TIME TO GET RRRIIIIIIIPPED!!!!! - the exercise thread

Update! I'm a moron!!! :D

Turns out the Sit To Stands I'd been doing that left me very sick for hours on end afterwards and feeling like I was dying... are from the END of the protocol I'm meant to follow! Not the beginning! I'm a year off from being meant to do those at all! So the feeling like I was dying was coming from.... dying! :D SO NOT GONNA DO THAT ANYMORE LMFAO.

 

I love yoga, but I keep being told by various people it's super good or it's nothing. I have major trouble doing near literally anything, and it's helped my mental state loads.

Unfortunately as stated above, I've had several doctors tell me I need to do more and push past boundaries faster, and the rest tell me it's not real exercise and I should stop which leaves me in a real state

What are people's advice or experience with water aerobics? I know it's stereotypically an "old ladies" thing, but I know an old lady who does it with her old lady friends and I really wanna join them but am afraid to stand out or not fit in or whatever

 

Don't stop the yoga if it's helping you! It won't do anything in terms of cardio but it will work your muscles and joints and release endorphins, and that sounds like it's what you need. Can't comment on the water aerobics, but it might be good - ask your friend about it?

 

Thank you!

 

In my experience, old ladies are generally tickled whenever a younger person wants to join in on their activity and actually enjoyably engage with them, I think asking if you could join and try it out would be a good thing!!

my sis does yoga and it seems good for her, definitely helps her strength and joints, I have a particular kind of weak joint tissue that makes yoga potentially bad for me because it's very easy to overstretch, so I alas don't have any experience with it

 

also, if you find cardio near impossible, little improvements to your joints and muscle strength via stuff like yoga can honestly really help!! I had to do physical therapy for achilles tendinitis in the spring and like... my ankle had hurt going down the stairs every time i did it for a month when i started, but then my physical therapist told me to literally sit in a chair and lift my heels, hold for 30 seconds, rest two minutes, repeat 5 times twice a day, and like.. scrunch a towel with my toes, also while seated, and that acute constant pain went away within like two days. everything's connected and getting your muscles stretched and working with your joints optimally can help a ton with working up to cardio if it's not something accessible to you right now!

 

I dunno what kind of yoga y'all are doing but it absolutely is cardio training? It's not an anaerobic exercise. I can't do it anymore, is how much of a cardio thing it is, because it'll stick me into OI pdq after like 3 positions.

Don't trust any medical "professional" who tells you to push boundaries faster than you're comfortable with, they're on a bottom line and don't have your best interests in mind. You like a particular exercise, then do that exercise, unless it's contraindicated.

Personally did not get along with aquarobics, but it was high intensity classes... Something focused on older people may be more gentle. Bear in mind the effects of the water resistance might not hit you until a bit after you get out the pool, so don't like... plan to walk home after if you're not used to it.

 

ADHD means that exercising just for the sake of it really fucking sucks; it's tedious as hell unless I really push myself to explore and go interesting walks, but then my hypermobility plays up and the rest of the week is just pain.

However, physical labour is fun and enriching to my hindbrain and I've been getting a lot of that done recently. I've dismantled old bookshelves, carried things back and forth from my new workshed, and made huge inroads on clearing the big shrubs/trees to make room for a chicken run :D

I haven't felt this fit or able-bodied for a while, and I'm finally managing to feel good about my body even though I'm way stockier than my fat phobic mother and I'll never be a marathon walker like her.

 

Water exercise can be really good if you have bone or joint issues because water is usually very low impact unless you're falling into it from a height. It provides constant resistance, which is useful for building muscle. It would be good cardio.

There is nothing wrong with yoga. It's supposed to be adaptable to you, and provide a full body workout. It's definitely not supposed to hurt you.

I have no idea wtf is wrong with those doctors. Maybe they panicked. I don't have a better explanation for that.

 

My arms are basically noodles so I'm adding arm-specific exercises to my walking workouts. I suck at them, but hey, only just started, and it's kind of good to be able to feel the tensed muscle through my arm fat finally.

Regarding the yoga, I may have been confusing cardio with high-intensity. The fact that I'm not huffing and puffing after yoga makes it feel like it isn't doing much.

 

Geez, I've been trying to walk more but my feet are in appalling condition - hells of blisters and torn outer skin layers, so gross :( I guess I gotta push through it?

 

Not necessarily, I don't think? What shoes do you use? Socks? Have you tried sole inserts? Maybe it's the way you walk? I've had foot pain since damn near birth and I know feet care is really important, especially aftercare. I tend to walk on the sides of my feet if my shoes don't fit right, and I was born flat footed so heavily arched shoes are killer. Walking with socks, especially if changed frequently, can really help with blisters and peeling. Shoe inserts are incredibly varied these days as well, and I recommend experimenting if you can afford it. Hot foot soaks and massaging the soles after exercising is important too, it'll make a real difference in the long run

 

Oh, I always wear socks with shoes, but my feet are a weird shape and it's near-impossible to find shoes which actually fit me. I walk around my flat barefoot pretty much all the time, and I've been doing walking videos on YouTube barefoot indoors.

 

Spoiler: Swimsuit pic

I have been informed that the weird lumps on my stomach are, in fact, abs. I thought my fat was just growing in weird ways.

 

The type of socks makes a big difference when it comes to preventing blisters when you do wear shoes. Athletic socks that don't absorb moisture are ideal. Absorbent fabrics will catch on the shoe and rub. The easiest way to find good ones ime is to look for running socks. They should be some type of synthetic blend, not all natural. If it says moisture wicking, that's a good sign. I use Feetures myself, and I've been really happy with them. (Eta: Now that I think about it, many socks are probably at least some kind of synthetic blend, but these seem to be a lot more heavily synthetic than what I’d normally wear.)

 

I found some gel foot-coverings, I'll see if they work.

 

I don’t know if this specifically applies to you, but my mom’s been going through a lot of foot/ankle troubles (specifically tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, and tarsal tunnel) and podiatrists have generally told her that waking barefoot can be really tough on feet and that she should avoid it if at all possible.. but that seems more internal and it sounds like you’re mostly having trouble with blisters/chafing?

I’ll see if I can find a relevant video when I’m on laptop and not phone, but I’d suggest researching backpackers’ tips on blister avoidance; my thought with most issues that are walking related is if anyone’s gonna have found a way to fix it, it’s the people who walk 15+ miles a day for fun

 

Yeah, it's mostly blistering that's the problem. I do have fallen arches, though that's probably due to my weight.

 

Back from the gym for the first time since before lockdown and everything hurts.

 

Okay, can people who know more than me say whether being pushed to do four sets of eighteen reps of unfamiliar exercises with bearable-but-uncomfortable weights is a bad idea? It hurts a lot and I'm worried but I don't know if that's just a hump I have to get over or actually potentially dangerous.