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Exercises which will keep you fit when on crutches

You are confined to crutches due to an accident you have been through. You don’t know what will happen to your weight loss program or daily exercise routine. There is nothing to worry about as you can still workout, when on crutches and stay fit and healthy. If your legs are immobile, that does not mean you cannot workout or so some exercises. Here are a few exercises with crutches which you can do easily.


Walking

Walking

Walking is always considered the best workout routine. Also, walking with crutches would mean more strain on your body as walking with crutches is much more difficult than walking just like that. You have to be careful when walking with crutches as you can tend to fall so make sure you walk slowly and on an even ground. Research shows that walking increases the heart rate and that burns calories. When walking with crutches one tends to put more pressure and that increases the heart rate even more. That will surely burn more calories.

Continuous walking with crutches will show results in a few days however you have to be careful you are not putting pressure on your hurt leg. The only side effect one can face is pressure on your hurt leg when you walk with crutches. Hence walk within limited areas and for small time spans. Consult a doctor before doing this exercise. If he recommends that you do not walk much, you should avoid doing this exercise.

Chair Exercises

When you are confined to crutches and you cannot do any regular exercises, you can do some chair exercises which will help you stay fit and active. Exercises with your hands, twisting from your waist, neck exercises and many more can be done while sitting on the chair and not moving the legs. These exercises with crutches would reduce the stiffness in your back due to the injury. They will help increase the blood flow in your body and also help in curing your injury fast. There are no side effects to these exercises and you can do them whenever you want.

Resistance Exercises for your Arms

Resistance Exercises for your ArmsWhen on crutches you would need maximum strength in your arms. You can work out by doing resistance exercises on your arms. You can hold a heavy milk bottle or weights and do arm curls. This should be done in a seated position and you would not harm the hurt leg. You can work on your arms, wrists, and shoulders even when you are on crutches. You can tone your arms when your lower body is immobile. Till the time you heal your legs, your upper body can get toned and shaped by doing these exercises. Start with lesser weights and then move on to heavier ones. Do not go overboard with these exercises. Set a time limit for yourself and stop as soon as you start feeling discomfort. Do not put pressure on your hurt leg or else you would take time to heal.

Some Cardio Workouts

After consultation with the doctor, you can do some cardio exercises when you are stuck with crutches for some time. Cardio exercises would help burn down some calories and help you stay fit. However, it is recommended that cardio exercises you do should not put pressure on your hurt leg. This can affect the recovery of your leg. Some simple cardio exercises can be learned from a trainer and these can be performed every day. You will start to see good results in a few days.

Stairs Climbing

Stairs ClimbingClimbing stairs is always considered a good option to keep your body fit. When on the crutches you can still do it and it would be more of a strained exercise. You can slowly, one by one climb one step at a time. This will increase your heart rate as climbing with crutches in hand is difficult. However, this works as one of the great exercises with crutches. You will benefit a lot with this exercise as you will not only keep yourself mobile and give some exercise to your otherwise immobile legs but also exercise your arms and shoulders.

You can do one flight of steps at a time per day and this would keep you fit. Initially, you would find it difficult to climb the stairs but by putting your weight on the railing and one crutch in the other hand would help you climb. Slowly with daily practice your body will get used to the climbing exercises. If you feel pain at any point you should stop doing it. Go slowly and steadily.

Yoga

When on the crutches you can stay fit by doing certain yoga positions. Yoga will keep your body and mind fit and helps you get out of your injury very soon. You can do the breathing exercises while sitting down in a chair. In this way, you would not hurt your already hurt leg. Secondly, some postures in yoga are meant for the upper torso. You can do those as well and keep your body active and healthy.

Yoga starts showing its effects on your body in a few days. You would start feeling more active and the lethargy due to your immobile legs would go away very fast. Practice yoga regularly and you would see the results in no time. There are no side effects of practicing yoga when on crutches. Only make sure you do not perform those postures wherein your lower body will be involved. Learn the various postures from an expert and practice them every day.

Handcycle and Gym Workouts

Gym WorkoutsYou might be going regularly to the gym. Due to being confined to the crutches, going to the gym sounds impossible. However, you can still workout at the gym and stay fit. You can use the hand cycle in the gym to work out your upper torso while your legs are immobile. The handcycle machine is the best for working out the arms and shoulders. There are some other machines in the gym which do not need the use of your legs. You can sit and work out on such machines. These exercises would help you build strength in your arms and then walking with crutches does not seem difficult. Do these workouts only in amounts that the doctor or expert has told you to do. Extra exercise might harm the healing process of your legs. Consult a doctor before indulging in such exercises.

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