[Margarita]

I've been doing really well with sticking to my exercise routine up till now, but this week I've run into a snag.

I'm working for a temp agency, which is sending me to a factory for this week and next. That means I've been on my feet eight hours a day, on a concrete floor. Even though I wear the best shoes I can with good arch supports, my feet are no good for any sort of workout by the time I get home. I've tried to counter this by stopping at a gym right after work and using the exercycle, but today, even that was too much on my foot. Swimming is out of the question. The only pool I can use is at a local military base, and there is just no way I'm putting this overweight, middle-aged body into a swimsuit that displays all the blobs and bulges to a bunch of young fit, airmen. I'm way too self-conscious for that. But is there something I'm missing? Is there any form of aerobic exercise, other than swimming and biking, that doesn't require being on your feet?

[kykaree]

Have you got access to a rowing machine? I did that when I sprained my ankle, to try and get it used to bending again without weight bearing.

What are your working out trainers like (um sportshoes whatever you call em over there!! I get so confused having to be multilingual ) I bought some horrendously expensive Mizuno Wave Nirvana fitted professionally and they have made a big difference to my foot pain. Still being heavy puts a lot of pressure on our poor feet, doesn't it?

[Firmgirl]

Have you considered subbing cardio for another typr of excercise?
I have flat feet and somedays my feet hurt too much to be on them, so I do lying side floor leg work, or weight lifting for the upper body, or pilates or yoga (or combo of the 2 for core training.)
If yoga/pilates aren't forms you like, you might want to lift weights b/c it has been proven that training with weights can give you the same cardio benefits as cardio only workouts.

[Margarita]

A rowing machine, duh! Why didn't I think of that? I'm pretty sure they have a rowing machine at the gym. I also have a Pilates tape that I've been meaning to try, but I've been neglecting it in favor of aerobics to try to build up some endurance first for a race in two months. Maybe I should alternate a day of rowing with a day of Pilates while I'm on this job.

The custom shoes sound wonderful, but they'll have to wait till I find a job that pays decently. After this assigment ends, I'll be telling the temp agency that I can't accept any more of this type of work, at least not till I lose more weight. I'm not sacrificing my feet for minimum wage.

Thanks for the ideas, Kykaree and Firmgirl!