Staying Active Whilst Injured: Trying Not to Feel Sorry for Myself
Anyone who knows me can testify to the fact that I am the most accident prone person known to man. Over Christmas, I managed to break my toe whilst putting a bed together, then I severely sprained my ankle after falling down the stairs. Last week I managed to cover myself in bruises after an epic fall in the bath, and on Monday I face-planted the pavement whilst running, once again spraining my ankle in the process!
Now, I am currently on my second day off of work, with my leg elevated and dosed up on ibuprofen (it is pretty difficult to spend a full day in a classroom when you are struggling to weight bear on your leg). I admit it, I am feeling pretty sorry for myself.
There is only one way to get out of the doldrums and that is exercise! I'm not sure if you have ever tried to workout with a sprained ankle - it's pretty hard. So, I have knocked together a quick tabata-style workout, focused on upper body and core, that won't put any pressure on my injury.
Tabata-style workouts are fantastic: structured interval training that you can adapt depending on your fitness needs and goals. I can thoroughly recommend the Turbo Tabata Trainer albums (easily downloadable via iTunes); I'm working out to release 4 today. These albums combine well known tracks that are great to exercise to, with audio cues instructing you when to start and stop exercising. You can allocate one or more exercises per track; just try and complete as many reps as possible.
Here is my workout from today. 10 songs : 8 exercises + warm up and cool down = 47 minutes.
1. Bicep curl / shoulder press.
2. C-sit (twist with a weight)
3. Chest flies
4. Plank (on my knees so not to put any pressure on my ankle)
5. Triceps extensions
6. Leg raises
7. Chest press
8.Skydiver (with weight if you're feeling adventurous!)
Whether you want to squat, lunge, burpee or tuck jump, you can adapt your tabata to suit your training needs. You don't need any specialist equipment. Don't have any dumbells? Why not grab a couple of cans of beans? Or fill up some bottles of water? Yes, I am lucky enough to have a studio in my house, but today I only used a set of dumbells and a resistance band. Even if you don't have time to complete the album, why not create your own mini-workout to one/two songs?
Don't let time or injury be an excuse to stay sedentary. Exercise should be fun and flexible; it should make you feel better about yourself, both physically and mentally. No more sulking for me! Let me know how you get on :)
Now, I am currently on my second day off of work, with my leg elevated and dosed up on ibuprofen (it is pretty difficult to spend a full day in a classroom when you are struggling to weight bear on your leg). I admit it, I am feeling pretty sorry for myself.
There is only one way to get out of the doldrums and that is exercise! I'm not sure if you have ever tried to workout with a sprained ankle - it's pretty hard. So, I have knocked together a quick tabata-style workout, focused on upper body and core, that won't put any pressure on my injury.
Tabata-style workouts are fantastic: structured interval training that you can adapt depending on your fitness needs and goals. I can thoroughly recommend the Turbo Tabata Trainer albums (easily downloadable via iTunes); I'm working out to release 4 today. These albums combine well known tracks that are great to exercise to, with audio cues instructing you when to start and stop exercising. You can allocate one or more exercises per track; just try and complete as many reps as possible.
1. Bicep curl / shoulder press.
2. C-sit (twist with a weight)
3. Chest flies
4. Plank (on my knees so not to put any pressure on my ankle)
5. Triceps extensions
6. Leg raises
7. Chest press
8.Skydiver (with weight if you're feeling adventurous!)
Whether you want to squat, lunge, burpee or tuck jump, you can adapt your tabata to suit your training needs. You don't need any specialist equipment. Don't have any dumbells? Why not grab a couple of cans of beans? Or fill up some bottles of water? Yes, I am lucky enough to have a studio in my house, but today I only used a set of dumbells and a resistance band. Even if you don't have time to complete the album, why not create your own mini-workout to one/two songs?
Don't let time or injury be an excuse to stay sedentary. Exercise should be fun and flexible; it should make you feel better about yourself, both physically and mentally. No more sulking for me! Let me know how you get on :)
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