I have osteo arthritis in my neck and lower back, so alot of serious exercise plans aren't easy for me to do. Aside from walking and light hand weights, does anyone have any suggestions on what else I could do?

I have arthritis in my lower back, hips, knees and hands.

I love the WATP videos - which ARE mostly walking, but many of them use the boosters - stretchie band, belt, & hand weights. They are a pretty good workout. If you find some of the booster moves too difficult, just modify them so that they are comfortable.

Also - this probably sound odd, but I have started yoga. I am the most inflexible person; weight, arthritis and a natural inflexibility made me think that yoga wasn't an option. I couldn't do most yoga poses in my 20's and at a healthy weight. I am using two series - "Yoga for Inflexible People" and the Gaiam "Yoga for Weight Loss" series. I started with Leslie Sansone's "You Can Do It - Yoga" by accident. It came with a grab bag series of videos that I ordered and I figured, why not try it? Yoga is really helping me with my flexibility (ever so slowly) and I am feeling less pain in my joints as I am stretching and firming the surrounding muscles.

Overall, weight loss and strength and toning of surrounding muscles are the best things to minimize the effects of the arthritis. I can't believe how much better my lower back is now since I started walking and yoga. I have added weight training with light weights and aerobic dance videos now that I am getting fitter.

HTH!!!

Water exercise is excellent for arthritis, especially if you can find a warm water pool in your area. The Arthritis foundation accredits such programs so if there is a local chapter they can tell you if there is one in your area. Also on the Arthritis Foundation website. Many YMCA's keep their water warmer, at least during certain parts of the day. I think the water has to be over 78 to qualify for the Arthritis Foundation water exercise program. This isn't always what you'd think of as "warm," but there is no "shock" to get into the water, though some are actually quite warm, almost like stepping into a tepid bath.

I have osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia, and am very, very obese, so I have quite a problem with exercise on land. I've always loved swimming, and when the arthritis was mild, before the fibromyalgia, cold water didn't bother me, but now my muscles and joints hurt to much to exercise if the water is cold, but in warmer water I can get quite an aerobic workout and keep it up at a sustained pace for an hour or more (though if I get carried away and do much more than 45 minutes to an hour of intense activity, my legs are like rubber when I get out of the pool and I'm sore for days).

I agree with Coleen. I have osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. I can't believe how good I feel after my water aerobics classes!! Even just getting in the water and walking feels good.

Best of luck to you!!

I agree with all the ladies above; I like doing the yoga stretches; hand-weights, walking, dancing (at my pace), and swimming too. Our pool just opened recently; maybe they'll have some aqua-fitness classes soon too.

KAPS ~ how do you get over the shyness of going to the public pool; I dread the thought of people seeing my turkey legs ~ LOL! I'm trying to find a swim suit that covers up more of my flesh; no success yet. I like those ones from days gone by: knee length stretchy capris with long top or vest; heck maybe I could make up one myself if I find all the right pieces ... hmmm.

I also have to be careful not to overdo it; even with walking, if I walk to far, I pay for it for days. I have to learn to pace myself better. I really love the dancing, cuz you can do one dance and rest out one (I play instruments in between), and so on.

Justwant3Bbhealthy,

I've pretty much always been heavy, and I've pretty much never been shy. That isn't to say, I've never been embarassed. Changing and showering with other girls in junior high was a nightmare. I remember one girl asking about the red lines allover my breasts and hips (stretch marks). My face was red, but I answered her honestly. Though when I told her they were caused by being fat, she didn't believe me.

I once worked for a company that gave huge discounts to Gold's gym. I took the tour, but decided it was not for me, because there didn't seem to be any "normal" folk, let alone fat people. Just wall to wall, hardbodies. Also, the pool was enclosed in glass in the center of the gym, so it looked like a giant aquarium, and I didn't want to be Shamu, so I didn't join. However, in YMCA's and other gyms where there are people of all sizes going, I felt more comfortable. Sometimes the walk to the water, still does feel like a death march if there are too many young, slim people in the pool. But for some reason, I feel "safe" and covered once I'm in the water (yes, I know the water is transparent). If there are a lot of people, like at a beach or something I often will wear a mumu type cover up until the very last second.

I think the real "secret" for me, has been to adopt an almost amazonian attitude. I have a RIGHT to enjoy the water and the exercise it alows me, and if anyone laughs or stares, they will be lucky if I don't squash them like the slimy insect they are (Hey, whatever works as a pep talk during the death march).

