Can't exercise....feeling defeated

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southern_gurl
southern_gurl Posts: 77
in Motivation and Support
I have been doing really good with my diet, lost 7 pounds so far and on most days I come in right at 1200 calories (my daily allowance). A few years back I snapped my ankle and I have noticed that it is bothersome most days, aching and burning. I pushed through and did my Tae-Bo the other night and suffered for 2 hours after!! Until this ache passes I find it impossible to work out and am feeling like I am fighting a losing battle. Sure my diet is ok, I am eating nutritiously but without the exercise burn I just feel so defeated....need some serious motivation!! Is this pointless? Am I just peeing up a rope as my grandpa would say? I enjoy my workouts, have tons of energy afterwards, and am feeling a little lost without it. Can't walk for extended periods, nothing!? I am losing sleep over this and am feeling really blue! Any advice?

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  • joygwen
    joygwen Posts: 30 Member
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    Have you tried a good ankle brace? I wonder if you could do walking exercises (like outside, on a treadmill or even in your living room with something like Walk Away the Pounds) if your ankle was supported well.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    You probably need to strengthen your ankle more. (I was in a dance company and have had plenty of ankle, knee and back injuries.) Try walking at first and do strengthening exercises like pointing and flexing your feet, standing with your feet pointing forward and raising up on your toes, then do it with your feet pointing out, once your ankle is stringer you can stand on the edge of a stair and raise up. You can also try wearing a soft ankle brace during your classes.
  • abigailmagoo23
    abigailmagoo23 Posts: 32
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    How about swimming? You can burn lots of cals doign that maybe at a gym or something. Or maybe a circut training just lifting weights.... or Yoga.... Dont feel defeated! YOU CAN DO IT!
  • 20carrots
    20carrots Posts: 279 Member
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    What about swimming or other non-impact things? They even have "chair workouts" for the older set...just some ideas.
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    Don't get down! First of all, it is possible to lose weight without even exercising if your diet is on point. So, if you are in too much pain to workout, just make sure to keep your diet in check. Try to come in right at your goal; don't think you need to be under because you aren't exercising. Second, something like Tae-Bo is probably too much impact on your ankle right now. So, stop doing it and find alternative exercises with less impact. Do you have a bike? Go for a bike ride. Access to a pool? Go for a swim. Do you belong to a gym? Bikes & Precor machines have less impact. Also, strength training is an excellent cardio workout if you are pushing yourself enough. And you would be building some muscle tone at the same time. Don't get give up!
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
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    Something I heard in one of my workout DVDs is that if the bottom 1/2 is broken, work the upper 1/2.
  • shreddingit
    shreddingit Posts: 1,133 Member
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    check out something like the "total gym"
  • Cristy_AZ
    Cristy_AZ Posts: 986
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    You are NOT defeated!! You can do this!!! You have made a great start and this is just a small bump in the road!! You can still watch what you eat and get some sort of exercise. Lots of good suggestions here, swimming is a great non impact exercise. On my Jillian DVD she says shadow boxing is a great way to get an arobic workout if you have some sort of lower body injury! Get creative, do some research!! I'm sure you'll find something that will work for you!! Good Luck!!
  • downtome
    downtome Posts: 529 Member
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    Just continue to eat right and stay on track. It's ok that you can not exercise for awhile, it shouldn't put your losing weight in jeparody! you will still continue to lose the weight if you stick to lower calories each day. It's best that you let your ankle heal so it will become stronger so that you can eventually exercise. Just keep the faith and stay positive and focused. You can do it! Good luck.
  • Purplegal
    Purplegal Posts: 137 Member
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    I can understand where you are coming from...I have a total knee and femur replacement and its hard to find the right exercise that does not end up in a swollen painful leg.
    What I've been doing is the stationary bike everyday, 30 min until I can work it up higher. That is the one thing that does not bother my leg at all, and you can get a pretty good cardio burn if you do it vigorously. I also do walking, and swimming is good too.
    And then upper body! You can do all the weights/abs machines.
    I've also tried some yoga videos, and just modify it if there are some things that you cant do with your ankle.

    Good luck!
  • sbussard
    sbussard Posts: 32
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    Please don't let this get you down, I have broken my ankles a total of 4 times and I am now dealing with plantars fasciitis and heel spurs, I am pretty much in constant pain. I am very limited on what cardio I can do.

    Have you tried doing the elliptical machine for like 20 mins a day, or swimming? "Swimming actually hurts my ankles."

    This is what I do and it might help you, I try my hardest to lift at least 5 days a week and I try and do 20 mins on the elliptical machine in the evenings and then at night time I can't stress enough ICE ICE ICE.
    I find the lifting makes me feel like I am doing something and I am noticing some toning, and if I can do the cardio each day great and if not I do it every other day.
    When I hit the gym on my lunch hour for lifting, I try my best to always lifting sitting down to keep the extra weight off my feet.

    You are doing great and I wish you the best.

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