Excercise for very obese

laurakenny5817
laurakenny5817 Posts: 7 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone,

I am very very overweight and really unfit and am desperate to change. I want to start excercise (I currently do zero!) But no idea where to start. I'm going to start walking and work my way from there.

Can anyone recommend any other excercise I might be able try that I'll be able to do to mix things up a bit?

Thanks in advance

Replies

  • myheartsabattleground
    myheartsabattleground Posts: 2,040 Member
    Zumba!!!
  • newereveryday
    newereveryday Posts: 222 Member
    Jessica Smith TV on YouTube. The beginner workouts of hers are the ONLY ones I've been able to handle at my current fitness level as a very obese person myself.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    i lost weight doing only walking as exercise. walking uses your largest muscles in your body, and you don't have to walk fast - just walk continually for as long as comfortable.

    you could look into chair exercises - there are entire exercise and yoga routines for people with mobility issues. you could also look into getting a resistance band set like bodylastics and doing routines for those.
  • ChristopherLimoges
    ChristopherLimoges Posts: 298 Member
    edited June 2016
    It honestly depends on your weight and the impact it currently has on your body. Harsh exercise routines could cause more damage than healing. I'd start light unless otherwise.
  • beadgalsarita
    beadgalsarita Posts: 47 Member
    I started with (and still do) aqua aerobics. It's not as accessible as walking, but I find it much gentler on my knees and feet. Plus the classes tend to be very welcoming and non-intimidating, as the age and weight of the participants skews higher.
  • KDar1988
    KDar1988 Posts: 648 Member
    Water aerobics is great. Takes all the stress off your joints.
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
    Walking - 4 years ago I found 30 minutes on level ground exhausting, last year on vacation in Manhattan I was able to walk 12 hours with only a break for lunch.

    Now I also lift weights. I won't run till I get down to less than 20 lbs overweight - too much knee stress.
  • jvanessa89
    jvanessa89 Posts: 332 Member
    I lost over 50 pounds from just walking and change of diet. Just start slow and do what you can right now. Eventually start walking for longer distances and experiment with faster walking speeds. Walking up hills is great exercise!
  • rsvpensembles
    rsvpensembles Posts: 2 Member
    I am very obese myself. I started by getting a fit bit to recognize my habits. Its made me more self aware. Starting w a 10k step goal seemed impossible so i lowered it to 3k and gradually have worked my way up. I am not at 7k steps per day. Exercise wise i started by walking w my dogs a little bit here and there and joined planet fitness and committed to once a week. I hated exercising. Then, A friend introduced me to the most anazing gym called eze fitness boot camp. Its cross fit circuit training in a group setting. My husband and a dear friend joined with me and in the last 6 weeks ive learned to LOVE exercising! See what your friends are doing, if someone belongs to one give it a try! If i didnt have the support around me i wouldnt be so willing. Its a big committment and a huge eye opener for me. Always remember your journey is a marathon, not a sprint- rome wasn't built in a day! Wishing you the very best in your journey! You are already taking the right steps.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I was where you are. Start small. Set mini-goals. If it gets too easy, raise the bar. Here's a list of at-home exercises and stretches I put together.

    https://www.pinterest.com/janetkarasz/fitness-at-home/
    1. Stick with low-impact. You can follow any exercise video simply swapping out all the jumping and twisting with a low-impact stepping.
    2. If you feel any joint/tendon pain, sudden sharp pain, or snapping, stop doing that.
    3. Core muscles; core, core, core. The core supports everything else.
    4. If you can't do push-ups, do wall push-ups. Slowly lower yourself to the floor.

    You are doing the lifting at the right weight if you are straining your muscles to keep your form, at about twelve reps.

    Walking is great. Any water activity is great as it removes the strain of gravity.

    Make sure you are doing something you love to do, because you will be doing this a while. If something is deadly boring, admit it and find something else that works.
  • happyauntie2015
    happyauntie2015 Posts: 282 Member
    I'm very obese as well and started out walking and riding a stationary bike. I have now added in strength training and the elliptical. Start slow to avoid injury I learned the hard way I wasn't taking rest days and ended up with a knee injury. Good luck!
  • shawnkturner
    shawnkturner Posts: 16 Member
    I think the key in whatever exercise you start doing is to set yourself mini goals and then a larger achievable but tough goal. I was very obese (22 stone) and I set myself a 12 month goal to complete a half marathon for charity. Obviously unrealistic when I set it but each month I'd set a mini goal. The first month was to be able to jog without stopping for a mile. Then upped it to two and so on. Come race day I finished the full 13.4 miles and while it wasn't exactly record time, it was a massive achievement.

    So basically my point is set a big goal, break it into smaller milestone goals and believe me you'll get a kick when you hit those mini goals and will be chasing the next one!

    Good luck!
  • laurakenny5817
    laurakenny5817 Posts: 7 Member
    Some great advice, thank you everyone! X
  • belimawr
    belimawr Posts: 1,155 Member
    Bob314159 wrote: »
    Walking - 4 years ago I found 30 minutes on level ground exhausting, last year on vacation in Manhattan I was able to walk 12 hours with only a break for lunch.

    Now I also lift weights. I won't run till I get down to less than 20 lbs overweight - too much knee stress.

    I lost a good amount of weight walking as well. It's going to be slow going, honestly but it's also something you're likely reasonably good at and doesn't require anything other than time and dedication. It's easy.

