Broken Leg - how do I exercise?! Please help!

pippppip
pippppip Posts: 4 Member
edited October 7 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, happy new year!

On Friday night I managed to break my leg after 21 years of unbroken bones. My main distress was that I have lost a lot of weight recently, and had just started my half marathon training (which is now unfortunately being postponed).

Now I really don't want to comfort eat, and it would be really awesome if I managed to lose some weight whilst in this position, so i was wondering if anyone could recommend any exercises? I've been told before not to do sit ups etc because i am overweight - and that this will cause muscle build up, and not fat burn.

Any help is much appreciated!
xx

Replies

  • johngeorgimus
    johngeorgimus Posts: 7 Member
    Hi

    Sorry to hear about the leg, have you considered hopping?! Seriously though, any activity that raises your heart rate is good for burning calories. Assuming you will move around using crutches, this will burn loads of calories. Also don't forget that toning your abdominal muscles or any muscles will help increase your standing metabolic rate (i.e. the amount of cals you burn when doing nothing) so its all good.

    Goos luck and hope you are running again soon

    JB
  • johngeorgimus
    johngeorgimus Posts: 7 Member
    P>S> You look a great weight in your profile pic so don't loose too much or you will disappear!:happy:
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    First of all, whoever told you not to do crunches is an idiot. Muscle work, like crunches, weight lifting, etc., will help you increase your muscle mass, yes, but that muscle mass will burn a lot more calories so you will lose fat easier. So, yes, you can do crunches and upper body weight training. You can even do lower body weight training on the unbroken side as long as it is controlled in a machine. I wouldn't recommend squats. LOL For cardio, boxing is awesome. You can get a kickboxing video and just do the punching drills or you can even do straight kicks from a seated position on the uninjured leg.
  • pippppip
    pippppip Posts: 4 Member
    Thanks guys!! Some really helpful tips there :)

    @johngeorgimus as much as I like the idea of hopping, I am terrified of busting my other ankle! But yes crutch work will give me a good work out and I will work on my abs. (P.s. Merci for the compliment!)

    @TrainingWithT haha I will pass the message along. That is good, because I use to really enjoy crunches etc. I LOVE the idea of kickboxing, thank you for that - I am definitely going to invest in a video! :)
  • Nikkiray32
    Nikkiray32 Posts: 123
    You can do chair exercises. When I worked at a nursing home, the residents did chair exercises because they couldn't stand long.
  • TimWilkinson101
    TimWilkinson101 Posts: 163 Member
    You can also get a waterproof cover for your leg and you can then swim. My youngest broke her arm and I got one of these covers for her from the internet. She was fine with it. Cant use them in most public pools though as they dont like people swimming with heavy weights on their limbs that can hurt people.

    Aside from that, upper body exercises. Also just walking with crutches takes it out of you.
  • david081
    david081 Posts: 489 Member
    Hi, you don't mention which bone in your leg you broke, but regardless, the priority right now for you is a swift return to health. You may just have to rest whilst the break mends. I have broken bones about a dozen times, due to a rather reckless outlook on life. You will need to be extra careful with diet whilst resting, and maybe draw up a plan so you don't resort to comfort eating. There are upper body excercise machines in most gyms, so I guess you could do something if you are freaking out due to not exercising - it does become rather an absession sometimes, I know. Please 'friend' me if you like, as I'd love to know how you get on!

    Best regards, David (Holyhead, North Wales)
  • jsteffen80
    jsteffen80 Posts: 136
    Sounds like the perfect time to start a resistance training program on your upper body. You can do most moves sitting or lying down.
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