I have injured my foot and currently have no medical insurance so going to the doctor is not possible. Anyway, I don't have access to a swimming pool and I have checked the local YMCA for classes and there is nothing for me. (I don't know if I could show myself in a swimsuit anyway.)

I am just starting....AGAIN. I don't want to starve myself and I really need to get some weight off. My injury keeps me from doing any cardio...any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks.

[freshmanweightorbust]

Depending on how badly your foot is injured, you could probably still do what my friend and I call floor exercises.

The Jane Fonda: lie on your side with your legs straight and slowly lift one leg into the air repeatedly. You'll feel this one in your thighs.

The Fire Hydrant: get on the floor on your hands and knees and slowly extend one leg behind you, as high in the air and as straight as you can, fifteen times right leg, fifteen times left leg. Then, keeping the knee bent, lift your right leg out to the side (imitating a dog having a potty break) fifteen times. Repeat with the left leg.

Reverse Crunches (easier than regular crunches/sit-ups): Lie on your back on the floor with your head near the couch or a STURDY piece of furniture. Place your hands back behind your head to steady yourself using the furniture. Bend your knees and place both feet flat on the floor. Slowly bring your bent knees up to your chest and relax back to the resting position. I started with ten at a time and a rest, then ten more, and worked my way up to 30 at a time.

Overhead claps: self-explanatory. Keep your arms straight, palms up, twenty at a time. Then turn your palms forward and do twenty more. Follow these with twenty lifting gestures (my friend and I call these "raise the roofs" cause they resemble the dance move), extending your arms to a full upward stretch every time and lowering them no more than to the level of your shoulders. Go slowly with these, you'll get more out of it.

All of these exercises can build and tone muscles all over the body, although I'm afraid none of them really burn fat. Hopefully, they'll help keep you in shape until you can get your injury sorted out, and then you'll be able to get back into the swing of working out with less of a shock, since you'll still be used to being semi-active. Also, none of them place any significant weight on the feet. I hope you'll get lots of good advice on how to burn fat without hurting your foot. I'll have to check this thread later myself, I've got a touch of fasciitis in my left foot that's flaring up on me again.

Thanks "freshman" for the tips. I have am familiar with those exercises and yes I will try them.

Thanks~
~Anita

[photoRuth]

google chair exercise- when my grandma was recovering from a broken hip her phy therapist had her do all kinds of stuff in her chair to keep her lungs/ heart working hard like they would need to when she was walking again.

I did them with her one day (at my own much faster pace) and my heart rate was up and I would have broke a sweat if I kept it up.

[Lessofmaur]

My local public TV station has a few shows that are geared toward chair exercising. Maybe you can flip through your local channels to see if you can find a 30-minute exercise show. It is also possible your local library would have exercise DVDs that would be helpful.