Suggestions

Blshumway2010
Blshumway2010 Posts: 131 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Okay MFP friends. I am having some motivation trouble with getting moving. I love walks but with all my kids home I can't really go because with my oldest special needs and no stroller that will hold him it just isn't feasible. I had a severe sprain in my ankle back in August and still have some residual pain if used too much so hoping that I can find something that will help strengthen that with out being to hard on it to start. What are your suggestions for workouts/exercises? I am also over 300 lbs and not very flexible and have very limited upper body strength. I have tried...planks and push up repeatedly and fail every time so if anyone has any suggestions on what to do to work up to those it would be appreciated.

Replies

  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Start small - dedicate to 5 minutes a day this week, then ten, etc.

    Should you have a stroller or wheel chair for the eldest? Would that be a quality of life improvement for that child, as well as yourself? If it is a question of costs, look for local charities that might help or start a fundraiser.

    Choose something you enjoy. If you don't know what that is, start experimenting. There is a youtube video available for just about any movement you can think of.

    -Chair aerobics and floor exercises will keep weight off your ankle for the moment. When I am having issues with my back, I do dance videos but sitting in a chair (alright, I do Just Dance on the Nintendo Switch, because the graphics are wild)
    -Cycling will also keep the weight off your ankle
    -Yoga will help you increase your flexibility and strength (Yoga by Adrienne Yoga for Diabetes is about the gentlest start I can think of, but it isn't her best video in that she doesn't demonstrate what she means by sitting on a blanket and she doesn't talk as much about doing what is right for your body as she does in other videos)
    -If you have access to a pool, water aerobics and swimming are amazing exercises and gentle on the joints
    -As you build up your ankle strength, there are also indoor walking in place videos available on youtube.
    -If you have the space, consider getting a hula hoop and swinging it around to build upper body strength (you can find off body hooping videos, as well) Better yet, make your own hula hoop so that you can have one an appropriate size for you. I find that my home made hoop is my favorite weight, as well. The dance ones are too light and the weighted ones are too heavy!



  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,931 Member
    Everything will be a lot easier when you've dropped some of that weight and exercise is not necessary in order to lose weight.

    I'd agree with what concordancia said above, but really you should focus on your food and accurate logging for weight loss.

    Even if I get a good hour of exercise it's only about 300 calories. That just a slice of bread with some peanut butter. Or a whole chicken breast with a potato and a huge pile of vegetables and a little butter. Learn about food, that's where you'll get the most bang for your buck.
  • Blshumway2010
    Blshumway2010 Posts: 131 Member
    @concordancia Thank you for the suggestions. I do not have access to a pool but we try to get to the lake at least 3 times a week during the summer since it is just down the road. My oldest is epileptic and autistic and we have put in for a stroller through insurance but the appointment for measurements was put off due to covid.

    @cmriverside I am tracking everything and trying to make my best choices. I am an emotional/stress eater so a few months ago I stopped keeping most snacky stuff I would go for in those moments out of the house which seems to have helped. My kids have a snack tote but it is raisins animal crackers and stuff I won't eat. Only snacks things I keep on hand I like are fresh fruit. I hit under my calories most days and if I go over it usually is only by a few. I have lost 6lb since starting but that was about 4 months so its a very slow go for me. Thats why I was looking for the activity suggestions. I completely agree with what you say about being easier once the weight is down and I thank you for your advice.

    Wishing you both the best.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    See a podiatrist. August is a long time ago, you should get some help figuring out why it hasn't healed, and what you can do to help it. I injured a tendon that runs through my foot and ankle, it was debilitating and I lost a lot of fitness; the foot & ankle doctor measured my walking and standing dynamics, we got me a pair of shoes that have a weird shape inside that puts all my weight on the parts of my foot that aren't injured. Not having all that pressure and stress on the tendon has allowed it to heal. It just hurt bad everywhere all the time so I couldn't figure it out on my own. Doctor also gave me some guidelines on what kind of exercises I could and couldn't do. I don't even have medical insurance and it was so worth the money.
  • Blshumway2010
    Blshumway2010 Posts: 131 Member
    @NorthCascades thank you for that suggestion. I will see if my doctor has anyone she can refer me too. I saw a sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon on it. And did physical therapy. Physical therapy made a slight improvement, but that was mostly because she pushed some of the muscles and tendons back into the proper position at the first visit. The docs told me when I saw them I had probably torn and it healed improperly because it wasn't caught at the time and they could give me shots for the pain but it would weaken the ankle even more so they suggested just dealing with the pain.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    I'm sorry to hear what you're going through. 😳☹️😔

    Have you tried ibuprofen? That stuff works better for tendon pain than opiates. Because of the information. It was a few months before I learned that and it made such a big difference for me. My doctor said the same thing about we could do a shot but they're not good.

    The tendon I damaged is the peroneus brevis, and New Balance 840v4 shoes have been a godsend. On the off chance it's the same one for you.

    What kind of shoes are you wearing? My doctor told me to wear running shoes always, he said the cushioning in the shoe means the tendon gets a lot less impact and it can't heal if it's getting beat up all the time.

    He also told me to never be barefoot outside of bed. You need the ankle (and maybe arch) support to heal and the cushion too. Barefoot on a hard floor is pressing all your weight on the tendon. On mine anyway, it runs along the outside bottom of the foot for a bit.

    It's been a year and a half. The pain is mostly gone, but it still bothers me a little bit, frequently. It hurts right now, actually. But I can hike 15 miles in a day, I did last summer. Tendons heal so slow, and they're so incredibly painful. But they do heal.

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