Hi there,
I’ve been out of hospital/rehab for just over a year now, but still find it hard to walk and balance. I use a walking stick when I go outside.
Because, I find it so difficult to walk, I am not exercising as much as I was. Therefore, I have put a lot of weight on that I want to lose in 2025. Can anyone recommend a an exercise routine for someone like me finds it difficult to walk, to burn calories and lose weight in 2025?
Being so late, I’ve just enough time for my personal all time favourite for getting strength back into the backs of my legs from butt to feet🙂 And the only equipment required is an upright chair.
Sit to stand has served me well after hip replacement, broken ankle and then my stroke.
Stand up, sit down, stand up again. Do this as many times in a row as you can, then rest for one minute. Then do a second round.
3 sets of 10 to begin with if you are able.
Increase the number in each set by 3 or 5 each week.
These really do increase the spring in your step as your leg muscles strengthen. Try it and see, you will notice a difference.
Lorraine
Stroke Improvement Group
look up isometric or closed-chain exercise and Happy Xmas !!!
Roland
I am the laziest of candidates for exercise and can’t suggest particular activities. It is good to keep active but fatigue can throw a spanner in the works.
Try to do things you like to do and after those two years realise that there is plenty of scope for improvement yet.
I believe that progress will appear as the brain heals. That is where the damage occurred and is where to find answers. I am not sure it is strength that is needed. I think repetitive attempts to reconnect with the missing elements, balance, muscle control, sensory awareness, nervous system connections. is what is needed. It seems very abstract but on this level advances do occur and over time one does get back at least some of what has been lost.
I also believe that this is an ongoing process that does not come to a stop at some point. So it is always worth making an attempt to make gains. It is worthwhile to continue that struggle, it will bring its own rewards.
Hi.
Have a look on YouTube. There is a channel called Rehab HQ, run by Tara Tobias, which has some really good exercises for balance and anything else stroke related. Don’t overdo it though!
Also, there is a company called ARNI who have videos online that you can purchase.
Do you have transport? Can you get to a gym? Walking on a treadmill is helpful. You can walk really slowly, on level ground, whilst holding on.
If you have a swimming pool nearby, that has easy access, it is a good way to exercise. Just walk up and down, holding onto the side to start with, until you feel more confident, then (I don’t know how your arms are) maybe try floating on your back/kicking your legs. I love aquarobics classes, but that’s probably a step too far at the moment!
I can’t use one, but some people swear by exercise bikes.
I like exercising to music. Hold onto a chair back and dance to your favourite songs.
The main thing is to try not to sit down for too long.
Yes, that is the worst evil. To combat the negative effects sitting can have on our circulation, I will lie on the ground for 15 minutes with my legs raised higher than my heart, resting on a sofa. Inverting the body is crucial if you sit a lot
Roland
I too struggle to exercise enough as my walking isn’t great and is mega slow. I also have less time due to working - sat at a desk.
I bought an exercise pedlar which i can use when i’m in an online work meeting as oobg as I don’t have to participate in the meeting.
I can’t speak in the meeting and pedal at the same time 
you can use it sat in a chair. A normal exercise bike would be ideal too. Maybe invest in a trike then you can exercise and get fresh air at same time.
Sit to stands are good too as @EmeraldEyes describes. Maybe try some squats too. You can hold on to furniture initially then advance to not holding on.
Hope this gives you a few ideas.
Good luck.
Ann
Sit to stands are the lead up to doing squats. They are the safer option if you haven’t enough strength and stability in your legs yet or have balance issues. 
A word of warning for anyone doing sit to stands with a chair. If its not on carpeted flooring, I’d recommend placing the chair against a wall or weighty furniture for stability.
The last thing you want to do is accidentally push it out of reach as you go to sit. I just used to keep the back against the dining table.
@EmeraldEyes That’s a great suggestion. Sit to stand is a brilliant exercise. As you say it requires no equipment apartment from a chair and uses all of the muscles. A physio recommended this to me when we were going away on holiday and I wanted to do some exercise while we were away.
