Dear Doc,
I’m a big sized woman, and I’m doing exercises at home to lose weight.
Because my legs are so big, they rub together and get sore. What are the best exercises for big women to lose weight? – Monica Dear Monica,
Thank you for your question. To lose weight regardless of your size requires both aerobic and weight resistance exercising. Aerobic exercises often referred to as cardio workouts are especially important for losing weight.
Aerobic exercises refer to exercises that cause the heart rate to increase and leads to significant sweating. However, I want you to start slowly and ensure you are cleared for exercise by your physician.
Examples of cardio exercises include aerobics classes, skipping, swimming, walking, and running. I want to state however, that if you have knee pain which many individuals who are overweight tend to suffer with, it may put a lot of pressure on your joints.
Therefore, I would suggest starting with swimming. If this is not an option then walking slowly, ideally on sand or a treadmill and as a third option grass, which are low impact options on your knee joints. If these are not available just walk slowly with the appropriate shoes until you improve. As your weight drops you can increase the level of impact of exercises.
Aerobics in the water is also an excellent option as the buoyancy of the water takes some of the pressure off your knees.
I know you have mentioned only exercise, but I would like to use the opportunity to say that you can never outrun your fork. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of nutrition in losing weight. An example is that you can spend 20 minutes on the treadmill and only burn 300 calories the amount in one chocolate bar. So, what you eat will go a long way in weight loss.
Exercise and nutrition must go hand in
