Ideas for low-impact excercise (not swimming)

Speakaboo
Speakaboo Posts: 25 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all!

My husband has received strict orders from his cardiologist to start doing 60 minutes of low-impact exercise each day. He's recovering from open heart surgery, and currently has high blood pressure and some weird heart rhythm things going on (hence the suggestion for low-impact.) He's in his 30s, so this is an unusual situation, even for the doctors. They're used to working with people much older, at this hospital. :) He's kind of an anomoly.

We have zero pools near us, and live in cold weather climate so regular walks are out of the question for the time being (recovering from open heart surgery - one slip on ice and he could end up hospitalized again!)

We do own an elliptical machine, but he hates it. :) I'm hoping to get him on it for at least 30 of the 60 minutes each day. I'm open to buying other machines, but we don't exactly have a ton of space for them. He's heading back to work in a week, so I'm thinking I can get him walking indoors over lunch hour, perhaps.

Any other ideas on low-impact fitness? I'm totally willing to participate with him, as I know it'll help if we're both doing it. Issue is that we have young kids at home, so we can't easily head off to a fitness class together or anything. Also, we are in a very small town, so options are limited for those sorts of things. Oh, and he's not allowed to lift more than 10lbs, so that limits things even more. A bit of a challenge!

Replies

  • oedipa_maas
    oedipa_maas Posts: 577 Member
    Leslie Sansone actually has videos for walking inside. They are quite popular! I think you may even be able to find some snippets on you tube, so you can see what you think.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    stationary bike.

    If he hates the elliptical, can you put it in front of a TV or something so he has something to distract him? Same will probably apply to the bike.
  • PAtinCO
    PAtinCO Posts: 129 Member
    Do you have a mall nearby? He could walk there. The kiosk people can be a little annoying but they usually remember you after your first lap or two.

    Wii Fit is pretty low impact and some of the exercises are entertaining.

    Stationary bikes perhaps...
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,407 Member
    edited January 2015
    Leslie Sansone, which is a low-impact walking dvd done at home. You can find examples on youtube, dvds are sold at target/walmart for like 7-10 bucks a dvd. These I find to be a bit more geared towards females, but it is a great start for anyone.

    There is also P90. (Not to be confused with P90X, P90X2, P90X3) Now, I have just heard about this program and did not know it even existed until yesterday. There is some resistance work (using a resistance band). This program is sold through beachbody, I find it to be more gender neutral (though, of course, this one comes at a hefty price)

    Remember - ALWAYS adjust/modify workout dvds if you need to. Just because the guy/girl on the screen is doing something, does not mean you/husband has to.
  • debubbie
    debubbie Posts: 767 Member
    Biking would be a great low impact exercise for him! If you don't have a stationary bike, but have a bike you can get a trainer stand for it which basically holds the bike in place while you pedal. I set mine up like this in my exercise room and watch TV while I bike. I have attached resistance bands to it and do several sets of bicep curls and other arm exercises while riding. Plus, it keeps you inside during this cold weather!

    You might be able to get the kids involved too by having them do some exercises with the both of you, especially if you have a Wii or Kinect.

    Maybe as he builds up endurance he can work on using the elliptical more. I know when I first started at almost 300 pounds the elliptical was too much and I could only do it for 5 minutes or so, but I could easily bike for 30 minutes. He could even do a 15 minute bike, with five minute elliptical for 3 times to give him a break between both.

    Good luck to both of you!
  • Ideabaker
    Ideabaker Posts: 514 Member
    edited January 2015
    Would he use a rebounder/mini-trampoline inside? He could walk, "skip rope"/jump, or run on it, and it absorbs the bulk of the impact. You can get them on Amazon with or without a safety bar that can be held onto for balance.

    I have a rebounder and keep it propped against the wall in the living room. I plop it down in front of the TV and watch a show whilst exercising. It doesn't feel like "work" at all, but I've lost 16 pounds and have firmed up tremendously with it.

    There are many models that stack for storage, so you could nab two and exercise together in the comfort of your home, then stack them and tuck them away.
  • kellycasey5
    kellycasey5 Posts: 486 Member
    Does he like biking better? I just got an exerpeutic from Walmart for about $140, and aim for 30 minutes of light pedaling. It is very easy to do when watching the news of netflix, and if the resistance is low it is very easy on my joints which for me is a problem. Also, a regular bike ridden outside is better but I'm guessing with his arrythmia that may be a bit risky. Good luck and wishing him a speedy and uneventful recovery :)
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
    I can't do high impact exercises, either because of a medical condition. 90% of my exercise is yoga (and it's helped me lose 66 pounds to date).
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    The eliptical is a good choice so it's unfortunate that he hates it. Does he listen to music while exercising? I think that helps me tremedously on stationary equipment like treadmills and eliptical, which can be pretty boring. Or set it in front of a TV or listen to a book on tape.

