The ones I have used with great success are the Leslie Sansone walk
aerobics tapes.  Basically the movements are marching in place, side
steps, leg raises, knee lifts, and upper body moves. It is much more
than just a walk since it is a total body fitness program.

I have the ones using hand weights, the rubber stretchie, and the ones
for the abs which use a belt. There are walks that are from 1 to4
miles but she has come out now with a 5 mile.
These are low impact and not too difficult for someone who has had
knees and a hip replaced.

I also have a cd using light hand weights, but do not use it as often.

I have the Winser Pilates tapes as well, but rarely use them because
there are so many of the exercises which I can not do- anything in
which you have to kneel for example.

I would recommend any of the Leslie Sansone. She even has tapes for
seniors and ones involvoing Christian music. You can modify the pace
at which you do the exercises if you need to do so.

I am not associated in any way with this company. I am not even a
member of the walking group, which provides on line support.
    Rose   @}>->--
    Being educated means that rather than fearing the unknown, one seeks to understand it. RB

    Please remove "Ima" to reply.

1. recumbant exercise bike  - not a commercial one, but certainly not a
'let's try and save money' piece of crap one. I wanted I bike I would
use and could use!

2. Weight training equipment - again, not cheap KMart bargain isle crud,
but not commercial 'let's mortgage the house' stuff either. Power rack,
flat/incline/decline bench, supported row bench, barbell, etc etc. If it
hadn't been for my continued dedication to maintaining my strength and
flexibility, the fractures I got over the last year (all of which during
routine daily activities) would have been FAR more numerous and extensive.

3. Various and assorted other helpful bits - Polar heart rate monitor,
inflatable exercise ball (for range of motion flexibility work on my
spine), etc.

4. Gym membership at the local community recreation centre, including
access to weight machines for my legs which I cannot safely work at home
without buying extra equipment and extending the house! Hip
replacements, osteonecrosis, collapsed ankle, spinal damage, etc, make
most good resistance trainng exercises very risky or impossible for me,
so the absolute only way to keep my legs strong to support my joints was
by going to the gym. Home equipment that mimicks the gym machines is
almost always so far from the proper equipment that using it virtually
garauntees joint problems. Leg extension/leg curl attachments for home
gyms are almost always crap and potentially injurious, and we all value
our bodies more than money, so risking injury to save money is never a
good investment.

Cheers,

Ari

i'm gonna mail you some stuff from consumer reports on treadmills and
exercise bikes (their recommended alternative to treadmills) tomorrow.  i
have to wait for mike to come home and address the envelope for me!  lol, i
CAN write some, but it may not be legible enough for the post office.

i'd love a treadmill at home but haven't rooom upstairs and the basement
ceiling is too low.  i do some exercises with 5 lb dumbbells when i can, but
that's probably out for your hands and wrists.  i also do some pilates and/or
yoga exercises as i can.  i went through the pilates books at the library
when we lived in bay city and found one i liked for a beginner and found a
used copy through amazon.  it does require getting down on the floor though,
which not everyone can do.

i have the tai chi for arthritis dvd and it was good while i was learning the
routine, but once i knew the routine it only took 2-3 minutes total and i
wasn't interested in doing the same routine 10x over to get in a half hour!

i have been known at times to just march in place while watching TV to get a
bit of exercise.  you can move your arms around while marching to make it a
more general exercise.  the past few days i've been doing my arms in a slower
approximation of jumping jacks - slow enough that i don't bang the aching
thumb!

today, however, i'm gonna see if i have enough hand power to help a bit with
the snow shoveling...... mike's done 3 hours of shoveling in the last two
days and still only half the driveway is clear.  also keeping an eye out for
the fella who'll plow us for free if i catch him plowing the neighbors.  this
storm is defeating our shoveling power.

I bought a Precor treadmill quite a few years ago and am very satisfied
with it. I didn't buy an extended warranty but I read recently that
treadmills can  be temperamental (sp?) so it's wise to buy a warranty.
i like travel tapes when I use it. I have walking the grand canyon,
switzerland, hawaii, etc.

I don't use a treadmill at home, we bought an elliptical machine last
year though. The motion is half step climber and half ski machine, the
feet don't leave the pedals so there is little impact. This was a plus
because of the foot problems I was having. And I don't use workout
tapes, I just watch Sports Center.
Cooly

I don't have any exercise equipment.  I would love to be able to go
swimming but there are no warm pools nearby.
I do yoga stretches.  I have  3 yoga DVDs which I play and do my
exercises along with. Without these DVD's I would not think up enough
stretches to do or do them for long enough. I have even got my husband
to work with me.  When I can't see the screen he will tell me what the
lady is doing  eg when it is floor stretches.
Gail