Question: Joint Pain (Sakit Sendi2), Home Gym dan Sit Ups.

Dear Kevin,
I just bought yr book 24/7 yesterday and I must say that for the first time i’m reading a health and diet book that is suitable for malaysians. it’s really great plus how to calculate calories etc – very useful.

…I am trying to find the right kind of exercises as I hv problems with my joints – both small and large joints and neck and shoulder problem…

I’m 42 yrs old – weight 5.26 kg / 160cm . My question is – I am trying to find the right kind of exercises as I hv problems with my joints – both small and large joints and neck and shoulder problem but i would like to lose about 2kgs of weight and tone my body…..and at the same time I’m not a member of any gym……pls suggest some form of cardio and weight training that I may do at the comfort of my home to aid my weight loss. I find that doing sit-ups is very uncomfortable for my neck/shoulder.

Answer

The good news it – no matter how old you are, its never too late to start exercising. Exercise/senaman should be something kita amalkan sepanjang hayat. Ok lets break it down:

1. 1.

   Joint Problems: here its important to listen to your body dan pastikan that you are not making the pain worse. Also you need to be able to bezakan sakit joints (sendi-sendi) dan sakit otot. (muscle pain). Supplements like glucosamine or joint supplements do help in aiding the recovery process. Lagi2 apa bentuk senaman sekalipun akan promote your joints to become stronger. Important thing to remember is:

   • to start slow and slow build from your progress (important)
   • build your strength
   • listen to your body
   • rest periodically
   • Consult your doctor, jika perlu
2. 2.

   Training at home: As illustrated and explained in my book…yeah no problem in training at home for both cardio and weight training. For cardio, you’d probably need a treadmill or bike. A bike is probably better for your joints as it is low/none impact. For weight training, you’d need dumbbells that you can grow with. Grow with? Means that as you get stronger, you would need to increase the poundages to continually build strength.

3. 3.

   What about sit ups? Sit ups when performed wrongly will cause excess stess to your neck and lower back. Its all about form and don’t have to be performed daily. Sekali seminggu pun dah ok…yang penting is quality senaman bukan quantiti. You can refer to the book for proper sit up (crunches) form. BTW, your hands should not pull your neck. You can place them across your chest.

Hope this helps and all the best.