I probably shouldn’t say anything, but I once knew a guy whom had general body pain, and it turns out he was very low on vitamin D. He was basically a very overweight shut-in for years, so it’s not surprising he was low. He ate every animal in sight though, so I didn’t think he was low on vitamin D, but he was. (This is not advice. I know vitamin research is not definitive. My friend could have benefitted from the Placebo Effect from taking supplements. I am not a doctor. I don’t think I forgot any HN science disclaimers? Oh yea, what I love most about you guys here is you jump all over statements I’m making right now.)
Then you must take some rest. Get a good recharge of your batteries and get back on the field only when you got stronger. Enjoy life, eat well and move around a lot.
There's not really an "easy" answer which it seems a lot of people trying to get healthy want.
Exercising sucks.
Eventually you get good enough at it that you start to enjoy it-- I LOVE running now--but it's not without a fairly long period of pain and discomfort.
It's EXPONENTIALLY easier to gain the weight than it is to lose it. You can lose the weight through diet alone but that's itself incredibly difficult especially with a life of bad habits.
One problem is that I find exercise extremely boring. I need constant stimulation to keep attention away from pain. For some time I actually could get by with podcasts but after listening to few hundreds I started finding the same patterns and it was just boring again. In the end I had to listen to them at 4x speed to keep myself away from pain. Other "trick" was to exercise once pain killers kicked in, but they work so short periods now that I have to do work instead. Medical cannabis also helps but exercise does not feel comfortable. Still researching... wherever I sit I have weights within reach so I try to lift at least once but after a while I became blind to them and forget they exist.
Running sucks, rowing a little as well. Lifting weights, swimming, walking are all great almost from the get go.
Lifting weights is by far the best. You can keep a leisurely pace, have plenty of time to talk to people, listen to a podcast, or just fiddle with your phone between sets, so it's psychologically easier. You become stronger so you feel the benefits all the time. And you gain muscle which means your base metabolic rate goes up, you have much more latitude in your diet and room for lapses.
Most importantly (yes), you look better in the mirror. Both instantly thanks to the pump and in the long term. Which is by far the best motivation to show up again.
I used to think running sucked until I took up soccer, apparently the 2 hours a week every summer and winter (not that I played the whole time, I was overweight and out of shape, maybe 20-30 minutes total) plus practices caused my form to improve. Shinsplints disappeared, and as I lost weight my knee pain disappeared. It's not for everyone, but working on form can make it a much more tolerable exercise if not enjoyable.
Rowing requires you to focus on form as well. If you can get the form down (legs, hips, arms, reverse) the motion becomes very smooth and the pain that remains isn't pain, just soreness and discomfort from the effort. It's still damned exhausting, but it's a great cardio and full body workout. Back pain is still possible, I have sciatica and it's occasionally triggered/made worse by my rowing, but on days when I let my form slack or when I've upped the difficulty for myself (changed resistance, added time, added intensity). But the strengthening of core muscles has overall reduced the frequency of my sciatica problems. Like with lifting (which I need to get back into) it builds up a good bit of muscle and helps raise the base metabolic rate, though not as dramatically. I also don't think I've ever had a more significant improvement in my cardio endurance than when using rowing as a frequent/key part of my routine (other than swimming, but shoulder issues have forced me to avoid that as a regular exercise, I can go 1-2 times a week for moderate distance and pace with breaks, but not the 3+ times of continuous swimming for 30-45 minutes I used to do; take care of your shoulders people).
You didn't mention cycling, but it's another good exercise that's very unlikely to cause issues for most people. Also nice if you can find a good cycling route/trail near your home or office, or find a cycling group in your area. Riding as a pack can help with safety and discovering routes (this is my plan for the spring this year, once I get my bike tuned up, since I'm still new-ish to this area). Cost is an issue, but there are a lot of people that buy nice bikes that never get ridden and sell them a couple years later. Clean it, tune it, and you've got a great bike at a discount. Keep it clean and tuned and it'll last you years. A good indoor trainer isn't expensive (though not cheap either) and can turn it into a nice year piece of exercise equipment (if you live in an area where winter riding is untenable for you, or with frequent summer rains).
This really depends on the issue. If, for example, you have a mobility issue, and walking directly hurt the mobility issue, then the solution is physio or massage to resolve the mobility issue.
But for your more garden variety “I am tired and my joints hurt” then exercise tends to be a virtuous circle. You push yourself to do a little, and it is rough, but it improves the body’s capacity. Then you feel a bit better later and can do more.
Being unhealthy is an equilibrium, and you can push yourself into a better equilibrium with exercise, food and sleep.
For 90% of people reading this what I wrote will be true. But you may be in the 10% where you have an underlying issue to fix first, so check with a physio and a doctor.
Unless your physician is of the opinion that your particular issues would benefit from more rest, you first have to believe that exercise will (eventually) make your life better. And it's not a wild stretch, because all evidence points in that direction.
If you don't really believe that, man, it's super fucking hard and the first step has to be a psychological shift. I would wholeheartedly recommend a professional, if that is in the books for you.
If you do however believe that exercise will eventually improve your life, then make it harder to say no: Join a club, any club, that involves moving your body. Hire somebody, depending on where you live maybe insurance coverage will get you going for cheap/free.
The gains in the beginning are hard but boy do they come quick.
