I know this is a rubbish thread for a Friday night but I'm desperate!

[OuchyMcOuch]

Please can someone tell me the best way for me to get fit. I used to be pretty good, I'd run 10k 3x a week, I did a lot of swimming, some weeks I'd go 6 days a week for an hour each time - proper head in the water, front crawl, out of breath swimming.

After years of silly injuries I was diagnosed as having hypermobility disorder, so I'm guessing high impact exercise is out. I've torn my cruciate ligament in my knees a total of 4 times, I've got almost no cartilage left in them. My back is shot, with a damaged vertebrae. I've dislocated my shoulder a couple of times too

I'm currently recovering from an operation to repair yet more stupid injuries, 2 ruptured tendons and a broken bone in my foot, but as soon as I'm able to walk properly I really want to get serious about getting fit.

I'm 44 next month and I don't want to end up like my grandmother, never doing a days exercise in her life and then crippled by stupid falls because she had no core strength by the time she got to her 60s.

I'm assuming swimming is my best bet, but I'm open to any ideas. Is there an equivalent to couch to 5k for swimming? I think if I try swimming I need a programme to follow.

Please help me so I don't become a stooped little old lady who breaks her hips just walking up the stairs!

I've just joined the local council gym for similar reasons.

I find the rowing machine is fantastic for good cardio & all over strength without jarring any joints.

Sad to say, swimming is out for me now; the varied degree of motion & rotation of my lower legs in the water leaves my knees swollen for days afterwards. This is where the gym is better - the machines give you quite a reliable arc of motion, so no surprise twists and turns. I used to run 5k three times a week and loved to swim... ah well, adaptability is the key! Good luck.

Devon, are you hypermobile? I hadn't realised even swimming could cause problems. I haven't swum regularly for ten years.

Is there an aqua aerobics class near you? It is supposed to be low impact, so could be the sort of thing you are looking for.

I've never heard of a couch to 5km for swimming (I think it would more likely be couch to 1 or 1.5km - 5km is a long distance to swim). I bet MN could devise one if we put our minds to it though...

Oubliette.. Even at my fittest I would have struggled to swim 5K

I was hoping I could do something a bit more intense than acqua aerobics. I really miss the burn of working seriously hard.

Yes I am Ouchy, and isn't it a contradiction in terms? Lately I find mobilising myself to do anything an effort, because everything hurts and even going down my own staircase feels a bit risky.

I haven't been warned off swimming, it's more my experience. Plus if the pool is remotely cold I stiffen up very quickly - which is a shame as I much prefer a cool swim.

So hard to find the balance between building strength and damaging joints, which is why I've handed myself over to a gym instructor!

Oh Devon, I know the pain of going up and down stairs!

I might have to investigate some kind of personal trainer because I'd also like to exercise outside as much as possible. I hate gyms!

I know I'm ready to return to exercise because the other day I was looking wistfully at the poor mugs being dragged around the park by British Military Fitness

How about cycling? My dh needs both knees replacing, and possibly his hip too, but has gone from struggling to cycle 3km in Jan, to doing over 100 miles a week. Wearing clip shoes means that your legs are held in a good position, so no twisting.

I've been relearning to swim (can only use one arm due to an accident and subsequent disability), and couldn't do freestyle at all in September. I had a few 1:1 coaching sessions in a private pool, then started at 25m then a rest, and built it up session by session. Can now do 1.5km continuously.

I think you'd need to do fs or back crawl as its less odd pressures than breaststroke

Cmot.... Funnily enough I've been looking at bikes today. Cycling does appeal because it takes me outside, I can just jump on the bike and go - no boring preamble - and I can do as little or as much as time allows. I just need to scrape together the funds to buy a bike.