excercise

[angie26]

does anyone else wish there was an excercise class available in their local gyms for osteoporosis with fractures with a suitably trained person. It’s great having leaflets and zoom etc but lovely to meet up with real people going through the same problems and knowing you are doing excercise properly?

[Fruitandnutcase]

No but I have a Pilates teacher who is a physiotherapist who specialises in eldely people and people with osteoporosis. I’d say most of what we do is stretching, it’s all very gentle although it can be hard work. You might be able to find a class like that.

Be sure to check out anywhere you go and remember you don’t want to be in a class with more than half a dozen people because you need a teacher who can keep a close eye on you.

Our teacher’s mantra is ‘Don’t do anything that hurts, even if it’s something you’ve done lots of times before and even if it’s something I’ve told you to do’.

[angie26 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thank you for your answer, sounds great although I did try Pilates but can’t lie on my back, I’ll have another look.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to angie26]

See if you can find something that involves gentle stretching or even a sitt8ng exercise class.

[GardenerJH in reply to angie26]

There is standing pilates

[angie26 in reply to GardenerJH]

With fractures in my spine and constant by pain I cannot lie on my back neither can I stand for more than a few minutes

[GardenerJH in reply to angie26]

Oh dear, well take it easy with the chair yoga. I do a lot of Pilates but this spring I took a chair yoga and the few ladies in the class had at least an additional 15 yrs on me. I thought this was going to be a waste of time. Well it wasn’t a lot of sitting it was more getting up and down and using the chair for support while doing a lot of exercises. I could barely move the next two days. I guess I used a lot of different muscles.

[Jenat]

Our local council funds classes at local gym and community centres for people with various difficulties, recovering from illnesses etc. You have to be referred by GP, consultant, physio or medical practitioner. Might be worth asking your GP if there's anything appropriate for you?

[LM100]

Hello Angie, I would also recommend trying to find a physio who runs classes for gentle exercise. We have a lady in our class who can't lie, so they adapt them for seated/standing positions.

[Mavary]

The Consultant I had before the last one wanted to start up an exercise class but then we had Covid the Consultant changed and I heard no more about it. Which was a shame. I said I would definitely go to one. Although I’ve always hated doing exercise.

[DeannaAlphi]

Hi Angie. It has taken me years to find out that my local council funds a gym membership called "Healthwise". I knew it existed but thought it was for people who had had heart attacks. The manager at the gym advised me to ask my GP to refer me. I'm waiting for the go ahead from my GP practice.

Where I live in Reading in the UK, the monthly cost to me, will be £25.50 per month and will give me full access to four different leisure centres in my area. The gyms are run by GLL....Greenwich Leisure Limited..sport company......there are many in different parts of the country.

The instructors are specially trained in many areas of health and exercise, the classes have only a few people in each class, and the exercise is adapted to the individual people within the class. I wonder why this information was not on their website? I'll ask them when I join.

Last week I went to a different gym and spoke to one of their instructors. He himself had had bone and joint problems all of his life....which was what prompted him to become an exercise trainer. He booked an appointment for me for one and a half hours to assess what plan he could make for me. I cancelled the appointment because I had two broken toes and had to decide if I could afford the membership and also it was the other side of town. I did not want to waste his time.

So I would say to you, go into a couple of gyms or leisure centres and ask ask ask. Ring your local council and ask ask ask. Make sure you speak to well established members of staff and not just someone who answers the phone or is new to their job. Your GP practice manager or nurse may direct you to something similar in your area.

Would be good to know if you found something suitable for you. Here's hoping...

Di Doh xx

[angie26 in reply to DeannaAlphi]

Hi thank you for that, I do have a referral membership for the gym but very limited to what I can do, I love the toning tables but it’s quite away from home and in the winter traffic can be a worry. Incidentally I just went into the gym and spoke to a lovely lady who organised it for me at £22 month, my doctor told my husband a cancer patient that this was no longer available!! I have put this on hold for the winter months, I don’t know if you knew you could do this? My reason being due to other illnesses. Yesterday I found a class really close to home for chair yoga, I have been in touch and the class at the moment is 4, myself making it 5 but no more than 6, she knows all about my problems and has assured me that I will improve with chair yoga, my first class is Wednesday next week. Thank you to everyone who has commented I really appreciate your interest, I will let you know how it goes xx

[Canuck321 in reply to angie26]

Let us know how it goes. I have similar issues - multiple fractures and cannot lie down to do exercise. If you think chair yoga is helpful, I will look for that in my city. Right now I am walking on my treadmill and doing heel raises on and off around the house.

[angie26 in reply to Canuck321]

Unfortunately my first session last Wednesday was cancelled due to the instructor contracting Covid!! Will let you know how it goes once the class is up and running x

[Mgtd]

I may be blessed but our city built a thing called a AquaPlex. In that facility there is a huge aqua center with hot tubs, lap pool and kids area and much more. This facility also has an indoor track, free and machine weight area as well as aerobic machines and a rock climbing wall and more. Even have child care. I have only used the gym areas BUT …

In that facility they offer free classes and one of those classes is water aerobics. You may want to seek out one of those water aerobic type classes. They reduce the stress on the body, bones, etc and allow muscles to get a work out.

[angie26 in reply to Mgtd]

Ah thanks for that, I did used to do water aerobics before I was on oxygen, unfortunately that is a no go area for me now.

[Nuthatch]

I wish we did. The North East has great hospitals (for some things) but GP has no interest and I’ve found it a complete desert when it comes to physios or fitness instructors who have a scoobie about osteoporosis. I struggle on with YouTube videos but no idea if I’m doing it right. The bone clinic physio runs an exercise class on a Thursday morning - no good for those of us who work! I can’t lie on my back or my side for exercises so none of the Pilates or yoga classes locally are any good because they’re not interested in adapting the exercises.

[angie26 in reply to Nuthatch]

Oh I’m with you all the way,!doctors are not interested or are ignorant to osteoporosis and fractures, one doctor actually said to me “well what do you expect me to do” I just cried, being in so much pain and being spoken to like that! One physio actually said I should try walking in water I’m sitting in her office with an oxygen cylinder!! I’m hoping I get some benefit from the chair yoga class I have just dinged up for, take care ❤️

[Osteosaurus]

Hi angie26,

I don't know many places where you could meet up with real people going through the same problems and know you are doing exercise properly. But there is an online and possibly in person yoga class that is run by a qualified exercise referral teacher. The person who runs it is called Helen Oughton and she is a fully qualified exercise referral yoga teacher, specialising in osteoporosis.

She did a talk for the Manchester Central Royal Osteoporosis Society group earlier this year I think in August and it was very good. She also has osteoporosis and she teaches yoga in a way that will protect the bones and improve their posture, flexibility, strength,

She is trying to raise funds for the Royal Osteoporosis Society. She is offering yoga classes specifically for people with osteoporosis. You can give a donation by paying what you can afford and the money will go to the Royal Osteoporosis Society.

You can read more about her on her website verticalyoga.org/yoga-for-o...

I hope that this helps and that you find a class with likeminded people