So someone was motivated to lose weight and exercise daily, and started their regimen with gusto when their knee, back or other key body part starts causing them pain. Whether you have thrown your back out temporarily or you are awaiting a knee surgery, it doesn’t have to mean you have to forego exercise altogether. While it may be difficult to get some real calorie-burning cardio going without the use of a knee or back, you can still do some strength training, which tones and tightens muscles, and can help increase your metabolism. Read on for a few ideas on exercising with an injury:
Seated exercises – If standing proves difficult for you, there are some exercises that can achieve desired results while seated. Upper body workouts, such as overhead presses, bicep curls, etc., can often be done even if you have an injured back or knee. Purchase small hand weights and use them to do arm circles or shoulder presses to tone muscles and increase your metabolism and help you achieve weight loss.
Exercise while lying down – For those with back issues, even sitting while exercising the arms can be difficult. In this case, you may want to try lying on your back on the floor to do similar arm exercise with small weights. You can raise the weights in a variety of positions to work different muscle groups and increase weight loss.
your overall metabolism to help you achieve
Incorporate any physical therapy exercises – If you have a physical therapist, do the exercises given as much as they will allow you to do them. You never want to overdo it and cause further injury, so it’s important to consult with your physical therapist before doing the exercises often. As long as it’s approved, do it as often as possible to build up strength and keep your metabolism at a higher rate to assist you in weight loss. If you don’t have a physical therapist, you can search on the Internet for recommended physical therapy exercises for any type of injury, and it will often give you ideas for stretches and other exercises that will keep you moving and potentially help your injury recover more quickly.
Don’t forget to use a brace – Depending on the type of injury or illness you have in your back or knee, you may be able to purchase a brace that can help offer stabilization that will relieve pain so you can do more exercises than you could without the brace.
Specialized equipment – Some gyms offer specialized exercise equipment that will assist with getting exercise
for weight loss even with an injury (or you can purchase one for your home). An exercise bike that operates with the hands is a great option for raising your heart rate without further injuring an already-injured knee (see picture).
Thanks for reading our blog! When you have an injury that limits exercise, a key part of losing weight will be watching food intake. To keep your calorie count low and still enjoy great-tasting foods, visit us at ThinSlim Foods!