Am I wrong in thinking that this is not enough exercise?

[HipposGoBeserk]

Husband is overweight. Obese actually, but in a very tall, broad shouldered, rugby player sort of way so he sort of gets away with it. He is also unfit. I worry about his health.

Doc has told him he must lose weight, and has suggested exercise too, specifically a 30 minute walk 4 or 5 times a week. Husband is all in favour of taking things very gently and not overstressing his unfit heart.

I'm sorry, but this seems a bit weedy to me.

The last time husband embarked on an exercise regime he did gentle star jumps in the swimming pool . He also counts golf as exercise .

Surely he should be doing some proper bloody exercise? I agree he needn't run (he is not built for running) but how about tennis? An hour of fast walking? He should be raising a sweat. He's not elderly or unwell. I don't want him to have a heart attack on the squash court, but equally I don't want him to bumble along gently walking for 30 minutes on a weekday and thinking that this will help him lose weight and get fit when it won't, and he is still going to be fat and unfit in 20 years time. He is 40 years old and has young children. He has a duty to be fit and healthy.

Question 1: Am I wrong? Is a pissy little walk really enough?

Question 2: If I am right, any suggestions to encourage him to do some proper exercise?

PS - I haven't been scornful to him, I have been encouraging and made all the right noises.

30min brisk walk most days is fine.

The minimum required exercise to be healthy is 20 minutes, 3 times a week. So a 30 minute walk 4/5 times a week seems plenty! He may want to ramp it up a bit when he loses some weight/builds up some fitness.

TBH its his food intake thats more likely to be the problem - what is his diet like?

I'd have thought golf would count as exercise as it involves a lot of walking (assuming he doesn't go round on one of those buggy things?).

Maybe you could make a fuss of him about encourage him with the bits he's happy to do, and then gently push him to do a bit more? It sounds a bit patronising, I know. I just know what worked for me recently - a friend said she was doing aquafit, I went to aquafit with her, I started to feel a bit fitter, there was a gym at the aquafit place, I ventured in there one day when it was quiet ......

And since Christmas I've lost 2 stone. Just by starting out gently with something I quite liked the look of and was comfortable with, and then stepping it up. Maybe that approach might work for your husband?

Hippos - what is he doing about his food intake?

That sounds sensible to me plus some really healthy eating

Sounds ok to start with (and it should be brisk walking not leisurely stroll) but agree once he is doing that for several weeks he should progress to something else. I doubt it will make any difference to his weight though, he needs to look at his diet for that.

Oh. Fair enough then.

30 minutes walking sounds just like part of a normal day to me, not actual exercise. I run 40k a week and am a member of a sports team though so maybe my expectations are wrong.

Happy to stand corrected, and have told husband I think his walking is a good idea.

For the first two weeks it sounds fine - then he needs to increase his speed and duration and also maybe vary things a bit - swimming is great.
Can you afford a personal trainer?

I started with just gentle walking in the autumn. Took up 1/2 exercise classes a week after a few months. Then started couch to 5k. Alongside reducing my intake of food. That's what works. Starting off too ambitious is just setting yourself up for a fall. And when you're obese a pissy walk is initially hard work because of how much weight you have to carry. As long as he gets a bit out of breath and sweaty it's enough to start with.

Hippo - I think you're right that your expectations are wrong. You sound like a very fit person, and for you, 30 minutes walking wouldn't even make you start to breathe harder. However, if you're someone who's not doing any exercise at all, then it's a good way to start.

Do you think he's so inactive because, in his head, 'exercise' is what YOU do - i.e. for it to be exercise you have to run miles and miles. He may not want to have anything to do with that. From the outside it can look pretty rubbish, painful and boring. (I am a runner, BTW!) Even though you are sounding supportive he my also be scared of you 'judging' his ability as well - he may have already sensed something coming off you.

If he's an ex-rugger type then he's probably got the same mindset as my dad - that running/getting out of breath is pointless unless you're chasing a ball or racing to beat someone. Would he be likely to find motivation in something competitive? Isn't there a relatively gentle local rubgy club he could aim to join once he has lost xyz weight, as a reward?

Agree start slowly - as doctor says - if he's carrying a lot of weight he would find swimming lengths (not aqua-aerobics which I agree is shite unless you put a lot of effort into it) absolutely the best to increase ftness without stressing joints. Also using a cross-trainer as it supports all through range of motion.

Once his metabolism gets a boost from the walking you may not be able to stop him!

If he's a rugby type, how about looking into tag rugby for adults?

DH plays for a veterans team on a very irregular basis and he's completely wrecked when he gets home. he doesn't do anything else, though. Might suit your DH when he's a bit fitter - which I agree won't happen even after a year of gentle walks.

Well there's walking and there's walking.

Bimbling along at 2 miles an hour isn't going to impact on his cardiovascular health or achieve much in the way of weight loss, but it's better than sitting on his bum.

Walking briskly for 30 minutes, at a pace enough to get pink, sweaty and a bit out of puff is more like it.

I agree the walk needs to be brisk and make him puff a bit, but 30 mins would be a good start if he's not used to doing any.

IMO golf is excellent exercise. I've only ever played one round and I have never been so tired in my life (30 mile pw runner here!)

Would he be interested in becoming a rugby referee? I mean for kids' Sunday games?

He'd need to build up quite a bit of fitness to keep up with the game, and it might give him some motivation, and his own thing.

I think you have to start somewhere, and for an overweight, unfit person not used to exercise, a brisk 30 minute walk is probably quite a bit of exertion. It's also good for people to start with something they find manageable, otherwise they tend to just get discouraged, decide exercise is too hard, and give up.

I agree about looking at food intake as well, often obese people are eating a huge amount over what they need, and if this is the case it's very difficult to do enough exercise to lose the weight (though the walking would help with general fitness regardless of weight loss).