Can Do

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

22 Mar 2006 09:00 AM

A little over a week or two ago, I told you that I hurt my foot. It's still recovering from the sprain and strain I did to it. Hurting the foot is different from hurting the ankle. When you hurt your ankle, you really need to avoid straining the joint. When you hurt your foot, you have to be aware of where the hurt is so you don't re-injure the area by overstraining it. The foot brace helped to provide support and pressure for the foot, but it didn't help with the walking right away.

I didn't want to stop my work out, especially since I was just getting back on it after a few weeks absence. So - what do you do? I started by pulling out my balance ball. The balance ball is a great tool because it lets me work on strengthening my core while I perform other exercises. I sat on the ball and held myself erect and stable while I performed arm exercises.

I shortened the breaks I took between sets; I waited no more than thirty seconds. I performed bicep curls, hammer curls, shoulder presses and triceps lifts. I did 3 sets of 12 reps each in a circuit for a total of a 144 motions. I checked my heart rate, it was definitely elevated.

Since it was my foot that was hurt and not my leg, I sat down on the floor and stretched my legs out. I performed deep stretches for the next ten minutes, elongating my back, my torso and my legs. Then I performed leg lifts. I could lift my legs without straining my foot and since I was lying down, there was no strain to the injured foot. I performed the lifts lying on my back, switching to my sides and then laying on my stomach. I did 3 sets of 12 reps for each leg.

I could feel a burn in my thighs and my calves as I stretched and lifted the legs. My heart rate was still elevated, but it was not quite into the target zone for me. I went to where we keep the Bowflex and I used a light twenty pounds on the resistance bands. Sitting with my back straight and supported, I did arm and shoulder extensions, performing smoothly, but swiftly.

By lowering the resistance, I still had to pull against something but I was reducing my risk of injury. The smooth and steady action resulted in a pleasant burn, but also increased the workout and after ten minutes with my heart in the target zone, I stopped.

The entire workout took about thirty-five minutes. It was not as ideal as my treadmill burn followed by a strength training session. However - it was much better than nothing and I was plenty tired after focusing on the different activities. The next day, I felt a mild burn and strain - enough to know I'd worked out, but not enough to leave me feeling like I'd overdone it.

So I repeated the routine in reverse and found it a bit more effective - my heart rate was elevated before I started the reps and they helped to keep it up there. Don't let injury slow you down!

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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