Doctor gave me challenging orders

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  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,121 Member
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    You can break up the hour. It doesn't have to be all in one session. Take 10-15 minute walk breaks throughout the day.

    +1

    And also gradually build up. Do 15 min in the morning and 15 min in the evening. Do that for a week. Next week, Do 20 min in the morning and 15 min in the evening. Do that for a week. Next week, do 20 min each morning and evening. And so on. Add in a 15 min lunch walk a couple times a week somewhere in there.

    Before you know it, you'll be walking more than 1 hour.

  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 792 Member
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    When it comes to your mother and the scale it may be a good idea to show your diary and how much you are eating. Possibly work with her on a specific schedule to eat so she can see you eating and feel reassured.
  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
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    Typically the 60 minutes per day is the general recommendation for people. This doesn't necessarily mean 60 minutes of vigorous exercise, but 60 minutes of activity. That could be a combination of a 20-30 minute workout and taking the dog for a walk, or even just taking 10 minute walking breaks throughout the day. So to get to the 60 minutes I would continue doing the workouts that you've been doing and then add in some other "non-workout" activities throughout the day. Even just setting a timer on your phone to remind you to get up and walk around every 2 hours. As you start to lose the weight (at least 80% of this will be through your diet) you can slowly start to build up your workouts in time and in intensity.
  • nicola8989
    nicola8989 Posts: 381 Member
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    absolutely agree with build-up slowly. Get yourself a FitBit or pedometer and see how many steps you are doing in a normal day. I was doing 3000. So I aimed to get that up to 4000 - then once I was there, up to 5000 and so on.

    Like other people have said - you don't have to do it all in one go. And again, you can start with 10 mins at a time, then build up to 15, then 20.

    If you have knee problems focus on low-impact exercises e.g. swimming and cycling - and do lots of stretching after each workout, it might be an idea to try something like yoga?
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
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    Typically the 60 minutes per day is the general recommendation for people. This doesn't necessarily mean 60 minutes of vigorous exercise, but 60 minutes of activity. That could be a combination of a 20-30 minute workout and taking the dog for a walk, or even just taking 10 minute walking breaks throughout the day. So to get to the 60 minutes I would continue doing the workouts that you've been doing and then add in some other "non-workout" activities throughout the day. Even just setting a timer on your phone to remind you to get up and walk around every 2 hours. As you start to lose the weight (at least 80% of this will be through your diet) you can slowly start to build up your workouts in time and in intensity.

    Oh! That's a brilliant idea! Like every couple hours I could walk up and down the stairs or around the house for 5-10min to get to my goal! Thanks, ok I'm excited about that. That sounds really doable.
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
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    nicola8989 wrote: »
    absolutely agree with build-up slowly. Get yourself a FitBit or pedometer and see how many steps you are doing in a normal day. I was doing 3000. So I aimed to get that up to 4000 - then once I was there, up to 5000 and so on.

    Like other people have said - you don't have to do it all in one go. And again, you can start with 10 mins at a time, then build up to 15, then 20.

    If you have knee problems focus on low-impact exercises e.g. swimming and cycling - and do lots of stretching after each workout, it might be an idea to try something like yoga?

    I actually have an activity tracker. It's a cheaper one, a misfit flash, but it's waterproof so I can take it swimming with me. On my active days, it's about 5000 steps. On sedentary days it's about 1000-2000.

    I love yoga, but the classes are expensive and I kept not going to them before :/ I do still remember some yoga stretches though.
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
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    shabaity wrote: »
    When it comes to your mother and the scale it may be a good idea to show your diary and how much you are eating. Possibly work with her on a specific schedule to eat so she can see you eating and feel reassured.

    Yes, I feel like that's a good idea. I might try that later on this year once I've started being active and eating better in general, showing her that I'm sticking to it. "Dieting" was always considered one step away from disordered eating, like you could accidentally become anorexic. But I have no intention of doing that, I just want to make positive changes in my habits. I'll approach it slowly with her I think. Thanks!
  • erimethia_fekre
    erimethia_fekre Posts: 317 Member
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    Getting back into it, swimming and yoga always helped me.
  • SunflowerSandra
    SunflowerSandra Posts: 70 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Hey! Good on you for starting!

