Broken foot fitness?

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About two weeks ago I broke my right foot, it’s been a huge nuisance to me but mostly because I’m used to running 15-20 miles a week and lifting in the gym at least four times a week. In two weeks I have been to the gym twice and I had a really hard time staying motivated or knowing what to even do. Has anyone else been through a situation like this and what suggestions would you have?

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  • Moter98
    Moter98 Posts: 51 Member
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    I broke a metatarsal at the toe joint in Feb and spent about 6 weeks in the boot and exercised exclusively in the boot for about 3 months. I did recumbent stationary bike for cardio most days. I duct taped the boot to the pedal. I was able to lift in the boot, but limited exercises. More as time went on but never any single leg exercises like split squats or reverse lunges etc. until probably 3 months in. Also, I didn’t lift barbells or “heavy”. I was concerned about balance in the boot so I stuck with circuit style training. You Can still remain active and it doesn’t have to be a miserable time! Ask your dr. What you are allowed to do and do that. Note that I cleared everything I was doing with my dr first. I was able to progress to elliptical in the boot for cardio, but this was after a couple months. It feels odd at first but you get used to it. I lifted with free weights and just listened to my body. If anything hurt I didn’t do it. I still worked out just as often with the broken foot as I did before, just had to take it easier and change things up. It’s totally possible granted your dr cleared it. Right now you are pretty early on. In my early days I did upper body seated only and 4-6 weeks in I was doing bodyweight lower body and slowly progressed from there. I don’t think I lifted anything over 25lbs until fully healed though. It’s most important to let your foot heal and do whatever doesn’t aggravate it. It’s a frustrating time, but try to focus on the things that you can do vs what you can’t. You will get back there!
  • jessesmom81
    jessesmom81 Posts: 30 Member
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    Hi, I am old and have bad knees so I do Grown Young Fitness. It is for seniors but anyone can do it. It is mostly chair exercises until you heal. Praying that you will heal soon and good luck :)
  • IGbnat24
    IGbnat24 Posts: 520 Member
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    No reason you can’t do upper body lifts. Swimming could be good, too.
  • Mithridites
    Mithridites Posts: 595 Member
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    IGbnat24 wrote: »
    No reason you can’t do upper body lifts. Swimming could be good, too.

    Swimming isn't the problem . It's getting from the changeroom into the pool that can be tricky. If you can manage that part, you'll get the benefits of cardio and a psychological boost from the freedom of movement. Talking as a veteran of bilateral heel fractures. Wishing OP a quick and easy recovery.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
    edited August 2018
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    I fractured the top of my foot 3-4 months ago. I could do flat footed lifts like squats and deads after just a week or so. But the only cardio I could do was the ski-erg. I couldn't do anything that would bend the foot until recently and I'm still very careful with it. No running. Heck, just walking in flat shoes still hurts. Strangely enough I'm fine in heels. I guess because you don't bend your foot when you walk.

    Also, still have issues balancing. Things like SLDL or pistol squats are still questionable. No pushing a sled or anything.
  • C_Stretton
    C_Stretton Posts: 201 Member
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    I had surgery on my foot back in November. I stuck to upper body workouts for the month that I was in the boot
  • lal71705
    lal71705 Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm currently in a similar situation - fractured and sprained my ankle a few weeks back. Summer plans of lots of long hikes are on hold. There's tons of ideas on YouTube etc. for routines if you search around. Have to admit that as much as it's been driving me crazy, I've been forcing myself to rest up and recover, as eager as I am to get going I know that a little bit of time out now could mean a lot less time out later. I'm concentrating instead on keeping a positive mindset and being strict on logging (after an initial wobble). Now I can weight-bear I'll be looking for a routine that wont pose any risk to my rehab - so no high impact and being mindful of anything that could cause instability.

    Just wanted to share my experience with you, from one hopper to another :) Really hope you fix up soon!
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 1,975 Member
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    Obviously some will depend on the break. Most foot breaks I maybe couldn't run with, but I could manage most other things (then again, I've never actually gone in for a broken foot - just never fell into that category for me).

    Now, when I got my pilon fracture and was completely non-weight bearing on one leg for 3 1/2 months, and could hardly walk for another 3 months - that was a different story. I kept up with upper body stuff to some extent, and crutching around kept me upper body strong. I got an iWalk once I could put weight on my knee without it killing me.

    Biggest thing is, once you're past the initial healing stages, watch your food intake. I didn't (honestly, I didn't care as that ended up being way worse than just a broken leg), but still working to lose what I gained last year.
  • Just_Jon
    Just_Jon Posts: 108 Member
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    Had a similar issue. I fell while running and fractured part of my femur (lateral condyle). 4 weeks and no running, I thought I was going to lose my mind. I set up a weight program so I had 5 days of lifting. By rotating the routines, I didn't overtax the muscle groups. I keep a close eye on the calories, so the lower calorie burn was just enough to keep my on track until my femur healed. Because I had been tracking my food intake for 200 days, I was able to go back and see that my calcium intake **never** hit the USRDA. Had to fix that one too. :smile:
  • Stellamom2018
    Stellamom2018 Posts: 120 Member
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    I gained 15lbs when healing from an ankle fracture that put me non weight bearing for 12 weeks. But, all I did was sit on my deck and read 50 shades 😂.

    Theres a guy at my gym that is on a knee scooter from some sort of ankle/foot fracture and hes there everyday. The hardest part would be getting on/off machines I would think, so I would just go and do anything that you can.
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
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    Don't exercise and give yourself time to heal. Make healthy food choices and stay within your calories each day.