Desperate for fresh air and exercise!!

kathg

Hi all. some advice needed please...
I had foot surgery on 16th January and after a couple of weeks of doing nothing except elevating foot and swallowing pain killers I have now moved on to doing ab work, sitting weights (just bicep curls and shoulder presses) and a brisk walk up a hill on my crutches (about half a mile) whenever its not raining.
The problem is my arms get really tired using crutches for any longer and my wrists are starting to hurt. I'm finding my arms are getting tired before I actually start puffing so am struggling to get any sort of aerobic exercise. My bike fitness has been really hard won and I'm getting depressed at the thought of another couple of months with no riding and getting so little fresh air and exercise. It's really amazing how dependent I seem to have become on riding for making me feel happy and healthy. Am def starting to feel a bit down in the dumps
So, any ideas for a) strengthening muscles specific for using crutches and b) any other exercises that could be done to maintain a bit of fitness (bearing in mind I can't use an exercise bike for another few weeks). Any tips gratefully received!!

Kathg

Stevo_666

Can you go swimming for a bit of aerobic exercise? No pressure on the foot and you can always swim with just your arms if kicking is a problem.

Muscle-wise I'm guessing its your triceps and latissimus dorsi (the ones below and slightly to the back of your armpits)that need building up to keep you up on crutches. So maybe press-ups - resting on your knees rather than your feet - and push ups - imagine sitting in an arm chair, put your hands on the arms and push up to lift your body up off the seat. All do-able in the comfort of your living room :-)

t.m.h.n.e.t

Swimming with a pull buoy?

kathg

Thanks guys.. will check with doc re. swimming pool. Stitches area not completely sealed up yet so possible infection may be an issue? But some good ideas for arm strengthening. Cheers!

Kathg

Stevo_666

kathg wrote:

Thanks guys.. will check with doc re. swimming pool. Stitches area not completely sealed up yet so possible infection may be an issue? But some good ideas for arm strengthening. Cheers!

Kathg

Best check with the doc if your stiches haven't healed properly but I always thought the chlorine put paid to most bacterial nasties in the pool.

Best of luck, I've been out of action due to injury/ops a couple of times and I remember how far up the wall the lack of exercise/fresh air etc drove me.