her opinion, and advice, open your front door and get moving.
you need not a gym member ship or any such nonsense.
walk run cycle, that should be your fitness routine, maybe a pool membership if you like to swim
you can follow that up with diet
and simple exercises in your own house. with no equipment or the bare minimum depending on budget and space.
like I said she had run iron mans one a year for years, and has more experience then all of us put together on fitness. boston marathons etc etc.
biggest thing is lifestyle and a commitment to a healthy active lifestyle
FULLY agree here. I've been to the gym off and on, but have consistently biked & run since HS and weigh the same I did after college (20+ years). Many of the comments above ring 100% true:
- Diet. Over time, I've completely given up soda (sorry: "pop"!), Dorito's, fast food, etc. [tho I do cheat with breakfast sausage sandwiches from SB, Tims, and almost anywhere else!] Still weak on chocolate chip cookies & Nutella, but that's why I bike & run - so I can burn a hole to fill with that stuff!

Don't consider myself completely psycho on diet, but generally its fish & chicken, rice/pasta/grains, spinach/kale/fresh veggies, bananas, yogurt for snacks, etc. Find what works for your body, stop eating before you feel full (because there's a time delay from when the stomach is actually full till you feel it), chew the food more, drink fizzy water (a trick pro cyclists use to lose weight leading to the season). Plenty more simple tricks to try, some of which are silly and some are risky, so caveat emptor as always!
- Motivation. Do what you enjoy. I don't get into the gym scene, but running trails, biking in the mountains, cyclocross races, hard group rides up hilly terrain, standup paddling - that stuff gets me motivated! It also keeps me quiet on the hobby front because my money's going to workout toys (always need something for a bike, paddleboards don't grow on trees, running shoes only last so long, etc) and I'm too pumped for the next thing.
- Motivation pt 2. Sign up for an event (BEFORE you think you're ready), put the race brochure on the mirror and everywhere else if you have to, and use that to motivate you to get out the door. Want that old lady to beat you at the Spartan race? Want that 300lb chain smoker to outsprint you in that 10k?
- Lifestyle. Take the stairs. Quickly. Walk to the store, don't drive (or park further away). Cut firewood with a saw & ax.
- Read the Velominati rules (even if you don't bike, apply them to the sport you like and life you live. Start and End with Rule #5.):
http://http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/
- Take the above with a grain of salt because you ultimately have to find what works for you.