Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs

Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Community Discussions] >> Health and Safety

Message

WinsomeDefiance -> Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 7:17:06 AM)
First, let me just say that I have permission from my K to post this. Second, I'd like to say how proud and inspired I am by her dedication and perseverance. It has been a month and she's stuck with it! I can't stop assholes from commenting rudely, but I ask those who reply to please ignore them so the focus can remain on topic. She goes in for knee replacement surgery, January 18. So, most of her exercises are upper body ones done on the weight bench using 20 pound weights. She simply can't stand for long periods, and getting on the floor is out of the question. We are looking for ideas on varying her exercise program. She does about an hour a day. She keeps the weights low so that she can make the exercises more aerobic than strength building. Basically, she pulls the bar down and then let's it rise up for 100 sets. Then she does a twisting motion (no weights) sorta like punching left then right. Then she does a sorta sit-up pulling the weights back as far as she can go, and rises up. She does 100 of these then goes back to the twisting/punching. Repeat for one hour. We have a weight bench with a vertical pulley and can increase weights. We also have a bar that she could use but I haven't really encouraged her to use that yet as she often exercises with me gone or busy and she needs a spotter for those. We started out with old ice cream buckets with handles filled with rice and beans that weighed 5 pounds each. She's gradually added weights to 20 pounds and increased the number of reps but now she needs more variety to change up her routine. Any help and advice is appreciated. WinD

NookieNotes -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 7:44:01 AM)
Congratulations to you and your K!

WinsomeDefiance -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 7:46:57 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: NookieNotes Congratulations to you and your K! Thank you. She brightens my life.

WinsomeDefiance -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 9:07:55 AM)
FYI. She upped the weights to 30 pounds (2 10lbs weights) today. It really made a difference, but it slowed her down and was more strength training than cardio.

M38284 -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 9:27:16 AM)
@All If assholes reply negatively, please do report them through the ticket system, so we can keep this posting positive. I'm happy to help.

ExiledTyrant -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 9:30:00 AM)
Swim for that hour every day. Don't splash around, swim like Jaws is behind you.

NookieNotes -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 9:30:01 AM)
To be honest, from my experience ( I was married to a personal trainer for 11 years, and helped him start and run an online weight training program for women), strength training is the easiest way to start for larger-than average women. Not that cardio should not be attempted. It should be. In small stages, stepping it up as they slim down and get more capable. Because cardio is hard on the joints, whereas many weights can be done sitting, without even full range of motion. I hope someone has more advice to offer. I'm pulling for you both!

WinsomeDefiance -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 9:51:12 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: ExiledTyrant Swim for that hour every day. Don't splash around, swim like Jaws is behind you. We are planning on adding swimming at least once a week. Plus, after swimming there's the hot tub and sauna! Win/win/win

ExiledTyrant -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 9:58:07 AM)
Swimming will work all your muscles. The buoyancy will give you a more accessible workout and as you build muscle, you may not see weight loss up front, your metabolism will rise. You're muscles will consume more calories than your body normally stores and the changes will be subtle at first then become fantastic. I tell people that if they are going to enter into an exercise regiment to go to the gym (even if it's a home gym) every day for 30 days no matter wot. Then the habit will become habitual and you'll just do it.

LadyConstanze -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 10:16:08 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: WinsomeDefiance quote: ORIGINAL: ExiledTyrant Swim for that hour every day. Don't splash around, swim like Jaws is behind you. We are planning on adding swimming at least once a week. Plus, after swimming there's the hot tub and sauna! Win/win/win Do wait until the surgeon has cleared swimming though, a friend of mine went through knee replacement last summer, you should get some machines that help you to get the mobility back, but what helped him most was swimming and exercises in the water once the surgeon said it was alright to go into the pool. You should get a passive motion machine where you are strapped in and it helps you to bend a bit more every day, after doing it, an ice pack (get a few so you are prepared). Not to be indelicate, but showering and going to the bathroom will be a problem, so get a chair for the shower already and if you don't have it, handle bars and a raised toilet seat, a walker for getting around and later a cane, it will make things so much more easy for her. One thing she will have to do is also do weight training once the surgery is done, so those ankle bands with weights will be a requirement, you don't want to run and buy everything last minute. I would already set up the house so that she has an easy time once she is discharged from the hospital because the first few days she will be pretty much stationary, so if you have any rugs on the floor or such, roll them up, get slippers for her... I looked after my friend who had it done and first he was complaining like hell (though he did have some added complications due to being a transplant patient and having kidney stones) but he is so delighted now with the new knee and says he wishes he would have done it earlier. The main thing is that she does move it and gets motion range back ASAP, because once soft tissue builds up due to not moving it enough, they have to break through that and that is hell.

