Exercise

[snowball12]

Do you have to do lots of exercise. I have osteoarthritis in my knees so I can only manage some housework and gardening in raised beds??

 

[Felinia]

I have osteoarthritis in all my joints and had to give up table tennis and rambling which I have done for over 60 years. My DN suggested trying aquafit or swimming and I have found the water a perfect support for my joints. I exercise pain free in the water. Both my local pools offer evening classes for people who work.
What I did during lockdown when the pools were closed was a combination of chair based exercises, plus bed based exercises (I can't get up off the floor!!).
Everything helps keeping me more supple and actually helps with the arthritis as well.

 

[Lucyr]

Do you have to do lots of exercise. I have osteoarthritis in my knees so I can only manage some housework and gardening in raised beds??

What about upper body exercises that don’t use your legs? Or something non weight bearing like swimming?

 

[snowball12]

I have osteoarthritis in all my joints and had to give up table tennis and rambling which I have done for over 60 years. My DN suggested trying aquafit or swimming and I have found the water a perfect support for my joints. I exercise pain free in the water. Both my local pools offer evening classes for people who work.
What I did during lockdown when the pools were closed was a combination of chair based exercises, plus bed based exercises (I can't get up off the floor!!).
Everything helps keeping me more supple and actually helps with the arthritis as well.

Thanks for your reply. I will look up chair based exercises and bed ones as I can get on the floor but not back up lol. I can't swim. I have been to do many scardy cat lessons all to no avail. Perhaps I should have another go..

 

[Lucyr]

I can't swim. I have been to do many scardy cat lessons all to no avail. Perhaps I should have another go..

You could ring a leisure centre and ask. My pool is standing distance the entire way across. Some pools when they do the aquafit they wear belts that make them float. You could walk in the shallow end and stay where you can stand up. Depends what you’re comfortable and safe with really.

 

[Felinia]

Thanks for your reply. I will look up chair based exercises and bed ones as I can get on the floor but not back up lol. I can't swim. I have been to do many scardy cat lessons all to no avail. Perhaps I should have another go..

With aquafit you stay in the shallow end, and you can place yourself by the wall for additional comfort. I hang onto the side for certain exercises. There is a blind lady who attends, and one with MS and resulting balance problems. One or other of us look out for them.

 

[s'nic]

ok, you can roll on the floor laughing at me ..but can I introduce you to my virtual cross trainer?

It's 100% free, no gym membership fees, can be used anywhere and anytime day or night, and in any weather (in front of the TV works well 😉).
You can adjust the difficulty (lift leg higher or lower / use ankle weights, and can add hand weights / small barbells.

So think of how a person moves on a cross trainer using both arms and legs ...
Your legs just need a kind of marching action, I use a rule that my foot must come off the floor, anything more than that is personal ability / energy.
Your arms do the same action as a cross trainer, first one forward, then the other.
I find my gait is more balanced if right arm is extended as right foot hits the floor / left arm extended as left foot hits the floor. I just use the stopwatch on my phone and do as many minutes as I feel like, aiming for a target total minutes over the course of the day.

This gives upper and lower body workout, but obviously doing additional exercises to improve things like core strength, balance etc is good.
Ok time for me to hide

 

[SB2015]

Have you a local Pilates studio with machine based exercise?
They can adapt your programme to focus on mobility and core strength and enable you to isolate specific muscles.