Regards Sue
It was about a year after my stroke that I started doing sit to stands at strength & balance class. And after a couple weeks of doing them daily, the first thing I started noticing was the little spring in the backs of my knees when I stood up or climbed stairs. It was almost like being propelled to stand. Thats when I knew this was the exercise for me and spurred me on 
It made it so much easier to climb stairs when you’ve that muscle propulsion behind you…literally. Getting up from sitting, without the grunting and groaning I used to do, and my family watching me closely when they’d realise I’m on the move, in case I was going to fall or something 
I does lead to a new sense of freedom and independence when you get your legs back under you again.
And I still marvel at that little spring behind my knees. But a little word of warning, it can take you by surprise at first, until your stroke gets more incinque with it.
I don’t think we truly appreciate the benefit of exercise to build and strengthen muscle, until we lost it all from lack of mobility like this from strokes or spinal injuries or whatever. You certainly don’t when you’re young fit and healthy.
Lorraine
Stroke Improvement Group
Well really decent quality nutrition is a must.
Then I’d say exercise comes next.
This can seriously rehab our dysfunctional mitochondria
( they give us 90% of our energy ). They love exercise.
ciao, Roland
Have you tried the Stroke Association’s exercise programme? It’s run through Online Activities, which you can find more about here.
Our prorgamme is for 6 weeks. We provide you with 6 weeks worth of exercise videos which you can do in your own time and each week we come together as a group to discuss the exercises and how you found them and we also discuss exercise in general too.
Anna
Hello Mortimerjazz, Your words are my words too, this has been an on going problem for 3 years for me. I have managed to leave my stick in the car for short trips to the supermarket and am full of good intentions. Not quite the weather for daily walks though and I am sure blueberry muffins are not that bad!! Good luck for 2025. Sabrina
In hospital, I used a MotoMed, assisted cycle, which I found really useful, I see there are affordable assisted pedals , e.g the Reviber from Argos, and the Aidapyt on Amazon, has anyone tried one of these or similar please,
I can stand and walk with a stick, but have lost most of the strength in my left leg
Thanks, Jim
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/4373324?clickSR=slp:term:reviber:2:4:1
@caer_luel just popping by to say hi and welcome to the community. Although sorry you’ve had cause to join us.
I haven’t used any of those items but I do use an exercise pedlar to help keep the muscle strength in my leg. Keeping walking as much as you can should help as well but I totally understand it’s not likely to be to the same as pre stroke.
Hope your recovery is going ok.
Best wishes
Ann
Before my stroke I attended a chair Pilates class in my local town, I have arthritic knees so can’t get up and down off the floor easily, I plan to go back to it eventually, I’m only 12 weeks post stroke so a bit early yet…it’s worth looking to see if you have a local class, our instructor is also a physio, the members of the class had many problems, post stroke, heart, arthritis and more so the instructor was very careful and mindful of all abilities….her main aim was to deal with balance and coordination, exactly what’s needed post stroke…she maintained that even sitting down we were doing the same Pilates exercises as those able to stand and lie on the floor….obviously you need to make sure any instructor is mindful of your needs…
Hello @caer_luel and welcome to the forum
I totally with you about the assisted pedals, have one myself though not needed it for a few years now. And it’s one I completely forgot about using in my early post stroke recovery as well as after my hip replacement several years before the stroke.
It’s certainly a good one for help strengthening knees, thighs and butts and easy to use. Easy to use and pack away because it’s small (unlike a stationary bike), a lot cheaper too It’s best if you are sitting in an upright chair when using it, and you can be reading or watching tv while you use it
I have one like the cheaper one in your pics. 3 years on I still can’t use it whilst doing anything else. My brain can still only cope with one thing at a time. I had plans to use mine at my desk for work so I could pedal whilst working so still get some exercise in. The only problem is if I pedal my hands stop typing or if my hands keep typing my feet stop pedalling 
I guess the thought was there
