What can I do that provides aerobic benifits without hurting my knees?

Question

The nearest indoor pool is 30 miles from here. I already take Glucosamine - Chondroitin - MSM during my heavier work months (summer-fall) with success.

I require aerobic exercise to help fight mental illness, particularly in the winter, but if I workout at all my knees kill me. It scares me because my grandmother's knees turned to sand well before she passed of associated complications.

I have to hit 60% mhr for atleast ten minutes every other day to change the chemicals in my brain, so yoga (my preference) doesn't work. I have tried bellydancing, tai chi, and walking, but it still doesn't tax my body enough to trigger the change.

If I jog or do traditional 1980's aerobics, I'm better, but my knees hurt. What have I missed?

Answer 1

I've several suggestions that would help provide aerobic exercise without taxing your knees very much:

-as suggested, swimming is a great way to reduce impact & joint stress. Bummer that the nearest pool is 30 miles away. I'm guessing this wouldn't be the best solution

-have you tried a stairmaster? Basically, instead of the pounding that your feet do when jogging/running, you're essentially gliding. It's quite a workout and I think could provide some comfort for your knees

-why not try to take MSM all year around? MSM Guide (an online resource I googled; I'll provide the link in the "source" section) says that MSM helps reduce joint pain. They also have a section of the site dedicated to "sport joint pain"

-situps/pushups/etc. aren't taxing on the knees at all. I know after doing a number of crunches, that gets me sweating :)

Good luck

Answer 2

there's a video series call Walk Away the Pounds. I have horrible knees and can do these exercises with no problem! you can look them up online to get a better idea.

Answer 3

Have you tried riding a stationary bike? It will mean your knees move around a lot, but takes the impact away.

Answer 4

swimming is a great aerobic exercise(if your a fine enough swimmer) plus theres virtually no impact and the tones the entire body... i had knee surgery and it helped me when i use to exercise!