Obese, starting to exercise but in so much pain
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Lots of great advice here.
There is more than one kind of pain. Muscle pain the day after I associate as “progress”. This consequence can be reduced by warming up beforehand and stretching afterwards. In a few days I’ll be stronger.
However if there are no rest days the muscles have no time to recover.
Joint pain I associate with “danger” and stop right away. Trying to work through the pain could delay recovery by months. My physiotherapist taught me to modify Zumba to low impact moves. Knees are replaceable these days but it’s darn inconvenient.
Yup, I hurt my knees in 2010 and tried to work through the pain, and so still have to baby them now, 8 years later. My PT gave me these, which I do several times per week:
I also do these in between weight lifting sets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=yLoMA7I7HOQ&feature=youtu.be
@Sweet_Misery_ while it would be best to consult a doctor, you could probably start the printed exercises soon, but be careful with the video as it is more intense, especially if done all the way through, which I only did once as I had pain afterwards. I'm a yoga teacher and recommend skipping Tree Pose for now.6 -
Swimming. If you don't swim, find a pool that has a water bike and pool resistance weights. Forget the 5K in June, you could damage your knees even further. Brutal exercise right out of the chute is not the way to go. It becomes a punishment rather than a pleasure. Do everything on your own terms and start very slowly. I second buying a portable exercise bike. They have a really good one that folds up, exerpeutic gold. Have bike will travel, take it outside, everywhere. Building up the muscles around your kneecaps with the bike is a great place to start.6
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I'm right there with you hun. I'm a BIG girl, was even bigger. Such a long journey I'm on. I'm also on a walking stick as I have an injured ankle, so I have to be SO careful with any impact.
Everyone else has already said it, you're asking too much of yourself too fast. Start with low impact work that is safe for you and you can maintain.
For me that was yoga, 15 minutes a day, gradually increasing. There's a lovely lady on Youtube called Adrienne who posts yoga for beginners workouts. I am heavy enough that some poses are not possible for me, but I modify them or do other stretches that I -can- manage and my strength and stability has increased tenfold. My heartrate and temp also go up without feeling like I'm going to keel over/hurt myself, so I know it's working.
Chair aerobics is also another good idea. Again, no impact on your knees, but an effective cardio workout
For the pain you're in now, listen to your body and rest. Ice packs, anti-inflammatory meds like ibuprofen, good nutrition to give your body the tools it needs to heal.
I'm sending you lots of love. It's so hard getting going when you're obese, be proud of yourself for the effort you're making and keep going but in a way that works safely for you5 -
bedwellchris wrote: »Zumba hurts my knees also! Walk daily and measure your meal portions. You'll feel better and lose weight.
Watching Zumba hurts my knees.
Get better shoes, If you're going to walk/run seriously, get fitted for some proper shoes.4 -
Everyone has given great advice. So I’ll just mention soaking in a hot bath with Epsom Salt has helped me in the past with some of the pain. I get the water as hot as I can stand it.
Do what you can. It’s a long road but very well worth it!2 -
When I started, I also had a lot of joint issues and couldn't do much weight-bearing exercise. I could barely walk around the block. I focused on accurate calorie counting and bought a sturdy recumbent stationary bike. It's one of the best purchases I've ever made. Even after losing close to 70 lbs, it was still one of my favorite cardio activities. Later, I added Leslie Sansone walking workouts, which are basically very low-impact aerobics and allowed me to use more muscle groups than just walking alone. Just go easy, because as has been said, the last thing you want is an injury that incapacitates you altogether. At your size, this is a multi-year project (a lifelong project when you factor in maintenance), so slow & steady wins the race.
Here's a link to the bike I use:
https://www.amazon.com/Marcy-Recumbent-Exercise-Resistance-ME-709/dp/B002KV1MJU/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1527773222&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=marcy+recumbent+exercise+bike+me-709&psc=10 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Lots of great advice here.
There is more than one kind of pain. Muscle pain the day after I associate as “progress”. This consequence can be reduced by warming up beforehand and stretching afterwards. In a few days I’ll be stronger.
However if there are no rest days the muscles have no time to recover.
Joint pain I associate with “danger” and stop right away. Trying to work through the pain could delay recovery by months. My physiotherapist taught me to modify Zumba to low impact moves. Knees are replaceable these days but it’s darn inconvenient.
Yup, I hurt my knees in 2010 and tried to work through the pain, and so still have to baby them now, 8 years later. My PT gave me these, which I do several times per week:
This is one of the most helpful illustrations I have seen on MFP. As a knee pain sufferer, I will truly try them out.
As an added note to OP, I can tell you that the knee pain WILL get better with weight loss. I lost a lot of weight in 2012-2013. The difference was amazing for the pain in my knees. Unfortunately, like so many others, I gained back about 1/2 of the weight I lost and am back, and so is the knee pain. Fourteen pounds down since 4/30/18 and there is a noticeable difference already.
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kshama2001 wrote: »Lots of great advice here.
There is more than one kind of pain. Muscle pain the day after I associate as “progress”. This consequence can be reduced by warming up beforehand and stretching afterwards. In a few days I’ll be stronger.
However if there are no rest days the muscles have no time to recover.
Joint pain I associate with “danger” and stop right away. Trying to work through the pain could delay recovery by months. My physiotherapist taught me to modify Zumba to low impact moves. Knees are replaceable these days but it’s darn inconvenient.