    Have you considered fitness video games? This would be something you can do together as a family.
  • Amanda682015
    Amanda682015 Posts: 68 Member
    youtube!!! But I did yoga this morning got my heart going but it was low impact on my joints.
  • amcook4
    amcook4 Posts: 561 Member
    edited January 2015
    A stationary bike (along with walking & swimming) helped me a lot when I first started. We found a recumbent bike, brand new, at the thrift store for $25. It was very low impact, and very good for me. Look on craigslist, chances are you can find something used at a decent price. We have since gotten rid of our stationary bike and upgraded to a road bike with an attached trainer. Then gave my mom our old stationary bike, she hates any type of cardio, and never uses her expensive elliptical, but has absolutely loved the bike and rides it a few times a week.

    Otherwise, like the above posters said, youtube videos are wonderful, a quick search will bring up a bunch of different types that he can chose from. Videos aren't something I enjoy much, but I know many do.

    Good luck!
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    Check on youtube, just search for 'low impact workout' and you'll find a lot of free videos. He might like being able to choose from a variety of different workouts and styles.
  • Speakaboo
    Speakaboo Posts: 25 Member
    Thanks! I was going to suggest picking up a stationary bike, to see if that works better for him. I don't know what he hates about the elliptical. I think he's just bored with it (it was our go-to machine when we used to work out together, pre-kids!) I need to set the TV up in the basement again so he can watch while exercising. It got moved to the bedroom while he recovered from surgery. ;) But maybe it's time to lure him down there with TV, haha. I'll check out the walking DVDs, as well. No malls nearby for walking, but when he returns to work, that option will be there for lunch and break. We will fit it in where we can. And also have to completely revamp the pantry! We do our best to eat healthy, but obviously have to get more drastic to make up for the fact that he can't work out as hard as he'd like to.
  • EmmaLA16
    EmmaLA16 Posts: 94 Member
    I've seen the comment to try yoga, which I wholeheartedly agree with, but there is also Pilates which is amazing exercise.
  • beakers33
    beakers33 Posts: 11
    oedipa_maas wrote: »
    Leslie Sansone actually has videos for walking inside. They are quite popular! I think you may even be able to find some snippets on you tube, so you can see what you think.

    I was just about to say the same thing when I noticed board :-) She has great low impact walking videos that range from 1 mile to 5 miles :-) I have a lot of her dvds myself and with it being soo cold here in TN I'm going to get back to doing her videos on the days I can't get to the gym :-)
  • beakers33
    beakers33 Posts: 11
    You can actually find some of her videos on YouTube btw :-) That's how I got introduced to her :-)
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    personally don't think there is anything easier then the elliptical that will still be effective.

    if you circuit train at a good pace there is a lot of cardio involvement, and there are other ways to lift weights so that you are taxing your heart and its low impact. That might be a very good alternative for him. But a real cardio dumbbell workout is going to seem a lot harder then an elliptical workout IMO
  • douglas49461
    douglas49461 Posts: 12 Member
    edited January 2015
    schwinn airdyne is relatively cheap used and you can alternate between legs and arms as the primary work. The cheapest method though is a bike trainer that other people have posted about but it only works your legs.
    Rowing machines are also nice just really expensive, about $1200 last I saw on Amazon for a good one.
  • performfully
    performfully Posts: 126 Member
    This topic sure is close to home for me! I also have HBP and weird heart rhythm thingys. I am also only 21 so I know what it's like to be at the cardiologist looking like a baby ha, it really is kind of odd! I have an enlarged heart on one side, and had a heart cath, but NO open heart surgery so please take this advice lightly and consult his doctor! I have lost 40 lbs with Turbo Jam (yes, it's a woman-y, kickboxing, dancing, tons of fun DVD) and will swear by it till the day I die. Admittedly before I got on effective medication, it could still take my heart rate way too high, BUT there are so many ways to make this super easy! I started this program when I could hardly do a thing and now I do it 90% high impact, it's really flexible like that. Plus there are two guys in the background, maybe that will make him give it a shot :) There are some videos on youtube if he wants to give it a shot while no one is looking! Honestly the 45 minute ones are the lowest impact, I used to do half of them when I couldn't complete it. HTH!
  • blink1021
    blink1021 Posts: 1,115 Member
    leslie sansone dvds are great its basically walking in place with some other movements. She does both high impact and low impact. There are tons to pick from I got a couple from amazon. She has 60min long workouts and 30 min workouts.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited January 2015
    Walking and cycling are safest, really, and easiest to do every day. The Sansone vids sound good.

    For other options:

    Ice skating! You can do it with the kids. You'd have to stay with them, so your hubs could get his time in, but it's doable. Cross-country skiing might be a fun thing to do now and then, when you've got a sitter. You can rent skis in a lot of places.

    There are kickboxing videos that are low impact, just have to sub out the jumping jacks for marching in place. BUT - kickboxing still gets the heart rate up - does the doc want your husband to stick with low impact because he wants his heart rate to stay in a certain range? reread your post: no don't do kickboxing!

    Tai Chi (there are vids I imagine), too.

    What about ballroom dancing for you guys? Need a sitter but might be a nice thing to do once a week.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    walking
  • DylanSaffa
    DylanSaffa Posts: 8 Member
    A rowing machine is low impact and also a total body workout. Start slow. Perhaps combine with yoga to increase core strength.

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