Excercise---knee pain...

I can be added to this list of letting myself get out of shape. My GP says to loose two stone. My knees can't handle the stress of carrying extra weight around. Any one have any good cheap ideas for loosing weight. Joining a gym is expensive...walking is tough on knees. NO easy way around this...but need some new ideas.  

Hey Ms-bj,

I have bad knees also...very bad in fact... from being overweight and also arthritis... they use to lock up me often... now it is just now and then.  The longer I have been exercising the better they are feeling.  It is a catch 22...but taking it slow and cautious is the only way around it.

walking is the best way to start...  but you should prepare before each walk...  my regime is as follows:

I place a rub of sorts on my knees...  you can use something like bengay if you wish...  I personally like oils...  and I use a combo of Tea Tree Oil and Rosemary Oil...  then I pull up a wrap...  not the ace that you wrap around and around  like a sprain wrap...  just an elastic pull up wrap...  But!...  do not place it over your knee...  let it rest just below the knee...that will give you the support you need.

start out only walking a little every day and slowly pick it up
until you find yourself walking at least 2 miles...  after you get to the 2 mile length, slowly start to pick up your pace...  as in, if you can walk that 2 miles in 30 minutes then you are at a good steady pace for helping you to lose weight.  Then you can do things like start to swing your arms as you walk...  which will help your upper body to begin to work.

Most important though is to start a 5 minute stretching routine before your walks...  and also Cod liver oil caplets are excellent for your joints...  it takes about 2 months for all to actually get into a steady regime and you will find your knees hurting less and less.

Good Luck!

I find I love walking now...  I see everyone wearing headphones as they walk...  I asked Tom his thought on that long ago...and his reply was that it is actually dangerous wearing headphones while walking...  it distracts you from the sounds around you (like a car driving to fast and wreckless)  as a compromise to me...he asked me to try walking at first without any headphones and music...  let your ears hear the sounds of life...  and if after 2 weeks time I find it boring...then go for the headphones...but to please stay alert...  I have yet to wear my headphones...  I have enjoyed so much walking and hearing nature...  like the geese landing in the pond...  the baby deer walking beside me in the woods trying to figure out what I was doing...  rabbits sitting off to the side watching me...  and even hearing a skunk about to cross in front of me...which was cool because I stopped and waited quietly for their passing...  and in return I was spared a possible big stink.  LOL

As far as trying to lose inexpensively...  try on your own at first...  cut back on things that you know are not good...  make your portions smaller and add a lot more fruit and veggies to your daily intake...  I believe in a well balanced meal without depriving of anything as long as you use your common sense.  With your knee problems...I would also suggest cutting back on coffee and salt if you use them...replace with tea (natural antioxidant) and at least 32 ounces of water daily.

mfredericka....thanks for your good ideas. Hate getting older..seems I fall apart a bit every year. Wonder if plastic surgery would help ......maybe I could get my whole body lifted... .  Time to start the hard work of getting into shape...NO PAIN..NO GAIN..as they say.  Please if you see me walking down the street don't run me over.  

Hey Ms BJ,

As a 2x knee surgery survivor (my years of ballet have taken a big toll) may I suggest swimming ?

I'm fighting the daily knee pain from letting my weight get above a certain point and have to lose it or risk damaging all the work the doctors have done, so I totally understand the bummer that is knee pain.

Swimming is the 'best' excercise you can do if you have any sort of joint injury. It's considered 'no impact' if I remember correctly. My physical therapy after both surgeries involved swimming and learning to walk and run again in a pool. It was great for weight loss and I was able to do it without any further strain on my knees. Since gyms can be expensive and not all english houses are roomy enough to invest in a stationary bike or weight machine, I'd suggest finding a pool at a local recreation center.

I know  public pools were in abundance where we used to live (Nottingham) and the memberships are fairly cheap. Even if you just start out walking or jogging in the pool you'll notice an improvement pretty quickly.

Now unlike Shel I have to fully wrap my knee before a workout, but that's because my knees don't lock, instead the knee cap will slip out of place. So depending on what your knees do, you can also invest in brace or a bandage....Boots carries them. Heat treatments after your excercising will always help with fluid build up or pain.

Good luck to you !
Red