WinsomeDefiance -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 10:22:21 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: NookieNotes To be honest, from my experience ( I was married to a personal trainer for 11 years, and helped him start and run an online weight training program for women), strength training is the easiest way to start for larger-than average women. Not that cardio should not be attempted. It should be. In small stages, stepping it up as they slim down and get more capable. Because cardio is hard on the joints, whereas many weights can be done sitting, without even full range of motion. I hope someone has more advice to offer. I'm pulling for you both! K was very encouraged when I read your post to her. She was glad to hear she was off to a good start and doing it right.

WinsomeDefiance -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 10:34:48 AM)
@LadyConstanze Thank you for the advise. We have the shower chair and bars already. I'll look into a raised potty seat and get that as well as research the correct ankle weights and have them ready for her. You are right. This would get pretty costly if done all at once. I love to swim and so does she, swimming is something I'm looking forward to. During the summer I break my bike rides/dog runs up so I can swim in the lake (my dog loves it too). I'm really looking forward to enjoying all these things I do alone (or with my dog) with K (if she's up to it) this next 2016 summer.

LadyConstanze -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 10:54:09 AM)
You're cheapest off with the more expensive weights but where you can change the weights due to lead bars that can be taken out and inserted again, I think they are around $50, but you can start low and build up instead of spending $30 and buying new ones all the time. I would actually check if somebody sells the items on, plenty of people buy them all new but once they are healed up and have mobility back, they just gather dust, they are easy to disinfect... Might be worth looking on Craig's list... Otherwise WalGreen You know those thigh masters, they tend to be really cheap but are excellent and can be used for the upper body too and will come in handy after her knee replacement. A stationary exercise bike will also be great for her once she's a bit more healed up. One exercise they will ask her to do is the "Clinch a quarter with your butt cheeks" while trying to slide the heel up and down on the floor while she's sitting or flat on her back, doesn't sound like much, but after the surgery it's pretty exhausting. The first 3 to 4 weeks after the surgery, don't even think about her showering on her own, as my friend's surgeon said "Nobody ever died from a bit of BO but a bad fall can do it" so rubber mats too for the shower. Best thing you can do for her and to figure out what she can or can't do is put a super rigid bandage around your own knee and try to do normal things like just getting to the fridge, going to the loo, you'll soon figure out what you can do to make things easier for her.

WinsomeDefiance -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 11:11:52 AM)
@LadyConstanze I was planning on getting a bike trainer to put my bike on during the winter so I can keep up with my own training. I don't know if it will work for her or not but she can try it. I'll look into the rigid bandage idea. I also take care of my ill mother so the house is very handicap accessible. I'm here for her, and will whatever she needs to get through this. Your experience and ideas are very helpful. Thank you for bringing up things we'd not even considered.

