiatus.
After a long period of almost nothing I joined the Y and started taking a few gentle yoga classes twice a week. One seated, the other a more ordinary gentle practice (on the mat). Doing that for a while helped a LOT, then I added in some walking on the treadmill.
I've gradually realized that what I needed was a greater amount of gentle exercise that didn't try to exceed my current limitations. Working within my limits on a fairly regular schedule has really made a difference.
I'm adding in a bit of yoga at home in the same gentle vein, sometimes with J Brown's yoga dvd, sometimes with Jane Adams, but also sometimes just on my own in a sequence that seems to make sense to me, including some forward bends, back bends, a bit of a twist, etc. Nothing fancy or strenuous, and using standing sun salutations and a relatively limited number of downward facing dog poses. (Don't want to aggravate my shoulders again.)
I practice yoga because I want to return to a seated meditation practice and my hips are so tight I have trouble sitting on the floor in a comfortable position, so it's definitely a work in progress.
Sometimes I find I've over done it, but then I remember to take some tylenol and am feeling better fairly soon.
It's definitely a process, and I'm by no means an expert, but I seem to be learning what my body needs.
Sorry to ramble, but I thought I'd share what seems to be effective for me just now.
Best of luck in finding what works well for your needs.
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Anna
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