Home Excercise for Obese person with bad knees & back

highlordb

I am looking for a workout program (was thinking obese yoga or some such) that i can do from home. I was thinking dvd instructional videos or such.

I am severely obese with a bad back and lots of knee pain. Yoga looks interesting but I am not sure how much i might be able to do?

Does anyone have any suggestions that might help. Thanks.

b

lovechicagobears

I had really bad knee issues when I first started, so I started slowly. I walked as far as I could every day and then added a little bit of distance over time. I also used my Wii Fit once I was light enough (the weight limit is 330). The more I did that, the more flexibility I had. My left knee still bothers me a little, but the pain has been reduced through exercise.

Anything that's no/low-impact is good. I also did the Turbo Jam DVDs. Two of the instructors do low-impact modifications, so it was pretty easy for me to do even at 357 pounds. It's a great workout.

SavageFeast

I would hold off on the yoga until you get some of the weight (and therefore pressure) off of your knees and back. Some suggestions:

- very low-impact walking routines (e.g. Leslie Sansone DVDs). Even 10 minutes a day would be great for your mobility and heart.
- chair exercises with light handheld weights (Google or YouTube chair exercises or wheelchair exercises for ideas)
- **my personal fave** turn on music and move your body in whatever way is comfortable around the room or in place for a set number of minutes or songs. You'll hardly notice you're getting a workout once you get in the zone and the moves will be customized to your comfort level. Move your arms and legs and shake whatcha got!

jacksonpt

Why not focus on diet for now... lose some weight and see if that helps with your knee/back problems? Exercise where/when you can, but focus on diet and see how that serves you.

To your question... are you able to walk? Just stretching can be good. Body weight exercises are always a good option for home workouts... just figure out the ones that are right for your ability.

wizbeth1218

I know someone from MFP who walks inside. She doesn't have a treadmill, doesn't have a huge house, but she walks. Even just going up and down a hallway for 20 minutes a day will make a difference; just move your body through space.

I started doing the 30 Day Shred (search for it on YouTube) when I weighed 315 pounds (I'm 5'7"). That's severely obese, and I had lots of knee pain and plantar fasciitis. I had to modify even the modified versions of the exercises (modified jumping jacks, incline push-ups instead of push-ups on my knees, etc) and sometimes I march in place when the cardio moves are too much.

Anyway, my point is that you can do any workout if you listen to your body. Push yourself gently, add more as you can, but just do *something* to move your body through space.

Good luck to you!

Lrdoflamancha

I am in the same boat. I went to Dr for both knees and back. He told me to lose weight and take Glucosamine Condroitin. I lost weight by cutting back on calories and eating clean. As I lost I continued to see him. Finally after losing about 75 lbs he told me I could start exercising and suggested that bicycling or swimming was the way to go. I don't have access to a pool so I started riding slowly and gently. After many months I know can ride 25 miles 4 times a week. I don't know much about Yoga but try it and see. Any movement is good. Feel free to ad me if you wish. WalMart has DVDs for about $10. With the exercise equipment.

Chief_Rocka

Why not focus on diet for now... lose some weight and see if that helps with your knee/back problems? Exercise where/when you can, but focus on diet and see how that serves you.

To your question... are you able to walk? Just stretching can be good. Body weight exercises are always a good option for home workouts... just figure out the ones that are right for your ability.

This, I would start with just walking

sunnyside1213

I take a yoga class with several obese people. The instructor says just do what you can. Go to a class or do a dvd.