Staying Active While Injured
I don’t like to stop.
I am one of those people who find exhausting themselves with a workout rewarding, I like racing around trying to fit everything in – I often start early in the day and seek satisfaction in heading up to bed with my mind whizzing in 100 different directions…
It’s not always easy to keep very healthy balance with this mindset and when I injured my ankle I was forced to take a step back. Even though my injury is minor and hopefully only short term; I couldn’t bounce out of bed and run, spring into a burpee or jumping jack.
Hell – Even hobbling about in our home or office was hard for the first few day’s, I sat all day in my socks and spent Monday being served drinks by kind colleagues.
If I’m really honest? A big part of me felt like sitting on the sofa, eating chocolate, shopping online and feeling sorry for myself.
I allowed myself a couple of indulgent evening’s doing just that, I don’t feel guilty at all.
Can we please just take a moment to remind ourselves that the internet is not one big ‘guilt trip’? just because so and so is drinking green smoothies and running 15 miles a day..It doesn’t mean that you are less fit, active, brilliant or whatever…
Due to the fact being active is very important to me, I started looking into different ways to workout. To compliment this I have kept a reasonable balance on my nutritional choices, I tend to feel sluggish If I eat a lot of junk and I wanted to remain energized/feeling well.
Here’s what I’ve tried:
Pilates – I went for pilates over yoga as I fancied a change, I loved this video from ‘Fitness Blender’. For the ‘cardio’ moves I remained standing and moved my upper body or did a very gentle, low key variation.
*Useful Links – Daily Burn – Blogilates
Weight Lifting/Core Work – There are many different weights workouts you can do with little impact on lower body and my first workout was mainly on the bench or floor. For once I had no excuses but to work on my core (much neglected) and I really felt that arm and shoulder pump! As I’ve felt stronger I’ve gradually included some lighter dead lifts, squats and kettlebell work.
*Useful Links – Workout Labs – Body Building.com
Swimming/Aqua Jogging – Whilst looking for way’s I could remain active I came across ‘Aqua Jogging’ and realised gleefully that there was pool within 5 minutes walk from our house. Quickly I downloaded the timetable, dug out my cossie and borrowed G’s goggles – 6.50am the following morning I was swimming lengths and really feeling the DOMS! Aqua jogging was rather hard, I started by jogging up and down in water that was around waist deep and then moved into the deeper water. I also added in a few rounds of holding onto the side and jogging ‘on the spot’ as fast as I could and then whilst holding my upper body up out of the water and repeating the move again.
*Useful Links – Aqua Jogger – Aqua Jogging Workouts
What else can you do?
Depending on injury you may enjoy the following: Yoga, Walking, Rowing, stationary biking or the elliptical machine.
Talk to me : Have you ever been injured before? How did you deal with it? Any workouts you can recommend?
Katie
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