Quote:
Originally Posted by bfit
. I had a bad reaction to a shingles shot that exacerbated a skin condition which is very painful. Most of the irritation is on my rear end so I can't sit or walk without discomfort. At this point it looks like there is no end in sight. I am getting increasingly anxious about missing workouts. Every day goes by, and I think "maybe tomorrow", and then it's just not possible. How long can someone go without exercise until they are totally unfit? I have not missed over two weeks of exercise in literally 40 years, and it's taking a mental toll on me too.
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First, big hugs to you. I'm so sorry about the bad reaction and the pain you are going through!
Unfortunately, I've had to go through many long periods of time when I couldn't exercise due to injury or illness. In fact, right now I am ten weeks post-op from reconstructive foot surgery and six weeks since I got a concussion. The first 7 weeks after my surgery, I was 100% non weight bearing and couldn't even take one step and had to ice/elevate all the time. I'm in a walking boot now. It's extremely tough mentally to be forced to give up our workouts and lose our hard-earned fitness.
The muscles in my operated leg are completely atrophied now due to not being used. I showed my DH the difference in my calf muscles between my good leg and my bad one and he blurted out, "that's cool!" when he felt my one calf muscle that disappeared and I burst into tears.
Even with all of my previous injuries and surgeries, I was able to do *something* for exercise but not this time. It's been very difficult and depressing. but I know I've been through this before and am always surprised and pleased at how quickly my fitness levels return. Muscle memory is a real thing! And it is really satisfying to see the quick progress when it happens.
Hang in there and take care of yourself now. Your workouts will be ready for you when you are able to get to them. Two and a half weeks is a very short time and I'm sure you're fine now but try not to get too discouraged if it's much longer. I need to tell myself the same thing because I get very depressed.
I hope you feel better soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Terry
Instead, play the game of “How fun to do a re-start at a lower level. I haven’t done these kind of workouts in a lot of years.”
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What I find fun after a long time of forced rest is to see how quickly my fitness level returns. It's really amazing. When we're already fit, the gains are so slow and we plateau frequently but it feels like the gains are huge and fast when coming back after time off. it is definitely humbling when first coming back though when you've lost so much strength and endurance.
Erica