Hello!

MrsBradyBunch

I am a woman in my mid-50's, married. My husband and I are both being prepped for bariatric surgery. Weight loss is almost secondary. The primary goal here is to control our diabetes. We've been on a carefully controlled and supervised eating program for a little over a month now. My weight loss isn't going very fast, but my blood glucose readings have been terrific.

Complicate matters with me. Some years ago, I was in a car accident, and it left me with permanent damage. I walk with a cane. Most of the time I don't need it if I'm going from room to room indoors, but outdoors on curbs, steps, and uneven ground, it's very necessary.

With this problem, I am limited in the amount and type of exercise I can get. I go to a gym for pool access. I can do things in water that I can't do on land. Aqua jogging is my primary form of exercise. Usually I warm up with handheld weights, and then jog in the water for at least fifteen minutes. I had worked my way up to forty minutes, but then 1.) I had my gall bladder out and couldn't submerge myself in water until the incisions healed, and 2.) A few months later, I broke (mangled!) my toe. It's healed now, but I still have twinges sometimes. I've gotten to where I can exercise regularly again. Now I want to vary things up a little, and start adding more land exercises along with the aqua jogging.

I have no idea what I should be doing. My abs are especially weak. I got on the crunch machine at the gym, and my abs very clearly told me, "Nope!" Going to have to strengthen them before I'm even up to that. So I hope to find good advice and support here.

Nice to meet everybody.