What would you do to keep fit?

[Lil Skater]

Hi guys!

It just so happens that I got some really bad news last night...

I was at training and fell badly on my ankle, now I need surgery to put a pin in my ankle and I get to wear a sexy ski boot for the next 3 months, no skating, driving or exercise.

So my question for anyone willing to help out, what would you do to keep fit in this situation?

The main parts I need to target are my legs and core area. I usually skate about 5 times a week and it keeps me really fit. Obviously after the 3 months I want to be getting back to skating as soon as possible, with as much muscle left as possible and avoid putting on weight.

So I was thinking of doing Lite 'n' Easy (or similar) for the next 3 months that way I don't eat like I would when training and wouldn't put on a lot of weight (hopefully!). Do you think this is a good place to start with keeping my weight down? Or have you tried these programs and did they work and were they worth the cash?

The reason why I was thinking something like this is because it's around the same cost that I spend on food per week anyway, plus it's convenient as I often find myself driving to Woolies or Coles to buy things that I need for dinner or lunch. This way if I get lunches and dinners delivered and I won't need to bug my boyfriend to take me down the shop or go down there for me.

The boyfriend mentioned looking at a rowing machine for the upper body and core muscles which I might look into, but my main concern is my leg muscles and losing the strength in them, I know i'll lose the muscle memory that i've built up, but if I can avoid losing most of muscle that would be good. Any suggestions?

Final question, has anyone had one of the super glamorous ski boots before? What should I prepare myself for? I hadn't had plaster before now and I'm struggling with the thing it's just a really strange feeling..

 

[dan c]

Ouch! Sorry to hear about your bad news.

A rowing machine is a good idea, it will help your core and general fitness. An exercise bike, once you can push the pedals, would help with your legs and overall fitness.

I had a serious knee operation about 15 months ago (3 days in hospital, thigh to ankle brace, crutches for 6 weeks) and the muscles in my leg just wasted away. But, once I was able to get back to walking and bike / rowing machine / leg press etc, my leg came back to normal really quickly.

I personally wouldn't bother with a change of diet. It may be worthwhile, like you said, for convenience but, if you're like me, you'll find you don't feel like eating as much anyway.

All the best with your procedure and recovery.

 

[Hados]

Diet might not be such a bad idea...

I seriously injured my ankle mid season playing football and was out for 6 weeks. I put on 8 kilos during that time simply because i wasn't able to train or move like i normally would.
I've seen people at the gym work on rowing machines with their bad leg on the ground so you're essentially using one leg and all upper body.

Good luck with your recovery, hope everything works out and you're as good as new afterwards

 

[Indifference]

Sorry to here that Lil.

I have had quite a few serious injuries over the years and I have one word for you: HYDRO. There are a range of excercises you will be able to progressively perform in the pool, long before you can anywhere else.

Once the injury is stabilised you should be able to do most upper body work and some gyms have upper body cycles which will allow you get a cardio workout (ie. burn calories)

One bit of caution as a multiple knee op veteran, Be careful with the legs.... you will find that a bit of wastage will occur with the bad one. Expect this and don't overwork the other one in the meantime. My 2 chicken legs were noticeably different sizes after 4 months... not an attractive nor functional look. Especially for a woman.

I hope this helps, and I wish you a speedy and full recovery

 

[Dazz]

My question for anyone willing to help out, what would you do to keep fit in this situation?

The main parts I need to target are my legs and core area.

With one ankle out of play, I'd do ;

• One leg 'leg press'
• One leg rowing
• Plenty of crunchies and sit-ups

All of the upper body stuff - { bench press, incline press, shoulder press, lat pull downs, curls, dips }


If one half of your lower body is out of action, why not look on it as a great opportunity to get your upper body in great shape.


Don't worry about the boot looking daggy, it's supposed to perform a function, not look glamorous.

P.S. Look after your back - the extra strain on one side will have an effect.

 

[Ausprop]

i spent a year on crutches. the feeling each time the plaster came off my left leg was pure elation... you realise then the small things you take for granted.

 

[mary&mat]

Oh Lil, that's not good!

