Health problems or injuries?

[storm078]

So I've scanned the boards today and can't find the answers. I was so excited to find NF and get started...until day 4's email hit my inbox suggesting I do the beginner body fit workout. See, I'm 36 and 3 months ago had to have a hip replacement. I have chronic pain due to arthritis and some other medical problems I won't go in to right now. This has contributed to my weight gain and more problems. Probably most of you on here are younger and healthier. When I read about levels and parkour and cool things like that I would love to do them but I am physically unable and would injure myself if I tried. I'm not even supposed to run and I used to like running.

Is there anyone else on these boards like me? Should I give up and continue a search for something more catered to unique situations?

It sounds like a lot of fun, and definitely my mentality but perhaps not my ability.

Thanks

[SinnahSaint]

Check out the yoga stuff. Yoga is completely customizable to everyone's fitness level. There's even such a thing as "chair yoga" which will help you improve your flexibility and strength.(possibly enough to do more vigorous activities down the road)

 

[jfreaksho]

First, you really aren't that old.  I'm nearly 36, and there is a whole thread for the "Chronologically Blessed" over here: http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/68642-chronologically-blessed/

 

Second, many of us have had injuries and problems.  I had a kneecap put back together years ago, and it took about 5 years for me to start figuring out how to rehab it properly.  I wish I could have had the support network here back then.  Last year when my foot was crushed by a car I was able to rehab it in just a few months from better knowledge of what I needed to do.

 

The biggest thing is to stop looking at the things you can't do and start controlling the things you can.  You can control what you eat, and that's huge.  I don't know what kind of arthritis you have, but there are many stories of people improving from pretty bad starts.  The mention of yoga above makes me think of this guy's story:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIXOo8D9Qsc

 

It's totally worth the 10 minutes.

[storm078]

Sinnah, chair yoga.. wow I never knew. I will have to check that out. Not quite parkour but maybe a starting point

Jfs, that video was inspiring. Seriously, you couldn't have posted anything better for me to watch tonight to give me motivation and encouragement. Thank you! I watched it with my husband and he said he may even try yoga with me at some point. Have yet to try out the chronologically challenged...I mean blessed lol...board. will head there next.

[jadynrayne]

So I've scanned the boards today and can't find the answers. I was so excited to find NF and get started...until day 4's email hit my inbox suggesting I do the beginner body fit workout. See, I'm 36 and 3 months ago had to have a hip replacement. I have chronic pain due to arthritis and some other medical problems I won't go in to right now. This has contributed to my weight gain and more problems. Probably most of you on here are younger and healthier. When I read about levels and parkour and cool things like that I would love to do them but I am physically unable and would injure myself if I tried. I'm not even supposed to run and I used to like running.

Is there anyone else on these boards like me? Should I give up and continue a search for something more catered to unique situations?

It sounds like a lot of fun, and definitely my mentality but perhaps not my ability.

Thanks

Hi, just wanted to let you know your not alone!I can relate,i suffer with chronic pain from arthitus, from injuries i sustained when i was younger!For me,i'm real into homeopathic treatments, Turmeric is great for inflammation,also there are foods (tomatoes) that will cause a flammatory response! I've always beleived age is a state of mind! You'll find something that works for! You've got the rebellion!!  

[Doe]

36? Old? Not at all. I'm almost 30 so not too far behind.

Chair yoga is great.allot of exercises can be done sitting. I have knees that aren't great, and I found exercises in the water if you have access to a pool to be good.

I'm pretty new here too and I've found this group to be nothing but super supportive, from many walks of life.

[jrosto]

I am coming on 54 years old, had a bilateral lung transplant in January, and had a very deconditioned body due to my underlying lung disease.  

 

My medical team has provided basic guidance as to when I can start working on different types of exercises and weight limits, physical therapists at pulmonary rehab helped me get started with basic moves and introduced me to resistance bands, and Nerd Fitness has given me motivation and helped with new and interesting exercise routines.

 

In Jan I could barely walk, now I'm doing kettlebell swings and Turkish Get Ups, along with full sets of the Beginners Body Weight Workout.

 

Talk with your PT about what exercises you can do, and how to progress.  Show your medical team that you are interested in getting fit and they will work with you to  help ensure you do it safely.  Maybe start with a set of resistance bands, Black Mountain Products makes great quality bands and the starter set is perfect for folks like us.

