Getting an injury is frustrating for fitness fanatics. The doctors will tell you that you need to rest but that’s the last thing you want to do. After the first few weeks, you’ll be going stir crazy, wanting to get back to the gym. Unfortunately for you, your doctor was right. If you try to get back into working out like you normally do without giving yourself enough time to properly heal, the injury will get a lot worse and you’ll end up spending a lot more time out of the gym. The best way to quench that thirst is to ease yourself back in slowly with low-impact workouts that won’t put too much strain on your body. Anybody out there that’s recovering from an injury should try these workouts.
Walking
You might not consider it a workout, it’s just walking after all. While it isn’t as intensive as your standard routine, you can’t do that yet. Walking still gets your heart rate going and burns calories without putting any unnecessary strain on your injuries. It’s also a good way to gauge how ready you are to start working out again. If you’re struggling to walk a reasonable distance then you need more time to heal. Once you can do it with ease, keep increasing the distance and eventually pick up the pace into a slow jog.
Finding a proper hiking trail is a great way to take your walking exercises up to the next level. It might be worth trying this before upgrading to a run to make sure that you can handle the extra stress on your joints.
Cycling
Walking is probably not going to be enough for you after a while and if you want to maintain your fitness levels then you need to be doing something a bit more active. Heavy running is a no go because it’s too intensive on your body but cycling isn’t. An RPM fitness class is a brilliant way to fit a proper workout in but it’s not too much for your body because most of the impact is taken by the bike, whereas when you go running, that will all be taken by your joints.
Tai Chi
In terms of a heart racing workout, Tai Chi isn’t going to cut it but it does have its benefits. It’s a gentle way to get your body moving again to see whether you can handle anything a bit more intense. It should also stretch out all of your joints and stop them from getting stiff while you’re taking a bit of time out from your workout routine.
Swimming
Swimming is probably the best exercise for somebody that has sustained an injury because the water will remove all of the impact on your joints but the resistance that it gives helps build muscle all over your body. Regular swimming sessions will ensure that you don’t lose any of the progress that you’ve made at the gym while you’re out for injury.
Whenever you’ve got an injury, don’t rush into any of these activities, even the less strenuous ones. Otherwise, you’ll end up doing yourself some more permanent damage.