I was thinking the pool option too. Not sure if you're getting plaster?

The boot's pretty cumbersome; a girl a work had one for a while. It was actually fairly lightweight, just awkward.

Those 'Light n Easy' meals...hmmm...is it better to still just cook your normal food & that way you know exactly what's in it? Just lower the portion sizings if you're worried about weight.

Wishing you all the best for the op

 

[sfulop]

Hi Sam,

Not good to hear at all - I hope the operation and recovery goes well for you!

In terms of keeping fit, I think some of the suggestions above are certainly worthwhile. Minimise the calorie intake by making sure your looking at ALL the nutritional information on all the foods your eating. Even though something may be low in saturated fat, make sure you're also looking at the sugar and sodium levels. Compare these to RDI's. Dazz and others mention still working the other leg and upper body - this is 100% correct. Don't overdo it, because the last thing you want is to prolong your recovery even more. Remember, have fun!

Best wishes,
Steve

 

[Lil Skater]

Thanks for all your replies everyone!

A rowing machine is a good idea, it will help your core and general fitness. An exercise bike, once you can push the pedals, would help with your legs and overall fitness.

I had a serious knee operation about 15 months ago (3 days in hospital, thigh to ankle brace, crutches for 6 weeks) and the muscles in my leg just wasted away.

I personally wouldn't bother with a change of diet.

Yeah, the boyfriend said even if it doesn't work my lower body as much it's great for keeping up the fitness, so I think i'll jump on Google and Ebay to see what I can find. I'd assume the bike would be cheaper though, plus if i'm looking for my legs this may be a better option because there's plenty of exercises that I can do for core strength.

Ouch! I've seen one of those braces they don't look very fun!

I find that I eat a lot of bad foods, but because of my sport I keep my weight down. For instance, I'm having a block of chocolate for lunch because there's no bread or anything in this place at the moment

Diet might not be such a bad idea...

I seriously injured my ankle mid season playing football and was out for 6 weeks. I put on 8 kilos during that time simply because i wasn't able to train or move like i normally would.

Yeah, I put on weight really, really easily and it's always a struggle to get rid of it. I remember when I worked full time for a while I quit skating for about two and lost all my muscle and it hasn't been the same since. I did lose a lot of weight in that instance because I did a stupid "diet", but every time I injure myself I notice that even the smallest break I have from skating I put on a fair amount of weight!

I have had quite a few serious injuries over the years and I have one word for you: HYDRO. There are a range of excercises you will be able to progressively perform in the pool, long before you can anywhere else.

One bit of caution as a multiple knee op veteran, Be careful with the legs.... you will find that a bit of wastage will occur with the bad one. Expect this and don't overwork the other one in the meantime. My 2 chicken legs were noticeably different sizes after 4 months... not an attractive nor functional look. Especially for a woman.

I don't think I'm able to take the boot off? I guess i'll find that out closer to the weekend though, but at the moment I have a temporary cast (Damn heavy thing!)

Haha, yeah, that's one of my concerns too, a while back when I had a knee operation I had strange looking legs for a while

With one ankle out of play, I'd do ;

• One leg 'leg press'
• One leg rowing
• Plenty of crunchies and sit-ups

All of the upper body stuff - { bench press, incline press, shoulder press, lat pull downs, curls, dips }


If one half of your lower body is out of action, why not look on it as a great opportunity to get your upper body in great shape.


Don't worry about the boot looking daggy, it's supposed to perform a function, not look glamorous.

P.S. Look after your back - the extra strain on one side will have an effect.

Only problem with the one leg thing is as above, different sized legs!

I do plan on doing quite a bit of work on my upper body because I have a huge insecurity with my arms at the moment and it will give me a chance to work off the small amount of baby fat I still have lingering!

I'm just upset that I won't be able to wear high heels for the next 3 months, I mean, you've seen the size of me, I need my heels!!

I didn't think about my back! That may not be too pretty as I broke that a few years back too and already have enough problems with it!

i spent a year on crutches. the feeling each time the plaster came off my left leg was pure elation... you realise then the small things you take for granted.

