Not being able to workout is torture...

sal10851
sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Just had an ingrown toenail removed and the doc ordered some rest for a few days. Not being able to exercise like I want is the worst punishment you can give me. I used to hate exercising but we can't enjoy something we are not good at so I kept working on my fitness until I was fit enought to exercise properly and began loving it in the process. I don't take rest days unless I'm burned out so this is new territory for me. In my obese days I would have given up and started binging out of boredom. I thankfully have my eating habits very well controlled through low calorie dense foods that keeps me full and prevents over eating. It has been a struggle to reach this point of balance but now I see how nutrition is more important than exercise because we are all one injury away from not being able to perform physical activity so it's crucial to have a solid strategy in those situations.

Replies

  • IronIsMyTherapy
    IronIsMyTherapy Posts: 482 Member
    I'm no Dr so I'll put this in context of what I'd do: if the pain of not working out is more than the physical pain, I'd ignore the Dr. Again, not telling you what to do lol
  • jessesmom81
    jessesmom81 Posts: 30 Member
    These chair exercises are awesome. They say for elderly but anyone can do them: https://members.growyoungfitness.com/. This is another great one: https://www.better5.com. I have bad knees, lower back and hips and I can do both of these. Good luck :)
  • sal10851
    sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
    IronIsMyTherapy wrote: »
    I'm no Dr so I'll put this in context of what I'd do: if the pain of not working out is more than the physical pain, I'd ignore the Dr. Again, not telling you what to do lol

    It's not really painful but it's the risk of infection that I'm worried about. I have dealt with some minor injuries where modifications of the exercise still allowed me to complete my workouts. This is a bit different since an infection can keep me out of commission for way longer than taking a few days of rest. I don't like my situation but I'd rather take a few days off and not more than that if I can help it.
  • sal10851
    sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
    jessesmom81 wrote: »
    These chair exercises are awesome. They say for elderly but anyone can do them: https://members.growyoungfitness.com/. This is another great one: https://www.better5.com. I have bad knees, lower back and hips and I can do both of these. Good luck :)

    Thanks! I'm going to give it a try. Anything to keep me active is welcomed. I have been dealing with very minor knee inflammation so it might really help.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    Few days is no biggie...I've been out with injury for 5.5 months and just getting back to cycling and the weight room. I'd also say that rest days are pretty important if you're doing a lot of strenuous exercise. A rest day doesn't have to mean doing nothing either...I usually walk and/or do yoga on my rest days...just nothing strenuous because recovery is just as important as the work.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,379 Member
    I get you! I had some minor surgery nearly 2.5 weeks ago now. Still need to not do a lot for some 3.5 weeks more. *sigh* So not a workout, but I'll go on a longer stroll tomorrow, maybe some 15km. Lets see. I'm totally restless anyway.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,454 Member
    edited October 2020
    It sucks but remember you are in the exercise thing for the long haul. I've been working out for 40+ years but have had interruptions due to family deaths/illnesses, 8 orthopedic surgeries, sepsis, work commitments, etc, etc. IMO, the main thing is you do what you need to do to get past the situation preventing you from exercising and get back to it smart.

    P.S. I did chaperone a weekend scout campout/hike with my foot wrapped up to prevent infection the day I had treatment for an ingrown toenail :). Probably not the smartest thing to do.


    Best of luck.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,935 Member
    Having been active for much longer than I've been at a healthy weight (like 10+ years longer), and having had multiple surgeries and other medical nonsense over that time, believe me, I feel what you're saying.

    But still - and I mean this in the kindess, most caring possible way, I swear - you sound a little obsessed. Exercise can be (metaphorically) a little addictive, for some of us. Healing is important! Your few days/weeks off will not make a big dent in your fitness, weight, or health. (In fact, your health currently dictates that you back off a bit from your normal schedule.)

    Really: Find balance. It'll be OK. If your doctor says it's OK, do some upper body exercise, do some stretching, do a little meditation. If weight management is among your goals, adjust calorie intake as needed. (If weight loss is your goal, even go to or at least near maintenance calories for a suitable time period while healing - I've done the opposite, and it was a Bad Plan.

