I'm 61 & obese, need activities for someone w/ bad knees.

[barcelonared]

I'm 61 & obese. I have "bad" knees and I need suggestions for activities that I can do to get moving. Lunges are out...help! 

[IndiaD]

You can start off with walking, elliptical machine and exercise bike also help with bad knees. If you can.t do none of them exercise try yoga or Pilates and strength training. Hope this helps.

[suejenn]

Can you do seated exercises like a recumbant bike? If not maybe you could try aqua fit.

[Dougiesgirl]

SWIM!  Or any kind of water exercise or aerobics.....a good place to start.

Do you have a local YMCA?  They offer all sorts of classes.  Also, why are

your knees "bad?"  Is it something that will improve as you take off the

weight?  Consult, then, with your doctor and follow his/her advice.  Unless

there's some irreversable damage to your knees, it might be that losing

weight, and therefore the stress and strain obesity can place on the knees,

will be helpful.  Also, when checking with your Y, be sure to ask if they have

any senior programs.  Mine has the Silver Sneakers Program for Seniors,

which our Blue Cross Blue Shield offers for those over 65 AND for anyone

on Medicare for disability, etc.  Good luck!

[gerrymcd]

in addition to swimming and exercise machines, sitting on an exercise ball of the correct size and doing some exercises with weights is a really good way to strengthen your core and tone up your arms and chest. 

[LCHFmom]

We have a resistance lap pool at our local rec center  - awesome !

Stationary bicycle

Sit on a balance ball in lieu of the couch / chair at night. Start with a few mins at a time

Try light strength training with thera-bands

[tallson]

Your next visit to your primary care doc, ask for dietary specialist, i.e. dietician. Your knees and other joints are being strained by your excess weight. Exercise will help you get healthy but diet is the best answer for weight loss. Good luck bud

[SunsetRunner]

Walking. Stretching. And remember, you can't exercise your way out of a bad diet.

[Naomi94]

If you have bad knees, first go for the bike. If you cannot do the bike, then use the elliptical. I normally do not recommend the elliptical because it does not offer an efficent workout, so keep it as a last option. 

Watch this YouTube Video: LINK

As you are older, you MUST increase your muscle mass. After 30, we start loosing 5% of our muscle mass naturally evey ten years. As we age, that number increases. Get yourself a set of dumbells. Work your chest, arms, and back. Get yourself a set of let weights. In your situation, building muscle essential. Do not ignore weights. If you do not start strength training, then forget it, the weight will never come off. Do your weight training three days a week. Eat egg whites, spinach and one piece of wheat bread in the morning. After your weight training, drink 5-6 ounces of 2% milk. 

Make a weekly menu, and stay within your calorie range. Drink 2 cups of water with every meal. 

My advice: interval training on a low impact machine - and weight training. 

Good luck

[prisgetfit]

I needed this advice..you are awesome

[MissKai]

walking in the pool! Its very low impact!

[nottaken101]

The kicker, to me, is that very overweight people need to do different exercises from Olympic athletes no matter what part of the body (e.g. knees, back) is giving them trouble at any given moment.

The Greatest Loser shows have done a huge disservice to the world by suggesting that someone who weighs 400 lbs should be on a treadmill rather than a recumbent bike.

I agree that weight training and low impact exercises are key. If you access to a pool, that's great. If not, there are other options.

The company Gaiam DVD called Strong Knees. Amazon has lots of books and DVDS about strength training and cardio exercise for people who are at least 60 lbs overweight.

The internet has free resources, too, but then you have to watch the quality of the advice being given, of course.

Good luck!

[Kayakin_AZ]

Am 57 with replaced knee. Ask you MD. Depends on what is root cause. I had huge hole in cartilage and bone on bone pre surgery. All exercise non-weight bearing. Recumbent bike. Rowing Post surgery very specialized. Stairs in the pool up then down backwards. Elliptical in reverse. My prob was range of motion ..only your MD can say what is right for your circumstances.

[JudithF]

I worry when I see elliptical recommended without a warning. At my local YWCA, there are ellipticals that require a kind of front kick stride that is very hard on knees. I have an artificial knee from a skiing injury and cannot use most ellipticals. So people with knee problems should be sure to check on whether your stride is forced out in front or stays under you. Some of the machines are adjustable so look for those.

[westlau]

I am also overweight and I have arthritis in both of my knees. Treadmill is out. It is harsh on your knees. I found an indoor pool in my town that offers water aerobics and the ability to do laps. It really works. You go your own speed until you work up to a faster pace. You course have to change your diet also. I have been doing one of the calorie programs with the fitbit along with the water activities. Down 10bs in my first month! You just need to stick to it. 🙂