my mom,.....

[tlhc]

keiko advised me to post this at the women's discussion board,...

well here it goes

my mom is 50 years old and weighs 200lbs, approx 30% bf

she keeps telling me that she wants to slim down, and lately i've managed to talk her into working out and she wants to try it

she has a hard time following a strict diet, although she eats clean food most of the time,

my problem now is that i don't know what a training routine for her should look like?
she has never worked out so far, so i thought it would be better to ask here for advice, since i don't want that she get's hurt

any help would be appreciated
thx in advance

 

[Phemomena]

well the want and will to do something is half the battle... what she needs to do now is start slowly, make small changes in her activity (doing too much too soon is a big no no)

she should start by walking, through the park, to the store, to places that she would normally drive... etc.. just make sure that she has the energy to get where she is going and back, don't overdo it... go for time rather than distance (walk 10 min in one direction, and turn around and walk 10 min back), eventually she'll see that she can go further in the same 10 min, start adding time to that when it gets too easy...

diet is important, again, small changes are key (changing diet too drastically may give her no energy to sustain the increase in activity)... a good thing to start out with is replace 50% of what she is drinking now with water (sodas, coffee, juices ect) (and work up until 90-100% of all beverage intake is water...), that goes a long way when it comes to weight loss... (since it doesn't really seem like cutting calories)... if she doesnt' like water, some crystal lite can be added to give it some flavour... at this point in time, if she keeps her diet (food) intake clean, she shouldn't have to drop, the added activity will be enough to boost her metabolism and start burning the fat... she may want to start eating more frequent smaller meals...

also, there is no reason why she cannot get to the gym.. i would suggest that she invest in a trainer who will not only work with her to get together a routine that she can follow, but will also show her good form and technique... a good trainer should be able to show her the ropes of a basic program in 6-10 sessions, but she should stick with them until she feels comfortable (or as much as she can afford)...

once she gets the hang of the whole exercise/diet routine, she'll be more confident to try new things and fine tune the routine... just make sure that she doesn't make any drastic changes, they quite often are a set up for failure...

remember to tell her that most programs will take 6-8 weeks to see results, so not to get discouraged if she hasn't reached her goals after the first week... and make sure you let her know that this isn't a quick fix, the diet and activity is a step towards a healthy lifestyle and as a lifestyle, will need to become a constant (that's why small changes will be beneficial here, since they are habits that she'll want to develop for the rest of her life)

also make sure she's getting lots of rest... she may need more than usual when she first starts out, this is normal and nothing to be discouraged about....

hope that helped a bit...

 

[ann]

My mom,68, never worked out either. She is overweight and diabetic......she talked it over with her doctor, and got the ok to walk on the treadmilll. ( i begged her for years to exercise) She joined a gym, walks and loves it. She is also getting help with doing weights......says she feels better, has more energy.....and is socializing I would tell your mom to visit her doc, get chked out, and get the big ok.I think it is important to make sure she doesnt have any hidden problems, and to be sure she is up to par health wise. Phem,as usual, had great ideas listed above. Push your mom, and motivate her. I guarantee she will enjoy it. Talk to the people who work in the gym, surely they can help get her on a program suited to her needs. Best of Luck to her.

 

[smallmovesal]

the coolest thing for me is that my 53 year old mum and i work out together

well, until i move in the next week and a bit.

 

[poohbear]

It's great that she wants to take this step into an active lifestyle. However, it's very important for her to consult a physician and have a thorough check out before she starts anything too strenous. Walking is always a good start. Since she has never exercised before, it will be difficult for her to stay motivated. Keep reassuring her that she's doing good and the more she does, the better she'll feel.

C that doctor

 

[vixenbabe]

Glad to hear that she has taken the first step for an active, healthy lifestyle.

I agree, her doctor needs to be seen first! VERY IMPORTANT!

You mention that she eats clean most of the time??? Please define a typical menu in a day.

It's funny how you may "think" you are eating clean until you record what you really are eating! This can give the "average" person a real kick in the teeth at times when you start recording what you put in your mouth.

I wish her luck and keep her motivated!

 

[tlhc]

thanks for all the infos

i'm not around her 24/7, so i can't contol her diet all the time, but as i said 90% of the food she eats is "clean", meaning that she stays away from too much sugar, foods high in (saturated) fats, eats lots of veggies,....

but whenever we have a family meeting, or my grandma makes some high fat high carb cake, or things like that, she eats "bad" food,.....
every now and then she buys herself a bar of chocolate (usually ending up eating the damn thing all at once, and feeling very bad about it,...)

she knows a lot about good nutrition, but she's a gourmet, and loves eating,

the next problem is that we haven't got a gym in our town
i work out at home, i've got a powerrack and that's all i need
but since there's no gym in my town there's no personal trainer here, see my problem?
i would have to set up a training routine for her myself but i don't know how i should arrange it since she hasn't work out before and is already 50

she's still quite active, she goes for a walk almost everyday, and also goes swimming or biking every now and then, but nothing regular

so i thought that, if she doesn't keep a 100% strict diet, maybe i can motivate her to workout regularly, which will result in long term fat loss

 

[Phemomena]

well it sounds like she's got a start, does she have any friends that have gyms in their apartment buildings, or any community centres or schools that may have small gyms in them? those can be used in leiu of a good gym...

she'll have to invest her time and money in buying lots of books and videos that show good form for weights...

if she can't get into a gym of any sorts, she can get a set of hand weights 5-30lbs should be good, a bench and a few mats and workout at home... you can 'train' her on basic moves (curls, chest press, weightless squats and lunges) just make sure she's using correct form, with light weights... but be careful, make sure that she really has the form right before you let her do it by her self (there are some of those 'aerobic pump' videos that mix cardio and weight training, and they generally have a 'tonned down' version of what you should be doing, those types of tapes might be useful for her to do at home... but be warned, you may have to do it with her a few times if you dont think she's ready... (she's your moms, you should know what she can and cant do, i'm just giving you the 'worse case scenerio of things... you want to keep her safe, but obviously the woman's not helpless (which many people tend to think overweight people are) so i think she'll probably do just fine if she can immitate the motions seen on the tape... just make sure she goes slowly)

with her walking, try to make sure that she's keeping up an active pace... maybe there are other ladies in your neighbourhood who can walk with her (ones with similar goals and such, who are in slightly better shape, that way she'll be pushing herself a little to keep up, nothing drastic, just something a little more than two ladies chatting more than walking ) ... maybe a friend can get involved in other aspects, having a partner in all this can be very motivating (and they can share recipies when it comes down to the diet )

obviously, if she gets serious into this, she'll have to find other things to do (i.e. buy a home gym, or make a trip into another town) but cross that bridge when you come to it, take small steps right now...