    As you say, it's crucial to have a solid strategy in these situations, and that strategy will vary a little depending on the situation. (For example, my activity restrictions were different after gallbladder surgery vs. cataract surgery.)

    You can do this, and it will be a useful learning period for how to deal with challenges in the future. Hang in there: It'll be OK, you'll be back to your workout routine surprisingly soon, and be more grateful for it than ever.

    All the best for speedy recovery!
  • Onedaywriter
    Onedaywriter Posts: 324 Member
    What about things that don’t involve your toe at all?
    Core work like tuck ups, v-ups, Russian twists, seated stomach vacuums, sit-ups etc. Upper body stuff from a bench or floor- bench press, skull crushers, seated shoulder press etc.
  • Frank19556
    Frank19556 Posts: 28 Member
    A forced rest will bring you back stronger. Try to enjoy the time off, but I get how you are feeling.
  • sal10851
    sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
    Well, thanks to my recent efforts of becoming healthier my toe healed way quicker than normal. I resumed my workouts and I underestimated the power of recovery. I was able to go for twice as long as usual. I need to incorporate some more rest days but it's a bit hard sometimes to stop doing something you truly enjoy. I now see the importance in rest days so thanks for your input everyone.
  • sal10851
    sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
    Frank19556 wrote: »
    A forced rest will bring you back stronger. Try to enjoy the time off, but I get how you are feeling.

    I've been vastly underestimating the value of recovery so it's something I will have to work on.
  • sal10851
    sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
    Onedaywriter wrote: »
    What about things that don’t involve your toe at all?
    Core work like tuck ups, v-ups, Russian twists, seated stomach vacuums, sit-ups etc. Upper body stuff from a bench or floor- bench press, skull crushers, seated shoulder press etc.

    Honestly I stick to basic exercises since my goal is to keep the muscle I have and lose body fat to improve my body composition. Push ups, squats are the only resistance exercises I've been doing along with cycling, jogging, and lots of walking. I've tried different things but it's important for me to do exercises I actually enjoy or else it becomes a chore. This might change once I become more fit and my ability increases but for now I have been getting great results from my routine.

  • sal10851
    sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Having been active for much longer than I've been at a healthy weight (like 10+ years longer), and having had multiple surgeries and other medical nonsense over that time, believe me, I feel what you're saying.

    But still - and I mean this in the kindess, most caring possible way, I swear - you sound a little obsessed. Exercise can be (metaphorically) a little addictive, for some of us. Healing is important! Your few days/weeks off will not make a big dent in your fitness, weight, or health. (In fact, your health currently dictates that you back off a bit from your normal schedule.)

    Really: Find balance. It'll be OK. If your doctor says it's OK, do some upper body exercise, do some stretching, do a little meditation. If weight management is among your goals, adjust calorie intake as needed. (If weight loss is your goal, even go to or at least near maintenance calories for a suitable time period while healing - I've done the opposite, and it was a Bad Plan.

    As you say, it's crucial to have a solid strategy in these situations, and that strategy will vary a little depending on the situation. (For example, my activity restrictions were different after gallbladder surgery vs. cataract surgery.)

    You can do this, and it will be a useful learning period for how to deal with challenges in the future. Hang in there: It'll be OK, you'll be back to your workout routine surprisingly soon, and be more grateful for it than ever.

    All the best for speedy recovery!

    I absolutely agree with you in some points. I have mostly kept an active lifestyle through my job but my diet had always been horrid. The amount of exercise I do is half the physical activity I had at work before covid-19 hit. I knew I had to keep some sort of physical activity so I have been doing half of what I normally would do at work. I average 2 hours per day of exercising compared to my 8 hour work day is really not that much. Had I taken control of my diet I would have never gained so much weight when I was working. I had a serious binge problem that became even worse after the pandemic. Perhaps I should have mentioned that in my original post!

    I know I have been slacking off at slacking off because I'm starting to see the value of recovery. Thanks for your input and I will work on incorporating some more rest days or at least scale back on my daily activity.

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