To ask for your help in what exercise I can do?

[puglife15]

I've not done any meaningful exercise since having my DS' about 3 years ago but I'm becoming worried about the impact on my health as I've become very unfit.

The problem is, a lot of the exercise that would be easy for me to do (eg running - flexible, cheap, sociable) I can't do for physical reasons. At the moment I have to avoid high impact exercise.

So I'm looking for something that is:
Low/minimal impact
Cardiovascular
No heavy strain of abdominal or pelvic muscles (eg rowing, heavy weights or horse riding would be a no)
Fun, sociable/ team oriented ie not the gym
Cheap or free
Requires no level of skill
Is not swimming
Can be done in sessions

Just go for nice hour long walks.

:)

Pilates v good for core strength.

Why not swimming?
The way I read it, you have a medical reason for low impact, and presumably no babysitter, but a lot of the rest is choice. You have to compromise somewhere.

(do you have a medical reason to avoid low impact... post-CS?)

Exercise bike in front of Netflix :)

Agree with above, long walks which can be sociable with friends. If need be start of by doing 20 minutes a day for a week. Then increase by 10 minutes each week. I used "map my walk" app on my phone to track how far and my time. Eventually I started working on improving my time over certain distances. Its nice to see results!

I like walking a loop so have a few planned routes around home that I use. Good luck.

Loads and loads of different exercise videos on You Tube.

Yoga classes would be low impact. Around £8 per class (depends on where you live). Ditto Pilates which is excellent for building core strength. A Beginners Pilates course for about 6-8 weeks.

Look on meetup.com for walking groups in your area (and other fitness options).

I can't risk pilates at the moment due to abdominal element. But I will definitely start when I can. But I'm looking for something more CV than pilates or yoga.

Swimming - takes too long to get to pool, get changed, showered etc. Baby is EBF and only going 2 hours between feeds so I wouldn't have much time to actually swim.

Ljkk you're right a lot is choice but I know if I dislike the exercise I won't keep it up hence looking for something I'd actually enjoy.

Walking is great but will it actually help my fitness? I don't have any friends I can think of that would want to join me but I'll ask.

Depends how fast you walk I suppose! And whether you add inclines on your journey. Pushing a buggy at a fast pace could count too

Maybe look for buggy fit classes and include your baby in your fitness workout

Sorry realised he is 3 so maybe not buggy fit after all. Run after him on his scooter?!

What about trampolining - have a look at boogiebounce.com

I presumed minimal impact meant no walking!
There are many free or nearly free community initiatives to get people walking (very sociable) but they are targeted at old people, mostly.
How old is baby?

I'm not sure what you meant by "cardiovascular"; walking will be about as aerobic as weight lifting.

I've been doing it for years - it's low impact as you are on a trampoline but it's hard aerobically

Cycling is great. Lycra shorts are not compulsory Kids can go in a child seat or trailer.

There is a little charity near me who refurbish second hand bikes and sell them on for reasonable prices (i.e. cheap). Maybe something similar exists near you?

Ghosty I love the idea of trampolining but fear it might be the worst thing ever for my pelvic floor - I have possible prolapse hence impact or straining the abdomen/pelvic muscles is a no no. If anyone can tell me otherwise I'd love to try it.

I have a 3 year old and a 3 month old - we do get out and about but not to the point I'm getting much of a workout. I'm usually walking at the 3 year old's pace.

How about dumbbells for strength training? Baby in one arm and weight in the other

Not social, but have a look at www.fitnessblender.com/videos It's free, you can search by "low impact" and they have videos from 5 to 60 minutes long. They cover everything from yoga to weights to kickboxing to standard bodyweight cardio so I'm sure you'll be able to find something you like...

Baby seat on the back of a bike for in the day, on your own in the evening. Have a look for organised Breeze rides locally to you, or theres lots of social rides around, esp with Bike week coming up. You can go at your own pace, push it on as you feel, and get to go places while exercising

"Walking is great but will it actually help my fitness? I don't have any friends I can think of that would want to join me but I'll ask."

Listen to an audio book or the radio or podcasts or anything while you go?

Look up a video called 23.5 Hours on YouTube. I watched it this morning, about 10 minutes. It will convince you that walking is wonderful. Amazing health benefits from a small amount of exercise.

You mention no Pilates but is that under medical orders? Well done Pilates under good instruction can be done by practically anyone and is massively strengthening.

Anyway, fast paced walking ticks all your boxes, especially if you go with friends.

Walking can def get you fit, if you walk fast enough

Can you put kids in buggy for fast walk?

Mathilda I'm still awaiting my appt with a specialist, my Pilates instructor has said not to proceed until I've got the all clear. I could avoid certain exercises but it would be tricky for the instructor so I'd probably have to have 1:1 classes which I can't afford while on mat leave.

Sounds like walking is the obvious one then... Thanks for the links

Hi pug for the walking get a free app like endomondo, it tracks your steps, speed, cals used etc, I find it really encouraging.

I do about 2-3 miles daily with my dog and generally feel quite fit.