Working Around an Injury
 

*I hope I've put this in the correct forum, it's an obstacle but perhaps not as much so as some of the things mentioned in this forum*

Anyways, I (quite badly) sprained my ankle tonight playing Ultimate Frisbee and am pretty concerned about how I'm going to manage working out for the rest of the week :?: This is the first major injury I've had since I started on my weight loss journey and now that I can't work out I'm worried the last week or so is just going to go to waste and that this next week will just make things worse (in terms of losing weight) :(

Right now I can barely put 20% of my body weight on my ankle, so pretty much all cardio machines are out... including biking. So I guess my question is, have you ever had to work around an injury for a week or so and if so, what did you do? What kinds of exercises? Did you eat less because you knew you couldn't exercise as much? I'm currently calorie counting and trying to stick to 1200-1300 calories a day, so eating less may not be a very good idea :shrug:

Thank you for your help in advance! :hug:

E

I got a bad sprain on my ankle about 18 months ago from running, and like you i could hardly walk. It was at the start of my weght loss journey and I was worried I'd 'fall off the wagon' by not being able to cope with the time off. But i just had to take a break for a few days to completely heal, and it actually reinforced my resolve to lose weight. Sometimes your body and mind need to rest and u'll only get stronger. Just continue eating healthy.

1)You could try sitting in a chair and boxing in the air with light weights, 2lbs should do, you could vary/increase it according to your energy levels. It's a good cardio workout.

2)You could also do pushups on your knees, with your feet off the floor. This won't put any strain on your injury.

3)Eagle crunches, where you place your injured ankle on the opposite knee, and fold the elbow corresponding with the injured aknle under the opposite arm so that your arms are locked. Then either lift just your upper body in a crunch or simultaneously lift your legs in a double crunch.

4) Bicycle Crunches

The above ideas are all great! If you have access to weights or a gym, a lot of lifting can be done without putting weight on your ankle. And of course building muscle = faster metabolism = more weight loss! Your options are definitely not limited to cardio.

I hope you get better soon! Remember, the most important thing is to take all the time you need to be well. I wouldn't use my ankle for exercise purposes until a few days even after I was feeling 100%, just to be safe.

Oh, I like those ideas, thank you! :hug:

My doctor told me today that I have to stay off of it for another 7-10 days :( I already miss cardio... I didn't think I would ever say that, haha.

I sprained my ankle at work 3 months ago... I've put on 20 lbs since then!!! My jeans won't fit anymore, so I decided I need to do SOMETHING... Because my injury as taken so long to heal and I am allowed minimal walking (no more than 10 min/ hr) I get my exercise at physical therapy and my doctor has put me on a "no calories after 5pm diet". I just started it on monday and have already lost 6 lbs!!! I have been trying to find something more that I could do (I want to swim, but it's very difficult for me to get to the pool!). Your ideas have all been helpful... thank you for sharing!!