Advice on starting fitness

Need some help here! I was basically a chair potato for three years following my last chemo/radiation go through. I am now trying to amp up my physical exercise. The problem is that I have bad arthritis of the knees. I have started physical therapy for that and go twice a week. I have been doing all of the isometrics at home, as well as in the rehab center. I have a free gym membership because of where I work. Does anyone have any advice on some form of exercise that will work my legs, but not overtax my knees?

Since you are already working with a physical therapist, this is probably a question for them. See if they can design a program for you. Knees can be tricky and an injury can take a long time to recover. Good luck!

Jen

Definitely a question for the physical therapist.

To the OP: if your gym offers fitness classes, you could take a schedule of them to your physical therapist so they know what you have access to. You could also take pictures of the machines and equipment available, again so that the PT will know what your options are.

It's great that you're working with a physical therapist! Your therapist should be able to best answer your question about what exercise you should be doing and... this is what you're paying them for :) The PT should give you a home exercise program to complement the work you're doing at the rehab center.

Since you're under the care of a medical professional, that's really the place you should be going for to get advice.

However, things that are low impact on the knees - water exercises (water aerobics, swimming, water walking, water zumba, etc.), recumbent cardio machines (recumbent bike, some ellipticals), certain fitness classes might be appropriate, especially the ones geared for older adults regardless of whether you are one or not (chair yoga, zumba gold).

I wouldn't recommend trying any of these without the consent of your PT, though. You don't want to hinder your recovery.

In general, though, if/when you do get cleared for things, I recommend trying everything that you're allowed to do that you have access to and seeing what you actually enjoy. You're more likely to keep at something you enjoy than something you hate!

Thank you for your reply. If you noticed, I kind of responded to you and Knitter at the same time. But, thank you. Come summer, I will have the husband open the pool and can then do water aerobics. For now, can't do it!

I'm bone on bone in both knees - arthritis. Water is your friend. If your gym has a pool, swim, water walk, take water aerobics classes, etc. If no pool, I found that the recumbent elliptical bike hurt my knees the least. I could go (slowly at first) for 15-20 minutes and got to the point where I was riding for about an hour at a time because it was the only time I'd let myself watch Breaking Bad on Netflix.

Yoga can be helpful as well, but do let the instructor know that you have bad knees. Then the instructor can suggest modifications for poses which may otherwise be uncomfortable.

The more your move them, the better they feel. And, of course, losing weight helps. My orthopedic surgeon for my knees has said that every pound you lose feels like 5-7 off of your knees. Do chat with your PT people for ideas - they know your limitations and can give you suggestions as well.

Best of luck.

Yeah, I'm bone-on-bone also. They do have me using a recumbent bike in PT and for 6 minutes going at 60 revolutions per minute, I'm okay. After 6 minutes I start to flag. But at least I'm doing that. I will continue to increase the time at the gym when I can go back. My sister actually is a yoga instructor and she told me to look for a book or video on "chair yoga" which would be the best for my joints. She flat out told me that if I walked into her class, she would make an appointment to do something private with me, because most of the yoga poses are way to tough for me. She did, however, suggest some Tai Chi, once I regained some of my balance, which we are also working on. She is not being mean, she just knows my limitations.

Oh, she did recommend some isometrics such as bridges, clamshells and the one where you put one ankle on the other knee and lift the bottom leg.

Tai Chi is an excellent exercise! Before you start working with Yoga instructors and the like, you may want to talk to your primary physician or your Physical Therapist before implementing.

I have studied Tai Chi, hm, since 1995. It is fantastic for balance, but can be hard on the knees due to the turning involved and easy for new practitioners to tweak their knees the wrong way. (This problem is worse if you're wearing shoes with soles that might "stick" to the floor. I find it easier to turn correctly in bare feet or socks.)

Ask your PT, though :)

In addition to chair yoga, Yin yoga might be helpful. Most (if not all) of the poses are done on the floor with lots and lots of props. Great for stretching and relaxing!