Non-Weight Bearing Fitness Ideas

Non-Weight Bearing Fitness Ideas after Achilles Injury

If you are an active person, one of the worst things you can do is injure yourself and take one of your legs out of commission. When your doctor tells you that you cannot bear any weight on one leg, you might automatically wonder how you are going to keep yourself physically fit while you recover. The good news is that while you will have to change your workouts to accommodate your injury, there are still things you can do to keep up with your fitness challenges. Here are a few suggestions.

Walk

If you enjoy walking and running, you might think that having only one working leg will rule out such exercise. After all, who wants to crutch themselves any farther than they have to? If you get the best crutches for non-weight bearing, however, you will find that you can comfortably move yourself wherever you want to go. That means walking around the block in your neighborhood or even around the local mall. Walking is a great way to stretch the muscles in your other leg and get your blood moving around and pumping a bit. Once you recover, you will have to build the strength in your injured leg back up, but at least you will not lose ground on both legs.

Resistance Training

Many people focus their workouts completely on cardio and do not do much resistance training. When you are in the non-weight bearing mode, you have the perfect opportunity to do a little weight training. Focus on your upper body and build up the muscles like your biceps, triceps, and other areas. You can also work on your abdominal muscles, which can really improve your body in many areas. You will not be putting any pressure on your injury, but you will still get a good workout. Plus, you might find that you like this type of workout and keep it in your rotation later.

Use Your Leg

If you want to break a sweat, you can even do a few things that use your injured leg. For example, hold your leg out in front of you when you are seated and twirl it around. This will use your abdominal muscles as well as some upper leg muscles, but it won’t put any pressure on your injury. Make sure that any exercise you do use your bad leg has been cleared by your doctor or physical therapist. Some of these exercises can really help your recovery process, but you do not want to do anything to hinder your progress.

Keep in mind that your goal needs to be on your recovery process. You will need extra rest, and you do not want to push yourself too far. Exercise is a good way to keep yourself healthy and fit so that you can aid your body in healing itself. Just make sure you listen to your body as well. Never work out when you feel tired and ensure that you rest when you feel you need it.