Low-Impact Exercises
When you think about exercising, the typical picture that comes to mind includes one of these activities: running, aerobics, sports, or weight lifting. However, for folks with that have foot, ankle, or knee problems or injuries, these types of physical activity are not always possible.
That doesn’t mean you are exempt from maintaining a healthy lifestyle including nutritious food and regular exercise. The following are some suggestions for exercises that are low-impact on your legs, but still help you build muscle and burn calories:
Whole Body Workouts:
- Walking (wear supportive sneakers with plenty of cushioning)
- Swimming and Water Aerobics
- Yoga (certain poses, if available – best to receive guidance from a teacher)
- Elliptical (machine)
- Bicycle Crunch
- Planks or Push ups (if available)
- Hanging Leg Raises (use a step stool to get up on pull up bar, raise knees up and down OR raise legs straight up to make an L-shape with your body)
Upper Body Workouts
- Pull Ups (use a step stool to get up)
- Lat pull downs (machine)
- Rowing (machine)
- Bicep Curls or Tricep Pulls (machines)
Lower Body Workouts
- Leg Curl or Extensions (machines)
- Squats and Lunges (if available to you)
- Stair Climbs (machine or regular stairs, if available to you – especially knees)
Ask your podiatrist to make sure that these exercises will not pose additional problems for you. Not all exercises will be possible (available) for you depending on your foot or ankle injury, so use discretion to find out what will work for you. Remember: while workouts should challenge you, they should not make you feel pain. If you injured one leg, but not the other, do your best to not overstrain the other leg to make up for it.
Don’t let an injury or foot problem get you down. Make an appointment at Alamitos-Seal Beach Podiatry Group to get an assessment and get cleared for exercises that will allow you to maintain an active lifestyle. One of our board-certified podiatrists, Dr. Douglas H. Richie, Dr. Jeremy L. Cook, Dr. Faye E. Izadi can check your feet or ankles at either of our Seal Beach, CA or Los Alamitos, CA offices in Orange County.