    @Bob314159; as far the running I started with more then twenty pounds and no problem - no pain unless i overdid it. I was still more like fifty over. Dude give it a shot if you're truly interested.
  • jaynee7283
    jaynee7283 Posts: 160 Member
    I recommend the walking as well. If you are very very overweight, even just 30 or 45 minutes a day at a regular walking pace will burn significant calories for you for many, many months. Then as you get used to 30-45 minutes a day, you can go up to 45-60 minutes a day. Then work on going a bit faster. Modest changes to to the intensity/length of your walking regime will continue to encourage caloric burn.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    laurakenny5817 wrote: »
    Hi everyone,

    I am very very overweight and really unfit and am desperate to change. I want to start excercise (I currently do zero!) But no idea where to start. I'm going to start walking and work my way from there.

    Can anyone recommend any other excercise I might be able try that I'll be able to do to mix things up a bit?

    Thanks in advance

    Don't go and commit to anything fancy or expensive. Start walking. Just ten minutes if that's all you can do. Build up gradually.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    Great advice OP. Do what yo like to do and start small, gradually working your way up to more. I like swimming and acquagym myself because I have OA and it's easier on my joints. I do alot of other things too--yoga, gym, walking, stretching... I like to branch out.
  • belimawr
    belimawr Posts: 1,155 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    Don't overdo it. Pace yourself, you will get there just as fast, if not faster.

    (Emphasis mine)

    This can not be said enough. I'd like to point out, as no one else has, that it serves two very import purposes.

    Firstly, you'll avoid injury.

    Second, you'll avoid getting discouraged. If you end up hurt - or even just plain exhausted - from overdoing it, you may lose motivation. You can always increase exercise if you're unhappy with the reulst and feel you can do easily do more, but you don't want to have to decrease exercise after learning the hard way.
  • jessiethe3rd
    jessiethe3rd Posts: 239 Member
    Walk... Until you feel comfortable to
    Jog... Until you feel comfortable to
    Run...

    Also if you can get on a stationary bike its a great low impact calorie burner

  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    I started at a BMI of 50 and did resistance training and my cardio was (and still is) a recumbent exercise bike.
  • amandahugndkiss
    amandahugndkiss Posts: 15 Member
    Water excersises if a pool is accessible is a great start, i go right when my gym opens some days i have the pool to myself. ..great way to start the day and its something i enjoy.
  • louann_jude
    louann_jude Posts: 307 Member
    I am 5'5" and when I started I weighed 283 my BMI was 47 and I had a 57 inch waist. I started with nutrition. I watched my calories and started making better choices. Most of my movement was and still is cleaning. When I started it took all day for me to clean two rooms. That was just straightening up. I could only do a few minutes at a time then have to sit down so what I did was I would set my timer for 30 minutes. I would clean straight without taking a break. I would do dishes, sweep, mop, pick up toys. I would also put music on Youtube that I love and would set the timer to 15 minutes and dance. There is also video's on Youtube called walk away the pounds Leslie Sansone. They are great and are considered low impact aerobics if you log them.

    But to me the cleaning is my biggest way to get movement. I wash walls, move furniture, shampoo carpets, do windows. This also keeps me active and I can see a immediate result even if its just a clean house.

    Since I started I have lost 66 pounds and I have lost 14 inches around my waist and my BMI has gone down to 36.1.
  • Madwife2009
    Madwife2009 Posts: 1,369 Member
    I started with a BMI of 46. I didn't do any exercise apart from walking to the car.

    I began with walking. I couldn't walk half a mile without looking like I'd run a marathon (hot, red, sweaty) and needing a break and lots of water. But I carried on with my small walks, every day without fail (unless the weather was just too bad) making them a bit longer each time (it may have only been a few more steps, like to the next lamp post, but it was more than the previous day).

    After about a month of walking, I discovered a local cycling facility that had recumbent bikes so I started doing laps around an athletics track once a week. I think I started off with 10 laps (2.5 miles) and worked up from there. In January I got a bike, and I've been using it to go everywhere - shopping, taking my daughter to college, or just for a leisure ride.

    I started last July. As far as fitness goes, I can now walk pretty much any distance at a slow pace, or 6-8 miles at faster pace (3.5 - 4mph; that's as fast as my younger son can move at). I shocked myself a few days ago as I spontaneously ran (I don't do running but my toddler was racing away on her bike) for about thirty seconds.

    I can now cycle 20+ miles (not always in one go although it has been known; I usually do 10 miles in one hit then some smaller rides, to the shops etc). I rarely walk to the car these days as I just don't use the car for local trips.

    I occasionally throw in a bit of swimming as well (couple of times a month).

    I'm now thinking of adding some strength training; I'm in the process of trying to find a program that I can do at home with my daughter - a gym would be too expensive for both of us, more than I can afford at the moment anyway.

    My BMI has dropped to 27.6. My heart rate has dropped from 100+bpm to 54bpm. My blood pressure has also dropped. I feel great.

    Start small, and with what you are comfortable with. Find something that suits you, else you won't want to do it, let alone continue with it. Best of luck :smile:
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    Well dahling, like others have said ... start by taking a walk, or a walk for each meal you have.
  • Wicked_Seraph
    Wicked_Seraph Posts: 388 Member
    I always recommend walking to start with. Most people can do it, and it's easy to build on. Some prefer to go out and about without music and enjoy the quiet (or, if you're in the suburbs or city, the sounds of hustle and bustle). I personally love having my music with me and just zoning out.

    Try incorporating some strength training into your routine, as well!
  • KristiMillner08
    KristiMillner08 Posts: 66 Member
    I am obese. I joined the YMCA a week ago. I did the orientation with a trainer and got my workout routine. I did light cardio and worked on the weight machines. I also went swimming laps a couple of times. This week I started their water aerobics class that meets 3 days a week before i go to work. I plan on doing the water class 3 days a week, plus doing the routine 2 days a week minimum. All if this has made my body feel better and has low impact on my knees because I go at my pace and my level that my body will allow me to. Coupled with eating healthy since April 18, I have lost 18 lbs.

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