Looking for stepping up physical activity, open to suggestions and any help

A lot of great answers here.

I have poorly healed hill bone fracture that lead to chronic problems, so running is not an option. But walking the stairs is an option, and that's what I do. I live in apartment building so stairs are readily available and free to use.

ninerbuff wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

I have some social anxiety and get being uncomfortable in new places.

Every gym I've ever joined has given me 1-3 free sessions with a trainer. This is also a good way to get familiar and comfortable with the gym. Some gyms have also had small group classes for free or very inexpensive. I have taken advantage of this numerous times.

I have pain in one ankle and a knee condition in my other leg. My physical therapist was really happy to hear I joined a gym. I like YMCAs because they often have overhead tracks and a pool. My ankle starts to hurt after 8 minutes of walking, so I walk for 5, recumbent bike for 5, row for 2, or elliptical for 2, then walk another 5, until I've done a total of 20 minutes of walking plus whatever.

While I prefer getting cardio outside, this time of year it's just too hot for me, which is another advantage of the gym.

I spent two years getting over an issue with my elbow, had 6 months of no pain, then fell on my wrist and have been dealing with that for almost two years. I've been afraid to start strength training again, but my physical therapist said I can, and should. So any day now I'm going to schedule that session with the trainer

Do start slowly, and slowly build up. In addition to the above, I've also started swimming, have always been doing yoga and my PT exercises, and now have pain in my hip when I stand or walk slowly. I'm frustrated.I think I'll back off the rowing, because it is the newest, and the elliptical, because I hate it.

On your bad ankle have you ever gotten a foot imaging of how you stand on that foot? In other words is the main weight on the outside or inside of the foot?


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

@ninerbuff no, my xray was with me lying down. I'll bring this up to my doctor, thanks.

Hi not sure if anyone else has mentioned this but swimming is a great way to burn calories that is also low impact on joints and bones.

I am a big fan of Olympic weightlifting and am lucky to be a part of my uni weightlifting society. I know it's easier said but gym bros are probably the most supportive people in the gym and weightlifting is a sport with people of many different body types so I've personally never felt out of place there even at my unhealthiest. I know not everyone has that around them but if you do, I can't recommend it enough.

Also congrats on your journey so far. Progress is progress and you should be proud of what you've done so far. Good luck with your journey ahead

kshama2001 wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

I have some social anxiety and get being uncomfortable in new places.

Every gym I've ever joined has given me 1-3 free sessions with a trainer. This is also a good way to get familiar and comfortable with the gym. Some gyms have also had small group classes for free or very inexpensive. I have taken advantage of this numerous times.

I have pain in one ankle and a knee condition in my other leg. My physical therapist was really happy to hear I joined a gym. I like YMCAs because they often have overhead tracks and a pool. My ankle starts to hurt after 8 minutes of walking, so I walk for 5, recumbent bike for 5, row for 2, or elliptical for 2, then walk another 5, until I've done a total of 20 minutes of walking plus whatever.

While I prefer getting cardio outside, this time of year it's just too hot for me, which is another advantage of the gym.

I spent two years getting over an issue with my elbow, had 6 months of no pain, then fell on my wrist and have been dealing with that for almost two years. I've been afraid to start strength training again, but my physical therapist said I can, and should. So any day now I'm going to schedule that session with the trainer

Do start slowly, and slowly build up. In addition to the above, I've also started swimming, have always been doing yoga and my PT exercises, and now have pain in my hip when I stand or walk slowly. I'm frustrated. I think I'll back off the rowing, because it is the newest, and the elliptical, because I hate it.

I'm replying to my own post from last week.

I stopped rowing last week, and my hip has been fine.

But now even this walking routine is too much for my ankle Too much biking, and my knee starts to hurt.