That being said, the warm water arthritis programs have been a whole new world. It helps tremendously that I am neither the oldest or scariest looking in a bathing suit. Sometimes I am the fattest, but not always. The average age seems to be about 75, and since it is a physical therapy pool as well, there are people with a wide range of disabilities. The perfect bodies are the oddballs. In fact, I only remember meeting one. A high school senior football player who had a knee injury and was in the pool with his mother who had fibromyalgia (you have to have a doctor's referral in this particular therapy pool). He was so sweet, and HE was embarassed because he was the only young person in the pool. My husband (also a very big guy) and I chatted with him and his mother for a while. I think he was just happy to have someone other than his mother smile and talk to him (some of the older folk are kind of entrenched in their cliques and pretty much ignore everyone else). I think it just shows that it can just boil down to perspective, and there really is safety in numbers.

Oh, and I can so relate to the search for a modest bathing suit. I was very lucky to find a swimdress in a Catherine's that had a mysterious stretching skirt in the water. It reached mid-thigh when dry, but once wet, would stretch to my knees. Oh how I miss that suit. My current suit (also from Catherine's) isn't quite as magical, but the skirt is at least fairly modest).

When I lived in Bloomington, Illinois, I envied the swimsuits the muslim, indian, and pakistani women wore to the health club I belonged to. They almost always reached at least to elbow and knee. Many times they were still very fashionable. Sometimes in dark colors, but often in very bright lycra fabric prints. I've often thought of trying to make one myself, or at least wearing lycra bicycle shorts with my swimdress.

http://sanctuarie-net.stores.yahoo.net/nebasuswdr.html

is a website I've often thought of buying from. They sell the bicycle shorts in a couple lengths, and two piece halter swimdresses that are quite nice.

Junonia.com has nice suits. If you are going to be in the water much, getting a chlorine resisitant suit is important.

I bought my swim suit on eBay - it was new with tag for just $9.99 last year, black with a l-o-n-g skirt! After 20 yrs without showing my thunder thighs at beach or pool, I braved the local YMCA, since my OA knees are beyond weight-bearing exercise, & I NEED to move. This pulchritudinous display was excruciating to me at first, but I soon realized (like Kaplods)that water is a cover, no one was staring & nobody else (much!!) was perfect, either (it did help to choose sparsely attended times to swim, however!) I now limp in & out with little concern for others' opinions & my knees are a bit less painful + I feel healthier overall.

I have scleroderma, osteoarthritis in hips, and fibromyalgia. I ran before all of this but can't tolerate it now, and get bursitis in my hip if I walk anything more than a stroll. I had tried elliptical trainers in the past, but, again, developed bursitis from the long stride. About a year ago, I got an adjustable stride length elliptical, and I've worked my way up to an hour at a low resistance and moderate speed at the lowest stride length. This past week, I tried to go to the "middle" stride length and developed bursitis, as usual, so I'm sticking with what is working for now! It's the most exercise I've been able to acheive since 1997, the last year I ran.

SORRY, SILVER ~ I didn't mean to hi-jack your thread ~ LOL! I just couldn't resist asking these ladies a question about swimming and suits. I think swimming is one of the very best options for those of us with arthritis, bursitus, or any other type of 'itis'. I just have to get over my shyness.

KAPLODS ~ Dh and I were having a laughing fit over your description of the DREADED DEATHMARCH ~ LOL! Cuz that is exactly how I feel. After I wrote my post, our swimming center opened, and the first family to use it all had weight issues (that's why we wanted to build one); and their pics were even in the paper ~ poor dears! But, from that I know that I won't be alone at least!

MIMI ~ PULCHRITUDINOUS is not in my dictionary, but I'll take your word for it ...

THANX for all the suggestions and humorous thoughts; they are very helpful and encouraging. ROSEBUD

I have plantar fasceitis (sp.?)and arthritis in my feet, and arthritis in my legs, along with COPD. I know that swimming would help me, but I can't afford to join a gym or even a "Y" right now and I just don't know what to do about exercising.

Re the bathing suit thing: I bought my first bathing suit in 15 years last summer from Roamans. I didn't want to do it, always considered those skirt things "old lady suits," but I was going away and needed one, and at 56, have finally accepted that I AM an old lady!

I know exactly how you feel sweety. There is no pool near me either and I don't have the money to join a gym

I try walking in place holding to the walker I have when I broke my leg a few years back and this helps a little.

Any little bit does.


Huggies

I have arthritis in my back, knees, and hips, thanks to 12 years as a competitive athlete. I was finding it harder and harder to persuade myself to put up with the pain and get moving, but to my surprise, when I did start walking and using the bike in the gym (it's a recumbent bike, which is a real blessing), it turned out that what everyone said was true: I hurt more when I was immobile than I did after I started moving. Not to say that it's fun getting past those first few weeks of pain, but I was able to move around more and better after I started walking or biking daily -- even just to the store -- than I was before. Now I'm limited with a broken leg, and hopping all day on the good one is not fun! Hopping + arthritis = a whole new bottle of Advil But I definitely feel better even now when I've been moving than when I've just been sitting.

So I guess my advice would be to walk when you can -- even short distances -- and to try to find a gym with a recumbent bicycle.