Exercise woes

 I had to quit the Y. Will join again soon, but not yet, due to $ issues. So, let me ask this: Is walking "enough"? If walking is the only thing someone can do for a while, will it do the trick? How I miss water aerobics and the eliptical trainers. 
Also, for the sake of vanity, I want to try squats because my butt and thighs are a trainwreck. LOL. Is there a right or wrong way to do them? I don't wanna get hurt. Haha!

Walking is all I do for cardio because I have been unable to join the gym because of family issues. I walk 5-6 times per week at a very fast pace. I have even started jogging a liitle while walking to increase my heart rate...Squats are great ...just keep you knees from going pass your toes...Its' helpful to put a chair behind you and pretend you're going to sit...back straight...head up...then drop it to the ground..LOL...Lunges are great too. You will love walking...it's also a way to clear your mind and enjoy your surrounding...Enjoy...

 I have done the C25K, started by walking four miles at a clip and when I could do that without any issues I started to add in the C25****il I am mostly running and doing very little walking. 

 Walking is great exercise. But for strength and building muscles that will help accelerate weight loss, you can do isometric exercises. They don't require a lot of equipment and you can do them almost everywhere. Check out a Google video search or YouTube search for isometric exercises and you'll find a lot of examples. 

Good luck!

Depending on your household finances, you may qualify for the Guardian program which you pay far less than the average membership price.

At your current weight you should be fine with a solid walking program but remember variety is the key. You can do it!

I did a lot of walking early on to get in shape and feel better...it is the easiest and free thing to do, so by all means walk as often and as far as possible...also pick hilly areas to walk, this will help in the butt dept.

Get a chair, and pretend to sit down, and you will have good form for squats, just do that over and over...or face a wall, close in with chin up, and squat up and down, it will keep you aligned properly.

Don't forget there are plenty of free things you can do at home for toning up..... push ups, planks, crunches, jumping jacks, stretching, yoga poses, dips, etc.

Also exercise videos are cheap alternatives and some can be fun.

Honestly, I don't think walking is enough once you've increased your fitness and lost some weight.

Don't get me wrong, for someone who is just starting this journey and is sedentary and morbidly obese, walking is a great place to start.  But for me, now that I've been working out for 9 months, I doubt that I could get my heartrate over 110 by simply walking. 

I would suggest doing couch to 5K to get your heartrate up to a fitness level, and then buy a kettle bell that comes with a workout for all-over strength and cardio building.  Maybe you could look on ebay for some cheap fitness DVDs.  I have a few yoga DVDs that I like, and I'm thinking about getting Zumba for my Wii. 

Mix it up and challenge yourself beyond walking.  Sorry you had to give up your Y membership -- I love my Y, too!