So I've been playing around with the elliptical, and realized it's not the elliptical itself that I hate, but I don't like it when my heart rate gets up into the 120s, which is does at my "natural" pace on the elliptical. My heart rate is under 100 on the bike. So I've been working to stay under 100 on the elliptical, and yesterday lasted 5 minutes. This may not sound like a lot, but at my faster speed 2 minutes was torture, so 5 minutes is a win in my book.

i have to brace my knees and ankles when i ride my exercise bike (at low resistance), do stairs or an aerobic step workout. i also use 2 exercise bikes - 1 semi-recumbent and one upright, and switching between them seems to spare my knees. so does changing position on the semi-recumbent. believe it or not, i used to also have a recumbent, and when anything would start to get uncomfortable, i'd switch from bike to bike. sounds silly, but it got my riding time up without harming my knees, ankles or some other issues.

i found ellipticals were harder on my knees and ankles, but of course, we're all different and so are our injuries and weaker areas.

pbm89gt wrote: »

Wow! Haven't checked this post in awhile. Thanks for all the great advice! A little update I'm now 60lbs down and developed some lower back pain. The Dr ordered a MRI and found I have a degenerative disc and Arthritis, so I'm doing physical therapy for 8 weeks. I only started yesterday so they're working on stretching to break up the inflammation and strengthen my core.
I've also stepped up my activity by trying not to be a couch potato 😂. Cleaning out closets and donating tons of clothes, rearranging kitchen cabinets, basically anything to keep active on the weekends. I'm starting slow but they say slow and steady wind the race, well I hope they are right. 😁 Thanks again for all the suggestions.

If we're talking health, weight management, or fitness improvement, it's 100% true that patient persistence and steady, gradual progress are where the magic happens. That's my personal experience, anyway.

zebasschick wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

I have some social anxiety and get being uncomfortable in new places.

Every gym I've ever joined has given me 1-3 free sessions with a trainer. This is also a good way to get familiar and comfortable with the gym. Some gyms have also had small group classes for free or very inexpensive. I have taken advantage of this numerous times.

I have pain in one ankle and a knee condition in my other leg. My physical therapist was really happy to hear I joined a gym. I like YMCAs because they often have overhead tracks and a pool. My ankle starts to hurt after 8 minutes of walking, so I walk for 5, recumbent bike for 5, row for 2, or elliptical for 2, then walk another 5, until I've done a total of 20 minutes of walking plus whatever.

While I prefer getting cardio outside, this time of year it's just too hot for me, which is another advantage of the gym.

I spent two years getting over an issue with my elbow, had 6 months of no pain, then fell on my wrist and have been dealing with that for almost two years. I've been afraid to start strength training again, but my physical therapist said I can, and should. So any day now I'm going to schedule that session with the trainer

Do start slowly, and slowly build up. In addition to the above, I've also started swimming, have always been doing yoga and my PT exercises, and now have pain in my hip when I stand or walk slowly. I'm frustrated. I think I'll back off the rowing, because it is the newest, and the elliptical, because I hate it.

I'm replying to my own post from last week.

I stopped rowing last week, and my hip has been fine.

But now even this walking routine is too much for my ankle Too much biking, and my knee starts to hurt.

So I've been playing around with the elliptical, and realized it's not the elliptical itself that I hate, but I don't like it when my heart rate gets up into the 120s, which is does at my "natural" pace on the elliptical. My heart rate is under 100 on the bike. So I've been working to stay under 100 on the elliptical, and yesterday lasted 5 minutes. This may not sound like a lot, but at my faster speed 2 minutes was torture, so 5 minutes is a win in my book.

i have to brace my knees and ankles when i ride my exercise bike (at low resistance), do stairs or an aerobic step workout. i also use 2 exercise bikes - 1 semi-recumbent and one upright, and switching between them seems to spare my knees. so does changing position on the semi-recumbent. believe it or not, i used to also have a recumbent, and when anything would start to get uncomfortable, i'd switch from bike to bike. sounds silly, but it got my riding time up without harming my knees, ankles or some other issues.

i found ellipticals were harder on my knees and ankles, but of course, we're all different and so are our injuries and weaker areas.

