Even though my ankle is swollen and an interesting array of shades of green, blue and purple, I hit the gym today like it was no one’s business. I couldn’t just lay in bed all and RICE myself (rest, ice, compress, elevate) again — one day was more than enough, thanks. I was feeling lazy and sluggish and I had to get up and be active somehow.
Thanks to some suggestions from friends, I found a few ways to get my heart rate up and burn calories, even with a bum ankle.
The first thing I tried was the arm bike — a cardio machine that functions sort of like a bike, but instead of using your feet, you use your arms. I was able to get my heart rate up for a while, and I also gave my arms a pretty good work out. While I didn’t like the machine, I used it for a little more than an hour because Selena was on and I freakin’ love that movie.
After I got tired of the arm bike, I gave a real bike a shot. In the past, I have felt like bike riding has a pretty low impact on your joints (not sure if this is a proven fact, but it treats my joints fine). Since I was able to keep my ankle at the same angle while riding it, it didn’t hurt at all. I rode for the rest of Selena (a little less than an hour) and while I didn’t get my heart rate up too high, I still felt like I got a pretty good work out.
Aside from cardio machines, I did some free-weight work and crunches. I was also able to do a few one-footed planks to work my core.
My boyfriend thought I was crazy to workout and my mom might be a little upset when she reads this, but I know my body and my physical limits. My dad and Brittany Redig together effectively taught me that there’s no use in being a wuss. It is important to take care of any injury, but at the same time, you can only let it limit you to a point. I was able to find a few things today that didn’t hurt my ankle too bad and I was proud of myself for not letting an injury slow me down.
Keep on keepin’ on,
Samantha