What kind of exercise?

[gealach]

to save your feet and knees, you may want to try HIIT or VIIT on a stationary bike
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06EmQ0qqW0I this one eventually got me in shape enough to do a 4 day road race... my cardio sucked at the time, like out of breath walking up the stairs to my apartment cardio suckage, and I still hate (loathe? despise? I'm sure there's a stronger word) cardio but I love this routine and have used it for years. With this routine, I was biking 35 km every morning before work, and would have done more if it wouldn't have made me late for work and been fired.

light weight training may also be useful.... light as in start with 5 pounds/10 pounds

warm up before your workout, stretching after your workout (not before, that's bad for your muscles), and don't repeat the same body part 2 days in a row

and knowing the difference between I-worked-out-and-I'm-good-sore versus I-pushed-it-too-far-and-am-writhing-in-pain. The first is good, but is often mistaken for the second and people give up too soon.

As for motivation.... mine is MIA, it f*cked off somewhere 3 months ago without even leaving a note, so I'm currently in what @Friday described above as "making sure the couch doesn't float off into space" mode... rather than my usual 6 hours a day/2 a days Olympic calibre workouts.... so if someone can track mine down and send it back to me that would be great.

 

[MyWillow]

I never even thought about Pilates. I'll have to check that out. I've heard other people here talk...

TS Yoga is much less about your body than your mind. That’s why I hate it hahah

 

[ILoveLife]

Due to money issues and need of exercise, I started doing some exercises I saw on youtube. There's a bunch of them, and they really help. I worked up from older folks couch potatoes exercises to full blown HIIT :) lost some weight as well, not much on the scale but most of it volume.

 

[barefoot]

Another one for Pilates. If your core muscles are weak, pilates is great for strengthening them. But - you will ache in the process of strengthening them. If you join a beginner’s class - some classes are run by physiotherapists too - you should do fine. My class teacher gives different alternatives for each exercise so she’ll say things like “if you want to keep doing this, you can or, if you want to challenge yourself, add this movement” so you can control the difficulty and only do what you feel comfortable with. Plus, she makes it very ok to stop, pause and have a stretch at any time. Give it a go - it is supposed to be good exercise suitable for pretty much everyone it’s just about finding the right level class. But be prepared to ache the next day as you will be working muscles that are used to doing nothing!

If you’re open to going to the gym, the cross trainer might be a good cardio option for you?

A lot of gyms will give you a free day pass to try it out so you could explain your pain and take that as an opportunity to see whether the cross trainer, treadmill, bike etc hurt your feet too much?

I also like weights. I use weights machines - haven’t ever used free weights. A couple of trainers working in gyms have told me that weights machines are the most effective way to lose weight and improve overall fitness. Not sure if that’s true? But I enjoy it.

As with anything, start small and work your way up. You may not feel any kind of pain at the time but will then ache like hell the next day, so don’t push too hard too soon!

Good luck :)

 

[hithere]

Hm...yes. All those places. I also have generalized pain - I was thinking about this yesterday and...

OK, I know I should NOT laugh at this, but I did chuckle. Mostly because I'm reading your post and I'm worried I wrote it and have amnesia about writing it. I could have written this. Yes, the only place that does not hurt is my face. (although I'm having stress response in the skin on my face so even that hurts!) I so, so struggle with this for years. I did do pilates a couple years ago and it was very, very hard. I had an encouaraging teacher however. I could only hold a pose for LESS THAN A SECOND. My sessions had to end after 5 minutes! this is not an exageration. She told me, it was ok, it was normal, and she promised me to keep doing it. I became VERY sore. However, I did improve and I did get stronger and I did lose weight. Losing weight made my feet hurt less. I'm recovering from an eating disorder so I can't even do diets or think about food and must ignore my weight. So just the pilates triggered the weight loss. I quit because it was dark with brown colors in the decorating. it felt oppressive to me. I did floor pilates so there isn't any type of walking, it's a lot of laying down, so that was helpful. The machine pilates was too expensive. Pilates is expensive. Through my L.A. Fitness membership of $35 a month it included free pilates classes. They ended up being just me and the teacher because it was too hard even for the "fit" people. I'm thankful for that encouraging teacher though, I felt so ashamed at my fitness level. My other problem is with "boredom." I used to be a competitive athlete, and trained a lot. Now if I swim laps, or walk, or do anything like that I am bored out of my mind! I stationary bike at the gym is an easy to get started. Again, at LA Fitness they have "bike" room and it's dark in there with a giant tv with a movie running, so the movie distracts you from the pedaling, and it's dark so no one can see how slow I'm pedaling! haha!

