How To Lose Weight If You Have Knee Pain

It is a well-known fact that to lose weight you need to eat a balanced low-fat diet and exercise. After all, the more you exercise, the more fat you will burn and you bodyweight will drop. But what if you have an injury that prevents you from running, or even walking? How can you exercise at an intensity high enough to burn fat? The following article will give a few examples if different ways to exercise to lose fat if you suffer from knee of ankle injury which may limit the exercises you can perform.

Firstly, it is important to understand the importance of exercise. In order to lose weight you need to burn off more fat (or calories) then you take in. Sounds simple, but many people only concentrate on the diet aspect. This will give you some results, but you will accelerate you weight loss if you start exercising. You will not only lose weight, but also gain other health benefits such as a fitter, stronger heart and lungs, and you will decrease you risks of developing diabetes.

Now on to the exercises. To lose weight you need to be doing cardiovascular type exercises. In other words the exercise should elevate you heart rate, and keep it raised for an extended period of time. Some examples of these types of exercises are walking, jogging, swimming and cycling. Walking and jogging are the most common forms of exercise people do for weight loss, but if you have an injury such as knee arthritis walking can be limited. The best cardiovascular exercises that don't put strain through the lower limb joints are cycling (on a stationary exercise bike) and swimming. They are non-weight bearing exercises, which means your body weight isn't being transferred through your legs as you exercise.

Swimming is the best exercise for weight loss if you suffer from knee pain. Even if you cannot swim, there are many exercises that can be performed in the water which will help you lose weight. For example, simply walking continuously up and down the pool will elevate your heart rate to the fat burning zone. If you have a low-level of fitness a moderate paced walk will get to the fat burning zone. On the other hand if you are relatively fit, you may even need to jog. The buoyancy of the water will take a lot of your body weight, especially when in deep water (up to your shoulders). This will take all the pressure off your knees allowing you to exercise without pain.

Cycling on an exercise bike is another great way to exercise if you have knee pain. Not only will get an effective cardiovascular workout, you will also strengthen your quadriceps muscles (the muscles on the front of your thigh) which will decrease the knee pain. If you have limited movement in you knees, you may want to try raising the seat higher. The higher the seat is, the less you need to bend your knees, therefore you wont feel the pain.

In summary, exercising in water and stationary cycling are the two best exercises for weight loss if you suffer from knee pain. Stick to the guidelines of exercising for 20-30 minutes continuously, at least three days a week and you a guaranteed to get results.