“I have recently put on a lot of weight and feel stiff around my hands and thighs. What can I do?”

It has been proven that people who engage in physical activity cope with depression faster. The most important is aerobic activity to maximize your endurance and to break that stiffness feeling. Baby steps - it will be hard in the beginning but you will feel satisfaction later. Begin with Walking not running - u dont want to put stress with your weight on your knees. Cycling, swimming, dancing helps a lot. if you live in a house then gardening would be excellent choice of activity, and basic stretching yoga/pilates. Prior to any exercises, stretches are important. Lie on your back, bring one knee to your chest, hold it, count until 5 and the switch to the other knee. Then you can do SLR -
Straight leg raise - very good for your thighs.
Stabilize the muscles on your straight leg by contracting your quadriceps (the group of muscles on the front of your thigh).
Inhaling slowly, lift the straight leg six inches off the ground.
Hold for three seconds.
Exhaling slowly, lower the leg to the floor with control
Relax and repeat 10 times more.
Now you ready for your aerobic/endurance exercises.

Hi there


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Dr. Santiago Osorio, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP

Physical Therapist/Clinical Director

2424 Vista Way, ste 120

Oceanside, CA 92054

santiago@breakthroughsdphysicaltherapy.com

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Hi
I understand your situation but the best exercise you can do is walking. Start with 30 min and proceed further as needed. This will help with joint pain as well heals you loose the extra pounds you have gained.
Thanks
Ramky

Start with walking first, and then gentle run. Stretching exercises will help as well.

It would be better to work on weight loss starting with diet and exercise.

Before starting any workout program you should be cleared by your primary care physician for such activities. Once cleared, simply walking is a good first step in a healthy lifestyle. Now to ease the compression on the joints I like to recommend swimming, which is also a great cardiovascular exercise for the heart and lungs. Good luck.

Honestly, be evaluated by a PT who does SFMA/FMS assessment to determine what activities is most appropriate to start with and then how to progress it. Also, make sure you perform activities that you enjoy doing. Exercise is a great way to help with depression as it is one of the best ways to get body to create more serotonin.