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Debatable if this should be bike forum or chat, mods, feel free to move if you see fit.
I normally exercise every day, mainly running, but the off bit of cycling as well. But right now I'm injured, no running, no cycling, short walks.
So in short, how do you stay sane when you can't exercise as normal? I don't want to spend all my time in front of the TV or my phone.
Read a book, learn a new skill?
I don't want to spend all my time in front of the TV or my phone.
think you'll be hard pressed to avoid screens entirely if you are physically limited to short walks, have you considered video games for some interaction/input rather than passive watching?
I normally use it as an opportunity to drink a six pack or a bottle of wine (or both) every day until I'm healed.
So maybe don't take my advice.
So I'm not injured but I am currently out of action.
It's a struggle. The PlayStation has seen a lot of use this week and I've done too much mindless scrolling and web browsing.
I tend to find myself getting a passive interest in something the researching it endlessly. Probably not super healthy. I always wish that passing interest would be something useful (like, for example, DIY so I could repair stuff that needs repairing) but it never works like that.
Been off work and not far from a toilet all this week - caught up on a fair bit of YouTube stuff, completed an interesting if rather heavy* book, limited myself to 2 episodes of Blue Bloods a day
*heavy as in content, not big and heavy
There's always lego.
Came here to say Lego too. Its nice to do something physical and away from a screen.
I hear you
I normally exercise every day, mainly running, but the off bit of cycling as well. But right now I'm injured, no running, no cycling, short walks.
So in short, how do you stay sane when you can't exercise as normal? I don't want to spend all my time in front of the TV or my phone.
I hear you. I'm currently knacked with some sort of knee injury - possibly a torn meniscus or something that presents with similar symptoms - so I'm stuck with very gentle indoor spins, a bunch of rehab stuff that is 'rehab but not training' and an eight-month-old wirehaired pointer that stands at the front door / garden gate and looks at me reproachfully when I can't take him out for a blast. Normally I'd be out on foot or wheels six or seven days a week and I'm going slowly nuts.
I've reframed my bastard knee as a longer term rebuild bullet-proofing project, I'm rehabbing it in a vaguely obsessive way and training the pup a lot. I was in a similar boat with 18 months of long covid and stuff that helped me then included... meditation, I used the Headspace app mostly, reminding myself that 'this is not forever' and treating recovery as an active project, not something that would just happen, and I watched a lot of YouTube videos. When I did go for a walk, I tried to do it mindfully and focus on the tiny details around me and stuff like the sound and feel of my feet on the ground.
Podcasts were a godsend. Also audio books. I didn't find god. I didn't read philosophy or get into metaphysics. I was also a pain in the butt to be around and am at the moment too. Mostly I reminded myself that it was a temporary thing and when I could get back out again, it would be amazing, which it was.
So I don't know basically. Oh, I did find doing basic resistance training and mobility stuff regularly helped reduce the feeling that I was rotting away and definitely got some positive brain chems from the former. Swimming? Though I guess whether any of that's an option depends on how you're injured. Welcome to the way 95% of the population 'exists'... In the end, I think it mostly just felt like coming out of a bad dream. None of which, I suspect, is much help.
Obviously it depends on the injury, but I'd try and find some other form of exercise to do, if I couldn't cycle for weeks. Some light weights or something similar, like water in old milk/pop containers.
Maybe try one of those basic cycle machines that crop up on hotukdeals, where you can "cycle" at a desk or while sitting on the sofa?
I normally use it as an opportunity to drink a six pack or a bottle of wine (or both) every day until I'm healed.
A couple of weeks ago I was up in the Lake District for a few days and put my back out (bending down to pick up a rucksack). This is the alternative activity I adopted.
If it's a leg injury, you could go swimming instead?
Oh, I see that's already been mentioned - but I really would recommend it as you can focus almost exclusively on upper body and still get a good workout.
Of course if injury precludes this as well, then ignore me.
i broke my leg in May. 8 weeks doing naff all. I was bored of TV, Xbox and the internet by the end of it. But thankfully trying to recover and recoup keep spirits high towards the end. But it was defo a rollercoaster of emotions.
thankfully i am mostly recovered, and despite the doctors negative predicted future for my leg, i am riding and running like it never happened!
But as other have said, Lego, books, board games, model kits. Anything to stimulate the mind!
Spent the first two weeks looking out of the window at a perfect summer, muting the riding whatsapp's groups and generally being grumpy. Realising this wasn't a strategy that was going to see out 12 weeks min off the bike, ended up doing a lot more "normal" stuff- just going to places we'd always fancied a nose round, but I'd be too busy riding.
