I am 33 years old, 5'5" and 125 pounds. But I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (type 3- Hypermobility most likely) and bad knees because of it, so I'm trying to get down to 100 pounds.
I'm somewhat flexible even though I'm in bad physical shape (endurance/level of activity wise) My resting pulse tends to be in the 80-90 range (as it has since my teens). So I get winded pretty easily.
I'm wanting to "tone" and lose weight more than build muscle.
Anyhow... so I worked out with the tubes tonight, only I did the exercises lying down. Like, for my arms, I would use the black short tube (highest res.) and put my feet on the center of the tube, my legs in the air, either hand holding an end at my side and I would pull with my arms. They're quite sore lol but I couldn't help but wonder if it will do any overall good?
If what I'm doing more "stretching" than working out? Is weight loss possible through this method or am I merely making myself more flexible lol.
I exercised my stomach and legs.. in a similar fashion.
And if I notice tightness in a particular position, will continuing to (gently) press on help tone the muscle?
I know, I'm hopeless when it comes to these things :D
Any help would be most appreciated.
And for those of you wondering about ehlers danlos http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehlers-Danl... is a good link (I may also have the vascular type which is really scary. Aneurysms seem to run in my family. Hi Xyleisha,
For the goals that you've set, you are absolutely on the right track. Although I'm not familiar with your particular syndrome I do have experience with personal training and physical rehabilitation from injuries and muscle disorders. Resistance tubing is one of the best , not to mention the least expensive, tools for those that are trying to rehab from injuries/disorders and improve their strength. There isn't a lot of room for dialogue here at Yahoo answers but my number one suggestion would be to exercise caution first. That means, starting with very low resistance and focus on using correct form in the exercises. If you experienced tightness while exercising this is your body's way of telling you that you are at your limit and that you shouldn't push any further. Listen to your body. Forget the old adage "no pain, no gain". You should never experience pain while exercising. Having said that, once you become more comfortable with the exercises you can push yourself until you experience what we call "training effect". Training effect is the slight burning in your muscles when they are near exhaustion.
Here are a couple of links to websites that can provide some simple instruction for purchasing and using resistance tubes:
http://exercise.about.com/cs/exercisewor...
http://exercise.about.com/cs/exercisewor...
I would recommend that you buy a set of tubing that has four or five different color/strength tubes that are able to click on to detachable handles. This way you can alternate, and eventually increase, the amount of resistance. You can typically buy these for less than $50. A door anchor is also a great accessory to attach your tubing to a very sturdy door. I would even go so far as to install an extra bolt across this door latch to further secure the door while exercising. I know from personal experience those bands hurt when they accidentally slip out. :)
An instructional book on resistance tubing exercises would be another great investment.
Try to warm up for five minutes before you start your workout by doing some simple and safe exercises like jogging in place or a brisk walk. Follow your workout with some stretching exercises to improve flexibility.
If you're interested in weight loss you should also try and do at least 30 minutes of cardio three or four times a week.
Remember, take it slow. Be careful. And don't try to do too much too quickly.
I hope this helps. Good luck to you. |
