Alternative exercises?
itseumi
Posts: 14
I've been running everyday without fail for about 10 weeks now (60-80 mins per run) and I think I've overused my ankle. My ankle hurts now and I'm guessing I might have to let it heal and avoid running? No idea how long it'll take but I need some form of exercise while my ankle heals. What should I do? Should I walk for 2-3 hours? Do weights? I have no patience for yoga so I know I won't be doing that. Any advice will most certainly help.
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Why do you need to exercise? You don't need it to lose weight, since your calorie goal is already putting you at a deficit. So if you solely enjoy running then just take a week or two off. Or simply walk for an hour (2-3 hours isn't needed), or go skating, whatever. Exercise is for body composition when lifting and for overall health.
If you enjoy cardio (I personally mostly hate it) and you do it for reasons such as overall health or stress manaagement then just do other forms of cardio you enjoy.0 -
I love cardio. I feel better sweating it off. I'm at 120 pounds now and I still have those thunder thighs. They've gotten toned over the past 10 weeks but my goal was 20 weeks so I'm only halfway there.
My calorie goal is 1300-1400 after exercise, if I don't exercise then I'm at 1900-2000 which is not good.0 -
how would your calorie goal be HIGHER when not exercising than when exercising? Your intake should be higher when exercising and lower when not exercising. If your current MFP goals are set up such that you can lose weight on 2000 calories without exercise, then that's what your daily minimum intake should be.
If you want to lose body fat in order to have muscle definition (you do not get "toned"), then consider strength training 3x a week, full body, and you might need to reduce your running schedule (many find that they cannot do both lifting and running if both are given equal attention. Pick which is more important). Otherwise, if you enjoy doing cardio and are not all that concerned with body composition, then you can do any exercise you want. Just log and eat back the calories if you are doing the MFP method. I do TDEE method so my intake includes my planned exercise. I eat minimum of 1900 a day to lose weight.0 -
So basically I eat 1800-2000 calories when I exercise and if I don't I eat 1300-1400.
Hmm. so to lose body fat I'll have to do strength training. I'll just have to shift my focus to weights then.0 -
So basically I eat 1800-2000 calories when I exercise and if I don't I eat 1300-1400.
Hmm. so to lose body fat I'll have to do strength training. I'll just have to shift my focus to weights then.
Is your caloric weight loss goal set for you to need to eat 1400 calories a day without exercise in order to lose weight? Or is the 2000 set for weight loss without exercise? If it's the latter then you need to eat 2000 calories every day, and then eat back at least half your exercise calories. What are your goals set up to be? Whatever goal your empty diary shows you is the goal you should be eating daily, and then add 50% or more from your exercise calories to that.
You can lose body fat while doing cardio. You will just also lose lean mass if you don't lift weights or eat proper protein. So you can still do both, just prioritize what is more important to you.0 -
If you can find an elliptical machine I would try that. Low impact and can burn calories like crazy! I look like a newborn giraffe when I get on, but can feel it working within minutes. Otherwise, stick to the basics like push-ups, squats, maybe some jump rope (if it doesn't aggravate your ankle too much). Bike riding or rowing machine would also be great if you have access to them in a gym.0
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So basically I eat 1800-2000 calories when I exercise and if I don't I eat 1300-1400.
Hmm. so to lose body fat I'll have to do strength training. I'll just have to shift my focus to weights then.
The elliptical or stationary bike are ways you can get your cardio in, mixing it up from just running all time will be good for you anyways, you have to confuse your body and challenge it! Weight training is good too, the trainers at the gym always push weight training more than cardio because muscle=burning more fat in the long run.
So go get it!
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1300-1400 isn't going to hurt you, especially if you weigh 120 lbs.I love cardio. I feel better sweating it off. I'm at 120 pounds now and I still have those thunder thighs. They've gotten toned over the past 10 weeks but my goal was 20 weeks so I'm only halfway there.
My calorie goal is 1300-1400 after exercise, if I don't exercise then I'm at 1900-2000 which is not good.
