Losing tone & shape & would love some advice...
 

I have always been very healthy. I am usually a slim/athletic build & before my injury, I played lots of football, running, surfing, kickboxing, cycling, etc, but now with my injury, I find even walking short distances extremely difficult. So any exercise is almost impossible. The fact that I cant exercise properly is frustrating for two reasons, 1- I love exercise. I enjoy sports & just loved being active, & 2- without exercise, I am rapidly getting out of shape. I have already lost my abs & my 'gut' is starting to expand outwards quicker than a 'red giant' star & I have no idea how to halt the expansion... I cant lift anything heavier than a shopping bag, cant be on my feet for too long, etc & Im a little lost as to what I can do to get back into shape... Has anybody on here had pelvic/hip/groin pain problems which stopped their mobility & how did you get any exercise done?

Im determined to not let this beat me, but Im mindful of doing too much too soon (already been a victim of my own impatience), so any advice from people with similar 'disability' would be hugely appreciated...

what about isometric exercises?
bizi

how about a rowing machine utilizing just the arms and upper body but still burning calories, be careful with the weight I didn't address it and it got way out of control. be mindful of it.

I will investigate that a little further. Thank you for the suggestion :-)

Thinking about it, Yoga might not be a bad idea, if I do it mellow...

speaking of healthy living..there is a Chinese food platter screaming my name in the fridge. It's bad enough it's there (and how it got there I don't know) but its taunting is cruel. It's like the plate is alive and the sweet and sour chicken are all whispering to me and the whispering gets louder and louder until..I cant take it any more!!! Get me some sauucy susan. Now!! Make yourself useful, I know what I'm doing!!

Haha! I have all the ingredients out on the side to make a Chicken Tikka Masala. But now they are there, I cant be bothered to cook, lol...

The docs asvised me against rowing due the the movement & pressure on hips... I will ask ghe question again though... Cheers for the suggestion mate :-)

Hope you are well dude (as well as can be)

Check amazon and youtube for floor/mat or chair exercises.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g42Gv8bOz-U


M

Intermittent Fasting
 

Hello,

I am really sorry to hear of your difficulties. I can relate so much. I have always been super fit and athletic. I am hyperactive and need to move. But after degenerating from spinal cord compression, I have difficulty even walking fast.

That being said, probably about 80-90% of our overall health/physique is dependent on our eating habits/type of foods we eat. Eating clean unrefined foods is vital (little to no processed foods, no gmos, antibiotics in our food, etc.) But one thing that can really help with keeping our physiques in shape can be intermittent fasting.

There are many methods, but all help to lesson the load on the body by allowing a cleansing time, and limit the amount of hours our bodies have elevated blood glucose from eating.

I usually don't eat after 8pm and then don't eat again until about noon the next day.I have 6 kids and no one believes I even have one. :wink: Try a search on intermittent fasting. It may help.

Good luck.

Thank you for the advice. My situation has rapidly deteriorated, so any excercise is a certain no go area at the moment... I have surgery once they stop messing about with the dates & things will be even worse for a while, but have been advised that relaxed swimming can help as it is very low impact on joints. Hopefully, later if things settle, then I may be able to go walking & take it from there... Diet is extremely important from now on & I have researched the best nuitrition for my situation. Hopefully thing will start to improve soon...

I was doing a stretchy band exercise tape...it is done in a chair, seated. I found this video on Amazon.

I'm slowly venturing out doing more...but have been very inconsistent due to health issues.

The tape, seated, worked lots of muscles...I'm sorry, I don't recall the name.

I agree, a good diet can go along way toward improving health. Simple walks are of great benefit too. I think diet is paramount. Be well.

they say it is 80% food 20% exercise.
bizi

Disagree to some extent
 

Quote:

That being said, probably about 80-90% of our overall health/physique is dependent on our eating habits/type of foods we eat.

While fuel is very important, so is muscle and muscle is dependent upon exercise. The more muscle one has, the more calories expended. Diet alone will not prove to keep a healthy weight. It takes both diet AND exercise.

For many here, exercise is difficult to say the least. But as the original poster voiced concern about expanding due to the change in exercise levels, that shows that it is a combination of both to keep a healthy weight. When one changes, the other needs to change also in order to compensate. If exercise is reduced, so should calories.

Being one that has very limited ability to exercise, I do attempt some while in bed. It is not just about burning calories, but also about limiting muscle atrophy and trying to keep some muscle tone. Diet won't do that.

In fact, being too restrictive in caloric intake will lower the body's metabolism and go into starvation mode. It is a balancing act that one must attain in order to achieve not only the "proper" fuel (food), the proper amount of fuel, and get as much muscle movement as possible.

I disagree with the percentage you have placed on food intake to optimize health. I believe that food is a BIG factor but exercise and muscle are important also. One without the other is not good for the body.

While some of us may have very limited mobility, there are a few things that most of us can still do a little at a time to help keep our muscles from too much atrophy. It may not be what we consider "traditional" exercise and activity, but anything is a move in the right direction. Just turning from side to side in the bed is exercise if one is capable of that.

It is very difficult to keep muscles toned and weight off when we become limited in our mobilization but we can learn some adaptations. I happened to find that there were "some" things I could do while in bed.

Have you ever tried walking/exercise in a swimming pool. That is what I do so I don't re injure myself. Start out slow. My YMCA offered a stroke victim class, which helped me with basic stretching. Just a suggestion.

Different ailment here, but I also found the warm water swimming pool extremely helpful for me after some very bad back problems many years ago.

Hi MeShelly,

Welcome to our wonderful Community. Have you checked out the RSD/CRPS Forum, here:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum21.html

It is full of great information and superb people.

Dave.

I can attest to the benefits of swimming, isometrics and any weight machines that don't involve your injury. After three surgeries on my foot and ankle and nine months on crutches that is what kept me from turning to mush. I used a pull buoy when I couldn't tolerate kicking yet. My orthopod was shocked I was going to the gym 4 days a week. :D

It's amazing the creative ways you can use your own body weight without actually even needing to stand. Do whatever you can and don't give up no matter how tiny a workout you can manage. I started with two minutes, really!, when I was post-op.

Just did a new routine of Ellen Barrett's, a floor fusion workout of pilates/yoga moves that didn't even require standing! I accessed it on the free on demand options for Time Warner (exerciseskool). I have tried a couple of her workouts and liked how easily modified the movements are to accomodate various needs. aack...can I say those things? Is it promoting? I hope I am not in trouble...

Keep trying new things! It makes it more fun and interesting and you may find something that works just right for you no matter what your limitations. :highfive:

Only just spotted this. I am a tad limited at the moment & have trouble even getting out of bed after surgery, but once things settle in a few months I will investigate this further... Thank you so much for the advice...

Hahahaha, that's funny. Food is always yelling at me too.

Two 10 pounds dumb bells are always handy. :winky:

I am walking short distances & I think its helping... Mobility is still very limited though, but will continue to push on as much as possible...

good luck to you andy, thanks for checking in.
bizi