 

[whiteraven]

Thank you, @hithere! I'm sorry you also struggle with pain. Is floor Pilates on your back? I also can't lie flat on my back - I get intense back pain when doing so. I've had a few MRIs and CTs and I always end up crying all the way through them.

It's encouraging to hear that you eventually started to feel better and lost weight. I'm still mulling it over - right now I just hate being awake! - but I'm thinking I will probably join a gym in the next couple of weeks.

TS Yoga is much less about your body than your mind. That’s why I hate it hahah

I checked and we don't have it in my area. I wish we did, because it sounds like something I would like to do.

I also like weights. I use weights machines - haven’t ever used free weights. A couple of trainers working in gyms have told me that weights machines are the most effective way to lose weight and improve overall fitness. Not sure if that’s true? But I enjoy it.

I used to use weight machines when I went to the gym and, though I can't say I "liked" them, I could probably do them again.

Thanks for the info about Pilates! I might call around and talk to teachers, explaining my situation and see if anything resonates with me.

Due to money issues and need of exercise, I started doing some exercises I saw on youtube. There's a bunc...

Wow, this is awesome! Also another possibility for me. Thank you!

Thank you, @brokenEMT. I love that workout - the guy is so inspiring and motivating! I mostly think I will never get to a place where I am *healthy* - and that feeds my "none of this matters" thoughts. I guess, though, as long as I'm here, exercise will help me, at minimum, to get through my days easier.

Tai Chi & Katas (martial arts forms done solo)

I really like Tai Chi, but I need a class to do it or I won't. I can't find one that fits into my schedule, but I'm still working on it. I'm familiar, generally, with Katas (my therapist translated a book about them), but am wondering if you trained yourself, or you went somewhere to learn?

* If your fear of water is water itself? Don’t worry about it. But if it’s not being able TO swim? There are a lot of 4 foot deep pools. And gentle current river-walk pools. No drowning. Just stand up. And also? Adult learn how to swim classes. Both group and private. As well as water aerobics done in full life vest & floats.

I was almost drowned as a child, so I struggle with water generally. I also can't swim. I did consider water aerobics at one time - I think I could manage that - and I'm thinking maybe I will look into that again. Thank you!

It could be helpful to talk to a physio if you're having specific muscle/body pains. They can give targeted exercises that will help better/faster than a specific(but still relatively general) youtube video could (speaking from experience here)

Yoga (and other exercises) at home seem very doable. Already have the mat (I really did have good intentions LOL) and could set up a place to do this regularly.

What's a physio?

 

[lostforgottensoul]

Swimming is good if you’re in pain as there’s so much less weight on your joints!

I would be careful with that as gravity hits when you get out of the pool and that can cause you way more pain. You can't gauge how much is too much by pain level like you normally would as there's no pain in the pool being a weightless enviroment. Once you get out of the pool is when pain hits.

After the accident I was sent to physical therapy. I couldn't do any of the normal non-pool items so they put me in the pool. It caused me to be out of work for a week each time due to pain and inability to walk at all, all due to this fact. So, I'd start super slow and super small, gauging it by pain level after you get out of the pool. If your pain is still not bad then do a little bit more next time and so on.

Walking a pool when in pain is highly overrated. Simply because you cannot feel the pain while in the pool. No one thinks of after you get out. I would still say that walking a pool is best. But think of the after effects and go slow.

I'm in the same boat. Can't walk to the bathroom most times without help from my service dog in training. I can't exercise at all and cannot get good foods as I can't walk even a small normal grocery store and my service dog in training isn't store scooter trained yet (as you have to be there and walk around and bend and get up and down and what not over a large amount of time, many times, to train a scooter) and so I am struggling to eat right. Looking into Publix (a grocery store here) delivery. I'm on medication that makes you gain weight and that plus not being able to buy real and good foods led to a large amount of weight gain. But, now unable to move around (which is worsened by the weight gain) and unable to buy good foods has led to a problem. I am also planning to walk the pool here but am scared due to what happened the first time. Any amount of increased pain means I can't work and I have to work. No one here to help me. No one to go buy good foods for me. That's all on me. I plan to go SUPER slow. Walk for maybe 5 or 10 mins. Maybe just one time down the pool and back then get out. Sit down. Gauge the pain. Then again if I can. Getting out after just 5 or 10 mins each so I can gauge the pain. During normal exercise you know when to stop based on pain level. That's not true in a pool. So I will need to get out often, allow gravity to hit, and gauge it that way. I'd advise the same for amyone else with chronic pain. Take the pool slowly.

