How to Stay Active When Injured

I have been dealing with Achilles tendonitis for the last month.  It had been progressively getting worse as I tried to run through the pain.  I could run at times with no pain, but the pain got worse after my runs.  I have not run since my half marathon on October 5^th (over a week ago).  I plan on taking another 2-3 weeks off of running to allow my Achilles tendon to heal.  

I now have the issue of not being able to do any high impact exercising without making the pain worse.  What can I do to stay active while I am recovering?  Here are 6 low impact exercises that can keep you active while you are trying to recover.

1) Swimming is a great low impact exercise that takes most of the stress off of your joints.  I have even read about water running where you get to run without the impact.  Swimming will help you burn about 330 calories in 45 minutes

2) Cycling is another great low impact activity.  You can really get your heart rate up and burn some calories without further injuring yourself.  Using a spin bike is a great alternative if you do not have a bike. Cycling at a moderate pace will help you burn about 380 calories in 45 minutes.

3) Walking, either on a treadmill or outside is a great way to exercise without the impact of running.  I walked on the treadmill adding incline as I went to make it more difficult without any added pain.  The elliptical machine would also provide a good low impact workout.  Walking will help you burn about 180 calories in 45 minutes (330 calories for 45 minutes on an elliptical).

4) You could also take a Zumba class at your local gym.  It is a good low impact activity that will help you burn about 350 calories in 45 minutes.

5) Climbing steps, either bleachers or a stair machine at your local gym is a great low impact exercise that will burn some serious calories. Climbing steps will help you burn about 430 calories in 45 minutes.

6)   The best part is the harder you push yourself on the rowing machine, the more resistance you get, which means better results.  The rowing machine will help you burn about 330 calories in 45 minutes.

One of the best full body machines at the gym is the rowing machine, and it is rarely used.

It is important to pay attention to your injury and how you feel.  Finding low impact exercises to keep you fit while you are injured is great, but make sure you do not make your injury worse by trying to push through the pain.  If it hurts, find something else to do.  You will recover faster if you don’t make the injury even worse.

What are your favorite low impact or recovery exercises?

Calories burnt found at Prevention.com.