I have bad knees and wish to do more exercise to lose weight. Running and jogging is bad. Do you have other recommendation? I don't have a bike and my home just have no place for a bike. And I can't swim.
In addition, I've heard other said squating is good for knees, but I wonder if I can do it with 2 dumbbells? Because I don't want to go gym room which require monthly fee. I have a pair of weight-configurable dumbbells so I am wondering if I can do it in free weight mode.
Since you don’t have room for a bike, you won’t have room for an elliptical trainer which is usually a good way to burn calories and is easy on the knees. Rowing and boxing are good and have already been mentioned.
Aquatics: Even if you can’t swim, you can still run in water (with or without resistance bands), or participate in an aquatic exercise class. Learning to squat correctly in water is one of the best ways to see how your knees tolerate squats because the buoyancy of the water reduces the weight and strain on your knees. You can also use the resistance of water to strengthen your quads, hamstrings and hip muscles.
Nordic Walking: Nordic walking poles can help you burn more calories than regular walking, up to 20% more calories according to the Cooper Institute. Each time you plant the pole you use large muscle groups of the trunk, abs, lats, shoulders and arms. Nordic pole walking is a good alternative to running, because the poles help to reduce some of the stress on your knee joints. (And poles don’t take up any space.)
Squats and Resistance Training: You can effectively strengthen large muscle groups to burn calories with resistance training without aggravating your knees. Strengthening and using your gluteus maximus will actually help to protect and improve your knees. Here are some examples of ways to target your glutes without knee strain: 1) Using pulleys - you can also do this with a resistance band at home. 2) Using bodyweight, and a stability ball. If you can tolerate kneeling this exercise also engages your core, and you can add ankle weights to increase your workout. For squats, ball wall squats may be easier on your knees.
Examples of exercises targeting other large muscles with dumbbells are the: chest press, rows, and pullovers
Additionally, you will want to strengthen the knee muscles (quads and hamstrings) to protect your knee joints, but you may want to consult a sports or orthopedic physical therapist to give you an appropriate exercise regime that balances out your strength and range of motion, and works on your lower extremity alignment. A good Tai Chi instructor may also help you with your lower extremity alignment.
Hope this helps.
Note, I'm assuming that you've already dismissed the idea of cycling.
My suggestion would be in-line skating, aka roller-blading. Great cardio workout and easy on the knees. The only downside is that it won't burn as many calories as running though.
You may also look into:
I'm going to make a few assumptions: limited space, limited $, slightly overweight (or more), beyond 20 and you're looking to lose weight and improve overall health....
Diet is key to losing weight, start writing down everything you eat for a week (everything) and review the calorie intake each day (use http://www.acaloriecounter.com/ to determine the calories). Use this daily caloric calculator to give you an idea of how many you should be consuming (http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calculators/calories-required/) - remember, calories burned, consumed and required are all estimates - you need to adjust your diet to fit your personal needs and body requirements.
A great way to improve your health is general, simple exercising that you can do every day with little impact to your current schedule. Take a look at Fit Deck (http://fitdeck.com/fitness-bodyweight-only/) body weight exercises that can be done in minimal space, with no required equipment and about 30-45 minutes a day (5 to 6 days a week).
I also ALWAYS recommend finding an activity that interests you and that gets you out and active. Good luck.
When it comes to knees, your only real safe bet is something in the water. Don't rule out water sports because you can't swim. You can try water volleyball, for instance. There's really no sport worth playing/doing for the purposes of weight loss that isn't going to be somewhat rough on your knees. Probably the only high intensity sport you could get away with here is doubles tennis on a very well maintained clay court.
