Obese, starting to exercise but in so much pain

jgnatca 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'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 you

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.