I agree, I've never had plaster before but it's so heavy! I have trouble getting into bed because just lifting it is so painful! I think once I get my skates back on I'll realise just how light they are!

I was thinking the pool option too. Not sure if you're getting plaster?

The boot's pretty cumbersome; a girl a work had one for a while. It was actually fairly lightweight, just awkward.

Those 'Light n Easy' meals...hmmm...is it better to still just cook your normal food & that way you know exactly what's in it? Just lower the portion sizings if you're worried about weight.

Well I've got plaster at the moment, I just broke the towel rail in the bathroom trying to have a bath, so I'm really hoping that I'll still be allowed to shower because I cannot stand baths!

Lightweight is good, cause this plaster is so heavy and I think even though it's holding my foot in place it's causing more pain because lifting it is fairly excruciating for the time being, something about my bones being detached from each other i'd say....

Haha, only problem is, I hardly cook my own food anyway. I don't cook very well and can't be bothered, plus I was looking at some form of Lite 'n' Easy thing before hand and this has given me more reason to look further into it.




Once again, thanks for everyone's suggestions, it's very appreciated I'll have to look into some exercise equipment and hopefully I'll be able to swim with it because I know that's great for fitness and recovery!

 

[wylie]

I'm sorry to hear about your problem. I've just had my third physio session where she pushes the point of her elbow into my hip/thigh area where my hammies and glutes join my hips...... excruciating!!! (I cannot believe I am actually PAYING for someone to cause me extreme pain.)

My advice would be to see a physio and find out from a professional what he/she thinks is best for you while you are in a cast.

I had no idea how quickly muscles lose size and function until my son broke his arm. Luckily a personal trainer friend checked him when it was healed we could see just how different each arm was moving, and he saw a physio to help rebuild the strength and range of movement in his arm.

My hip issue has been building for probably 40 years from "way back" when I was a dancer and gymnast and if I knew then what I know now, I would not have waited until now to fix a problem, that only became a problem in my 40s. What I am saying, not very well, is to get good advice now rather than try to do what you think is the right thing. The wrong thing now may not show up as a problem until much, much later in your life.

Good luck with it.

 

[Ausprop]

here's the dumb question of the day... does all that skating stuff your body up? It's a lot of doing one particular motion. I remember back to roller skates and the hell blisters I use to get.

 

[our obsession]

So sorry to hear what's happened.

What Wylie said, are you able to organise a referral/consult via your doc straight to the physio?

Work on some programs together, it may end up the rowing or a, b, c but I would want the physio on board with all this from day one, there are lots of things to consider.

You can do basic food assembly C'MON!!! toss together some Italian, fresh, then Greek salads, some kind of meat/protein, your greens and vegies, protein are important, we want you to heal! And don't forget your fruit. One big shop a week should see you through, no one need to be running anywhere.

And water.

Take care, get well soon.

 

[jaycee]

Especially if my motivation, or a decent part of it was to not have to cook....I think I'd prefer proper junk food, like oven fried cips / fish fingers or even MacDonald's than those lite n easy meals.. I'm a bit cynical about their healthy messages.. surely people don't eat them "all the time" do they ?

 

[Ski-bum]

Hi Lil,

Sorry to hear about your fracture - ouch!

Are you weight bearing on the cast at the moment, or hopping with crutches? After the surgery, you'll be in a cam-walker, which is removable, aesthetically nicer and lighter than the cast you're in at the moment. Depending on the surgeon's orders, you may be non-weightbearing (ie. hopping) for a period of time before putting weight on it, or you may be able to put weight on it and walk straight away.

Agreement with everyone else, keep fit by:
- working on your cardiovascular fitness, either one or two leg stationary bike (depending on your weightbearing status), rowing machine (again one or two legs), arm ergo bikes.
- working on your upper body and core strength. Use weights machines, free weights, therabands - whatever you want.
- cut your intake of food as your output will decrease with the time off skating, not sure if Light'n'easy is the answer...
- hydro won't be appropriate til after the cam-boot is off

The cam-boot's purpose is to keep your ankle stable whilst you're walking on it. So you'll be able to take it off for showers, as long as you don't put weight through the foot without the boot on. Warning - 3 months in the cam-boot is a long time, especially coming into summer, so be prepared for smelly boot! Sometimes you can try and wash the liner, but that requires a 2nd liner in the meanwhile and you risk distorting the shape.

