Hi! I've been wanting to go back to working out but because of an accident, my right leg is still in recovery. I want to jumpstart natural fat loss again but as I'm not able to go to the gym, I'm wondering if there's still a workout for me out there. I've led a sedentary lifestyle for the last couple of years and when I finally decided to kick fat to the curb, this happened. I don't want to be lazy anymore and I certainly don't want to rely on HCG and the 500 calorie daily restriction anymore. Please help.
There's this cardio machine in my gym that uses hands instead of feet to "pedal" through, so maybe you can consider that? It takes no leg motion, and you only need your hands to do it, and it gives a pretty good cardio, as well as exercising your upper limbs. It's really different, as I have always been used to cycling on a stationary bike, where my legs had to do all the work. With this, your arms get all the work, but still get enough of the cardio from the basic leg exercises and cycling. Good luck, hope you heal soon!
You've not specified the kind of injury you have suffered. If it is a sprain or a dislocation, it should be easier to identify an exercise that suits the condition. Standing by itself is am exercise because the legs are supporting the whole body weight. Try to do it for a longer period each time and distract yourself with a book or browsing the web. Anothe technique it to hang on a frame and peddle in the air. This exercise willl also strengthen your hands. Best regards.
Honestly, for me the biggest help when I've had injuries but still wanted to work out was swimming - I think that firstly, it's a way of working out that's easy on your joints, but it's also very relaxing just being in the water. If you're able to swim and have a decent pool close by to you, that could be an option.
In order for an exercise to be considered cardio your heart's BPM has to increase over a certain threshold, for that you need to make it pump a lot of blood, the easiest way to do this is by moving large muscles that require this much blood flow, that's why almost all cardio exercises use your legs, because those are big muscles supporting your body weight and it is very easy get your heart pumping with them. The next best thing is your back so you could try something like rowing (that still involves legs but you could limit it to the back part) or battle ropes, find a gym with battle ropes. that's great cardio for which your legs are not required.
As someone said here, swimming is a good option and I regret sometimes I can't swim. If you had your leg injured badly you should probably take it easy with training but if you really want to do some workout you can always do regular body weight exercise without using your right leg. Push ups, pull ups or you can even try doing those pistol squats. I love them and I do them from time to time. Some cardio in the gym but I wouldn't just work on one leg when it comes to some exercises. I am not saying you shouldn't but I wouldn't. I would do upper body, swimming and some cardio in the gym.
