Low/No impact exercises

NotGoddess

Hey guys, need some advice.
My mom is diabetic and needs to exercise to help with her glucose levels. She was walking, but it got painful and she's been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in her knees. I've done some searching and while I know she might like doing things like water aerobics or the stationary bike, I also know she'll stop after a while because she has to leave the house to do them. She is overweight but it's all in the belly-skinny arms/legs/face.

What are some things that she can do at home, say while watching tv, that aren't hard for her to do, and maybe aren't that much by themselves, but will have a cumulative effect? I'm buying her an exercise mat (she's said she likes stretching but the floor is hard) and I'm giving her my old 1lb wrist weights since I don't use them anymore. I thought she could sit on the mat while watching tv to stretch the legs and wear the wrist weights around the house for that little extra effort while doing her normal routine.

She says she wants to do this, wants to be alive and healthy for her grandkids, but I also know if I push too hard she'll rebel. I need ideas on some little changes/routines I can suggest gradually to improve her health/fitness.

Riebop

Maybe some yoga to improve strength and flexibility. It might be a good idea for her to take a few classes to get the proper form. Once she learns that, she could easily do it at home.

Katbaran

How about one of those little bicycle things that sit on the floor--just the pedals? She can cycle while sitting in her chair of choice. The other thing I would tell her to try is to do some floor-type exercises or stretching on the bed. Easier to get on and off--no getting up from the hard floor! The light arm weights sound good too.

Good luck! :happy:

karrenbennett

Hello,
It's great that your mom is going to start exercising.

I have an under-the-desk bike exerciser. Sometimes I'll place it in front of the couch and while watching tv use the exerciser. It is easy to use and adjustable. Mine was purchased at Academy.

Also, there are exercise bands she can use to supplement the cardio. These can be used while sitting and will help to build strength in her arms, back, shoulders and legs.

My mom is diabetic and doesn't take well to the heat outside so we purchased her a Wii gaming system. She uses Wii Fit and another one (I don't remember the name) These games are fun and challenging. If you don't want to pay full price for a Wii, find a place which will sell them used. I know Gamestop sells used gaming consoles and games.

Postlethwaite

One of my favorite low impact activities is Tai Chi.. which is really a simple routine of movements and breath and stretching, but it makes you feel REALLY good. This is an activity that is super easy to squeeze into your daily routine.. do it whatever time of day. It can be done using youtube or other online demo videos to try it out, and there are a wide variety of exercise videos available for sale on DvD or VHS.

I have a couple of videos.. AM Chi (morning work out) and PM Chi (evening work out) are my favs. When my leg was bandaged from ankle to knee and I had terrible pain I found this was one of the easiest exercises I could do to keep up muscle strength, deal with stress and avoid hurting my leg.

karrenbennett

Hello,
It's great that your mom is going to start exercising.

I have an under-the-desk bike exerciser. Sometimes I'll place it in front of the couch and while watching tv use the exerciser. It is easy to use and adjustable. Mine was purchased at Academy.

Also, there are exercise bands she can use to supplement the cardio. These can be used while sitting and will help to build strength in her arms, back, shoulders and legs.

My mom is diabetic and doesn't take well to the heat outside so we purchased her a Wii gaming system. She uses Wii Fit and another one (I don't remember the name) These games are fun and challenging. If you don't want to pay full price for a Wii, find a place which will sell them used. I know Gamestop sells used gaming consoles and games.

I forgot to add that the Wii Fit games she can play with her grandkids. She''ll spend time with them AND burn some calories!

ccmulder5

hi!

i remember jillian saying in the level one portion of the 30 day shred that the arm punches are really good for bringing heart rate up even while sitting (as opposed to squatting)..

every little bit counts!!

whimsy38

Yoga and Tai Chi are good starts. I think there was a work-out for bad knees in a recent Prevention Magazine. There is a magazine on the shelves now (I think by Prevention also) that is a Yoga for weight loss special and it shows adaptions for overweight people that might be useful for an older person.