Once you come out of the boot, you're ankle will be very stiff and sore, so lots of physio. And unfortunately, you probably won't be wearing heels for a while afterwards too

After the surgery, you'll most likely be seen by a physio in hospital who can go through some basic exercises with you. But I would recommend just going to a physio for a one-off once you've settled home to get some appropriate exercises that are specific to your post-op situation (ie. weightbearing Vs non).

Good luck with the surgery, and hope that provided some answers. If not, happy to answer any other Qs.

 

[marg4000]

Sorry to hear of your injury. As said, a physio will be able to recommend appropriate exercises for you.

A friend was on lite n easy a few months ago, she was very happy with it. It is mainly sensible eating with a focus on portion sizes. It does not work out too much more expensive if you are used to buying food for one, and the weekly delivery includes absolutely everything you will eat in the next week.

It may be worthwhile for a couple of weeks to get yourself used to what you SHOULD be eating so as not to put on weight while you are inactive.
Marg

 

[BayView]

I think the best two activities to keep fit without putting too much stress on any joints would be swimming and bike riding.

the bike riding may not be totally suitable for the ankle due to pressure on the pedals, but for low impact and high cardio it is fantastic.

 

[beachgurl]

Lite n Easy can get really boring. i found the dinners good but after a few weeks of the same breakfasts/lunches i fell off the wagon. Why not do a weekly shop with a list of healthy things. Bag them up like Lite n Easy for much cheaper and more variety. I assume with your high level of fitness you'd know all about healthy eating so by doing the bags and working off the list only, you won't have extra food/junk food in the house. I think you can order just the Lite n Easy dinners so that will keep your portion control on track.

Hope your recovery is smooth.

 

[luckyone]

I didn't mind Lite n Easy. It was certainly a lot better than Jenny Craig where you had to buy all of the fruit and vegetables. It cost me a fortune! Lite n Easy is an all-inclusive package which worked well for me. I lost the advertised 10kg in 10 weeks on it. But after that, I was done with it. Was completely sick of the food. The dinners were quite nice, but there's only so much microwaved food that I can handle. Also, when I did it at least, you only got a choice of two dishes per meal for breakfast and lunch. For someone like me who's allergic to a lot of stuff, that meant that I usually only really had one meal to choose and it often wasn't what I liked.

Overall it was pretty good, but I couldn't stick to it long term.

 

[Lil Skater]

Wow! Thanks for the replies again, wasn't expecting so many as I've gotten

Some really great info there ski-bum much appreciated.

At the moment I'm hoping around on crutches and i'm
not allowed to put any weight on it. I'm assuming this surgery would be much like my knee operation where I had crutches for about a week after to gradually start putting weight back on my knee without doing it in one blow!

I was expecting i'd need a lot of physio, but after the length of time I've been in the sport and other various ones I know what I'm in for with them! I had a great physio in Sydney, but haven't had one here yet. There's one near me, but any recommendations would be appreciated!

The lite 'n' easy thing is mainly for the convenience than anything, it's my right ankle so I can't drive to the shop if I need something, so that there is probably one of the biggest influences because I can't have my boyfriend waiting on me hand and foot. It's also so I can properly limit my intake of food in the next few months. Over the last month or so I have lost some weight with a change of my diet, but this still has a lot of carbs in it to keep up with my training schedule.

Great to know I'll be able to have showers though! I feel like I'm washing in my own dirt at the moment...yuck!

 

[vincenzo]

Sorry about your ankle lil

I dunno if you have done any damage to your joints or tendons.... if so, then they can take months, or even years to heal properly
So generally speaking, don't try the rehab exercises too hard, as it's easy to do more harm than good when recovering from an injury

Hope you're all healed up asap, get some gentle phsyio going as soon as it's appropriate, break a leg