 

You can do this, just start at the level that is right for you.  I think you are going to kick ass

[bim]

I'm 48. Three years ago, my routine was essentially drag myself out of bed, drive to work, sit in front of a computer at my desk, drive home, sit in front of a computer in my recliner chair, fall asleep in said recliner chair, drag myself to bed, repeat. I could feel my body falling apart. I got winded climbing 2-3 flights of stairs.

Now I run up stairs for fun. I squat triple digits, deadlift my body weight, and train in Krav Maga... I've run a 5k, hiked 6 miles in the summer heat, danced with a hula hoop, and crewed in a dragon boat race as the stroke for a winning team.

I didn't start doing all that stuff overnight. When I started, I didn't think I'd ever do any of that stuff in my life. I started by getting out of the recliner chair and walking around the block. Start where you are, with what you can do. Yoga is a great thing to start with. Starting is always the hardest part, and stopping means you have to start again - so once you've started, just don't stop. However much or little you can do, keep going. You will get there.

[Evicious]

So I've scanned the boards today and can't find the answers. I was so excited to find NF and get started...until day 4's email hit my inbox suggesting I do the beginner body fit workout. See, I'm 36 and 3 months ago had to have a hip replacement. I have chronic pain due to arthritis and some other medical problems I won't go in to right now. This has contributed to my weight gain and more problems. Probably most of you on here are younger and healthier. When I read about levels and parkour and cool things like that I would love to do them but I am physically unable and would injure myself if I tried. I'm not even supposed to run and I used to like running.

Is there anyone else on these boards like me? Should I give up and continue a search for something more catered to unique situations?

It sounds like a lot of fun, and definitely my mentality but perhaps not my ability.

Thanks

 

If you used to enjoy running, why not try Walking to Mordor? I have read of many NF members who did this, and they all seemed to enjoy it tremendously.

 

Steve wrote a couple of great articles about getting started on any journey, too:

Struggling to Get Started? Pick one of these 5 Quests.

10 Ways to Level Up Your Life in 5 Minutes or Less

Getting Started With Nerd Fitness: Ready Player One.

25 Ways to Exercise Without Realizing It

[storm078]

You all are awesome.

I've read everyone's responses multiple times and am feeling much more motivated and optimisic than I had when I first posted. Thank you to everyone for sharing your stories and struggles too so I don't feel so awkward and alone. Rebel, that walk to Mordor sounds like a lot of fun. I'm going to have to put a pedometer app on my phone and get started on that (as soon as it cools off just a little!) Love the motivation instead of just walking aimlessly.

[DreamDancer]

Is there anyone else on these boards like me? Should I give up and continue a search for something more catered to unique situations?

It sounds like a lot of fun, and definitely my mentality but perhaps not my ability.

Thanks

I'm 56, have fibromyalgia and sjorgren's syndrome, and was hit by a truck while crossing the street last October.

I gained about 20 pounds after the accident, and had already gained 20 after an accident in 2011. I had topped out at about 178 when I found Nerd fitness in April. I've lost about 16 pounds so far.

One of the best things about Nerd Fitness is that you only challenge yourself to do a bit more than you did yesterday.

I am on my third 6 Week Challenge, and am working on doing one full set of the modified version of the basic bodyweight workout for the next two weeks. I use physical therapy exercises and exercises from Egoscue's book 'Pain Free' as my warm up. I joined the Academy (i.e paid) and found the modified workout there.

Most of the limp I had is gone since midway through the last challenge, but I am still working on getting my left leg to work properly. (I think I was released from PT quite a bit prematurely.)

I finally walked around the whole supermarket last night without using a grocery cart as a walker!

[AliTheDrugDealer]

*waves*

 

I'm 34, or will be in a couple of weeks.  I was diagnosed with Wegener's granulomatosis in March.  It's an autoimmune disease that attacks the lungs, sinuses, and kidneys.  I spent a week in the hospital, and my physical stamina decreased sharply.  My doctors have told me to stay away from any physical activity other than daily living until my lungs are completely clear.  So I'm focusing on cleaning up my diet.  Diet is the bigger challenge for me anyway.

[storm078]

I finally walked around the whole supermarket last night without using a grocery cart as a walker!

 I can so relate to this! The grocery cart has been my walker for so long. And if it's an extended shopping trip I've broken down before and grabbed an electric cart or had one of my kids push me around. Ahh the things we take for granted when we're healthy... like being able to walk around a grocery store without assistance.