If you're running 60 minutes and eating 600 calories more due to it, you're essentially eating back all the calories you burned running. Which is fine but it'd be better for you to take days off running and eat accordingly. Repetitive use injuries from high impact activities like running can be serious and they're common. Bodies need rest days. You don't have to sit on the couch all day but do something less strenuous. And not walk for 2-3 hours. Let your walking/running joints and muscles rest and repair. When you resume running maybe alternate it with other exercise types.
Good luck!
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I've been running everyday without fail for about 10 weeks now (60-80 mins per run) and I think I've overused my ankle. My ankle hurts now and I'm guessing I might have to let it heal and avoid running? No idea how long it'll take but I need some form of exercise while my ankle heals. What should I do? Should I walk for 2-3 hours? Do weights? I have no patience for yoga so I know I won't be doing that. Any advice will most certainly help.
I developed arthritis in my foot and my ortho told me to stop doing any high impact exercise and limit my mid impact. His recommendations were biking (real bike or stationary), elliptical, crosstrainer, or anything in a pool. My main cardio now is lap swimming.
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If my ankle doesn't hurt when I run, should I still continue running? I'd hate to stop exercising. I guess I should find an elliptical machine instead.0
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If you are wanting cardio try a spin class. It is less impact on your ankles. Do you have a weight lifting plan? I combine weight/crossfit/boot camp training with cardio. I will say from experience that more I run the more my joints would ache. I typically only run 3 times per week. I noticed (for me) running much more than that would cause me to have some issues (calf for me). I am training for a full marathon and again for me running 3 times per week and mixing in other things has so far kept me injury free. Running is great but keep in mind it is very high impact.0
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No I don't have a weight lifting plan except to lift 10 lb weights for like 5-10 mins after my 65 mins run. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to lifting weights since I want to lose muscles/weight and not gain muscles. Yes, I love feeling sore in my thighs, calves after running. I guess I'm weird like that but that motivates me to push myself.0
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Everyone that I have known that ran daily (or almost daily) had either angle or (mostly) knee issues later in life. You might want to find some alternatives that are less impact then running to mix into your routine. Cycling, elliptical, rowing would be some alternatives. You might consider doing some research into strength, power and endurance weight training, you might be pleasantly surprise to find some weight training would benefit your running performance. Considering you have been running every day for an hour or more, you might also want to do some research into overtraining.0
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How much running had you been doing before? In my glory days in the 1990s, I couldn't run more than 4 days a week, or I would start to get injuries. If you've gone from zero days a week to every day in the last two and a half months, then I'm surprised that you made it this far without an injury.
I'd wait until you no longer feel any ankle pain when running, and then take another week off after that. Running puts a lot of stress on your joints. I overdid things in May and ended up having to take two months off of running. My current rule is that if I feel pain one day, I take two days off; if I feel pain after that, four days off. I double the days off until the pain is gone when I resume the activity. I'm in this for life, and I don't want recurrent injuries to sideline me.
Lower impact exercises include walking, cycling, swimming, and pool running. All of them are good; walking is lower intensity (and depending on your running injury, walking might not be ideal), but the others can be done at high intensity.0 -
I've been running everyday without fail for about 10 weeks now (60-80 mins per run) and I think I've overused my ankle. My ankle hurts now and I'm guessing I might have to let it heal and avoid running? No idea how long it'll take but I need some form of exercise while my ankle heals. What should I do? Should I walk for 2-3 hours? Do weights? I have no patience for yoga so I know I won't be doing that. Any advice will most certainly help.
Itseumi,
Injuries from exercise are a sign that you need to slow down a bit, and to stop overdoing it. You don't need to exercise to lose weight, and you certainly don't need to overexert yourself by running 60-80 minutes or walking 2-3 hours. In fact, what you describe sounds like disordered behavior.
Your ticker says you have only 24 pounds to lose. That amount of weigh should be lost at .5 lbs per week, If you like to exercise, then do so, but don't overdo like that. Running every single day without rest is not a good idea at all.
For now, don't run with an injured ankle, and please don't walk 2-3 hours a day.
I encourage you to speak with your doctor about your over-exercising. The best of luck to you.0 -
No I don't have a weight lifting plan except to lift 10 lb weights for like 5-10 mins after my 65 mins run. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to lifting weights since I want to lose muscles/weight and not gain muscles. Yes, I love feeling sore in my thighs, calves after running. I guess I'm weird like that but that motivates me to push myself.
