Cardio ideas for a broken ankle

I was also going to suggest shadow boxing. Can you ride a stationary bike, like a recumbent style, where you use your non-broken leg to do most of the work? Or would that just lead to a growth of totally unbalanced leg muscles? Hmm. You should probably ask your doctor what he or she suggests.

I'm so sorry to hear about your injury! As one who's had my share (and who is still recovering from a leg injury from months ago), I understand how frustrating and debilitating it can be -- and on so many levels.

I urge you to start strength training -- you can do sets of push ups, pull ups, sit ups, etc...there is so much you can do through strength training that will not only burn calories and dip into cardio, but you'll also strengthen your body and keep it from atrophying (muscle shrinking from no usage), while avoiding the broken ankle.

Do you have a trainer you like working with -- or do you have access to one? I would highly recommend finding a knowledgeable and accredited fitness professional to help structure your new routine. A physiotherapist/physical therapist could also help you with this (beyond strengthening your ankle once you can tolerate weight bearing).

Good luck and please keep us posted on your progress!!

could you do kickboxing type upper body moves while seated? google wheelchair exercises/ seated exercises and see if there is anything that will work for you...

Look up exercises for wheelchair bound people. Try a rowing machine or one of those machines that you use your arms to "pedal"

Boxing workouts while sitting could be a good way to get cardio. Also, you could use this time to work on abs/upper body strength training - anything that doesn't strain the lower body (like crunches) is still on the table! You could even create a sort of mini-circuit, and if you're able to switch exercises fast enough you can elevate your heart rate beyond what it normally is for standard crunches/knee pushups/curls/etc.
Also, these websites seem to have more useful advice than me... haha

http://www.ehow.com/how_5669543_exercise-broken-ankle.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/476171-upper-body-cardio-workout-with-a-broken-ankle/

Hoping for your speedy recovery

take a cruise and walk around on the boat in circles. that sounds wonderful to me !!!!

Going up and down stairs on crutches is an incredible ab workout, as I'm sure you'll involuntarily find...

I 100% feel your pain! I had surgery to repair torn ligaments in my ankle 6 weeks ago, and I am have only been weight bearing (with a walking cast) for 2 weeks. I have 2 more weeks in the cast, and then I can hopefully get back at it! I was also super active (I planned on running 5 x 10km races this summer in a summer race series, and then had to cancel). My best advice, take it easy for a couple of weeks, don't try to push the injury (that's how I ended up needing surgery this time. I didn't let previous injuries heal properly, and instead I ended up tearing two ligaments - I fractured my ankle, and had two very bad sprains but I was anxious to get back in my runners, and all I ended up doing was exacerbating things and now I'm off my feet three times as long!)).

I actually lost weight since my surgery (although I know most of it is muscle mass), but my pants are also not any tighter than they were 6 weeks ago, and I've been keeping up some of my fitness. Feed the home cooked family meals to your kids, and make sure you eat super healthy. I always made sure I had a smoothie for breakfast (I prepped and froze individual smoothie servings before I had surgery, so all I have to do it dump the ziploc bag into my blender, add yogourt and some juice and voila!) I also usually add wheat germ or a couple spoonfuls of bran to my smoothie as well (helps to keep you regular if you are taking pain killers).

I also got my husband to prep me lots of healthy snack (veggie trays, washed berries & cut up fruit, lean meats, rice cakes etc), so that I always had healthy snacks. I found when I was recovering I didn`t want to be standing much, so it was much easier to grab a box of crackers and peanut butter than to make myself something.

I also ate a lot of salads (I would get my husband to cook extra chicken, or pork at dinner, and then it was easy for me to just add some of that to lettuce and pre-cut veggies).

I`ve done a lot of arms & abs while recovering as well. I put my feet up on a stool, and go through my "Ab Workout" app on my iPhone. I can say my abs have certainly gotten tighter since surgery! I also do a lot of arms. Lie flat on my back, or in a back bridge once I was weight bearing (knees bent with your feet by your bum, lift your body off the floor, so only your shoulders and feet touch the floor). You can do chest flies, straight presses, arms above your head etc. I also can see that my arms are WAY more toned than before too!

Lastly, I still tracked everything. I felt that although I knew I wasn`t getting the high paced cardio I was used to, I should still keep track of what I was eating. It certainly helped, and I felt that it made a huge difference!

