Advice on helping my mom get in shape.

[thegenerousjew]

Hey. The thread title keeps making me grin but I assure you its true

My mom's going to be staying with me for a few months and I really want to do what I can to make sure that she enters her 60's healthy and able to enjoy the company of her grand kids [when I get around to giving her a few

So anyway my mom's in her mid 50's. She's 5'4 and weighs around 190 pounds. I'm hoping over 9-12 months to bring it down to around 130 pounds. I realize that its not going to be easy for her at her age but she's my mom and I love her

She doesn't have any "bad habits" she doesn't drink or smoke and even her eating habit are just meh. She's not a big eater by any standard and her diet mostly consists of bit of rice, veg curries and cups of tea. [not much fried stuff either]

Her daily physical activity consists mainly of keeping the house in order, supervising the maids and vegging out in front of the TV.

Also what do you guys suggest for her diet and timings for eating?
She is mildly diabetic.

So what I'm hoping from you chaps is advice on how to get her in shape. She won't go to the gym though I can make sure she gets into the habit of taking 45 minute brisk walks. We also have access to a swimming pool and she loves to swim. Any suggestions?

TIA!

 

[picard]

can she walk upstairs / downstairs?

get her to walk up 5 flights of stairs at least twice a week. I hope you live in an apartment.

she can do brisk walking for 40mins at least 3 times a week if you don't live in an apartment. This is the cheapest form of exercise in recession time.

 

[j0n024]

The best thing she can do is a weight training regimen.

IF you go to a gym then get her to do the same thing you do which should be the big 3..
Squat
Bench
Deadlift

I KNOW she will freak out and say she doesnt want to get big but just reassure her that she wont unless she does it for 2+ years.

I started to help my mom workout as well and I have her do the same as me every saturday she does just the big three.

We get to the gym
stretch
cardio for 10 mins to warm up
Bench
rest
Squat
rest
Deadlift

Then we stretch again and leave. That's all you should really need.

 

[Alle_Gory]

The best thing she can do is a weight training regimen.

IF you go to a gym then get her to do the same thing you do which should be the big 3..
Squat
Bench
Deadlift

In her 50s bro. Better get her on some sort of conditioning program with lots of low impact cardio. Then as she gets in better cardiovascular shape, add in ^ this stuff.

 

[Throttle]

does SHE share your goals? if not...forget anything ambitious. who will be cooking/menu-planning? you're on the right track just trying to get her to go for walks. you can jawbone at her all you want, but the best thing is to figure out what she likes for exercise and do what you can to encourage it.

 

[thegenerousjew]

Hey thanks for all the replies. Though like I mentioned earlier getting her to do weights won't happen any time soon. She's just got a very strong mental block about hurting/straining herself if she uses weights.

Goal wise Throttle it's up to me to push her & I'm confident if I drag her out of the house everyday for a brisk 45 minute walk and swimming [which she loves] it should become a habit that she enjoys. Cooking won't be an issue since we have maids.

So I guess a monitored diet, long brisk walks and long swim sessions are the way to go and then maybe in a couple of months figure out how I can get her to do light weight training.

Anyway I look forward to any other suggestions