Aibu to think there must be some exercise I can do?

[Stressedgiraffe]

I need to lose weight. I have a terrible buddy belly. So need to find a cheap/free exercise I can do.
I have a knackered ankle so can't stand on it. Can only walk for about 30 mins without using a stick and needing to sit down.
Swimming is out as I can't see without my glasses- can only see about a ft in front of me. Would need to get prescription goggles.
I've tried yoga but don't have the balance anymore.
What can I do that is free/cheap?

If you’re of a potentially perimenopausal age it’s entirely normal to carry extra belly fat - it is a highly prized oestrogen store and your body will defend it at all costs!

Exercising is a fabulous idea - it helps with fitness, strength, cognition, energy, mood … all the good things. But do it for you, not in pursuit of a socially validated body shape in a misogynistic culture and economic system that requires us to feel bad in our skin.

I’d get some cheap second hand weights and combine that with as much walking as you can manage in a day. Loads of free weight workouts on YouTube.

Also agree with pp about potential for cycling.

Wow! Prescription goggles have become much cheaper since I gave up on them! I'm going to look into this. Much as I love my Decathlon goggles, it would be brilliant to get something closer to my prescription. Thanks!

Definitely walking and chairobics, try to alternate so you don't get bored. Save up for the goggles if you can! And in the meantime do breaststroke with your head out the water. You could also do at home exercises for strength like sit ups, plank etc

I swim 3 times a week with my glasses on because my sight is so poor without them I don't like going in without them on - hell I don't even like a shower without them on but I can manage that as long as I know exactly where my shampoo is etc.

Aside from that - most weight loss is diet related and exercise wellbeing related. Obvs exercise will help with weight loss but in comparison to diet and nutrition, exercise has minimal impact. I've just lost 3 stone on sw with barely any exercise in that time as I've just had surgery on my knee so was laid up for 2 months and prior to that was waiting for surgery. Literally just gone back to the gym last week after over 3 years off.

@Stressedgiraffe look up Lesley Sansome 20 minute walk in you tube. Can be done in your living room and if you needed to pause and rest initially then you could.

I'd focus on weight loss (through overhauling your diet) first as that will really help with your poor knee. My mum's knee pain from bursitis stopped when she lost weight, as she didn't have so much weight pressing down on the joint. She had to lose weight through food first before she could then start doing exercise.

You don’t “need exercise for your diet to work”.

exercise is brilliant for mental health and heart health: but you can absolutely lose weight without exercise. If I want to drop some weight I actually stop the cardio and just walk as I get so hungry doing lots of exercise I effortlessly eat the meagre calories I’ve burned!

You can get prescription goggles online for about £30. Mine work just fine.

Don't rule out swimming just because of needing glasses, I am as blind as a bat and have prescription goggles from Specsavers which were only just over £20 and arrived within 10 days.
I've also previously used a company online called Goggleyed who were brilliant and really cheap.

Worth looking into as swimming is such a great all body exercise whilst avoiding impact. Good luck!

ROWING!

Seriously, it's not all Steve Redgrave and endurance until you want to die. LOTS of mums with families do it. It's a fantastic all over workout and it's brilliant for people with bad leg joints because it's non weight bearing and non twisting.

If you have a club locally, they will probably offer some sort of intro course. You will have to pay, and pay to then join, but the cost across a year normally works out far less than gyms or anything like that.

It's really worth looking into.

Itdoes sound as though you are sufficiently disabled to need a replacement, I m surprised you aren't even on a waiting list.

However re exercise: it's is really valuable anyway weight loss or no weight loss and I imagine you have lost a lot of fitness.

My yoga teacher is very good at suggesting modifications of movements and poses to accommodate eg bad knees. I think it would be woth looking for a class where the teacher was experienced (I prefer my teachers over 50!) and seemes genuinely proactive about accommodating your difficulties. I think that is more important than the actual discipline eg yoga, pilates, keep fit etc.

You may well find classes aimed at older people work best as there will be more students in a similar position - again, the approach of the teacher (and the convenience of the time/place) are probably more important than the actual name of the exercise

But yes, if you like swimming, go for the affordable prescription goggles. The most important thing of all about exercise is to enjoy it enough to do it again!

There's any amount of chair based material online. Look at the Stroke Association videos on YouTube as a starter.

Cycling?

I'd get prescription goggles in your shoes. They're about 30 quid.

No point swimming with your head out of the water, it's totally the wrong technique and you may as well not be doing it

Op, if you go swimming, please don't wear contact lenses and normal goggles. Contact lenses should be kept well away from water due to bacteria in the water that can cause eye issues. I won't even shower in mine.

This company is fab, the prescription goggles are around £20 and delivered within days..

https://goggleyed.co.uk/

I always swim with my head out of the water.. on holiday I swim in my sunglasses! It's great all round exercise with no pressure on joints

Yes but if you're hoping to lose weight/tone up there is literally no point in swimming this way.

Would need to get prescription goggles.

I'm pretty stuffed sight wise without glasses and love swimming prescription goggles really are a game changer.
Haven't bought a pair for a good few years as had to stop swimming for some time but will be getting another pair this year.

I bought my last pair from Boots opticians, they were much cheaper than my normal glasses

I’m as blind as a bat - I just leave my specs on the lifeguard’s chair (with their permission). Or you could just wear an old pair with a neoprene strap thing.

I swim with my glasses on doing breaststroke. I do have some prescription goggles, they're only about £20 online but I hate how they feel so just wear my glasses.

If you swim in contact lenses then use the disposable ones with goggles and take them out as soon as you finish. Don't swim in reusable ones or without goggles!
You should be ok at Aquafit with your ankle or aqua-jogging (with a float waistbelt) is good but can hard to do unless you've got a decent sized deep pool.
All the resistance machines in the gym are seated and you could do a lot of upper body work sitting down. A gym bike or cross-trainer might be easier than walking as they're no impact.

Static bike- often available on Freecycle.
Near-enough-your-prescription goggles available on eBay for about £10. I use them and they're fine for half an hour and finding my way from the changing rooms.
Weights at home. Start with tins or bottles if needed. Lots of YouTube yoga and body-weight exercise videos.
Importantly though, exercise will contribute quite little to weight loss. You need to eat less. It's difficult.

Aquafit is a great shout actually