If you have slowly worked on your fitness journey over time and finally have it in a place where it's become habit or better yet, a lifestyle, the idea of going into surgery and a long term recovery can really set you in a tailspin. It's frustrating enough not being able to do the things you love like running or cycling but to also lose the muscle tone you've worked so hard for can be a little depressing too.
I'm lucky enough to have made it through foot surgery and my first week post op recovery fairly well. I've been cleared to do core and upperbody exercise too. Lower body exercises and cardio are pretty much off limits for the time being so I thought I'd strictly focus on getting my abs ready for bikinis and arms ready for tank tops since Summer is right around the corner! Silver lining!
My next appointment is coming up later this week but when I get there, my first question will be if I can add lower body exercises that don't infringe upon my foot or require any weight bearing on it.
I've been putting a list of ideas to put a regimen together that can be helpful to other people working out while they have a bum foot or leg and don't necessarily want to lose all the muscle gains in their legs and booty (like me).
Cardio:
Swimming and or Aqua Jog - Depending on the injury, this could be a possibility (maybe later on for me) because it is low impact.
Arm Cycle / Bike /Ergometer - Exactly how it sounds, basically cranking your arms around in circular motion (forwards and/or back) with added resistance and speed. (I found this machine at the gym yesterday right when I was walking out - seems like a great way to get the heart rate up!
Because I like to be thorough, I did a little search and also found some other upper body cardio that you can do from bed! LOL. Here is the video for your enjoyment:
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| Arm Bike |
Seated hip adductor & abductor machines
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| Adductor (Inner thigh, hip flexors) |
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| Abductor (Gluteus Medius & Maximus) |
Body weight exercises:
There are a bunch but Caroline Jordan has a couple of YouTube videos demonstrating some. Take a look, I am going to be doing these as soon as I get the go ahead!
Hope you find these helpful and get motivated to get your exercise in despite the injury. Just be sure to talk to your doctor FIRST and get them ok'd and listen to your body. You'd hate to add injury and recovery time to your sentence!
Best,
Valerie
