New--Question about Aerobics

[AlisonWonderland]

I do not have arthritis, but I have severe joint and muscle pain (doc thinks it might be Fibromyalgia).  What types of exercises can you do with joint pain?  He suggested I do aerobics, but my knees, ankles, toes, etc are killing me.  I have an elliptical at home, but I afraid of using it.  Any suggestions?  Thanks!

[AlisonWonderland]

3 feet isn't to much...... I could see what the Rec Centers in my are offer.  It's worth a chance..... Thanks!

[ducky406]

Many pools where they do water aerobics are only 3ft deep- is that too much? It's never too late to learn to swim ( I only just learned last year), but if you have a severe phobia perhaps you need something else. Have you tried looking online (google wheelchair exercises). There are a lot of exercises you can do sitting down, or with certain injuries that might be better for you.

[AlisonWonderland]

The problem is, I can't swim, and I have no intentions of learning how (long story).... So, I usually dip my toes in, but doing exercise in water might be a stretch for me.  The doc mentioned that, but I figured I could find something else..... Maybe I will have to reconsider my fear of water...... Because I can't imagine any other exercise working.  Maybe walking, but that will still put strain on my legs.... Thanks for suggestion!

[ducky406]

Really I would suggest water aerobics. You don't have to be in your 60's to sign up and it might be the best thing for you. It should put much much less stress on your knees, feet and back, making it easier to work out your muscles and maybe loose some extra weight. Even if you don't want to do water aerobics maybe swimming laps could work- my husband has atrophied muscles in his legs so his feet, knees, and legs are really sensitive to the stress of working out- swimming helps him stretch those muscles and burn off any calories from my baking.