I'm a rather new Alli user and I've been doing great so far. My only issue is with activity plan. I have no qualms about breaking a sweat and raising my heartrate and even tossing the iron around BUT the lower half of me is often in full objection. I work for a telephone service provider as a service tech and my job requires me to climb telephone poles multiple times daily. The way we climb and the time I've been doing it has taken a toll on my knees (knee replacement is a common procedure in my line of work). I usually keep the lower body workouts light as my legs are overly built compared to the rest of my body but the cardio is presenting a bit of a challenge. With wintertime approaching, bike rides and outdoor activity is going to become more difficult. I simply don't have the room in my house for large excercise equipment or bikes and would prefer not to sign my soul away to any of the local mega gyms. I need to figure out a way to keep my heart rate up without upsetting my lower joint issues. What can I do to get my heart rate up for the chilly months?? Should I just put on a coat do what needs to be done outside?

Hi DeezUU,

For one thing, you can concentrate heavily on the upper body strength training exercises on the alli Web site.  Aim for two sessions per week.

If your knees bother you while exercising, one of the best things you can do is swim or aquatic exercise.  I know you don't want to join a mega gym, what about a local WMCA?  Water is so good for your joints because it doesn't put the same pressure on them as walking or jogging does, but it does provide you with a good amount of resistance to make your workouts challenging.  You can do laps in the pool, take a water aerobics class, or try the water bouys to immobolize your lower body and work just with your upper body. 

If you do cycle, go easy on the resistance and keep your rides to 30 minutes.  If you've never done Yoga or Pilates, you can purchase an exercise video and workout whenever you want right at home.  Walking should be OK for your knees, especially if you have a local track you can do laps at. 

Be sure to stretch before and after your workouts.

Good Luck,

Paul