Wow, if you don't purposely follow the wise advice of others to back off, your body will force it on you, like right now, because of foolish choices.
Exercise if done right tears the body down.
Rest for recovery and repair builds it back up. Stronger if diet allows.
And in a diet recovery takes longer.
Where was your rest?
For any improvement you saw in your performance, you have no idea what you actually missed out on in improvements doing it smarter.
So you do want to lose some muscle unneeded for running?
To make running faster?
You have hopes of podium placement? That's a fine goal.
And in order to have a decent eating level at maintenance, that much exercise is almost required.
What happens if you get sick then, or injured again (I can till it will happen), or go on vacation?
You'll have to eat so little just to maintain, it'll be pretty sad probably, a real hate relationship with food because you can barely have any.
Just saying.
Some people have body image problems, attacking the diet side of the equation.
Other do it from the exercise side of the equation.
Just confirm you aren't either. Your diet did at least sound reasonable, rest day eating (which you never had) much lower than workout day eating.
And yes, without that much cardio, eating level does take a nose dive.
Circuit training lifting at least burns more than normal lifting. 3-4 circuits of 5-7 lifts at 15-20 reps with up to 60 sec rest. Heavy as possible, but you'll get that same feeling you like from the running. All over.0 -
No I don't have a weight lifting plan except to lift 10 lb weights for like 5-10 mins after my 65 mins run. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to lifting weights since I want to lose muscles/weight and not gain muscles. Yes, I love feeling sore in my thighs, calves after running. I guess I'm weird like that but that motivates me to push myself.
You're not in a surplus, you won't gain muscle.
I don't know why anyone would want to lose muscle - are you saying you want to be a smaller, squishy(er) version of your current self? You said earlier about your legs getting "toned." This goes against your wish to lose muscle.0 -
Listen to your body. GIve your ankle some time to heal.0
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How much running had you been doing before? In my glory days in the 1990s, I couldn't run more than 4 days a week, or I would start to get injuries. If you've gone from zero days a week to every day in the last two and a half months, then I'm surprised that you made it this far without an injury.
I'd wait until you no longer feel any ankle pain when running, and then take another week off after that. Running puts a lot of stress on your joints. I overdid things in May and ended up having to take two months off of running. My current rule is that if I feel pain one day, I take two days off; if I feel pain after that, four days off. I double the days off until the pain is gone when I resume the activity. I'm in this for life, and I don't want recurrent injuries to sideline me.
Lower impact exercises include walking, cycling, swimming, and pool running. All of them are good; walking is lower intensity (and depending on your running injury, walking might not be ideal), but the others can be done at high intensity.
I went from zero to every day. 10 weeks and nothing was wrong until a couple of days ago. I walk at 4.0 mph and I felt the pain when I did walking at the gym today.
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No I don't have a weight lifting plan except to lift 10 lb weights for like 5-10 mins after my 65 mins run. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to lifting weights since I want to lose muscles/weight and not gain muscles. Yes, I love feeling sore in my thighs, calves after running. I guess I'm weird like that but that motivates me to push myself.
Wow, if you don't purposely follow the wise advice of others to back off, your body will force it on you, like right now, because of foolish choices.
Exercise if done right tears the body down.
Rest for recovery and repair builds it back up. Stronger if diet allows.
And in a diet recovery takes longer.
Where was your rest?
For any improvement you saw in your performance, you have no idea what you actually missed out on in improvements doing it smarter.
So you do want to lose some muscle unneeded for running?
To make running faster?
You have hopes of podium placement? That's a fine goal.
And in order to have a decent eating level at maintenance, that much exercise is almost required.
What happens if you get sick then, or injured again (I can till it will happen), or go on vacation?
You'll have to eat so little just to maintain, it'll be pretty sad probably, a real hate relationship with food because you can barely have any.
Just saying.
Some people have body image problems, attacking the diet side of the equation.
Other do it from the exercise side of the equation.
Just confirm you aren't either. Your diet did at least sound reasonable, rest day eating (which you never had) much lower than workout day eating.
And yes, without that much cardio, eating level does take a nose dive.
