Exercise dvds for parents

lizzardsm

My parents are getting older and are very out of shape. My mom is 62, has hypothyroidism (on meds), is 5'1 and probably about 180 (around there not sure exactly). My dad is 71 and has Parkinson's. Both my parents are really out of shape and have developed type 2 diabetes (not taking insulin). My mom is really desperate to lose weight but because of her hypothyroidism she's extremely resistant to weight loss. I know my parents won't go to the gym - I've offered to buy them memberships.

Anyone have some good recommendations for workout dvds they can use at home? I just bought them Walk Away The Pounds collection but I'd like to get them other stuff too.

lizzardsm

anyone?

evilmonkee

I don't have any personal experience with this, but my sister liked all the Leslie Sansone walking DVDs, so that's definitely a good start. She had surgery that forced her to be on bedrest for almost a year. She had to relearn how to walk and started from zero once she was able to move again, and they were a good low-impact program.
Sansone also has couple low impact aerobic DVDs in addition to the walking DVDs.

Older people lose muscle and bone density as they age, so some kind of resistance training is also quite important. Maybe you can get them resistance bands or resistance tubes, couple lighter dumbbels, or couple yoga/ pilates DVDs geared towards seniors.
Resistance bands and dumbbels can be used as part of light impact cardio routine, or by themselves. They can also be used without having to get down on the floor, or even while sitting on a chair. Stott's pilates has good beginner DVDs, but a lot of the bands also come with a DVD. You can find them on Amazon, in sports stores, and in stores like Target and Walmart (if you're in the US). Amazon has a bunch of resistance training for seniors DVDs, but I have no idea if they're any good.
My sister found a lot of low impact resistance band exercises on hulu and youtube, so she used those.

A lot of gyms have water aerobics classes and swimming classes for seniors, and you can just pay for the class without buying membership. Would they also be opposed to going to those classes?

If you want to spend a little bit more money, perhaps you can invest in a recumbent bike or an elliptical. You can get a second-hand one in great shape fairly cheap, if you browse Craig's List or similar places.

lizzardsm

Thanks for the suggestions!

I think the big thing about the gym is that they just aren't really motivated enough to leave the house for the gym. Not enough to go on a regular basis. My mom as a walking dvd (not sure which one) that is geared for people with diabetes and they used to do it quite a bit.

I'll get them some resistance bands, dumbells, and the Stott's dvds. Thanks so much! They do have an a machine similar to an elliptical but it also never gets used. *sigh*