Danelyh

I also have osteoarthritis in the knees, actually had one total knee replacement. I started on a recumbent stationary bike. You can watch TV or read while doing it. You can get just the pedals and sit on a chair, couch or the mat. It is much less expensive than the bike itself and offers the same rewards. Good luck!

bloodbank

I agree with Danelyh's comment - some type of stationary bike (fairly cheap at somewhere like Walmart, even cheaper to buy used) can be set up where ever she watches TV. I have one set up in the living room and it's kind of fabulous to be able to keep in motion while watching a 2-hour movie with my husband instead of melting into the couch.

fiberartist219

I love yoga too. It got me started exercising when I didn't feel well enough to do much else. It helped me learn how to breathe when my muscles are doing their job. I was never really good at yoga, but it certainly taught me a lot. I have DVDs, read books, and took a class with an instructor.

I agree though, that you can't push her too hard. She needs to do it for herself, not because you want her to. Be supportive, and help her find whatever she needs to get going, but wait for her to come to you.

My husband drives me nuts when I talk about my exercise efforts. He tries to compare what I'm doing to what he is doing, and no matter what condition I'm in, I'll never be him. Even if I were in the best shape of my life, I won't be able to bench press the same amount or run the same distance. He has the hardest time recognizing what I can and will be able to do. Even if I *can* do something, that doesn't mean I will. I want to be healthy, but I don't want to be sore for weeks on end because of someone else's exercise routines.

Even when I tried to get a personal trainer, the guy didn't even notice when I was out of breath. I felt so dizzy I couldn't even pay attention to what he had to say.

I am finding great results with my short, 5 minute jump rope sessions, and my 15 minute walks lately. They help me increase what little endurance I have, without making me want to binge on food, or gobble up pain medication. I also find it much easier than doing something more strenuous, fewer times a week. It's like if I do something every day, I will miss it on the days I don't do it. However, if I do a heavy strength training session, and rest afterward, I'll get used to resting, and forget to work out, if that makes sense.

When ever my husband wants to "give advice" I just tune him out. If I listen to him, it overwhelms me to the point that I want to give up. I know he means well, but he will never understand just how out of shape I really am.

Tell your mom that it's easier if she does just a little bit every day, and she can stop when she's tired, but she has to get started. Also tell her that it's up to her, and it's not about the rest of the family. She has to do it for herself, not just because she wants to be there for everyone else.

I think exercise is even more intimidating when you feel like you have to "feel the burn" or follow the "no pain no gain" mantras, because the whole idea is to feel less pain over the long term.

missdeehere

How old is your mom?

I have OA in my hands & knees, one knee replaced and pending a second replacement. I also have Lymphedema and degenrative spine.

I found using the resistance bands laying on my bed or couch very helpfu. I can not lay on the floor. I also have good success with my Stability Ball, however you need good balance control.

Can she join MFP? It may be helpful for to log her intake & make friends with people of similar background to share ideas.

whimsy38

I was just thinking that the water aerobics people at my mother-in-laws retirement community are like a little support group. Friendship might get your mom coming back. Swimming is the best low I
Pact workout.

Thriceshy

Recumbent exercise bikes are super-easy on the knees and back, yet can give a great workout. Difficulty is adjustable, and she could start out very low/slow/easy and work up over weeks or even months. I ride mine while listening to tunes and playing games on my tab.

Kris

NotGoddess

Thank you all for the fantastic ideas.

My mom's 62, but she's got a young heart. We went to Wal-Mart today to get some groceries, bought a few more fresh veggies than normal (she loves asparagus but never buys it because it's so expensive to her so I made her get it as my treat). And I got her some unsweetened almond milk since that tastes just like skim milk to me but without the sugar. Small changes....

I tried to make as direct a line as I could but I could tell just walking from the produce section back to the exercise area was wearing on her. We looked at a few videos, but none struck her fancy. She did get enthusiastic about getting a stability ball, tho so we picked that up and a set of 1lb walking handweights that she could use alone or with the wrist weights.

We got back to her place (not really a retirement community, but apartments for older folks) and she showed me the new exercise room they'd installed when they remodeled this summer. They've got a treadmill (she's not keen on that) and an exercise bike that lets you play video games on it-and you have to keep cycling to keep the games going. She was really excited about that. She's 45min away but I might have to visit her more often just so I can work out with her

As for logging- I adore the community here, but I started her logging last week at livestrong because they have a special program just for diabetics, so she can log her food, exercise, glucose and insulin all in one spot. It took her a while to get the hang of that so I don't want to shake things up too much. I'm just so glad she's using it. My siblings and I have the login so we can peek in now and then to see how she's doing without it looking like we're trying to manage her (even tho I know we are a little).

Again, thanks so much. I'll try to implement some more of these in the coming months.