Hi! I just began using your Circuit Max video and really am enjoying your routines and the challenge! You have the best personality and moves that I have come across so far and look forward to attempting to master your other collections. This leads me to my question. My mother is 56 and very over weight. I am so concerned about her health and know that exercising is the key. I think that she would really enjoy your videos, but she has bad knees and is scared to try anything too rigorous. She is at a point where she wants to improve her quality of life and I was curious as to whether you could suggest a tape that might be easy going enough on her physically to get her started. I want her to associate exercise with fun, energetic feelings, and not tiresome, boring and monotonous activities. Thank you so much for your suggestions!!!
Help my mom!
- Thread starter adamsj
- Start date
balletgrrl
Cathlete
My mom is 63 years old - also a little overweight and generally doesn't like to exercise. For Christmas, I bought her a "Walk Away the Pounds" video by Leslie Sansone and she loves it!!!! She already wants to buy more. It is not rigorous but still gives a good half hour of moving around and getting your blood pumping! I think it is perfect for older people. You can find her workouts on collagevideo.com and workoutmusicvideo.com. Hope this helps!
Alison
Alison
My mom is also in her 50's and overweight. She really liked Richard Simmons "Sweating to the Oldies" -- I know it's a pretty old title. The moves were fun and not too rigorous, and she really liked the music. I think it was also not intimidating, given the variety of body types in the cast. HTH 
C
Carol_is_fit
Guest
After decades (literally!) of being very obese, my mother started working out to Richard Simmons when she was 64. We lived with her for a while back then, and I was religiously doing the Firm. I think I was her inspiration - LOL! Anyway, she got back down to single digit sizes in about a year doing just that! I never knew exactly how much she weighed, but I know she was in at least a size 24. When she was finished, she was wearing 8's. It was wonderful to see her have her energy back, and since we both share the same early arthritis in the knees thing (a legacy from her mom's side), her knees no longer bothered her once she lost the weight. I remember years and years of her not being able to kneel, because once she got down, she quite literally could not pull herself back up again. Losing the weight freed her from so many aches and pains. She also didn't feel intimidated by the cast in Richard's tapes.
Carol
Carol
The Richard Simmons tapes can be alternated with walking. For overweight, mature adults, walking is the easiest introduction to exercise there is. It is safe, effective, cheap! It will get her out and about to observe the world and if she walks with a good friend, she can make it a social event and chance ofr a gossip too. As long as they don't end up at the donut store together afterwards! It will not stress her knees at all. If she invests in a heart rate monitor and if you help her to write down some goals (time walked, distance walked, target heart rate to achieve, etc), she can lose stacks of weight and shape up for free within a year.
But quite honestly, I think a Cathe tape at this stage would do her more harm than good. Save them until she is in better shape, because the intensity might put too much strain on her heart.
Clare
But quite honestly, I think a Cathe tape at this stage would do her more harm than good. Save them until she is in better shape, because the intensity might put too much strain on her heart.
Clare
C
Carol_is_fit
Guest
Gayle it really was! It was like a miracle for her. I literally saw her transform herself. It takes a lot of self-determination to do that at any age, let alone at 64!
Carol
Carol
