Bummer! You have a foot injury. However, this doesn’t mean the end of all your physical activity! In fact, you can stay active even if you have a serious injury, such as a broken ankle.

Always talk to your podiatrist about your plans so they can help you mitigate any potential risks. Don’t feel as though your injury will sideline you completely for the next several weeks or months.

Here’s what you can do:

• Swim

You don’t have to put any pressure on your feet or ankles when you swim. It’s also one of the best types of cardio. And it’s great for your whole body. You’ll also feel less strain on your whole body. That means you’ll likely work out longer.

• What If You Have a Broken Ankle?

A broken ankle does not have to mean the end of all your activity. You can do all types of upper body workouts. Many of these also give you a cardio blast.

Battle ropes, an upper-body ergometer, chest presses, seated T-raises, and many more can be done without the use of one of your feet.

• Focus on Your Abs

Though you may not be able to walk, you can still get yourself the 6-pack of your dreams! Dumbbell crunches, modified v-sits, Russian twists, bicycle crunches, and many more can all be done even if you can’t use one of your feet.

Some of these exercises will require you to move your feet a little, so make sure you use caution while performing them.

• Time to Exercise Your Mind?

You don’t necessarily have to keep working your body. Now might be the time to give your mind a workout. Every choice you make begins in your mind anyway, so it might as well be in tip-top shape, right?

Meditation reduces your stress, gives you insight into challenging situations, reduces negative emotions, increases your patience with others, and helps you make more effective decisions. After practicing meditation for a while, it’s almost shocking the difference it makes in your life!

It’s important to remember that meditation doesn’t make a magical difference after just a single session. Rather, its effects accumulate over time as you practice and improve, just like physical exercise.

• Improve Your Exercise Form

You might not be able to exercise now. But when you can in a few weeks, you want to make sure that you do every move in exactly the right way so you get the maximum benefit and minimize your injury risk.

For example, many people do squats incorrectly. When you move to a near-seated position, you should be able to look down and see your toes. If you can’t, your knees are too far forward. When you do the bench press, your elbows should nearly touch your rib cage the entire time. Letting them flare out puts you at a high risk of injury.

While suddenly not being able to do what you used to may come as a shock, it does not have to be the end of the world. With these tips, you can keep your mind and body busy so you stay in top form. Need help recovering from a foot or ankle injury? Reach out to North Texas Foot & Ankle here.