exercise for the less abled

[apmann]

Hi, week 3 of the NHS 12 wk diet programme is about upping your exercise.

But what if you cannot undertake the exercise programme due to illness and a bad leg? What exercises can you do please?

[Activity2004 Visitor]

Has your doctor suggested exercises for upper body strength?

[PippiRuns 6kg Restart Nov 2023]

Could this be of interest? nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/s...

And if you’re able to walk, just walk a little further each day

[Dizzytwo in reply to PippiRuns]

Excellent thank you I'm a wheelchair user when ever away from home so I think this maybe of help to me. Thank you for posting xx

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello and welcome apmann 😊

For fat loss we need to eat less calories than we need. Exercise is very beneficial for all sorts of reasons but isn’t essential for fat loss. However, all movement helps. Google chair based exercise and look at things like strength and resistance work, Pilates and Yoga. Also, could you access a physiotherapist? You can self-refer through the NHS and in my experience they are very knowledgeable people. I’m tagging Pineapple27 who has an inspirational weight loss story inspite of a physical disability

Good luck!

Ps I’ve just seen the link above from PippiRuns which is very good 😊

[Dizzytwo]

Maybe it would be wise to ask your GP or practise nurse if you are ok to do exercises given your health conditions maybe? Or how about a self referral to a physio? Just a thought xx

[Hidden]

I have the same problem but with arms not legs! I cannot explain the science but read the Obesity Code and it explained the role carbs have in how we lay down fat. I am now going low (not no) carb and weight is finally beginning to shift. My husband has a troublesome piriformis and when that flares up does chair exercises, there are a lot on Youtube that may help. I should look up ones for no arms come to that! Good luck!

[RP8183]

3 weeks and the scales seldom lie!!!!

Lost 6lbs this week so going well. Valatines Day was'nt a help as my darling and I had Morrison's Beef Wellington and a bottle of Proseco between us. I opted out of the chocs.

My recovery from the surgery on 21st of last month is going well and I am now walking 3K daily. All be it with 1 walking stick. The other physio exercises I complete in the morning and afternoon before my walking. I have also commenced upper body exercises which hopefully will eradicate the man boobs. he he

In summary - I have shed just over a stone in weight since returning home from hospital on 28th January. Happy for sure but need to keep it up. Tempted by cheese in the evnings. I do love cheese and biscuits however, I have resisted them.......oh and the glas of Port that normally follows suit.

Yours aye

Ronnie

[Pineapple27]

Hi apmann and welcome! Thanks to IndigoBlue61 for tagging me.

I have a significant physical disability which affects my mobility (mobility further reduced in 2002 following a head on car crash, broken tib and fib which didn't heal well and then an ankle fusion). I use an electric wheelchair outside of the house and when inside, mostly sat down on a wheeled office chair.

I am also short - as a result of my disability (4ft 8”) rather than genetics - my two "little sisters" are both a foot taller than I am!

Reduction in mobility or a disability doesn't make weight loss impossible - it just makes it rather more challenging - but hey - us folks who have to deal with pain and / or disability on a daily basis are used to challenges, aren't we???

I started my weight loss journey at the end of February 2012, weighing in at 14 stone - almost 7 years ago. I was 49 years old and had been trying to lose weight all of my life since the age of 9.

I managed to lose 4.5 stone in 2 and a half years through calorie counting and logging/weighing all of my food going from a size 24 to a size 16 and from 14 stone down to 9 and a half. I didn't do any exercise whatsoever at that stage. Then I started to swim once a week for about 45 minutes. From there, I had a session with a personal trainer at the Physio I attend on a regular basis. He had never met me before, but made some suggestions about various exercises I could do (strength training, rather than using machines). With that newfound information, I went home and kitted out my own little :home gym" (aka the garage!) with some cushioned floor matting, a treadmill "borrowed" from the ex husband and smaller pieces of kit. I slowly built up my exercise regime, touching base with the personal trainer from time to time to monitor my progress and get more ideas about how to push myself to the next stage.

I have a Blog where you can read about the equipment I used:

flidfit.com/2013/06/04/15-m...

and my exercises:

flidfit.com/2018/09/20/step...

However, the one thing that I realised very early on in my journey was that I was just eating FAR TOO MUCH! As a VERY short (4ft 8”), middle aged, sedentary female and I was eating the same as 5ft 9" active man (my now husband!).

No wonder I was piling on the weight! I now think of the weight I lost as each half a stone being a new born baby... I lost 9 of them and can't really understand how I was ever able to lug all of that around with me all of the time!

I often wish I had dealt with my weight when I was a lot younger, but still, better late than never and also the risk of illness that is associated with being overweight increases once you reach 50 years plus....

Here are a few of my past posts which I hope you will find helpful and inspiring. I won't try and tell you that my journey was easy - and you'll see that there were many blips along the way, but 7 years down the line, I feel about 20 years younger than I did when I was lugging around 4 stone more.

I also exercise most days, just stretches sat on a gym ball to music. I don't burn too many calories, but I find the stretches (a bit like yoga) keep me flexible, moving and pain free(ish!)

Please do pop back to the forums and share your journey with us - we are here for you, day and night and happy to share your success or support you when you need it.

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

[IndigoBlue61 in reply to Pineapple27]

Thank you Pineapple 😊

[Craftyperson]

I'm like you can't exercise but doing some of the sitting exercises and walk my dog. Exercise helps weight loss but calorie intake more important. Good luck

[13Valerie]

Do what you can and what you enjoy...

A stroll in the fresh air?

A gentle swim?

Aqua aerobics?

Some people with injuries like to walk on a treadmill as there are no potholes and less chance of falling.

Apart from that, singing in a choir is a great aerobic workout, and good for the mind too!

I hope you find something that you love and nourishes your soul💕

[apmann]

Thank you everybody for not only your tips but your encouragement. I easily put on 2lb, for instance after a glass of wine, if I have a naan bread with a curry, if I have a pudding with my meal. This is due to an underactive thyroidism with the "trigger" for the metabolism a little lower than what it should be. I cannot have my medication upped to counteract it as the doctor is worried it will affect my heart. I have ostroarthritis in my foot and a baker's cyst behind my knee, making my leg stiff. But I still work full-time so find it hard to exercise after work. I do stretching exercises first thing in the morning and I am now going for a limping walk during my dinner time. I do not like using our local swimming pool.