'New to exercise'

Can exercise help my arthritic knees?

I am 59, and just dia­gnosed with osteoarth­ritis in both knees. I have twice recently been crippled with pain, which improved with pain-​killers, rest and ice packs. The spe­cial­ist has advised swim­ming, aqua aer­obics etc. I walk quite well now and have a bike, but I feel very nervous about cyc­ling. Have you any other ideas?...
Posted by jane 0 Comments October 26, 2012

Should I jog or just walk on my home treadmill?

I am 54, des­per­ately unfit and quite over­weight. I have just bought a tread­mill so I can exer­cise at least four times a week, along with a healthy diet. Could you give me some guidelines on how to pro­gress and whether I should be jog­ging after a spe­cific length of time, and if so, for how long?...
Posted by jane 0 Comments October 26, 2012

Is my gym workout making me put on weight?

When I star­ted a fit­ness régime last month I was full of determ­in­a­tion. I am at my local gym three times a week, with a brisk hour-​long walk at the week­end. I am eat­ing sens­ibly, no alco­hol etc. Yet I put on 2lb in the past fort­night. I know it’s silly to get dis­cour­aged this soon, but am I doing some­thing wrong?...
Posted by jane 0 Comments October 19, 2012

I badly need to lose weight. How to begin?

I had my left knee replaced four years ago. After many set­backs and four knee oper­a­tions, I am finally get­ting my life back on track. However, I have put on a lot of weight: now 23st 10lb, I badly need some sort of dir­ec­tion. Can you help?...
Posted by jane 0 Comments October 19, 2012

Can I tone and shape my body without weights?

How can I tone and reshape my body without using weights? I am a 51-​year-​old woman. I was think­ing of invest­ing in a home Pilates machine I saw in a cata­logue. Also what about ton­ing tables?...
Posted by jane 0 Comments October 19, 2012

With ME, how best to return safely to exercise?

I have been ill for 18 years with Fibromyalgia and ME, but have got to the stage where I think I can do more exer­cise. I used to love dan­cing but my ankles and joints are weak now – how can I strengthen them? I usu­ally over-​do any­thing new, so get knocked back quite quickly. How do I avoid that?...
Posted by jane 0 Comments October 19, 2012

Can exercise lift my long-​term depression?

I used to be slim, fit and act­ive but two years ago I developed depres­sion, began comfort-​eating and put on a lot of weight. I’ve read that reg­u­lar exer­cise is as effect­ive as med­ic­a­tion for depres­sion. I’d like to get a reg­u­lar routine going but need advice on how to start and stay motiv­ated...
Posted by jane 0 Comments October 19, 2012