@zebasschick huh, this is interesting, I've been telling myself I can't possibly be hurting myself on these zero impacts cardio machines but seems like I could be wrong. Do you have a link to what you use for your ankle brace?

zebasschick wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

@zebasschick huh, this is interesting, I've been telling myself I can't possibly be hurting myself on these zero impacts cardio machines but seems like I could be wrong. Do you have a link to what you use for your ankle brace?

i've had to experiment to find the ones that work best for me. without braces, i don't think i could do most of my workouts as i have knee and ankle issues that really do need the support - i have previous injuries, arthritis and some tendonitis, so these braces have been life changers for me.

just keep in mind that not everyone fits the same braces so there's enough compression and support. i have thick thighs and muscular calves, so many fully straight braces are either too tight everywhere but the knee or fits snugly on thighs and calves and are too loose on the knees. but it's well worth finding the ones that work for you!

among the ones i use are ace knee braces
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005YU8TBI/

ace knitted ankle supports
i prefer them tight enough to give real support but not to strangle my ankles.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005P1A84W/

TechWare Pro Ankle Brace Compression Sleeves
these are less thick than the ace - when doing something more challenging to my ankles, i use these under the ace ones
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FQ38DK4/

Vive Carpal Tunnel Wrist Brace
i started using these when ace discontinued their deluxe wrist braces, but when i find some new old stock ace, i'll pick them up. these vive's are pretty good, too.
https://www.amazon.com/Wrist-Brace-Vive-Compression-Tendonitis/dp/B077BPYK5S/

MAVA makes a variety of knee sleeves i've had good luck with including these
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M6CVWFI/

over long times of use, the ace do slightly stretch. i wear mine for all exercise biking, treadmill and step exercises, and they last a good while.

some day i hope to find an elliptical that doesn't cause me a variety of issues, and while not all treadmills work for me, i find my knees do much better with an incline. btw, i'm living proof that you can injure yourself with low impact exercises by overusing muscles that aren't used to it.

Thanks for all the links and the bolded is SO helpful for me!

Hello!

I am a little late to this post but I love your energy and commitment to your role of improving how you feel every day! Thank you for the motivation. I do not usually give unsolicited advice and please take this with a grain of salt, for my knowledge comes from only books and no degree! I hope you are not cutting things you completely enjoy out of your life. Eating things you enjoy is totally fine and rewarding as long as it is in moderation. I just had my favorite pizza and wing meal for dinner last night and I will have it again next week—I don’t call it a cheat day because I am not cheating at all. I am playing everything according to what makes me feel good mentally and physically. Dieting is dangerous and can make you give up easier if you call it a restriction. Claim it as a redirection, rather!

For your concern with the gym, I had the same exact issues with how I felt about others looking at me. To the people who say “I used to care”, and “just don’t give it a thought”, are sadly mistaken. We always care about what other people think no matter what anyone says— this is why we do not walk around naked or resist the mandate to shower or supply ourselves with tools like this app to lose weight. Start by taking it easy on yourself. 15 minutes of walking in slower speed intervals to higher speed intervals is a perfect start. Then you can add incline to this— if this is too rough on your body because of your injuries, that is ok! I personally have arthritis and the only thing that helps is consistent work outs. But it took me a long time to get to that point. Please don’t push yourself too hard when exercising. Any type of movement that increases your heart rate it PERFECT. If you can order some small weights off of Amazon and watch a YouTube video of short arm work outs, this will elevate your heart rate and you can also pause the video when needed. Take lots of breaks and remember to stay hydrated. You can lay in bed and do bicycle kicks to raise your heart rate and take long breaks in between. Remember to eat more food if you do work out so your body has enough nutrients to keep doing its job.

Don’t try and lose weight, redirect your life to one where you take care of you first. Our body is our friend and you are wonderful exactly how you are.

I wish you the best of luck and stay strong.

A

kshama2001 wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

zebasschick wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

I have some social anxiety and get being uncomfortable in new places.

Every gym I've ever joined has given me 1-3 free sessions with a trainer. This is also a good way to get familiar and comfortable with the gym. Some gyms have also had small group classes for free or very inexpensive. I have taken advantage of this numerous times.

I have pain in one ankle and a knee condition in my other leg. My physical therapist was really happy to hear I joined a gym. I like YMCAs because they often have overhead tracks and a pool. My ankle starts to hurt after 8 minutes of walking, so I walk for 5, recumbent bike for 5, row for 2, or elliptical for 2, then walk another 5, until I've done a total of 20 minutes of walking plus whatever.

While I prefer getting cardio outside, this time of year it's just too hot for me, which is another advantage of the gym.

