Exercise and limitations advise

Purify

Hi. I know I need to add some type of activity to improve the rate of my weight loss. In the past, I used to walk, but I have problems with my ankle (bad flattening of arch due to long-ago injury, plus loss of cartelidge and arthritis equal major pain and swelling). I wear a brace that helps me some, and I KNOW I need to get the stress of my extra weight off of this ankle. I just can't do the distance walking that I used to do, and the eliptical is as bad or worse. Can anyone recommend something else that might give good results but is low imact? I should also mention that I have had surgery on my right knee twice for torn meniscus, and have lower and upper back problems. When I add it all up, it sounds to me like there is nothing I can do in the way of exercise, but I'm just not ready or willing to accept that as the truth! Surely, there is SOMETHING that I can still do, even with all of these problems/limitations???

jomama1

water aerobics sound like it would be perfect for you! Hope this helps! Good luck!

schobert101

Swimming or water aerobics

mickandy

ooooo....yeah Rosie do water aerobics. That are fun. I did that in Okinawa before I had the twins. You don't hurt, but you know you are working. Also...they do water aerobics for rehab too. That should tell ya something.

Fesse

What about swimming, do you have an indoor swimming pool in your area?

abyt42

I also support the swimming idea, but also, have you tried yoga or pilates? It's not a huge calorie burn, but I'm finding some relief from chronic back and shoulder pain.

bordersvm

Water aerobics helps ALOT!!! I did it for therapy on my knee. It's good for the back as well. I'm looking into yoga, I've been told it's good for the back pain relief! Good Luck!

:happy:

Casey97

I've had two knee surgeries and multiple ankle injuries over the years, the best thing I can tell you is start off slow. Water aerobics really helped strenghten my knee back up after two surgeries and years of taking it easy. I'm not gonna lie, it defintely hurts at first but stick with it and it does get better. I'm able to do 10-15 minutes on the elliptical now with very little pain. Just don't expect to much right away, start off slow, you're body is capable of more than you might think...it took me years to figure that out.

Good Luck!

michelle_mareshfuehrer

Yoga sounds like a good option--you can go at your own pace and listen to your body. Maybe even getting an exercise ball and doing some exercises on it will help, too.

Lifedreamer

Bike it! try both a recumbent and an upright stationary bike to see which impact your back the least. I have an old knee problem that acts up when i start to get too active as well and i can stay on that bike easily over an hour while watching tv or reading.

shreddingit

get a pilates machine from hsn or qvc!

bethvandenberg

Swimming! An awesome workout and very easy on the body.

NoAdditives

Swimming or an exercise bike would be best.

Purify

Thank you all for your excellent responses! I think I still have my pilates tapes, and I know I can do SOME of the moves...just not all. I'll have to see about finding an indoor pool in the ares. The Boys and Girls club has one, but thier fee is beyond what I can afford. I do have a balance/exercise ball...just no idea how to use it except to sit on it. Oh, and I have resistance bands. Look, I just talked myself into now having to just make myself USE what I have available!

Thanks again, everyone!