    For yoga, why don't you try some free youtube videos?
    I really like yogawithadriene
    Just look for beginner/low-impact videos and remember, they might be really flexible, practiced people, but the point of yoga is to do the exercises within your own abilities, pushing towards a little discomfort is fine, pain is bad.

    JessicaSmithtv (youtube) also has some videos about exercises for bad knees and some walking and low impact video's.

    Another general tip, I really like crossing of my work outs. So I do a challenge or make a little planning and actually do the work out because otherwise I cannot cross them off on my print out. Before it moved I stuck it next to my mirror, as a visual cue to work out.

    Maybe make something like that, it could include things like
    - 10 min walk
    - 20 min swim/x laps swim
    - a certain yoga video
    - reach 6000 steps today

    Good luck, you can do this!

    Edit: link was doing something wacky
  • las07s
    las07s Posts: 150 Member
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    This goal that the doctor gave you is very possible, but please listen to what your body is telling you. If you feel it is more than you can handle exercising for one hour, break it up into four 15 minute exercises a day. Wake up, walk 15 minutes. Take a break at work, walk (the stairs, if any) for 15 minutes. Swim after work for 15 minutes. Do 15 minutes of weights (old milk jugs filled with sand work well!) before you get ready for bed.

    The reason I chimed in was because of my own family's experience with doctor's orders. They are NOT infallible, and we have suffered the consequences of the many times when they were. In my life, I have become critical and skeptical of many doctors' orders. Listen to what your body is telling you. Start off slow until you know what you can handle.
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
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    Hey! Good on you for starting!

    For yoga, why don't you try some free youtube videos?
    I really like yogawithadriene
    Just look for beginner/low-impact videos and remember, they might be really flexible, practiced people, but the point of yoga is to do the exercises within your own abilities, pushing towards a little discomfort is fine, pain is bad.

    JessicaSmithtv (youtube) also has some videos about exercises for bad knees and some walking and low impact video's.

    Another general tip, I really like crossing of my work outs. So I do a challenge or make a little planning and actually do the work out because otherwise I cannot cross them off on my print out. Before it moved I stuck it next to my mirror, as a visual cue to work out.

    Maybe make something like that, it could include things like
    - 10 min walk
    - 20 min swim/x laps swim
    - a certain yoga video
    - reach 6000 steps today

    Good luck, you can do this!

    Edit: link was doing something wacky

    oooo okay awesome! Thank you, I'll check out those youtube channels!!

    I've started putting little dots on my calendar when I've exercised, different colour for a different one (swimming is blue, walking is green). But that's definitely an idea for making it more specific :)

    las07s wrote: »
    This goal that the doctor gave you is very possible, but please listen to what your body is telling you. If you feel it is more than you can handle exercising for one hour, break it up into four 15 minute exercises a day. Wake up, walk 15 minutes. Take a break at work, walk (the stairs, if any) for 15 minutes. Swim after work for 15 minutes. Do 15 minutes of weights (old milk jugs filled with sand work well!) before you get ready for bed.

    The reason I chimed in was because of my own family's experience with doctor's orders. They are NOT infallible, and we have suffered the consequences of the many times when they were. In my life, I have become critical and skeptical of many doctors' orders. Listen to what your body is telling you. Start off slow until you know what you can handle.

    Thank you! :)
  • Cricket1515
    Cricket1515 Posts: 153 Member
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    You mentioned that you had a knee injury. Did you happen to have physical therapy? If so, you could continue doing the exercises that you learned in there. That counts, and it will only benefit your knee because you will be strengthening the muscles that support it.

    But for weight loss, the other posters are right that it starts in the kitchen. And that will help your knee too.
  • bbontheb
    bbontheb Posts: 718 Member
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    I have one leg issues (from hip, to knee). It's causing me grief and I can't exercise so I'm breaking up to do things in short 10-15 min increments. It feels sucky but it's all I can try to manage. Maybe this will help you-4x15 mins a day. Try Leslie Sansone walk away the pounds. I can't do the knee lifts/side things so I'm pretty much just walking and moving arms but it helps a little bit.