Limited Mobility Exercises

I cannot fathom the idea of being an overweight person at a gym. Not only do I live with agoraphobia and explicit self-consciousness , but the mere thought of sitting near someone else's bodily fluids makes me queasy. And I am a 15 year veteran of the medical field! Additionally, the equipment is poorly designed for the larger variety of people and like most people, if something is uncomfortable, I have little difficulty talking myself out of it. So, I had to come up with some fitness routines that do not require any special equipment and can be comfortably done. Since getting on and off the floor is an ordeal in and of itself, I'd rather stand or sit during my workout. So here is what I've come up with.

Wall Push-ups - Find a large and empty wall and stand about 3 feet in front of it, hands outstretched, facing the wall. Lean your body towards the wall with your hands touching the wall. Push your body back, with your hands until you are once again in a standing position. Keep repeating the same two positions, keeping an even rhythm up and back, for as many times as you can without feeling any pain in your muscles or back.

Chair Crunches - Sit on your chair as you normally would. Brace your hands on either side of the chair and gently lift yourself slightly up from the chair. Keep your knees bent at a 90 degree angle, and lift your thighs up off of the chair and hold them in that position for five seconds. Slowly release and lower them back to the chair. Do this exercise 10 times for two repetitions.

Seated Leg Lifts - Sit in your chair, extend one leg out straight in front of you and hold for two seconds. Then raise it up as high as you can, and hold it again for two seconds. Repeat with each leg 15 times.

Chair Arm Lifts -  Sit in your chair with your legs crossed and your feet on the seat. Then place your hands on the armrests, suck in your gut and raise yourself a few inches above the seat, using your belly muscles and hands. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat five times.

Sitting Spinal Stretch - This enhances both flexibility and muscle strength. Sit tall in your chair, and stretch your arms toward the ceiling. Put your left hand on the desk, grab the back of the chair with your right hand and twist to the right. Hold for 10 seconds. Release and raise your arms toward the ceiling again. Then repeat the twist going the other way. Hold for 10 seconds.

If you are also having problems with traditional workouts, try some of these exercises. Remember, no matter how slow you go, you're still doing laps around everyone who's just sitting on the couch. ;)