workouts for obese beginners?

mou_254

Hello, I have started eating healthy and exercising for about a month. I am 22 years old,female and obese(morbidly so). I have been downloading workout videos off YouTube and doing them at home. However, I seem to be straining my ankles and shins and also my lower back. I just cannot seem to keep up with these workouts.

Please suggest some workouts for obese beginners?
For your reference, my stats are:
Height: 5' 3.5''
Weight: 229.1 lbs

Any help would be great. Thanks in advance!

LKArgh

Walk. Or try something in a pool if you can, either swimming or a class.

jennifer_417

Couple suggestions:

Make sure your stretching before AND after. It makes a world of difference for me.

Try to figure out which specific movements are causing pain and see if you can modify them to something you can do effectively.

Good luck on your journey!

chelsea7162

Stretch, stretch, STRETCH! Like the person above me said, before and after. Swimming is gentle on the joints compared to many other workouts. Cardio in general is helpful for losing weight and I find that out of all cardio machines, the cross trainer seems to be the gentlest. If your muscles are hurting, that's okay! But if it's your joints you should cut back on your workouts.

Expatmommy79

Op I'm 5'2" and started at 205. I started walking. 20 min. Now up to an hour. Dropped to 195 fairly quickly then added boxing/sparring with a trainer. It was intense, but easy on my joints since I wasn't jumping or running.

Now at 180 and started weight lifting.

Trying volleyball today after 15 years.

Start walking. It's a great exercise. Do a few mins more every time. Pick a pace that is comfortable. Swing your arms gently. When you loose a bit of weight you should feel relief on your joints.

Good luck. A positive attitude and good habits will get you far. You sound well on your way.

I would also take measurements. I only lost 3 pounds last month but dropped 4 inches off my stomach.

jlisa24

Depends on what these videos are having you do that causes pain. Like said above, try modifying specific movements, lots of stretching before and after.

Try getting some cardio with brisk walks, jogging, elliptical, all which can be done at your own pace.

Also can try hatha yoga for some good stretching and also some slight strength training and developing core strength.

A couch to 5k program, which quite a few people here have seemed to like - though depending on your exercise induced pain you might need to be careful if jogging / running hurts to avoid injury.

Good luck, keep up the good work and dont get discouraged by these things. Youll find things that work!

amusedmonkey

Try milder exercises like walking. If you like exercise videos try Leslie Sansone. Just go to YouTube and search for "low impact workout". If something is too challenging or too fast don't feel the need to keep up. Just go at your own pace. I started barely able to walk for more than 5 minutes and now I can run for 30. Don't let it discourage you if you don't have the fitness level needed to complete a certain workout. Just keep progressing gradually and you eventually will gain more fitness.

If you are straining your ankles and back, it's very possible you need to work on your balance and core strength. Look into beginner yoga and pilates.

mou_254

jennifer_417 wrote: »

Couple suggestions:

Make sure your stretching before AND after. It makes a world of difference for me.

Try to figure out which specific movements are causing pain and see if you can modify them to something you can do effectively.

Good luck on your journey!

thanks for the advice! i do the warm up and cool down stretches in the videos,but i will make sure to extend the stretches.

mou_254

Expatmommy79 wrote: »

Op I'm 5'2" and started at 205. I started walking. 20 min. Now up to an hour. Dropped to 195 fairly quickly then added boxing/sparring with a trainer. It was intense, but easy on my joints since I wasn't jumping or running.

Now at 180 and started weight lifting.

Trying volleyball today after 15 years.

Start walking. It's a great exercise. Do a few mins more every time. Pick a pace that is comfortable. Swing your arms gently. When you loose a bit of weight you should feel relief on your joints.

Good luck. A positive attitude and good habits will get you far. You sound well on your way.

I would also take measurements. I only lost 3 pounds last month but dropped 4 inches off my stomach.

thank you,this is inspiring! i do keep measurements; they are a bit embarrassing!! thank you for the great advice!

mou_254

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Try milder exercises like walking. If you like exercise videos try Leslie Sansone. Just go to YouTube and search for "low impact workout". If something is too challenging or too fast don't feel the need to keep up. Just go at your own pace. I started barely able to walk for more than 5 minutes and now I can run for 30. Don't let it discourage you if you don't have the fitness level needed to complete a certain workout. Just keep progressing gradually and you eventually will gain more fitness.

If you are straining your ankles and back, it's very possible you need to work on your balance and core strength. Look into beginner yoga and pilates.

i actually discovered leslie sansone "walk at home" videos a few days back. i do the 3 mile one about 4-5 times a week, and feel great afterwards!! thank you