I have bad knees, so I understand. Pilates is wonderful, as is weight training. My doctor told me the worst exercise for your knees is the one where you wrap your feet around the weights (sitting down on the machine) and then lift. Your knees go from bent, to straight, with the weights. Bad juju!

He said the best thing to do to strengthen the knees is to sit on the couch (or where ever) and just hold your leg out straight. He said if you can do that for a full 15 minutes, your knees will be much better. You're apparently building the muscles that surround the knee and support it.

By the way, weight training is the best way to lose weight. I played racquetball for two years. The first year I never lost an ounce, even with all that exercise. The next year, I also joined a gym and did weights. I looked the best I had looked in years; I was slim, strong, and felt great!

(Now I need to be motivated to do that again!)

Kathy