What type of exercises can I do if I have now legs / dodgy knees?

[Greenville]

I'm a bit of a slob and want to get fitter. I hate sports, cant afford a gym membership and didn't like it when I joined many years ago so looking for something cheap and can do alone and outside.

Running was the obvious answer. However, I have recently realised that I am bow legged and have read that running can really damage the knee. I already have achy knees and didn't really think much of it but now realise it's probably the bow leg which is causing it.

What exercise do people suggest? I want to tone and become fitter. I really liked the idea of running and feel gutted I can't do it.

anything that's low impact - swimming, cycling, cross trainer, weights (if you do them correctly), there's some "no jumping" classes such as PiYo or aerobics you could without any jumps. If you like the idea of running then I would consult a physio as you might be ok with the right trainers or exercises to strengthen your muscles.

I used to run a lot and it actually caused me to develop bad knees. I had physio on them, the exercises I used to do there included weighted squats so with a kettle bell would be easiest at home, also weighted lunges with a kettle bell. It helped me to strengthen the muscles around my knee and tone. I also used an app called workout for women by 7m as there were a lot of different exercises for me to do on there. Good luck

Walking, cycling, swimming. Probably best to mix it up if you’re not an exercise fan.

Yoga or Pilates for at home on YouTube. My loo also council also has a card that you sign up for and you can get swimming sessions for £1 so might be worth checking out if there is something similar in your local area

Selfcarer are you still now running or did you give it up?

I still run occasionally short distances only, but don't do any jumping type exercising as this tends to hurt my knees the most.

I know you said alone but spin classes are good. My gym built an outdoor section. In and out in 30 mins and dripping with sweat!

Swimming is also excellent. Aqua fit is fine for knees too.

Don't discount all weight bearing as we need it for preventing osteoporosis. I do short bursts of skipping but that is v high impact.

So I run with bad knees. I am amazingly slow and I limit frequency to 2/3 times per week max. I have had a lot of physio and the conclusion from the pros is I can do it if I work to my limits. So I don't try and get faster for example, I work at my pace.

I can't swim (well I can but not without hurting my knees) as breast stroke which is my preferred stroke hurts my knees too much. This was a blow as swimming was my favourite for years.

I do yoga, low impact hiit, I can cycle (I hate it so I don't), body weight strength stuff. There is a lot of YouTube for the casual exerciser I find. It goes take listening to your body and doing a lot of squats and glute bridges carefully.