Exercise for one arm.

rachdlew

Hello all. My mother is really trying to lose weight and exercise but we are having some issues finding things she can do. My mother was hit by a car when she was 4 so her right arm is completely useless. It is still there so she can use it for balance a little bit but there are not many core exercises and upper body strength training she can do. She is 56 and she also has COPD so we have to take it slow with her. I am willing to take any suggestions. She has talked to her doctors and they are not helping with any particular exercises just telling her she needs to lose weight. Any suggestion would be very helpful.
Thank you.

cantfail

Walking consistently will really go a long way. The COPD may mean she has to go slow and slowly increase her time. Walking is also very underrated as a core strengthener. It is those deep core muscles that keep you in an upright position.

Think about getting a stability ball. Just sitting on that will help strengthen the core. She can also use it for crunches and twists if getting up and down off the flow is a challenge. Sitting on a stability ball and doing one arm bicep curls, shoulder presses and rows with a resistance band might also be good.

Remember, at least 80% of weight loss success is in the kitchen. Once she starts to lose weight be altering her nutrition, the exercise part will probably become easier to do.

Madelinec117

I understand exactly what you are talking about. I have an aunt who was born with an arm which she can't use. Unfortunately, she was never very active, so she didn't exercise. I understand that it can be tricky because it will also affect the balance since there is no or little muscle in that arm. Someone had suggested water aerobics to the first post, and I agree with that. She can even use a "noodle" in the water to help her balance. In a pool you can even use the noodle to do planks using just one arm or with the noodle under your arm. Also, if you know any physical therapist or physical trainer, they may have some helpful suggestions.

rachdlew

Thank you guys so much for your feed back. She is doing great with the nutrition part we are working on this together so we look out for each other. She is really concerned with the exercise part. She likes to push herself a little to hard at times and I am thinking if I can put together a safe routine for her each week she will not only feel better but it will help with her breathing and her weight loss.

daffaidoo

HI I am walking daily doing 1000 step a day. and I am not losing I eat about 1500 to 1800 calories daily what can I do to lose more weigth.