Here's my situation:

It's been a while since I've exercised, so I'm pretty much out of shape right now. I do take a P.E. class in school plus I walk three miles to and from school everyday. Just a few days ago I tried riding my bike to only find it much harder to do than when I used to ride my bike daily. I constantly had to get off the bike and walk for a few minutes to catch my breath and to walk off the stiffness of my legs. To top it off, I need to lose a lot of weight according to my doctor.

I do have Martial Arts training in Taekwondo, though I cannot do the same things as I used to since I haven't exercised in a while.

Now, to my question:

Is it better to build yourself up with mainly exercising before you start training again with Martial Arts? Incorporating Martial Arts training with exercising at the current moment doesn't sound like something I should do, especially since I'm out of shape, overweight, and I can injure myself.

We had a gentleman join our class several years ago because his doctor said he wouldn't operate on him until he lost weight. He was just too great of a risk to be put under general anasthesia (sp?) at his size. He came by our class and joined that night. He had no kind of previous training and was in obvious poor shape. After a couple of months he lost 40 pounds and the doctor told him to lose another 40 and he would operate. He had open heart surgery a few months after that. He came back for a while once he was released by the doc and was continuing to lose weight. Then life got in the way and dropped out. So to sum it all up I don't think that you need to be in perfect health to restart something like MA. You will naturally get in better shape through your training. If you wanted to try to exercise before you restart so your body doesn't go into shock and leave you sore the next morning then I'd say by all means go ahead. Any exercise is beneficial and the sooner you start the better.

Casey

Being fit will help with starting MA training but in most cases it's not necessary (unless you are so overweight you need to consult your doctor before joining). MA training scales to fit the individual and you'll find that many Dojos train aerobic and anaerobic exercises before, during and after each lesson.

I think it would probably be better to join MA rather than to build yourself up first. When exercising alone it's possible to encounter health risks. However if you're training around/with other people you have less of a chance to hurt yourself as you're doing the exercises correctly and with good form. Although you have to remember not to push yoursel too hard because of pride etc. So I would say that you should rejoin MA first and incorporate other activities after.

Unfortunately there are no Martial Arts schools within my area, and the one I used to attend is no longer here nor is it a place I would want to train in again. Plus, even if there was another studio/dojo out there, I don't have the money for it. So for now, I have to train myself which I have no problem with, even though the risk of injury is greater plus the risk of developing poor technique is apparent. The only thing I can do now is trust myself and what I know even though I don't know enough. I did however look for a Boxing gym at least since I don't think they are as expensive as Martial Arts training (I could be wrong of course), but I cannot find any.

MastaFighta,

Just inform what would be the best training for you. Take a look at MA classes that you like.
As for you getting in to shape. Ride your bike for an hour a day. (With the walking as you like.)
You'll notice that within a couple of weeks you'll feel a lot better.
The rate in which you become more into shape can be quite high.
As you improve you might want to ride in higher gears.

If you doubt on what's wise, ask a doc.
Good luck.