Three stone down and want to get fit

[MounjaroUser]

I'd love some advice.

I've been on Mounjaro for nearly six months and have lost 3 stone. I have another couple to go. I'm really happy with the results but I really need to get fit.

I am 64 and have a sedentary WFH job. I do barely any exercise. (I know, no need to get angry with me!)

I have osteoporosis in my spine and take meds for that. I also have arthritis in my hips (certainly not helped by being overweight for thirty years). I can't go swimming as I had a bad break in my arm which restricts movement. I know I need to do weight bearing exercises but don't even know what that means.

I can throw a bit of money at this. I do have the time. I'm on holiday next April and would love to have that as my goal.

I'm tempted to throw myself on the mercy of a PT but I'm worried I won't be able to do anything at all in terms of lifting, pushing, etc. I wonder whether to do a month of walking daily before attempting the gym.

Any (kind) advice, please? What would you do in my position?

Thank you. I have this vision of dumbbells being delivered and I fall over when I take the box off the delivery guy! Thanks for the idea of what to search for on YouTube.

if you're really that sedentary, I'd start off with walking. I've lost my first 1.5 stone on Mounjaro over the last 3 months, and I've been doing 30 min walks along side that 3-5 times a week. I've just reached the point where the walking is so easy (at the start I would puff a bit) where I'm thinking it's time to start trying a couch to 5k, but if I'd tried it from the beginning I'd have given up I think.

That's really good advice, @HansHolbein. Thank you.

Thank you for the recommendation. I'll look him up. I would hate to lose more weight without building up some muscle too, and I know I need to take action to protect my bones, so I am motivated to do something about this.

You can do resistance training with just the weight of your arms - holding them out front and sides straight for X number of seconds, lifting above your head etc. Or weight can be something like a water bottle or tin of beans instead of dumbbells.

You also need to eat plenty of protein to maintain muscle mass or build it.

I do think this has to be my starting point. Congratulations on losing 1.5 stone - it's such an achievement, isn't it? I know I've been foolish putting this off.

@Singleandproud I'm the opposite, I used to love a big empty cold pool! For me that would be the best bet (apart from my arm) because it's easy to take your time and just do an extra lap or two every time. I need to do the same thing with walking, I think.

Thanks, I will start to do this to strengthen my arms and shoulders. Good advice, thank you.

If you can spend some money on it start with some one to ones or small classes with a rehabilitation/clinical
Pilates teacher. Try to get a recommendation of someone good.

Would you consider seeing a physiotherapist to get a set of gentle exercises to start off with? I had a injury recently and the physio gave me some exercises and they had an app where you could follow a video of the exercise. A physio might be able to recommend a good beginner exercise class too.

That is a good idea, thank you. I really do think I need someone who understands what's happened with my arm.

I've just been offered a long-term loan of a treadmill which folds down, so I think this would be a great start - and no excuses for me about the weather as I can have it in my living room.

I can understand if fitness classes are really not your thing, but I can assure you nobody there will be judging you! I go to classes every day during the week - everything from Body Pump (basically weights) to Combat (kicking and punching) and spin etc.. There are loads more older people there than younger ones, and VERY few beautiful gym bunnies!!
Classes are a lot of fun and a great way to keep motivated. Excellent for making new friends too or even just having a bit of a chat occasionally (I work from home so I don't have any workmates).

Also leisure centres are much more accessible than posh gyms, and of course much cheaper.

If you can throw cash at it I’d recommend going for David Lloyd

you can do the gym and use a PT (you get 3 session free when you
join) swimming and tennis courts.
there are tonnes of classes aquafit Pilates yoga, body conditioning classes, beginners tennis … all sorts!
there are also a heavy older demographic in the day and all body shapes so you wouldn’t be out of place in a class!

I love classes you don’t have to think you just do what they say! And bop along to the music

Yes, my leisure centre is very good and a monthly contract is really reasonable. I have no excuses, I know!

The problem with David Lloyd is that I've never been able to get a straight answer out of them as to what the monthly fee is. It's a ten mile drive from me, too, compared to my local leisure centre which is a mile away.

@LionAndEmperor13 I would like to go to classes - I'm the same as you and have no colleagues - but I feel I need to be a bit more fit before going to them, to prevent total humiliation.

Go for a tour and see a sales person they all got down the business fairly quickly with me 😅

It depends on the tier I am tier 1 diamond ooh la la!!! Which is £159 each for me and husband 😵‍💫 but we get spa access and it’s very plushy
but there is a tier 3 the same distance from us which is still very nice which I think we will switch to and that will be under £100 (need to go to see sales team for exact pricing!!)

But I'm not going to drive ten miles to find out that they'd charge me over £100 per month, when they can't just tell me that on the phone. I don't trust any salesperson who can't give me a straightforward price on the phone.

With your medical history, can you find yourself a physiotherapist led exercise regime? Find one who specialises in your issues and get them to build you a routine that you either do at home or in the gym. Then have regular sessions with them to assess progress.

Perhaps shop around for a good PT that understands your needs. A physio might also fit the bill. Swimming might be gentle on your spine. Check out the Zoe interview about menopause exercise and protecting bone health. There might be some things you can do. One of my colleagues has a back injury and found one to one Pilates lessons incredibly helpful. It was a knowledgeable Pilates instructor but there are quite a few out there.

I think I do need to look for a private physio, @unsync. The guy that I was given on the NHS wasn't much cop, tbh.

If you aren't currently doing any exercise then start with walking to build some general fitness. If you can't walk for 30-60 mins at a brisk walk fairly comfortably then trying an exercise class might be too much too soon. It's better to build up slowly to avoid injuries and so you don't put yourself off because you find it too hard or uncomfortable.

You can progress from walking to walking with an incline or using the step machine or cross training machine to build in some resistance.

Then, while you're in the gym, pop along and watch a few different types of class to see what you think. You'll find there's all shapes and sizes and everyone is only thinking about their own performance and really isn't looking around at other people.

At home some gentle yoga and mobility work, things like getting up/ down from floor to standing, marching on the spot, dancing etc are all options to build balance, core and confidence before going to classes.

Funnily enough I was talking to someone at the gym about this the other day! How people feel they need to lose weight and/or get fit before actually going to the gym/classes... which is crazy!
I really can't stress enough, nobody will be looking at you and especially not judging you, everyone's there for their own enjoyment/goals, and I think you'll find lots of really really supportive, like-minded people. Can you buddy up with a friend for initial support, and maybe try to do a taster session / pay as you go type thing so you can scope out the atmosphere?
The place where I go is absolutely brilliant, they have lots of exercise referrals, cardiac rehab, there are people who are partially sighted, walking on the treadmill (helped by the gym staff), people with walking aids who go on the exercise bikes, they do 'silver circuits' classes for older people, it's so lovely and inclusive!