Scared of working out

newtothishelp

Hi,

anyone else have any injuries? i had a slipped disc 4 years ago, and had minor surgery to pop it back into place.

at the time, the dr said you cant do this that or the other, and I'm like, well what can i do then?! pilates was the answer that came from my physio, and swimming. now, i did pilates, but not swimming, as i was not happy with my body shape.

I am now much, much better. I am starting to do swimming and aqua aerobics, and want to lose 100lbs, and half of this is because of my back - obvioulsy the weight doesnt help one bit.

I do aqua aerobics 4 times a week. is this enough? should i be changing it up a bit? i am petrified that i will go back to that same place again where i couldnt work for months, and couldnt sit for more than 20 minutes and couldnt stand for more than 20 minutes, and I was on drug after drug

TavistockToad

swimming is GREAT exercise.... i would speak to a doctor or physio before doing anything else though.

mperrott2205

Diet is 90% of losing weight, 10% exercise. The best way to get started on losing weight is to become stricter with your diet and be in a caloric defecit.

But yes, Swimming is great cardio exercise as it's incredible low impact.

MyJourney1960

every person/injury/body is different. it's best if you ask your doctor/PT what you can do.

xampx

Diet is for weight loss, exercise is for health. As long as you are eating at a deficit, the fat will disappear.

However, exercise is always good, it makes you feel better, helps your heart & lungs & joints etc, and usually means you can eat more food to compensate for the burned calories. So 4 sessions of aqua aerobics a week is fine, the only thing that would bother me is boredom of doing the same thing.

Other low impact stuff I guess is pilates like you said, perhaps yoga? walking? maybe even get into jogging if your back can handle it?

I am sure there is some sort of weight lifting you could do too, but I would suggest speaking with your Dr about what to avoid.

mazdauk

As you've had a serious injury rahter than just aches and pains from being overweght DO talk to Dr/physio before upping the ante on the exercise. I understand (never tried it) elliptical machines are good if you can't do a lot of impact, not sure about cycling but ask your Dr (NOT spinning - too intense!!)

As others have said, the main thing is to eat the right amount of calories for your activity level. You might find it easiest to set your profile to sedentary and eat back ALL your exercsie calories - that is what has worked for me as otherwise I'd be too prone to under-exercise for my calories!:blushing:

neandermagnon

swimming is GREAT exercise.... i would speak to a doctor or physio before doing anything else though.

^^^ this only a doctor or physio is qualified to tell you what exercises you can/can't do safely. Even if someone else seems to have the same kind of injury, there might be something about it that makes your situation different, so definitely get medical advice. And in the meantime continue with the kinds of exercise you've been told are okay. The main thing is to be getting out there and using your body. How you eat will determine if you succeed at losing weight or not. Aim to eat less than you burn off, but not too much less, so you eat enough to support your body and fuel your workouts, but can still lose weight.

lrbiton

Ill echo the check with your doctor.

But- I also have serious back problems, and 10 years ago was told to stick to swimming and pilates. I still keep up pilates as a form of physical therapy, but swimming is a huge hassle here. Before my issues I was very active, and it was hard for me to drop that. Starting about 4 years ago I started upping my physical levels- started with lots of walking, easy weights in the gym (with back strengthening exercises) . I can now play a game of basketball (my favorite way to exercise) once a week without hurting myself

BUT. You really need to know/learn your limits. When I feel pain I take it very seriously. I tried c25k, but the impact was too much for me more then once a week. i check in with my doctor at least once a year, and anytime I feel like something is off.

Good luck!

brittanyd83

I'm going to echo everyone else here, check with your Dr before any exercise (I'd also ask him about simply walking, too, since the weather's getting nicer) and diet, diet, diet! And by diet, I mean making sure your diet is full of healthy foods and within your target calorie range, NOT to go on some crazy restrictive diet.

I am also going to add, try to do away with the fear, and instead focus on where you want to be at the end of it. Not only is hope the most motivational emotion that exists, but fear causes stress, which prevents weight loss and messes with your hormonal balance. We also have a way of making things come true by focusing on them, though it has worked to motivate some. By focusing on how happy you'll be after 10, 20, 50, 100 lbs lost, you're focusing on the good, keeping stress levels low, and increasing the chance that it will happen (and sooner!). :-)