Circuit training lifting at least burns more than normal lifting. 3-4 circuits of 5-7 lifts at 15-20 reps with up to 60 sec rest. Heavy as possible, but you'll get that same feeling you like from the running. All over.
Yes, I definitely need to take days off. Rest days. I'm just worried that my stamina would disappear if I stop for a few days, which is why I tried to run today but stopped after I felt the pain. Not going back until my ankle heals. I had a fever once a couple of weeks ago, but running made me feel better.
And doing circuit training lifting won't make me gain too much muscles? I'm a girl so I don't wanna look like a man.0 -
No I don't have a weight lifting plan except to lift 10 lb weights for like 5-10 mins after my 65 mins run. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to lifting weights since I want to lose muscles/weight and not gain muscles. Yes, I love feeling sore in my thighs, calves after running. I guess I'm weird like that but that motivates me to push myself.
You're not in a surplus, you won't gain muscle.
I don't know why anyone would want to lose muscle - are you saying you want to be a smaller, squishy(er) version of your current self? You said earlier about your legs getting "toned." This goes against your wish to lose muscle.
Yes. I wanna be smaller. That's right, I'm getting toned but that's not my goal since I was already toned before I started working out. Just gotta lose the thigh and arm muscles.
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Losing muscle will make you skinny-fat.No I don't have a weight lifting plan except to lift 10 lb weights for like 5-10 mins after my 65 mins run. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to lifting weights since I want to lose muscles/weight and not gain muscles. Yes, I love feeling sore in my thighs, calves after running. I guess I'm weird like that but that motivates me to push myself.
You're not in a surplus, you won't gain muscle.
I don't know why anyone would want to lose muscle - are you saying you want to be a smaller, squishy(er) version of your current self? You said earlier about your legs getting "toned." This goes against your wish to lose muscle.
Yes. I wanna be smaller. That's right, I'm getting toned but that's not my goal since I was already toned before I started working out. Just gotta lose the thigh and arm muscles.
Gaining muscle will make you smaller. Keep in mind, muscle gains do not happen on a deficit, and you must work very hard to get them, and they do make you smaller if you're female.
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No I don't have a weight lifting plan except to lift 10 lb weights for like 5-10 mins after my 65 mins run. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to lifting weights since I want to lose muscles/weight and not gain muscles. Yes, I love feeling sore in my thighs, calves after running. I guess I'm weird like that but that motivates me to push myself.
Wow, if you don't purposely follow the wise advice of others to back off, your body will force it on you, like right now, because of foolish choices.
Exercise if done right tears the body down.
Rest for recovery and repair builds it back up. Stronger if diet allows.
And in a diet recovery takes longer.
Where was your rest?
For any improvement you saw in your performance, you have no idea what you actually missed out on in improvements doing it smarter.
So you do want to lose some muscle unneeded for running?
To make running faster?
You have hopes of podium placement? That's a fine goal.
And in order to have a decent eating level at maintenance, that much exercise is almost required.
What happens if you get sick then, or injured again (I can till it will happen), or go on vacation?
You'll have to eat so little just to maintain, it'll be pretty sad probably, a real hate relationship with food because you can barely have any.
Just saying.
Some people have body image problems, attacking the diet side of the equation.
Other do it from the exercise side of the equation.
Just confirm you aren't either. Your diet did at least sound reasonable, rest day eating (which you never had) much lower than workout day eating.
And yes, without that much cardio, eating level does take a nose dive.
Circuit training lifting at least burns more than normal lifting. 3-4 circuits of 5-7 lifts at 15-20 reps with up to 60 sec rest. Heavy as possible, but you'll get that same feeling you like from the running. All over.
Yes, I definitely need to take days off. Rest days. I'm just worried that my stamina would disappear if I stop for a few days, which is why I tried to run today but stopped after I felt the pain. Not going back until my ankle heals. I had a fever once a couple of weeks ago, but running made me feel better.
And doing circuit training lifting won't make me gain too much muscles? I'm a girl so I don't wanna look like a man.
Eating too much food, lifting real weights, and 'roids will make you look like a man. Mostly the 'roids tho.
