Good cardio for a very thin girls....

It's not for me but for my friend who lost weight through aggressive fasting diet. She lost so many weight and needs to put some muscle back.
However, strength exercises like push up or crunch are even too hard for her.  So I suggested her to start walking as walking should increase her inner muscle.

BUT THEN, she got a joint pain in her knees... She is so weak....

Maybe bicycle ride???  I know cardio is for losing weight.  But I'm looking for some exercise that even very very weak people can strengthen their muscle.

Any suggestion???

As for myself, I have been losing extra fat without losing any muscle and getting stronger than ever with Scooby's workout.
I can do unassisted pull-ups and maybe I could swim all through Atlantic to meet with Scooby in US from Japan :-)



Love, Omatsu

Thank you, Michael!

It's very common among Japanese young girls to go fasting diet to get fast result. This is causing either eating disorder or damage to physique. Honestly, I'm very surprised even walking hurts her.

She is seeking medical advice from a doctor and should be okay now :-)

I hope she didn't diet so agressively that she has lost connective tissue and bone as well as muscle. That could account for the joint pain. Michael's suggestion of water aerobics is excellent as the bouyancy protects joints and helps support a weak frame. Swimming several different strokes is also effective from both cardiovascular and general muscle development and conditioning. In her very weakened condition, a trip to her physician is in order before she begins any program.

If she is to progress, she is going to have to learn to eat properly. You cannot build a malnourished body. If she has developed an eating disorder, it must be treated along with her physical care.

Starvation diets are never the answer. They can cause loss of muscle, connective tissue, bone, and even wasting of vital organs. They stunt growth and healing and can even damage the brain and heart. I'm not talking about properly supervised fasts by healthy people who understand the physiology involved. I'm talking about ridiculously low caloric intake and/or extremely unbalanced nutrition as an act of desperation for the loss of any form of weight, not just excess fat.

I can't speak for all men, but I find healthy, active, and strong much more physically attractive than sickly, weak and stick thin. I look at some runway models and am repulsed by their almost skeletal forms. 10 pounds of muscle and 10 pounds of fat would do wonders for many in the fashion industry. Contrary to popular opinion, yes, you can be too thin. There is a big difference between lean and fit and just plain scrawny and malnourished.

Cardio/aerobic exercise is for improving cardiovascular and respiratory performance including endurance. Done with some intensity, like HIIT, it can build muscle.

Eating at a caloric deficit is for losing weight.

Combining the two increases the effectiveness of the later, but without the later, the former will not cause weight loss. Cardio/aerobic activity with a caloric excess will result in weight gain, even though physical condition may improve.

Hope fully she will get back in shape soon. Yet another lesson that starving yourself is very bad for your health!!!

girl I mean knee pushups and lots of protein, and planks, will get her somewhere