Hugely unfit, need an indoor workout - advice please!

[FlamedToACrisp]

I'm late 50s, weigh about 20st, have high blood pressure and a dodgy knee. So I'm starting a diet, but I'm not going to be doing any running!

Starting 1st Jan, I'll be doing a daily 'constitutional' walk, down a nearby street and back up again. It's quite a long street on a very steep hill - I am so incredibly unfit that I need to stop for a rest on the way DOWN, never mind the UP!

I'd like to do some kind of short, very easy indoor exercise or workout to supplement this. More like stretching than press-ups. Any suggestions for a suitable CD or YouTube, please?

Maybe try some gentle yoga?
There's a woman on YouTube called Adriene who has loads of different sessions, you could start with something 5-10 mins long, just some stretching.

I second yoga with Adrienne.
Also have a look at Fitness blender. Has all kinds of fitness videos, I’m sure you can find some that suit. Good luck with it all

Yoga with Adriene is great.

Also Mr Motivator releases a weekly 12 min video. Some are aimed specifically at an older audience, others more general, but they are easy to keep low impact or put more welly into. Very accessible to beginners.

Sounds like a consensus! I will check out Adriene's yoga - thanks, all.

Yoga a good call but may I also suggest the joe wicks family/kids? Feck I've forgotten what it was, but his workouts from the first lockdown where great for us. He did it for a few months too and you could do as long as you can manage on each exercise.

Second Joe Wicks vids!!

Yoga by Adriene is excellent as is YogainMelbourne. I particularly like that you can search by a bit of your body that you want to work on if you have a sore bit. Also, you might want to look at Bodyfit by Amy. She has a series which is for postnatal workouts. I know that isn't what you describe but I have been finding them really good for a basic series of getting back into exercise as they give lots of options to build up slowly. If you've got a dodgy knee going down hill is hard work for it (more than up) so take it easy! Good luck.

Team RH on Facebook - calories you can actually stick to, loads of advice and straight talking plus workouts which you can tailor for your fitness including seated workouts for dodgy knees if needed. Sweary though...just in case that’s not your thing!

Ha I came on to say team RH too. There is a lot on fb that you cam see for free. But the whole package is fat cheaper than ANY other slimming group. Try it. Its changed my life im so much fitter amd down In weight

Ha FAR cheaper lol

Check out Walk at Home with Leslie on youtube . . A great gentle start to working out!

I second "Walk at Home with Leslie Sansone" on YouTube. She does walking based workouts (with kicks, hamstring curls, side-steps etc), which are perfect for unfit people starting out with exercise. She and the other walk leaders are very enthusiastic and encouraging and you can do it at home when the weather is bad.

Team Body Project. They are AMAZING. Plenty of free workouts on YouTube, all low impact but high intensity.

Definitely team RH

Is recommend building strength. Try some short planks.

That's great! Gives me plenty of options to check out. I must admit I tried Joe Wicks and found it way too much for me, but will look into the others.

We bought a second hand cross trainer as running trashed my knees.

I need to use it now as part of my fitness plan.

It's a flipping mine field eh OP?! I'm overweight and under fit too. Tried a bit of yoga with Adrienne last year and she was too skinny/toned and annoying whiny yank for me .

Might try Team RH and Mr Motivator next year.

Shit.

That's now isn't it?!

I even have it facing the TV and can also put music on etc so no excuse!

Fitness blender is great, search “fitness blender low impact” as they aren’t jumpy.

Some of the 7min/7 day workouts by Lucy Wyndham-Read are great too, as she shows a low impact/easier alternative on the harder exercises

Chair exercises are good. Also look at the Darebee exercise website. Some great beginner routines.

I came on this thread in a similar position.
I couldnt do Joe wicks.... but I kept meaning to look up his workouts for seniors.

Aldo yoga with adrienne - had the reverse effect. When morbidly obese you cant get into a lot of the positions even partly ad here is body in the way 😔. Made me wish I was 10years smaller as I would have loved it.

Im going to start a walk... and want to get fitter and stretch a bit more like you but those 2 Ive tried and need a more pre beginner programme :(

I do the walk at home with Leslie and can highly recommend Lucy Wyndham-Read on YouTube for her short burst work outs. Every time I do one I feel amazing as she breaks it down into small chunks eg 7 minutes or so which makes me just want to do more. It's a mind set thing but certainly works for me!

Leslie Sansone on YouTube
You can walk at home and at a speed that suits you. I think that will be a brilliant starting point for you to do as an add on to anything else you do (I recommend her loads to my clients especially if they are new to exercise / having exercised for a while / post partum / knee pain)

If you look ok the BBC website they have an article today called 21 days to get fit in 2021 and it has lots of good suggestions. A few of them seem fairly low impact.