Robb Wolf's book "The Paleo Solution" is a great read for anyone just starting the paleo/primal lifestyle and includes a chapter on fitness geared toward beginners. I can't recommend it enough.

I advocate Crossfit or a HIIT (high intensity interval training) program. They're wonderful. There is a site: http://crossfitmom.com/ that is really great. It has beginner through advanced levels, updates every day, and can be scaled even more if needed. It's designed by ladies, for ladies :-) Good luck! And congrats on the weight loss!

I would say pickup Rippetoe's Starting Strength. It's a good book to read although I would also recommend oce you are ready to start it that you get a trainer to guide you with the exercises. Most people do not perform squats and dead lifts properly, and most gym trainer dudes don't know the proper way either. But rip's book does a perfect job of getting one familiar with the five most basic, full body work, strength building exercises that have made strongmen strong since the beginning. Really, I can't recommend this book and program enough.

Resurgent, you have a lot of options.

I would +1 the recommendation to try kettlebells. A reasonably light one can be a great way to start and develop overall conditioning. Just make sure to purchase a competition size bell (of the appropriately light weight; it is hollow as i understand). You do not want to go to Target and buy one of the solid, small cast iron bells that put concentrated pressure on your forearm, when the bell rests against your arm. A small bell will bruise your arm.

The crossfit mom's site looks great. If you are a guy, you may feel awkward following it, though, due to the name and who it is directed towards. (Just being honest).

Other than kettlebells, I think your best optino would be to join a gym and do weight machines (gasp!). 2x a week could be enough, initially. You can worry about doing barbell/freeweight work after gaining an initial level of strength, for the sake of safety. I would advise against trying to do barbell work at home, at this early stage of strength / knowledge.

Resurgent, have you downloaded Sisson's free primal fitness book? I think you have to subscribe to his newsletter to get the password. Yes, it's marketing, but it's also free! It uses bodyweight exercises geared to every ability level. Very doable and no special equipment needed.

I'm similar to you in that I was never very athletic--gym class was torture, being unable to do pull ups, climb the rope, ever, that sort of thing. I can't swim either. But I've always biked everywhere and I walk and hike a lot. I don't even consider that "working out" and it's fun. So my legs are strong, but not my upper body (save for the time I worked as baker--though all the bread and pastries I ate sort of counteracted the benefits of hefting 50# sacks of flour and 70# blocks of butter!). I do sprinting on my bike just by default. (Late for work, outrun yellow lights, keep up with traffic, etc.) Yeah, I play in traffic--probably not a beginner exercise...

Anyway, Mark's program has you work up to "actual" pushups and pullups--there are 9 levels for each exercise, with level 4 being the target. I don't have a pullup bar (and I'm not ready to walk over to the park and attempt pullups in public) so I googled "alternative exercises to pullups" and do a couple exercises with the 10# dumbbell I acquired somewhere. I have no trouble with squats, but I do wall pushups, modified presses, etc. As an overview, I'm at level 1 on pushups, roughly level 1 on pullups, level 4 on squat, level 1 on overhead press, and level 4 on plank. It only takes me half an hour to do two rounds of the basic exercises, and that's with a few extra upper body exercises with the dumbbell thrown in.

Personally, I hate gyms--bad memories of gym class, and boring, and requires some attention to fashion. And I'm not very good with schedules. But if you need the motivation of a specific program and other folks to work out with, I think that the advice here to check out Crossfit is a good one. Or find someone to do the primal workout with.

Oh yeah, and get a bike! You don't need to be all spandexed-out and a Lance Armstrong wannabe to be a cyclist! (Though I freely admit that where I live, riding in the winter kind of sucks.)

Awesome job on the weight loss!

Body weight exercises are absolutely the way to go.

Keep trying the push ups! You'll get them. My sister could only do a 1/2 when she started. (Just from the floor up, but not down) You can also modify them by doing them off the wall or a table until you build up strength also.

As far as the pull ups go, if you have a bar or want to buy one you can use resistance bands to help you work up to a full pull up http://www.livestrong.com/article/256842-how-to-hang-resistance-bands-for-assisted-pull-ups/or this is a modified pull up from the P90X site. http://www.extremebodyworkout.com/blog/2008/07/10/how-to-modify-p90x-chin-up-bar-routines-with-resistance-bands/

A TRX system might also be an option. http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&_kk=TRX&_kt=e2d11a8f-4c2e-4df6-aee3-f355319dc063&gclid=CJ7Hr9r64qUCFQNrKgodLmNn5A

It might do you some good to meet with a personal trainer just a couple times to go over the movements to make sure you have the form right.

Good luck!

Try http://hundredpushups.com/. If you can't do them from the floor to begin with try working against a counter. Worked for me!

"STARTING" STRENGTH. Period