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Losing muscle will make you skinny-fat.No I don't have a weight lifting plan except to lift 10 lb weights for like 5-10 mins after my 65 mins run. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to lifting weights since I want to lose muscles/weight and not gain muscles. Yes, I love feeling sore in my thighs, calves after running. I guess I'm weird like that but that motivates me to push myself.
You're not in a surplus, you won't gain muscle.
I don't know why anyone would want to lose muscle - are you saying you want to be a smaller, squishy(er) version of your current self? You said earlier about your legs getting "toned." This goes against your wish to lose muscle.
Yes. I wanna be smaller. That's right, I'm getting toned but that's not my goal since I was already toned before I started working out. Just gotta lose the thigh and arm muscles.
Gaining muscle will make you smaller. Keep in mind, muscle gains do not happen on a deficit, and you must work very hard to get them, and they do make you smaller if you're female.
Yes yes and yes!
I work with a trainer and one of my goals is to run a full marathon as I have run many 1/2s already. As part of my training plan she does cross training (as most training plans will call for this) and from the runners I have spoken with they have a cross training plan built in. This is to help you build a strong core (needed for running and posture), strong leg muscles (needed for running) and overall better strength.
I can speak from my experience that the more muscle I build the easier my running has become and the faster my recovery has been. For example- one work out I do is deadlifts with 50-60 lbs barbell. This exercise alone targets most major muscle groups. It builds strength in hamstring (which a lot of people forget about but is really needed in running), lower back strength to help with posture, core strength among a crap ton of other things.
I think sometimes people think that if you are building muscles than you are going to bulk up and look like a body builder. That is a very specific training plan and unless you are following that plan you are not likely to get those results. You will likely end up with a more defined muscle tone.
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Just gotta lose the thigh and arm muscles.
^^^whaaaat?? Then why are you even running? I think you're running for all the wrong reasons....
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Have you seen a doctor about your ankle? Why are you having this conversation without getting medical advice?0
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I've been running everyday without fail for about 10 weeks now (60-80 mins per run) and I think I've overused my ankle.
So why the hel are you running every day for that length of time if you've got no history of running?
Once you've recovered, and the basics are to rest it, ice it, give it some compression and elevaate it where the opportunity arises, you can come back to training.
Depending on your running objectives I'd suggest a structured plan to help you focus your training.
Personally I run, currently at Half Marathon, with cross training on the bike, rowing machine and bodyweight resistance training. So at the moment:
One long run of 90-120 minutes per week
Two speed sessions per week (tempo or intervals) of around 60 minutes, sometimes up to 90 minutes later in a cycle.
One recovery paced session of around 45-60 minutes
Turbo trainer or road session generally around once per week although I'm aiming to increase that to two sessions per week
3 bodyweight sessions - This helps the injury risk mitigation side of life as well as supporting upper body development which contributes to both running and cycling performance.
Only doing one mode of training is not helpful, and as you've identified, you'll just end up injuring yourself.0 -
I love cardio. I feel better sweating it off. I'm at 120 pounds now and I still have those thunder thighs. They've gotten toned over the past 10 weeks but my goal was 20 weeks so I'm only halfway there.
My calorie goal is 1300-1400 after exercise, if I don't exercise then I'm at 1900-2000 which is not good.
Wait, you're 120 pounds and you're trying to lose 24 pounds??? Um are you 4'5??0 -
Liftng4Lis wrote: »I love cardio. I feel better sweating it off. I'm at 120 pounds now and I still have those thunder thighs. They've gotten toned over the past 10 weeks but my goal was 20 weeks so I'm only halfway there.
My calorie goal is 1300-1400 after exercise, if I don't exercise then I'm at 1900-2000 which is not good.
Wait, you're 120 pounds and you're trying to lose 24 pounds??? Um are you 4'5??
I also wondered this!
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »I love cardio. I feel better sweating it off. I'm at 120 pounds now and I still have those thunder thighs. They've gotten toned over the past 10 weeks but my goal was 20 weeks so I'm only halfway there.
My calorie goal is 1300-1400 after exercise, if I don't exercise then I'm at 1900-2000 which is not good.
Wait, you're 120 pounds and you're trying to lose 24 pounds??? Um are you 4'5??
Shoot, I missed that part. Trying to get to 94 pounds is not a good thing.0
This discussion has been closed.
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