Obesity Makes Exercise Dangerous and Difficult

When someone needs to lose a few pounds, exercise helps. For those who are morbidly or super obese, exercise can be dangerous and painful. Here are some ways for the super obese to get started that are safe and feel great.

Because of my health issues, I am in a wheelchair. Though I maintain some limited mobility, walking is not safe for me (I have had frequent falls) and it is also quite painful. While I am not super obese, I wanted to add exercise and a healthy diet plan to my lifestyle, shed some pounds, and look and feel better-but that’s hard to do when you can’t do all the exercises the websites recommend. Because of my health issues, I was able to work with my doctor and a physical therapist to adjust my exercises to accommodate being in the wheelchair and having limited to no mobility.

Someone who is super obese would be in a similar situation: with limited to no mobility. More than that, exercise would also be dangerous and or potentially painful to someone who has to carry around 100 plus pounds of extra weight on their back, legs, feet… there is just no way that can be easy or pain-free. Yet, exercise is such a crucial component in weight loss and sustaining and healthy lifestyle.

Many of the exercises that are able to be done in a wheelchair are also exercises that someone who was morbidly or super obese could do in a chair until enough strength is built up and enough weight is lost to do more strenuous exercises. Do a quick internet search for ‘wheelchair exercises’ to help you get started. There are plenty of videos on YouTube for them as well.

Talk to a Healthcare Professional

 

While anyone can benefit from exercise, it’s true that some people are not healthy enough to consider all types of exercise. This is true regardless of a person’s weight. Certain health conditions prohibit certain types of exercise and a healthcare professional should be consulted before starting any exercise or diet program.

Those who are super or morbidly obese, however, do have certain considerations in addition to a health checkup before starting any exercise. Some exercises, when not performed properly, can damage the body-this is true regardless of weight-but when one adds 100 or more pounds on top of the human body, this added weight stresses the knees, ankles, feet, hips, and other parts of the body, including the all-important spine, and puts certain exercises in the high-risk category when a person is super obese. A doctor can help you determine what exercises might be right for you or refer you to a healthcare physical therapist or a trainer who can help you develop safe exercises.

Start Small: Don’t Exercise Too Much and Then Quit

 

I watched a reality television show on which a trainer worked with an obese client who walked him through his exercise routine. Then the trainer asked him, “And how long did you keep up with this?” The man answered that he only did it for three days, because it hurt so bad at the end of that, he gave up on it. No exercise routine is a good one if it makes you stop exercising!

He changed the routine so he simply stood and sat down, ten times in a row, explaining to him that with the extra weight, this burns more calories than he thinks. In another episode, they tossed a weighted ball back and forth while sitting. The exercises were geared to build strength and get the body used to moving first, before strenuous exercise or exertion was demanded of the body.

While we all realize that this level of activity isn’t going to cause massive weight loss over the long term, a slow start to exercise that builds up gradually as the body adjust is more likely to bring about a sustainable exercise regime and long-term weight loss than a quick burst of exercise for a day or two followed by none.

Build Up Endurance and Strength

Isometrics, stretching, and simply moving the arms and legs-even while seated-can get the heart pumping and stretch muscles and tendons in a good way. Those who are morbidly or super obese likely have not had a lot of strenuous body movement, so it takes time for the muscles to become accustomed to that more strenuous movement. Give yourself the time it takes to acclimate.

Sitting in a chair, raising one leg, then the other, and repeating as many times as you can, then increasing the number of times you do this each day is one really simply way to start. Putting your arms out at your side, while seating, and rotating them-individually and together-is another way to help get the heart rate up some without putting much strain on the heart or the lower body. Stretching, leaning, gentle twisting, and light weight lifting all while seated can help build strength and get the body used to moving again.

Each day, strive to do a little more than the day before, give yourself a break now and again, of no more than one or two days in a row, then get right back to the exercises. Over time, these simple exercises while strengthen the body and you’ll be able to do even more. When that begins to happen, start walking each day, first to the sidewalk and back. Then to the mailbox and back. Then to the end of the block and back. Over time, you’ll find you can walk miles and not even realize you’ve done it.

Keep building on these simple tips, a little more each day than the day before, consistently, while eating a health, well-balanced, properly-portioned diet, and weight loss becomes less of a struggle and more something that happens naturally as the result of a healthy lifestyle.