Exercise is important when you are heading into hip surgery. I know I need to keep my weight down as well as strengthen my leg muscles as much as possible. But it’s just gotten so damn depressing lately.
I’ve had to ramp down my eating, to the point where I’m pretty much existing on egg whites and veggies right now. Otherwise I’d balloon up, and then my compromised hips would have to carry around that extra weight, which would just hasten the breakdown of cartilage and hasten the time frame for arthritic changes. I’d rather starve myself than speed up that process.
I am a big eater and have always worked it off with exercise. I’m no good with diets – I just don’t do them. I have cut back drastically on my walking and for all intents and purposes stopped skating. I’ve gone from an activity level of “high” to “sedentary” in a few short months, and I know that my metabolism has changed. My weight has only crept up a couple of pounds but I know my percentage of lean muscle to fat has gone downhill. And there isn’t much I can do about it.
I’ve tried the elliptical machine, and I’m lifting weights a few times per week, but I’ve never been a gym person either. I wasn’t seeing much impact from the machines, and so I started to work out harder, but that means the day after I work out my hips HURT, so I take a couple of days off … and so I’m really not getting anywhere. I’m not sure whether I should continue to work out when things hurt, or not. Then I have to keep cutting back on food, and then I’m always tired.
This is just not a healthy situation. I know that I have to keep it up until July, but by then I won’t be as buff as I had planned. At my advanced age, I know recovery is not going to be as easy as it would be for the younger generation, so the buffer the better. I can’t even ask my doctor about this, because his advice was just “don’t exercise” and “keep your weight down.” I’m finding that next to impossible.
I know I’m going to get at least one comment from a hip sister that urges me to “swim.” I hate swimming. Hate hate hate hate hate swimming. So yes, I know swimming may help me but I just can’t bring myself to take the plunge. I'm saving it for my post-surgical recovery, when I know I won't be able to do anything else.
4 comments:
I hate swimming as well. I think I never really learned how to properly do it so I don't breathe right and the whole process is not enjoyable.
I actually just came back from the gym - love having one at work! I am into the stair master latety. Today I did 60 minutes on it and another 20 minutes of weights. I am 5 lbs away from my beginning of the summer weight!
Wow, that's quite a workout. Go girl! You'll be more than ready for bikini season ...
Terri
I am in the same boat as you, RPAO scheduled for May, would like to lose about 10lbs before then, but in too much pain to walk more than a few hundred yards, never mind exercise.
Do you have a date for your surgery yet?
Kate
My first PAO will be in July, but they aren't scheduling that far in advance so I have to wait until May for an actual date.
I've been lifting weights (upper body) to prepare for crutches. That doesn't hurt! I can do some lower body lifting as well but my legs will hurt the next day. No cardio, everything hurts.
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