LadyConstanze -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 11:47:27 AM)
LOL, we didn't consider a lot of things and I flew to LA and found that nothing was prepared, so it was 2 days of manic rushing around and shopping to get things ready for his release from the hospital. If you have charity shops nearby, I would check in if they have any of the stuff you need and ask them to hold it for you if it comes in (most are happy if you deposit $10 or so), I think a ton of things might also depend on your insurance. So if money is an issue, I would talk with the surgeon and the clinic what they supply her with and maybe ask if they are aware of other patients who bought things and would be happy to sell them on. The first few days, sponge baths, she will be very sore, it's one hell of a surgery, my friend said compared to knee replacement surgery his heart transplant was nothing, check which pain killers she can have, nothing like aspirin (blood thinners) as it might make the scars bleed and cause more bruising, you really don't want to rush things with knee surgery, go slow and gentle, steady movement and just light exercises to stop scar tissue to build up and it becoming rigid will do the trick, but do a little bit more every day. If you do have a bath tub and once the bandage is off, she could even sit in it and do light exercises in the water (raising knee, etc.) but getting her in and out will be very difficult. If she can drop just a few pounds before the surgery, that will make the surgery so much easier on her, after the surgery, leafy greens and light high protein food (chicken, fish, etc.) will speed up the healing process too. I'm sure you know this already, but afterwards the new knee will be much stronger than the other, putting weight and pressure on it will hurt like hell at first, but she does need to do it (slowly though) to help her build up muscle and regain mobility. The most dangerous place is really the potty, if you can get a handle bar there too, it will help tons, also a whistle or something she can easily carry around her neck in case she should fall.

dollparts85 -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 12:52:24 PM)
When her knee is a little stronger, you should get one of those exercise bike pedals that you can use in any chair. I used that in PT for my knee and then bought one at home...it's really helped build up the strength in my knees. I started at only being able to do 2-3 minutes at a time and now can go as long as 45 minutes on a good day.

KYsissy -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 1:09:44 PM)
One of those stability balls are good. If you sit on that watching TV you will be working all your core muscles and not even realize it. There are lots of exercises that can be done with it. Here is a good sample workout. Obviously ignore what doesn't apply. Basic dumbells are all that is needed. http://heuserhealth.com/fitness/sample-workouts/ Some good recipes too..

DesFIP -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 3:44:54 PM)
The hospital arranged for me to get a wheelchair, walker, commode. The social worker called the suppliers and they brought it to the hospital for us to take home when I was released. We had to buy a bath chair. If you can afford to pay for one PT or OT visit, I'd suggest that. They can help check for accessibility and give you a list of exercises. OT should give you a grabber and a gadget to put socks on. Make sure she can reach all the light switches in the house. For some reason, a couple of mine are too far to get while clinging to the walker. so the pt suggested a nightlight which was a cheap solution. If you have outside steps, they'll be a bitch to get up when you can't use both feet. Consider having a ramp put in. If you google upper body exercises for knee replacement, a bunch pops up including some for beforehand.

WinsomeDefiance -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 4:34:56 PM)
Thanks Dollparts. I think I might have one of those in the basement. KySissy, I love those balls! Great excuse to get me ( I mean K) one! Des, I will ask her to ask the doctor to write a prescription for a wheelchair or walker. Carelinc delivered and set my moms up the day after I dropped off the prescription for her wheelchair. My mom is a tiny 4'10" old lady so unfortunately K can't just use hers. We have a ramp. My son and his friend built it for my mom.

LadyConstanze -> RE: Exercise tips for a woman about 325 lbs (12/15/2015 4:46:23 PM)
Not to be a bitch, but after the surgery don't let her near the ball for a few weeks, she might have a bad fall as she can't use one leg. Apart from what Des said, do contact the insurance and the doctor what you can get, a lot of things are on loan and part of the surgery, the rest you might have to buy, my friend got the wheelchair and the walker but had to buy his own cane, don't bother much with the one with the 3 legs at the end, the PT didn't like it and it's the more expensive one, he only had it for a week and then used a regular one, so it was a waste of money. Yeah you want to check that she has a light she can switch on and off without straining herself, since it's only for a few weeks, consider if you might just take lamps from one room to the other and again, height of the bed. And as stupid as it may sound, the walkers fold, if you fold them out make sure they always always are secure, we had one bad fall.

Page: [1] 2 3 next > >>

Collarchat.com © 2024

Terms of Service

0.6445313