Exercise when your body is a bit rubbish

[SummerGardenFlowers]

I could do with losing at least half a stone and toning up, I don't really know where to begin (I've never been in a gym in my life and I'm not sure I want to). The problems I have got though are that I have an insanely weak ankle (badly sprained twice over the last few years and it's never been the same since) and I've also had surgery twice for two different hernias and need to be careful with any heavy lifting. I've also got an arthritic big toe on the other foot 🙈

I am also one of the laziest humans to ever walk the planet and seriously lacking motivation - but something needs to change - all suggestions welcome!

Would it be worth seeing a physio? They could suggest exercises to strengthen your weak bits & help strengthen & tone your core safely.

I think I’d start with trying to strengthen that ankle - could you see a physio for some exercises to get you started? With that fixed you could build up walking to start with (with some supportive shoes) then go from there depending how you feel?

Walking is a good start. I had a stone to lose and hadn't really exercised in years. I decided to just walk more. That really helped get me started. Low impact. Good for metal health esp this time of year.
And I agree get exercises to strengthen your ankle...

Start off with something low impact like swimming, aqua aerobics or Pilates. Good old walking is one of the best forms of exercise you can do too, and free!

YouTube yoga/exercises

I think all these suggestions are good!

I love swimming so I would suggest that, it's the only exercise I actually look forward to.

Swimming is excellent and Pilates. Plus a physio will help you build up strength in your weak side, be prepared for lots of standing on one leg

I did my ankle a year ago, it's still not right, so I feel your pain. A physio is definitely a good place to start as you need to strengthen it. I do lots of walking now, although I know when I've done more than 7-8km in a day as it flares up.

Pilates led by a physio. Don't do online classes, you need a face to face class so they can check your form and give you adjustments and modified versions of the exercises that are safe for your particular injuries and abilities.

Definitely see a physio and set yourself a few weeks aside to strengthen that ankle, otherwise you might do more harm than good.

The physio will give you exercises to do - if you do them religiously, it should get you into the habit of exercising regularly.

Once you’re at full strength, the world’s your oyster! Try a mix of strength training and cardio. Swimming is brilliant exercise. C25K is great. If you can afford a PT, I’d highly recommend it. Even a long brisk walk every day will make a huge difference.

I've dragged my rubbish body from a starting point of walking 100m to the end of the road and back to a marathon (many years later). My current injury is most likely caused by sleeping in an awkward position on the sofa because I

was too tired to go to bed.

Walking is a great starting point. Pilates is great for general strength. Swimming is also great for low-impact movement but the body does need some impact for bone density.

Build up managable habits gently and when one stage gets more comfortable, add in a new layer of challenge. Exercise should make you feel used and breathless. Make walking harder by adding in hills, walking on trails and getting more brisk. Use things like podcasts/ music or interactive apps to add mental interest.

Little and often is more managable and good for building routines.

My knees are in better condition in my 40s than they were in my 20s!

Oh wow thank you SO MUCH for the replies - I wasn't expecting any! Lots of food for thought there and I definitely need to start off with my ankle, you're all right! I've a friend who is a sports physio thinking about it, so I will get in touch with her too - I like the pilates suggestion too... Hate anything that gets me out of breath though!

Spin / cycling?
Swimming?

You can lose the weight without going to the gym, you just need to work out your BMR - loads of online calculators, and eat at a calorie deficit.

In the gym though I'd do some gentle walking on an incline and there are lots of weight machines that won't put pressure on your ankle.

Pilates.

Low impact functional training (LiFT).

Walking is a good place to start and relatively low risk for injury compared to say running so you are likely to be able to be consistent.

Yoga therapist the very gentlest end of the spectrum, look for 'mobilisations' you can do to get started.

And consider exercise as 'fun' while changing your eating habits can make the biggest impact in your weight.

Together nutrition and exercise can work together as a positive spiral to improve your well being. It's a great thing to do for yourself.

Swimming and pilates reformer as it helps you move more safely. You can also attach a rebounder to end so you can jump while lying down. Good luck!

They say you can't out exercise a bad diet, so if you can look at improvements it will help too.

I agree with physio as first step but there is plenty of low impact stuff you can do.
Swimming, yoga, pilates, walking. I do alot of low impact myself and use a ministepper, exercise bike and rebounder.
Also it doesnt have to be super sweaty, out of breath exercise either! I do mostly moderate intensity as I hate the 'hard' stuff. So Im mostly abit out of breath but can still hold a conversation....its still just as good for you!

Yoga balance exercises should help your ankle stability and strength, and my yoga teacher also incorporates wrist strengthening (to help protect us for fallls). I used to turn my ankle regularly, and since yoga (about 10 years), I've rarely done it, and if I have I've recovered much more quickly.

Walking is a great call, even better with friends so you're also ticking the socialising box (and you're much more likely to exercise if someone else is relying on you to turn up!).