Once I was "released into Rehab about week 4", as per BWD above, made it a mission to come back stronger, set myself some targets, did all the exercises with great discipline (for me anyway), tried not to let boredom lead to booze/crap eating etc. Once I could do something other than "a long walk but don't trip over", I found swimming, yoga, pilates (all things I "think" I should do but never do) really good before I could ride again, and I've carried on since.
Appreciate the exercise bit is dependant on injury, but for me I had to move on from "I've lost a perfect summers riding" (and two planned trips away) to "there is a lot more I can do that mope around that will still be enjoyable"
Made me think a bit as well about when I'm too old and knackered to ride, what am I going to do instead.
Oh and books. Would have reduced the "to read" pile significantly if some of the mooching around in new places didn't involve visits to lovely bookshops 🙂
I did so much Turbo tho, I really think I'll struggle to face it this winter. Still now have a treadmill as well...
Gaming, but that's a hobby of mine regardless.
When you say short walks, does that mean you can or can't?
If you can then photography might be a good option as it get you out and can give you a new found appreciation of your surroundings/make you look at things a bit differently.
If you’re a fan of ‘Halo’, they sell the colouring books on Amazon.
Thanks all. I can do short walks, but basically need time off my legs to let the knee injury heal.
Swimming is definitely being considered and I do like the idea of bringing my camera out again.
Made me think a bit as well about when I'm too old and knackered to ride, what am I going to do instead.
A while back, I had counselling after some mildly bad stuff. Somewhere in the middle of it, my counsellor said, out loud, 'I wouldn't want to meet you if you couldn't ride a bike.' I figure you have to be very, very old not to be able to ride tbh. So many of our expectations are based on 'normal' people, who think that walking to the local shops once a week is 'exercise', personally I'd rather reference the people who are lifelong athletes and just keep plugging away regardless. The great thing about cycling is that it's low impact, so you often see splendidly old boys and girls pedalling past our house here on the edge of the Peak. I figure that'll be me eventually, but faster 🙂
Thanks all. I can do short walks, but basically need time off my legs to let the knee injury heal.
Knees are rubbish. Poorly designed tat... though to be fair, mine was decades of trouble-free fine until it wasn't.
e great thing about cycling is that it's low impact, so you often see splendidly old boys and girls pedalling past our house here on the edge of the Peak.
I have earmarked my post retirement years for "bike touring". First one being the WW2 beaches. And now we have amazing ebikes so if they keep me riding (but I'll be putting it off for as long as I can) I'm 100% an advocate.
It is interesting* to realise what a hole it leaves tho. I didn't miss it as much as I thought until I got back into it if that makes sense. Then I realised I'd missed the being out riding with people as much as the actual riding. And the pub. I mean I really missed a post ride pint!
*maybe not to people who aren't you 😉
I had a 9 months forced break off the bike not that long back.
The main thing I did was avoid alcohol.
I could barely keep a lid on it while I was sober and so drinking was off limits for me.
Once I could walk without it causing too much pain I did that.
I used to hate walking but now quite like it on the odd day i'm not riding.
Definetely don't ignore your injury and then get a second injury in a crash like I have.
Sauna & steam room are very good for recovery, Creatine too.
I was in a similar position after a major op at the start of the year. Books, music and my dad (pensioner) gave me a couple of 1000 piece jigsaws. As I have a mildly obsessive personality, I couldn't leave them until they were completed.
My wife is in the same boat as you. She got a stress fracture on her femoral head so no lower body for 2-3 months and crutches for at least the first. Her new e-bike is sitting there looking sad and abandoned.
After 2 weeks of moping around she decided that she’d totally commit to training her upper body and getting much stronger. So in the last month she’s trained that and can now do 10 strict pull ups (previously she could do 2-3) and put kilos on her upper body lifts. It never hurts to be stronger.
She’s also used the Concept Ski Erg from a sitting position and just the arms of an Assault Air bike for her cardio. And taught herself to swim properly.
Lower body injuries are the excuse to train your upper body (and vice versa).
I had about 5 years off the bike injured, had 3 surgeries. In that time, I trained a dog, learnt to ride a motorbike, did my IAMS motorbike test, walked the dog a lot and tried really hard not to be a grumpy depressed mess...didn't always work
Try to do those short walks somewhere nice, even if it requires driving.
Push the "short" bit of the definition a little bit.
Best option is not be sane before you get injured.
If the injury allows it then I would suggest swimming as you can use floats or pull buoys to isolate anything you need to protect
One thing: once you are back on track, you are recovering very quickly. If you are worrying of losing any kind of fitness, don't, it will be back without you even noticing it.
