Dieters with Mobility Problems

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Hiya! My mum has mobility issues due to diabetes, weight gain and joint issues and I was wondering if you had any ideas or tips to get her moving a bit more without putting strain on herself? She is very motivated and has already lost 8lbs which she says has eased her pain somewhat but she needs to lose at least 4st to be at a healthy weight for her height.

I've found some seating exercise videos on sparkpeople which I'm going to show her next time I go round and I've suggested swimming which she loves. Anything else you've found useful?

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  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,365 Member
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    Gentle aqua aerobics and water walking to start maybe?
  • vickyreelgood
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    Maybe she could do seated bicep curls using a can of food or bottle of water in each hand as weights. There are also seated pedals she can sit and cycle with. Just move more....put TV remote away so she has to get up and change the chanel or just walk to an object and back during the adds on TV increasing the number of times and speed as she tolerates it or just stepping up and down on the spot seated or standing. Hope this is helpful. She is doing well without exercise so moving should help more. Good Luck
  • Loralrose
    Loralrose Posts: 203
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    Advice depends on what kind of mobility issues she has. If it's trouble walking/standing, how about seated aerobics or a water fitness class?
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    Use the member search to find "Hanfordrose" - she is an amazingly inspirational lady who has lost a hell of a lot of weight and started off in a wheelchair for most of the time due to a need for 2 knee reconstructions. She has a blog on here and her early days will give you some great ideas.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
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    I lost 51 lbs with diet alone and ZERO workouts to alleviate chronic pain due to an injury that caused me to be bedridden and gain weight. Forcing her to workout before she is ready, is not necessary at all. CI/CO.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    there's lots of you tube videos of various seated aerobics type exercises and other exercise routines for people with mobility issues. Someone recently asked a similar question on here so I searched you tube and loads came up.... I put "armchair aerobics" in. There are a lot on there, so plenty of variety. Probably there's quite a few different exercise ideas as well, try different search terms and see what comes up.

    Anything that gets her moving around will be good, even normal activity around the house. It doesn't have to be exercise in a "formal" exercise setting... whatever physical activity she can manage is good.

    She may find that her mobility improves as she loses weight and increases her physical fitness. There's a you tube video of a guy who couldn't walk who lost weight and through exercise made himself able to walk and run again - of course whether that's possible depends on what medical issues are causing the lack of mobility to begin with, but for some people it's a possibility.