I spent two years getting over an issue with my elbow, had 6 months of no pain, then fell on my wrist and have been dealing with that for almost two years. I've been afraid to start strength training again, but my physical therapist said I can, and should. So any day now I'm going to schedule that session with the trainer

Do start slowly, and slowly build up. In addition to the above, I've also started swimming, have always been doing yoga and my PT exercises, and now have pain in my hip when I stand or walk slowly. I'm frustrated. I think I'll back off the rowing, because it is the newest, and the elliptical, because I hate it.

I'm replying to my own post from last week.

I stopped rowing last week, and my hip has been fine.

But now even this walking routine is too much for my ankle Too much biking, and my knee starts to hurt.

So I've been playing around with the elliptical, and realized it's not the elliptical itself that I hate, but I don't like it when my heart rate gets up into the 120s, which is does at my "natural" pace on the elliptical. My heart rate is under 100 on the bike. So I've been working to stay under 100 on the elliptical, and yesterday lasted 5 minutes. This may not sound like a lot, but at my faster speed 2 minutes was torture, so 5 minutes is a win in my book.

i have to brace my knees and ankles when i ride my exercise bike (at low resistance), do stairs or an aerobic step workout. i also use 2 exercise bikes - 1 semi-recumbent and one upright, and switching between them seems to spare my knees. so does changing position on the semi-recumbent. believe it or not, i used to also have a recumbent, and when anything would start to get uncomfortable, i'd switch from bike to bike. sounds silly, but it got my riding time up without harming my knees, ankles or some other issues.

i found ellipticals were harder on my knees and ankles, but of course, we're all different and so are our injuries and weaker areas.

@zebasschick huh, this is interesting, I've been telling myself I can't possibly be hurting myself on these zero impacts cardio machines but seems like I could be wrong. Do you have a link to what you use for your ankle brace?

Any repetitive motion has the potential to cause overuse injuries from cumulative stress, even if no/low impact. It can affect muscles, connective tissue, even bones. Some health conditions or genetic tendencies can increase risks.

In addition, if a person does the same repetitive motion in the same plane(s) of motion, it can create imbalances, i.e., the muscles that control that repeated motion get stronger, but opposing or supporting muscle groups (such as those for movements in other planes) aren't as strong. That can also lead to injury. (I have some issues from rowing too much, and not doing enough upper body push/lower body pull motions, or lateral/twisting motions, to balance out strength.

I'm not trying to catastrophize here, because the results aren't necessarily a problem for everyone, and may not be truly terrible . . . but negative things can happen for some of us. Varying activities can help, especially cross-training in ways that work the body in different directions/planes of motion than the main activity.

Thanks @AnnPT77! To prevent boredom, I do rotate between the elliptical, recumbent bike, and rower, but these days I'm varying more by adding gardening back in now that it is cooler and I don't need to hide in the AC.

Speaking of rowing, what part of the foot is the strap supposed to cross? I'm using a Concept 2, which I believe you have as well, and the foot is generally set on 3, so the strap is a little more than halfway up my foot (I wear size 11 women.) Sometimes I put it on 2. I don't really notice a difference between 2 and 3.

Concept 2 says:

Position the foot strap above the ball of the foot as shown in Getting Started. While rowing, be sure the foot strap is snug but does not cut off circulation. The foot strap doesn’t have to be completely tight. If you find that your feet and legs are more comfortable with a bit more foot-freedom, that’s fine. A couple fingers worth of extra space should be plenty.

. . . in this good article about how (and whether) to use the foot straps:

https://www.concept2.com/news/necessity-foot-straps

It's not just about foot/shoe size, either. What shoes, or no shoes, matters. (I row in socks, no shoes, which is eccentric.) Body configuration matters, too. If you want to nerd out about where to set the foot-stretchers (what number on the plate):

https://www.concept2.com/news/foot-position-primer

Sorry: Get me started on talking about rowing, I'll say more than any non-obsessed human cares about. 🤷‍♀️

AnnPT77 wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

zebasschick wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

I have some social anxiety and get being uncomfortable in new places.

Every gym I've ever joined has given me 1-3 free sessions with a trainer. This is also a good way to get familiar and comfortable with the gym. Some gyms have also had small group classes for free or very inexpensive. I have taken advantage of this numerous times.

I have pain in one ankle and a knee condition in my other leg. My physical therapist was really happy to hear I joined a gym. I like YMCAs because they often have overhead tracks and a pool. My ankle starts to hurt after 8 minutes of walking, so I walk for 5, recumbent bike for 5, row for 2, or elliptical for 2, then walk another 5, until I've done a total of 20 minutes of walking plus whatever.