I know this isn't a cardio solution, but until you can weight bear, or swim, its pretty tough to get things in. I started swimming last week, and on the stationary bike as well, and I was pleasantly surprised that my fitness level wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Sorry to hear about your ankle! I broke mine earlier in the year. I was a Zumba and Spin instructor, so this was very frustrating! I went to physical therapy and had a program created for me that I could do mainly lying down and on an exercise ball. I actually gained muscle, kept my abs, and my glutes got tighter! Ask your doctor for a prescription and it would only take a few sessions to get a tailored program for you!

I could dig mine out of the archives if you want some ideas!

I am sort of in the same boat. I had to have surgery on a torn tendon in my foot. I have been non-weight bearing for 2 weeks now with at least 2 more to go. I have been really trying to watch my calorie intake, but am just afraid will gain more weight, which is so not needed. Sorry I don't have any suggestions- just thought might help to know someone feels your pain

I was also going to suggest shadow boxing. Can you ride a stationary bike, like a recumbent style, where you use your non-broken leg to do most of the work? Or would that just lead to a growth of totally unbalanced leg muscles? Hmm. You should probably ask your doctor what he or she suggests.

The shadow boxing is a good idea, but I would not suggest riding a bike with one leg. That would lead to unbalanced muscles (more so than what you'd already get from the broken leg). I'd suggest laying off any leg work until the muscles until the broken leg is healed. Then your physical therapist will be able to work with you on building your legs' strength back up.

Other than shadow boxing, and eventually swimming, you could just focus on upper body and core exercises. Very light weights with many reps could give you some good cardio. If you can be on your knees, maybe you could try knee push-ups (I've never had a broken ankle so that may not be advisable). You could try out Pilates' hundreds, crunches, etc., with your legs propped up, as a core exercises: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAU-Nvm9Gco Some gyms have this hand cycle sort of machine: http://www.krankcycle.com/

If you were on a deficit, I would suggest readjusting your calories, to account for you doing less cardio. You can certainly maintain your upper body strength with certain exercises. Bench presses, rows, etc. will work multiple upper body muscles.

But definitely discuss your exercises with your doctor and PT. Don't want to strain anything.

I hear ya, sister... I was sidelined last summer (Aug 26, to be exact - a day I will never forget) when I broke my left collarbone. How such a small little bone could destroy my life, I would never have imagined. My first ortho didn't seem too concerned with the fact that my bone had completely separated and kept saying "we'll see in about a month..." So, I got a 2nd opinion and had my surgery scheduled before I left his office. Unfortunately, since I'd wasted so much time with the first quack, I ended up not having my clavicle repaired until January. Immediate relief of most of the pain - since my shoulder was now back where it belonged and not nearly an inch forward & down. BUT still a long recovery - with no movement for about 6 weeks, minimal movement for another 6 weeks and then fuller range of motion but NO impact for another 6 weeks and finally the last 6 weeks of restricted weight bearing and no direct impact.

Let me explain that --- no running, no jogging, no strength training. It wasn't until mid April that I was even cleared to use a stationary bike. Holy moly - I was gaining weight like a bear before winter, I was depressed, I had no outlet. You can have all the moral support in the world but it doesn't help at all when you feel like someone hit the STOP button on your life.

So - I feel your pain... all of it, not just the physical. The good news is - you've rounded the bend and your on your way to the finish line. Might be hard to see or believe some days, but it is there. I was just cleared 100% by my surgeon on Monday of this week and I almost cried from joy and relief.

Your cardio will be severly restricted - but listen to your surgeon! You'll be back in the OR if you snap those plates or break some of those screws otherwise. If that means 6 weeks of upper body-only weight training, so be it. You'll be better off in the long run when that repair heals fully and you can do anything you want!

Good luck to you - and keep the faith.

I am with ya hun. Thank you for asking the question. I partially ruptured the tendons on both sides of my ankle last Thursday. I am,an avid runner and have a race every month. I was looking for answers to what now. Thank you to everyone who posted. It gives me some hope. :0)

I'm sorry to hear of your injury. I suffered a very bad sprain a few months ago during exercise and am still recovering. I think you should focus on monitoring your calorie intake until you can be more active. You might want to do some upper body work, but you'll find that most exercises require some lower body involvement.

I agree, except to say that even upper body exercises can involve the legs. I would focus on keeping calories low until the ankle has healed.

I am so sorry to hear of your injury but so glad I saw this post. I just broke my ankle yesterday doing a mud race. Landed wrong coming over an 8ft wall. I have lost 65lbs and exercise 5-6 times per week. I'm very upset about this injury. I do not have screws or anything though thankfully. Finding this post has given me so much hope of keeping up my exercise goals and weight loss during my recovery. I wish you a speedy recovery!