5st to lose and back pain

[LoveMyKeeks]

Hi everyone.

Im at the beginning of a long journey to lose around 5st by changing my life style. I quit my desk job for less hours but a more physical role. Instead of sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day, I am doing around 10,000-13,000 steps within 4 hours and around 60-90 zone minutes.

Im 5ft 2 and almost 15st, so I am carrying a lot of weight that is spread all over my body.

I use to walk a lot and in the past I lost 4 stone by walking around 2 hours a day with no pain. But walking and been more physical has my back in bits. I know I'm older then I was (mid 30's) but will this get easier? My job does include standing stationary for longish periods but I'm still moving, IYSWIM.

As well as my job, I want to get back in the gym but at the moment I feel as though I will cause some lasting injury to my back if I do.

I'm eating better but my main problem was lack of exercise. I've been in my new role for around 4 weeks now. Has anyone else struggled with pain and exercise?

It sounds like your new job is giving you a lot of exercise. It's probably been a bit much too soon for your back as you didn't ease in slowly. I have scoliosis and lower back issues when I do certain tasks such as cleaning the bath, uphill climbs on hikes etc. I find keeping up pilates and stretching exercises helps my back. I walk a lot too and make sure I wear the best shoes for the situation e.g. proper hiking shoes, supportive trainers.
www.webmd.com/back-pain/ss/slideshow-exercises

Hi, it's early days with your new job and your body needs time to adjust, this may be why you have backache as you are getting used to a more physical job. You seem to be hitting a high amount of elevated heart rate activity during your job so you do not need to do any extra exercise yet. as you loose weight you will probably find the strain on your back will improve, have you tried ibuprofen tablets or the spray you can buy? When I started my weight loss journey I like you had an awful backache but it did improve as I Lost weight. Be careful though with your back, if it's a bit tender make sure anything you pick up you lift it correctly.

Are you wearing decent shoes? How much exercise did you do before you started your new job? Do you do any exercise to protect your core muscles?
I lost 5 stone but did it purely through eating differently and actually reduced my activity, but I appreciate that's not how you want to do it.
Once you've lost 5 stone, there will be a lot less pressure on your back, but until that happens you really need to look after your back and ensure you have strong core muscles to support it.

Supportive shoes make a big difference.
Some gentle yoga/ pilates stretches will also help ease your muscles and strengthen your back.

Thanks for the replies!

I am currently wearing adidas trainers at work. They do provide footwear but mine are still on order. There's a bit of a back log as they're switching to a new uniform throughout the company.

To be honest, I use to walk a lot before a began my desk job. I could go for a 3 hour walk to the town centre and my back didn't hurt half as much. I was only doing that role for 7-8 months as I realised, sitting for so long each day wasn't good for my physical or mental health. We weren't encouraged to walk around, only had 30 min break and then I had a 1.5 hour car journey/commute.

Even with the back pain, I am so much happier and my mental health has improved massively.

I'm going to look into some Pilates classes in my area.