do I do to keep up my progress? I'm thinking that working one arm wouldn't be a good idea? Maybe do legs three days a week? I think I would do okay on the stationery bike for cardio. Suggestions? (At least I can type with my left hand!)
As a President of the Broken Bone Society (I average one about every 5 years), I wouldn't suggest anything where you could possibly fall.
Maybe a recoumbant bike?
Also, do you have a removable cast? If it's not removable and you're exercising, the cast and your arm could get really stinky.
Hope you're better sooner rather than later! And after it's healed, make sure you get some exercises from your doc to get strength back in your arm. 7 years later, my right arm is still considerably weaker than my left because instead of exercising it after it was healed, I just compensated by using my left arm for most everythign.
When I had my shoulder surgery last year, I wasn't allowed to do any upper body exercises for three months, so I feel your pain. For cardio, I did the elliptical and recumbent bike and both should be OK for you so long as bouncing around doesn't make it hurt. I'm not a treadmill user but that should be OK for walking but I don't think you'd want to run due to balance issues.
I did legs three times a week too but you'll be surprised by the number of leg exercises that use arms: squats (unless you just use bodyweight), stiff legged dead lifts, hack squat machine, leg press (to release the handles), to name a few. Any DB or BB involves your arms and a lot of machines need hands to adjust seats and positions etc. You're going to have to be creative!
Don't work the uninjured side while the injured one is healing. You'd only create more of a strength discrepancy than you're already going to have when the cast comes off.
The plus side is that you'll learn how to be ambidextrous - I even can put on eyeliner with my left hand now!
If you do cardio and get sweaty under the cast, I have the ultimate trick for you to keep smelliness and dampness, not to mention itchiness, down.
Get a blowdryer with a "cool" setting (not just low - the air needs to be cool). Turn it on, point it down the cast, and keep going until the cast is competely dry.
This will prevent it from getting stinky, but also help when you start itching inside the cast. This was my post-cardio solution when i was in a cast.
Try recumbent bikes and elliptical, do some LB workouts, and work your abs! There are plenty of crunch variations you can do that don't require much arm, especially if your cast doesn't encompass your elbow.
Oh Sheila! I'm so sorry this has happened to you. I don't have advice to add. The recumbent bike would probably be my choice of cardio too. I hope these six weeks fly by for you!
There are some conflicting studies on the worth of working the uninjured side. Yes, it make you more unbalanced, but some believe that firing the neurons on one side still fires them bilaterally without actually moving the muscle, which keeps the neural pathways alive. The end result is less atrophy. In the case of a surgically repaired muscle or tendon, like Meg's shoulder, this is a bad ida. With a broken bone and no muscle damage, it might not be so bad.
It's still debated in exercise physiology journals. Be careful! No balance disks!
Sheila I'm so sorry to hear about your arm. That bites, major. I have never broken anything more serious than a fingernail so I have no advice either but I do have best wishes for your recovery.
BTW Mel, I'm impressed about your eyeliner skills. I can't put that stuff on with either arm.
Ugh Sheila! That's a terrible thing to have happen. I've never broken a limb only my nose so I can't do anything but commiserate. I hope you recovery is quick.
If you do cardio and get sweaty under the cast, I have the ultimate trick for you to keep smelliness and dampness, not to mention itchiness, down.
Get a blowdryer with a "cool" setting (not just low - the air needs to be cool). Turn it on, point it down the cast, and keep going until the cast is competely dry.
This will prevent it from getting stinky, but also help when you start itching inside the cast. This was my post-cardio solution when i was in a cast.
This is quite possibly the most clever idea I've ever heard. I'll keep that in mind next time I'm in a cast.
Thanks everyone! Went to the gym today and did 35 min. on the bike plus some leg work. Discovered that, yes, upper body is required on some things, like leg press, which I couldn't do. Also did some one-handed things after reading Mel's post and talking to some others at the gym. Not sleeping well so I got tired faster than I'd like, but will go back tomorrow. Time to rest now . . .
Broke my arm--six weeks to heal--what. . .
Sheila - I'm so sorry!