While I prefer getting cardio outside, this time of year it's just too hot for me, which is another advantage of the gym.

I spent two years getting over an issue with my elbow, had 6 months of no pain, then fell on my wrist and have been dealing with that for almost two years. I've been afraid to start strength training again, but my physical therapist said I can, and should. So any day now I'm going to schedule that session with the trainer

Do start slowly, and slowly build up. In addition to the above, I've also started swimming, have always been doing yoga and my PT exercises, and now have pain in my hip when I stand or walk slowly. I'm frustrated. I think I'll back off the rowing, because it is the newest, and the elliptical, because I hate it.

I'm replying to my own post from last week.

I stopped rowing last week, and my hip has been fine.

But now even this walking routine is too much for my ankle Too much biking, and my knee starts to hurt.

So I've been playing around with the elliptical, and realized it's not the elliptical itself that I hate, but I don't like it when my heart rate gets up into the 120s, which is does at my "natural" pace on the elliptical. My heart rate is under 100 on the bike. So I've been working to stay under 100 on the elliptical, and yesterday lasted 5 minutes. This may not sound like a lot, but at my faster speed 2 minutes was torture, so 5 minutes is a win in my book.

i have to brace my knees and ankles when i ride my exercise bike (at low resistance), do stairs or an aerobic step workout. i also use 2 exercise bikes - 1 semi-recumbent and one upright, and switching between them seems to spare my knees. so does changing position on the semi-recumbent. believe it or not, i used to also have a recumbent, and when anything would start to get uncomfortable, i'd switch from bike to bike. sounds silly, but it got my riding time up without harming my knees, ankles or some other issues.

i found ellipticals were harder on my knees and ankles, but of course, we're all different and so are our injuries and weaker areas.

@zebasschick huh, this is interesting, I've been telling myself I can't possibly be hurting myself on these zero impacts cardio machines but seems like I could be wrong. Do you have a link to what you use for your ankle brace?

Any repetitive motion has the potential to cause overuse injuries from cumulative stress, even if no/low impact. It can affect muscles, connective tissue, even bones. Some health conditions or genetic tendencies can increase risks.

In addition, if a person does the same repetitive motion in the same plane(s) of motion, it can create imbalances, i.e., the muscles that control that repeated motion get stronger, but opposing or supporting muscle groups (such as those for movements in other planes) aren't as strong. That can also lead to injury. (I have some issues from rowing too much, and not doing enough upper body push/lower body pull motions, or lateral/twisting motions, to balance out strength.

I'm not trying to catastrophize here, because the results aren't necessarily a problem for everyone, and may not be truly terrible . . . but negative things can happen for some of us. Varying activities can help, especially cross-training in ways that work the body in different directions/planes of motion than the main activity.

Thanks @AnnPT77! To prevent boredom, I do rotate between the elliptical, recumbent bike, and rower, but these days I'm varying more by adding gardening back in now that it is cooler and I don't need to hide in the AC.

Speaking of rowing, what part of the foot is the strap supposed to cross? I'm using a Concept 2, which I believe you have as well, and the foot is generally set on 3, so the strap is a little more than halfway up my foot (I wear size 11 women.) Sometimes I put it on 2. I don't really notice a difference between 2 and 3.

Concept 2 says:

Position the foot strap above the ball of the foot as shown in Getting Started. While rowing, be sure the foot strap is snug but does not cut off circulation. The foot strap doesn’t have to be completely tight. If you find that your feet and legs are more comfortable with a bit more foot-freedom, that’s fine. A couple fingers worth of extra space should be plenty.

. . . in this good article about how (and whether) to use the foot straps:

https://www.concept2.com/news/necessity-foot-straps

It's not just about foot/shoe size, either. What shoes, or no shoes, matters. (I row in socks, no shoes, which is eccentric.) Body configuration matters, too. If you want to nerd out about where to set the foot-stretchers (what number on the plate):

https://www.concept2.com/news/foot-position-primer

Sorry: Get me started on talking about rowing, I'll say more than any non-obsessed human cares about. 🤷‍♀️

I meant to get you started

Looks like I've been doing it right!