OK, I have been away from the boards for a few weeks as I got back into my routine with kids and work. I came back to work full time, 2 weeks ago and its been he!!. I am flat out drained by 2pm, my foot is slightly swollen and sore. But I am back into my routine. Since my surgery I came off weight watchers, it was the only thing I could really do as all I wanted was comforting, easy and quick meals, that either myself or my husband could do. All of which were not at all Weight Watcher friendly.
I am recommitting myself to the "diet" on Thursday, when I normally went to meetings.
My question to everyone is, I cannot do this successfully without exercising. I cant walk too long, cant do any mchns or classes. What can I do without hurting myself and burn calories and boost my metabolism?
Your best bet for exercising is going to be anything in the water. If you have access to a pool, you can do all sorts of excercises without putting any excess stress on your foot or ankle.
Another good choice is a recumbant bike. I can't remember off the top of my head what type of surgery you had, but in most cases the bike won't load your tendons or stress the foot/ankle.
You can also do isometric-type exercises (although these aren't cardiovascular) and remember that stretching is important also.
In your post you said that you can't do any machines - is it because you don't have access to them or are you afraid you'll hurt yourself?
I read a post where someone was able to ride her bike easier by wearing hard soled shoes so the weight was distributed more evenly. I'm not sure what your foot allows as far as footwear with your swelling but you might try this with the recumbent bike. I love the recumbents at my health club.
Also, as far as getting back on track with your meals, etc., try gentle beta endorphin (BE) raisers such as yoga. You crave fats and sweets and food that is not good for you when your BEs are low. Normally cardio exercise raises endorphins but if you are not able to do cardio, try yoga which is a great endorphin raiser.
My physical therapist is a competitive cyclist. He also told me about the hard-soled shoes. I find that when I ride the bikes at the gym, after about 12-15 minutes my foot starts falling asleep. My phys. therapist said that the hard-soled shoes help minimize this because they prevent the bike petal from pushing into your foot and cutting off circulation.
I wish I had a stationary bike....All I have in my house is one of those eliptical things, a few free weights, and an exercise ball. My thoughts are I can do tons of floor exercises with ankle weights, sit ups,push ups, upper body stuff with weights. I hope that is enough.
I wish I had access to a pool or a gym, but I have 2 young kids, tight budget, and a hubby who is petrified to be alone with the kids for an extended amount of time, that is why he bought me the elipitcal.
Not sure if the eliptical mchns will be OK if I wear the surgical shoe, it may be OK, but I havent attempted it yet. I go back to the dr for a 6 week (I think) post op xray and check up/in. If I think of it, I will ask the dr.
to debincalif - I am doing flex. I tried core for about a week and it was too easy for me to overeat. Flex has the strictness I need. Are you a fellow WW member?
I did not have surgery, but am continuing to have a 5ht metatarsal fracture heal. Today I was just told I could wear any athletic shoe that was stable and comfortable enough. When I asked about exercise I was told no to the treadmill and elliptical because whether we are aware or not, our feet twist a bit (some more than others) in the movement of walking or the elliptical. He did not want my foot repetitively twisting at the speed one would ordinarily go on the elliptical. I have to stick with doing floor and stretching exercises. You could put a call to your doc and ask what he/she thinks.
i agree with everyone. just the bike, but i would wait until you see your dr. the elyptical would come after the bike. does your local highschool offer a swim aerobic class?
You can do a TON of exercises on the ball... do a web search and you'll find a lot of information out there. It's excellent for core strength, too, which will help as you go through physical therapy.
As to WW, I've done it off and on for years (currently "off"). I know how it is to overeat on the core program - a lot of people out here do "flor" where they eat core, but track points like flex. I'm basically eating core foods right now, but am really limiting the amount of animal products I'm eating (all meats & dairy) and am eating a TON of veggies, fruits, and limited amounts of whole grains. I've been successfully getting a lot of weight off this way... and having all the background info. from WW meetings helps a lot.
I know having the extra weight (for me, anyway) is making it much harder to go through physical therapy, and I know getting it off and keeping it off will be so beneficial to my foot.
