New to exercise and would love some suggestions

HI all.  I have a BMI over 60 and am scheduled for surgery on 2/21. Exercise is a new thing for me and I have been gradually increasing my time on a recumbant bicycle I have at home.  I do have asthma, knee, foot and hip pain.  I do anticipate this to get better as I lose weight, but my struggle is now.  Once I began to get my time up on the bike (I'm now at 3 miles = 17 minutes) I either have problems with my right knee if the seat is too close or I have pain from back down to feet if the seat is further back.  Walking is too painful now and I'm going to look into water aerobics after surgery.  Any suggestions???  Thanks!

Hopefully as the weight comes off the pain will resolve its self enough to allow you more options.  Water exercises are a good start. 

Hi Dawn! I started with water aerobics because I had a bad knee and it was great because it didn't bother my joints at all!  I think it's a really great place to start!  After I lost some weight, my knee didn't bother me near as much so I moved on to other forms of exercise.  But I highly recommend water aerobics ... I loved it! Deanna  :)

Kudos to you for starting to exercise now; way to go!  I'm a firm believer that regular exercise is key to keeping off the weight we lose.  So you're starting out doing the right thing; keep it up!   If your knee can only handle 17 minutes at a time, can you do 2-3 sessions per day for that 17 minutes?  I started at 396 pounds and I started exercising about 2 months after surgery.  At that time, I could only do about 20 minutes of cardio at a really slow pace.  I have full compression of the cartilage in both my knees, so my knees hurt if I tried to do too much too fast.  But as I lost weight, the pressure on my knees eased up and I was able to do more.   Fast forward 27 months:  I now weigh 188 pounds, I lift weights 4x per week, I do 50-60 minute cardio sessions 4-5x per week, including things like the stairmaster, stair stepper, elliptical trainer, bike, and rowing machine.  I feel great and I attribute a lot of that to my exercise routine.   Water aerobics is a great way to exercise without putting pressure on your joints.  If you have access to a gym, or if you join a gym after surgery, you may want to try an elliptical trainer.  They are no-impact, so don't put the pressure on your knees that treadmill work does or even plain walking.  I could do the elliptical trainer when I couldn't do anything else!   Good luck on your continuing journey -  Kellie

Honestly, I would talk to your MD and see if you can go ahead and star****er aerobics before surgery. Exercising and losing some of the excess fat will greatly increase your chances of having a safe and successful surgery. The other poster had a great idea too, do you have time for 2 or 3 sessions per day?

Also, other options that you may not have been aware of that are great to help you burn more calories and can help you start losing weight are gardening and housework. These activities burn calories and at the same time can prepare your body for being able to exercise more. Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) is another exercise that is low impact and low in intensity but at the same time burns calories.

I hope I helped!

Whatever interests you and you are able to do, is a good thing. Keep doing good things and good things will happen. I admire your tenacity to get started before surgery,  wise choice you will profit from long term. A new Dawn is rising,...bet you never hear that (more than 20 times a day!!)

I have to say, "Cheers to YOU!!!"  I agree with the others about the water.  Another thing that could possibly just make you feel better all over is Yoga.  There are DVD's out there for Yoga while sitting down.  You can stretch more than you think in a chair!  I would rec. this to go along with your bike riding.  Also, maybe you could try biking for shorter periods of time a couple times a day.  Just a thought.  I'm proud of you.  Keep it up. Eliza

Hey Dawn..Congratulations on your decision to start exercising. I can identify with your situation. My BMI is also about 60 and I am trying to qualify with the insurance company to get the bariatric surgery. Hopefully in the next few months. I used to exercise more, but now its hard to get back to it. The water exercise is a great suggestion. I also have tried a chair exercise class that may be something you could try. The bike is also a problem for me with knee pain. Don't know if it will work for you, but  if I take it easy on the tredmill and try to get 15 minutes in even at a slow speed, even leaning on the framework while I walk, I can get a better result than the bike. I do find that shoes will compress and breakdown, so I have to get new shoes more often to help with the pain also. Also a personal trainer session or two may help you with some good ideas that you are able to do. Stay strong and keep moving forward, even if only very moderate, your commitment is to the long run process, not to how much you can do today. Hope to see your progress here in this forum,