 

[barefoot]

What's a physio?

A physiotherapist.

I think in the US you call them physical therapists?

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

I have pains galore, too, and have to be careful how much energy I spend and where. I don't do gyms because of the chemical camouflage that most folks refer to as "good hygiene" and "cleanliness", and I'm grossed out by locker rooms, public pools, and such. Plus, that's money i could be using to continue to work on my foundation from the inside out, by choosing healthier sustenance. I've very much learned that I can't out-exercise poor dietary choices no matter how hard I try. My go-to purposeful daily movement options (I hate the word exercise...it's like fingernails screeching down a blackboard) are:

• Bed stretches (hip flexor, opening the heart space with open arm poses, and legs up the wall)
• Mini-trampoline with a safety bar (scored a gently used Urban Rebounder on craigslist) is part of my living room decor near the stereo so when the notion strikes, it's right there....can be no impact up to full out jog, depending on your needs.....helps move that lymph!
• Hula hoops!!! (thank you @Junebug :) ) I had to learn how to make my own, though, as the store bought ones were too small and I refused to pay 25 bucks for hand made ones other folks were making. You Tube University has helped me greatly through these last few years.
• Soaking in hot epsom salt baths and doing a few stretches and breathing exercises while in there. Especially alternate nostril breathing.
• Walking in nature every chance I get and hugging as many trees as I can, noticing all the growth, all the life, and the death, that surrounds.
• Dancing like a damn fool in my house and occasionally in the grocery store and such just to lighten the moods I'm trying to co-exist with.
• Just started a tai chi class at the local Y which seems doable, minus the heavily perfumed participants harshing my ability to breathe
• Qi gong is a good gentle choice, too, and there's lots of you tube videos to help

In addition:

• Massage therapy once a month to help keep the fascia flow on the go
• Chiro help for when it all goes out of alignment and I need to start over again

For it to work for me, it has to be fun and it has to be accessible when the notion strikes, or else I'll soon be distracted by something else and likely not get back to it. May you have fun finding your most helpful grooves.

I forgot to add that between my consumption choices (a drastic overnight change from typical Standard American Diet (SAD) eating to a whole food plant-based vegan way of eating) and the above movement choices, I've lost 110 lbs and feel more alive/vibrant than I recall feeling in a long damn time, most days. But it's been a painful process and it's been a total and major lifestyle change, not just a few adjustments here and there. None of it has been easy and it requires ongoing a-tension and commitment, which are the exact things that trip me up so easily. Be kind, be gentle, slowly introduce the things that can genuinely enrich your life and be easy on yourself when you slip up. Best wishes in your discoveries of cell-ph. :)

 

[whiteraven]

Oh wow, @Tornadic Thoughts - thank you! I love the trampoline idea. I may have to see what I can find around here. I already do the massage therapy (started it recently) and that definitely seems to help the pain.

I also have trouble with stuff that requires attention and regular commitment; I do ok for awhile then move on to something new I can drop halfway through. :-( I *am* transitioning to a vegan diet and, since I'm very motivated to do that, I suspect I will at least manage that small feat. Already I notice that I'm eating healthier, which is more than I have done in years.

 

[Nessa7]

Seated yoga for seniors that focuses on the lower body is great for building up the strength and flexability that would make doing more difficult exercise possible. I liked leading those groups even back when I was in high school because it did feel really good to slowly stretch everything.

If you're able to get started with beginner routines, props can help a lot. Bolsters are really overpriced, so I used to make them using old clothes, towels, and blankets for newbies. You just have to wrap them up and use large rubber bands to hold it together. You want to get it to be about 5 or 6 inches thick. That goes under your butt when you're doing things in Easy Pose. It will help you get in the position that is best for your knees.

 

[IceQueencop]

Keep in mind that PTSD and chronic pain can be connected. I have tried various group exercise classes, by tend to have flashbacks, which means I don’t go back. I have treadmill in the basement, and I started walking with an app that is encouraging and encourages you to speed up. I also pay for a subscription to Yoga International. There is media ration for PTSD, there are also very slow classes on there.

You’ll find what works for you!