I am afraid I will both gain weight and lose ground if I can't find a way to exercise this winter. I am 50ish and menopausal so staying ahead of the slowing metabolism has been challenging. As it is I weigh more than I'd like. Three seasons a year until winter traps me inside, I am physically very active. I have balance problems so walking on ice and snow has been a long-term problem. Until the injury I had been planning to use my home treadmill more.

I do yoga and will use what of that I can. Any other ideas? I have an exercise ball (unused) and a weight machine (not recently used, hemmed in in a store room in my basement). Thanks for the help!

You can exercise your upper body with hand weights. I got Judy Stoloves DVD's called CHAIR DANCING SIT DOWN AND TONE UP and CHAIR DANCING AROUND THE WORLD. They get kind of boring after a while, but something is better than nothing. I like the SIT DOWN AND TONE UP BEST. It gives a nice workout for the back and arms.

Please be careful whatever you do. You don't want to make the situation worse; you want to heal fast fast fast!

Can you swim? That will help with the cardio and help maintain your weight. And as was suggested earlier, you can do upper body weights, even sitting down if you have to.

Make your goal to maintain. But whatever happens, please don't get depressed. Just do your best.

So far I’m not depressed but am a bit frustrated. I have had my plastic boot cast for just over a day and it is really crimping my style. Of course with Christmas almost here I keep thinking of errands I need to run. Since I was on a trip of course none of those things were done early. But I have to take the thing off to drive and then put it on again to get out of the car. So all the short hops I used to make I will have to reconsider. Last night, having had it on for only ~ 10 hours, I was aching from the waist down from having to walk around stiff-legged like Frankenstein. Clomping around the kitchen making dinner was tiring. (I guess that’s a form of exercise, right? :)

Sounds like we have similar injuries. It’s odd how such a little thing can break a bone, isn’t it?
I have the aircast too. I have a hard time believing that it will heal with this thing. I suppose it works as well as a cast: when you have it on. But I take mine off for sleeping, and who knows how much I may move my foot around while sleeping?! It’s often sore when I wake up in the morning, and I know that means I have been stretching it while I sleep. I have driven a little: and yes, it hurts. It is almost impossible to drive without bending the foot, and that is what hurts. Plus it is indeed a pain to have to keep taking the boot on and off when I get in and out of the car. I tried a little the first few days and decided it was not worth it. When I had to run errands I arranged to go to the same mall with my 16 year old daughter so she could drive. Also standing becomes exhausting and painful very quickly. That’s even harder than not driving. I can manage very little walking or standing without having to then take a long break and elevate it. I am asking every family member to do the running I normally do and that is demoralizing as well. I am not using a cane or crutches: probably should. He said it was not necessary. I go in 2 weeks to have it X-rayed. If it has not started healing he will re-think the aircast.

Good luck with yours!

I was just wondering how your foot was doing since we both have similiar injuries. I am still wearing the air boot. I am having an exray taken on Jan. 21st. than I go back to the dr. on Jan. 23rd. to see how the foot is healing. I have been reading online that it could take any where from 2 to 3 months to heal! I hope it doesn't take that long. Are you still wearing your air cast?

My exercise:
I was very active in sports and feel like I already lost 50% of muscle weight in my injured leg. I have been trying to get some exercise in, but it has been tough. I have to have my foot elevated at all times or it hurts a lot.
so the only exercises I am able to do are the ones that do not require sitting or standing.

I do the following: (while on my back)
ab crunches (keep my legs up and lift upper body)
with my back on the bed, straight leg lifts
followed by bicycle with my legs while on my back
then
flip slowly on to my stomach and do the leg lifts one at a time to work the hamstrings and butt.
finish the routine off with push ups (keep your legs bent at the knees with feet up).

And I was told to stay of my foot completely.
Hope this helps and please let me know your comments and suggestions.

I did not gain any weight, it stayed steady. Perhaps being conscious that I was moving less, I ate less, too.

After the first time period, I was X-rayed, and he said it had not healed. I had to continue the boot for another month. He stipulated, then, that I should stay off it as much as possible, because the flexing might have been interfering with the edges knitting. I went out to yoga and a very few must-do activities (like kid's choral concerts, etc.) but that was about it. I stopped cooking, shopping, any kind of sustained standing. When I went back in, it had knit sufficiently that he said I could lose the boot, though he had me buy a foot brace at the sporting goods store, which I wore for any standing or walking for the next 2-3 months. But that I could wear inside a lace-up gym shoe.

How did you do the leg curls on your stomach? I have the same injury and am so frustrated by being so immobile. It's even hard to work and I work in an office. I can't get my foot high enough and my hips ache when I sit at the desk too long. The bicycle kicks didn't hurt? I get my stitches out this Friday and then the 9 pins out sometime in July. Multiple hard casts ending up eventually with a walking boot. Any advice would be appreciated. The worst are the pain pills (to take vs. not to take) and not being able to sleep! HELP!! :-)