Don’t Let Injury Sabotage Your Workout Routine

“Stay off your foot as much as possible.” Active people really hate to hear those words! Anyone who’s used to a particular fitness routine is loath to give it up for a bunch of reasons. For one thing, if you’re used to being active, it can be pretty boring sitting around with your foot elevated. For another, it can be tough to find the motivation to get back into your routine when you’re forced to take time off because of an injury.
But what if, instead of taking time off, you could just change up your activity? Dr. Craig B. Frey and Dr. Megan L. Oltmann of Foot & Ankle Associates of Cleveland are strong proponents of maintaining an active lifestyle. But if we tell you you’ve got to rest an ankle sprain, wear a boot, or give time for your plantar fasciitis inflammation to die down, it doesn’t mean you have to be a couch potato.
Here are some ideas for staying active even with an injury to your foot or ankle. A word of caution: as long as you’re nursing an injury, check with us, your primary care doctor, or physical therapist before beginning any exercise routine. The last thing you want is to slow down the healing process or make an injury worse.
Do an upper body workout
To avoid putting weight on your injured foot, you can perform an upper body workout while seated. With or without weights, perform lifts and punches that not only tone your arms but can really get your heart rate up. Ideas include spinning your arms forward and backward like you’re jumping rope and boxing your arms upward, downward, and outward to work the abs as well as the arms.
Get in the pool
Your feet won’t bear any body weight while you’re swimming, so swimming laps or joining a USA Master’s swimming club can be a great way to get a full-body workout without endangering your foot injury.
Focus on the core
Exercises that focus on strengthening your abdominal muscles and lower back, especially those that can be done while sitting or lying on the floor or a stability ball, are other great options.
It’s frustrating when you can’t work out as you planned. You could get angry and depressed. You could gain weight. Or you could find some creative ways to keep as fit as you can while your foot heals. If you’d like more suggestions, you can reach us at our podiatry office in Solon, Ohio by phone at (440) 903-1041 or online.