Its a good opportunity to finesse your crawl stroke aswell. If you want more of a work out try using some hand paddles.
It is interesting* to realise what a hole it leaves tho. I didn't miss it as much as I thought until I got back into it if that makes sense. Then I realised I'd missed the being out riding with people as much as the actual riding. And the pub. I mean I really missed a post ride pint!
*maybe not to people who aren't you
Oh, for sure. The bit when I started being able to ride a bike again after getting, mostly, over long covid, was almost euphoric. I couldn't stop grinning. I didn't really miss riding with people tbh well only a select few, but I realised that being in high places and outdoors generally was what really motivated me. If there was an upside to the whole grim experience, it was in appreciating just how amazing riding mountain bikes is. Sometimes you really don't properly appreciate something until you don't have it.
Broke my foot at the start of July, when friends where posting pics from the alps... I'm not sure I managed particularly well, but I read Shogun from cover to cover, started it in A&E, finished on holiday a month later, that has reignited my love for reading which mobile phones had dented somewhat.
Really struggled at the start but realised it was a process to heal, was told no weight bearing for 5-6weeks, tried all sorts of to attempt to keep in shape, basically I could really only do sit ups to begin with. Got bored three weeks in and started to walk a bit, by the time my telephone consultation came round I was on holiday swimming and walking again.
Basically I read, played a few games of FIFA with my son, watched a bit more telly than usual, ate a lot!
I've been commuting for a month or so now, and can feel fitness returning, swinging my leg over the mtb next weekend. Cannot Wait!
I need to retrain my brain for walking up and downstairs as I've adopted a weird angled approach...
Be grateful the summer is behind you and not ahead of you, unless you're in the southern hemispher in which case, commiserations! I've really missed being outside properly this summer.
Do you currently enjoy cooking? It's amazing how much (rewarding) time you can spend cooking dinner if it's all you have to do that evening/day and it gives you an excuse to go for a mooch into town and hunt through charity shops for cookbooks too.
That and whatever I'm able to do in the gym would be my go-to's as eating well and exercising both feed off each other and keep you feeling as good as possible!
Had 2 x 2 months off the bike after operations recently. This week I'm back on the bike. What I did...
- Was a bit obsessed with keeping in shape the first time, loads of walking, used an elliptical loads. This second time, I didn't bother with that, just walked the dog and felt no worse off.
- Met up with old mates. Not big nights out, just lunch in a nice pub halfway somewhere.
- Sold a few camera bits, bought a lens, played with that.
- Installed an emulator on a Raspberry Pi and played some old Spectrum and Atari games.
- Read loads, listened to music, actually watched a few series on TV, went to a few local museums
- Fettled the bikes, obviously
- Jobs around the house. All the outside paintwork is now done 👍🏻
- Fettled the bikes, obviously
maybe a contentious one, but being unable to ride it become glaringly obvious that I had far more bikes than pairs of legs. I tend to ride most of my bikes some of the time, but 12 weeks riding none did create an n-3 opportunity. I'd already decided to sell my gravel bike and I'd bought the "one trail bike to rule them all" so had two very similar ones needing to go. Even so got them all cleaned/photographed/listed and dealt with the influx of low ball offers including axle stands and broken xbox's.
Very pleased with myself coming out the other side of injury with a perfectly created bike collection clean, maintained and ready to ride.
At which point I bought another one. As a "I'm healed" present 🙂
I'm not sure I managed particularly well, but I read Shogun from cover to cover,
I never quite plumbed those depths, though I might have watched all of Black Sails 🙁
maybe a contentious one, but being unable to ride it become glaringly obvious that I had far more bikes than pairs of legs.
I somehow managed to come out of long covid with two more bikes than I had when I started off. It took me almost a year to finally ride my FlareMAX, but then I built it partly so I'd have something to look forward to once I was better. I just didn't think it would take quite that long. To be fair, I'm way luckier than some, there are plenty of folk out there still struggling with the aftermath of the thing. One plus point is that it makes knee rehab feel distinctly finite, touch wood etc.
Go and do some short walks on the local bike trails with some secateurs in hand. Everyone loves a trail pixie.
Sometimes you really don't properly appreciate something until you don't have it.
My time off from riding allowed me to think about this a lot.
I spent hours thinking about the times I didn't go out because it was a bit rainy/windy/cold/i couldn't decide where to go while i was sat there unable to ride.
I now think about the time i was unable to ride when it's a bit rainy/windy/cold/i can't decide where to go and that soon gets me out the door.