Lisa is a blogger at LisaJohnsonFitness.com
I talked with Anda T of Leaving Fatville about her weight loss goals, and I’m very pleased to have her as our first FeelGooder Fitness Tweak participant! Thanks Anda!
The situation
Anda has been steadily losing weight and is currently under 240 pounds, with a final goal of 170. She’s got a full-time job, a toddler, and a husband, and was recently diagnosed with asthma which has limited her cardio options to biking and walking. She is also dealing with a weak ankle. Anda would like to revamp her fitness routine so she can keep losing weight while staying within her doctor’s orders.
Her available equipment
stationary bike
walking shoes
five-pound ankle and hand weights
The plan: cardio
Anda needs to strengthen her ankle, keep her asthma in check, and continue with the weight loss. By gradually doing my recommended cardio plan, she should gain some ground back on her asthma, but needs to let it develop slowly; it’s not a race, it’s a journey.
1. Walk with the family twice a week on the weekends.
Plan for 30 minutes with her toddler in the stroller. If she’s up for it, plan a longer walk. Go as fast as possible without triggering the asthma. These walks will start everyone off on a healthy habit and it’s a great opportunity for family time. Don’t worry about the distance traveled, just measure time.
2. Hop on the stationary bike three times a week while watching TV.
Wait until after the little one goes to bed and watch shows with the husband. Make sure that the sole of your sneaker is parallel with the ground to avoid straining the ankle. Do 30 minutes minimum and push hard until just before triggering the asthma.
The plan: weight training
I’m going light with the weight training for now … it’ll be short and sweet, but will ease Anda into the routine of doing weight training.
1. Pushups
On the floor, from the knees (if this is too much, lean against the wall at an angle), start with five and work up to 15. Make sure to bend the elbows to 90 degrees on the down, pull your abs away from the floor (belly button to spine), and squeeze your backside. You want to be in a straight line from the back of your head to your knees.
2. Bicep curls
Take the five-pound weights and do bicep curls (you can do this while on the stationary bike to save time). Keep the elbows steady at your sides as if they’re velcroed to your shirt. Do one set of eight with palms facing the ceiling and one set of eight with thumbs up. Work up to two sets of 15.
3. Tricep extension
Keep those five pound weights. Do one arm at a time (you can also do this on the bike). Extend the arm overhead with the elbow bent. Extend the hand towards the ceiling keeping the upper arm quiet. The only body part that is moving is your lower arm and hand. Do two sets of eight on each side, working up to two sets of 15.
4. Write the alphabet with your toes
This is to help stabilize the ankle. Very carefully trace each letter of the alphabet in capital letters on the floor with your foot. Try to make them as perfect as possible. Do it on both feet, even the healthy one. This is an old physical therapy trick I learned when I was recovering from an injury. This exercise will flex and move all the muscles in your foot and should help to stabilize the ankle.
By all means, run this plan by your doctor to make sure he approves! Since Anda is under a doctor’s care, it is imperative that he knows what she’s doing so he can keep her on track, get her asthma under control, and help to continue her healthful weight loss.
Thanks Anda for being so brave and participating. Please let me know what you think and if you have any questions.
About Lisa Johnson
As a cyclist, I may be a little biased, but if you want to keep your fitness routine engaging and interesting I’d suggest riding a real bicycle as well. Not only will it be a good workout, but riding outside on a real bike will provide a sense of accomplishment from having traveled a distance instead of staying in your living room, and it will keep your exercise interesting engaging with the change of scenery. As for the toddler, there are several different types of pull-behind-trailers made for little kids!
Of course this is just a suggestion, but I find that if I’m going to stay active, I’ve got to keep myself interested and engaged while I’m exercising! 🙂
Good luck, and mad props for working hard to get into shape!
Greg, I’m always a fan of the outdoor workout too. It is indeed a great way to stay interested in what you’re doing. I was working with her available equipment list, but if she’s got a road bike and wants to take it out for a spin that would be awesome.
BTW http://mapmyrun.com is a great app to figure out how far you’ve gone. I use it a lot, even for kayaking down rivers!
Thanks for stopping by.
Lisa
First I would just like to say what a beautiful smile Anda has, and I wish her all the best in her journey. And Lisa, your description of how to do the weight training exercises is fantastic. I sat here and followed your instructions, and could feel the improvement in my form… especially with keeping “the elbows steady at your sides as if they’re velcroed to your shirt”.
Great going Anda. My routine includes run training 2x a week and a Salsa Fit (Zumba) class 1x. I also cycle, maybe 2x a week. I’d like to add weight training for my upperbody. The Zumba is great with music, people, followed by drinks at a cafe.
I love these kinds of features in the fitness magazines- exciting to see it here as well! Way to go Anda!
Real people trying to fit fitness and exercise into their busy lives, just like me. It’s easy to pick up a fitness mag and have these personal trainers tell you what to do. But that’s their job. They have to work out to get paid. Us normal folks working and cooking and cleaning and raising kids need fun and easy things to motivate and encourage us to make exercise part of our day. Thanks for being part of the solution to do what’s ok for us and not jump in to running a marathon every weekend.
Patty, I’m glad the descriptions worked for you. You’ll be seeing a lot more of these over the next few weeks and months as FeelGooder evolves. If you have a specific fitness tweak yourself please just let me know. (that goes for anyone, just get in touch with me through my blog listed at the top).
Millie, that’s great that you’ve got so much variety in your workout schedule. Cross training is one of the best things to do for overall joint stability and to prevent injuries and Zumba is a blast isn’t it!
Christy, I’m glad you like the feature, feel free to become one yourself!
Sara, thank you for that comment. I will be working with readers to do what’s best for them. Using the equipment they have on hand. The idea is to start “where you are” and evolve from there. You never know where you’ll end up!
Lisa
Anda, we share 3 name letters. 😉 AND we share a goal. And we share an ankle issue (mine was broken in 3 places and never came back all the way from 2 surgeries) You’re inspiring me to keep up with what I started a recently too.
Just 5 years ago, I was a healthy size 10 and now I’m 150 pounds overweight. Long story. But I’m finding my way back. Seeing your journey gives me a sense of companionship on mine. And I hope that knowing that people like me are cheering for you gives you a sense of companionship too. 🙂
By the way, a rebounder is helping me with my ankle–recommended by my physical therapist. That and walking in sand (I live by the beach) helps strengthen my ankles.
Ande, I love the walking in sand idea, I have never heard of the rebounder approach before but I can see where it would be helpful after the initial injury has healed.
Good luck with your journey, you sound determined and if I can help in anyway just let me know.
Lisa
I am also making a slow journey toward healthy activity. I am about 35 pounds overweight, but my biggest issues are pain in my hips, plus I have a shoulder injury I am rehabilitating. I have committed to 20 minutes walking on the treadmill followed by a gentle yoga practice for stress and flexibilty (20 minute routine). These are not too hard on the hips or shoulder and help work out gently. I will increase as time goes on, but for now this is a start. Oh, I do an exercise routine for my shoulder prescribed by physical therapist using a band and 2 lb weights.
It is much better to start slow and continue, than to jump with both feet and be overwhelmed and quit!
Bernice
http://livingthebalancedlife.com/2010/focus-on-be-ing/
Bernice I completely agree. Definitely better to go slow and build wisely than to possibly re-injure something. If you can check in with your PT to see if they can update the exercises they gave you after it gets easier for you. Also treadmill is a good call over the great outdoors because the surface has better cushioning than the sidewalk.
Also, you’ll find as you lose weight more and more pressure will come off those hips. That’ll help too. 🙂
Good luck with your weight loss and your journey.
Lisa