Yup, I hurt my knees in 2010 and tried to work through the pain, and so still have to baby them now, 8 years later. My PT gave me these, which I do several times per week:
I also do these in between weight lifting sets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=yLoMA7I7HOQ&feature=youtu.be
@Sweet_Misery_ while it would be best to consult a doctor, you could probably start the printed exercises soon, but be careful with the video as it is more intense, especially if done all the way through, which I only did once as I had pain afterwards. I'm a yoga teacher and recommend skipping Tree Pose for now.
I do three of these PT exercises every morning, almost 3 yrs after hip replacement. Didn't realize they were good for knees also. Will incorporate the isometric one, too.1 -
I had 117 lbs to lose when I started this journey 18 months ago. I had several health issues I was dealing with - I fought a breast cancer battle, and I was diagnosed with a hereditary metabolic disorder that causes extreme fatigue and joint pain. I couldn’t climb a flight of stairs without getting faint, so exercise was out of the question for me. So I focused on my diet, and I’ve lost 80 lbs so far without doing any formal exercise. As I lost weight, and as my health issues improved, my activity has naturally increased and I’m feeling good now - able to start looking at some formal exercise to get this last 30+ lbs gone. I likely would have lost a lot faster had I been exercising, too, BUT you have to factor in the risks of hurting yourself trying to do too much when you’re carrying a lot of extra weight. It was a huge awakening for me when I realized I had lost more lbs than the combined weight of my 6 yr old and 1 yr old granddaughters. Imagine trying to work out carrying two children on your back! Be kind to your body. Focus on healthy eating. When you get into a healthier weight and BMI range, then look at exercising. In the meantime, set a timer and make yourself get up every 15 minutes and do a walk around the house, or go up and down a flight of stairs. Increase your activity gradually and your body will thank you.10
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Not to beat a dead horse, but I 2nd all of the people that said swimming, or take the exercise to the pool. It has been my saving grace.
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The pool is where I started and I continue to swim upstream. Chlorine is my perfume. Just keep swimming. No matter how slow you go you're still lapping everyone on the couch.4
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Sounds like you are overdoing it. Let your body tell you what it needs. When it hurts, it's telling you that it needs to rest a little. It's better to work up to vigorous exercise at a slower pace. Your body will adjust, but maybe not as quickly as you would like. My knees got arthritis when I was in my 50s. By the time I was 55, I had had 3 arthroscopic surgeries to clean out calcium floaters. At 56, I had my first knee replacement surgery. It could be an early warning sign for you to slow down a little.0
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lose your weight by counting calories and eating healthy foods. you can exercise agressive later down the line. i've actually lost more easily just with diet, than combining diet and exercise. if you do exercise..go for slow walks..as you lose initial weight. you'll be shocked at how aches and pains go away. IT is the most encouraging and motivating thing that happens early on in the weight loss journey.0
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I started out at 263, I am now 200 and I did that through diet only. I have recently added in weight lifting. I can say that at about 215 my knee pain disappeared! My plan is as soon as my number goes below 200 I'll add in walking with more weight training, but I'm keeping all excersize tailored to slower and easier until I build up stamina. If I would have tried walking a mile just 6 mnths ago I would have blown out my knees! Take it easy and start small maybe, sounds like you are pushing your knees too hard2
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Try to look for some low impact workout routines they involve the arms and are easy on the knees, or modify the moves that bother your needs. Whatever you do, just keep moving! If a move is hurting your joints, walk in place on those parts.1
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I swim and elliptical. I also walk a lot, but on sand or grass, and no jogging. Swimming in particular really helped me last year when I was at my highest weight (203.6) and having joint pain.
Hope this happens for you too - I found just a few weeks of a healthy diet and moderate exercise decreased the inflammation and tenderness in my knees quite a bit.1 -
@Sweet_Misery_
I am going to tell you something that anyone into lifting and/or running knows. REST DAYS are part of the program. Your body need time to rest, heal up, and recover.
When starting out, work out every other day. As you progress, you still need at least one day a week as a day.
While it may seem better to workout everyday, it's not. You'll do a lot better starting at 3x per week for a while.
Also there is a very true saying: "You cannot out train a bad diet". Body goals are 90% nutrition, 10% exercises. Focus more on getting the nutriets your body needs (some variance depending on person and goals), and slowly incorporate an exercise program into your life.2 -
Zumba can be pretty fun, makes the time go by way faster than some other cardio methods.
Some instructors can show alternate steps or mov s that raise or lower intensity. Might be worth asking the instructors if there are modifications that might help.
I hope your thoughts spend a great deal more time thinking about the positive changes you’re in the process of making than the negative self-talk about how you got to the place you want to leave.
No matter what decisions you make about exercise and way of eating within your calorie budget there are going to be times when you make a mistake. It was key for me to learn to forgive myself for those and focus on the next positive steps I would take. Be kind to yourself, you’re worth it!3 -
I agree with the advice about seeking low impact activity. I think sore muscles the next day is a great sign your exercise is doing something, but sore joints is a red flag that it's not suitable for your body right now. OP, you can also try to build up activity slowly, for example, start with a five minute walk, and slowly add more minutes as you feel your knees can take it. Yoga has been a godsend for my joints.
As you lose weight, your joints will thank you, so please don't give up I also agree about the rest days, especially in the early days.1 -
Low impact exercises for sure. Stationary bike, Pilates, elliptical, yoga. Then you will be ready to do high impact before you know it!1
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