 

Ali, I'm so sorry you are going through that. But commend you for being here. And it makes my issues look small. I'm focused mostly on diet this past week or so too. Actually though, diet is easier for me than exercise. I just hate exercise.

 

Thanks for sharing

[Hellany]

You're definitely not alone, I'm older and a broken mess of bones, and I'm just getting into parkour again. I started a few years back and then a car accident set me back. But I'm going at it again! I lost a decent chunk of weight over the last few months just by walking and hiking most mornings. No running or jumping around, just enjoying moving around far away from people.

Stick around and see what happens next, life is full of surprises.

[Ahyar Dreamspark]

This thread is so full of inspiration and is amazing.

 

I can't really add anything that hasn't already been said: start small and progress will happen over time. It's not a matter of "if", but "when" ;P Then you'll look back at where you used to be and be like Whoooaaa!

 

I had surgery almost exactly 3 months ago, which left me unable to do upper-body anything at the gym for several weeks/months (and there are still some things I can't quite do again...yet!) Before the operation I was benching my body weight, and a month and a half later I was benching 2.5 lb dumbbells in each hand just to test mobility. Yesterday I did 50 lbs, which is still not much, but is definitely higher than 5 lbs. The main goal when recovering from anything is to not injure anything, not to increase the numbers as fast as possible. Baby steps!

 

As a result of this recovery process, I am now better at pistol squats, and have developed a love-hate relationship with the stationary bike. At the beginning I could hardly do anything except go on the bike, so I did that and gradually added things back to my routine. Do what you can do

 

tl;dr version: you can totally do it!

[Guzzi]

Am I too late to join the party...?

I'm about to turn 33 and four years ago I was in a nasty motorcycle accident. I'm worth a small fortune in scrap metal (titanium in 3 limbs) and had to learn to walk again. Since then I've never had a 12 months stretch without an operation or something serious going wrong (ranging from my own health problems to the death of my husband). Right now I'm practically housebound, sleep 16 hours a day, and eat tramadol like they're Smarties, but a year ago I was running 5K, squatting 40kg and deadlifting 80kg. Anything is possible.

This community has been AMAZING! I can't stress that enough. The level of support and encouragement, and lack of judgment, that you get from the members here is something that you just wouldn't find ANYWHERE else.

The one thing that you need to remember, is that there is no "right way" to exercise, other than what is right for you personally. You will probably have to "scale" almost everything you do at the moment, but you will make progress, and remember, it's how far you've traveled on YOUR journey that counts, not how you compare to anyone else.

I'd suggest reading through some of the 6 week challenge threads for inspiration and ideas, and to meet other people with similar goals.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Cherry Poppins]

Thanks for this thread! I too have a bung hip (tripped over running 2.5 years ago and dislocated it...tore everything, lost a lot of cartilage, now severely arthritic) which will need replacing within the next 2-10 years, depending on the level of pain I can tolerate. I just turned 30. Most days it's okay. I can feel it, but it won't necessarily be painful. Sometimes though, I need some codeine and ibuprofen and paracetamol and whatever else I can legally get my hands on!

 

Needless to say, my hip flexion on my left side is awful (maybe about 70 degrees?) but turned out it's still pretty good. So I do things like plie squats, leg press, and hip thrusts. I stretch a lot to keep as flexible as possible (I used to be a pole dancer, but these days my hip can't handle it.) I hate cardio and my surgeon would actually kill me if I attempted to run (as it is I actually physically can't do it. I can prance and skip, but not run!) So I use the cross trainer and sometimes the bike.

 

I'm sure you know that the more you use your new hip, the faster it will wear out (I'm looking at 2 or 3 in my lifetime and I'm a only a few years younger than you). So in my opinion, any high-impact exercise is best avoided. I like anything where I'm in near or total control of my movements. So weights machines, cardio machines, yoga and stretching to the best of your ability. I used to row, run, play netball and basketball, and pole dance - can't do any of that now, but I'm grateful for what I still can do

 

I also find that when I'm in pain, I actually feel better if I exercise. The pain comes on when I've been sitting down too long (long drives or flights and working at a desk are examples for me). So if I'm in moderate but not severe pain, I'll still go to the gym, and then the next day I'm in less pain. Keeping strong and supple is very, very important to me these days. Losing weight will also help! It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy, and I know it's frustrating! You just have to keep plugging away. We're all here to support each other.